The Good
This is the start to the next story from JUSTICE LEAGUE. It's going to be an all-out war. Here's the thing, JUSTICE LEAGUE has been hit or miss. It's always been executed pretty well, but many of the stories have been forgettable in the New 52. That really changed with "The Amazo Virus." It really brought this sense of fun into the book and we got a memorable story that didn't bleed into the rest of DC books. That all continues here, for now.
This issue is one, giant "catch em' up" for people who don't know much about the worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips. Sure, it does seem like an info-dump at times (more about that later), but it's put together well and has a broad appeal. New readers will get an understanding between these two worlds and those already familiar with it all with get to see some moments fans haven't witnessed in the New 52.
The issue follows Metron, who takes the readers through the history between the two planets and how they're locked in war every 100 years or so. We also get to see the two leaders of these planets, Highfather and Darkseid, trade sons as part of a peace treaty. Metron drives the story and while there's no one from the actual Justice League here, Geoff Johns spins a good tale that will get readers invested in the story.
There's a ton of artists on this book: Kevin Maguire, Phil Jimenez, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Scott Kolins, Jason Fabok, and Jim Lee with Scott Williams. Colorists Brad Anderson and Alex Sinclair give the book a cohesiveness to everything. While this laundry list of creators looks a bit weird, it actually works extremely well in the book as those artists have specific duties on very specific pages representing specific times in the DCU. (specific... just had to write it one more time) It really is Anderson and Sinclair that bring this all together though. Maguire and Lee are really the caps here for the book as they work on the most pages, and it is wonderful to see Lee doing some art again. Don't get me wrong, Fabok has been amazing, but Lee's final pages are really beautiful and his work on JL has given this series a specific look and feel.
The Bad
This issue is an info-dump. Some of it is needed info while some of it feels like just a tad too much for the overall issue. There is so much info about New Genesis and Apokolips and the crisis that have happened in the past. The issue does read a bit like a history book. It's all done extremely well and lots of the information appears to be vital for the upcoming story, but it can get dense at times.
So the build up here is great, but there's nagging feeling in the back of my head "more events? more giant stories that can spill-over into other books?" That's not all technically true but there's heavy skeptical feeling I have. Sure, "The Amazo Virus" story was self-contained, but Darkseid War seems almost too big to contain within this single book. This is more of a concern than something "bad" within the book.
I worry that Metron will get blood clots from sitting all the time.
The Verdict
JUSTICE LEAGUE #40 is a pretty big info dump. Luckily, it's done pretty dang well and does a fantastic job at getting the reader excited for the upcoming Darkseid War. More than anything, it's really nice to have this book during this month as a break from CONVERGENCE. It's a breath of fresh air and gives readers something to look forward to. I highly recommend check this out this week just so you can take a break from the event.