Justice League: Last Ride #2 – Chip Zdarsky, Writer; Miguel Mendonca, Artist; Enrica Eren Angiolini, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This is an interesting series two issues in, because it’s essentially a post-apocalyptic story where the world survived. We know from the last issue that the Justice League has broken up after a brutal battle that left J’onn J’onnz dead, the Green Lantern Corps shattered, and the League at each others’ throats. This issue, we finally get the first part of that story—an extended flashback to what happens when Apokalips takes off the gloves and makes a full assault on the universe. Earth is under assault by an army of Parademons, the Oceans are being boiled, and Oa is dangerously close to having its central battery breached—and that’s without Darkseid himself actually making his presence known. As the situation gets bleaker and bleaker, you can see from J’onn’s interactions with his fellow heroes that he knows this might be the end—and he’s at peace with the decision he might have to make.
But in the main narrative of the comic, peace is hard to come by. Anyone who’s ever been to an awkward family reunion knows exactly what this feels like. Superman and Batman are the most estranged, of course, but no one seems particularly open to talking to each other. Wally West tries to crack some jokes, but they go over like a lead balloon. As an aside, with them having the same costume, it’s usually a guessing game whether it’s actually Barry or Wally who’s the Flash in any given comic. And as awkward as things are, they only get worse with Lobo manipulating things. This is a much darker version of Lobo than we’ve seen, one who seems to have his own death wish but wants to create as much carnage as possible before he goes. The team is headed to the site of their greatest battle to try to resolve this threat, and Zdarsky does an amazing job of building tension in this comic. Top-tier once again.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
