Broken Frontier

Geoff Johns delivers an enjoyable issue full of humor and explosions.

Darkseid has arrived on Earth and he’s the size of the Hulk and looks just as mean. He’s not the long-winded Darkseid readers may be used to (in fact he has yet to say anything at all), so it’s hard to tell what his larger game plan is. He wastes no time trying to incinerate Flash and Superman with those pesky Omega beams that follow the heroes around the city at super speed, making for a thrilling opening to a comic that seems to be made up of nothing but large action set pieces. But that’s not a bad thing. Geoff Johns is going light on plot and heavy on action and character, which so far has resulted in an enjoyable read full of humor and explosions.

It’s hard to pick who was the standout character this issue. Flash starts off with a smart maneuver that showcases his powers, Green Lantern refuses to give up against the overwhelmingly powerful Darkseid, and Batman takes his mask off in an attempt to rally the team. Each of those characters gets a nice moment in the spotlight, but Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Aquaman don’t have more than ten lines between them, making them feel more like secondary characters only there to move the plot forward instead of well-developed people. That said, Johns has plenty of time in the future to better develop the cast and continue what has so far been a fun ride into the new origin of the Justice League.