After exploring the origins of the Crime Syndicate, Geoff Johns shifts to a different approach for the last leg of this “Forever Evil” tie-in. Can you say, “Cyborg: Rebirth”?
Written by Geoff Johns
Illustrated by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Jesus Merino, and Vicente CifuentesA FOREVER EVIL tie-in! With the Justice League still missing, a barely functional Cyborg will need help if he’s going to take down the Crime Syndicate! To do that, he must find Doctor Will Magnus!
When Geoff Johns was writing “Green Lantern,” in the midst of “Blackest Night,” the series took a backseat to the greater event, filling in the cracks, but only moving the story at hand marginally ahead. For the first half of “Forever Evil,” “Justice League” seemed destined for the same fate. However, a quick refocusing has not only pulled the title out of such a rut, but has potentially elevated itself above the very event that it’s tying into.
It’s been over two years since Geoff Johns deemed Cyborg as ready for the big leagues. In that time, he essentially played manservant to the Justice League, house-sitting and driving the team van.
(The team van actually being a boom tube. Which is pretty cool.)
All in all, the character hasn’t quite lived up to the promise that induction into the fabled “Big 7” heralds. However, with the rest of the various Leagues (sans Batman and Catwoman, but that’s literally another story) out of the picture, Johns finally has the chance to prove Victor Stones’s metal. I mean…mettle.
This may be (is definitely) oversimplifying his work, but after very careful, strictly scientific study, it’s been determined that Geoff Johns primarily produces two sorts of plots; the “small character-defining heartfelt exposition” and the “bombastic end of the world epic battle.” “Justice League” #27 is almost entirely the former.
Hearkening back to the opening arc of “Justice League,” Victor is terribly maimed, with his estranged father being his only hope of survival. Among other things, Johns has always done a great job at portraying familial bonds. Unfortunately the Stone family hasn’t received quite as much attention as say, Johns’ definitive depiction of the Kents in his “Action Comics” work. Due to the five year time jump, we’ve only seen bits and pieces of Victor’s slow reconnection with his father. However, we still catch glimpses of how these characters have changed, with Cyborg’s heroic courage and strength and his father’s newfound empathy. It’s certainly a start towards the strong, character driven relationships Johns is known for, and something that will hopefully be further developed in issues to come.
Of course, it’s not all about feels. As the cover states, Cyborg gets rebooted, and the result is more in line with the character’s classic look. We can rebuild him! No longer Jim Lee’s massive, walking tank, this new Ivan Reis design beautifully simple. That simplification goes further than just a design sense, but practically as well. The consequences of being stripped from the Grid lead to the issue’s most powerful, and most classically “Geoff Johns” moment. Let’s just say, for Cyborg, less is more.
Of course, Cyborg isn’t the only one on display here. Johns has hinted at the return of the Doom Patrol, who make their grand appearance in the issue’s open. Sort of. As is his want, Johns tests the waters with the scrubs, the cannon fodder, before planting the seeds of something greater in the ashes.
If you’ve read a Johns comic before, you might be aware of his tendency to quickly and unceremoniously off an alarming number of characters. The wanton violence can at times feel awfully wasteful, lessening the impact of each subsequent death. However, this is one case, if ever, where the deaths are thematically appropriate. This is the Doom Patrol, and death and destruction are part of the job description.
As grim as it may seem, you can still see Johns gleeful adoration of past continuity at play with the characters he puts into play, and the visual and verbal clues for what will come next.
As I’ve touched on here and there, from Cyborg’s new design to the foreshadowing of the Doom Patrol to come, much of this issue hinges on its visual component. Fortunately, it delivers. Interestingly, regular artist Ivan Reis provides the layouts for this issue, with Joe Prado, Jesus Merino, and Vicente Cifuentes on finishes. Surprisingly, the finished product is not far off from Reis’ typical work, with only the opening Doom Patrol sequences veering ever so slightly from his clean, highly detailed style.
Continued belowHowever, there is at least one point where the art takes a hit. The inner sanctum of the enigmatic “Red Room” makes its big debut, and it is underwhelming; an under-detailed, two page splash of red. There are a few visual nods that long time fans are sure to pick up on, but much of what is supposed to make the Red Room “cool” is told through dialogue, rather than shown by the artists. It may seem an unfair critique, but considering Johns’ penchant for easter-egg filled reveals and Reis’ knack for massive, highly detailed works of art, it feels like a missed opportunity.
“Justice League” #27 doesn’t feel anything like a Justice League book. No, this is a call back to the years before the New 52, to books like “Countdown to Infinite Crisis” or “52” that worked to elevate DC’s lesser known properties into A-list heroes. While this particular issue doesn’t rise to the heights of those stories, it stands as a refreshing detour in the midst of inter-dimensional battles between gods and goddesses, as well as a promise of things to come.
Final Verdict: 8.3 – Buy
