Justice League of America #24
Justice League of America #24 is the finale of writer Steve Orlando and penciler Neil Edwards’ Deadly Fable story, in which the Queen of Fables has used Killer Frost to gain access to Earth, so she can take it over. Frost, being cured of her vampire-like need to steal life from people, and then used in the process of the Queen’s takeover, has been experiencing some guilt over the whole situation. As the battle between the Queen and the JLA rages on, Vixen, newly-returned to life by her own powers after being disintegrated, rallies the many people who were used by the Queen to take back Earth. This has been the best arc of the current run of JLA so far, having dealt heavily with the character of Killer Frost, as she has essentially endangered all of reality in order to escape the addictive nature of her powers.
Vixen has also been given a lot to do here, as she has been rendered nigh-immortal. It’s unclear how that will impact the character long-term, especially since it would seem to remove some necessary drama from her adventures, but it provides an epically cool moment for her in this story. She even uses her self-resurrection as a chance to step up as a leader, not just of the League, but humanity itself. It would be interesting to see her continue as leader of the team, even if Batman is returning, if only because new blood in leadership could be very interesting for the ongoing story.
Promethea, a character created by Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III under the America’s Best Comics imprint, also appears in this issue, having popped up in the twist ending of the last issue, ready to fight the Queen of Fables. Unfortunately, she doesn’t stick around long. She helps out in the fight against the Queen, offers some inspiring words, and takes off back from whence she came. It’s a little bit of a letdown, but still pretty cool to see this character appear out of nowhere to help save the day. Hopefully, she’ll be returning at some point, because there are tons of potential stories for a character like her in the League.
Neil Edwards’ art is great, and seems to be channeling Bryan Hitch in the best way possible. He was more than likely chosen for this arc for just that reason, as Hitch was a co-creator of the Queen of Fables. Hopefully, Edwards will be sticking around, as his pencils create a clean, real-world feel that adds a layer of believability to these fantastic stories. Daniel Enriques and Andy Owens on inks, plus HI-FI on colors, round out the best art team the Justice League of America has seen in its current run.
In the end, this story was a lot of fun, and provided some epic moments that harkened back to the Grant Morrison and Mark Waid runs on the JLA. The only weak point in the issue, was that Killer Frost seemed to be getting no punishment for letting the Queen into their reality. She should be going to jail, but instead, the League is offering its support in helping her deal with her disease. This leads the audience to believe that there will be zero-to-no consequences for her, as the end of the issue seems to be springboarding directly into the next arc. Nevertheless, it’s unlikely her arc is finished, so it will be intriguing to see where Orlando is taking the character.