Justice League #67
The Justice League and the United Order tackle the Synmar Utopica in Justice League #67, by writer Brian Michael Bendis, artist Phil Hester, inker Eric Gapstur, colors by HI-FI, and letterer Josh Reed. In the backup, by writer Ram V, artist Sumit Kumar, colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr., and letterer Rob Leigh, the battle for Atlantis heats up as the Justice League Dark tries to stop Merlin from tapping into the primordial magic beneath the city. As usual, both stories in this book deliver some of the best super-team action out there.
Lois checks on her brother Daemon Rose, the Justice League, and the United Order attack Synmar but are hopelessly outmatched, as the alien keeps getting more powerful with every attack. This leads Batman to take some drastic measures, using the Phantom Zone projector to get rid of the Synmar Utopica, a move Superman disagrees with. The United Order tries to take the Phantom Zone projector but are backed off by the combined forces of the League. Meanwhile, Daemon Rose is attacked by a group of Deathstroke's. Over in the back-up, Constantine confronts Merlin as he resurrects a legion of the dead to attack Atlantis. Aquaman, not to be outdone, calls upon a legion of sea creatures and sends Zatanna to help John and she shows up in the nick of time.
Bendis impresses yet again with the issue. The set-piece of the story is the battle at the Hall of Justice, and he delivers there, setting up a big exciting brawl. It's also a lot of fun, as he finds a novel way to introduce the main members of the United Order, having them speak directly to the reader and explain who they are. It's quite novel and one of those moments where it's up to the individual readers to decide if it works for them, but there's something unbelievably charming about the whole thing. This is an exciting issue of the Justice League, and that fits this team to a tee.
Bendis sets up some more stuff with Daemon Rose in this story, which sort of feels like something that should be happening over in Checkmate, but it still works pretty well here, especially the ending, with a group of Deathstroke's attacking him. It's pretty interesting, and really, if there's anyone who can handle a group of Deathstroke's, it's the Justice League. The backup is stellar, as usual. Ram V is a unique talent as a writer, and the breadth of his work shows that. In these backups, he's deployed his ability to create great plot points and combine them with great action. Seeing Merlin and John Constantine fight against each other is fun. V throws in some exciting moments with the rest of the team and uses the pages he has to maximum effect. Nothing is wasted, and there are some great moments.
Hester and Gapstur have experience working with Bendis, and it shows. They do as good a job with the Bendis-isms as they do with the action. The main story lives and dies by the fight against Synmar, and the artists do a great job with it. In the backup, Kumar does a fantastic job with everything V throws at him. Atlantis looks great, and the panels where Aquaman does his thing look amazing. Kumar's character work is top-notch, and it shows in every scene.
Justice League #67 is yet another clinic in how superhero team books should be. The creative team of both stories do some fantastic work. These are action-packed tales that impress in entirely different ways. Justice League is stellar, and this is yet another example of why.