Review: Justice League: Darkseid War- Power of the Gods

Quick Summary

Pros: Most of the stories tend to range from average to above average. The Green Lantern story is so good that it nearly makes the collection worth it on its own. Most of the art is great.

Cons: Some of the stories a very generic and fail to do anything special.

Overall: This is a diverse collection of stories designed to take a more intimate look into the psyche of various members of the Justice League. In doing so, some of the stories provide intense and emotional reflections on life that are more than worth reading. However, the majority fail to do so and end up being rather average superhero tales. This is a collection for people who enjoy these characters and want a unique look at them, or anyone who wants to read the Green Lantern issue.

Review Notes

Justice League: Darkseid War- Power of the Gods is a bit different than most comic collections out there. Instead of telling a singular narrative, where each issue continues the story from the last, Power of the Gods collects six one-shot comics that all exist independent of each other. Because of this, this review will consist of six shorter reviews covering each one-shot. These shorter reviews will be prefaced by a general review of the collection as a whole, but this general review will not cover as much as our reviews typically do.

Story

In Justice League: Darkseid War- Power of the Gods, readers have the opportunity to witness individual stories detailing how each member of the Justice League reacts to the powers they gained at the beginning of Justice League Vol. 8: Darkseid War Part 2 (Review). For the most part, these stories are of average quality, most of them don’t stand out in any particular way. However, a few of them stand out as great stories on their own; especially the Green Lantern issue, which may be one of the best comics in this era of the DC Universe. Overall, if you care about these characters, you will find their stories interesting.

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Batman

The Batman issue, by Peter Tomasi, starts out with a good level of promise. It shows an authoritarian Batman, driven by the desire to completely rid his city of crime. This desire, combined with his new powers, causes him to go after criminals before they commit a crime and introduce general oppression to the city. This unique look at Batman shows that even a just cause can be corrupted by power and that even the Dark Knight is not infallible.

However, this level of quality descends quickly as the story devolves into another examination of Bruce’s parent’s death and his hatred for Joe Chill. This would be alright if it hadn’t been done so many times already, in much better ways. In addition, Joe’s character is portrayed rather poorly; he goes from being a confident jerk to a sniveling coward several times. This inconsistency, paired with the generic storyline, turns what could have been a great issue into one that is simply mediocre.

The Flash

Forced to bond with an aspect of Death itself, the Flash’s story is an examination of the value of life and how it relates to superheroes. It asks the question of whether saving anyone is worth it, since everyone will eventually die anyway. This question, and the subsequent narrative it launches, is interesting and watching the Flash take a journey to discover its answer makes for a good read.

However, the metaphorical implication of this quandary is somewhat diminished by the story’s adherence to a standard superhero structure. The Flash is the hero and Death is cast as the villain. Writer Rob Williams flirts with the idea of Death as a metaphysical entity devoid of morals but ultimately fails to elaborate on this, instead closing the story with Death still a villain. The story ends up being better than average overall but clearly had the potential to be a bit more.

Superman

The Superman story, written by Francis Manapul, is a unique and radically different take on the Man of Steel. Here readers see a Superman who doesn’t care about the people he protects and is only on Earth to further his own happiness. He allows Metropolis to be covered in a inky black substance, only to destroy the substance after realizing it would leave him totally alone.

The message in this story revolves around the value of humanity in the face of utter despair. This version of Superman can do whatever he wants, as he is clearly unfettered by moral restrictions. However, he ends up saving the world anyway, despite stating that saving the world is an annoyance to him. This action indicates that even the life of a super man is not worthwhile when it is devoid of humanity. The wholesome message is an excellent contrast to the bleak nature of the story and makes this a solid entry in this collection.

Green Lantern

This story, written by Tom King, is the pinnacle of this collection. It has emotion, heart, a clever twist, and a message that will stick with readers long after putting the book down. King tells the story of Hal Jordan’s mission to Oa and subsequent elevation to godhood through an errant Mother Box. Juxtaposing this story is a flashback to a moment in Hal’s life where he receives advice from a stranger in the wake of his father’s death.

The issue’s twist comes when Hal realizes that he was the stranger is his past, he used his god powers to send the message through time. In detailing this, the story becomes emotional but also hammers home the tale’s message. Hal discovers how humanity and godhood differ and how free will can be a curse, while still being an overall blessing. This is the best chapter of this collection and one of the best comics in this era of DC Comics.

Shazam!

This is another example of a story with a solid premise that fails to capitalize on its potential. In it, writer Steve Orlando tells the tale of Billy Batson entering the realm of the gods in order to discover how his powers have changed. While there, he ends up facing off against Darkseid’s father, Zonuz, and gaining control of his new abilities.

The problem here is that all of the setup done in this comic feels pointless by the issue’s end. Billy travels to several different gods in order to learn how to protect the Wizard’s staff from Zonuz, yet none of their advice plays out in the comic at all. In addition, the staff ends up being pointless despite the staff’s owner justifying its importance. The issue leaves readers questioning if there was ever any danger at all and wondering what the point of all this was.

Lex Luthor

The Lex Luthor issue, written by Francis Manapul, is probably the second best issue of this collection. It details Luthor’s time on Apokolips and his attempts to control the Omega Effect. At first he is unsuccessful in this endeavor but eventually is able to embrace the power by realizing that he needs to accept the help of others from time to time.

The reason this issue works so well is that it perfectly compliments all of the character development that Luthor has received recently. We see his troubled past and learn about his insecurities so that we can discover how he is able to overcome both. It makes Luthor even more of a sympathetic character than he was before by pushing him into new territory. This is a great examination of Luthor and a decent prelude for whatever comes next in his life.

(spoilers end here)

Art

Batman

This story, drawn by Fernando Pasarin, hits all the points necessary to make a good looking Batman comic. It presents Gotham in a great light, does well in showing emotion on character’s faces, and presents Batman and the Mobius Chair with a great level of detail. There is not much in this issue that stands out as being amazing, but everything is at least above average.

The Flash

Similar to the Batman issue, the Flash issue, drawn by Jesús Merino, is a book that looks good all around and does little to disappoint. Character and environments are detailed and fit well with the aesthetic the story promotes. There still isn’t much that stands out as being particularly noteworthy here, but there also isn’t much that stands out as being negative either.

Superman

The Superman issue, drawn by Bong Dazo, stands out in the way the artwork helps bolster the story. Superman’s new costume pops in this issue, making the Man of Steel stand out far more than ever before. This helps enhance the book’s goal of portraying him as an outsider, fitting the narrative nicely. It also helps that the entire issue looks good overall, making this a visually appealing issue.

Green Lantern

This issue doesn’t just have the best story of the collection, it also has the best artwork. Doc Shaner’s minimalist designs create an issue that focuses all of the reader’s attention on the character’s themselves. As a highly emotional story, this helps readers connect with what is going on faster than they normally would. There are also two gorgeous splash pages near the book’s conclusion that stand out as artistic triumphs. This is an issue that does not disappoint visually.

Shazam!

Despite a lackluster storyline, this collection’s Shazam issue is no slouch when it comes to art. Scott Kolins’ work is mystical and imaginative in a way that perfectly matches the story’s overall theme. He helps by painting a picture of this world that is just as ancient and strange as one would imagine. Romulo Fajardo, Jr.’s colors help with this a lot as well, making this one of the better looking issues in this collection.

Lex Luthor

In another one of this collection’s finer moments, Bong Dazo does a great job with the Lex Luthor issue. Luthor’s new form is as intimidating as readers would imagine and the entire issue is neat and detailed. Plus, Dazo shows off his artistic abilities by drawing flashbacks in a completely different style from the rest of the issue. This makes the artwork stand out and also helps differentiate exactly what is happening throughout the comic. The end result is another nice issue.

Continuity

Justice League: Darkseid War- Power of the Gods takes place in the middle of the Justice League Vol. 8: Darkseid War Part 2 (Review) collection. Specifically, it takes place between Justice League #46 and Justice League #47.

The story here continues on in the second half of Justice League Vol. 8: Darkseid War Part 2 (Review).

This volume also references stories from other comic books, all of which are detailed below:

• The Flash mentions a girl named Patty, who he started dating in The Flash Vol. 1: Move Forward.
• Batman’s last trip to Themiscara is mentioned. This happened in Batman and Robin #30, which is collected in Batman And Robin Vol. 6: The Hunt For Robin.
• Shazam’s past with the Wizard is brought up here. That past is detailed in Shazam! (Review).