Is It Good? Justice League of America #8 Review

The Justice League and all its spinoffs are dead. Well, that’s what the Crime Syndicate says at least, but some heroes may have survived. Time to check on those particular ones in this issue. Is it good?

Justice League of America #8 (DC Comics)

Somewhere, Stargirl and Martian Manhunter wake up in a field, trying to remember what exactly had just happened to them. There, they discover that they are trapped within a giant prison along the rest of the heroes. The jail is not an ordinary one though, since it seems to tap into each person’s mind and make their own prison from which they cannot escape.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this issue, but I must admit, I am very intrigued. The whole setup and the prison itself are very well done, providing a very interesting world and situation that the two characters have to get out of. The looks into several of the characters’ minds are interesting, seeing exactly what kind of prison was built for them. There was an even a very amusing one that’s a throwback to a movie, but I won’t spoil it.

The rest of the writing by Matt Kindt is overall good. Characterization seems perfectly fine and the fears and thoughts that the character show seem to match them (still not sure what to the think of the first person Manhunter runs into). The story moves at a good pace and keeps you interested. The issue is mostly setup and not much happens outside of Manhunter visiting a room and seeing another superhero except at the beginning and at the end. It doesn’t really matter though, since you are quite invested in seeing where all of this goes.

Well, as long as they don’t get hit by the occasional flying car.

The artwork is by Doug Mahnke, who did the Trinity War issues for JLA, and his stuff isn’t bad here. While I notice there were several inkers involved in this issue, like the Trinity War issues, the art looked consistent from page to page. Characters all looked different (though with maybe some dull looking facial expressions), had a good color scheme to it, and there were a couple of unique looking panel layouts. All in all, not a bad issue art wise and definitely a step up from before.

8.5

• The setup and prison are very engaging.
• The characters are all memorable.
• The artwork has improved.

• The story is a bit repetitive during the middle.

Is It Good?

Justice League of America #8 was a solid issue overall, that also was a good start for its tie-in into Forever Evil. The setup is solid, the writing is good, and the artwork is an improvement. If you have been wondering where the hell the other heroes went after the event started, make sure you check this one out.