[World of Wonder] JL: Darkseid War: Special + Justice League (2011-) #49-50

  • Did you find the conclusion to The Darkseid War satisfying?

Overall, yeah. I kind of feel like it went a little off the hinges a bit by the end, with the way they dispatched the villain feeling a little slap-dash, but honestly I think that’s the case with a lot of these kind of stories, for both good and ill. I remember The Great Darkness Saga having a similar problem, for example. I think in the end most people care about the consequences of the event and direct aftermath more than how the heroes dispatch the villains.

  • What stood out to you the most from these issues and the entire event in general?

In these issues, I think Grail’s backstory was definitely compelling. I also liked the idea of the League teaming up with the Syndicate, though I feel like what mostly came out of it was the Syndicate standing around while Superwoman gave birth in the middle of the battlefield.

  • Which character was your favorite throughout the event?

Grail was definitely the most interesting, though I feel like she kind of got Flanderized pretty quickly. I’m not sure I still understand exactly why she wanted to resurrect Darkseid, for example.

Hal came out pretty good with how he was looking after Batman.

Of course Wonder Woman was cool as the narrator, though in the end I can’t help but feel like she didn’t do a whole lot in this.

  • The Trinity has some world-changing revelations, which one intrigues you the most?

Well, considering that of the three, only Batman’s is the one that hasn’t been explained with, I kind of feel like I have to go with his by default.

Superman’s revelation of him dying was pretty big at the time, though I feel like after the revelations in Superman Reborn, which was basically DC trying to mea culpa to the hardcore fans for trying to do anything potentially interesting or new with the character and basically made it that the New 52 Superman never existed in the first place, it really doesn’t matter in the end.

At the time I was really interested in what would happen with Diana’s twin brother Jason, and then DC chose James Robinson to handle that story and it just completely and utterly flopped for me. Within the course of a couple of issues, Robinson made Jason from a character I wanted to see more of to one I never wanted to see again. He also REALLY screwed up Grail in the process.

(Seriously, why the HELL is James Robinson still getting work? The man has literally done nothing good since Starman, and even THAT is very overrated, IMO.)

Meanwhile, The Three Jokers still hasn’t come out yet, and while I’ve seen a lot of fans complain about how long it’s taken and how they don’t care anymore (though they seem to complain A LOT about something they seem to not care about anymore…), I think once we see full pages of this book, people will get excited again, and I’m really hyped to see where that story goes.

…Man, this came out a lot more negative than I was trying to do. I’m sorry guys. :slightly_frowning_face:

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Me whenever I try to join another book club :sob: :sweat_smile: :joy:

I get where you’re coming from on all fronts. I believe Grail brought back Darkseid as a way of controlling him and having him as her slave. I’m not entirely sure why she wanted that though. Also, poor baby just getting body snatched like that.

Hal really got great moments, especially in his one-shot. I wouldn’t expect any less when Johns is the one writing though.

New 52 Supes made me interested in Superman in comics, not just animation and live action. I’ll always love that version. I agree with you on the Jason/Robinson front to an extent. I didn’t hate Jason or never wanted to see him again, but it was underwhelming.

Yeah, I think that’s part of what I was meaning when I said I was being too negative, like I was being a little overly dramatic. I just found myself…hmm…what’s the right word? I think one of Diana’s extended family might be able to help!

Thanks, Herc.

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Eh, I don’t feel you were overly negative or dràmätíque. Just honest to how you felt about the final issues. :joy: :grinning:

yes, that is what i was asking.

Now the discussion questions…

Did you find the conclusion to The Darkseid War satisfying?
No and yes. The victory was satisfying but the open ended points have me clamoring for more.

What stood out to you the most from these issues and the entire event in general?
the black word bubbles of the new(er) gods.

Which character was your favorite throughout the event?
MobiusBat, altho billy batson giving sass to his new pantheon was a good moment. Hal Jordan had several good moments. And Cyborg as a literal ghost in the machine was a nice touch.

The Trinity has some world-changing revelations, which one intrigues you the most?
The most intriguing is the 3 jokers, but that story has yet to be told.
Superman dying reminded me of all-star superman (even tho i only saw the movie) (it’s rotated out atm)
Diana’s twin brother definitely has potential, but apparently lacks whelm.

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Did anyone else notice that in #50 there seemed to be WAY more of those black word bubbles and had to work out who was speaking at any given time? At first it was just Grail, Batman, Flash and Superman, but then it seemed like Owlman and Superwoman got into it for some reason.

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I had a hard time reading the red on black at first, but I didn’t notice how many people ended up getting those bubbles. Owlman did end up on the chair and Superwoman gave birth to the baby turned Darkseid. Maybe that’s why they had the black speech bubbles?

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