Is It Good? Justice League #29 Review

Remember that thing called Forever Evil that DC said was important but didn’t care enough to finish on time? Yeah, one of the last tie-ins is finally coming out today when it should have back in March. Oh joy, what do we get today that should have come out earlier? Is it good?

Justice League #29 (DC Comics)

Cyborg and the Metal Men team up and take on the Grid, the living virus that nearly killed Cyborg so many months ago. With their combined forces, can they finally stop this hunk of metal once and for all, or will Cyborg’s new upgrade and new friends fall?

Let’s get ready to rumble!

I have no idea why this issue took so long to come out; nothing in the writing or plot feels like it was rewritten or changed as far as I can tell. It’s a simple battle between the good guys and the bad guys that ultimately leads into Forever Evil #7 (which we’ll finally see next month). Regardless of that though, it was a good conclusion to Cyborg’s storyline. His character is growing and finally reaching an area that it has been working towards. What he does and his ultimate conclusion is very satisfying and the kind of thing I want to see more of from future Justice League issues: strong and well-written characterization.

Without spoiling anything else, the writing is definitely strong for the most part (the only odd bit is at the beginning where it sounds like Dr. Magus is having doubts about bringing back the Metal Man for some odd reason). Dialogue is decent and there is some good banter from the Metal Men in areas. The pacing and story flow are good, really getting you into the intensity of it; though one transition at the very beginning feels off. There are strong character moments throughout and the characters are genuinely likeable. While the ending is not all that strong, just leading into Forever Evil #7, it works well enough. Honestly, it feels like the most “superhero” comic I’ve read in a while from DC.

Dude, where you get this awesome metal? We’re so jealous!

The artwork is by Doug Mahnke this time around and it’s pretty good. I’m not sure if its because of the inkers and colorist, but the style feels very reminiscent of Ivan Reis, which I find to be pretty good since it allows the book to have a consistent feel and look from issue to issue. The characters look good (though there are some creepy looking smiles here), the action is exciting, the inking and coloring is nice like I mentioned, the layouts are decent, and there is some great look imagery in the comic. Maybe rushed looking in some areas, but the book maintains a very high level of quality.

Is It Good?

Justice League #29 is a fantastic finish to the Forever Evil tie-ins, with great characterization and moments for Cyborg and the Metal Men. The writing is good overall and the artwork is very appealing. While hampered by the delay, I’m sure fans who have been waiting will very much enjoy this issue.