Justice League #42
DC Comics
Written by: Priest
Art by: Pete Woods
Colors by: Pete Woods
Letters by: Willie Schubert
Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are racing through space on their way back to the Watchtower. As she relays to him her anxiety about kissing Batman, Jessica notices that the Watchtower itself is gone.
At the crash site, Superman is struggling with finding a way to help an injured Wonder Woman who has been shot in the neck. As he prepares to race her out of the area for help, Flash stops him to remind him that not only is Barry faster, but the refugees in the area need Superman’s protection more. Superman agrees and heads back into the fight.
In the palace of the Red Lion, Cyborg awakens to find Slade Wilson standing over him. Deathstroke decides to give Victor a lesson in the geopolitics of where they are and inform him that he’s being played for a fool by Red Lion. A lesson that is having huge consequences for the team in social media circles. In San Francisco, Kid Flash finds Raven and brings her to the park because both he and Barry need her to save Wonder Woman.
As the Lanterns make their way to the crash site, Aquaman and Batman have the Fan in tow as the rest of the team tries to stop the fighting across all sides of the building conflict. As they make their way to the conflict, they begin to argue about what to do next. Their argument is ended by Slade making a dramatic choice that could change the fortunes of everyone involved.
I can honestly say that I was surprised by the ending of this issue. I expected the Fan story to be drawn out longer, but the sudden actions in the finale put some interesting new conflicts on the shoulders of these heroes. The art was a high point with some great details. I liked Slade’s introduction and interactions with the team, but his final act was a little too convenient a way of resolving a bigger problem.