Justice League #44
DC Comics
Written by Robert Venditti
Art by Xermanico
Colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr
Letters by Tom Napolitano
A mission in the arctic will prove not only challenging to the members of the League, but could tear apart the team itself.
An Anlantean outpost in the Southern Sea is attacked by a creature of unimaginable size and Aquaman calls in the Justice League for backup. When the League arrives, they encounter Arthur locked in battle with an army of mythical creatures and the hero is unable to communicate or control the ones from the sea. As more emerge from a pit nearby, they immediately focus their attack on Wonder Woman.
The League tries to determine how the creatures seemingly escaped from Tartarus and the battle shifts to containment with Wonder Woman acting as bait. To make matters worse, the rage from the creatures begins to invade the minds of the heroes and none of them can see the familiar face pulling the strings of their collective resentment.
Venditti begins this new story arc with promise. The story is interesting. The action is thrilling. There are some great character moments throughout and the reveal at the end of the issue is both unexpected and utterly satisfying. What starts off as a Justice League versus giant monsters action story takes a turn that is engaging as a reader and feeds into the team dynamic that has been the backbone of this title. An enjoyable read that sets up a more interesting arc to come.
Xermanico delivers some amazing art in this issue. The creatures look beautifully menacing and the details throughout the panels are awesome. There are some great hero moments throughout and Xermanico does a brilliant job of showcasing scale.