Justice League Dark #9 Review

by Hussein Wasiti on March 13, 2019

Written by James Tynion IV
Art by Alvaro Martinez Bueno and Miguel Mendonca
Inking by Raul Fernandez and Miguel Mendonca
Colouring by Brad Anderson
Lettering by Rob Leigh
 
I know there are a lot of fans of the magic side of the DCU out there, and to them I say this: this is the book for you. Read it!
 
The magic side of the DCU was something I've always appreciated from a distance. I never got into it, aside from SWAMP THING by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and Rick Verheiden. I simply haven't read most of the relevant material, and the familiarity I already have with these characters is paying off in ways I didn't expect. This issue was just awesome, and at least two incredibly major events happen here that blew me away.
 
Artistically, this book is incredible. Miguel Mendonca joins regular series artist Alvaro Martinez Bueno for the first few pages of the book. I think Mendonca inks himself, so Brad Anderson did a wonderful job at maintaining a consistency between the two styles. Bueno is doing such good work here. His designs for the Lords of Order were all interesting and his Doctor Fate in particular looked amazing and creepy. His helmet looks like it's melting and this gives him a strange and menacing look. I'm not sure if this is a consistent visual trait, in that his helmet melts when things get serious, but it looked beautiful. Again, I find myself complaining of the same things though. I'm genuinely annoyed with all the double-page spreads. To me, they're not indicative of scope, no matter how hard the writer or artist try. I might be annoyed with them since I'm reading this digitally, so this might not be a complaint had I read it physically. Bueno flexes some muscles I don't think he gets to flex very often. His characters are very expressive and his range is a joy to behold. Bueno, along with inker Raul Fernandez and colourist Brad Anderson, make for a beautiful team.
 
I'd extend the same complaints over to the writing side. The insistence of double-page spreads is confusing but Tynion does a good job of setting the stakes. For so long we've been told that Doctor Fate means business and that the Otherkind will be doing some damage to the DCU, but here we get a real glimpse of what these villains can do to the characters and places that we know.
 
This was an enjoyable and exciting issue. The art was amazing from everyone involved and we're finally being shown the stakes that the characters have to face.
 

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside