Scott Snyder and Jorge Jimenez have really tortured the JUSTICE LEAGUE. The Legion of Doom has the upper hand, and that means saving the Multiverse, drastic measures that have to be taken. The World Forger, one of the cosmic beings of the Sixth Dimension, has an answer: rewrite the Multiverse so that when judgment comes from beings above even him, the Multiverse will pass and get to live on. World Forger has imprisoned Superman to make this possible. World Forger also creates an ideal world where anyone who opposes Justice is harshly imprisoned in the Apokolips. In JUSTICE LEAGUE #24, the League takes the fight to the World Forger, with help from some surprising sources!

Unlikely Allies Help the League in JUSTICE LEAGUE #24

JUSTICE LEAGUE #24 starts with a Superman flashback, and a reflection on a specific Kryptonite that hurts him the most: gray kryptonite. Gray Kryptonite isn’t an extraterrestrial mineral, it’s the feeling of failing. Superman feels the pull of grey kryptonite as he floats through the sun-less space. Superman has been betrayed by Batman, but that’s not where it ends. The League is on its way back to World Forger’s world, thanks to the help of the Legion of Doom.

A blinded Darkseid pilots the ship, while the battered and depowered Legion explain the situation to them. The Legion plans to get the League to a portal that leads back. Lois Lane of this reality catches up with reinforcements to bring everyone back to the Apokolips. The Legion shoot the League out of the ship into the portal, but not before a show of mutual respect. The League sees the Legion of Doom sacrifice themselves before they arrive back on World Forger’s planet.

Showdown with Batman?!?

While the League was making its escape, World Forger was busy showing Batman the room where the ultimate solution was located. A solution Batman himself figured out: the Son Box and the Final Bat-Suit. A weapon, designed to rewrite the hearts and minds of people. Specifically, World Forger wants him to rewrite the League in order to get them to accept his solution. By doing this, Batman will save the Multiverse and be the knight in the light, as opposed to the dark. An explosion rocks the room as someone attempts to sabotage the armor.

The League arrives and faces down the World Forger and the Future League. The League thinks that the Final Suit has been damaged, as Jarro has been working with the future Legion of Doom, but Batman appears, armor repaired, and it doesn’t feel like he’s there to help his own Justice League. Pick up JUSTICE LEAGUE #24 to find out what his intentions are!

Snyder Betrays Batman? Nah.

Writer Scott Snyder has written Batman for a long time, since 2011’s New 52 Reboot. At the surface level, this issue and last issue seems like a deep, fundamental betrayal of the Dark Knight on Snyder’s behalf. Batman would never turn on his allies, and he’d always find a way to win. While that may SEEM true, it is NOT. Batman will find a way to win as long as it costs lives, and as brutal as World Forger’s method is, no one dies. The prison on Apokolips reminds me of Gotham in the future in KINGDOM COME.

Bat-Sentries scour the streets, preventing crime in an aged Batman’s stead.

What I find interesting is that Snyder is diving Batman and Superman similar to how Mark Millar and the Russo Brothers divided Iron Man and Captain America. Batman is about winning at all costs, and for him, that means remaking reality. Superman is the manifestation of hope and optimism and the will to overcome the odds. It’s interesting that Snyder would choose to manifest Batman’s will to win this way, but it’s not out of line. The League will be fine, and Superman will live on in the World Forger.

It’s a bit extreme, but this is what Batman would do, find a way to win.

Jimenez Continues His Roll on JUSTICE LEAGUE #24

Artist Jorge Jimenez continues his run on JUSTICE LEAGUE, and he’s doing a spectacular job. His visuals are stunning. From the dirty, gritty Superman to the beautiful room that Batman’s Son Box was contained in, Jimenez’s pencil and ink-work are spectacular. I love the subtle details, like the scarred and eyeless Darkseid, or the battle-worn Legion of Doom. I also love the gaunt and ornate Final Bat-Suit, with its golden Element-X accents and imposing wings. Jimenez has a great eye for character design and detail.

The idyllic world that World Forger has designed is also an excellent example. It’s familiar, yet futuristic, and bright and shiny and new… it’s TOO perfect, which is excellent storytelling on Jimenez’s part.

Is This The End?

The Justice League are outnumbered and outgunned. World Forger has the upper hand, and Batman is ready to rewrite reality. Even if Superman miraculously made it to them in time, would he be enough to turn the tide against everything the League faces? What about Perpetua and the Legion of Doom? Their machinations are still unknown. As this SIXTH DIMENSION arc comes to a close, I am excited to see what Snyder and Jimenez have in store for us!