DC's Justice League Incarnate #4
- WRITER
- Joshua Williamson, Dennis Culver
- Artist
- Chris Burnham, Mike Norton, Andrei Bressan
- Letterer
- Tom Napolitano
- Cover Artist
- Gary Frank, Brad Anderson
- Publisher
- DC
- Price
- 4.99
- Release Date
- 2022-02-01
- Colorist
- Hi-Fi
Since the events of DC's Infinite Frontier event, the multiverse has been stranger and sicker than ever. Luckily, Doctor Multiverse and the members of Justice League Incarnate are endeavoring to fix things. Joshua Williamson, Dennis Culver, and a slew of artists have been chronicling the team's efforts in the 5-issue miniseries Justice League Incarnate. The recently published penultimate issue reveals the truth about the threat to the multiverse and presents the beginning of a monumental battle.
Justice League Incarnate #4 reunites the DC's mightiest heroes in their fight against Darkseid to heal the crack in the multiverse and save Barry Allen from his hellacious fate. The issue begins with Doctor Multiverse telling her teammates about the history of the Infinite Frontier and the great darkness before coming to a grim conclusion. As Darkseid revels in these revelations, President Superman, Captain Carrot, and Thomas Wayne try to keep the team from falling into the depths of despair and the war between good and evil escalates with disastrous results.
Williamson and Culver begin Justice League Incarnate #4 with a remarkably succinct history of DC's multiverse. Anyone looking for a quick recap of at least 30 years of DC's cosmic history will find just what they're looking for in this comic. These opening pages move at a notably slower pace than the rest of the series, but they tie into the narrative seamlessly. Doctor Multiverse and Darkseid's dialogue is significantly more cynical than previous issues, which are surprisingly upbeat considering how high the stakes are. By finally acknowledging the dark nature of the drama, Williamson and Culver demonstrate how hopeful the heroes have been up to this point, making this issue's brutal and dramatic ending all the more impactful. The premise of the series might seem a little too familiar to fans who are up-to-date with the rest of the DC Universe, but Williamson and Culver use it to craft a story that is entertaining.
All three artists working on Justice League Incarnate #4 do an incredible job. Chris Burnham's illustrations of the history of the multiverse perfectly embody the expansive, cosmic nature of the narrative. Burnham's scenes of outer space evoke Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga and help make the dense prose accessible. Mike Norton picks up where Burnham leaves off, giving the heroes a chance to react to Doctor Multiverse's story on a desolate Earth-Omega. Andrei Bressan delivers the issue's dramatic conclusion with a knock-down-drag-out battle on Earth-7. The contrast between Norton and Bressan's work amplifies the gritty chaos of the fight between the forces of Apokolips and the Great Dark. In a few short pages, he successfully sets the stage for an unprecedented battle featuring a vast cast of characters. Hi-Fi's colors help to highlight each artist's distinct styles while adding a layer of continuity to the issue.
Justice League Incarnate #4 ends with several shocking twists that will leave fans at once devastated and anxious for the final issue. This penultimate chapter is both a tonal departure from the rest of the series and a pitch-perfect summation of the situation that Justice League Incarnate is battling. The entire creative team successfully delivers an exciting and heart-wrenching story that encapsulates all the best elements of DC's large event series without alienating the casual reader.