Justice League #23.1

When it comes to fantasy, wonder and escapism, Greg Pak rules (see 'Planet Hulk' if you require more evidence). DC has tasked the writer with providing an all-new origin for Darkseid in The New 52 and, let me tell you, he definitely nailed it. He does a thorough job creating an absorbing story and makes the character every bit as formidable as he should be. This is without question a must read if you consider yourself a fan of Darkseid, and if not, it absolutely has the potential to turn you into one. Read Full Review

If you are reading Justice League, Wonder Woman, Earth 2, Worlds Finest or Batman/Superman, you cannot afford to pass this issue up. As a lynchpin tale for what has come before (and what is still on the horizon), Darkseid #1 is critical reading. And as a villains origin that doesnt destroy what makes our bad guys just so bad, it also cant be beat. Pour over this one awhile and give Darkseid his due. He demands no less of humanity. Read Full Review

This is a great issue. It's well-written, the artwork is classic yet not jarring for the eyes of the contemporary reader. Definitely worth the extra dollar for the awesome cover, this is going to be one of many excellent entries into the Villains Month gimmicky special cover themed issues tying into Forever Evil. The only two things that I didn't like about it were the fact that the huge Marvel Infinity event right now is essentially a giant crossover event about what this one issue is and we're going to have to wait until the next DC event before we even see Darkseid again. But, like him, I can wait. Read Full Review

This installment should be looked at as the gold standard of how to write a great villains month title. Everything you could possibly ask for is resting in these short twenty two pages, from drama to high stakes action. This makes the upcoming Action Comics series from the writer start to look more appealing to readers. Enjoy this book if you have any interest in the current state of the publisher, or are looking for a story about Darkseid. Read Full Review

Sure, Deadshot is another villain driven by revenge and tragedy but Kindt is able to really pinpoint the style and grace that gives this character texture. Artist Pasqual Ferry is able to render the failed-artist-turned-assassin in a clean style that is cartoonishly bold and clean without the exaggerations and goofiness. Read Full Review

Justice League 23.1 is a very good issue.  While it can be debated that Darkseid's origin wasn't particularly needed, Greg Pak does a great job presenting it.  The art has a classic feel that the New Gods deserve. Read Full Review

From an art perspective, this issue is fantastic. From the excellent Jason Fabok cover, to Clarke's interiors, I thought it was all really well done. I really want to see more Andy Clarke Joker work. I think that his art coupled with Kubert's story really conveyed a Batman: The Animated Series feel. His extremely expressive Joker actually made me hear Mark Hamill in my head, which is the mark of greatness in my opinion. I think that the flashback scenes are by far the best pages in this issue. I really loved the use of shadow in those scenes, and the different panel borders that were used too. Overall, I'd recommend this issue to any Joker fan, whether you kept up with his Death of the Family actions or not. Read Full Review

Justice League #23.1 one is an inviting story and a fun read that serves as a nice transition from the last few issues of Justice league that had us crying for the next issue. Read Full Review

The story allows us to see Darkseid's transformation and how he becomes the ruler of Apokolips. The issue also let us know how the New Gods come to be in this universe. It's a simple story, but full of rich characters and possibilities. It really helps us better known the world and the relation between characters. Read Full Review

"Darkseid" #23.1 has the potential to be one of the standout titles during Villains Month. It re-positions the dense history of the New Gods into an engrossing cosmic fairy tale, remaining true to the past while being accessible to new readers. Greg Pak crafts an origin story without resorting to any of the usual tricks, and the art from Paulo Siqueira and Netho Diaz in the first half the book is very impressive and, while losing detail, does maintain the kinetic energy that builds throughout. In a sea of villain books that will likely be hit or miss, "Darkseid" #23.1 was a satisfying read. Read Full Review

Kicking villains month off with Dark Seid was an excellent choice. He was the primary villain of the title's relaunch so it bookends the two-year anniversary nicely. We also get the New 52 origin for the character. My only hope is that we'll be seeing more of Dark Seid in the future because the final page teases something sinister. Read Full Review

"Justice League" #23.1 is the sort of comic that we don't seem to need, but in the end I'm glad we got it. Pak, Siqueira, and Diaz have taken a thankless task and turned out a comic that's actually pretty good. Quite frankly, it gives me hope. Nice job. Read Full Review

From that point, the story jumps from beat to beat so quickly that it loses focus. The narrator talks about the rise of Darkseid and how he came upon the Justice League, but it's all too vague and rushed to make a whole lot of sense. The changeup in the story can be felt in the art by Paulo Siqueira and Netho Diaz, as well. The opening pages are crammed with rich detail and epic scope, whereas the latter half is a blur of images that vary wildly in quality from page to page. Pak definitely has some great Darkseid material here, but nowhere near enough space to fit it all in. Read Full Review

This is my first run in with artist Paulo Siqueira and I must say I was impressed. The first half of this story in which Darkseid gains his powers is riddled with such detail and line work that it had a great depth. However, in similar fashion to the writing of the issue the art begins to suffer in the second half. Too many things are happening and the art becomes far less clear. It also lost the depth that made the first half such a joy to look at as the character work fell flat. Despite the problems it had though, this was a fun story and solid installment into Justice League that I feel is worth the $3.99 price tag. Read Full Review

Over all, unfortunately there was a sense that this was “extra” material, like a DVD bonus. It certainly helps embellish things and flesh things out further, but if you didn't read it, you wouldn't be missing out. There's nothing vital here, that you HAVE to know. It's okay if you just want something to read. The art is nice, but it just isn't essential. Read Full Review

This was a brilliant issue, but overall it wasn't quite as good as I hoped it would be, being too much for one issue. It did however re-tell Darkseid's origin nicely, and teased the possibility of him returning to the main pages of a DC series soon by tying this in slightly with the events of Pak's Batman/Superman series. Overall however I'd recommend this issue, as although I found it ever so slightly disappointing, you may love it, as it's very exciting, and entertaining. Read Full Review

Pak gets dangerously close to diminishing some of Darkseid's power in this issue, but ultimately redeems it by reassuring us of his motivations. The art team does a solid job in representing both the new and old gods, even if the latter are not terribly visually interesting. It's a curious origin story, but not one that needed to be told to understand that Darkseid is a very, very bad man. Read Full Review

A very simple, unambitious rendering of the Fourth World and its most famous villain, with similarly simple, unambitious art. Honestly, you sort of preferred it when you knew less about the New Gods. Read Full Review

It's sad to see Darkseid's New 52 origin be told in such a rush. I am all for done-in-one or single issue stories, and I'm excited to read most of the Villain's Month titles because of this. Unfortunately when the story sets out to be epic in scale like this one, it felt like a ten-page recap of an origin, rather than an origin story worthy of this classic character. Read Full Review

Justice League #23.1 is half-baked, which is unfortunate because Darkseid should be one of the most prominent and awe-inspiring villains in DCs roster and as of right now, hes not. Marvel has gone above and beyond to make Thanos a character to be feared. DC, on the other hand, seems content with letting Darkseid slip into B-list villain territory at a dangerous speed. We dont even get to see Darkseid when he first uses his eye beams; its just Uxas one panel, then full-blown despot Darkseid the next, while more mundane details (like anything before he starts murdering gods) are dragged out to unnecessary lengths. Read Full Review

To talk specifically about this issue, there just wasn't anything particularly special about it. Nothing that made me want to keep reading to see what there was about this villain. Read Full Review

In short, this was one of worse Villain's Month issues, with nothing to recommend itself. Greg Pak has disappointed massively once again and I'm really hesitant about picking up Action Comics #23.2: Zod and Batman/Superman #3.1: Doomsday now. I've got no faith in Pak at this moment, even though I really like these two villains. Read Full Review

the green death

Sep 04, 2013

Darkseid is and always was an absolute jerk and I'm happy his origin didn't diminish that. I don't know that we needed a Darkseid origin but since we got one, this was a good one to get. Good work Pak! The artists do a really nice job too.