REVIEW: ‘Justice League Infinity,’ Issue #6

Justice League Infinity #6 is written by J.M. DeMatteis and James Tucker, illustrated by Ethen Beavers, colored by Nick Filardi, and lettered by Tom Napolitano. It is published by DC Comics. After the end of the previous issue, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice Alliance encounter a battered and bloodied Justice League. Green Lantern recounts the events that led to the League’s defeat, as Amazo finally learned what was on the other side of the universe: an alternate version of himself that has grown more nihilistic and destructive thanks to absorbing the Anti-Life Equation.

Much like the previous issue, this issue has a  flashback establishing events that happened off-page. However, unlike the previous issue, this flashback doesn’t take up the entire story. Instead, it leads up to the reveal of Anti-Life Amazo, who is utterly terrifying thanks to Beavers’ character design. He literally towers over the heroes, with his face twisted into a horrifying visage featuring multiple eyes and a fanged mouth. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that Beavers used the Avengers’ mechanical foe Ultron as inspiration for the design of Anti-Life Amazo. It also isn’t lost on me that between this story and the finale of What If…? there’s a penchant for stories featuring malevolent artificial intelligence given godlike powers.

The flashback also features a unique two-page spread that handles the flashback action, as Filardi shrouds the entire page in bright green light to represent Green Lantern’s ring. Napolitano’s captions also take on the same green hue, with white letters signifying that Green Lantern is this issue’s narrator, and differentiating from the green and black letterboxes of the Martian Manhunter. The panel is also divided in a way that resembles the cracking of glass, which continues to spread out to the other pages. Not only is this a unique visual flair for the book, but it also fits the image of reality being a mirror.

And of course, DeMatteis and Tucker continue to impress with their script. The creation of Anti-Life Amazo is a terrifying prospect; in the Justice League animated series, Amazo became an ally of the League thanks to his interactions with them. Anti-Life Amazo has no such connections, and that led to the destruction of his universe. The League suffers massive losses at his hands, including the death of a founding member and the wounding of another. It truly feels like they’ve met their match, and the ending is one of the cruelest cliffhangers I’ve seen in fiction. It isn’t all doom and gloom, however; Green Lantern finally comes to terms with his feelings for Hawkgirl, and as someone who was captivated by their relationship when Justice League first aired, I’m happy DeMatteis and Tucker resolved this plot point.

Justice League Infinity #6 sets the stage for the series finale by pitting the League against an enemy who is all but invincible. The best superhero stories often have their protagonists persevere against impossible odds, so I hope the final issue continues in that trend.

Justice League Infinity #6 is available wherever comics are sold.