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JUSTICE LEAGUE'S DARKSEID WAR BRINGS BACK DC'S HISTORY
Share. What's old is new again.

BY JOSHUA YEHLWarning: this article contains spoilers for Justice League #40!


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Justice League #40 came with more than a few surprises, setting the stage for the upcoming Darkseid War that starts in June. We were surprised to see the Anti-Monitor as the mysterious universe-destroying villain at the end of Forever Evil, and now he returns again as we see him interact with the time-traveling Metron of the New Gods. Their conversation reveals many details about him that we've never known before, like his real name is Mobius and that he no longer wants to be the Destroyer of universes. Most interestingly, every single reboot of the DC was referenced as part of his story, apparently making all pre-New 52 DC stories canon again.

We hopped on the phone with Justice League writer Geoff Johns and artist Jason Fabok to discuss those developments, as well as what to expect from this Saturday's Free Comic Book Day issue.

IGN Comics: In Justice League #40, we've got the prologue to the Darkseid War, and we see the Anti-Monitor, who was revealed at the end of Forever Evil. We get to know a lot more about him here, like he has a real name -- Mobius -- and he wants to escape the endless cycle of being the Destroyer. What was your decision to make the Anti-Monitor a more nuanced character than he has been in the past? You also made him human-sized, albeit a really big human, which I thought was interesting.

Geoff Johns: Yeah, it's like approaching all the characters -- you want to humanize them as much as you can.

But more importantly, the Anti-Monitor, looking at it, if we were going to delve into him in a new way, I came up with this connection that he had to the New Gods, and I wanted to explore -- it's not a direct connection; he's not one of the New Gods -- but I wanted to explore him in a different way and reveal some things about him that we don't know.

when I started thinking about him and cracking open this story, about what it was and what he wanted, it had to be more than just a personal goal of he wanted to destroy the universe. I wanted to know why he wanted to destroy the universe, even if it's a reason we can't relate to or understand; I think we should try to understand it. I think just by giving him a backstory -- which we'll come to know, kind of a new agenda and some revelations and secrets that in a strange way, when they come to fruition -- they will feel like they've actually been there the whole time.

But the decision to give him a real name is just the first step in that. I think his name actually symbolizes and says a lot more than just a name. I mean, clearly the Mobius Chair is named after him. He's connected to that in a very big way, and we'll find out exactly what happened to make him the Anti-Monitor -- there's got to be a reason for it -- and exactly what that means, and what it means to Darkseid.

IGN: And what is the reason for the Darkseid War? Why are Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor fighting?


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Johns: I don't want to totally spoil it. We get into it in the series itself, but I will say, they both have different reasons for it, and ultimately the fact that they both go to war and the Justice League's in between, that's really the story -- the Justice League learning why they're doing this -- and all that is within Darkseid War itself.

But the point of it is that there's a connection between one of the Leaguers and ultimately the Darkseid War that will make this a very, very personal story. On the surface it looks like it's just maybe a big battle, but there's much more to it.

IGN: Jason, there were quite a few artists on Justice League #40 -- a true Murderers' Row of comic book talent. What was it like for you to share an issue with the likes of Jim Lee and Phil Jimenez and everyone else?

Jason Fabok: It's always really cool when you get to share a book with artists that you've looked up to and that have been influences on you as you've read comic books throughout the years. It still kind of blows me away sometimes when I think about the different writers I've worked with and the artists I've gotten to share books with or talk with or I've done a cover for, all those things.

It's always surreal to me to be in that position, because I'm so new to this in a way, and I'm working with guys like Geoff who I've looked up to for years and years. He's been one of my favorite writers for as long as I've been reading comics. I don't know, it's surreal, it's an honor to be able to share a book with these guys.

Some of the artwork in issue #40 -- I mean, all of it -- it's just awesome. That sequence that Jim Lee did -- Jim Lee has always been my hero. To see him draw characters that I've redesigned is really cool. That's a really neat thing to have a part in, so, yeah, it's been great.

IGN: There's been quite a lead-up to this story. It's actually a surprise to me that it's a story that's just taking place in the pages of Justice League -- because this could really be an event in itself; it certainly seems large enough to be an event. What was the decision to have it appear just in the pages of Justice League?

Johns: It really came to the idea that Jason and I are setting out to -- with June, and it being a big, huge month for DC and all of us, it was really an opportunity for Jason and I to look at Justice League. We talked about what we wanted to make the book, and quite honestly we're really happy with the direction that it's going. Our entire reason for doing the book is, we just want to make it the biggest, best DC event every month. We want the book, Justice League, to be the event -- and it should be the event, because it's the world's greatest heroes and villains in one book.

So we're working to make Darkseid War -- like every storyline we do -- feel like a massive event that's going to affect the characters emotionally, physically, affect the makeup of the team, the mission of the team, the DC Universe. We just want to make it as big as an event book could be but as a monthly book. Justice League deserves that, and we want to give the readers as much as we can in this. We're putting everything we can into this book.

IGN: Ever since the New 52 started, it has been "out with the old, in with the new" at DC -- a lot of characters starting over from the beginning, ignoring complicated backstories and continuity. But now I feel with Convergence and this prologue to the Darkseid War, there seems to be a huge focus on everything that did come before the New 52. You very cleverly made a thread that linked together all of these restructurings of the DC Universe -- you're embracing the continuity. Are we seeing a change in mindset for DC as a company?


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Johns: I can just speak to my book, and what Jason and I wanted to do with our book was, again, I wanted to weave a tapestry together -- context in the greater history of the DC Universe -- from Action #1 to today. It was important for me to really delve into it and connect it, because for me I've been building up to this storyline since Justice League #1 and kind of before. I wanted the touchstones to the DC Universe laid open to it -- especially with the Anti-Monitor involved, because he is such a crucial character to that history.

So although we have some of the history, we're about moving forward. We're going to introduce a lot of new characters and new ideas and new team dynamics and Darkseid lore. But we're building it off what I think is the strength of DC, which is its history. There's a foundation I think that's worth looking at and exploring but always building off of. It's what we did on Green Lantern and Aquaman, and every character we've done I've felt we've done some good work with. Jason and I want to do the same thing with the Justice League, the New Gods and what's going to come next.

But I guess the whole point of it is we want to embrace everything that is DC and try to tell the very best story -- moving the characters forward but not forgetting the past.

IGN: Let's talk about the Free Comic Book Day issue. What can we expect to see in that?

Johns: It's funny, the story's not very long like the other ones, but I think it actually has a lot of impact on Darkseid War. It's the introduction of a player within Darkseid War that will be a main character in the storyline and a little glimpse at what Darkseid War is going to bring to the team.

IGN: And Jason, Geoff is really tossing you into the deep end. What's it been like drawing what sounds like a huge, epic story featuring two iconic DC villains and the Justice League?

Fabok: Yeah, well, when we did our first arc with the Amazo Virus, Geoff went light on me for the first couple issues. It allowed me to kind of break in with all these new characters to draw.

Then issue #39 hit, and it was like he just went all out and did his classic "Let's have 100 different characters fighting on one page!" kinda deal. So I had a chance to kind of build up into this.

Issue #41, which is kind of officially the "part one" of the Darkseid War, again, it starts off kinda quietly, and then it builds and builds and builds. There are just going to be so many awesome things that happen in this series. I feel prepared to draw everything that Geoff has in store.

In fact, I now love reading those pages and seeing those things that I'm going to get to draw in the next couple months. It excites me as an artist.

I realize, also, that it's a lot of hard work. It's a lot of long hours that you get to pour into this stuff. But this is what you dream of as a young artist. This is what you dream of when you're reading comic books as a teenager. You think, "Man, I want to draw comic books one day." These are the kinds of stories you want to draw. These are stories you want to tell.

Things are going to happen in this story that are going to affect the entire DC Universe and affect it for maybe years to come. This is the kind of story that fans are going to read, and they're really going to be taken on just an epic -- in every sense of the word -- journey through DC's past, its present. You're going to get the best story you can possibly get from Geoff, and I'm preparing to deliver the best artwork I possibly can so that every reader gets their money's worth every single time they pick up one of these issues.

So I'm excited, Geoff's excited, and we know the fans are gonna really dig it when it comes out.

Johns: You know, one of the things I think we're most excited about is Jason and I really delving into -- like, there are characters that are really bubbling up to the top of this. Wonder Woman has turned into our favorite character on the team, so she's going to be front and center in this storyline. It's been a long time since -- I can't even remember the last time Wonder Woman was at the center of an event storyline.

So that's been a lot of fun, because we're exploring her mythology and putting her front and center. There's some stuff that she goes through and deals with that we think is going to be really great for the character.

Jay's design for her is unbelievable. I think it's the coolest version of her uniform in a long, long time. It's really what gets me excited about that character.

IGN: Are you referencing the new armored look we've seen?


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Johns: In the Wonder Woman book [by Meredith Finch and David Finch]? No, we're not dealing with the armor.

IGN: In the Free Comic Book Day issue, we're going to get a new robot Batman, and we've got Superman with a new look and haircut. Will we see these new looks in the Justice League comic book?

Johns: Well, I mean, Bruce Wayne is our Batman in Justice League, so that's what we're dealing with on the Batman front. The other characters, again, we're trying to tell our big story. I don't want to spoil the other books, so we'll let them tell their stories.

IGN: More to the point, a new reader comes in and picks up the Free Comic Book Day issue and they want to know what's going on, but they see two different Batmans, two different Supermans. Do you think the Free Comic Book Day issue will be a good jumping-on point for new readers?

Johns: Absolutely, because they can tell different stories. Again, our stories have never been the same day, reflecting every single event, but they are the same universe.

IGN: A lot of people are excited to have Green Lantern back in the mix. What's it like having him back in the toy box?

Johns: Oh, it's been great. I've missed the character, and we've got a lot of big plans for him and for the Corps in Justice League.

Fabok: And he's fun to draw.

IGN: Oh yeah? Are we going to see some new constructs?

Fabok: Yeah, I don't know. It all depends on what Geoff throws my way. But I've always loved Green Lantern, so I'm excited to get a chance to draw him.

IGN: Last question for both of you guys, what would you say to fans, heading into Justice League's Darkseid War?

Johns: I feel really grateful for and appreciative of Jay's partnership on this title, and we're really trying to deliver the very best book we can with the best characters at DC. This includes characters from Batman and Wonder Woman to Mister Miracle and Shazam. We want to utilize the whole DC Universe and create an event book every month that's character-driven -- so big, big stories but big, big personal stories.

I think Darkseid War is a culmination of what we've been working towards for a little while now, and it's certainly a payoff to everything we've been doing in Justice League, story-wise. I think it's Jay and I gelling together and hopefully creating something that people enjoy. We're giving everything we've got to this book, and we really hope people like it.

Fabok: I would just say -- this is me speaking as a comic book fan and not the artist working on the book -- knowing the story that Geoff has planned out and that we've created, this is the kind of story that you read comic books for. This has brought me so much excitement as an artist. To be able to work on something like this, I can definitely tell that Geoff has thought up the story for a long time, and all the pieces are coming together. We know what the ending is. It's awesome. I just feel very blessed and very thankful to have a chance to draw this.

Again, I just think fans are gonna love it. They're gonna love all the twists and turns. It's gonna be great. It's gonna be a lot of fun. Please pick it up, and hopefully you'll enjoy it. I know you will. IGN Logo