Justice League: Last Ride #4 Review

 

Road to Nowhere

Writer: Chip Zdarsky

Artist: Miguel Mendonca

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 10, 2021

I rarely say this about a Chip Zdarsky book, but I haven't enjoyed Justice League: Last Ride.  The first three issues have been a snore-fest, and while I hope that the big reveal of what happened to Martian Manhunter will change that, I have my doubts. Nevertheless, I have faith in Chip, so maybe this is the issue that turns it all around for me.  Let's find out...

The issue begins with what I have liked so far, the flashbacks of what happened in the past.  While we get the entire Justice League kicking ass and getting their asses kicked, everyone's focus will be on Batman and Martian Manhunter.  Yes, we do see what Batman did to piss off Superman, and no, it didn't wow me in the least.  I expected something a bit out of the ordinary or even really fucked up here, but that just wasn't the case.  I mean, maybe if it was one of those situations where it looked like Batman had done something way out of line even though he didn't, I could have gone with it, but this was standard issue Justice League stuff with pretty much everyone in agreement but Superman. Maybe it will end up being the straw that broke the camel's back, but while I was reading it, I was not on #TeamSuperman one bit!  As an aside, I want to point out that most living things have a weakness to fire - for the most part, Martian Manhunter has a psychosomatic fear of it.

In the now, things don't get much better.  Zdarsky is still playing coy with the details of who hire Lobo to kill the New Gods and what that all means.  As far as action goes, we get John Stewart and Wonder Woman disabling incoming spaceships while Batman and Hal talk about the blame game and Wally and Superman deal with Lobo.  The big reveals are the arrival of some Superman heavy-hitters that are always cool to see but feel like they show up out of nowhere.  

This book looks great, but the overall story still hasn't grabbed me in the least.  Seeing what happened in the past with Martian Manhunter lessened everything, and in the present, it feels like Zdarsky is getting desperate to get something going in a forced way.  I will continue to read this book, but I am apprehensive it won't be worth it by the end.

Bits and Pieces:

While we get some big reveals in this issue, they didn't elevate a book that I have struggled to enjoy.  The overall narrative of past and present is a bit scattered still, and overall, I find the book boring.  There is still time to turn it around, but I am worried that this is an Elseworlds story that didn't need to be told.

5.5/10