Justice League Dark Annual #1
The Justice League Dark learns more about Merlin and his plans in Justice League Dark Annual #1, by writers Ram V and Dan Watters, artist Christopher Mittens, colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr., and letterer Rob Leigh. V and Watters present a story that gives a lot of background into what Merlin's been up to and gives the team hope in the short term.
At a meeting of the JLD, Doctor Fate tells the team about a dream he had where the Tower of Fate fell. Wonder Woman tells him of a meeting she had on the way to help the team fight Merlin, in Atlantis with an Egyptian deity Hauhet, who is now communicating with Fate. Randhir Singh shows up and tells the group about how he ended up in the clutches of the Brotherhood of Ambrosia and what he knows of Merlin's plan. Finally, Mister E reveals himself to the others. He tells of a thing he saw walking back to the present from the end of time, a confrontation between Kula Yaga and Merlin at the Source Wall. The team leaves to think of what they've learned while Zatanna and Doctor Fate stay at headquarters. E shows up again and offers them something he found on his walk, but he wants Merlin's ruby in exchange. Despite the danger of giving E something he could use against them in the future, Zatanna agrees.
The Justice League Dark back-ups have been the best part of Justice League, and getting this issue is terrific. V is joined by Watters on writing duties, with Watters doing the script and both of them plotting it. This is a masterfully written issue. It's basically a giant info dump comic with minimal action. Still, V and Watters find a way to keep readers engaged regardless. Suppose there's any problem with the comic. In that case, it's that Justice League has been heavily delayed, so some of the things that this comic talks about are things readers haven't seen yet. However, there's nothing too spoiler-y in it, so for readers who don't want to know exactly what will happen in the back-ups, this issue doesn't ruin them.
For long-time fans of magical DC, Mister E's return is awesome. It's also masterfully written, especially the page where E describes seeing the universe go backward from the end. Watters wrote the script, and this was just a beautiful little piece of writing. The most intriguing part is the connection between what Kula Yaga was telling Merlin and what's been going on. Apparently, there's a dark threat coming, and Yaga was preparing for it. He transforms Merlin into his weapon, which is the genesis of what's going on. This adds a whole new dimension to the story being told in the JLD back-ups, one that no one would have expected. Finally, the deal between E and Zatanna bodes well for the future, both for the battle against Merlin and a future confrontation between E and the team.
Mittens' art is lovely. It's not like any of the other artists who have worked on JLD and fits the book so well. There are some great full-page spreads throughout the issue. Wonder Woman falling into Atlantis to Randhir Signh seeing the labyrinth of Merlin's mind to E walking back as the universe rebuilds itself around him. Fajardo Jr.'s colors have a "painter-ly" quality and make the pencils look much better.
Justice League Dark Annual #1 fills in some blanks from the back-up while also giving readers more information on the central menace of the story. V and Watters do a phenomenal job with the writing in this comic, and it begs the question: why can't the JLD have an ongoing? Mittens and Fajardo Jr. knock the art out of the park. The writing and art are outstanding, and this book is such a treat.
