Justice League #40 is a master class in how to throw down a kickass prologue. I'm totally in for Darkseid War and I can't wait to see what is coming next. Johns & the hall-of-fame roster of artists on this issue delivered a knockout and to say big things are coming for the DCU is an understatement. It is a very good time to be a Justice League fan. Read Full Review

Simply put, those is Johns doing what he does best. While he might occasionally stumble with presenting approachable characters, there is no one better at putting together a big story like this among comics big two. He pulled it off numerous times on his run on Green Lantern, and Flashpoint was a decent enough entry in the sequence of the universe changing crossovers. It is a shame that Covergence is getting all of the focus at the moment and that something like this was not approached instead (as it would have been easy to change to the plot of Convergence to fit this plot.) As it stands this is a near perfect lead in to the Darkseid War, and one that should get the fans excited for what is to come. Read Full Review

With all the new stuff that the creative team brings in here, and also the callbacks to all the old stuff, Justice League #40 is definitely among the best the series has to offer. Read Full Review

Justice League #40 is the prologue of Darkseid War, and it effectively sets the stakes for the event to come. Geoff Johns takes readers on a journey that feels somewhat like a mix of the History of the DC Universe and his own Justice League book. Johns entertainingly weaves in threads introduced in series like Convergence and The Multiversity. While there might be too many narration boxes for some, he also presents key scenes featuring dialogue fueled with drama and pathos. Kevin Maguire, Phil Jimenez, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Scott Kollins, Jason Fabok, Jim Lee all bring their A-game in a perfectly organized and unified front. Read Full Review

Overall I liked this issue…although nothing action oriented happen it was a great refresher on past Crisis events and a good lead in to the upcoming Darkseid War. Read Full Review

Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison are probably the two most famous writers of DC's modern age, barring only Scott Snyder. Yet, the two are very different in style, emphases, and interests. Morrison is famous for his philosophical musings about the nature of comics and narrative, about the nature of literary reality itself. Johns, on the other hand, is the foremost practitioner of the traditional superhero epic, the steady hand on the tiller that has guided the DCU through drama, controversy, and crises of all various descriptions. Thus, it is very strange but extremely gratifying to see Johns take a flying leap into Morrisonian clouds in Justice League 40, as he meditates on the nature of the literary events that have shaped and reshaped the DCU over the last thirty years. Read Full Review

Justice League #40 is a prologue to the upcoming Darkseid War but that doesn’t hold this comic back from being awesome. Geoff Johns is setting up an epic story that feels like the event DC fans deserve. His always excellent characterization helps boost an issue full of grand scope and compelling ideas to a level that he rarely achieves with set-up issues. Any fan of continuity and the DC universe should look into this accessible issue that is a reminder that Geoff Johns should be the only writer penning events at DC. Read Full Review

Exposition heavy is usually a dirty word when it comes to comics because too much usually drives readers away and even though this issue is packed to the gills with it, it should have you running to your comic shops to pick up this issue.  Just a fantastic set up to the Darkseid War in June and even though I hate sweating, I can't wait for the summer to get here because I need to read more of this.  Go get it and dive into the history of the DCU and ponder with the rest of us about what the future of our heroes' Universe holds Read Full Review

Some folks don't like Johns' direction for the League, but I think he's done a swell job so far. He touches on what's currently going on in DC in comic book form, and got my anticipation up to high levels for this book, and here's the kicker" the Justice League weren't even in this book (save for a small cameo). Having so many folks working on the art of the issue and making it all work cohesively should be commended. My prediction: a whole lot of destruction and some wonderful character development. I'm ready for the Free Comic Book Day issue and #41 already. Read Full Review

A nice walk down memory lane with some outstanding art. Read Full Review

Justice League #40 may not be the most active of prologues, but the touchstones to the original Crisis cycle, the inclusion of the New Gods, along with the anthology feel of the artist's pages is a must for readers looking for truly big DC fun. Read Full Review

Justice League #40 does its job as a prologue well. It sets things up for the big event coming soon as well as it can, the writing is pretty solid, and the artwork looks great. The comic does lack in the sense that it is very quick read, it's not particularly exciting, and a few other things. However, as a prologue, I would say it does a fairly good job all things considered and if you are interested in Darkseid War, definitely give this a look. Read Full Review

Justice League #40 ultimately isn't eventful, but this is to be expected as it is both a prologue issue and written by Geoff Johns, who is one of the reigning kings of decompressed storytelling. Thankfully, it draws on one of Johns' greatest strengths as a storyteller as well: It's an exciting piece of continuity porn for old readers while remaining accessible for newer readers. It's tantalizing and exciting, and the remaining time until the next issue comes out is going to be painful. Read Full Review

JUSTICE LEAGUE #40 is a pretty big info dump. Luckily, it's done pretty dang well and does a fantastic job at getting the reader excited for the upcoming Darkseid War. More than anything, it's really nice to have this book during this month as a break from CONVERGENCE. It's a breath of fresh air and gives readers something to look forward to. I highly recommend check this out this week just so you can take a break from the event. Read Full Review

Not to say that the Anti-Monitor should be some flat nothing of a character, but Johns goes way beyond the pale in trying to facilitate a new backstory and it comes off as incredibly forced. Incredibly forced as a 13-year-olds fanfiction, actually. The art from Maguire, Lee, Kolins, Jiminez, and Jurgens is all really well done – and the art is just the best of what you could expect from them. I just hope the next installment is better for the Anti-Monitor. Read Full Review

Justice League #40 is an extended prelude, and as such it's designed to tease the next big arc, something that it does incredibly well. Yet it is necessarily coupled with the Divergence giveaway chapter, which is arguably a more compelling prologue than this. That interrelationship weakens both introductions, cheapening the start of DC's next big crossover and taking some of the wind out of the sails. That said, if this first issue is anything to go by, then "Darkseid War" is gearing up to be one of the biggest showdowns on the the far side of Covergence and The Multiversity. Read Full Review

Johns' story raises eyebrows with revelations and plants plenty of subplot seeds and further developments for the upcoming "Darkseid War." The stinger at the end of "Justice League" #40 points readers to the Free Comic Book Day release, "Divergence," as the page it is on leaves readers in a lurch, with mysteries just starting to bloom. This issue spends a great deal relating passive observation, but the contributions from the talented all-star art team provide enough eye candy to maintain reader interest. Now that "Convergence" has reached the halfway point, Johns and crew seem ready to elevate the League to appropriate marquee status, even if it doesn't quite happen with "Justice League" #40. Read Full Review

Overall, the issue was fine. It wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't full throttle, edge of your seat kind of stuff that I would like. Granted, this is the first issue in an upcoming storyline and it is, almost, just a bridge to the full-on war we are about to get, but it just didn't do much for me. Read Full Review

This issue is heavy on dialogue and explains many things, yet still leaves enough mystery to keep you intrigued for whats to come. The character's backstory are great and the art is beautiful. The only drawback is that you may need more than 1 read to understand all that was told

The issue follows Metron, the watcher of the multiverse, as he tells us the tale of the history of the universe and in particular, the war between 2 gods and their homes. Metron tells us who he is, what does he do and why has he done some things he wasn't supposed to do and the impact of his actions in the present

Later on, Metron catches up with his old acquaintance Mobius, who isnt too happy to see him and who tells Metron that he may have finally found a way to escape his destiny and is ready to wage war, but not before taking care of his old friend more

So hyped for the Darkseid war now.

First Justice League comic I've purchased and it's not nearly confusing at all. It's a great set up and is worth reading.

Crucial details revealed about past stories.The connection of these stories is clear and makes a satisfying prologue.

Geoff Johns written events are always a worthwhile read and this looks to be one of the best. As prologues go, this was great, it introduces Anti-Monitor and gets you familiar with this incarnation of him and sets up what I'm sure will be a high stakes conflict. It looks like this is happening in parallel to Convergence so I'm not sure if the aftermath of Convergence will impact anything but Convergence is sorta turning into a sh!tshow so I'm hoping it doesn't muck up any plot points. Anyways, I would've appreciated if we didn't have a million artists for this issue but it's always good to see Jim back to work even just for a few panels.

Too much recap, but with a lot of great art

It's informative on the history of DC and Darkseid, in an entertaining way. It's a bit of a stretch to call it a Justice League issue, in fact the synopsis describing what to expect in this comic is completely misleading, so don't expect and fight between the Justice League and Darkseid because that simply doesn't happen here. The story is interesting at least, and the art is good, so I'm ready for more.

Dull origin story