Justice League of America #9 effectively accomplishes what it sets out to do: freeing Stargirl and Martian Manhunter from their imprisonment by the Crime Syndicate. Theres a catch to that freedom that will make for a very interesting dynamic between the duo. The main question I hope is answered in the coming months is: how will Stargirl and Martian Manhunter free the others? If the last two books are any indication, Kindts answer to this (and many other questions) should be entraining and satisfying. Read Full Review

Justice League of America #9 was another enjoyable read and a good tie-in to Forever Evil, while also taking the time to dive into the backstory of one of its characters who we still don't know a lot about. With great looking art this time around to help things along and a great cliffhanger, I am sure to be checking this out next month. Read Full Review

Justice League of America #9 is one interesting adventure which is a great distraction from everything else going on in the world. We now have a little more understanding of the prison they are all trapped in, but we have an even greater understanding of both Martian Manhunter and Stargirl. There may not be a lot of action, but the story is what stands out as it clearly possesses more depth than we could have anticipated. That is including the weird twist at the end which leaves you with a few questions you hope are explained next issue. Read Full Review

In what is becoming a rather worrying trend with regards to Forever Evil, however, is the inconsistency of the art. Mahnke provided some pencils here and there for the series - but the rest is provided by Tom Derenick. Now Derenick is not doing bad work here - maybe there's trouble with faces, but it's serviceable stuff for the most part. The problem lies in the jarring nature of the changes. It's a large part of the issue, which is otherwise exceptional. The current arc still has me hooked and it should given it's exciting cliffhanger. Forever Evil remains one of the best DC Comics events around, let them keep it that way. Read Full Review

This series just cannot seem to find its footing. It's essentially backup stories that should be taking place in both Justice League and Justice League Dark, but work better without taking several issues to complete each story. That being said, I do enjoy it and will be sticking around until Jeff Lemire takes over writing duties and the team and name changes to Justice League Canada. Because, you know, there's apparently a lot of interest in that. So, until that final fateful day, count me in. I'm just hoping that the rest of the issues until that moment offer up a little more than just adding to the other Justice League books. That would take this from a good book to a great one. Read Full Review

Wrapping up this review I have to conclude that of course I had a huge problem with this book, but that problem wasn't enough to take all of the enjoyment away from me. I had fun playing in the imaginary prison that is lurking within the head of each super-hero. It's a great concept, and Matt Kindt does some pretty decent stuff with it. As for teenage girls being unaffected by emotions like fear and pride though? Oh dear, Mr Kindt. Time to leave the house for a bit mate, you've obviously been spending far too much time typing away on your lonesome. Read Full Review

Despite Stargirl's great origin, the issue lacked of story progression. While most of the Forever Evil tie-in issues are quick on story pacing, this one suffers on that element. Nothing much happens in the issue, and the ending is confusing as well. Hopefully next issue will be better, and I wonder how Stargirl is going to defeat the Secret Society alone. Read Full Review

Unfortunately, this issue suffers from a change in art teams, as Doug Mahnke and Tom Derenick will apparently be alternating issues for this arc. That will no doubt keep the series shipping on time, but the two artists don't exactly have similar styles. Derenick's work lacks the darkness and cinematic flair of Mahnke's, which further drags down the scenes that focus on psychological torture. A more elegant solution would have involved both artists trading off pages throughout the arc, with Mahnke handling the Martian Manhutner scenes and Derenick the Stargirl scenes. Read Full Review

Sadly this issue doesn't do anything to continue the story until the very last page.  What we do get is a rehash of everything that happened in the last issue, with a small bit added to give us some background on Stargirl.  It's really small.  But the artwork of Tom Derenick is able to come through and give us a reason to still enjoy this book a bit, but it isn't enough to save it from being dull.  So if you're anything like me you'll get the issue because you're a completist, but you won't enjoy it as much as other tie-ins to this event. Read Full Review

But overall, this issue felt a little stagnant and touched on too many elements from the previous installment. It's certainly not bad, but with such a huge storyline as ‘Forever Evil' you kind of go in expecting things to move a bit more briskly. Read Full Review

This title is gearing up to give us the adventures of Martian Manhunter and Stargirl against the villains on their quest to defeat the Crime Syndicate and save the heroes. They are both proving to be more and more interesting and likable. Unfortunately we get more of the same as last issue in seeing the imprisoned survivors going through their scenarios as they are oblivious to where they really are. We has have some inconsistencies between the artists. This issue sets things up for the two heroes to take the next step in their mission and the action should definitely be kicking in then. Read Full Review

It feels a lot like a retread of the last issue, but with much more Stargirl and some actual plot progression slipped in near the end. It's an okay read, but I think that issues #8 and #9 could've been condensed into one killer issue rather than 2 “okay” ones. Read Full Review

Justice League of America #9 is a bit of a mixed bag with one strong character analysis combining with a weaker storyline to keep the series from progressing at a very rapid pace. The artwork, while not poor, is not remarkable either and does little to make this issue memorable in any way. Read Full Review

Despite a few annoyances, this is still a solid issue. The rotating artists will be a pain, but if Kindt can move the plot along, it should be smooth sailing and a fun ride. In all corners of The New 52, Forever Evil is making for some compelling stories. Read Full Review

Redundant, repetitive, and not nearly as well executed as his previous issue, it once again convinces me that it's time to put this title on the Drop list. Read Full Review

Haven't we seen this before? Last month we saw the Martian Manhunter navigate the various psychological prisons that have trapped the Justice League of America... and this month, we see more of the same. Read Full Review

Even though I'm glad there are new characters being given the spotlight, this story is just not grabbing me. I know it's only two issues in but the direction I see this story going in is concerning me. Time will tell where this story will go but I feel in order to build Stargirl as a stand alone hero, there should be a lot more clear evidence that the events are really happening, not an illusion. Read Full Review

a courtney 🥺