Twenty-five years ago this year, Superman died at the hands of Doomsday. And the issue in which he died, Superman #75, became iconic. Now, Superman is dying again. And in another 75th issue. But this time, so are Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League. DC Comics has announced that issue #75 of the current Justice League book will be its last. And it will feature almost the entire team dying on a mission. Writer Joshua Williamson (Batman) and artist Rafa Sandoval (The Flash) have the somber duty of laying the world’s greatest heroes to rest.
According to the official description from DC Comics, a new Dark Army, featuring the DCU’s greatest villains, has formed on the edges of the Multiverse. And they pull together the best and most powerful heroes in an epic war to push the darkness back. In the end, the Dark Army kills the Justice League. And with only one survivor left to warn the remaining heroes of Earth about what is coming for them. You can check out the cover for this landmark issue below.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Williamson talked about the inspiration that Superman#75 had on this story. He said “I think one reason that story was so powerful was that after the ‘Funeral for a Friend‘ story, there were no Superman comics for three months. That’s part of what led us to make the decision that this is the last issue of Justice League. But then three months later, there’s still not gonna be a Justice League comic. It’s gonna be a while, and that’s gonna be a major part of what the DCU looks like after this story: There is no Justice League.”
As for which Leaguers die, the ones going on the mission include Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Zatanna. (Interestingly, no Flash). And the variant cover shows caskets for Clark, Bruce, Diana, Arthur, and John. All five of those heroes currently carry several monthly books. So the real question remaining is how those titles will deal with it. Will they exist in their own little pocket, or will they reflect the events of Justice League #75? Could Nightwing take over the Batman titles, and Jon Kent take over Action Comics? We wouldn’t be surprised.
Issue 75 of Justice League will be a 48-page issue, and arrives on April 19.
