RWBY/Justice League #6 Review

Written By: Marguerite Bennett

Pencils By: Emanuela Lupacchino

Inked By: Wade Von Grawbadger

Colors By: Hi-Fi

Letters By: Gabriela Downie

Cover By: Mirka Andolfo

Cover Price: $3,99

Release Date: September 28, 2021

Reviewed By: Michael G

Team RWBY and The Justice League of Remnant vs. Starro and his minions in this action-heavy penultimate issue of RWBY/Justice League!

This will undoubtedly be my shortest review for the series thus far because this issue was a swift read. It’s the big battle issue between our heroes and big bad Starro, plain and simple. The issue starts as the team enacts the plan they came up with the last issue to take the fight directly to the giant, mind-controlling starfish, and on a whole, it’s a plan that makes a lot of sense. Ideas like Diana as the scout, since her nature as an automaton, makes her invisible to Starro, or Victor disabling the technology of Starro’s brainwashed military reinforcements, make good use of each character’s skill set. The issue also gives us something we have been waiting for all series: A clash between Team RWBY and the mind-controlled Team JNPR. It’s pretty short-lived all things considered, but it’s fun to see and gives us the kind of weapons-focused action that the TV series does so well. I wish we got a little more of it throughout the series instead of being inserted in the middle of a boss fight.

There are some confusing parts to the issue, though, moments where the action doesn’t quite make sense or doesn’t quite track with what we know about the characters. For example, Barry and Ruby using their super speed semblances to heat ocean water enough to boil attacking Grimm is never something the TV show or this comic clarified as being within their power set. Nevertheless, it’s a neat idea so that I can forgive the confusion. Things start to fall apart at the end of the issue, when Starro gets Jessica under their control. You’d think the main villain having arguably the most powerful hero under their power would be a significant threat. Still, all that comes from it is Jessica using her Green Lantern abilities to show the other heroes manifestations of their biggest fears in the form of those closest to them. While it was nice to see cameo appearances of Summer Rose and Raven Branwen by way of green lantern construct energy, all this does is momentarily distract them since they know Jessica’s constructs aren’t real. 

However, the grand finale made me groan, which renders the entire issue redundant since our characters could have just done that, to begin with and ended the battle before it would have even started. Why didn’t Clark and Bruce hijack that shipment of Dust weapons and throw it at Starro right from the start? Why was that plan B and not Plan A? Well, because otherwise, this issue would be four pages long and make for a pretty underwhelming climax. Instead, we get the classic trope of the heavy-hitting, effective weapon only used as a last resort. It also gives Bruce something to do, who, aside from that, was useless in the battle.

The art duties fall back on Emanuela Lupacchino, who does a lot better here than she did in issue #3. The action is cool and easy enough to follow, especially when it comes to the water effects. However, her character work still doesn’t quite hold up to the other two artists on the series, especially when it comes to characters’ faces from afar. I’m still not entirely sure why there are three different artists alternating issues on a miniseries. Still, luckily they have all done as good a job as can be expected to keep the general look consistent throughout the series.

Bits and Pieces

As the miniseries nears its conclusion, this penultimate issue offers up the big action spectacle we’ve been building up to. Sadly, some questionable fight tactics and an oversimplified ending left me wanting a bit more out of this final battle. Thankfully, the great art and a fun Team RWBY/Team JNPR face-off kept me engaged during this relatively quick read. Nevertheless, there are still some unanswered questions, and hopefully, the final issue will satisfyingly deliver them.

6.5/10