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Justice League Dark (2018) (Collected Editions)

Justice League Dark, Vol. 3: The Witching War

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The rules of magic have changed forever, and the Justice League Dark is ready to keep the peace in the magical world! But that peace will be shattered as Circe steps to center stage, gathering a team of magic's most dangerous monsters to take control of magic once and for all!

The Floronic Man, Papa Midnite, Klarion the Witch Boy, Solomon Grundy...Circe has gathered her Injustice League Dark for a reason, and it is going to tear the world of Magic apart! Just as Wonder Woman thought the realms of magic were back under control, a new Witching War brought on by this unstoppable group of villains threatens to destroy everything. Can she find out what Circe is after, and stop her before it's too late? Collects Justice League Dark #14-19.

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2020

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About the author

James Tynion IV

1,723 books2,231 followers
Prior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.

Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.

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5 stars
153 (24%)
4 stars
297 (47%)
3 stars
158 (25%)
2 stars
13 (2%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
Profile Image for Chad.
11.3k reviews1,121 followers
May 28, 2020
This builds out of The Witching Hour as Circe makes her move. She assembles her own Injustice League Dark, but unfortunately they don't get to do much. It's a real shame because I like the idea of the evil magicians in the DC universe teaming up against our intrepid team. This is mainly Circe against the JLD. Tynion is doing a fantastic job with this series. Can't wait to read more.
Profile Image for Gianfranco Mancini.
2,392 reviews1,099 followers
September 26, 2021


Another great volume,  I loved a lot its strong Midnight Siege/Sons vibes, with far better plot and artworks of course, and how main storyline is getting darker and darker.



Such a shame I enjoyed much more the ride than the ending, with the Injustice League Dark of supernatural villains staying nearly in the background and leaving the stage to the Diana vs Circe fight instead of the long expected clash against their good-doers counterparts.



Besides that, I'm totally digging these series, a solid and entertaining read meshing up for good Wonder Woman mythology with supernatural dark side of DC comics.



And those two H. P. Lovecraft easter eggs about first edition of a certain forbidden grimoire and good old dr. Kirk Langstrom going full Herbert West mode just made my day.





Four stars and an half.
Profile Image for Scott Rhee.
2,502 reviews211 followers
April 29, 2021
It only took about two years, roughly 20 issues, seven compilation volumes, and numerous writers for Justice League Dark to put out a series of issues that I not only don’t want to use to wrap dead fish with but that I would actually proudly admit to liking.

Volume 3, “The Witching War”, written by James Tynion IV, is actually pretty damn good. Compared to some of the unreadable bonkers kakapoopoo issues previously published in this title, this stuff is golden.

In this volume: Wonder Woman is visited via a dream by Zatara, who warns her that she still has some dark magic left from Hecate’s “witch mark”; some twerpy little supervillain named Witch Boy has put a spell on Man-Bat; Swampy succumbs to the new Legion of Doom Dark and becomes a puddle of rotten goop; Circe tricks Wonder Woman into using the magic diamond holding Eclipso; Detective Chimp is zapped into a naked, normal chimp; Khalid dares to don the helmet of Dr. Fate; Wonder Woman makes a deal with the Upside Down Man, one that may come back to haunt her.

I was a bit leery of the whole Legion of Doom Dark thing, but to see the Floronic Man, Papa Midnight, and Solomon Grundy join up makes it alright. Also stoked that John Constantine is back, doing his thing. Which is basically just smoking a lot, making wisecracks, and coming up with a nearly-impossible solution at the eleventh hour.
Profile Image for Lyn.
2,049 reviews18k followers
November 27, 2024
Justice League Dark is a very tasty series and writer James Tynion continues to impress with his writing skill and his mastery of the DC population and backstory.

I can imagine DC execs signing off on a project team like handing them the car keys. Here’s Batman, let’s see what you can do. We’re gonna let you drive Justice League this race, show us a winner.

Some writers never seem to take off or they drive too careful and don’t place. Others get too wild and wreck the series. Others drive a good race, use the machine for what it can do and pushes the edges outward.

Tynion knows how to drive this DC vehicle and does with so with verve and, dare I say it? A swagger.

Imagine Santana’s Black Magic Woman playing as the musical score for Wonder Woman. Yes, spicy. And her mythological storyline plays well with the occult themes here and it just works. Hell yeah.

Tynion is not afraid to drop names from DC’s vast library and where that was a little distracting in the earlier book, hits a good stride here as we spend some time with some CLASSIC villains like Eclipto and Floronic Man. The writer also knows how to write for Detective Chimp and the art for this character, as with the whole series, is particularly fun.

The scenes where Man Bat is interviewing Diana at the Oblivion Bar was chef’s kiss good. And Hecate. And a dragon.

Damn, great series.

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Profile Image for Oscar.
1,049 reviews56 followers
August 17, 2025
Thus is one dark comic!
Profile Image for Chris Lemmerman.
Author 8 books129 followers
May 15, 2020
The Otherkind and the Lords Of Order were one thing, but now the Justice League Dark must face Circe and her Injustice League! Klarion, Solomon Grundy, Floronic Man, Papa Midnite, and Circe invade the Hall Of Justice intent on recruiting their last member, and rewrite the laws of magic in the process!

The JLD don't get a chance to catch their breath, do they? Fresh off the battle with the Lords Of Order, Circe makes her move and throws them into turmoil again. I always love the idea of Injustice versions of Justice Leagues, especially when the members are chosen as mirrors of the Justice Leaguers like they are here. The clash becomes personal, and James Tynion IV keeps it so even when the story goes even bigger as plot threads from the Witching Hour crossover with Wonder Woman come home to roost. Tynion's long game is still on display, and he turns these six issues into an event-level story without even trying.

JLD is one of the most consistently good looking books in DC's stable; Alvaro Martinez Bueno does most of the heavy lifting, with assistance from Fernando Blanco (a personal favourite) and Javi Fernandez (a rapidly rising star), and they're all stunning. A story this big needs artists that can go big, and they most definitely do.

Justice League Dark continues to knock it out of the park. Everyone on this creative team is firing on all cylinders and I am always delighted when I open a new issue. Big, big fan of what's going on in this book.
Profile Image for Shaun Stanley.
1,428 reviews
June 1, 2023
Justice League Dark Vol. 3 The Witching War collects issues 14-19 of the DC Comics series written by James Tynion IV and art by Alvaro Martínez Bueno, Fernando Blanco, and Javi Fernandez.

Circe pulls together a team of magic and horror-based villains to establish the Injustice League Dark. Circe has declared war on magic-based heroes with a plan to release Eclipso.

This felt like a filler arc where if you really think about, the story is at the exact place it was before it started: A new villainous group was created and disbanded, a magic “war” was started and ended, and a powerful magic being was teased all in a matter of 6 issues. There really wasn’t even any character development. The art was pretty good but this arc is largely forgettable.
Profile Image for Molly™☺.
1,034 reviews128 followers
August 26, 2025
An exhilarating climax to the Witching War that pits the magic players against one another in a fight for the power of Eclipso. It is one big spell spectacle at the end of the day, however, it feels grand in scale and there are good character moments from most of the mainstays. Fun Justice League vs 'Injustice League' action that is popcorn entertainment above all else and does a pretty good job of it.

actual rating 3.5 stars
Profile Image for Glen Farrelly.
184 reviews4 followers
May 20, 2020
This had such a great set-up - what's not to love about the Injustice League Dark! - but the last issue rushed the ending so it was quite anti-climatic, thin, and disappointing.

Without giving away the plot, Wonder Woman's long-time nemesis (and most recently ally) Circe assembles Solomon Grundy, Floronic Man, Papa Midnite, and Klarion (and his cat) to be the Injustice League Dark. But other than Circe, none of the actions of these others characters contribute anything to the main storyline and aren't even meaningfully involved in the big final battle. This volume is more of a Wonder Woman story with cameos by the other Justice League Dark members.

Otherwise, the story is suitably interesting and the artwork is strong. It was an enjoyable read, but could have been much better if the supporting characters (heroes and villains) had more to do of consequence and the final confrontation was more multi-faceted.
Profile Image for James DeSantis.
Author 18 books1,229 followers
June 20, 2020
Another pretty fun volume. James knows how to tell fun witchcraft stories with some of the best members. This time Wonder Woman gets taken over but a unlikely ally might be the savior. A 4 out of 5.
Profile Image for Vinicius.
962 reviews47 followers
March 12, 2025
Mais um volume muito legal da Liga da Justiça Dark do James Tynion IV. Novamente, ele consegue fazer o feijão com arroz bem feito no que tange gibis de herois. Ele consegue mesclar ação, magia e uma trama com status de épica sem destoar e fazer algo colossal que vai influenciar todas as revistas.

Não é desse volume que Tynion traz esse aspecto de epopeia em suas tramas,e nessa edição, ele consegue trabalhar novamente esse aspecto, fazendo com que a Circe seja a antagonista da vez, levando a Mulher Maravilha a realizar escolhas que normalmente ela não faria.

Na trama, acompanhamos da Liga da Justiça Dark tendo que lidar com as consequências dos acontecimentos anteriores envolvendo a magia do universo DC. Além da outraespecie, novos antagonistas surgem, e somando-se ao "ano dos vilões", a liga precisa enfrentar vários adversários e ao mesmo tempo lidar com as alterações causadas pela magia.

Destaco a Zatanna e o Constantine, que tem participação importante na trama e geram momentos bem interessantes mostrando a relação de ambos entre si e com a magia.
Profile Image for Dakota Morgan.
3,709 reviews59 followers
August 31, 2020
Having just read The Witching Hour, I felt extremely prepared for the The Witching War, where Circe takes Hecate's gathered powers, creates an Injustice League Dark, and tries to...destroy magic. Or become magic. Or something It's kind of unclear what Circe wants - when she explains herself to Hecate in the book, Circe claims she's motivated by "spite." Okay!

Even though the villain's motives aren't clear, The Witching War is a satisfying ride. Wonder Woman is possessed (again!), the Justice League Dark is up against a wall, and they're forced to unleash their darkest magics and make deals they'll certainly regret in a future volume. The book is action-packed and gorgeously drawn, though there are enough character-building teamwork moments (for both sides!) that it never feels overwhelming. This whole Justice League Dark series has left me satisfied so far. Really rare for a DC comic these days.
Profile Image for Siona Adams.
2,659 reviews58 followers
August 2, 2021
A little weaker than the previous two volumes but still good. I think the Year of the Villain tie in material weakened the story some, I wish Circe would’ve been used differently it felt off for her to team up with Luthor.
Profile Image for Will Robinson Jr..
935 reviews19 followers
June 11, 2020
Fantastic. Circe takes center stage as Justice League Dark have to face a powerful magic unlike any other. Tynion has really knock this book out of the park. The artwork and colors crackle energy and excitement. There is never a dull moment in the story. Tynion does a great job building on the character of Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman just really fits into the world of magic and myth. I really love the call backs to previous Justice League lore. Circe is a well written villain though I wish we got a little more of the motivations for the Injustice league Dark team. Circe put together a pretty good threatening team: Solomon Grundy, Klarion, Papa Midnite, & Floronic Man . Loved all those villains but Tynion could have stretch out this threat a little more. Overall this continues to be a incredible series. I am looking forward to seeing how Diana & crew bring back Swamp Thing. I am very curious of how Tynion is going to lead this series into the DC event Dark Nights Death Metal. This series is definitely a must own.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,761 reviews35 followers
March 15, 2021
While the whole "dark" side of superheroes usually isn't my thing, I have to admit... I'm enjoying this series. If I had to say a downside, it's that I wish some of the magic was explained a bit more. (Often it seems like things just happen and it's... because magic! Even big things like the villain being trapped in a mirror. Why a mirror? Where did it come from? It's never explained enough for me to have that "aha" moment.) But, still, the magic, while dark and creepy, is still fun and interesting, and I enjoy seeing these characters (particularly Bobo and Man-Bat) work off each other.
Profile Image for Kat.
2,635 reviews115 followers
December 22, 2020
Basic Plot: The Justice League Dark contend against Circe's Injustice League Dark.

There are just so many cool characters being used in this series. I love how the team is coming together and dealing with things. I like how different the vibe to this book is- much more horror than superhero. The art is good and reflects the weird and magical well. I think it does move a bit fast, and there's a lot of information dumping, but it's still very enjoyable.
Profile Image for Arturo Del Rosal.
78 reviews1 follower
October 30, 2023
I'm quitting this series.

Enough said.

2.75 Stars

Because I Loved the Art and some character developement.

Profile Image for Clint.
1,266 reviews14 followers
June 4, 2020
3.5 stars
I’d rather this series go back to the first volume’s format of several 1-2 issue plotlines, but the trade-spanning arc here is decent and suitably weird at least, plus the standout art is fantastical fun as usual. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy this team-up’s characters and their playful interaction. I wish the members of the Injustice League Dark on the cover had a little more to do in the back half, but their early schemes are still pretty interesting.

The big confrontation ends up devolving into standard superhero “my power levels can suddenly overwhelm yours” nonsense, but I appreciate that the series keeps justifying this by having the heroes essentially taking out bigger, riskier loans each time to pay off the previous bill that’s now come due. It’s sort of like heroism as ponzi scheme, and a humorous take on the typical escalation of stakes.
Profile Image for Blindzider.
973 reviews27 followers
June 15, 2021
Sadly, it's been awhile since I read Vol. 2 and I've already read Vol. 4. This just happened to come available now so I wanted to finish this out. Like most of Tynion's work, I found this to be very satisfying and entertaining. It's a solid story paying attention to the characters themselves. Most of the art is well done and the style fits the feel of the story.

Profile Image for Guilherme Smee.
Author 30 books205 followers
January 23, 2021
A melhor encarnação da Liga da Justiça Dark (não que ela tenha tido muitas), apresenta mais um volume de histórias escritas por James Tynion IV que não somente balançou as estruturas da equipe com membros não triviais como o Morcego-Humano e a Mulher-Maravilha, como conseguiu fazer com que essas presenças na equipe fizessem sentido. Sabemos que nos últimos tempos, roteiristas enfiam e retiram personagens das equipes sem trabalhar necessariamente um propósito para eles. Não é o caso da Liga Dark, que neste número, ligado a saga O Ano dos Vilões, precisa lidar com a formação da Liga da Injustiça Dark. Ao mesmo tempo precisam resolver o imbróglio com o Senhor Destino, libertado no arco anterior. Um quadrinho com uma aventura bem planejadinha, bem escrita e com uma arte fantástica de diversos desenhistas vindos da Espanha. Isso, claro sem contar que contém boas doses de horror, como quando Zatanna rasga sua boca com um canivete para pode... opa, melhor não dar spoilers né? Se você gosta do lado sobrenatural da DC Comics, vai curtir este encadernado, certamente!
Profile Image for Met.
440 reviews33 followers
August 19, 2021
James Tyrion IV sta confezionando una storia bellissima per questa league! Il giusto pizzico di horror, misto a una sana base di scazzottamenti. Una sorpresa piacevolissima.
Profile Image for John Yelverton.
4,503 reviews42 followers
May 28, 2020
I really don't know what to make of this book as it retreads a lot of ground from previous books without really advancing the story. It also seemed like they were trying to wrap things up enough to put them on hold for the "Year of the Villain" story. The Doctor Fate arc also seemed rather contrived. There's a lot here though, and plenty to build on for later.
Profile Image for Viola.
302 reviews28 followers
October 20, 2020
Justice League Dark is definitely one of DC's consistently good ongoing titles. Not surprised that I love this as I'm yet to be disappointed by any James Tynion IV book. My author bias aside, the team dynamics are great, the plot is coherent and isn't afraid to go all in with the magical and mystical stuff. the Upside Down Man is still here to give you nightmares. This volume is more action oriented, which is usually not my preference, so I liked it less than the previous two. It's not the book's fault though, it says Witching War in the title.
Profile Image for Adam Fisher.
3,789 reviews26 followers
October 20, 2020
3.5 Stars.
Justice League Dark is a title that I try to follow, but it covers huge portions of the DC Universe that I have yet to grasp fully onto. This has never been clearer than with this Volume and the last, all involving the battle with Circe. We basically can boil this Volume down to JLD (Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing, Zatanna, Man-Bat, Detective Chimp) and Constantine and Doctor Fate VS the Injustice League Dark (Solomon Grundy, Floronic Man, Klarion the Witch Boy, Papa Midnite). Throw in Circe, Eclipso, Hecate, the Upside-Down Man, Drakul Karfang, Wonder Woman being possessed, a new Doctor Fate... This Volume is kind of all over the place... but still good.
Two important things:
1) At the end, the war is over and Circe is contained, as well as bad guys defeated.
2) Swamp Thing was infected by The Rot (by Jason Woodrue) and the next Volume will have them seeking out Abby Arcane to help.

If you are interested in these characters or this storyline, read this. If not, it bears no overall weight against the main DCU (as far as I can see) and you could probably skip it.
Semi-recommend, with reservations.
Profile Image for Brendan.
1,277 reviews52 followers
June 6, 2020
5

James Tynion continues to surprise me and Justice League Dark remains one of the strongest DC titles. I had expected this series to start a slow decline but Tynion has remained strong with the overall tone and storyline arc. This volume had the incredibly tough task of balancing the payoff to many story threads from the first two volumes, and it does it with ease.

Why the 5?

The artwork and writing are incredible. This book doesn't deserve to be this amazing, I tend to stare at the artwork instead of pushing through the story. DC has given this series one hell of a team and that showcases the trust they have with Tynion. The guy is currently guiding Batman until another big name jumps aboard. This volume of JL Dark closes a lot of the current story and leaves this in a perfect place for a new arc. It might be a little anti climatic but this isn't the end of DC and when your in a serialized comic label it's tough to expect earth shattering moments.
Profile Image for Emmanuel Nevers.
403 reviews8 followers
December 29, 2019
This was an amazing horror event! This really sets the bar high for supernatural superhero storytelling!!
Profile Image for Maggie.
280 reviews1 follower
September 19, 2020
Justice League Dark is a better Wonder Woman comic than the actual Wonder Woman comic
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews