Review by Ian Keogh

Coming into Paradise Lost J.M. DeMatteis had written almost a full collection of Justice League Dark in The Rebirth of Evil, but that spun out of control into all kinds of crossovers, so this is in effect his new start, a chance to stamp his own mark on the series.

He begins with John Constantine in a bar, which comes as a surprise as Constantine’s part in Justice League Dark seemed to have drawn to a close as he burned one bridge too many. However, for the time being that’s Constantine’s swansong, and Paradise Lost instead concentrates on the backgrounds of Nightmare Nurse, then Deadman. Strangely, DeMatteis fluffs his cues.

Nightmare Nurse is relatively unknown beyond a provocative personality, so a writer of DeMatteis’ calibre and experience ought to be able to make something interesting of a near blank slate. Instead he strings along a circular tale that in the end changes nothing, although it features a clever final act. It does provide an origin for Nightmare Nurse, but beyond the visual provided by Andrès Guinaldo it’s not greatly interesting.

Guinaldo has a tough task following the excellence of Mikel Janín, but although not quite as refined, there’s a lot of imagination and effort to his art, while Brad Anderson’s colours have a definite impact. However, sometimes that impact is positive, and sometimes it’s negative. The title is Justice League Dark, but Anderson prefers to keep things bright, which doesn’t deliver the supernatural mood.

In the title story DeMatteis turns his attention to Deadman, in contrast to Nightmare Nurse someone whose origin is known. He was a circus acrobat murdered and returned to the mortal plane as a ghost unseen by most, but able to possess the bodies of the living. It’s neat, and what it didn’t need was the complication of his having been trained from his youth for the role he now occupies and then having his memories wiped until the time was right for him to step into the role. It’s an entirely unnecessary and irritating extra layer. Thankfully it’s only a minor part of an otherwise engaging story with a viable threat and a neat solution.

Paradise Lost closes with a one-shot glimpse into the future. Zatanna’s still present, but otherwise the Justice League Dark has a different line-up and have been untethered from Earth for some while, unable to restore their link. Len Wein scripts from DeMatteis’ plot, and while he attempts a similar style of portentous narration it doesn’t quite have the same flavour. What does is the plot featuring yet another seemingly omnipotent demonic presence just hanging around in the ether until the Justice League arrive. Their presence is interchangeable with the threats from the earlier stories.

The series concludes with Lost in Forever, or for those who care there’s Justice League Dark: The New 52 Omnibus compiling the entire series.