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March 4, 2005
review: "JLA Classified #4"
I think that like some things from an earlier decade, a little nostalgia is great, but a little goes a long way. This throwback to the "mad-cap '80s" Justice League, while it hits all the marks and sings all the favorites, simply wore thin on me from the first few pages.
The JL was great because it broke away from a traditional super-hero vibe in an era when most of the superhero books were getting old, getting revamped, and the industry was entering a boom period just before toppling under its own weight. It was topical, and contemporary. The '80s were all about corporate movement, new world orders, and the end of communism. Now, the story doesn't seem to even try to fit into the contemporary setting. In a War on Terror world this sort of levity seems childish. Maybe its that they aren't trying to take shots at any targets, simply be silly. The JL used to throw characters against each other who you thought might actually start problems (Batman drove the book, and when he left it lost it's edge). This Batman-less reincarnation just doesn't do it for me.
Especially confusing, and horribly misguided, is the fact that it doesn't include the post-Identity Crisis-world DC seems to be trying to use in its books. Not that it shouldn't be funny, or that it should be dark, but Sue Dibney--The Elongated Man's wife--died in Identity Crisis. But here she is, yucking it up. When does this take place? Not sure. But it certainly doesn't fit the rest of the DC Universe right now.
(Not recommended.)
(review by Sean Ferrell)
Posted by sferrell at March 4, 2005 2:13 PM
