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August 7, 2005
Justice #1
Justice, written by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger with art by Alex Ross and Doug Braithwaite, is (as you would expect with Mr. Ross involved) a beautiful book to behold. It also grabs you by the throat very quickly and tightens its grip as the story progresses. One of the best aspects of the story is that it doesn't take place in an "alternate" or "non-contemporary" setting (such as some of the more thematic stories that sometimes create great stories that don't take place in the current timeline). This feels very much like it's a part of the current stories taking place in JLA, Superman and Batman books, and even reads like a better companion to the Villians United mini-series (Villians United sometimes is a little too action oriented and not as compelling as it could be). Justice, while it certainly has a very thematic feel, gets right into a storyline that is current, electric and engaging. It's also very contemporary to our current world with people playing not so clear roles of hero and villian as they do what "must be done" in the name of "security."
Another nice element is the use of the heros as a foil to themselves. They are outdone by their own legends in a sense, and so while the heros do everything we expect of them you get the sense that they are conflicted by their own inability to be what others think they should be (the good husband, father, lover, or even hero). It's a dynamic that is often ignored, but which has become a very obvious throughline for most of DC's books right now (Superman, Superboy, Wonder Woman, Green Lanterns Hal and Guy, etc... all are undergoing a "what have I been doing, and why?" crisis as we head toward, well... DC's CRISIS!).
It's also nice to see a more grown up looking comic reflecting a bit of the attitude of the more action driven stuff. Too often the best artists seem to be put on the series with little action or cape flapping. I like seeing a well done cape, and no one does them better than Mr. Ross.
As you might have guessed, this is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Sean Ferrell)
Posted by sferrell at August 7, 2005 1:29 PM
