Stephanie Kay
Oct 14, 2007, 11:14 pm
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/1106/JLA2Cv4var.jpg"><img src=" http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/1106/JLA2Cv4vart.jpg" hspace=10 align=left alt="Daredevil #90"></a> Reviewer: Robert Cammarata, faultyrob@hotmail.com
Story Title: Being Human (The Tornado’s Path Part Four)
“I’ll get my mace”
Writer: Brad Meltzer
Penciller: Ed Benes
Inker: Sandra Hope
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Associate Editor: Jeanine Schaffer
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Senior Executive Editor: Dan Didio
President & Publisher: Paul Levitz
Published by: DC Comics (www.dccomics.com)
Warning: Spoilers Up Ahead. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. ‘Cuz I did. Warned!
What’s old is new again. Last week the Justice Society of America relaunched, continuing the stories of many heroes of yesteryear and their younger brethren. Most of the iconic DC books have been tweaked, changed or rebooted over the course of the Infinite Crisis and One Year Later initiatives. This leads us to arguably the most iconic of all of DC’s mainstay titles: the newly retooled Justice League of America. The relaunch of the League has been a major cash cow for the company. But how’s the quality been so far? In my opinion, the book has done a good job at covering all the basics necessary for a readable story, but a readable story lacking any real ooompf. Yes, that’s right, ooompf. It’s had great art, a good plot, a good team line-up and some action but no real ooompf. For a book of this magnitude, the action has been seriously lacking and the pace begrudgingly slow. The book has not come out of the gate running like Geoff Johns’ wonderful opening JSA issue but has had a plot sputtering through a long, drawn-out process. I’m happy to report some ooompf was infused into issue four of Justice League but the book is still not quite at the quality I believe Meltzer and company can bring to this lucrative and essential property in the DC universe.
Boy, a lot happens in this issue. Where to start? At the beginning, I suppose. Starro. What the heck is a Starro? Well, apparently, everything “always starts with starro.” Jefferson Pierce’s angsty narration tells us Starro was the League’s first enemy. What’s Starro? Possibly, the fiercest, most ferocious enemy anyone could ever imagine. What’s Starro? A frickin jellyfish with a target painted on it!!! That’s what Starro is folks. Not being a huge expert in DC lore I did not know what the significance of these star-looking things were and now I do. And therein lies some of the beauty of Brad Meltzer on this book. He uses a villain (as lame looking as it may be) but gives us right in the opening lines a clear reason why it’s important. It’s important to League history, it’s important to DC continuity, it’s important to the story/plot and you know what, whether or not I think it looks silly or not, it’s now important to me. Continuity can be a beautiful thing. It can please older fanboys, incite the imagination of new writers and make newbies feel like the initiated into a wide world of wonderful and important stories. This is what this clear explanation of Starro in the opening pages did for me. It made me respect Meltzer all the more for going way, way back to reference earlier League stories and made me feel like one new part of much larger older whole.
Starro also serves as a link and transition into the story of the piece. The assorted Starros link the “cave” sub-plot with the “Rocky Mountains” subplot. Earlier issues had been much more disjointed with several of these fragmented plots lingering with little connection. The “cave” sub-plot is good. It has some really good character moments for Hawkgirl and Black Lightning and a wonderful fanboy shot of the League that would give any comic fan the same smile experienced by Hawkgirl when viewing the pic in question.
The “Rocky Mountain” sub-plot really is the heart and body of this piece. It’s the heart because we really get into Hal Jordan’s thoughts and understand his feelings towards Roy and his views on youth and legacy. It also features the Red Tornado who has had more depth of character displayed in these four issues than many writers manage to infuse into their protagonists in four years. Some great action sequences make up this sub-plot and I say this now and I think I will continually say this: Roy Harper steals this book. Meltzer and Benes display such joy in having him do “cool” things with his arrows and just be a “cool” guy that it is very hard not to like Mr. Harper and root for him. He really is the little kid who finally gets to sit at the grown-up table. And personally, a character I really like and can relate to. I think Meltzer did his job and did it well when it comes to Arsenal, er, Red Arrow, er. Yeah, what’s up with that?
What’s up with that is some of the flaws in Meltzer’s writing. It is pretty clear that Meltzer wants Roy to become the Red Arrow. Okay, it makes sense. Geoff Johns pulled a similar stunt in renaming Impulse Kid Flash over in Teen Titans years ago. It works for the character and it works for the themes of the sub-plot. What doesn’t work is its delivery. Hal calls Roy this name out of the clear blue and just to clarify, shortens it to “arrow” and calls him that again and again and again. Repetition helps us remember things and helps things stick. You know what else repetition does? You know what else repetition does? You know what else repetition does? It annoys the hell out of readers. Try to be more creative next time you go for a drastic name change. It can be done and it can be done well. And it wasn’t this time out.
Narration. Personally, I am a huge advocate of the use of first-person narration in comic books today. I think it allows a reader to really get into the mindset of a character. I think it enriches the reading experience as it adds another element to a story and slows down the pace a bit more, giving us readers a little more bang for our buck. Using this logic I should love Meltzer’s use of narration, unfortunately, I do not. Simply, there are too many cooks in the kitchen. In a 22-page story we have at least five different narrators. In the very first issue of the series I believe we had even more. It becomes too much and like I mentioned earlier it really makes the story disjointed. I don’t mind multiple narrators but I feel too many really stretch out the plot and really hurt transitions. It’s a shame I have to criticize this because a lot of the narration is quite good but it’s too much and it’s hurting the story. Meltzer needs to relegate his overuse of narration to his novels where it belongs and limit it in his comics. Again, this isn’t a slight against narration or Meltzer’s writing. I like both very much but a little narration can go a long way in a visual medium.
Okay, now let’s leave Meltzer alone and give some much deserved credit to Ed Benes. If Roy Harper has been the heart of the team in the book then Ed Benes has been the heart of the creative team putting the book together. The art is gorgeous. Great spreads. Every scene with Harper is breathtaking. The arrows in the arms are brutally violent, yet Benes’ use of GL’s powers is whimsical and imaginative. There is absolutely stunning stuff coming from Benes and the whole art team. The opening sequence of methodically displaying Superman ripping a Starro off of a neck was awesome at showing the physical movement of Superman’s hands. Movement is the toughest thing someone can convey in the very still medium of graphic storytelling. Benes and company have mastered it and I look forward every month to seeing them one-up themselves.
Overall, Justice League of America #4 was pretty darn good. I believe it added some much needed ooompf to the run and provided a lot more clarity and cohesion among varying sub-plots to make the story work. There is a lot to like here. However, Meltzer needs to speed up the plot, decrease the heavy use of multiple narration and try not to jam too many things into one issue. Vixen shows up for one page to remind readers that she’s still a part of this book. Unfortunately, she was not a part of this story and thus should have been cut out. I’m still with this book but these changes need to be made or I’m sending back my newly arrived membership into the Justice League. Oh wait, that was my Visa bill. Nevermind.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
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Buy Justice League of America #4 at X-World and Save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=135&cat=JLA)
Story Title: Being Human (The Tornado’s Path Part Four)
“I’ll get my mace”
Writer: Brad Meltzer
Penciller: Ed Benes
Inker: Sandra Hope
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Associate Editor: Jeanine Schaffer
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Senior Executive Editor: Dan Didio
President & Publisher: Paul Levitz
Published by: DC Comics (www.dccomics.com)
Warning: Spoilers Up Ahead. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. ‘Cuz I did. Warned!
What’s old is new again. Last week the Justice Society of America relaunched, continuing the stories of many heroes of yesteryear and their younger brethren. Most of the iconic DC books have been tweaked, changed or rebooted over the course of the Infinite Crisis and One Year Later initiatives. This leads us to arguably the most iconic of all of DC’s mainstay titles: the newly retooled Justice League of America. The relaunch of the League has been a major cash cow for the company. But how’s the quality been so far? In my opinion, the book has done a good job at covering all the basics necessary for a readable story, but a readable story lacking any real ooompf. Yes, that’s right, ooompf. It’s had great art, a good plot, a good team line-up and some action but no real ooompf. For a book of this magnitude, the action has been seriously lacking and the pace begrudgingly slow. The book has not come out of the gate running like Geoff Johns’ wonderful opening JSA issue but has had a plot sputtering through a long, drawn-out process. I’m happy to report some ooompf was infused into issue four of Justice League but the book is still not quite at the quality I believe Meltzer and company can bring to this lucrative and essential property in the DC universe.
Boy, a lot happens in this issue. Where to start? At the beginning, I suppose. Starro. What the heck is a Starro? Well, apparently, everything “always starts with starro.” Jefferson Pierce’s angsty narration tells us Starro was the League’s first enemy. What’s Starro? Possibly, the fiercest, most ferocious enemy anyone could ever imagine. What’s Starro? A frickin jellyfish with a target painted on it!!! That’s what Starro is folks. Not being a huge expert in DC lore I did not know what the significance of these star-looking things were and now I do. And therein lies some of the beauty of Brad Meltzer on this book. He uses a villain (as lame looking as it may be) but gives us right in the opening lines a clear reason why it’s important. It’s important to League history, it’s important to DC continuity, it’s important to the story/plot and you know what, whether or not I think it looks silly or not, it’s now important to me. Continuity can be a beautiful thing. It can please older fanboys, incite the imagination of new writers and make newbies feel like the initiated into a wide world of wonderful and important stories. This is what this clear explanation of Starro in the opening pages did for me. It made me respect Meltzer all the more for going way, way back to reference earlier League stories and made me feel like one new part of much larger older whole.
Starro also serves as a link and transition into the story of the piece. The assorted Starros link the “cave” sub-plot with the “Rocky Mountains” subplot. Earlier issues had been much more disjointed with several of these fragmented plots lingering with little connection. The “cave” sub-plot is good. It has some really good character moments for Hawkgirl and Black Lightning and a wonderful fanboy shot of the League that would give any comic fan the same smile experienced by Hawkgirl when viewing the pic in question.
The “Rocky Mountain” sub-plot really is the heart and body of this piece. It’s the heart because we really get into Hal Jordan’s thoughts and understand his feelings towards Roy and his views on youth and legacy. It also features the Red Tornado who has had more depth of character displayed in these four issues than many writers manage to infuse into their protagonists in four years. Some great action sequences make up this sub-plot and I say this now and I think I will continually say this: Roy Harper steals this book. Meltzer and Benes display such joy in having him do “cool” things with his arrows and just be a “cool” guy that it is very hard not to like Mr. Harper and root for him. He really is the little kid who finally gets to sit at the grown-up table. And personally, a character I really like and can relate to. I think Meltzer did his job and did it well when it comes to Arsenal, er, Red Arrow, er. Yeah, what’s up with that?
What’s up with that is some of the flaws in Meltzer’s writing. It is pretty clear that Meltzer wants Roy to become the Red Arrow. Okay, it makes sense. Geoff Johns pulled a similar stunt in renaming Impulse Kid Flash over in Teen Titans years ago. It works for the character and it works for the themes of the sub-plot. What doesn’t work is its delivery. Hal calls Roy this name out of the clear blue and just to clarify, shortens it to “arrow” and calls him that again and again and again. Repetition helps us remember things and helps things stick. You know what else repetition does? You know what else repetition does? You know what else repetition does? It annoys the hell out of readers. Try to be more creative next time you go for a drastic name change. It can be done and it can be done well. And it wasn’t this time out.
Narration. Personally, I am a huge advocate of the use of first-person narration in comic books today. I think it allows a reader to really get into the mindset of a character. I think it enriches the reading experience as it adds another element to a story and slows down the pace a bit more, giving us readers a little more bang for our buck. Using this logic I should love Meltzer’s use of narration, unfortunately, I do not. Simply, there are too many cooks in the kitchen. In a 22-page story we have at least five different narrators. In the very first issue of the series I believe we had even more. It becomes too much and like I mentioned earlier it really makes the story disjointed. I don’t mind multiple narrators but I feel too many really stretch out the plot and really hurt transitions. It’s a shame I have to criticize this because a lot of the narration is quite good but it’s too much and it’s hurting the story. Meltzer needs to relegate his overuse of narration to his novels where it belongs and limit it in his comics. Again, this isn’t a slight against narration or Meltzer’s writing. I like both very much but a little narration can go a long way in a visual medium.
Okay, now let’s leave Meltzer alone and give some much deserved credit to Ed Benes. If Roy Harper has been the heart of the team in the book then Ed Benes has been the heart of the creative team putting the book together. The art is gorgeous. Great spreads. Every scene with Harper is breathtaking. The arrows in the arms are brutally violent, yet Benes’ use of GL’s powers is whimsical and imaginative. There is absolutely stunning stuff coming from Benes and the whole art team. The opening sequence of methodically displaying Superman ripping a Starro off of a neck was awesome at showing the physical movement of Superman’s hands. Movement is the toughest thing someone can convey in the very still medium of graphic storytelling. Benes and company have mastered it and I look forward every month to seeing them one-up themselves.
Overall, Justice League of America #4 was pretty darn good. I believe it added some much needed ooompf to the run and provided a lot more clarity and cohesion among varying sub-plots to make the story work. There is a lot to like here. However, Meltzer needs to speed up the plot, decrease the heavy use of multiple narration and try not to jam too many things into one issue. Vixen shows up for one page to remind readers that she’s still a part of this book. Unfortunately, she was not a part of this story and thus should have been cut out. I’m still with this book but these changes need to be made or I’m sending back my newly arrived membership into the Justice League. Oh wait, that was my Visa bill. Nevermind.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dcfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dcfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dcfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dcfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/dcnone.jpg
Buy Justice League of America #4 at X-World and Save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=135&cat=JLA)