On August 1st DC released an amazing new title called Justice. As the name implies, the comic features the Justice League (of America), which is comprised of Earths most dedicated Heroes: Superman, Batman, Aquaman and more.
Throughout all these years I was never a very big Justice League fan. I was never a DC fan either and that contributed to not being in to the Justice League… but Justice is enough to make me a devout follower.
Written by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger, and beautifully illustrated by Ross (known for his realistic paintings) and Doug Braithwaite, Justice had me hooked from page 1. The dialog, narration, illustrations… everything just seems to flow together so perfectly. That being said I’m not without a couple of small gripes (how could I be?).
Justice is a 12 issue maxiseries that is being released Bi-Monthly. Issue number one starts with nuclear bombs going off throughout the Earth. This instantly grabbed my attention and the story kept it all the way through the end of issue 2. When you read Justice, you get the sense that things are bigger than the heroes themselves. That everything is beyond you and Earth shattering. This is what usually turns me of to DC comic books, but in this instance it works, and it works oh so scrumptiously.
But as I mentioned, I do have a gripe or two. The first being the artwork. Alex Ross is great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s strange to read a comic book done entirely in paintings. Sometimes it feels a little surreal and keeps you from speeding through the issue… not that these are bad things, just different for me and it’s hard to get used to. Secondly, I hate DC’s obsession with using gradient narration boxes with logos or what-not embedded inside of them. It’s distracting and looks cheap. The third complaint is an error on ross’s part really. In issue #2 Batman has a clue left to him from the Riddler: an eye and an ear. Batman says “No trace of blood” however in the illustration there is clearly blood on the ear and eye. Inconsistencies irritate me.
The good doesn’t outnumber the bad with this series. Rather the good crushes the bad’s spine in to a fine paste and declares itself supreme ruller. I will be sad to see Justice go after it’s run is complete and I highly recommend reading this series in it’s entirety.