Writers:Jim Krueger and Alex Ross
Artists: Doug Braithwaite and Alex Ross
Publisher: DC Comics
No matter how good a story is, would you remember it all if you read it in 12 episodes spread out across 2 years? No? Neither would I, which is why, as this series from DC concludes, I took the time to read through the entire set. Consequently, simply being “good” no longer fits for this series; “excellent” is a far more apt description.
Justice is both a very traditional yet unorthodox story. It has a familiar structure of a villainous conspiracy aimed at the heroes that achieves major successes, the heroes work out what is going on, they fight back and they win. Yet by having the villains strike at the trust the heroes are held in, by engaging in good acts that go far beyond those of the heroes, the story pitches us headlong into new territory.
Ah, but villains seeming to do good isn’t that new surely? True, the majority of people will indeed be suspicious of the villains’ motives, but what they will find more difficult is refuting the points that Lex Luthor, in the role of leader and spokesman, makes. These points challenge the reader to consider just what constitutes a good act. Is it the nature or the extent of the consequences? Are such ideas necessarily mutually exclusive?
Ross and Krueger are careful to take full advantage of the space that 12 issues gives them. They use it to carefully lay out the conspiracy and its origin, a dream of nuclear Armageddon the heroes are unable to prevent. They show how it unfolds, as each of the heroes are targeted in turn and are ensnared. Then as the heroes try to escape the traps, they show the villains taking full advantage of their new role of heroic figures. What is beguiling is how genuine and compelling the villains’ offer is: what is on the table looks to be a truly good deal.
The nature and depth of the conspiracy against the heroes is such that it requires an equally crafty counter-attack, one that takes full advantage of the flaws identified – one such being that, in the end, the villains are not a team in the true sense. They are suspicious of one another, they will betray each other and so it proves. The two architects of the scheme, Luthor and Brainiac do indeed scheme against each other, with Brainiac being the more senior partner.
The art is an unusual combination, where Braithwaite provides the pencils and Ross the colours, the results are very effective. At the same time there is a clear difference to be seen when compared to Ross’ solo work. His work here looks more dynamic and edged. Krueger’s scripts do not resort to splash pages often either. As such there is regularly a lot of high quality art on a page. This story really is a contender for the Absolute treatment, as the art would look better on larger paper where the details would be easier to see.
The series is also set outside of DC continuity. At first glance this may not mean much, but it is highly significant. One of the primary aspects of superheroes comics is that the heroes do not challenge but defend the status quo, though they seek to inspire by example they do not force change. Even characters such as Wonder Woman and Green Arrow work more by encouragement rather than action. The inhibition is not restricted to the heroes either; the villains are allowed to cause so much trouble but no more than that. In Justice this structure is broken with, the villains do indeed aim to takeover by making themselves more popular than the heroes, but by the end, in their defeat of the villains, the heroes do alter the status quo in a major way.
At the same time this is a tale that takes maximum advantage of DC’s rich array of characters and history to deliver an exciting, colourful yet thought-provoking epic. Regardless of how much someone may know of DC’s characters, the story is utterly accessible. Maybe someone is unfamiliar with some of the characters, I know I was, but few people do not know of Superman and his adversary Lex Luthor. So long as a reader is willing to sit back and trust the creative team to tell them a story, they will find it no trouble to read at all. Indeed, this series can serve as an excellent introduction to DC superheroes.
Perhaps most importantly though Justice focuses on the strict division between heroism and villainy, where the former seeks to help people for no gain, whilst the latter is all about it. That in fighting the villains and their handiwork it is neither necessary or needed for the heroes to act like the villains, they do not kill nor do they torture or lie or steal. At a time when such dark heroes appear to be in demand, Justice makes for a startling contrast.
It’s unfortunate that DC are presently collecting this in hardcovers containing 4 issues at a time. Such a move makes the series prohibitively costly to purchase. I would hope there is a paperback collection of all 12 issues and, for those who want to really appreciate the art, a hardcover Absolute edition.
I have deliberately tried not to say too much about how the story concludes or how the heroes win through in details – on a series this good it’s sufficient that you know that they do, that there is an excellent resolution and justice distributed to all. It’s far more fun for you to read the tale and find out exactly what happens rather than have it spoiled! Yes, it is this enjoyable, the story is this good and the art is utterly wonderful.
Ben Crofts is resident in Essex, works in London and has found comics and philosophy mix surprisingly well.