Justice Finale

[Permanus]

In case you haven't read it, spoilers, though not that many.

Is it just me, or was anyone else a bit underwhelmed by the last six or so issues of Justice? I thought it started off with a bang but ended with a bit of a whimper. The artwork was lush and impeccable throughout, though it occurs to me that the Braithwaite & Ross style simply doesn't convey narrative very well: it's all very well for covers and posters, but this sort of over-rendered art doesn't do drama very well.

And as for the story, well, it seems to be an excuse for the art. The Metal Men and Doom Patrol enter the plot, more to provide Braithwaite & Ross the opportunity to depict them more than anything else. In fact, characters are introduced at an alarming rate, so that in the end there is no room for character development, and many of them just seem to be left hanging: the Doom Patrol came in, said a few things, and then we didn't see them again; Ralph Dibny's hissy fit against Plastic Man never went anywhere; Hawkman and Hawkgirl seemed to lose interest in the whole affair. The central concern of the story is "Are superheroes really such a boon to mankind?", to which the answer is "Yes", because they beat the bad guys and got rid of all the nuclear weapons at the same time. This sort of story is ultimately dispiriting to any reader who lives on a planet where there are no superheroes, like me.

It's a pity, because as I say, it started off nicely enough. There were plenty of exciting moments, like Batman interrupting a heist at Waynetech or Superman getting beaten up by a team-up of just about everybody. It just seems to have become a bit top-heavy, and as a result, the edifice crumbled.

[DBN]

The story seemed to drag on a bit for the last couple of issues, but I still enjoyed it. I've never been the biggest fan of the art style, but, to me, it worked here better than it did in Kingdom Come.

Never understood the purpose of nuclear weapons in comic, though. Why should the denzions of the comic universe be afraid of them when the mad scientists that inhabit their planet can invent orbital deathrays capable of destroying moons? Suspension of disbelief, I guess.

[Permanus]

Funny, I preferred the art in Kingdom Come, though I still think it's sort of ungainly for comics, if you see what I mean.

You're quite right about nuclear weapons in comics, DBN, and one could go even further: why don't superheroes just get rid of them, the way they always get rid of doomsday weapons? In Alan Moore's Miracleman (and I do hope that this will be reprinted one day when they sort out the copyright issues), there's a great scene in which the Warpsmiths adress the United Nations:
"... In short, your nuclear weapons are completely disorganised," says a young female Warpsmith.
"Sorry, young lady," says a UN delegate, "Do you mean they're disorganised on a political level?"
"No, on a molecular level. We just teleported them into the sun."

[Great Rao]

there's a great scene in which the Warpsmiths adress the United Nations:
"... In short, your nuclear weapons are completely disorganised," says a young female Warpsmith.
"Sorry, young lady," says a UN delegate, "Do you mean they're disorganised on a political level?"
"No, on a molecular level. We just teleported them into the sun."

And whoever claimed that Superman IV was based on a poor concept?

[DBN]

Funny, I preferred the art in Kingdom Come, though I still think it's sort of ungainly for comics, if you see what I mean.

You're quite right about nuclear weapons in comics, DBN, and one could go even further: why don't superheroes just get rid of them, the way they always get rid of doomsday weapons? In Alan Moore's Miracleman (and I do hope that this will be reprinted one day when they sort out the copyright issues), there's a great scene in which the Warpsmiths adress the United Nations:
"... In short, your nuclear weapons are completely disorganised," says a young female Warpsmith.
"Sorry, young lady," says a UN delegate, "Do you mean they're disorganised on a political level?"
"No, on a molecular level. We just teleported them into the sun."

To me, the art in Justice just seemed more dynamic than it was in Kingdom Come.

I could go one a bit further. Why don't the various nations in the comic universes ever develop countermeasures against their demi-gods? Especially when they can do things like teleport a nation's deterrent into the sun.

[Permanus]

To me, the art in Justice just seemed more dynamic than it was in Kingdom Come.

It was very dynamic sometimes - they obviously loved doing Hawkman and Hawkgirl, who must be the most gratifying characters for anyone to draw. Captain Marvel looked just as good as he did in Kingdom Come, which is to say very good; I think it sort of depended on who Braithwaite and Ross were depicting. The scenery was beautiful throughout: I especially liked it when the Flash visited this lush vegetation in the middle of the desert, that was gorgeous.

[jamespup]

Permanus, I agree........that's the problem with such a big build-up......you come to expect so much more.

I thoroughly enjoyed it right up to the moment that GA shot John Stewart the ring, but the issues after that sort of left me saying "oh, is that all"



The art though?  Phenomenal ...and I really liked the arrival of the GL Corps

[Klar Ken T5477]

In found the art to be cluttered and confusing and the storytelling weak throughout.  Trying to keep track of all this mishigoss in another age would've been a one-shot super-friends annual.

And yeah it petered out - big time.  But nice to see Barry Allen and Hal Jordan throughout.