JLA #62
"Golden Perfect, Part 1 of 3"
Recommended (7/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Joe Kelly
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Tom Nguyen
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Ken Lopez
Editor: Dan Raspler
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
In my review of the previous issue -- Kelly and Mahnke's first as the new creative team -- I noted that they brought the immensity of ideas and power to bear that has become an integral part of the book. Unfortunately, last month's issue also lacked the human side. Kelly brings that element in this month, though, making for an entertaining and thought-provoking read.
Two of Wonder Woman's Amazon sisters are struck down trying to protect a young woman from golem-like creatures and their masters, and an investigation leads the Justice League to discover a secret society from which the mysterious woman hails. Her son is being held from her, and Wonder Woman and her reluctant colleagues aim to reunite parent and child. There are two problems: the JLA is interfering with a culture that is unlike their own, and the leader of that society boasts power beyond belief.
Mahnke's style seems best suited for conveying the bizarre, and there's been no shortage of that in both this title and Joe Kelly's writing in general. His organic yet angular approach brings the earthen monsters in the opening scene to life, and it conveys the wide scope of the leader of Jarhanpur's power. However, Mahnke's art also conveys the emotional upheaval Wonder Woman is experiencing in this issue.
My favorite scene in the issue was easily the telepathic conference held among the Leaguers in Jarhanpur, in which each is presented in his or her own self-image. Superman forever sees himself as a farmboy, for example. That scene says a lot of about the characters even without the dialogue. Kelly also does a good job of incorporating current continuity into the story without dwelling on it.
The real conflict here isn't one between heroes and villains, but an ethical dilemma. There's never been a better time for a writer to explore the notion that the values of one cultural may seem alien or even repulsive to another. That doesn't make those values wrong, though. The problem is that Kelly's exploration of that theme seems rather... obvious. Wonder Woman seems clearly in the wrong here, and her teammates might be going too far in humoring her. Still, I look forward to seeing how this plays out.
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