JLA #64
"Golden Perfect, Part 3"
Recommended (8/10)
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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 |
"Golden Perfect" ends on a chaotic note, but on a strong and highly imaginative one as well. Joe Kelly's toying around with the concepts of truth, objectivity and subjectivity are challenging and thought-provoking, and it really takes two or three careful reads of this material to really soak everything in. It's peppered with mad but logical ideas and Mahnke's angular, organic art. I'm hoping this spotlight on Wonder Woman will pave the way for other interesting examinations of character in future issues.
As the world teeters on the brink of being torn apart by subjective and impossible truths becoming literal realities, Wonder Woman returns to the place where it all started, where her Lasso of Truth was shattered: Jarhanpur. She pleads with the mystical nation's powerful leader, Rama Khan, once again to let his heir go, but to no avail. Wonder Woman realizes that her truth and that of Rama Khan are too personal, and she turns to another source, an impartial one, for a resolution.
There is an awesome level of detail at play in Mahnke and Nguyen's art here. The settings are wondrous in their grand scope, and the characters exude power, nobility and determination. There are several action sequences that are thoroughly chaotic, but it's nevertheless easy to follow the action. The designs he comes up with to convey how many perceive the heroes are inventive as well, just as were the designs of how the heroes perceived themselves in the first chapter.
Superman becomes more powerful because the world sees him as a god-like figure. The Batman begins to fade from existence because so many believe he isn't real. These are but small moments in a larger story, but these small moments represent huge and entertaining ideas. Little scenes such as these are to be found throughout this issue, and it makes for fun reading.
This is a thoroughly dense read. A lot of action and a lot of philosophy is thrown at the reader all at once, and it makes for some dizzying moments. The density and occasional (and brief) moments of confusion create something of a frantic pace for the book. It really called out for a a couple of serene scenes in order to slow things down a bit.
Ultimately, though the plot revolves around the subjectivity of truth, what the story is really about is ideology. Evil is not as common in the world as we might believe, especially recently. More often than not, actions we perceive as evil are carried out in the name of God, to protest quiet oppressions or to protect what one people believes is rightfully theirs. It's in the news every day, and Kelly has developed an imaginative and clever analogy set in the world of the Justice League.
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