|
JSA #37
Recommended (8/10)
|
DC Comics
"Stealing Thunder, Part 5 of 5: Crossing Over"
Pencils: Leonard Kirk
Inks: Keith Champagne
"Death Duty"
Artist: Peter Snejbjerg
Writer: Geoff Johns & David Goyer
Colors: John Kalisz & Heroic Age
Letters: Ken Lopez
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Price: $3.50 US/$5.75 CAN |
Stealing Thunder: There are a number of scenes in this story that consist typical super-hero, denouement fare, but there are others that strike me as being inventive and edgy. Overall, "Stealing Thunder" has been a fun super-hero romp through the DC Universe, bound to please longtime readers and hook new ones on the possibilities of this adventure genre.
The Ultra-Humanite is all but defeated; it's just a matter of tracking down his corporeal, gret-matter form and putting an end to his plans once and for all. Meanwhile, though, another player in this drama is facing his end: Johnny Thunder lay before his friends, dying. But it's not a sad death; his time had already come, so he even managed to get a little extra time. The JSA gets new members, and Sand's offer of membership to another metahuman is rejected.
This story has a sad yet triumphant tone to it, and Leonard Kirk and Keith Champagne's softer collaborative style conveys those sentiments quite well. Kirk handles the expansive cast of characters with seeming ease, and Kalisz brings an appropriately bright array of colors to bear.
This story features what initially seems to be the typical heroic death, and the typical "it's all over" confrontation with the villain. But the writers also bring an edge to the story with the concluding scene featuring the Icicle, and they took me off guard with their retooling of the Thunderbolt.
Death Duty: Now, this is what I've been waiting for.
Ever since the new Crimson Avenger debuted in this most recent story arc, I've been fascinated by her. Her cold, dark, supernatural tone was a delicious addition to the traditional super-heroics of the Justice Society, and along with her urban tragic tone, contrasted nicely with the sci-fi elements that formed the foundation of "Stealing Thunder." Here, the writers fill us in on what her deal is, and it's promising.
The woman known as the new Crimson Avenger is cursed. Forced to experience the deaths of the innocent, she must then seek out those responsible for their murders. She must punish them, using her twin firearms, guns with their own will and unlimited ammunition, once the property of Lee Travis, the original Crimson Avenger. And the latest target of the new Avenger's wrath is familiar, but shocking.
Snejbjerg's haunting, dark approach is well suited to this lead character. The design simple yet visually striking. There's no spandex for this heroine, just real clothes and a blindfold. Though he has a cartoony, simple style, Snejbjerg also incorporates a strong level of detail for key moments in this backup story as well. He drenches the piece in dark, wet atmosphere that reinforces the depressed tone of the script.
The premise behind this new Crimson Avenger could be summed up as Quantum Leap meets The Punisher, but that's an oversimplification. There's a tortured, tragic quality to the character that really comes out in the script. I also enjoyed how Johns and Goyer didn't just dust off a Golden Age character concept here, but updated it for a much different, darker time.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
