Monday, December 15, 2008

Justice League of America #27

Milestone Comics was a company that sadly didn't last long.

The line centered around two heroes in particular - Icon, who was (essentially) a black version of Superman, and Static, who was (more or less) a different take on Spider-Man (a young hero who gains powers and fights the bad guys while using his brains and lots of funny comments).

Static was the most successful of the two - he went on to star in his own cartoon - but despite the high quality of scripts and art, and a one-time crossover with DC's heroes, Milestone finally fell victim to poor sales, and the line was canceled.

But now, almost a decade later, the heroes of the Milestone Universe are back, and once again being written by Static creator Dwayne McDuffie.

The comic reads like one of the classic JLA / JSA crossover events that were an annual treat in the '60s and '70s, although the reasons behind this crossover are still a bit obscure - and it's interesting to note that Static doesn't appear in this issue.

As a fan of the original line, I'm happy to see the Milestone characters back in print, although this issue throws a pile of characters at the reader all at once - it may be a bit much for new readers.

The art by Ed Benes is excellent as always, although the love scene between Hawkgirl and Red Arrow really pushes the boundaries of what you can get away with in a mainstream comic.

This issue is mostly setting up the story to come, and here's hoping the rest of the story delivers on the story's promise. So far, so good.

Grade: B

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