Broken Frontier

The remainder of the Justice League is starting to become aware of the magnitude of the supervillain plot, but are they too late to stop it?

Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithwaite are producing one of the most beautiful and iconic Justice League stories in a long time. While paying tribute to some of DC’s greater and lesser heroes they are also changing the way fans look at those heroes. More to the point, they are also changing the way fans look at the villains.

As the villains continue their crusade to save the world (and eliminate its superheroes while they are at it), we see Wonder Woman continue her brutal battle with the Cheetah while Superman finds rescue from a logical but surprising source. Cracks are starting to appear in the villains’ alliance, but the Justice League is only beginning to see how deep the problem goes. It begins to look like the hope of the world may lie with…the Justice League Reserves?

At nearly the half-way point for this 12-issue maxi-series, writers Ross and Krueger continue to build the pressure on the heroes. In an interesting conundrum, though, the question becomes: even if the heroes stop the villains, will they be able to stop the coming cataclysm? The writers have turned the traditional heroes vs. villains formula on its head by having the villains acting out of the belief that only they can save the world. Are they right? The reader is left not knowing exactly who to cheer on and who to boo.

It is abundantly clear, though, that the entire creative team on this title has great affection for both the heroes and the villains. Each character gets a chance to shine and for fans new and old, it is an opportunity to be reminded what makes these heroic characters so special and these villains so menacing.

An often unsung member of this creative team is penciler Doug Braithwaite. His contribution tends to be overshadowed by Alex Ross’s lush and lovely painted finishes but it is not to be forgotten that his solid and detailed lines lie under Ross’s work. If one needed an example of Braithwaite’s skill one would only have to look at his rendition of the Batcave. In a single panel, Braithwaite provides one of the most amazing versions I’ve ever seen (yes, I think its even better that Jim Lee’s version for the upcoming issue of All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder). His level of detail even goes down to a reflection of Batman in the irises of Superman’s eyes in one panel! Combining Braithwaite and Ross’s skill has resulted in a comic that looks like nothing else currently on the market.

As a bi-monthly series, this one will take some time to finish but with a story this compelling and art this beautiful, though, it’s worth the wait.