I Finally Read: Justice Vol. 1

(Note: This is a spoiler-free review, even though Justice has been out for a while.)

I remember when the Spider-Man video game came out for the PlayStation 2, and one of the suits I was in love with playing the game that was an extra to buy in the store was the Alex Ross Spidey suit. From there, I looked into Alex’s work and became a big fan of his amazing style. It was so realistic looking with the paints, but at the same time, it kept that comic balance and really just made me fall in love.

The other day, I was taking a gander in the graphic novel section of my book shop and found Justice Vol. 1 sitting on the shelf for a VERY reasonable price, and as I am a man who is big on covers (as that is what draws me into most reads), this seemed to be calling me. With the full lineup almost looking like a family photo of the Justice League, it reminded me a bit of the photo the Watchmen took together in their famous series. I then opened up to see the names of Alex Ross and Jim Krueger on the page. I had a feeling this would be something I would end up liking, and the result was something great.

So of course, I want people to share these amazing reads and I wont be going too far with it. but you do need to hear about this awesome plot. From what I understand, this is a follow-up to The World’s Greatest Super-Heroes, also by Ross with Paul Dini, meaning that if this really follows some other events or is even in the same universe, I still understood this story with just basic knowledge of the Justice League and the stories I’ve read about them.

The plot starts with all of the JLA members’ top super villains having the same dream: that the world is ending in pure anarchy and utter destruction as the Justice League fails to do anything to save it. Suddenly the villains band together to cook up a plot to show people they can do more to help than the Justice League ever has or will, exposing the world’s greatest super heroes as nothing but selfish, cold-hearted false heroes.

Sounds good, right? As you may have guessed, there is more to this plot than what I have explained, but the rest is up to your read as it is pivotal to the plot development and gives more depth to the mystery.

Anyway, I can’t and wouldn’t forget to mention the art. Alex Ross is the ONLY artist I could think that was the perfect choice to do artwork for this great story. The combination of visuals and story suck you in like watching a live-action film. You see things developing, and it gets to the point where you say to yourself, “What is going on?”

The book gets eerie with panels of in-depth art showing you what is going on while the world is hearing something different, which makes you think of how south the world is going to go in the matter of days or even hours. As you can see in the images here, to any comic fan it screams Alex Ross, with his one-of-a-kind art making you feel fully immersed in this realistic DC Comics world.

I fully recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t read it yet, whether you’re just beginning to get into comics or an expert. A basic knowledge of each of the members of the Justice League, such as their powers, names, and basic origins will help, as the book doesn’t run through those things. It does seem like another day in the life of the Justice League situation, and not only will you understand the plot more, but you will also feel that comic fanboy/girl in you pulsing when the story starts to escalate one character at a time.

Also, this is a bit of a dark, eerie, complex, and graphic story, so I recommend you give it a good look through as you may want to think before handing it to your kids or other younger readers. I would stick to the Justice League Cartoon Network series to get them introduced and save this story for them until they get a bit older. However, this story for any teen to adult reader, especially those who know the Justice League whether through animated films, cartoons, past comics, or even just from a friend explaining them to you, is a really good read.

I only read the first volume, so maybe I’m bragging about a story that is a big deal to people and I’m just late on the bandwagon, but all I know is I’m already hooked into going out to get the second installment. When I do read the second volume I will certainly get to reviewing it on here ASAP.

Even if you’re not interested in the story, take a look here at Alex Ross’s original artwork; there are a lot of pieces for sale right now, and even if you can’t afford them, just take a gander at the way this artist takes these characters and portrays them in his mind. It really gives you a feel of why we enjoy these heroes and realistically what they would look like. The graphic novel is collected into three volumes, all of course available now online, at a bookstore, or local comic shop near you! Check out Justice, as it’s got a killer super hero cast and a great, original, different kind of story.

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