Dear Justice League // Review
Comics are becoming a remarkably insular product these days, with fans making new works for fans with a marketplace that seems to be ever-shrinking with more and more rivals to the comic book coming out each year. Be it the video game, or even television, comics are far from the only product to catch a kid’s eye. Combine it with a shrinking selection of comics that are decidedly “family-friendly,” and you have a market that’s hard to introduce kids to.
Luckily, someone in DC noticed.
Among their licensing for kids, DC has decided to launch a series of graphic novel one-shots and series dedicated to the older-than-toddlers and younger-than-adult crowd with young adult graphic novels. The example today is last year’s Dear Justice League, brought to us by writer Michael Northrop, illustrator Gustavo Duarte, colors by Marcelo Maiolo, and letters by Wes Abbott. Divided into nine different chapters, these creators ask a simple question: Does the Justice League answer fan mail?
Yes, they do.
Superman, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg, and even Batman all receive and answer fan mail. This appears to be a regular thing in the continuity of this book. To be entirely honest, such a short concept lives and dies on the execution, and the crew here nail it without breaking a sweat. Choosing questions that are surprisingly insightful to each character opens up readers new and old to remarkably insightful character moments. Does Superman make mistakes? You’d be surprised at the lengths to which Northrop and Duarte go-to answer that question. Does Simon Baz ever get tired of wearing black and green? Get ready for a lovely moment that does more for Baz’s character than any single Green Lantern issue ever has. There’s even a surprisingly nice story hidden in the book throughout all the chapters, which pays off in the end.
This comic, quite frankly, is a labor of delight and love. Whatever editor saw fit to let these folks cut loose deserves a raise, DC.
Thanks to Duarte’s excellent skills with pencil and inks, the characters feel like they were designed for his art style. Even standing still, each person feels like they’re a snapshot from an incredibly expressive cartoon. Stoic characters like the Justice League’s usual crew also have their moments of quirky smiles, looks of apprehension as they remember embarrassing moments, and even cocky expressions that aren’t typically seen in your average “serious” comic book. The entire comic is a remarkably fresh breath of air for the art alone, to be honest.
The colors are also great, with Maiolo’s palette gelling perfectly on Duarte’s pencils and inks. The shades chosen are bright and vibrant, with even “empty” backgrounds popping out with the tones chosen rather than being white space on a page most of the time. Special praise also goes out to Abbott’s lettering, which brings a ton of character to the book, ranging from the 1960s Batman “action” sound effects to the more standard “this is the noise we are hearing” effects. There is nothing in this book that doesn’t feel charming or delightful, to be honest.
Dear Justice League, if you couldn’t tell, was one of the best products DC put out in their YA Readers line last year. While it’s not going to shake the very ground on which comics were built, not every story has to. Instead, Dear Justice League works with idealized versions of fan-favorite characters, takes moments to add to their character with charm and love, and does it wonderfully.
Do you have a child who loves superheroes? You need this book in their collection.
Do you yourself love superheroes? You may want to also consider picking this book up. It’s that fun.
