A very unique team for a unique story...
So who do you call when even Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg can't handle a mystical threat? Why Justice League Dark of course. The third Justice League book in DC's New 52 relaunch is "Justice League Dark", a magic oriented title featuring an intriguing band of characters primed for handling mystical problems.
Writer Peter Milligan's team consists of Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Shade, Zatanna, and John Constantine. We see they are all being mysteriously brought together and we get little snippets of information about each. It's not the best introduction to the characters for those not familiar with them and I'm hoping Milligan takes care of that in the upcoming issues. Their first threat appears to be the Enchantress who has flipped out, setting off a series of crazy events across the globe. It's a cool idea and fits in nicely with the design of this team. There's a lot going on in the issue and for the most part Milligan's careful construction pulls it off. It's an interesting and fresh concept that works.
Mikel Janin's art is defininately another reason this issue works so well. It started off a little shaky but before long I found myself drawn in Janin's work. This particular story requires a style that's able to capture the essences of both super hero and dark mystical books. Janin accomplishes this with some beautiful character work and some genuinely creepy imagery. I do wish it had a more vibrant color palette as several panels have the same drab tint. But that's a minor gripe considering the overall solid look of this issue.
I liked the idea behind this series but I wasn't sure if DC could pull it off. This was a pleasant surprise that dives into a section of the DCU that we don't get to see all that often. It's fun yet creepy and a story is in place that I found quite interesting. I was hungry for a little more character development but that's something I expect in the next few issues. DC wanted to offer new and unique titles to their line of books and this is one certainly worth checking out.
