I think Keith Giffen is an overlooked comic book genius. His work on the Legion of Super-Heroes was terrific, his Invasion crossover event actually didn’t suck, and his version of the Justice League was (and is) one of the best ever. The reason for his success is that, unlike probably 90% of the comics out there, he writes the characters first and organically involves them in the plot, not vice-versa.
We’re in the second issue of his “Super Buddies” storyline in JLA: Classified #5, and he brings back a fan favorite from his initial run from the 80s: former Green Lantern Guy Gardner. And, as usual, Guy is a swarmy, sexist, macho man (though we know he’s got a soft spot in his heart for sweet, innocent super heroines).
Much like the last issue, this one continues to get us reacquainted with the heroes that were once in the Justice League, but are now working under the name “Super Buddies” from a strip mall storefront. We’ve got Blue Beetle, the leader of the group (well, sort of), Booster Gold, Mary Marvel, Fire and the Elongated Man. We also get a visit from Billy Batson and Power Girl (also both former members of the Giffen JL). And the good old supporting cast: Max Lord, the benefactor of the group; Sue Dibny, the wife of the Elongated Man; and L-Ron, wisecracking robot. And Guy.
The great thing? Even with all those characters, each gets some face time in this issue (though Fire is somewhat shortchanged). There’s a very nice conversation between Blue Beetle and Power Girl (which, weirdly, seemed to have romantic undertones), an argument between Fire and Billy over Mary’s involvement in the group, and an apologetic Guy Gardner, being genuinely sorry (maybe) over the way he’s treated Mary Marvel. Like the last issue, this is a densely written issue: a lot of dialogue, a lot of jokes, and a lot of characterization.
And, as usual, it is great. Perhaps it is my general disenchantment with comics lately, but reading something like JLA: Classified #5 really takes me back to those days when writers didn’t depend on cheap gimmicks like killing off characters or maiming superheroes, but just wrote good stories. It also helps that Kevin Maguire’s art is perfect for the book: his strong point seems to be facial expressions and this is the right vehicle for that.
It’s too bad that DC appears to want to flush all these characters down the toilet for the sake of bad crossovers. But that, my friends, is another story.
This entry was posted on Sunday, April 3rd, 2005 at 9:24 pm and is filed under DC Comics, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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