James Harvey
11-12-2001, 10:51 AM
<a href="http://wf.toonzone.net/bbeyond/jladv1.jpg"><img src="http://wf.toonzone.net/bbeyond/jladv1.jpg" height=200 width=137 border=0 vspace=3 hspace=3 align="right"></a> The comic review site (a personnel favorite) <a href="http://www.thefourthrail.com">The Fourth Rail</a> were able to review advance copies of Justice League Adventures #1. The recent was both positive and mixed. Below is an excerpt from the two featured reveiws:
1st Review: Snap Judgments - 8/10
Though I suspect most of those reading this book will be quite familiar with the characters, either from comics knowledge or from having watched the show, that doesn't mean the creative team should give introductions a pass. Templeton does a very nice job of introducing the various characters, especially establishing the newer takes on characters like Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. There are also some nice subtle bits with the Flash, whose arrogance and showiness comes through, or Martian Manhunter, whose alien nature is reinforced by his formal methods of speaking.
On top of the action plot, Templeton includes a character story with a young hero-worshipping girl and her father. It's a nice subplot that ties into the main story and provides a solid ending that echoes off the failure of the alien threat.
While I expected something good from Templeton, I wasn't as sure what to expect from Min S. Ku, and I was pleased by what I got. Though not as distinctive as the work of Tim Levins, Mike Parobeck and Ty Templeton (to name three standout artists from the Adventures line), he does capture the animated style very well, and his storytelling is very clear and strong.
To read the whole review, go <a href="http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/snapjudgments/111201/justiceleagueadventures1.shtml">HERE</a>.
<a href="http://wf.toonzone.net/bbeyond/jladv1a.jpg"><img src="http://wf.toonzone.net/bbeyond/jladv1a.jpg" height=200 width=137 border=0 vspace=3 hspace=3 align="left"></a>2nd Review: Critiques On Infinite Earths - 6/10
Ku's captures Bruce Timm's delightful sense of design and action, and John Kalisz's bright colors are very much in keeping with the lighter tone of the book and the cartoon. However, her design for the alien creature struck me as rather ordinary and unimaginative; it really could have used a greater level of detail. Hathaway tries to convey the alien nature of character through the letters as well, but the font he used was a bit hard to read at times.
Templeton did some amazing work on the various comic-book series (such as Batman: Gotham Adventures) based on the Batman cartoons, and that's because he focused on character above all else. We got to know some of the Batman villains better than we have before under his guidance. However, a team book like this one doesn't lend itself to that same character-driven emphasis. Hopefully, Templeton and other writers will be able to overcome this drawback, or at least provide some slightly more complex plots.
To read the complete review, go <a href="http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/critiques/111201/justiceleagueadventures1.shtml">HERE</a>.
Stay tuned for more Justice League updates here at TZN.
1st Review: Snap Judgments - 8/10
Though I suspect most of those reading this book will be quite familiar with the characters, either from comics knowledge or from having watched the show, that doesn't mean the creative team should give introductions a pass. Templeton does a very nice job of introducing the various characters, especially establishing the newer takes on characters like Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. There are also some nice subtle bits with the Flash, whose arrogance and showiness comes through, or Martian Manhunter, whose alien nature is reinforced by his formal methods of speaking.
On top of the action plot, Templeton includes a character story with a young hero-worshipping girl and her father. It's a nice subplot that ties into the main story and provides a solid ending that echoes off the failure of the alien threat.
While I expected something good from Templeton, I wasn't as sure what to expect from Min S. Ku, and I was pleased by what I got. Though not as distinctive as the work of Tim Levins, Mike Parobeck and Ty Templeton (to name three standout artists from the Adventures line), he does capture the animated style very well, and his storytelling is very clear and strong.
To read the whole review, go <a href="http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/snapjudgments/111201/justiceleagueadventures1.shtml">HERE</a>.
<a href="http://wf.toonzone.net/bbeyond/jladv1a.jpg"><img src="http://wf.toonzone.net/bbeyond/jladv1a.jpg" height=200 width=137 border=0 vspace=3 hspace=3 align="left"></a>2nd Review: Critiques On Infinite Earths - 6/10
Ku's captures Bruce Timm's delightful sense of design and action, and John Kalisz's bright colors are very much in keeping with the lighter tone of the book and the cartoon. However, her design for the alien creature struck me as rather ordinary and unimaginative; it really could have used a greater level of detail. Hathaway tries to convey the alien nature of character through the letters as well, but the font he used was a bit hard to read at times.
Templeton did some amazing work on the various comic-book series (such as Batman: Gotham Adventures) based on the Batman cartoons, and that's because he focused on character above all else. We got to know some of the Batman villains better than we have before under his guidance. However, a team book like this one doesn't lend itself to that same character-driven emphasis. Hopefully, Templeton and other writers will be able to overcome this drawback, or at least provide some slightly more complex plots.
To read the complete review, go <a href="http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/critiques/111201/justiceleagueadventures1.shtml">HERE</a>.
Stay tuned for more Justice League updates here at TZN.