Comic Book Review: JLA: Age of Wonder #1
by R.J. Carter
Published: April 19, 2003
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JLA: Age Of Wonder #1 |
Age of Wonder |
Adisakdi Tantimedh
P. Craig Russell
Galen Showman |
DC
Elseworlds |
$5.95 US, $9.95 CAN |
A- |
For more information: DC Comics |
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This story offers up yet another twist to the "What if Superman had landed (where/when)...?" scenario, but still stands out as a great story to read. The premise is that the DC universe characters existed--in some form or another--during the latter decades of the 19th century. Clark Kent, sans costume or need for a secret identity, makes his debut at the Centennial Exposition in 1876, when he flies in carrying the first pieces of what would be the Statue of Liberty.
Kent's goal is to offer his strength, speed, and other talents to top scientists in order to speed up the already dizzying pace of scientific progress. He takes a job with Thomas Edison, but soon after forms a coalition with genius inventor Nikola Tesla and financial wizard Lex Luthor. It is through the progress of science and the happy accidents it sometimes breeds that his various co-workers--Ted Knight and Barry Allen--are transformed into the Starman and the Human Flash. A stranded alien later offers Clark the ring of the Green Lantern Corps, but Clark refuses it, allowing it to pass instead to Army Captain Hal Jordan.
The goal of the newly formed League of Science is to promote the use of science to help the common man. But it doesn't always work that way, particularly when the common man is the one who has to build all of it for low wages.
Toss into the mix a romantic feud between Kent and Luthor over the love of Lois Lane, Luthor's own ideas for building science-based weaponry using radium, and the betrayal by one of the other League members, and what you have is a historical superhero drama set against the backdrop of an Industrial Revolution gone horribly awry.
Adisakdi Tantimedh is a new name in comics for me, but I have to admit to being impressed. The language is period-perfect and the pacing and plotting are supported by actual historic events. My only complaint is that the science that gets created doesn't seem all that advanced for what could have been created (Kent does know he's from Krypton soon into the story, and apparently has access to a store of that alien technology.) P. Craig Russell, of course, can do no wrong, but the majority of the art chores fall to Galen Showman, who's neat and clean linework makes this book fun to look at as well as read. The colorations from Dave McCaig give the book just the right touch of optimism about the bright future that is hoped for by all the characters.
There are more tidbits regarding the possible incarnations of other Justice League members, but with a book like this one half the fun is in seeing them revealed, so I'll leave that joy of discovery to you, dear readers. Give JLA: Age of Wonder #1 a try and you'll be hooked into coming back for the second half of the tale next month.
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