DC’s new Justice League Of America series is all about finding hope and optimism in bleak times, making it an especially timely title during a period of political turmoil both domestically and abroad. The first arc took the team to Europe to fight a group of tyrants that sought to prevent the devastation of their home dimension by seizing control of sovereign nations, and they recently took down a mythically powered villain that took advantage an American town’s economic anxiety to build a small army. Each of writer Steve Orlando’s stories has been about the JLA inspiring communities to fight against evil influences and stand up for what is right, and those that worked with the villains always have an opportunity for redemption.
Two of the JLA’s members are reformed criminals themselves, and Batman is giving Lobo and Killer Frost the chance to channel their power in more positive ways. This week’s Justice League Of America #7 puts the focus on Killer Frost and her heat sickness, which made her a murderer by forcing her to drain heat from other people in order to survive. She’s teaming up with The Atom to find a cure, and he has extra motivation to help his teammate because he’s developed a crush on her.
The series’ first arc suffered from some inconsistent artwork, but the last few issues have had much stronger visuals, with Andy MacDonald and colorist Hi-Fi delivering dynamic, detailed artwork for the recent two-parter pitting the JLA against Aegeus. This week’s issue features the return of Jamal Campbell, who did excellent work on the Justice League Of America: Vixen one-shot earlier this year, and his slick linework and evocative coloring makes this exclusive preview all the more compelling.
Campbell does beautiful things with color in these pages, but there’s also strong attention to detail in the environments and the characterizations, specifically the page showing Killer Frost and The Atom walking through The Museum Of Unnatural History. Campell has put a lot of thought into the design of the museum floor, and the awkward body language of the two heroes suggests that they both have romantic feelings that they’re trying to keep hidden. Campbell is an artist with an exciting future ahead of him, and making him a regular presence on Justice League Of America would be a very smart idea.