Justice League #44
Written by Robert Venditti
Art by Xermanico and Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Lettering by Tom Napolitano
Published by DC
‘Rama Rating: 8 out of 10
Robert Venditti and artist Xermanico bring a burly, mythical energy to Justice League #44. Responding to a distress signal from Aquaman, the League races to the South Pole, eager to help their friend. But when they get there, they find much more than just the Antarctic tundra as creatures from myths and legends, once thought imprisoned by the Amazons in the fabled prison of Tartarus, are unleashed upon the world and carrying a planet-sized grudge against Wonder Woman.
Though largely action-heavy, Justice League #44 brings a solid return for DC’s A-list, pitting them against a big problem with possibly even bigger repercussions. Thanks to Robert Venditti’s simple but engaging script and Xermanico’s continually impressive splash pages, Justice League #44 is a bombastic return of the monthly exploits of DC’s mightiest heroes.
From page one, the speed of Robert Venditti’s script is evident. After a monster-filled cold open set in an Atlantean outpost, Venditti snaps into the interior of the Javelin, where the heroes are already on the case. While I would have liked a bit more fleshed-out characterizations, the pacing of this issue’s plot is refreshingly quick. While in the midst of responding to Aquaman’s distress call, the Javelin is attacked by a manticore and a griffin, explosively rendered by penciler Xermanico and colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr.
From there, the team put readers right in the heat of the battle, scattering the League on the ground and in the middle of a whole heap of monsters, ripped right out of the pages of Greek and Roman fables and legends. It is precisely the kind of pulpy, two-fisted storytelling Venditti excels at and here in Justice League #44, he makes great use of this as well. Though I feel it would have worked better with a bit more detail with the characterizations, Venditti’s script still offers plenty of punchy fun.
And that fun is amplified thanks to Xermanico and Romulo Fajardo Jr.’s wonderful scene direction throughout this issue. Detailing most of the action in expansive splash pages, one even coming complete with Grecian-tiled bordering across the edges of the page, both artists lean into Venditti’s speed and action-heavy narrative.
Moreover, the action is very clear and precise in its blocking.Take the aforementioned Grecian double-page splash for example. Though the chaos of the League’s battle with the monsters is telegraphed well, each “window” of the scene is appropriately detailed and richly colored, highlighting each character in turn and building the set piece to a comfortable conclusion. And it’s all tightly contained by the conceptualization of this as a Grecian fresco, capped at the corners and backgrounds of the piece with researched replications of Grecian tile art and collage. While far more “conceptual” in its action visuals, Justice League #44 still offers fun, visceral visuals to match the speed and drive of it’s script.
While not a groundbreaking return for the JLA, Justice League #44 still offers the breezy, burly fun of superhero comics wrapped in impressive visuals. Shepherd by Robert Venditti’s script and slick, stagey visuals of Xermanico and Romulo Fajardo, Jr., this return issue offers fun, frivolity, and fights as the Justice League face down legends made real in the shadow of the South Pole. Time will tell if the League can withstand the start of this new “Cold War,” but for now Justice League #44 provides a solid return to shelves for DC’s Big Six.