Justice League #13

By Tim Seeley, Scott Eaton, Wayne Faucher and Gabe Eltaeb

There has been a problem with the Justice League since DC launched it’s rebirth brand. It seems that it’s been mediocre and really hasn’t wowed anyone. Action Comics and Batman are consistently good, but Justice League has been a rare miss for the re-launch, especially since Geoff John’s last run was so epic. As we move on to issue 13, a Justice League vs Suicide Squad tie-in, expectations are not exactly sky-high. Tim Seeley is guest writing this issue, which is never a bad thing, but can he bring life to a book that has yet to break out?

There is no denying that Tim Seeley has a great voice in the comic community. He can take a character that you may not really care for and make you a fan. This issue of Justice League pretty much has no members of the team in it with the exception of a cameo or two. We instead get an issue devoted to Steve Trevor as he deals with the Eclipso outbreak. Seeley makes this a fun issue. Seeing everything go down from Steve’s perspective is kind of like the reader being there, since Steve is pretty much a normal guy too. As a reader we feel what Steve goes through as he’s forced to fight off people he likes and works with as they turn into creatures of the night. Seeley does a great job of showing how resourceful Steve is this issue, by using UV lights to save some bystanders. Seeley also packs in some genuine creepy moments this issue. Writing horror in comics can be very tough, but Seeley could very easily make you squeamish as you see a woman eating her own dog. This is probably one of the best Justice League issues since the re-launch. Leave it to Tim Seeley to take a character who is not involved in the action and put out an excellent issue that leaves him very involved.

The pencils this issue are handled by Scott Eaton with inks by Wayne Faucher and colors by Gabe Eltaeb. The art this issue needed to be on point to match the creepy script Seeley delivered, needless to say, it was. Scott Eaton does a wonderful job this issue turning a routine day into a living nightmare. Within a few pages, characters who are at the very least interesting, get turned into nightmarish creatures. Eaton really allows these things to look grotesque as they have sharp, slanted eyes and pointy teeth. There is a panel where Steve sees Diana fly by, and she looks normal, and the next panel she turns into nightmarish hell spawn. Eaton draws this perfectly and it is very creepy. The inks are very key this issue since there is a lot of shading. Faucher does an excellent job of shading Steve’s face as he watches the city devolve. The colors by Gabe Eltaeb are also very good. The shade of blue that covers the creatures’ faces is spot on. This is an issue where everything is working and everything looks great.

In a complete shocker, Justice League #13 is one of the best comics of the week. Tim Seeley made this a fun and creepy book that had great art to match it. If you’re not a fan of the series that’s fine, but this is definitely an issue worth picking up.