Tenth Circle/"Heartbreaker"
Writers: John Byrne & Chris Claremont
Artists: John Byrne(p), Jerry Ordway(i), David Baron(i)
Publisher: DC
"It's not the 'trinket' that matters, it's the faith it represents. A belief in what is good and decent and true. The kinds of things that evil can't abide! That was the foundation of the Amazons' victory and of ours."--Superman
A speech! A speech! I haven't heard Superman orate a chest-swelling speech in years!
I'm baffled at how many of my fellow online critics dismissed this run of JLA. This has been the best the Justice League have sounded and acted since Grant Morrison left the book. So for this final review of the Claremont/Byrne JLA I thought I would discuss what the run was not to serve as smelling salts in order to wake up people to the story's worth.
"Tenth Circle" is not padded. It comprises six issues of pure JLA versus the vampires fun. There are no sub-plots. Some scenes may seem tangential to the stronger core, but in the end, everything fits into place to somehow improve the main story. The core story itself is very sturdy. Even if some scenes seemed detached, the main plot of JLA versus the vampires is engrossing enough to please fans. Vampires would seem to be an endangered species in a shared super-hero world, but Claremont and Byrne turn that idea around and come up with an excellent explanation as to why the vampires still exist, why they are attacking now and how the presence of heroes actually unwittingly helped rather than hindered their existence.
The characterization of the JLA does not instill the desire to curl up into a fetal ball and weep. This is mainly because they are not hampered by the astoundingly crappy characterization displayed in their own books. Action Comics, Detective Comics and Wonder Woman have all improved, but this story was written at a time when these characters were so unlike their legends that they seemed to be completely different people. As such, Batman is not a psychotic who should have been put away a long time ago. Byrne and Claremont humanize him back to his pre-Crisis incarnation, and my what a refreshing change it is to see Batman actually care about the victims, his friends--he has friends!--and the mystery itself--'cause see he's "the world's greatest detective." Superman is not impotent, or at least there's a reason to explain his inefficacy. Before he's put under the spell--vulnerable to magic--he gets some good hits in, and for this final issue, he enjoys a really satisfying dusting. Wonder Woman is not a moron. She provides a vital piece of the puzzle, fights a good fight, and though she's wounded; she's wounded in battle, which is the Amazon's lot. The Flash is not angst-ridden. Who the hell decided that the Flash should be angst-ridden? He's fun, youthful and with a spry wit.
The writers did not cripple or kill a female super-hero. They brought one back from the dead and without hurting whatever scraps of continuity happen to be left in the DCU--see the previous review of JLA #98. Welcome back Rita Farr. Claremont and Byrne make this character as vivacious as she was originally. They retouch her origin into something that fits the context of today. They make her team-up with the Atom feel long overdue and fun. Did I mention fun? Remember when super-hero comic books were fun? No we get crappy super-hero comic books that are geared for a mature audience who want not just realism but reality juxtaposed with men and women who routinely punch out tanks. Dumb asses.
This run of JLA was not meant to be read solely by adults. Think about the future. Kids are not reading comic books. Why is that? Well, are there any cool comic books for kids? DC's canceling two of them--the very best, but oh, look, here's one super-hero run kids can actually read. The super-heroes in JLA act like super-heroes. They do not watch while people die. They put together the puzzle. They team-up with the Doom Patrol, and they save lives! This is what it is all about! This is the magic of the super-hero. It's not about how six trade paperbacks chronicle Batman's tortured psyche as he copes with being framed for Vesper Fairchild's death. It's not about Superman--the Man of Steel--finding himself no match for ugly, empty suits of armor. It's not about Wonder Woman dating a black, bearded effeminate named Trevor. It's not about the Atom being reverted into a teenager. It's about super-heroes saving lives. It's about Batman deciding that no one would suffer the way he did. It's about Superman deciding that he would use his powers not to rule but to help. It's about Wonder Woman protecting humankind. It's all about denying Lord Acton's belief: "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Is the super-hero an illusion? Sure, but the concept's a beautiful illusion that has existed ever since Sherlock Holmes pitted his intellectual might against fiends and villains of all ilk.
This run of JLA will not blind you. Take a real good look at what passes for comic book art today. Go ahead. Glimpse at that Michael Turner cover. Does this guy even know what a woman looks like? It should not be too difficult to learn. Women are everywhere. Go to a cafe. Look out a window. Oh, look. There's a woman. Yow! She's a knockout! Compare her to a Michael Turner rendition of the alleged Supergirl. Makes you want to vomit, doesn't it? Byrne and Ordway are not photorealists like Cassaday or Alex Ross, but they are also not boobification embellishers like Wilson Tortosa. They are traditionalists, and they know how to compose musculature. They know how women and men are supposed to appear in comic books. They know how expressive faces are supposed to possess depth and a spark of life--as seen in the finale where everybody reacts to a very special joke. They know faces aren't meant to appear to be struck with a frying pan after the character has been apparently penciled with lead that's been doused in valium. Their characters also possess a historical look to them. For some reason history has become a bad word. I don't know why. History is the bedrock of everything, especially for fiction because fiction unlike reality can be readily examined. We may never really know the entirety of Elliott Ness' battle against the Torso Slayer of Kingsbury Row. Careful study gives us an inkling. There's a true history there, but it's out of our reach because we never lived it. However, without a shadow of a doubt, we know that Joe Chill murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne. We know that Professor Erdel accidentally brought to earth J'onn J'onzz. The Byrne/Claremont JLA look historical, but that's not all. They appear to have a history together as a team. This is a team-book, and Byrne and Claremont make them a team. They don't snipe at each other. They don't look at each other with suspicion. They trust and depend on each other.
This run of the JLA was not an example of sexploitation. Super-hero comic books never used to alienate female readers. They used to inspire them. Nowadays, female readers are leaving the genre in droves. Why is that? Could be because the female heroes were once as intelligent--if not more so--and in on the action as much as their male colleagues. Has Buffy the Vampire Slayer taught you dolts nothing! Hawkgirl of earth-one was an alien detective. This year's model's brain seizes up when asked to do higher math. Comic books have a bad reputation for presenting female characters in soft and hard porn poses. You'll find no butt-shots, crotch-shots or boob-shots in this run of JLA. Women are not denigrated in the story. As with Superman, Wonder Woman is removed as a threat out of respect for her awesome power. Batman notifies the Amazons when the medicine of mankind can provide little aid. Already stated, but this really shouldn't be overlooked. In a complete ass-backwards reversal of comic book law, Rita Farr returns from the dead. Nudge while in early chapters being less interesting than Rita is treated fairly. All these women are single entities. They are not in the story for the male character to look good.
JLA "The Tenth Circle" should be noted as not just one of the best post-Crisis Justice League stories but simply as one of the best post-Crisis stories. It's professionally written with an attention to story structure and character interaction. It's professionally drawn with an eye for proportion, emotion and dynamic action-packed panels. It entertains through intelligent scripting not flash in the pan gimmicks or prurient interest. What else do you need?
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