When you look at the cover of JLA: Primeval does it speak out to you? Does it shout “Read me! Pick me up and read!” No? it didn’t do that for me either. A month or so ago I took a chance and bought a huge amount of comics. 6 long boxes full to be exact. It was a gamble and one that I broke even on. Sifting through the books I came across this. I looked at it, thumbed throughout it quickly and then put it on the stack and forgot all about it. I’m beginning to see a trend here. I’ve done this with other issues before and you know what? Those issues end up being some of my favorites. This book is no exception I’m happy to say.I love how this book started out. In a hospital in Dallas Texas, we witness a police standoff. A patient who calls himself Disciple, has killed his hostages and is giving worship to whatever ancient gods he believes in to help him escape. And those gods do help and Disciple begins to wreak havoc across the globe. The JLA comes in, separated in groups of three, and with each encounter, they get shot with Disciples staff. No harm is done but Disciple manages to escape. Unbeknownst to our heroes, they have been harmed. Each one begins to regress to some sort of primeval form. Flash can’t slow down and becomes a blur. Superman de-evolves back to some sort of primate, as does Batman and Green Lantern. This happens to each of the members of the JLA. Before they regress too far they have to figure out how to not only save themselves, but the planet as well.
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning really wrote a great story here. With it being a stand-alone story, they had the freedom to write a lengthy narrative and not suffer from having to cut it down to the point where it would make no sense. They used every page of this issue to it’s fullest. When it starts, they really put the effort to get your attention. It worked on me that’s for sure. As the story progressed, I really enjoyed how they portrayed each member of the Justice League de-evolving back to their respective primal instincts, and creatures for that matter. Unlike other issues that came out in the 90’s, this one does not feel dry or rushed. As I was reading, I really felt anxious to get to the next page. I also liked the fact that Abnett and Lanning focused on some of the other characters more then the main three, being Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. The A-listers are in there, but it’s not just about them. If you can pull that off in a DC book, let alone a Justice League book, you’ve got my attention.
Ariel Olivetti’s artwork didn’t quite grab me at first. It almost felt as if he drew the characters too wide. Sounds funny I know, but when you read the issue, you’ll see. Getting past that, there were some really great sections of the issue that he drew wonderfully. I really liked how he drew the tattoos on Disciple. It gave the impression as if they were flowing around him. On each panel, they were in different places. Whether it was intentional or not, I thought it was pretty cool. I also enjoy very much when an artist can draw emotions with a great deal of skill. Ariel does that flawlessly.
I really need to take this piece of advice to heart when it comes to comics. “Never judge a book by its cover.” That statement is very true in this case. At first glance, it really doesn’t seem like it would, or could be a good issue. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Of course it has action. Yes, it has suspense. Drama even makes an appearance, but what it has the most is that hint of chance. Pick it up. Read it. Be satisfied. I was!
Like always, Great review…i also think the cover is very “ugly “…and as always if i find this issue cheap i will pick it up and read it!
It’s so hard to not base your initial instict of the issue on cover alone, but I find that it happens more than I’d like. I’ve gotta break myself out of that cycle and pick it up because I want to take that chance on an issue.
I am very guilty of not picking up a comic due to the cover and I have probably missed out on good reads because of it
