In BIG BANG ADVENTURES #8: KNIGHTS OF JUSTICE, available from Big Bang Comics, the Knights of Justice must save the world from destruction when Venus is kidnapped by the Alliance of Evil, robbing the world of love.
The Details
- Written By: Pedro Angosto
- Art By: Pablo Alcalde
- Colors By: Simon Loko
- Letters By: Adam Pruett
- Cover Art By: Pablo Alcalde
- Cover Price: $8.95
- Release Date: Available now
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Was It Good?
Wholesome, wholesome, wholesome Golden Age superhero goodness. That’s what this comic is all about. If that’s not your cup of tea, first, I don’t know why you’re on this site, and second, you’re missing out on the kind of art, stories, and imagination that formed the foundation of everything that made comics great.
Sometimes when a creative team creates a comic that pays homage to a specific age in comics history, you get mixed results. Maybe the art hits correctly but the voice of the story and characters doesn’t match the period. Sometimes the story is spot on but the art looks like a loose facsimile when it shouldn’t. KNIGHTS OF JUSTICE captures the right blend of story voice and art to get as close to the Golden Age without being there.
The story does what so many stories of the period were apt to do — borrow from classical mythology for inspiration. Here, the Knights have to save Venus who’s been kidnapped and stashed away in the Underworld with Pluto. There are so many parallels and direct references to Greek/Roman/Summerian mythology, it’s clear the creators have a love of the material. In a letter that’s included in the issue, Angosto says as much about his love for mythology. Compared to the big(ger) publishers of today, most of the material feels like it has closer ties to the early days of DC Comics.
As much as Angosto deserves credit for the story, just as much credit goes to Alcalde for the stellar pencils and inks in this issue. We’ve encountered too many comics that tout respect for Golden, Silver, and Bronze age comics but the result looks too digital or too modern or just plain off. Not so in this issue. Alcalde emphatically nails the character designs — everything from the anatomy to the slimline suits to the heroic poses during the action scenes. Everything about this comic screams “HEROIC!”.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
The story is as simple as simple can get, however, the details and depth of information make this comic well worth the read.
Mephistopheles and his Alliance of Evil hatch a terrible plan to plunge the world into chaos with the help of the Stygian Witches of ancient mythology. The plan is to stage an attack on Washington DC to lure the Knights of Justice out into the open for a more sinister attack. When the assault on DC begins, the Knights of Justice arrive on the scene to put a stop to the madness.
During the battle, Mephistopheles tosses an object at Venus. When she catches it, she realizes it’s the fabled Golden Pomegranate that binds those who touch it to the one who created it. In this case, Venus is magically transported to the Underworld and is now bound to Pluto, god of the dead. In a unique comedic twist, Venus has every confidence her friends will rescue her so she decides to make the most of her time sprucing up the Underworld, much to Pluto’s annoyance.
The Knights don’t know what’s become of Venus, but Dr. Weird arrives with his magical insight to convince the Knights to stop fighting the Alliance and rescue Venus. As Venus is the avatar of love, her absence from the world is quickly removing the love from all humanity, plunging the world into heartless anarchy. Dr. Weird transports the Knights to a cave entrance that starts them down a dark path to the Underworld.
As the Knights encounter challenges, from Harpies to Titans, one hero is left behind to battle each monster so that the rest can continue. We conclude the issue with a modern-day retelling of the descent of Inanna, several ancient figures receiving early parole, several new villains receiving a harsh sentence, and love restored to the world.
Final Thoughts
BIG BANG ADVENTURES #8: KNIGHTS OF JUSTICE is everything you could possibly hope for in a comic that pays homage and respect to classic Golden Age comics. The story is wholesome without being corny; simple without being childish. And the art team nails the Golden Age aesthetic perfectly. If the Big 2 got back to publishing a line of comics in this vein, there would be a lot of very happy customers.
Score: 9.5/10
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