Justice League of America 7.2
Special “Villains Month” Title: Killer Frost 1
Sterling Gates, Derlis Santacruz
Forever Evil Crossover
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
The Justice League (or more aptly, Firestorm: The Nuclear Men epilogue) tie-in was a fun read for fans of well-done superhero books. Sterling Gates has always been a criminally underrated comic book writer, in my opinion, so it’s nice to see that he’ll be in charge of a few of the high profile books featured in Villains Month. This issue, excellently drawn by artist Derlis Santacruz, was no exception to Gates’ already impressive portfolio of DC comics.
We’re treated to not only an origin story in this issue, but also an explanation in current times as to why Killer Frost is so damn angry all of the time. She’s literally freezing to death because of her tragic power. She’s been trying to get Firestorm to help her, but obviously not doing it correctly and being the victim of bad timing and allying herself with less-than-noble characters along the way. Enter the current series of events, and the Crime Syndicate explaining in the pages of Forever Evil (and across the rest of the DC books as well) that the Justice League is dead. Hence, no more Firestorm. And no more hope. Needless to say, the already deadly and unpredictable Killer Frost just got a whole lot more deadly and a whole lot more unpredictable. I’ve always liked her power, but never really cared about her as a character. Until now. Now I get her. And as much as I want her to have a happy ending, I kind of hope her life continues to spiral out of control, making her that much better of a villain along the way.
Probably not worth the extra dollar for the fancy cover, so save the buck, but a definite must-read for Firestorm fans. And really, Justice League fans. There are a few nice cameos from various DCU villains along the way, and the fact that a majority of the more laughable characters appearing at the meeting with the Crime Syndicate are actually downright terrified of Killer Frost makes her that much more exciting of a character. I can’t wait to see where she pops up next. Consider me a new fan of a formerly-thought stagnant villainess.
My Rating: 3.5/5
This was my favorite Villain's Month release of the week (I got them all except Brainiac). It was a solid story and it told the origin in a way that actually gave you some insight into the character – Killer Frost didn't seem to have this extra depth to her in the Firestorm series but now she does.
Agreed! Great read!