Sometimes as a comic book fan you get a good feeling about a book. Oftentimes that feeling dissipates after reading it, but every now and then, you get to read something that matches or at least reaches close to your initial expectations.
So yeah I really like the first issue of Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League.
Yeah I get the urge to let out primal screams tooNow this is the type of book that would usually contain a checklist of things that presses all of my buttons. A proven creative team working on a plot and characters very similar to those they have worked on in the past? Check. The characters in focus are ones who usually don’t get to be protagonists? Check. They are usually villainous ladies that show off a more human side to themselves? Check check checkity-check.
Still, this book did have some things that it had to overcome for me. I’ve had enough of heists for a lifetime (and yet still getting a monthly dose of that stuff thanks to Catwoman). However, the reasoning seems sound. Cheetah wants to get out from under her god’s control and wants Cheshire’s help to get something which would presumably help with that. Not that she says that to Jade directly this issue, but that’s probably a potential source of conflict later down the line.
I do also see some people turning away from this book because for better or worse this issue at least is more of a talking issue than anything else. Yes we see Cheshire casually dispatch a bunch of H.I.V.E grunts but after that the rest of the issue is Jade and Barbara Ann just talking. About life, about the job, about what’s in it for Jade. It is slow paced and I can see people not being very open to that thing (considering how the internet is about Ultimate Spider Man’s pace, I’m assuming they won’t be happy about this either).
However, I am going to throw my full weight behind this series. I actually wrote a paragraph extolling the past works of all the members of the creative team on this series. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. This book is a testament to the fact that fans clamor for different stuff than what they usually get from the Big Two and this time they have delivered. Not only is the plot is compelling, but the art and coloring help out each beat of the plot (we get a cozy atmosphere at a diner for when the two women are chilling out, we get a dark night scene when the two are at what I would call “mild friction”, and the sun rises when they are in agreement and ready to move on to the next part of their plan).
Notice how Cheetah calls Cheshire Jay? Indicating the two have a decent enough friendship? Good stuffSo readers and fans, the ball is in your court. You can support the type of series that you have been wanting for so long, even if it is a bit of a slow burn. Or you can wait a year for a Youtuber or some other social media person to narrate this comic to you as the series you should have been reading (As a Youtuber focusing on comics myself, I get to make fun of my line of work).
Recommended If
- Cheetah and Cheshire
- Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott
- Great plotting and artwork
Overall
Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #1 is a great start to a hopefully amazing series. Yes the pace is slow and the heist plot isn’t exactly novel, but the characterization of the leads is great (nice to see them not being treated like insane psychopaths that kill for the lolz). The art is fantastic, with a surprising level of variety when it comes to backgrounds. Which becomes even more impressive once you flip the book and realize that it was mostly the leads interacting in this issue. If you want to see more comics like this buy this book.
Score: 9/10
Disclaimer: DC Comics provided advance copies of this comic for review purposes
English (US) · 