Fallen Justice #7 (of 7)
Reviewed by Brant W. Fowler
Written by: Cary Kelley & Steven Forbes
Art by: Harold Edge
Colors by: Ross Hughes
Letters by: Cary Kelley
Cover by: Harold Edge
Publisher: Red Handed Studios
Specs: 34 Pages, FC
Cover Price: $4.00
Publisher Blurb:
As his final hours play out in bloody tragedy, Justice Theta is finally brought down, but at what cost to the world? The hero community is in shambles. Heroes and villains alike have become casualties in this war, and there may be no clear winner when the dust finally settles. Can the remaining heroes pull things together? Find out as Fallen Justice concludes in this extra sized blow out final issue!
Reviewer's Comments:
Is it all over? Yes, it is.
Normally I would have prefaced that last sentence with the word "sadly", but in this case it's not necessary or needed. Allow me to explain.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series from the word go. And not because Cary and I are friends - there's no bias here, I promise you. No, I enjoyed it because it is a great concept with vibrant, bold and entertaining characters and a very rich and emotional story that resonates to the very core.
It's because Cary Kelley and Steven Forbes are great writers with great insights into human behavior and the workings of a story.
It's because Harold Edge is a fantastic, stylized artist who won't remain a secret for very long.
It's because Ross Hughes is one of the best colorists in independent comics and, no doubt, soon to be in mainstream should he decide to go that route.
And it's because this story just gets me.
Back to Cary for a moment, though... Cary and myself along with Chuck Kennedy and Jason Berek Lewis have been friends for several years now. We formed a support group and deep and respectful friendship with one another over time and have had the privelege to be there on the ground floor of each others' projects, not to mention happenings in our personal lives. So I've had the honor to know Fallen Justice intimately from its conception, and that has only enriched my experience with the book.
Now I'm about to reveal something I've never said before, not even to those individuals previously named. Of our little group I personally always thought Cary was the best writer of the four of us. And that is in no way meant to belittle or insult Jason, Chuck or even myself as I feel we are all very talented. But there's just something about Cary's writing, for me, that stands out and it has since I first met Cary and was his editor at a small press company we were both involved with. He's an extremely talented writer with a powerful and unique voice, and I've been a fan ever since.
So there's no mistaking that I'm a fan of this book genuinely. From the themes and subplots to the dynamic fight scenes and emotional circumstances, this book wins on every level for me.
As for this particular issue, I personally can't think of a more fitting way to end the series than the way it unfolded in this final issue. We all knew what was coming, that's been the premise since day one and it's never been a secret. Justice Theta was created to die, and die he did. But the way Cary and Steven brought us to this point has been expertly handled and was very crafty in delivery. We knew he was going to die, and we knew what from, but I pictured it going a different way, a typical way, and thus I was pleasantly surprised by the emotional opening of this issue and how it progressed from there.
In this issue we got to see what we've come to expect from Fallen Justice, of course, with all the action and drama produced by the characters involved. And naturally we got the final showdown between Justice and Iron Will as expected. But what we didn't expect was the way Justice went out, with the reason why he did all of this. It was selfish and not altruistic, but not in the way you would think or expect. And somehow, through all the chaos he caused and all the lives he damaged, Kelley and Forbes managed to send Justice out as a hero, if not in deed certainly in heart.
And to top it all off, the issue was very Dynagirl-centric focusing on how she was handling all this, which was a perfect way to segue into the upcoming ongoing Dynagirl series. But it wasn't done in a way my buddy John Wilson would hate. It wasn't an issue that just served as springboard into another story, not in the least. It was definitely told as the dramatic ending of Justice Theta's story and it smoothly transitioned into Dynagirl's story without missing a beat.
The final pages of the issue told us so much about the character and set the tone and mood for what we should expect in the Dynagirl series without feeling like a promo at all.
So you see, there's no need for the word "sadly" to preface that sentence above because I'm not sad. I loved Fallen Justice, and I'll miss receiving it in the mail. But unlike many, many comics, books, movies and so forth out there, this story ended as it should have and always intended to, and therefore there was closure. And that would have been enough, truly. But we get a bonus on top of that as in less than a month Dynagirl begins and we get to continue reading stories in this universe Cary Kelley has created.
All that's left to say, then, is thank you, Cary. Thank you for showing what independent comics can truly be, do, and say. Thank you for entertaining me issue after issue and never letting me down in the quality of this book. Thank you for having the guts to end this character's story and push the boundaries of what could be done in the genre. Thank you, and hurry up and get Dynagirl going!
Reviewer Bio
Brant W. Fowler / Writer, Letter, Creator, Reviewer, Columnist and Comic Related PR Coordinator
Brant W. Fowler has been a professional comic book letterer and logo designer for three years, and has been a freelance editor for the past five years. He has also worked with graphic design, writing and many other area of skills for several years honing his talents. You can learn all about what he's up to by visiting Gonzogoose
Design. Brant is also a member of the core
operations team at Comic Related.
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