Action Lab Danger Zone 2018
Created & Written by Jason Sterr
Illustrated by Daniel Maine
Coloured by Francesca Zambon
Lettered & Designed by Greg Sorkin
Due to the fallout from Spartan’s arrest, Marcus orders the team to track down any evidence that their former teammate could use against them. Meanwhile, having grown tired of the lying and the regret that comes from his job, Russell has decided to betray Marcus to an unknown enemy. As the team works to eliminate Spartan’s leverage, Russell’s plan begins to unfold.
Well I thought the first issue was spectacularly well done. Regardless of the fact that the so called heroes here are blatantly the Justice League with different names and much different attitudes and personalities. I do find it interesting that they are “ripped off” more than any other team out there. Marcus adds a touch to this that I think would make Maxwell Lord jealous in his underhanded and ruthless pursuit at doing his job. I would very much like to see them less taking centre stage however because this really shouldn't be about them as much as it should about Marcus and Russell.
This issue gives us a chance to see more of the team as they try to get their lives in order and prevent Spartan from being able to use anything against them for a plea bargain. So this is kind of where things get a little more interesting and that’s thanks to the characterisation here. Jason takes their personalities and gives us a different look at some of them. Athena the Amazon Warrior for instance well her backstory that’s coming to light here is one I want to see unfold now that it’s mentioned.
So when things start happening and Marcus needs Russell to kill someone, someone famous so that the spotlight diverts from the team that’s when I got disgruntled. There is one thing to base the characters off those characters but there’s another in fully using the whole damn origin story. C’mon Jason this was just sloppy and unoriginal and just disappointing that you went this route. If you’d just focused on Marcus more and less on the team and their background/origins things would’ve been much better.
Daniel is doing some good solid work on the interiors here. it’s his chance to do this great superhero story. He has a solid eye for storytelling as we see in the way page layouts are used and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels. The linework is solid and the attention to detail is nicely done. Backgrounds are used as he needs them to and they work when he does put them in. I like seeing the buildings or the surrounding area so that we get a better idea of the city and the scope of the story.
Last issue was easy to overlook the comparison to the JL because Jason did focus more on Marcus and the ramifications of what’s going on behind the scenes with the team. It started off with so much promise and potential and plunged into this been there done that filled story. Arzon and Sparrow that is really too much. At least Athena’s mission is a take that could be very well used for an excellent story and the drug problem for one member seems silly considering what that metabolism must be like.
There are aspects to this story that I really enjoyed though. Marcus and Russell chief among them as that is where the real story is. I’m hoping that next issue goes back to that focus on the behind the scenes guys and leave the team more ambiguous. Now Jason has a lot to prove to me because my faith in him has wavered greatly.