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| The cover by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado & Marcelo Maiolo |
I’ve always had an affinity for the Golden Age
superhero teams like the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron.
From Mister Terrific to Liberty Belle, there’s an analog sensibility that gives
them a certain charm, even when Hourman is rebooted as a robot from the future.
When the Ray got his own book in the 90s, I subscribed to it. And when Steve
Orlando announced that the Ray would be part of his new Justice League lineup,
and would be a young gay man, I made sure to buy his debut! Thankfully, this
issue is an excellent setup for a new version of a classic character.
Ray Terrill is a young man raised in the dark by a
domineering mother who claims to be scared for his safety while suppressing the
truth about his nature. While that may seem like an obvious metaphor, it’s
nonetheless still affecting to see how Ray keeping his true self hidden affects
him as a young man and develops into self-destructive thoughts. The metaphor
only deepens as it turns out that what was expected to kill Ray is the secret
to unlocking the powers that make him special.
I’m unsure of how the Ray has been treated in Justice League of America now that the
series is underway, to be honest, but in this issue he shines, literally and
figuratively. Steve Orlando does an excellent job of getting to the heart of
what makes this character special, why he is important to the gay community,
and why such characters need to exist. Stephen Byrne creates incredible artwork
for the character at several stages of his life and development, and his colors
highlight the dynamism of the Ray’s powers; the splash page of him flying for
the first time is inspirational. Clayton Cowles’s letters are very impressive,
especially in the sound effects surrounding the Ray’s powers and a scene in
which he makes an antagonist invisible.
Surprisingly, this issue will not be collected into
the first volume of Justice League on sale in August, but it is available by
itself through DC’s website. It may also be available at your local comic shop.
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