Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League #1 is one of those books that right when you heard about it, you knew that it would be great. Somehow, it’s even better than that. Greg Rucka is one of those rare male writers who does an amazing job of writing realistic superwomen, so there was no problem there. Nicola Scott is one of the best artists DC has, her wonderful figure work and unflagging detail (seriously, go read a Scott-drawn comic and the detail never, ever gets sketchy like it can with other artists), so we knew the book was going to look fantastic. Rucka and Scott together is one of those teams who could do no wrong, but Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League #1 takes all of your expectations and throws them into the stratosphere. This is, as the kids would say, peak.
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We all knew Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League was going to be good, but Rucka kicks things off perfectly in a way you’d never have expected. Rucka wrote one of the best Wonder Woman runs of the 21st, so this a writer who knows Cheetah. Right away, he gives us exactly who Cheetah is, a beast who wants to be a woman; the opening sequence sets the tone for the book, and also asks a big question that you won’t understand until the end of the book. His Cheshire is just as great. Cheshire is a much lesser known villain than Cheetah; the best Cheshire appearances capture both her brutality and her playfulness, while also reminding readers that underneath all of the love of killing, this is mostly just a normal woman. There’s a joke in her introductory pages that is perfectly Cheshire. Rucka nails the characterization of both women in this book, and it makes reading it such a joy.
This is a testbook first chapter to an heist story, when a criminal comes to another with a wild idea, and Rucka nails it. There’s action and intrigue, but the centerpiece of the book for me is just Cheshire and Cheetah in a diner making small talk before Cheetah drops a massive bomb on the conversation — that she wants to rob the newly returned Justice League’s Watchtower. Cheetah and Cheshire are skilled and dangerous, but this is a job that is completely out of their league (pun intended). The Justice League is very dangerous to any villain, so Cheshire is obviously skeptical. Cheetah is able to get Cheshire to go along with it when she tells them the target and this is where that question I talked about earlier comes into play. Why does Cheetah want this particular thing? There’s an answer here, and Rucka lays out wonderfully. Of course, there’s the whole question of whether this thing actually exists or if Cheetah has another agenda, and that’s another part of the fun of the story Rucka is laying out. This is a heist story, but there’s more going on here than a heist story and I’m here for it.
Scott’s art is sensational and that’s all there is to it. Every page is a feast for the eye. One of Scott’s greatest strengths has always been her character acting; you know exactly what each character is feeling on every page, through both expressions and body language. She does a tremendous job with Cheetah, showing the anguish of her existence in some impeccably drawn pages. Cheetah does not want to be what she is and Scott gets that across beautifully. Her Cheshire is one of the best versions of the character I’ve ever seen. To begin with, Scott’s Cheshire actually looks Vietnamese, which isn’t always the case with the character when other artists draw her. She’s able to capture the black humor of the character every time she’s one the page. There’s a liquidity to Cheshire that Scott nails.
The diner scene is the heart of the book, and it works so well because of Scott. The interplay between the women, the body language, and the expressions all make the scene work outside of the writer. You could subtract the dialogue from this scene and you’d still be able to tell what is happening in the conversation. There’s also an awesome fight scene between Cheshire and HIVE agents that Scott just kills. The art in this book does is flawless. The colors by Annette Kwok give the art a sumptuous feel that enhances Scott’s pencils. DC puts out some beautifully drawn books, but this one is probably the best one in a while.
Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League #1 is the perfect way to kick off a story. There’s so much going on in this first issue that it grabs you immediately. There’s no way to read this issue and not want to know what’s going to happen next. Rucka and Scott make an amazing team, and if the rest of this book can match the first issue, this will be an awesome series indeed.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League #1 is on sale now.
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