By Peter Milligan & Carlos D’Anda (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-84576-733-4
Here’s a short, pithy and fun little adventure that originally appeared in the highly underrated JLA: Classified monthly (issues #37-41, to be precise) from those inventive stalwarts Peter Milligan and Carlos D’Anda.
Frank Halloran is a pretty average guy, at least for Berkeley. But the stressed and testy philosophy student is going through a few changes, so he’s not quite sure how to respond when the Justice League come rampaging through the campus fighting a huge robotic guy dressed in a green bathing suit.
He’s even more nonplussed when the robot comes back later and explains that he/it is Frank’s real father. Frank is in fact an artificial construct of bio-plasm and mechanisms designed to be the next generation Amazo; an android designed to mimic the powers and abilities of the World’s Greatest Superheroes and programmed to do evil…
The themes of teenaged rebellion and isolation are taken to stunning extremes as Frank struggles to overcome his hardwiring and be his own person, but even with all his new abilities he is unaware of the lengths that Amazo has gone to in order to ensure his son follows in his footsteps.
And all the while the Justice League is watching to ensure Frank makes the Right Choice…
Free will and paranoia wrestle in this bizarre and enjoyable coming-of-age tale and casual readers needn’t fear as back-story knowledge requirements are kept to the barest minimum possible. This is light, fun and very pretty …and well worth a little of your time.
© 2006 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.