Justice League of America: The Ray #1

by mahargen on January 18, 2017

Written By:  Steve Orlando
Art By:  Stephen Byrne
Published By:  DC Comics
 
One of the common threads running through many of DC’s Rebirth titles has been deep ties to 90’s continuity, a time at once simpler and deeply, deeply confusing.  We’ve seen the return of major players from classic arcs like Reign of the Superman and Knightfall, but the impending Justice League of America title is bringing us another 90’s treat:  The Ray.  Born from the minds of Steve Harris and Joe “Yes, that Joe” Quesada in 1992, Ray was an updated version of the Golden Age character of the same name.  The in story legacy is that the titular Ray, Ray Terrill, was the son of the original Ray, “Happy” Terrill.  He had some adventures, was written by the great Christopher Priest for a while, and was eventually lost in the post-Flashpoint universe.  A different character emerged as The Ray in New 52 continuity, but it’s really not worth talking about.  At all.
 
Here, Steve Orlando handles Ray’s introduction in the third one-shot of four leading into JLA Rebirth in February.  A lot of the same familiar touchstones are there as in the 90’s run.  Ray has a “sickness” where he cannot be exposed to light, artificial or otherwise.  Originally this was because he was too young to learn how to control the powers he inherited from his father, so it was “for the best.”  Here is quite similar, only dad’s long gone and it’s just Ray and his mother, who isn’t handling things very well.  There are standard superhero themes at play – loneliness, the sense of being an outcast.  How Ray deals with everything, though, is inspiring.  Instead of allowing his abilities to draw him down, he uses them to build himself up.  He maintains a life and doesn’t allow his differences to control him.  His heroic path isn’t obvious at first, but he finds his way there by the end of the story, and it’s a great ride.   At it’s root, this is familiar story, but there are enough new elements to keep the reader interested.  The character’s powerset is about the same.  He absorbs light and uses it to fuel his abilities, he can bend light making himself invisible and he can even create constructs and force beams.  Think Green Lantern without the ring and power battery, which makes him incredibly powerful if you really think about it.  His weakness, of course, darkness.  I’m sure there’s a metaphor in the somewhere.
 
The majority of the issue we follow Ray through different stages of his life as he figures out his powers on his own.  This is in sharp contrast to the 90’s story where his thought-dead father is really alive and drops some knowledge on how to handles his abilities.  You see, his father was alive still because his powers slowed down his aging.  The guy he thought was his father who died as actually his uncle who…well, I told you, the 90’s were simpler and deeply, deeply confusing.  It’s one of many changes that I’m thoroughly fine with the creative team making.  The things that really matter are the costume (specifically the obnoxious yellow jacket) and the hair.  Both are present, so it’s the Ray.  There’s one change, however, that is bound to draw some attention and undoubtedly become the subject of a number of in-depth think pieces – the Ray’s earring is gone.  C’mon Orlando, are you asleep at the wheel?    How dare you besmirch such a beloved character by removing his dope earring?
 
Dublin-born artist Stephen Byrne handles the art duties.  (Side note – a “Houser” is credited on the cover, I’m thinking it’s Jody Hauser from Mother Panic, but she’s not credited elsewhere in the issue.)  The art is clean and fresh.  Byrne handles coloring duties as well, so he gets a lot of opportunities to play with the theme of light throughout the book.  There are a number of great juxtaposition panels with the light breaking into the dark setting that make the book beautiful.  Character designs are on point and I’m a fan of his interpretation of Ray in his full “The Ray” form with the black body and yellow highlights.  It’s a simple look, but it is extremely effective. 
 
This is a really fun one-shot that sets up the character and his supporting cast well.  I’m going to say I’m a little disappointed that this isn’t an ongoing title.  There is a lot to unpack in this issue, and I’d  really like to see more of Ray’s adventures without him having to share the spotlight with the rest of the JLA.  I’m also interested in seeing how the character plays out without the “legacy” aspect that existed pre-Flashpoint.  On the strength of the one-shots alone I’m suggesting everyone check out JLA when it drops next month.  Steve Orlando’s got a great set-up and I’m anxious to see his follow-through.
 

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside