Some months back I stumbled across this little web comic called “JL8” and paused, wondering what, by Sam Hill’s Ghost, had I found?
The comic takes DC Comic’s well-known superhero characters of the Justice League – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and assorted others – and transforms them into grade-school, child versions of themselves. Only in with their regular costumes, powers, and “kiddified” versions of their personalities – they way, say, Batman would be if he were turned into an 8 year old but still had the same brooding, Dark Knight personality.
My initial reaction? One of annoyance; I mean, I’m a die-hard DC fan. The idea of someone hijacking the characters for fanfiction, albeit in comic form…yeah, I had my doubts. Then I read a few strips. And then a few more. Before I knew it I’d gone back to the beginning of the archives, so I could read the entire series from the beginning.
I want to give Yale Stewart all props here; his work is brilliant, and I’m truly addicted. Seeing these characters I grew up on in an entirely new light is refreshing and entertaining; the interpersonal relationships between them, their personalities as seen through a child’s eyes – he’s nailed them. Bravo.
But more importantly here, he’s managed to take me back to my own childhood. I smile when I read his work, because it reminds me of what life was like when I was a kid – full of wonder and imagination, drama and excitement. I remember, as in the image above, playing with my friends on tiled floors like this – don’t touch the [insert color here] ones! They’re dangerous! You’ll get electrocuted! Jump!
If you have the time and inclination, I highly recommend this comic. Unfortunately due to time constraints he only updates now once a week, but it’s worth the wait to see what he comes up with next.
