Credit Where It's Due: JL8

I'm not really a reader of webcomics, purely due to the fact that I haven't yet found many that caught my attention, but a few months ago I was using Stumbleupon and something popped up on my computer screen that I immediately fell in love with.

JL8 is something really special. It's a simple premise: take a bunch of Justice League heroes, draw them as little kids, put them in school, and tell their day to day stories. But author and artist Yale Stewart takes this idea and turns it into so much more. 

First of all, it's simply, but beautifully drawn. The little-Leaguers are all properly attired, with a few nice little touches thrown in. Bruce's Adam West-style cowl suits the style of the strip perfectly, Power Girl's outfit is changed slightly to better suit an 8-year-old, and Clark's cape tied into a bow-tie when he attends Diana's birthday party is genius.

Obviously, the setting of JL8 allows for some 'awww' moments, but it is so well written that it never comes across as cheesy. On the contrary, the more personal moments can often be genuinely moving, and it also regularly manages to be laugh-out-loud funny. Stewart clearly has a life-long love and understanding of these characters that is often missing from some of DC's own books, and for me, that is the key ingredient in JL8.

Simply put, I can't get enough of JL8. New pages are added every Monday and Thursday, (as long as Stewart's schedule allows it) and it's already up to #106. Read it now at  http://jl8comic.tumblr.com/