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Saturday, February 23, 2013

Justice League of America #1 - April 2013

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"World's Most Dangerous" by Geoff Johns and David Finch

The Justice League has been somewhat of a mixed bag in the New 52. The original title, although clearly a top-seller with marquee names Johns and Lee at the helm, started off with a six issue written-for-trade origin story and then floundered  in terms of story, art and direction until the recent advent of Throne of Atlantis in #15. JLA #1 picks up in the aftermath of the destruction wrought by Aquaman's brother Ocean Master, with Amanda Waller and Nick Fu--I mean, Steve Trevor forming a reluctant alliance to put together a team of counter-operatives for y'know, just in case the real League ever goes bad...
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Waller is as now svelte as Trevor is buff and the issue progresses with some very interesting choices for the initial membership of the team including...
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 Hawkman
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 Katana

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 Vibe
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 Catwoman
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Martian Manhunter and a few others...


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(handy-dandy guide to the eventual JL vs. JLA smackdown)
 
Its a motley crew of characters cherry-picked by Johns (Stargirl, Simon Baz) and  Dan Didio (Katana) as well as a hodge-podge of under-performing DC solo title stars whose own books are in desperate need of a sales pick-me-up (Catwoman, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter--plucked as if he was never there from Stormwatch and Hawkman -- oh wait, too late--RIP Savage Hawktitle). Vibe is a wild card in the bunch and for more on Cisco (wait, wasn't it Paco?) Ramon you can check out Vibe #1, also out this week.

Suffice to say, this issue is all set up, the team never actually meets and we're teased with the sub-plot of the Secret Society of Super-Villians reforming under new and mysterious leadership but all-in-all the book moves light years faster than its counterpart title did in its inaugural issue. JLA #1 has a flair reminiscent of Johns' acclaimed Justice Society of America run and while the book is not without potential, I remain skeptical of the need to have two League titles by the same writer.


4 comments:

Russell said...

I picked this up at the store, thumbed through it, and put it back. A group of heroes (?) whose initial reason to exist is to take down the other JLA if something happens....? I don't want to live in a world where Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and The Flash are not trusted. Epic fail.

r duncan said...

I got one for the State of Ohio flag, if nothing else.

Kap-El said...

Great issue, great article, minus the Nick Fury crack. (Sam Jackson or Hasselhoff, my money is one TREVOR)

Proud to own the Wisconsin Variant. Looks like a great book, I'm excited to read more. As fr as the public not trusting the League, I think that America does, but 1/3 of Amanda Waller does not... (Seriously, where is the rest of her?).

Also, It's a pipedream that Supes couldn't take out Manhunter, or that Aquaman would have troubl;e taking down Hawkman HARD. (Sorry Frank and Luke).

Cousin Barnabas said...

When I first saw this, I assumed DC was rebooting Justice League AGAIN ... but they're launching another series with the same title (more or less)? Are they actively trying to confuse people?