Whoa mens. Today has been like one heckuva day for me. I mean it's like banner and stuff. I just got done reading a whole mess of comics and it's days like this that have me totally excited about being a fan. The thing that gots me the most excited though is that there is a brand new Justice League of America in town, and this book really really really surprised me. So anyone with even a remote interests knows that the Justice League got all brokered up after Infinite Crisis. Mainly because Batman was being his normal dickish self, and Wonder Woman, in an attempt to free Superman from MIND CONTROL, ended up killing MIND CONTROLLER Maxwell Lord. So then the whole of the DC Universe leap frogged over a year and here we are. It's a brand new series starting with issue 1 and everything! Although there was an issue #0 last month or something, but unless you were a stickler for the most minute details of DC... well I didn't get it.
So this issue starts with some good natured ribbing between the BIG THREE. Wonder Woman, Superman and the not so dickish new incarnation of Batman are all chatting up who should be in the new League. They even have 8X10 glossies of all the super heroes in ACTION poses. The tone is set early that this is going to be a character driven team book as we see how Clark, Bruce and Diana try to sift through the people they want in the League. Special attention is given to their rationale behind why they choose who they want on the team. Like Batman really wants SHAZAM! right? Because SHAZAM! is so good and nice and Bruce needs someone like that around to counteract his dickishness. And because of personal relations with her Clark and Bruce are totally against Supergirl (BOO!) being on the team. And Diana's all about choosing people because they fit into her strategic mindset. It's some fun stuff.
But then writer Brad Metzler does something kind of amazing. One of the casualties of Infinite Crisis was Red Tornado. Which is like NO big deal because he's died plenty of times. He's a robot see, and I guess he has a human soul or something. I don't know, but we cut to Red Tornado's wife (yeah the robot is married) and she's all griefed out because it's taking so long for her husband to come back to life. At first I thought this was kind of weird because Metzler spends alot of time on this and with some robot woman asking Red Tornado's wife about her robo-love life, but then it starts to click. Metzler is building this character into something special. Okay, so I can't like attest to what Red TOrnado was like prior. I really don't know who he is. I just know he makes those spinning red vortexes and his costume is wickacool. But here's the thing, by the time I got through the first moments with Red's wife, I totally wanted him to come back to life too.
So other heroes are called on and the League starts to form up and things are looking pretty good. We see Green Lantern, Arsenal, Vixen. I think Power Girl makes the cut, and Flash, who was Kid Flash just like yesterday. Some dude named Black Lightning. So uh that makes ten right? Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Arsenal, Flash, Green Lantern, Vixen, Black Lightning and Red Tornado? Oh shit and Power BOOBS--I mean Girl. And there was talk about Hawkman, but I dunno if that's resolved or what.
Which brings me to one of two complaints about the book. Scene for scene Metzler does an astounding job. You really get a sense of who these people are with limited page count. It's not an accident that I feel more comfortable describing these characters by using their real names as opposed to their super-monikers, but the way the book is smushed together makes it a little confusing. There's an awful lot of jumping about and stuff and that makes it kind of hard to follow. This was the same complaint I had for that Justice League #0. So basically I am guessing about some of the people on the team because until I see a big splash page with all of them present, I am lost.
So the other thing I thought was weird was artist Ed Benes protrayal of Hal Jordon. I dunno. He looked more like Wolverine or something. Just sayin. Yeah I am just saying it sucked. But that's the only artistic misstep in the whole book. Benes really does well with these super heroes from Red Tornado to Vixen to Deadman. Oh yeah Deadman gets some page count.
The book ends with a wider mystery about Red Tornado threatening the very fabric of space and time and a look at some new villain called Dr. Impossible who reminds me of the new Dr. Blue Beetle.
The issue was totally excellent and well worth flirting with your local comic book shop keeper to read for free. OH I CAN'T LIE TO YOU! I actually bought this one.
Also this week are stellar new issues of Batman 656 as he takes on NINJA MAN-BATS, and the ongoing weirdness of 52. There's also the second issue in the new Wonder Woman series, which is interesting because they seem to have made Wonder Woman more like the 70s TV show in a way. She even gets some partial spin-to-change into YOU KNOW WHO by the end of things.
But the bestest thing besides Justice League I read this week was Joss Whedon's latest issue of Astonishing X-Men #16. Trust me, if you love you some Kitty Pryde (and who doesn't love you some Kitty Pryde) you have to pick this baby up.
