Justice League of America #1

Written by Brad Meltzer

Art by Ed Benes and Sandra Hope

Covers by Ed Benes and Sandra Hope or Michael Turner

 

On the first page of the first issue of the re-launched Justice League of America, Wonder Woman says, "We broke it…we should be the ones to put it back together." "It" here means the Justice League, and she's referring to the so-called Trinity's differences, which culminated with them going their separate ways in the first issue of Infinite Crisis.

 

But she might as well be referring to the man putting those words in her mouth, writer Brad Meltzer. While his Identity Crisis miniseries left the Big Seven iteration of the JLA fairly unscathed by the events of those seven issues (focusing on the former Leaguers that made up the "Power Pact" League-within-a-League for all the secrets and lies), DC editorial and other writers ran with the tiny fissures Meltzer's murder mystery exposed, eventually tearing the League apart (and seeing the title cancelled with most of the Big Seven line-up shot into limbo and/or ill-conceived redesigns).

 

So, in a sense, Meltzer did break the League. So he should put it back together. And that's exactly what he's doing here.

 

The new line-up has been shrouded in mystery for quite some time now, and the Michael Turner variant cover for this issue spoils it, even if the story itself hasn't quite settled it. We're looking at a League consisting of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Red Tornado, Black Canary, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Vixen, Black Lightning, Hawkgirl and Arsenal (Who, judging from his "R"-shaped belt buckle on the covers, is about to change his name to Red Arrow). Only nine of those characters actually appear in this over-sized first issue, and only six of them seem to consider themselves members at this point.

 

It's an incredibly interesting line-up, and while it just doesn't feel like a Justice League without all seven of the ‘Big Seven’ on board (and it's certainly not the line up I would have picked, not that anyone asked), it's a rather exciting one.

 

Black Lightning is a character I've wanted to see in the League since I first heard of him, so it's nice to see that finally happening, and it should be equally interesting to see Roy Harper joining the big leagues after a lifetime at the kiddy table that is the Titans. More interesting, however, are the absences—I love the Martian Manhunter, Aquaman and Wally West Flash, but at the same time, I'm eager to see how a League will work without any of those three stalwarts on the team.

 

Meltzer does something very interesting with the line-up selection process, which we saw begun in JLoA #0. Rather than having it occur off-panel, between issues as it usually does, we listen in on the Trinity's meeting and hear them making suggestions and debating whom to include. Potentially, it's a nice way to please fans that want to know why this character is in and that character is out. (For example, we learn that Captain Marvel, Power Girl, Mr. Terrific and the original Atom should all be in the League, but are missing or will turn the Trinity down. Hawkman, Supergirl and the new Flash are all mentioned but shot down).

 

They're still poring over the glamour shots of superheroes they've amassed when the issue ends, so hopefully we'll get more minutes from their meeting in #2. I'm particularly interested in hearing their reasoning for essentially laying off Aquaman (missing?), Manhunter (don't like his new costume?) and Plastic Man, and for making some of the choices they did, like Arsenal over either of the Green Arrows.

 

The character getting the most spotlight here however is the Red Tornado, last seen in the pages of 52 as a pile of pieces. He's now a disembodied spirit hovering above his repaired android body, wondering if he should re-inhabit it as he always has in the past, or not (Deadman is there to offer advice…sort of).

 

As in Identity Crisis, Meltzer lets us into the various characters' heads, so that they take turns narrating their scenes, and the book therefore reads a little like a novel. The narration is sometimes overwrought ("This is a story about history and destiny," Red Tornado tells us, and he keeps telling us what the story is about throughout), but Meltzer at least seems to understand the importance of point of view in storytelling (unlike the writers of 52).

 

As for the art, Ed Benes and Sandra Hope may be the worst Meltzer's worked with so far, but then, he's only had two art teams before, and they're both good company to be in. Benes draws great superheroes, but he has a tendency to draw everyone the same, and in such a character-driven story, made up mostly of conversations at this point, more nuanced design work would be appreciated.

 

At any rate, for fans of the title and its characters, this is by far the most exciting the future of the Justice League has been since Grant Morrison handed the baton to Mark Waid. I'm not sure it will do much of anything to win converts, but then, it probably doesn't need to.

 

Rating - 8