The New 52 Pickup : The Geekscape Team Reviews DC’s Justice League #1!
Welcome to the DCnU. So what can you do?
That’s not just the first question our new Man of Steel poses to our new Caped Crusader, but also the question that fans (and major media) will be asking of DC Comics as they roll out their controversial New 52 relaunch this September. And as Justice League #1 hits this week, it’s a fitting question: can the Distinguished Competition hook a whole new audience with a month full of new number ones? Will they be able to reboot an entire universe of continuity to make it accessible without alienating existing readers? And, more basically, as we meet these new iterations of familiar concepts, what the hell will they be doing anyway?
Here at Geekscape, we’ll be covering ALL 52 new books, letting you know which are essential, which you can skip, providing commentary on how they differ from previous incarnations, and how they fit into this new DCU as a whole. Look for our New 52 Pickup every Friday in the month of September. We’ll help you piece together a whole new Earth One and decide which books you should follow to issue #2.
With just one new issue hitting this week, we decided to start things off by polling the Geekscape staff as to their thoughts on Geoff Johns and Jim Lee’s much anticipated and controversial JUSTICE LEAGUE #1. Here’s what they had to say:
WARNING IF YOU HAVEN’T READ JUSTICE LEAGUE #1: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
Frank Angones – Geekscape Managing Editor
I’ve expressed my feelings about reboots before, but Gail Simone made a comment on Twitter that actually got me really excited for the relaunch: The thrilling part of this reboot is the joy of discovery, the fact that we’re just figuring out details of this universe that we usually take for granted. And it looks like the plan (at least in Justice League and Action Comics) is to have the biggest heroes of the DCU discover these things along with us. I got a bit of a thrill when Green Lantern said “Batman? You’re REAL?” It’s actually a smart and engaging way to provide new readers with viewpoint characters that they’re actually familiar with (it’s no surprise that the book features the three heroes with the highest film profile to date).
Beyond that, I really dug the buddy cop relationship between Batman and Hal, who’s far more brash here than he ever was in the post-Rebirth era. And I love the fact that Batman manages a smirk here and there, letting us know that this is a mildly brighter Bruce than the “Hh”-spouting grim avenger of old. One’s a gruff, by-the-book, cautious man/bat. The other’s a ring-slinging maverick with nothing to lose. They’re the Murtaugh and Riggs of the DCU! Visually, it’s striking to have GL’s (seemingly brighter) light constructs pierce the darkness of Gotham City. Both the art and the characterization let us know that this is the book where the different corners of the DCU are going to collide.
The question is: is this enough? Does this book rope in a newbie audience? Sadly, I think the answer might be no. Sure, the book has a fun, fast-paced feel to it and a bunch of big blockbuster moments reminiscent of Mark Millar’s first Ultimates arc. Unfortunately, that book only revealed one new hero an issue, and that’s a luxury I don’t think this relaunch has. What about the little girl who bought this book because it has Wonder Woman on the cover, only to find out she’s not in it? I understand that this is part of the modern “writing for trade” aesthetic where the first issue doesn’t have to serve as anything but a teaser. But the focus of the relaunch was supposed to be getting new readers into stores and buying floppies.
I firmly believe that the best serialized comics take a cue from the best serialized television shows. Each episode/issue should have a self-contained story, a solid beginning, middle, and end, while also serving to advance an overarching plot. This way, anybody can pick up an individual issue, be satisfied, and possibly check out the next issue to fill in the little bits that they’ve missed. Take a look at Buffy or Battlestar. Hell, even The Good Wife does it. You want to check out a comic book example? Maybe even a team book example? Featuring this very team? Read Mark Waid’s excellent JLA: Year One. The Justice League getting together and being the Justice League in one issue. DC had one shot to hook a mainstream audience. Time will tell if they pulled it off, but I’m not sure they did.
Quick sidebar: the release of this book has pretty much overshadowed the last issue of Johns’ own Flashpoint, which explains that the DCnU was partially created by the guiding hand of a mysterious space lady merging the DC, Vertigo, and Wildstorm universes to prepare for “their arrival”. Could the entire relaunch be a cover for a massive event, thus turning the new series into 52 event tie-in books? Stay tuned!
Heidi Hilliker – Geekscape’s Own Wonder Woman (but cooler)
Reaching the last page of the new JLA #1, I was left a little torn. On one hand, I believe Johns and Lee accomplished their goal of making it accessible to new readers. On the other hand, I felt like the story and dialogue were pretty simple, flat and juvenile. I guess this might be a good thing since comics are supposed to be for children… right? I always thought that these relaunches had the potential to entertain in the way that the animated movies and series do. All of them have their own contained universes, which make them easy to follow for novices as well as experts. This issue read more like animated series The Batman and less like Justice League Unlimited. With any luck, this will only serve as the groundwork for a greater, more developed story with three-dimensional characters. I also hope that the rest of the team’s intros won’t be as cheesy as Supes’ was or I might have to abandon this title all together. All and all, as a fan of Geoff Johns’ run on Green Lantern and 52, I have faith that the series will pick up.
Ian Kerner – Geekscape Comic Book Super Computer
Justice League #1 is a good solid start. It’s definitely introducing a new universe. The characters here are nascent, and it’s an interesting idea, to be repeated in Action comics, to have the first arc be a flashback. We’re finding out where the differences began. The book is set five years in the past; in my opinion, that’s just not enough time. Yes, the point is to make the characters younger, and would be fine if it were a true reboot. Since DC is so adamant that it isn’t, and there are so many elements being carried over, it just doesn’t make sense. This is particularly true with Batman and Green Lantern, who don’t seem to be changing much. So all their years of history in just over 5 years? How does young Damien Wayne fit into that timeline?
Batman, GL, and Superman have already been around for a bit, but have not encountered each other yet. We’re introduced to a world where “superheroes” are unknown, and vigilantes are hunted as criminals. Batman and GL’s meeting is actually fun. Hal Jordan as GL is cocky as can be, and looks down on Batman as being powerless. He’s quickly taught his mistake. This issue sets up Apokolips and Darkseid as the initial villain, and I think this is a brilliant move. Darkseid is a worthy opponent, and one that bears bringing a Justice League together over. There are cosmetic changes in what must be the new version of Parademon. It’s both reptilian and much more sci-fi. Definitely winning me over there. The “alien” aspect leads them to go confront Superman, since he’s rumored to be an alien. GL is a member of the GL corps and responsible for the whole sector but he just jumps to an alien existing on Earth automatically being connected to another rumored alien? Really??? A difficult leap to make, but it takes Batman and GL to find Superman, who very quickly demonstrates his power set. Seems like it’s a prerequisite to ask what Batman’s powers are. I find myself asking, if Bruce Wayne did have powers, would he volunteer that information to anyone?
There’s a subplot/introduction to a pre-Cyborg Vic Stone. Apparently, his origin and the League’s will go hand in hand. Rumor has it that the past versions of the Teen Titans are supposed to have existed. Cyborg’s inclusion in the original League has been a big issue for me because it negates his very important existence from those past versions of the Titans. If they wanted him in the League, why not just have him in the modern League? A nice fix for me would be that his origin is with the League, he was then in the Titans, and then joined the League later. I can hope, though I think it unlikely. We won’t know until after the first arc. Overall, a good first issue.
Tim Powers – Fandom Planet Co-Host / Sex God
Oh, DC. In the Golden Age, you’d publish covers with Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman playing football– and that never actually happened in the book. In the Silver Age, you’d publish covers with Batman marrying a gorilla– and that never happened in the book. But in your reboot, where you are free to try new stuff, experiment, break new ground, you give us a cool, dynamic, powerful cover of the League in action– and the League never appears in its own book.
Justice League #1 is a fine issue of “Brave & Bold.” Essentially Green Lantern (emphasis on Green– Hal is a rookie if there ever was one) teams up with The Batman (do they call him “The” Batman in this universe?) From this team up, we learn 2 things: (1) Green Lantern is an arrogant, disrespectful prick. (2) Batman is an arrogant, disrespectful prick.
No Aquaman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Red Tornado, Zatanna, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, Atom, Hawkman, Enlongated Man, Hawkwoman, or Firestorm. For a “Justice League” story, this is really just Act I of an origin story; a lovely set up. What if in Fantastic Four #1, Stan Lee had stopped when Ben Grimm pounded his fist on the table and said, “Nobody calls me a coward.” There really ought to be more, don’t you think?
Now, let’s talk about Cyborg. If nobody else says it, I will: His membership in the team is strictly Affirmative Action. (Affirmative Action Comics #1?) While it’s true that DC has a shortage of compelling black heroes, Cyborg being arguably the most visible (and historically the best selling) of them all, I’m interested to see how the writers make him a vital part of the team since he’s an also-ran among powerhouses. Oh, and he doesn’t really appear in the book as Cyborg– his origin is in future issues (but he does appear on the cover; that athlete kid in the story is DOOMED, I tell ya!)
If DC is truly attracting not only new readers to DC books, but NEW READERS TO COMIC BOOKS, perhaps they would do better by providing the promised contents of the cover: A team book featuring all of DC’s iconic heroes (and Cyborg) united against a common threat– because THAT, I would read every month (and have since the 70’s). This has the PROMISE, the POTENTIAL to be a really great book and the flagship book of the DCU, but it ain’t done yet.
Plus, will someone take Green Lantern down a peg? I really don’t care for his attitude. Perhaps Batman could take him down with…. ONE PUNCH! ONE PUNCH!
Stephen Prescott – Geekscape’s Doctor Who Specialist
So that’s it? I get it, this is a first issue, but it seems to be getting off to a slow start. Not slow as in action, but slow as in story. Without a doubt I’m going to keep reading, but I hoped there would be a bigger bang and we’d get the team together a bit quicker. Jim Lee’s artwork is fantastic as always and I’m finding the characterizations so far so good. It’s just that I don’t feel like it lived up to all the hype yet.
Joe Starr – Geekscape 616 Loyalist
DC sux marvel pwns.
Eric Diaz – Geekscape Writer and D.C. Specialist
The whole notion of this new DCU is to get new and lapsed readers back into comic books. In most of the press for the new 52, DC Comics EIC Dan Didio has been hammering the point home that DC is no longer going to be “writing for the trade”. But JL #1 is totally “written for the trade.” Not only is there no Justice League formed yet, but Flash, Wonder Woman and Aquaman don’t appear at all, despite their being on the cover. As a long time reader of comics, I’m used to this, but how is this supposed to entice newer, younger readers who are expecting the Justice League to show up in a Justice League comic? As an entry point for new readers this is a flop, but as just an issue of a comic book it’s pretty decent…sometimes more than just decent.
As far as the art, Jim Lee is a comic book God. He was born to draw super heroes, and the larger than life DC heroes in particular. Every page is a thing of beauty, and the detail is astonishing. That alone makes the book worth buying, in my opinion. If Geoff Johns knows how to write anybody, it is Hal Jordan. He can write Hal Jordan in his sleep at this point. He also has GL making interesting constructs with his ring in this issue, which is something he hasn’t had Hal do in his own book in ages. His Batman is very much in the mold of Grant Morrison’s “ultimate bad ass Batman”, the one human among Gods who is in fact smarter, better and more capable than all of the “Gods” put together. To me, this is the only way Bats works in a JL scenario, and Johns continues that interpretation here. There is a moment when Batman manages to do something to GL that few have ever done, and it is kind of a sweet moment. Still, DC is not Marvel, so I wish they’d stop trying to be. In this rebooted DCU, the heroes seem to be all hated and feared, much like the X-Men or Spider-Man. That’s just not who the DC heroes are, with the exception of Batman. I hope they drop this aspect, and fast.
In the end, this is more an issue of Brave and the Bold, showcasing how Bruce met Hal, than a Justice League book. As a Brave and the Bold issue, it is pretty solid, but if you’re trying to sell newbies on continuing to buy the Justice League, then I think they’ve failed. This book should have done the Iron Man/Thor movie opening; start the book out with the entire League in battle in glorious Jim Lee detail, then halfway through the first issue, flashback to how we got there. Yes, it’s become a cliché, but this is Justice League, not Alan Moore’s latest…a little cliché is fine. A Justice League first issue should showcase the damn League. And don’t tell me that modern comic storytelling doesn’t allow for that, because Morrison’s JLA#1 back in ’97 did it just fine, and that wasn’t that long ago.
Martin Scherer – Canadian
When the reboot was announced I was excited. As each new creative team, title and cover was teased out over the month of June I grew more and more impressed and anxious for the titles to come. I wanted my Animal Man now. I wanted my Snyder Swamp Thing now. I wanted my Batwoman five months ago…
Then a funny thing happened. About three weeks ago I was still anxious, but not out of excitement for the new, but out of fear. I didn’t want to let go of the DCU I learned to love over the past 15 years. But you can’t stop change so here I am with my new digital copy of JLA.
The new status quo of the DCU is more realistic in some ways than the past. The fantastic is still here—Green Lantern still makes constructs out of thin air, but the world isn’t exactly welcoming of the metahumans. They fear what is different, which is likely how it would play out today. And it makes sense—many of these beings are super powerful, and as Green Lantern shows, they aren’t scared to flaunt it. The story is pretty typical—quick introduction, fight, subplot, cliffhanger. The art by Jim Lee is not his best (see his Flinch story, or his B&W work), but it’s better than it has been in a long time. With the DCU being set five years in the past, this book is a tease of the new DCU. The real premier will be over the next weeks when the rest of the titles come out.
Did I like this? I want to, but I’m not sure if I did. It felt light, but as a taste of the new DCU and what to expect it was merely just all right. I feel that this, and the whole relaunch is going to be unfairly (as the stakes are a lot bigger for DC) compared to the Ultimate line. Ultimate Spider-man started slow and now its one of the consistently best books on the market, so I am optimistic that this might become something special.
I’m also not sure if I’m the attended audience for this book. If I was 13 and given this, I’d be all over it. If the new DC goal is to get new, younger, readers than this book coupled with some other key books new DCU may do just that. If the goal is to make the old guard excited and happy, then they need to seriously look at the price of this book ($3.99 for 24 pages?) and in general be prepared for a backlash.
My final thought on the book is this— this issue while important, isn’t what we should be judging. We should be judging the first complete story. It’s just a shame they gave us less than a taste of what is to come, when instead (for this price) they should have given a complete over-sized done-in-one story with sub-plots to keep us interested for issue 2.
You can’t stop change, but they can make it easier to embrace it.
William Bibbiani – Criminal Mastermind (and Writer)
Comic books are for geeks.
Jonathan London – The Nobody In Charge
It has been over 24 hours since I finished reading the new Justice League reboot and sadly, and I know it’s the last thing DC wants to hear, I’m left feeling like I did after reading the first issues in the Ultimate Universe comics ten years ago. Sure, the art and writing are great, but having one of the best stables in comics will get you that. What I thought was missing here was an opportunity for DC to really do something fresh, rather than appearing to play service to stories we’ve heard before.
Like the beginnings of the Ultimate books, the issue is paced like the current storyline could take the first six issues to assemble the team and the first twelve before anything resembling a full arch is completed… and even then, it’ll just be a fresher version of a story we’ve already heard. The JLA vs Darkseid? How many times have we been there? I know that these new characters haven’t… but let’s be honest: these aren’t really new characters. And they definitely don’t feel that way to us just because they’re meeting for the first time.
It’s a shame too, because I kind of really enjoyed the ending of Flashpoint. Reverse Flash was all kinds of evil, Barry had only his own impulsiveness (and vulnerability) to blame for allowing things to come to this… and Thomas Wayne kicked ass. Hell, we even got to see Batman cry. Fast forward to Justice League (and flash back to “5 years prior” story-wise) and I feel like I’ve hit the breaks and will be reading reheated “classic” stories for the next 5 years of DC Comics. Please, everyone at DC, learn from the quagmire of cover songs that the Ultimate Universe became before having to be given an Ultimatum. If we want those old stories and relationships, we’ll find them in the back issues bin. Let’s do something new for a new generation. This doesn’t feel like real change at all. It feels like a repeat viewing.
