This comic is......surprisingly good, and better than Justice League #1. It stars a wide range of heroes from different nations and ethnicities and it really has a great diversity. The head of the United Nations Intelligence division, Andre Briggs, has formed a team to work for the United Nations, instead of acting as an autonomous body, as the Justice League does. And Dan Jurgens comes up with a solid way to introduce the team to the readers, in a way that doesn't seem super cheesy but still introduces us to all the characters and a little bit of their backgrounds. It also shows a number of heroes the U.N. rejects, which also makes me wonder whether they were randomly chosen for this issue, or if Dan Jurgens actually considered putting them on the team. Either way, it's good that Blue Beetle and Green Arrow have their own books so we won't miss them too much here, and Plastic Man I could care less about so no big loss there either.
But the first issue does a great job setting up the dynamic of the team. It establishes multiple tensions between different members, both good and bad. Godiva's a big flirt (she better be, "super hair" isn't exactly an amazing superpower), Booster is...well Booster, August General in Iron and Rocket Red have an international rivalry (China vs. Russia in a former communist power rivalry), Guy Gardner is still a self-important hot head, and Batman is still the biggest bad ass ever.
The first issue covers every basis it needs too. We get the who (explained above), where (originally working out of the Hall of Justice...but not for long maybe), why (members all interested in saving lives and the international glory) and how (Andre Briggs has a hint of deceit to him, things might not be all warm and cozy with the U.N. for very long).
What's also interesting is the public outcry against the J.L.I., which is essentially a not-so-subtle metaphor of the public outcry against the idea of a relaunch. The U.N. has taken over the Hall of Justice, making heroes self-serving instead of belonging to the people. They even reference the crowd as a "bunch of basement dwellers who spend all day whining on the 'net." What I did like about this metaphor was Booster's reaction "Ignore them? Never! It's our job to prove them wrong!" It's clear that this all is happening whether they (a.k.a. us readers talking about this all online) like it or not, and D.C. thinks this is something the fans will latch on to, regardless of a lot of the initial trepidation. What I enjoyed: strong plot, solid characterizations, strong dialogue. This isn't a game-changing comic or anything, but I am enjoying it.
What I didn't: Guy Gardner. He's an ass, and not in a fun way. Should have put John Stewart on this team instead.
Conclusion: Like I said, not a game-changer, but a very good comic and I'm excited about reading this further as it's a great setup for future issues. I'll give it an 86/100(B).
Where is John Stewart in this relaunch now? If he should be here, why isn't he and what is he currently doing?
ReplyDeleteNo real reason why it's Guy instead of John except that I think guy Gardner was traditionally part of the JLI. John Stewart's in Green Lantern Corps by Tomasi.
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