The launch title for DC Comic’s New 52, Justice League is set before (time-wise) the other relaunches, bringing together Batman, the Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Unlike Marvel’s popular Avengers movie team, this one isn’t as captivating.
Justice League Vol. 1
Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1-6
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Jim Lee and Scott Williams
DC Comics
May 2012
We meet our heroes one at a time as they meet each other in this origins storyline. The question that plagues many of the relaunched New 52 blares loudly here as well: why?
How many times do we need to see Batman and Green Lantern annoy each other for the first time? How about a slightly oblivious Superman or an unfriendly Aquaman joining up only out of need? We’ve seen this before so many times and this version doesn’t do much to set it apart.
That said, fans of the title and the characters will enjoy the retelling. Johns does an adequate job of driving the action, while Lee and Williams (or Leewiams, as it were since these two have been joined at the hip for decades now) does a good job providing clean, slightly stiff and overly crosshatched artwork as their fans would expect. (In case you’re wondering, I am a fan. But let’s be honest, the stylization is a bit stiff sometimes and it shows here. Every page looks like a splash page.)
Fans of the series will enjoy this title, but for those of us who enjoy excellent graphic novels there are other, better titles that delve into uncharted areas of the DC universe, like
Batman’s and Aquaman’s individual titles. Or, even better, go check out some stand alone graphic novels like the excellent Batman Death by Design.
