Well, I did say that the DC 52 reboot was stirring us up – Andrea Pirie from our Leeds store regularly posts her thoughts on new comics on the FP Leeds Facebook page and in the store and I’m delighted that she’s sent us some to share on the blog too. And like a lot of us here at the blog she simply can’t resist the lure of that first rebooted Justice League, so last of no less than three different takes on JL# 1 today and the first of Andrea’s posts for the blog (and yes, a spoiler warning as this is pretty in-depth look at this issue):
Justice League Issue 1 is the vanguard of DC’s much vaunted “not-a-reboot-but-a-re-imagining” line of titles and as such DC have pulled out all the big guns with a superstar line up of Geoff Johns on writing; Jim Lee on pencils and Scott Williams on inks. Clearly this is the book they are banking on making an impact- pulling us into the new, shiny continuity that is replacing 75 years of DC history (in the aftermath of the ‘Flashpoint’ storyline.) This leads us into my first issue with this book. Flashpoint finishes with The Flash chatting fairly amicably to Batman in the Batcave, they call each other by their real names and Flash knows all about Bruce’s dead parental issues, all of which implies that they’ve known each other for quite a while. Then when you pick up Justice League, it goes back in time to when superheroes are only just starting out and the Justice League have yet to actually meet one another. It’s a little discombobulating and doesn’t make for a smooth transition from one continuity to another despite the weeny ‘Five Years Ago’ caption on the first page.
So the book opens in Gotham with police chasing Batman across the rooftops. Bats is in pursuit of a cloaked third party and the order is given to the police to shoot them both. Judging by the enormous amount of firepower and helicopters involved, the police are clearly not Batman’s friends at this point. They open fire in a Patented Jim Lee Double Splash page with Batman diving out of the way of the gunfire and then as we turn the page we encounter my next issue with the book- namely the sometimes confused (and confusing) artwork. I’m sure the Jim Lee fans will jump all over me for this but I’m just not feeling the love. For instance on page 4 Batman appears to be firing something at the police helicopters but firing what from where? Is he thwipping them from his wrists Spidey style, or is he throwing them? I can’t tell. And what was he actually firing? Scrutiny of the next panel implies it may be smoke grenades- it could be smoke or is it just a cloudy night? I do not know. (And what use would a smoke grenade be against helicopters anyway? Wouldn’t the smoke be blown away by the rotors?)
Anyway, helicopters diverted, Batman succeeds in bringing down the person he is chasing with a grappling hook through the calf. At first I thought it was Killer Croc but dialogue later in the book tells us that this is an alien who can spew fire from his mouth. Again- you’d be hard pressed to tell this from the art but he succeeds in throwing off Batman only for a shiny green (CGI) fire truck to hit him instead. Cue Splash Page number 2 as Green Lantern and Batman meet for the first time. We then get some dialogue between the two (apparently having forgotten the alien they were chasing):
“GL: They don’t like us.
Batman: The world’s afraid of us.
GL: You say that like it’s a good thing.
Batman: It’s necessary.”
At which point, the alien, presumably bored of being ignored, attacks them and shoots down the helicopters. Green Lantern (hereafter shortened to GL due to my laziness) confirms that in this incarnation he is a bit of a dick by talking about himself in the third person (‘Green Lantern’s got this!’) I can sense Batman rolling his eyes and sighing heavily.
The alien, after transforming into a weird-insect-thing makes off and with GL and Bats in pursuit, GL tags along despite Batman pointedly telling him to leave ‘his (i.e. Batman’s) city’, claiming that this entire sector of space is his. (My sector’s bigger than yours? J )The chase continues with the two bonding over the fact that GL continues to act like a dick, talks about himself in the third person and mocks the fact that Batman has no powers and is ‘just a guy in a bat costume’. Batman proceeds to thieve GL’s shiny green ring thus proving that Batman pwns Green Lantern 4eva. GL is clearly Not Pleased by the Ring Stealing. And did I say ‘bonding?’ Perhaps I was mistaken – irritation to loathing may be more accurate.
After some posturing and bickering, they finally remember the alien and find he is currently fusing a box to a wall. GL once again acts without thinking (I did mention he’s kind of a dick, right?) and rushes forward, arriving just in time for the alien to explode himself (‘FOR DARKSEID!’) After the fires die down, Batman shoves GL unceremoniously to one side and pries the box off the wall. They come to the conclusion that since the box is alien they will go find Superman.
“GL: ‘They say he’s an alien.
Batman: He is. And he’s dangerous
GL: You’ve met Superman?
Batman: No. But I’ve…researched him”
Thus proving that Batman is a creepy stalker in all timelines. As much as I love Batman (and I really do!) you do not want this man to friend you on Facebook- he will use your profile to discover your weaknesses and come up with a plan to destroy you and all you hold dear. Apparently because Superman is an alien he will know more about the alien box than GL’s Alien Super Ring? I admire their Earth logic, but disapprove of their Space Racism :-).
GL transports them to Metropolis where they pass over a sports field where the future Cyborg is playing football and being sad and angsty because his Daddy didn’t come to the game to see him play. This takes 4 pages in which I take the time to cultivate my indifference to his teenage angst.
Back with The Boys, Batman disembarks from a shiny green glowing plane with palpable disgruntlement (and probable embarrassment) and they set off to see Superman whom GL has found using his ring. GL, revelling in his dickishness, sticks Batman in a box while he goes to confront Superman. Perhaps his confidence was borne of the fact that Batman clearly spent the journey teaching him how to use the first person, ‘I’ as in “I can handle this.” Which is what he says just before getting his ass handed to him by a red and blue blur. He is knocked off page and Batman is left alone confronting a cocky young looking Superman who ends the book with, “I don’t handle easily” <looks at Batman> “So what can you do?” Which is either a challenge or a come on. I guess we’ll find out next issue.
So that’s the first issue – Green Lantern meets Batman; an alien blows himself up leaving behind a box; Pre-cyborg Cyborg is angsty for 4 pages; and Superman punches out Green Lantern and possibly hits on Batman. So what did I think of this book? Despite my snark it isn’t as bad as I’m making out. Yes, I thought the art is a bit confused and seemingly rushed in places, and the dialogue is pretty clunky (seriously stop making Green Lantern say things like, “Green Lantern ‘s got this!”. We already know who he is – Batman calls him Green Lantern two pages previously!) but there are things to like too. One of these is Green lantern being kind of a dick. His much quoted ‘fearlessness’ translates into him rushing into situations like an idiot and he uses his ring like it gives him the right to do whatever he likes. This separates him immediately from the Hal Jordan we have come to know in recent years who is older and wiser (and less of a dick. Arguably at least. I’m more of a Kyle fan J). I also like the contrast between young, cocky test-pilot Hal Jordan and young but already world-weary orphan Bruce Wayne. It shows immediately the difference between heroes like GL who are given power through being deserving but ultimately through no real effort on their parts and Batman who has had to genuinely work to become what he is. At almost every point in this story you see the contrast between GL‘s recklessness and Batman’s more methodical approach. It will be interesting to see how they develop this as the book continues. I have to say, at the moment I would be hard pressed to tell you the difference between ‘reboot Batman’ and ‘old-skool Batman’. I guess at the end of the day Batman is always Batman. Bitches.
Also, for all my criticism about the art and dialogue, some pages are rather nice. I particularly like the confrontation between Batman and Green Lantern where Batman manages to steal Hal’s ring right off his finger. Jim Lee draws Batman just a little smirky and smug and Hal as aggressive and slightly silly. These pages seem to have a flow, which is missing in some of the big action sequences. I also like that they’re letting Hal go wild with his ring so he’s creating giant green bats and fire-trucks and fancy planes rather than bubbles and boxing gloves. And in fairness to Geoff Johns I guess he has to try and fit a lot of exposition into his dialogue, unfortunately this leads to some definite clunkiness in the script.
It will also be interesting to see how long they keep up the ‘world hates and fears superheroes’ storyline. DC have always been fairly uniform in their adoration of their heroes so having them become outsiders ‘protecting a world that hates and fears them’ could potentially be an interesting take. Of course, I feel compelled to mention that X-Men have been running that storyline for over 30 years so they’re hardly breaking new ground here. J
Other good things? Darkseid as baddy is a definite bonus. In order to bring together all the big hitters of the DC universe then you need a suitably apocalyptic villain and I’m very glad that we’re not having to sit through yet another Starro storyline. Evil psychic starfish are a little underwhelming compared to an evil alien of god-like power who wants to remake all life in the universe in his own image.
On the whole, I feel that this wasn’t the issue that makes you fall in love with the new DC universe but it was solid enough. The characterisation of Green Lantern and Superman as young and cocky was interesting but I’d like to see some changes in Batman’s character to separate him from the older Batman we know. The art and pacing could be doing with tightening up- I found some of the action panels too confused and really I cannot emphasise enough how dull I found the 4 pages of Cyborg angst. Surely that could have been condensed to one page to give us more room for action or ideally Batman/Green Lantern snark. But despite these niggles it was interesting enough to keep me reading and perhaps that’s all you need for a first issue. It’s certainly worth picking up for some nice splash pages and new takes on old favourite characters. I will definitely be picking up issue #2.
September 8th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
You inspired me to pen my own thoughts on this issue, so:
Ten Thoughts on the new Justice League issue #1
1) I picked up a back issue of Knight & Squire the day I picked up the new Justice League comic. I wish Knight & Squire was part of the new ’52′ line-up. It’s a great comic. Think there’s a trade out. (Google, Google. Yes, there is. People should buy it.) Paul Cornell of Knight & Squire is writing some of the new ’52′ books, so I may well check those particular ones out.
2) On the evidence of this first issue, Geoff Johns knows how to write fun, action-packed comics.
3) I’ve never been a fan of Jim Lee’s artwork so I’m not going to comment on it. I don’t really want to diss the man and his popularity indicates that he is talented. Plus, I’m not an artist so I wouldn’t be able to give an authoritative critique of his work.
4) This whole ’52′ thing might work. Reading the last issue of a Geoff Johns comic I was sold felt like homework. (This was recommended to me by one of the staff at my local comic shop; a big DC fan who wanted to convert me.) The story was good and the characters well-drawn, but the intricate continuity turned me off. Starting again in that respect does make this comic easier to read and more enjoyable.
5) However, I don’t feel compelled to buy the second issue. Why not? Maybe because my days of enjoying serial fiction are over. I haven’t watched the last two episodes of Doctor Who either and feel strangely liberated. Maybe I’m just not the right kind of person for ‘appointment’ drama any more.
6) Why is Batman such a dick in this? He’s engaged in a destructive chase with a weird alien thing over the rooftops of Gotham City, and so the police try and take him and the alien down. (This, in a universe where costumed characters are a new phenomenon and are generally distrusted.) His response to this police action: “Idiots.” I wonder what he thinks the police response should be?
7) Having said that, the general set-up is a good one that allows for some fun moments: Batman and Green Lantern hypothesising about Superman’s possible involvement with the alien; Green Lantern’s cockiness about taking Superman on.
8) But… there is the problem that DC has just ejected a whole bunch of continuity that many of their older fans feel they have real ‘ownership’ of. One comic shop employee told me that a lot of their customers in that demographic have said they’re not going to buy DC any more.
9) I do like the character of Green Lantern a lot. I think it’s because I like the science fiction aspects of his origins. If the Green Lantern comic was packed full of science fantasy madness written by Al Ewing and illustrated by, say, Dan McDaid, then it would probably be a must-buy for me.
10) I won’t be picking up the second issue of Justice League, but I think I will be picking up O.M.A.C. That looks like it rocks.
11) Extra bonus thought: How do you re-imagine a universe anyway? That’s a whole new level beyond writing a good story. The mind boggles, it really does.