By Brad Meltzer & Ed Benes (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-84576-555-2
Comics must finally have come “of age†when the creator names on the dust-jacket are actually larger than the character logo or even the illustration. Still and all, this latest reboot of such perennial favourites as the “World’s Greatest Superhero Team†is a very impressive package, thanks in no small part to the meticulous efforts of scripter Brad Meltzer and Ed Benes.
A welcome innovation this time around is the inclusive nature of the restructuring as more than mere lip-service is paid to all the previous incarnations of the comic and the creators provide a nostalgic subtext that should appease all the dizzy, weary fans that have endured so many bewildering changes and incarnations.
Following the events of Infinite Crisis, One Year Later and 52, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman convene as a star-chamber to reform the Justice League of America as a force for good, only to discover that events have escaped them and a new team has already congealed (I really can’t think of a better term) to defeat the imminent menace of Professor Ivo, Felix Faust and the lethal android Amazo, plus a fearsome mystery mastermind and a few classic villains as well.
Told through the heartbreaking personal tragedy of the Red Tornado, who achieves his deepest desire only to have it torn from him, this is an enjoyable if complex dramatic tale that hides well its true purpose – that of repositioning the company’s core team in the expanded DC universe: one which encompasses all media. Therefore, there’s a tacit acceptance of influences from the various TV shows, movies and even animated cartoons underpinning everything here – even to the new Super Friends and Justice League Unlimited inspired headquarters. So whichever media experience brought you here, this is a new Justice League that should feel fresh yet comfortingly familiar.
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