The Justice League has always (well, usually) been comprised of the World's Greatest Super-Heroes, unfortunately, for the United States government, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman do not answer to them. So, in an effort to control their own Justice League team, Congress has tasked Amanda Waller with assembling a Justice League of America. The roster is set in "Justice League of America" #1 written by Geoff Johns ("Justice League") and art by David Finch.
The new team is comprised of Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Green Lantern Simon Baz, Catwoman, Katana, Stargirl, Vibe and Steve Trevor as field leader. While the issue is mostly comprised of introducing the roster, Johns works in plenty of character and plot development throughout, doing its job to get the reader excited for the series to come. Frankly, Johns excels at this. He once again refreshes the Hawkman character and in only a few pages. If only DC Comics would relaunch that book with the direction Johns establishes here. Not to mention, there are hints to the "Trinity War" event throughout and references to previous Justice League adventures. David Finch is a rising superstar for a reason. He creates a lush world full of detail. It is somewhat dulled by his heavy inks, though.
If there were to be one nitpick it is that there are no government super-heroes on this government run team. While the reason why these particular characters were chosen is clear, one would think if the U.S. government wanted a team loyal to them, they would have chosen superhumans already devoted to them. Perhaps Johns could have worked his magic and refreshed Captain Atom or introduced the New 52 version of Agent Liberty.
Like "Batwing" #17, "Justice League of America" #1 also featured a minor editorial miss where dialogue in one panel is flipped. Finch did his job of differentiating the characters, so it should have been clear who got what dialogue. This slip hardly detracts from the story, but it is a disservice to the hard work of the creators for the editors not to be on the look out for these errors. It is not something one expects from a comic book coming from DC Comics.
"Justice League of America" #1 is not to be missed by fans of Johns, Finch, the members of its roster or of the DC Universe in general. It is shaping up to be an important book to the overall direction of the New 52, "Trinity War" in particular. The issue is in Philadelphia area stores today. To find a comic shop near you, go to www.comicshoplocator.com.
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