With the new series Justice League America hitting shelves it comes as no surprise that two of their members are getting their own solo series as well with both Katana and Vibe. Can these two lower level characters that are being bumped up to the big leagues with Justice League of America deliver enough of a punch to really carry their own series? Katana has been somewhat of a mainstay for some time as a secondary member of various groups or team ups, but is she ready for her own series as well as joining the JLA?
Katana follows a former assassin who is determined to restore the Outsiders to their former glory while not letting the power of her sword, the SoulTaker, from overcoming her. Of all the secondary characters to tackle their own series Katana is one that could easily deliver thanks to the depth of the character. The first issue doesn’t offer a whole lot of new information on the character, but does start to give the reader an inside look of her true turmoil. The story of the possessed sword plays into Asian mythology as well as gives the series the feeling of an old school comic. Add to that the brilliant artwork from Alex Sanchez that compliments this story perfectly. Katana is a no brainer as a character to be added to the new Justice League of America with their tone of wanting dangerous characters and the first issue of this series plays well as a standalone storyline, but feels like it still belongs in the world with Finch’s JLA. The story and look of the book feels almost like you are watching an Asian film and make this book work way better than it probably should have.
Katana isn’t a groundbreaking character, but has all the makings of one that could be a sleeper hit with a wide range of direction and intrigue if handled properly. It will be interesting to see the varied stories this series takes and hopefully will maintain a lot of the Asian feel it delivers in this first issue.
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