Why So Blu?

Justice League of America – Issue #1

Detective Comics, or more commonly known as DC, has been churning out some very solid titles since the launch of their New 52 line in 2011. We’ve recently seen the launch of a new superhero known as Vibe. The timing of this new character’s own title was no mistake as it was brought to us just in time for the anticipated release of the third Justice League series. No it’s not overkill. There is a point to all of this.

One of the most heralded releases of the New 52 was the re-branding of the Justice League.  It features DC’s heaviest hitters; Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), and Cyborg.  Then came Justice League Dark, a team designed to take on the sorcery and dark magic of the world, which is made of team members such as Zatanna and Deadman, just to name a few.  But what if the original Justice League got out of control?  What if they were compromised?  What if one of them lost their cool?  What if all of them lost their cool?  You’d need counter-measures to be able to take on the daunting task of stopping Earth’s greatest superheros.

DC didn’t hold back the talent on this one.  Artist extraordinaire David Finch is the man responsible for the visuals here and he does not disappoint (has he ever?).  Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns pens the story here and works seamlessly with Finch.  The lot of this book’s dialogue, for the most part, takes place between two people discussing who should be on the team.  Don’t let the organizational talk fool you though.  There’s much more going on around this top secret team formation and it all comes out in very dramatic fashion.

So who is on the new team?  For one, there’s newcomer Vibe.  An eighteen-year old who controls frequency.  If you think that means radio stations are no match for him, think again.  This kid can obliterate a parademon with his matter-disrupting powers.  Then there’s super-assassin Katana, super-heroine Star Girl, winged bone-crusher Hawkman, the new Green Lantern, the eagle-eyed Green Arrow and a couple of variables you may not have expected.  For starters there’s Selina Kyle.  Yep, you guessed it.  Somebody’s got something on Catwoman so she ends up ‘willing’ to join the new band of misfits.  Lastly, there’s the only variable who has a shot at bringing down Superman…Martian Manhunter.  As it turns out, everyone on the team has a speciic skill set meant to match up and bring down a member of the original Justice League (Catwoman to Batman, Vibe to Flash, etc.).

The content had me glued the entire time and was one of the best starter issues of a series I have come across since the New 52 kicked things off almost two years ago.  It’s almost like DC’s answer to Marvel’s Thunderbolts, though some may say that DC’s Suicide Squad already does that.  Regardless, the story’s intro here in issue 1 was a great read and it’s with a high degree of eagerness that I await the arrival of issue 2.   So all in all, it becomes a little more obvious that this team’s primary function isn’t to protect America’s borders as it is to stand ready to address the slightest deviation of the premier Justice League.  Oh there must be a storm brewing and I can’t wait to see both teams collide.

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