Pick of the Week

August 31, 2011 – Justice League #1

What did the
iFanboy
community think?

1763
Pulls
Avg Rating: 4.1
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 65.0%
 
Users who pulled this comic:
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Variant cover by DAVID FINCH

Size: 40 pages
Price: 3.99

I think you can call this a chutzpah award. It’s not so much that this was an amazing comic book, but rather that it exists at all. It was a very good comic book, as stated by my colleague in an earlier review, but more than that, Justice League #1 is this… thing that’s doing something we haven’t seen before. We’re talking about DC Comics, this company who relied so heavily on their own tradition and history, and a writer who made the whole DC legacy the lynchpin of the stories that made him one of the most popular and successful creators of our time. Then they tossed it out and started over. This isn’t an alternate universe. This is what the world of DC Comics is now. I’d realized the significance of that previously, but now that I’m holding it in my hand, it’s sinking in exactly what that means.

If you’ve ever spent any time around Geoff Johns, you’ll know about his grin. You could see it at comic conventions, or signings, or if you happen to spend a little time with him. The grin occurs when you ask him something about his comics work, and he’s not supposed to answer it. So he doesn’t answer it, but instead, you get the grin, and some sort of vague comment, that leaves you a little confused, and oddly, just a little excited for something you don’t know anything about. I imagine that grin served him quite well in his early dealings with editors. You want to believe that grin. You want to trust the grin. Now, let’s hop back to a scene a few years back, Geoff is super hot, Blackest Night being a huge success, and one of my partners (I can’t remember which) asked him if he would want to write the Justice League. “Of course I want to write the Justice League,” he responded, and then the grin showed up. I don’t know what was in motion, but at that moment it became completely clear that Geoff Johns was going to write the Justice League at some point, and it was only a matter of time. So it came as little surprise when it was announced that he’d be helming the book. That he would also be doing it with Jim Lee, biggest of the big artists, and it would be part of an unprecedented line wide revamp was a bit of a shock. But it’s exactly what needed to happen. The grin is mighty.

So here we are, months later, and the book is a reality. As much as I respect the creators involved in this book, on the surface, it’s not really a book for me. Yet the further I kept reading, the more I realized how appealing this blank slate was. More interesting is that this isn’t an alternative history. This is the basket, wherein all the eggs are contained. They’re making this the thing. Batman is being hunted by the Police, with helicopters. He is not friends with Superman. Green Lantern is kind of a douchebag. Cyborg is not Cyborg, but rather he is Brian “Smash” Williams, possibly of Dillon Texas. Well, he’s similar anyway. There are still several members left to be introduced, and they’ve decided to focus on character, and take their time, rather than get to a splash page with all the characters come together by hell or high water before the end of the book. This is a good thing. While these characters are different, their essences are still the same. But there’s no baggage, except the baggage he wants to give them. Basically the ethos here seems to be, “let the runner run,” and if you’ve been a fan of Geoff Johns at his best, that’s an exciting prospect.

Because of that, you don’t need me to tell you what was good about the story. You don’t need me to point out that so-and-so did such a thing that was “badass”. Instead you can just know it. You can have faith in this creative team, and their motivations, and the opportunities that this title brings to the table, and the promise of what’s the come. Right now, that’s where my excitement is coming from. There were lines at comic shops all over the country at midnight last night to sell a comic book. That’s a good thing. Now, in front of us, is the hope that that promise will deliver, and why not think the best? That’s what this comic book represents.

While I’ve heaped a basket full of praise on Geoff Johns, Jim Lee is almost a bigger part of the equation. Jim Lee links all of existing comics fandom, as the best of the past and the present. I was never a giant fan, of his work, but I respect him immeasurably for his incredible skill at navigating and succeeding the in the world of comics. Again, getting back to chutzpah, Jim Lee has nothing to gain by drawing this book. He’s already at the top of the heap. He’s not going to make more money doing this than what he’s been doing. He’s not going to rise up higher in the DC corporate structure. The only reason to do this is because he can, and he wants to. It’s not easy. It’s a team book. It’s the team book, the original. All eyes are on him. People expect him to fall behind. People are watching for him to stumble. Pride is the only conceivable reason to take on this challenge, and stay up late drawing pages for a fickle fandom. He wants to show us that he’s got it, and that he’s never lost it. He’s going to prove himself, and the thing is, he totally doesn’t have to. As such, these pages have an incredible youthful energy and verve to them. These aren’t the pages of a seasoned pro who knows all the shortcuts. These are the pages of a man who wants people to know that, not only does he still have it, he’s got more of it. Yes, his artistic style helped define a generation of comics, but he’s not done. If that doesn’t get your comic loving blood pumping, you need to find a crash cart.

Was Justice League #1 a good comic book? You’re damn right it was, and it got better the further I went into it. Did it blow my face off? Nope. But the energy of the issue, and what it could represent for comics going forward is enough to get me excited, and that is no mean feat. Those magnificent bastards are doing it, people. They’re doing it.

Josh Flanagan
I’m waiting for Hal Jordan to get punched in the face.
josh@ifanboy.com

Comments

  1. NO WAY!!!!! WOW!!! Josh, you’re so freaking mainstream!!! 🙂

    (Actually I haven’t even read the book yet. Getting it a little later. But this really surprised me).

  2. I gotta give that review a “hells yeah!”

    I’ve said on another message board and on Twitter that this comic gave me the same sense of excitement I had when I first began reading comics. And thirty-plus years later, that’s an amazing feat.

    Flashpoint was a beautiful ending… and JL was a wonderful beginning. And I can’t wait to see where it all goes next. Because the entire universe is wide open now.

  3. I would say Cyborg is more like Vince Howard, what with the daddy issues and all.

  4. Yes, I broke down and got the book. DC deserves it, they earned it, by having the cojones to try something this major. I haven’t read all my books yet, so I don’t know if its my POTW, but it’s damn sure a five star book.

  5. It was a good book

  6. This was super okay. But I’m looking forward to Johns’ take on the well-worn Superman-Batman fight.

    Best part: Batman taking Hal’s ring without him realizing. Great characterization with a really simple act.

  7. I agree… will be my pick of the week too. I really like the book. LOVED the banter between Batman & the Green Lantern!

    All that being said… Let’s not go too crazy on Josh becoming “Mainstream”, there weren’t a lot of books to pick up this week. I normally get about 17, and went home with 6 this week. What else could Josh pick? 🙂 🙂 🙂

  8. Great review Josh. I can not wait wait to get my hands on this title.

  9. Couldn’t agree more. I thought it was a really fun read, and got me REALLY pumped to see what else the new DCU has to offer. A great first step. BTW, Jim Lee absolutely tore it up on this issue. He is still The Man.

  10. i enjoyed the heck out of this. Hells yeah for your review Josh. Total agreement all the way around.

    I love that this book is new for us and the characters. There will be discovery with old characters. Great stuff. Loved the banter and this feeling of “yeah you know these characters, but you really don’t”. Also much kuddos to Johns for keeping this fun and “all ages” without getting juvenille. For my money this is what a superhero comic should be. I’m really glad that they just dropped us into this world, instead of recap pages of flashpoint stuff. Kinda interesting that heroes aren’t loved by this society yet.

    Jim Lee’s art was great and i can’t wait to see more. fun stuff.

    Bought this on my iPad while sitting in my office, walked downstairs, sat on a bench and read it during lunch. Perfection. =)

    • Sounds awesome. I am picking up a lot of books through comixology, including the day, and date release, but there was something about the buzz that made me want to Midtown comics, which is 1 block from my job to soak in all the excitement. I did however get the combo pack, and read it on my ipad after redeeming the code.

    • I think we can all acknowledge that the book wasn’t amazing, but it was solid. Also, I think I’m looking at it from the point of view of a seasoned comic book reader, and this isn’t really what DC was going for. The book was written with an eye towards grasping the new reader. Whether it did it or not remains to be seen.

      I will say that my cousin, who is only a very casual comic book reader, really enjoyed the issue, and is going to buy some more books next week, and at the end of the day that’s all you can really ask for.

  11. You sold us all out, sir. (Kidding.)

    -J.

  12. So DC holds off their relaunch just long enough to coincide with the 300th anniversary pick o’ the week podcast and to reciprocate, iFanboy hands out a free pick. Very crafty I must say.

  13. Well written Josh and great points about Lee and his motivations. Whatever one might think of the book on it’s own, it would be hard to deny the love that was very clearly poured into each page by both creators. I got a contact high just from holding it. Oh and Josh, thanks for all the great work you’ve been putting out recently. The enthusiasm you all have for comics shows in the quality of your work and makes IFanboy just an awesome place to be at. Gee, today feels like such a celebratory day, like your team just one the super bowl or something.

  14. When Hal Jordan eventually gets punched in the face, I damn well expect that issue to be POTW too. Or at least in the panels of the week.

  15. “…but now that I’m holding it in my hand, it’s sinking in what that means exactly.”

    Exactly how I feel. Its very refreshing. After first reading it last night. I went ahead and ordered all the #1’s today when I picked up the rest of my books. I even dropped a couple of Marvel books to make room for DC (and my pull list has been out of control lately).

  16. Great pick of the week, really enjoyed the points about Jim Lee. This pick of the week made me like the comic more, and I already liked it. Today felt like a big day in comics, and even though the story was okay, the amount of passion the two creators blatanty poured into it made it feel special 🙂

  17. Josh, until I read your review I completely forgot that Geoff Johns wrote this. For me, this was X-Men #1 all over again. Not in content or pacing or anything, but it was that story where I didn’t know who made it and could honestly care less. It was fun, exciting, beautiful to look at and made me want to re-read it over and over. You could have told me that Chuck Austen wrote it and I wouldn’t have cared. I wouldn’t have believed you, but I wouldn’t have cared. I read this first and everything else I read seemed better because of this book. I even thought ASM was awesome this week. Hey…this book really is magic!

  18. The superman page is out of this world amazing. LOVED THIS!

    • Totally! I loved that one full page shot of Superman saying “What can you do?” with that grin on his face. I thought this whole issue was a great start. I love that the setup has them meeting each other for the first time and discovering each other’s power sets. That one panel of the week entry with Batman and Green Lantern was great even though it wasn’t able to show the build up to it where Green Lantern was giving Batman shit for having no powers. I was grinning the Geoff Johns in an iFanboy interview (zing!).

  19. The dialogue in this comic is surprisingly dumb. The best part is when Green lantern says that the robot “combusted into fire” as opposed to all those other robots that combust into maple syrup.

  20. I’d have been surprised if this wasn’t PotW. It was much better than I expected. I was dreading some awful origin story but instead we got a story that felt it was in mid-stride. Right up to the entrance of Superman and THAT costume. Although seeing Superman looking a little 90s-odd wasn’t as jarring as I expected (and he looked young indeed). I was skeptical about the reboot but after this issue and talking to my comic shop owner who says his DC orders have almost tripled, it looks like there’s a lot to be excited about.

  21. This was my pick. I really enjoyed. I love the way Hal Jordan was written. He worked very well as an ass.

  22. I remember walking out of the phantom menace and pretending I loved it… Solid enough issue and I’m still incredibly excited about the new 52 but this was the Geoff Johns style book I expected, much more excited for many of the #1s than I was for this. Meanwhile, this was an incredibly boring issue and a truly awful starting point for any potential new reader.

  23. Josh, this is the best thing you have ever written on the site.
    First class review.
    Bravo sir, bravo.

    • Thank you.

    • Bold statement. Josh has written some enlightened commentary. This is certainly no different.

    • It is a very well written review.

    • What I liked most about his review is that it didn’t just focus on the craft of the book. The craft is evident on every page. It wasn’t the personal impact the book had on him. It was the impact the book has had. Midnight lines and events for a comic? Unheard of, until now. It’s an achievement. This is the game changing before our very eyes. It’s significant beyond being a good comic issue.

      And this is only the beginning.

  24. I bought the combo back, obviously they have primary source material to work with… so then why do they have that ridiculous shadow gaussian blur and line break in the middle of the page? I’m sorry but if I’m paying for a digital comic I’d like to be able to see the art at least as well as in the print version. The double page Batman spread is frankly ruined.

    Is there a way to turn this absurd feature off?

    Also no scrolling via mouse or track pad. It’s very counter intuitive. Doesn’t it make sense to have a horizontal scroll turn the page? Almost like…. turning a page.

    The reader needs a lot of work compared to something like Simple Comic or FFView.

  25. I really like this review. After months of anticipation and finally holding it in my hands, all I could think was, “They are actually doing this.”

    I found the issue very entertaining. I already love that superheroes are all meeting for the first time, and their initial reaction is… So What Can You Do? To me it was natural and made total sense. The content of the book embodied what the book is. A good first chapter in a bold new world.

    (and bonus points to Josh for the FNL reference. TEXAS FOREVER!!!)

  26. So happy to hear that…i was kinda bummed with all the negativity online its refreshing to come back here and read something nice. I have so much respect for Johns and Lee and Dc for doing it! I understand the grief from some folks being long time fans but this change might be good for all…hopefully. Some of them were so critical without actually reading anything. But coming here remedied that today.

  27. I’m just so tired of the same ol’ same ol’ with the Marvel stuff I normally read I went ahead and picked this up (my first DC book ever) and liked it enough that I’ll pick up issue #2, and maybe a couple of the other new 52’s.

    Heck of a lot better starting point than the stupid point one thing at Marvel.

  28. I don’t know what you are talking about with the double page spread. There is no gaussian blur or line break visible in the middle of the page where the line would be in the physical copy. I am looking at the Comixology digital version right now and there is nothing visible in the middle of the page, the image is completely intact, even if I zoom in all the way.

  29. It was great. I downloaded it and read it as quickly as I could. This is what you tell people to get when they ask where to begin. It has all the baggage of a comics movie. There is none. All you need to know is who the characters are and you’re good to go. I also really liked the pacing and how everything will come together. This is DC as a blank slate. It’s great.

  30. Just looked at the comic through a web browser instead of my iPad, you’re right, it does have a line down the center of the screen on the PC. On my iPad though, it’s flawless, no line. I think the iPad is a better experience over the PC version on the web.

  31. TRUST THE GRIN is the new FEAR THE BEARD.

  32. Josh’s last paragraph summed up my feelings about this comic as well. Exciting times.

  33. Did anyone notice the strange woman in the book this week? The same woman who appeared towards the end of Flashpoint #5?

    Apparently this isn’t the last we see of her…..and that pisses me off if this reboot was just to make a giant event for the future.

  34. Thanks for drawing my attention to it. Pretty interesting. I hope she has something to do with Grant Morrison’s multiverse project.

  35. I thought the story was pretty good, far better than some of the complainants on the web have been making it out to be. What bothered me was the pencils — to put Jim Lee on a “zero” book is too reminiscent of the “All Star Batman and Robin The Boy Wonder” fiasco. Lee kind of draws like a Jim Lee-knockoff now — certainly with better storytelling, yet a jagged, unharmonious line. I will trust Johns and try to not let my distaste of Lee’s pencils spoil it for me.

  36. Did I really just read this correctly? Josh made the pick this week? JL #1? I’m waiting for Ahton Kutcher to tell me that I just got Punk’d!

    P.S. lol “Smash”

  37. Well written review, Josh.

    This wouldn’t’ve been my pick, and I don’t think its content will hook as many new readers as I would like to see hooked–but I can’t fault anyone who’s excited for this. Heck, I’d only give the book a 3, but I’m still happily excited.

    It does remind me of X-Men #1 from twenty years ago. Will it be as successful as X-Men #1 in hooking new readers? Hell no. But, for us, it doesn’t need to.

    Regardless of whatever the future does or doesn’t bring, right now it’s an awesome time to be a comics fan.

  38. I envied the opportunity to write Batman and Green Lantern’s first encounter more than anything (Johns is so lucky!). Those were the most interesting moments of the book for me. I look forward to Superman’s character development in the next issue as we travel down this pseudo yellow brick road to meet the Wizard of JLA..

  39. Well said sir

  40. That book was awesome the characters were fun to read the story moved well.
    I don’t know why some people say it is only okay? Did you want superman to rip off GL’s head, that would be dumb, I don’t get why people are so tough on this book?

  41. WARNING SPOILER: The best part of that issue had to be Bruce grabbing the ring right off of Hal Jordans finger.

  42. I like how you are unapologetic about your perception of the book being skewed due to the events surrounding it. I think that’s entirely reasonable. It’s incontrovertible, the hoopla is too huge to ignore.

  43. I am genuinely surprised by this! I loved the issue but never expected it to be PotW! Big surprise!

  44. 1,322 pulls and still counting. That’s pretty impressive. To an established comics fan, was it a good read? Sure, it wasn’t bad. Nothing that blew me away, but not bad. But I think a lot of people are missing the point on this. DC rebooted to lure in new readers — to replace those of us who will die soon. (Sorry, but it’s almost true.) What I want to know is: What do brand new readers think of JL1? And will they buy #2? Because if they don’t buy #2, what was the point of freaking wiping everything away? And just for the record, if Marvel decided to wipe 50 years of history away in just one month, wouldn’t there be a massive Marvel zombie uprising? I’m not criticizing DC’s move (well, Supes needs some red trunks — just sayin’) — I’m just curious if the gambit will attract an 8-year-old, or an 18-year-old,, or a 28-year-old…..

  45. I didn’t like it when I finished it. I found some of the dialogue between Batman and Green Lantern kind of, clunky is a word you could use. After reading this review I think I’ll reread the issue though.

  46. I agree with the sentiment of loving the blank slate with characters I love. I can’t wait to see where this whole universe is going, and love that there is no turning back. I guess they could go the ultimate Universe route and just retell and the same stories from the old DCU which would suck. If the DCU can keep this feel I’m going to end up reading way more books than planned.

  47. I loved how the superheroes were learning each other’s super powers. It felt youthful how they’d ask each other, “so, what can you do?”. That was fun.

  48. I went to my local store’s launch party last night. Some mom had brought her son, who was about 10. He was wearing his Superman shirt and was beyong stoked to get this book. That, to me, summed up the launch and part of why this bool os great.

  49. Glad to see this as pick of the week. I stopped reading comics about a half a year back due to loss of interest and lack of funds (college is freaking expensive) but when I saw this as pick of the week, I had to give into my impulses and I’m glad that I did! This is seriously the best Johns’ comic I’ve read in a LONG time. I’m normally a bigger fan of the his stories than characters but here I loved everyone; Green Lantern was the best he’s been since Rebirth, Batman was handled really well and had great chemistry with GL, and the character that showed up at the end(don’t want to spoil it) had a spark in him that hasn’t been shown in a long time. Overall, great first issue, if some of the other books keep up this momentum DC might get a customer back.

    • Sorry, just want to tell you that that was a brilliant article. You hardly talked about the book yet you captured exactly how I felt about this book. It’s a fresh start and by god it’s exciting.

  50. So is “Trust the grin” iFanboy’s new “Hurm” T-shirt? I’m buying. Really lovely review.

  51. This most impressive part of this article, other than the writing of course, is that the comments overall seem to be pretty positive and creating conversation. Everyone seems down right……reasonable.

  52. This was a great issue but I have trouble pointing to individual elements that made it that way for me. Rather it was the whole tone. This was cinematic in a way that I’ve not felt from a comic in a long time. I could hear the intensity of the helicopters battling out with the theme music right from the opening pages, and except for the piece introducing Cyborg, the intensity only built to the last page with Superman!

    Green Lantern admittedly was a douche, but given that this goes to being early in his career, its fitting, and its easy to see that time and experience will temper his impulses. I love the visuals from the GL ring and they remind me a bit of how we saw them in the movie. I like that we’re seeing Hal using design we’ve come to expect more from Kyle. Superman was appropriately young but Im going to stick my neck out here and say I LIKE the uniform redesign, and I’m perfectly ok not seeing the red underwear again. Costumes need to evolve and this has hit the right balance between tradition and moving forward.

    My only real nitpick was seeing Superman’s heat vision in the final panel sparking around, the same way that we saw GL’s ring spark around. IMO, GL’s ring can crackle around with energy like that because it goes where Hal needs it to go. Superman’s heat vision should be straightforward and direct, not pinpricks of energy scattering all around. It’s a nitpick, its my own opinion, it’s minor in the grand scheme of things.

    As to how much appeal an issue like this could have… I left this out on the table and open during my last break at work while I was cleaning up after myself, and a 65 year old coworker saw the final page image of Superman, and the splash of “NEXT: Batman vs Superman” and it had him thumbing through the issue looking to see what was going on. Do I expect HE’LL buy it? Probably not but if it got his curiosity up, then I have to imagine there are lots of people who weren’t following before, checking it out, and there’s a lot of folks there who just might!

  53. It was okay, not great in anyway. However, it has potential. The characterizations are a bit jarring, not because these are ‘relatively’ new characters, but because it just wasn’t executed as well as I’d hoped. I’ll stick with it for now though.

  54. Really great review, Josh. I loved what you had to say about Jim Lee. When this book was first announced, I was pumped for the art. I had a similar feeling: Lee doesn’t HAVE to do this book. It’s going to sell regardless. He certainly doesn’t need the money or the fame, he already has those. The only reason I could think of for Jim Lee to be drawing this book is because he WANTED to do it. And in my experience, the artistic projects that are done solely for the love and the passion are the ones that make me excited. It’s like when Darwyn Cooke did Parker. He could have done anything he wanted, on mainstream characters that would have been big news. But instead he takes a project he is passionate about an is doing for the love of it, and he delivered one of the best comic projects in years. I cant wait to get my hands on this today. I just know I’m going to see Jim Lee’s love of comics jumping off the page.

  55. For me, being a person who picks their books up monthly, it’s going to be very strange next month… The majority of my pull list is DC. I picked up my last batch on Saturday. This means that my next batch of DC books are going to be the “new 52” titles…
    I haven’t gone with all 52 (I can’t justify the cost) but I am really looking forward to the breath(s) of fresh air that will hopefully be in my bag this time next month…
    The last time I remember being this excited about the DC line was Crisis on Infinite Earths… for similar reasons.

    Fingers crossed.

  56. Really enjoyed this – just read the hard copy and I’m about to read it again on Comixology (bought the combo pack) to see how it translates to digital. It was quick and lean – which is about all I hoped for. It genuinely feels like a new beginning – perhaps not brand new, but certainly without baggage.

  57. Haven’t read this yet. But lookin’ forward to it. Never been a big Lee fan, but I’ve mostly enjoyed Johns’ work so I’m gonna give it a chance!

  58. This was great and exciting. I’m happy to see it get the pick, but Uncanny X-Force was on another level–better art and story.

  59. Loved this and would be totally fine if it is a slow build to create the Justice League as a team. They are all meeting each other for the first time.

    Also Batman slipping Green Lanterns ring off was great, and this is the Green Lantern personality that I love. Sometimes he can be written so straight man that they forget to include his arrogance. That’s how someone who doesn’t know fear would act. This was great.

  60. Well I bought the combo pack just to see what the digital thing was all about. I found it pretty hard to redeem the actual book, the code was ridiculously long. It was like 26 characters.

    That’s a problem to start with.

    Second, the website was kind of awkward, they should have a big fat link on DC Comics homepage saying REDEEM YOUR COMBO PACK HERE. It took a while to figure out.

    Third, there is something weird about viewing it on a computer where they take the page and move it all the way over to the left, the controls of programs like FF View and Simple Comic are INFINITELY more intuitive. I don’t like clicking arrows left and right when I can just flick a track pad.

    The line down the page with the drop shadow effect frankly to me is criminal. I want to see the totally unspoiled art at as high a res as possible. THEY HAVE THE DIGITAL SOURCE MATERIAL. Why is the batman page split up? It looks like crap.

    Also there is a feature to break it up into panels but it’s kind of cumbersome.

    There’s SO many ways this area can be improved.

    – I would love a feature that lets you disable the word balloons or color and inks. So you can see the original pencils or inks underneath.

    – Comments by the creators or info dialogue boxes, like if you click on batman you go to a wiki page or something or the design process of the new characters.

    – I think they should really re-evaluate what they are doing digitally instead of just putting up a low res image with a stupid black line and drop shadow down the middle.

    I want to buy digital comics, I want it to be easy to buy them and I want them to be good. Is that too much to ask?

    • Because I’m sad like that, I read the digital copy through on Comixology in Guided View with the hardcopy beside me. It’s interesting to see how in some panels they do cut a significant chunk of the art off. Nothing plot essential, but sometimes the edges of panels are cropped out. I know you dont HAVE to use guided view, but still…it’s a shame.

      And that centre spine shadow has GOT to go!

    • It’s super tacky and I want to see the badass JimLee double page spread as he drew it! The reason I’m reading it on the computer is because it’s NOT a book, don’t Instamatic the book, what next, printing errors? Discoloration? Bent corners? That should be an option you can easily turn on or off. Also reading online is kind of a drag, I want it on my computer so I can read it anywhere.

  61. Good story. Great art. Good start for the relaunch. Sadly, noticed that Jim Lee is already only a co-credit by issue 3…

  62. I wasn’t going to get it, then Johns mentioned Darkseid and I was in. This was an awesome, surprising start for me. All three main creators killed it. This is the first $3.99 book I’ve ever felt justified in buying.

  63. As a comic, I enjoyed X-Force more in every way, but this was a solid start to the new DC and I really liked this review.

  64. Great review of a great book. I was looking forward to just picking up Detective and Batman, but the hype over Justice League got to me and I picked it up an boy was I glad I did. It was just the kind of book I have been looking forward to.

  65. pfftt, Sellout

  66. Where do you purchase this via download? From, DC or Graphicaly? I could not find a link on the DC site.

  67. I liked it, but not as much Josh, for me I’ve found some of the new #1’s out there lacking (Cap, Punisher, Daredevil and now this). I don’t know maybe its just me. I think its good and this has potential, but I go back to Morrison’s first issue. The last great run on JLA, and I think this one falls a little short.

    I think first issues need to grab you right away, not feel like a chapter for the collected trade (which the Marvel # 1’s felt like) And it does have promise of the clash between Batman, Superman and GL, but since we’ve seen them go at it before countless times (and in my opinion none better than in Dark Knight Returns) so I have an idea as what to expect. The other thing I found odd to was that it was a fast read, lots of three panel pages, splash pages and even a giant two page spread. It felt shorter than its 24 some pages of story. It could have had a bit more slower paced moments, character moments. Yeah grabbing the ring was nice, but Batman is someone that always sizes up people once first meeting them. I think that element was missing, he seemed to join in with GL a little to quickly.

    But this book could be something special once they find their groove. Been a fan of Jim Lee since Hush where he showed that he matured as an artist, moving away from the 90’s splash page style of storytelling. For me, I guess I’m more excited for the JSA book that was announced. The possibilities there seem more open, do they keep them in the 40’s? Do they move them to the 70’s like in Smallville? Will there be an Earth 2 Superman and Batman? Will The Golden Age be in continuity?

  68. Josh, thanks for an excellent review. Enjoyed the insight into Geoff’s and Jim’s background it really enhanced my enjoyment of the book. I think the book is a solid 4 out of 5 which is perfect for the first chapter of a much larger story. There were just enough small moments between the characters that I felt very satisfied reading it. I’m glad it wasn’t just a 40 page splash panel slugfest. I tried to approach it as if it was a JLA movie where they had to introduce and define the characters for the larger audience that is not familiar with them while still giving us 40 + year fans enough to sink our teeth into. I think it succeeded on both levels which is no easy feat.

    And a BIG thank you to TheNextChampion for pointing out the strange woman in the crowd. Now I will be looking for her in every New 52 book. Kind of a Where’s Waldo thing. Haven’t read Flashpoint yet I was waiting for all 5 issues and plan to read it this weekend. I did peek in the last issue though to see the mystery woman and she also has dialog, something about the world of heros being split into three timelines? Don’t know what this means since I haven’t read the story yet.They already have announced that the new Justice Society book is going to be set on Earth 2. Wonder if this is connected.

  69. Look, I liked this issue. A lot. But I also read Uncanny X-Force, which knocked me on my ass! Drawn by Opena with sharp writing by Remender, this was one of the strongest “mid-story” issues I’ve ever read. Ever. Sooooooo good. If Opena had been on this title the whole time, I think our collective juju would have exploded and we would all be drooling shells of our former selves.

    JLA #1 was a strong title and makes me excited for the future. Uncanny X-Force reminds me of why I love comics.

  70. I really enjoyed this issue. Definitely the best work Geoff Johns has done since the first arc of The Flash. My only sort of complaint is that whenever Green Lantern spoke in this issue I constantly thought of Ryan Reynolds acting like Hal Jordan, because that’s what this Hal seems to be to me. I think that since Geoff Johns was heavily involved with the GL movie (unfortunately) & now that the Man of Steel is on its way to being made, I think that with the new DCU comes a reflection of the costumes & adjusted attitudes of their characters (except Batman) that are/will be seen in their on-screen adaptations. Of course Hal acted like an ass before, but this is that attitude turned up to the Nth degree, where I really like it & find it really annoying at the same time. Either way I still very much enjoyed Johns’ writing & Jim Lee’s fantastic artwork that is his best since Batman Hush.

  71. I thought this issue ruled. Wasn’t mind blowing, but I didn’t go into it thinking it would, which helped. I’m really excited for the rest of the tale, so Johns and Lee did their job well. Thank ya Conor and Josh for ya’lls reviews. You both nailed it.

    So I’m goin to score this in my comics section and I wanted to see what other people thought: When you’re rating the story 4 and the art 5 (or vice-versa), which puts you at the 4.5, do you round up or down? Down, because it wasn’t perfect, or up, because it was still damn good?

  72. I really liked this book, and I’m not normally a fan of the Justice League. What can I say? I’ve been burned a bit too often by them to be fully ok with them, but I still really dug it. Hopefully I still like it after the first arc (my usual dropping-off point).

  73. I haven’t enjoyed a Justice League book this much since Metzler was writing it.

    The was a riot, had me laughing and grinning every other page. And I particularly couldn’t contain myself during the ‘Ford’ ‘Mumford’ football game, the two teams obviously high school stand ins for Michigan and Michigan State–and even a recruiter with a suspiciously blocky-looking ‘S’ on his cap! Haha, wonderful Johns, wonderful.

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