And Then I Read: JUSTICE LEAGUE 1

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

Here it is, the first of the 52 new titles and relaunches from DC. Naturally they put their heavy hitters on it, writer Geoff Johns, and artists Jim Lee and Scott Williams. And it does start over from the beginning with these characters, as they begin to meet for the first time: Batman and Green Lantern first, joining forces somewhat reluctantly to deal with an extraterrestrial robot of some sort.  A new scene introduces Vic Stone, who does not seem to have become the Cyborg character seen on the cover yet, and finally one more key hero appears at the end. The other members of the cover team appear only in ads and costume design sketches. This might seem a cheat, but I thought it gave the story some room to develop more naturally this way. Geoff Johns continues to write heroes well, and a few hints are dropped about what sort of world those heroes are finding themselves in. One that is afraid of all superpowers, for instance. And that villain? He drops the name Darkseid before exiting the scene. A good start, I thought, it made me want to see more.

The art by Lee and Williams looks great, full of energy and style, and with lots of action handled well. The character moments are also nicely drawn. All the costumes have been redesigned, but most in subtle ways that take a little extra examination to notice. At a glance, all the heroes seem familiar, but the tailoring and arrangement of colors and materials have changes. I found nothing wrong with any of that, it all worked for me.

Recommended!