While making an appearance at a convention in Toronto, the
superheroes Stargirl and Animal Man agree to investigate the disappearance of
an anthropolist’s assistant in Northern Ontario. Before long, they are whisked
off to space, alongside Justice Leaguers Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow, where
they discover a Thanagarian criminal known as Byth intends to unleash a
biological weapon upon the universe. Without skipping a beat, the heroes band together
to stop this intergalactic menace.
Justice League United
Volume 1: Justice League Canada collects Justice League United #0-5, written by Jeff Lemire and illustrated
by Mike McKone.
Since their Silver Age debut, the Justice League has had
many incarnations and spin-offs. Despite the success of the Justice League
International era, none have quite managed to click quite as well with readers
as the original seven. Thankfully, Justice
League United is more International than
Extreme Justice. Lemire depicts the team as a
ragtag group of heroes, whose interactions with one another are light and
quippy, bringing to mind the humorous underpinnings of what made Keith Giffen
and J.M. DeMatteis’ take on Justice League so memorable. Stargirl and Martian
Manhunter form the nucleus of the group. Having both been members of the Geoff
Johns-penned Justice League of America,
they’ve already formed a sibling-like bond that adds stability to this line-up.
Likewise, Green Arrow and Animal Man have a teasing brotherly dynamic that’s
reminiscent of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. The focus on developing these two
should really be no surprise, given the fact that Lemire was responsible for
both of their solo ongoing series.
As far as this collection is concerned, Lemire is at his
best when he is developing characters and writing dialogue. He knows how to
build relationships, which works well towards forming an organic team dynamic.
He’s got a great line-up of heroes and he utilizes them quite well. The problem,
however, is in the story itself. The main plot deals with our heroes’ battle in
space against the alien Byth, while the subplot explores the struggles of a
Cree teenager Miiyahbin Marten as she comes to terms with her unique abilities.
The former is terribly generic. When teams are formed, it seems it’s almost
always due to some kind of alien plot or invasion. As a villain, Byth is far
from being a Darkseid or Despero. He’s not particularly menacing and his
alliance with Lobo seems more random than anything else. By contrast, Miiyahbin’s
story is gripping and acts as the saving grace for this volume.
From her design to her backstory, Miiyahbin stands out as
one of the more unique heroes created in recent years. That’s why it’s so
unfortunate that she gets relegated to subplot status. It’s made worse by the
fact that her story is rushed to its conclusion, speeding through her origins
and confrontation with the antagonist. The opening arc to Justice League United would have been so much more interesting had
Lemire inverted the plots, placing a focus on Miiyahbin’s and turning Adam
Strange’s origin into the sub. Truth be told, DC Comics would have done well to
introduce Equinox in a solo ongoing series as a way of competing with Marvel’s Ms. Marvel series.
Justice League United has
potential. It features a strong roster with room for a lot of character growth.
Sadly, this first collection simply lacked the excitement and originality
necessary to set it apart from other team books. Given the fact that subsequent
issues appear to focus more on science fiction than fantasy, it’s really no
surprise as to why United was never
really able to find an audience.
RATING: B-
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