Review: Justice League Volume 1, Origin

In 2011, DC Comics made a surprising announcement when they revealed that they would be re-launching their company in the fall. This consisted of the cancellation of all their existing publications and the release of 52 new titles. These issues would feature brand-new stories written under a new continuity. This initiative has since come to be known as “The New 52.”

Writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee proved to be pivotal figures in this process. The pair teamed up to helm DC Comics’ flagship title – Justice League. Together, they crafted a new story to reveal the first adventure of the world’s greatest superheroes.

Justice League Volume 1: Origin collects the first six issues of Johns and Lee’s run on the title. It is an action-packed origin story that is filled with explosions and carnage. Johns smartly introduces the characters gradually. As the narrative progresses, each superhero enters the fray. This strategy allows the reader to accommodate to the new additions. Thankfully, Johns manages to capture each character’s personality quite well. Batman is the rational thinker, Green Lantern is the impulsive alpha male, the Flash is the peacekeeper, Superman is the stoic powerhourse, Aquaman is the indifferent monarch, and Wonder Woman is the unyielding warrior. He paints the characters with broad strokes, but does seem to struggle with some development. Aquaman, for instance, largely disappears in the shuffle. Likewise, Johns seems to be uncertain with how to portray Wonder Woman. At times she possesses a child-like naiveté, while at others she is an unstoppable fighter. Another character worth mentioning is Cyborg. His origin story serves as a subplot to the main narrative and, as such, comes across as disappointingly rushed. His character lacks any real substance and most of his dialogue comes across as fairly angst-ridden.

It’s hard to really determine whether Geoff Johns and Jim Lee deliver a flawless Justice League origin story. Lee’s art is quite gorgeous and the colours pop magnificently on the page. That’s not where the issue lies. The problem with Justice League is that the pacing is too quick. This means that character and plot development get tossed aside in favour of the action. There are shimmering moments of brilliance, however. A notable scene occurs when Wonder Woman tastes ice cream for the first time (she thinks it’s “wonderful” – ha!). Another standout is when Aquaman proves his mettle, after Green Lantern calls his usefulness into question. Unfortunately, these scenes are few and far between. Darkseid, the main antagonist, is woefully underutilized. His motivations are left out of the story and there is zero exposition done to provide the background information necessary for newer readers. For a title that promised to be friendly to new audiences, Johns doesn’t fill in the gaps very well. While he delivers on personality, he underperforms with exposition. This means that the casual reader will be left scrambling to figure out the powers and origins of each superhero (aside from Batman, apparently he’s the only one who deserved to have his story told).

Despite these issues, Justice League Volume 1: Origin is a remarkably fun read. The characters are (mostly) likeable and the conflict presented is satisfactory. For any fans of Green Lantern, Batman or the Flash, this collection will be enjoyable. Johns excels at writing these characters and they feature largely in the narrative. Casual readers will have to do some light reading to supplement their knowledge of these characters, but the story itself is digestible. This is a good starting point for anyone interested in the DC Universe and should add this to their reading list. The personalities are strong, the conflict is stronger, and the art is amazing. That said, don’t expect to find an abundance of strong, independent women here… apparently there’s a quota on how many badass women there can be in one book. (But who is really noticing that fact when Wonder Woman is showing that she can do everything better than the boys, right?)

Rating: B+