After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Flashpoint and the New 52 was the biggest shakeup in the history of DC Comics. While the 1985-6 classic erased the Multiverse and merged much of DC’s 1938-1985 continuity into one timeline with New Earth, the events of 2011 relaunched and altered the DC Universe and created Prime Earth. The key difference between New Earth and Prime Earth was continuity – only a few key events and stories from the pre-2011 continuity applied after Flashpoint. This meant that every DC title was relaunched from the first issue, with a wide array of writers and artists present to create new histories and tales. The group at the centre of this change was – of course – the Justice League. With the New 52 presenting a darker and more threatening world, a new era in JLA was about to begin…
For the first review of the New 52 Justice League run (which ran from 2011 to 2016), I’ll be focusing on the first storyline, published in Justice League (vol 2) 1-6 from November 2011 to April 2012. Nearly every issue of the run was written by Geoff Johns, who came to fame after writing a lengthy JSA run and mixing the magic of retro comic books with modern storytelling. As for the artist, the first year of this run became famous for the art of Jim Lee and inker Scott Williams. Both are usually known for covers rather than internal storytelling, their time on the title is full of action. These six issues can be read in the Justice League: Origin trade paperback, I suspect one of the most bought collected editions in DC’s history…
The Justice League has enjoyed a long history. Like other titles and characters which have existed for over half-a-century, there have been times of good and bad. Although this run was unleashed onto the pages only twelve years ago now, it’s garnered the reputation of an instant classic. Justice League: Origin is often suggested as an ideal-starting point for new readers, as are other New 52 stories like Scott Synder’s Batman: The Court of Owls, and Superman Action Comics: Superman and the Men of Steel by Grant Morrison. I suppose this was to be expected with a mass-relaunch that disposed of much continuity baggage, but does Justice League: Origin deserve this reputation? Is it a classic? Is it a good starting point and it does it set up Geoff Johns’s run successfully?
If Geoff Johns wanted to introduce us to the new Justice League in a most basic and simple way to grasp, he succeeds from the first page. It’s clear from the start of Justice League (vol 2) 1 that not only is there no Justice League to speak of, but the main heroes have never met one another, and – going a step further – superheroes are treated like glorified outlaws. Compared to previous incarnations of the Justice League, this one feel different. Regardless of the differences between the versions of the league before the New 52 – whether it be the simple but sweet team of Gardner Fox, the comedically friendly tone of Giffen and DeMatteis, or even the godly appearance of Morrison’s league - the New 52 begins by painting the heroes as something close to outsiders. Batman is on the run from the law of Gotham City, while the powers of the likes of Green Lantern and Superman are feared by many. Unlike in previous instances, this time the Justice League don’t have the God-given right to the kindness and respect of humanity. That is shown by the start of Justice League (vol 2) 1, featuring Batman as he jumps from rooftop-to-rooftop, seemingly to escape heavily armed police. In actual fact, he is on the hunt for a demon, specifically a Parademon. Now this isn’t confirmed until later in the story, but seasoned DC readers will recognise anything from the Fourth World because of its Jack Kirby design. Anyway, Batman is stopped in his tracks by Green Lantern – the first interaction between the knights of light and darkness is both frosty and entertaining. Arrogant, brash, but somehow a tad funny, Geoff Johns has actually given Hal Jordan a personality! Green Lantern and Batman head into the sewers to look for the Parademon, only to find it combust and unleash both a fire ball and a Motherbox, another Kirby creation which features in the story a little later. To deal with this apparently alien threat, Batman and Green Lantern decide that they need the help of Superman – and that’s it for the first issue. It’s clear from the start that this title won’t be one of the more verbose ones. It supposes it’s just because of modern comics, but it's also because of the artist – Jim Lee has all the skills required to be an artist, but the unmatched magic of his splash pages mean that there isn’t much dialogue in the first six issues.
Throughout the six issues, we’re introduced to the seven members of the Justice League – all but one of whom starred in the original team in the 1960s. The exception is Cyborg, taking the place of Martian Manhunter. At first, this swap seems disappointing – after all Martian Manhunter is a first-rate character, but if you’ve read Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s New Teen Titans run, then you’ll understand why Johns chose Cyborg instead. His origin is basically the same as it’s always been – Victor Stone is an aspiring footballer, but his father, who works for STAR Labs on secret experiments, ignores his dreams and focuses sorely on work. Compared to most of the other heroes, Cyborg is the character that stands out the most – his ghastly and shocking transformation from man into half-robot is told superbly in Justice League (vol 2) 2-3, and somewhat similar to Martian Manhunter, he feels like something of an outsider. As for the other characters, they are mostly as you’d expect them to be, but since Johns’s knowledge of the DC chronology is stellar (he wrote much of it!), he has updated their personalities. When Fox was writing JLA back six decades ago, a random dialogue balloon could have belonged to any of the seven JLAers. With all the changes that have occurred since the 1960s, this version of the team feels like an upgrade over the original. A key example of this is that Batman is shown to possess that same obsessive secretiveness and intelligence which made him something of a villain in JLA: Tower of Babel – he understands many of these characters and their fears and weaknesses long before he actually meets them. A great moment is when he works out that Green Lantern’s ring only functions through concentration, and while Hal Jordan drowns in his own ego, the Dark Knight stealthily takes the ring from his finger. In short, Johns may be writing a relaunch, but the work completed by other writers in the past has not been forgotten.
During the run, you’ll notice that Geoff Johns rarely floods our eyes with dialogue and captions. Sometimes less is more, but Justice League: Origin seems to lack much dialogue at all. With the second issue commencing, it’s basically just a fight between Superman and Batman, with Green Lantern summoning his ally The Flash to break up the fight. This battle is caused by confusion, with the Man of Steel believing that the heroes are working with the Parademons. It’s a lame excuse for a fight and you get the only feeling the scene exists is to sell some nice pages of art. Regardless, the Justice League is coming closer together and then disaster strikes! Across the globe, the Motherboxes explode open and unleash hordes of Parademons. While the heroes are forced to deal with them, it’s the burning energy from Apokolips that gives Victor Stone his injuries, and his father uses STAR Labs technology to save his life. As ever, Vic loathes his new body, and during the fourth issue, Johns writes much dialogue from Cyborg’s perspective. The words don’t focus so much on the pain or misery, but what it would be like to live as a computer. A robotic voice is present, constantly updating the software and weaponry. We’re shown how Vic Stone adapts to this change and the challenges that come with it. By the end, it’s clear that adding Cyborg was a positive move – we’ve become so accustomed to the other six heroes that we know pretty much everything we need to. With Cyborg, a new dimension is added, and it’s made all-the-more interesting thanks to good writing.
After the Parademons arrive, the story pretty much runs itself. Along with some huge fights, Wonder Woman and Aquaman enter the scene, with the former actually coming across as more interesting than in her pre-New 52 days. This time, her link with humanity comes from Steve Trevor, a character who features quite a bit in the issues after this story. Either way, by the end of Justice League (vol 2) 4, all the heroes are together to meet the big villain. Surprise, surprise. It’s Darkseid!
Justice League (vol 2) 5 is mostly a fight between Darkseid and the heroes, but with one issue to go, the story needs to move forwards a bit. Superman is defeated and taken away by Darkseid to Apokolips. After the fight, we’re shown perhaps the most bizarre scene in the whole story. Batman and Green Lantern is the partnership which Johns focuses on the most here, with the Dark Knight seeing much of himself in Hal Jordan. For a mystery man who doesn’t reveal himself to many, it’s quite weird that Batman removes his cowl in front of Hal Jordan, revealing himself to be Bruce Wayne, before wandering off into the open city to be taken away by Parademons. I get that Batman always has a plan he doesn’t want to share, but why comprise his identity at a time like this? I guess it’s dramatic, but it feels so out of place.
While the other heroes prepare to take on Darkseid once more, Batman arrives on Apokolips to find Superman. Justice League (vol 2) 6 features DeSaad and other Fourth World characters as they torture Superman. The goal of Darkseid is to transform the Man of Steel into a weapon to be used purely for evil. It’s what you expect from the two-dimensional world of Apokolips. Either way, Batman arrives to rescue Superman, while the other heroes fight back against Darkseid on Earth. However, it’s Cyborg who emerges as the true hero. By using his new powers and the technology of the Motherbox, he traps Darkseid on his world after all seven JLA members have escaped from the hellish world. With all the Parademons gone, the world’s attitude towards the JLA has magically transformed into a chorus of praise. How realistic is this? With hundreds killed by Darkseid’s Omega rays and Metropolis almost obliterated, you’d think that attitudes towards the league would remain divided. For the sake of finality and formality, which isn’t the case. The Justice League are now loved and rewarded by the US President for their efforts, with the world now relying on these seven heroes to defend the world.
When you think about it, Justice League: Origin isn’t very different from nearly every other JLA origin story. Basically, the heroes have to unite to take on a big threat. In that respect, the first six issues of the New 52 are no different from what’s come previously. In fact, perhaps there is less to take away from this story than – say – Justice League of America (vol 1) 9, or even Mark Waid’s JLA: Year One miniseries. Not only is this plot basic, but it’s a breeze to read. It’s told with astonishing pace and there are a large number of fights to break up the story, but perhaps it goes a bit too far at times as some additional dialogue scenes could have set the scene better. However, just because it’s so basic and quick to read, it doesn’t mean this story is bad in any major way. For a beginner, this is a great way to get interested in the Justice League’s world – Geoff Johns understands these characters with fantastic accuracy and knows how to tell an enjoyable comic book. For its faults, the plotting never lets the story down and it does hook readers into reading the rest of the run.
Readers may also be hooked by the two epilogues at the end of the six issues. The first one is only a page which hints at the creation of a team of supervillains. The second is far more mysterious. With a person dead on the streets, the mysterious cloaked Phantom Stranger appears to confront a hooded mystic named Pandora. The dialogue – whether it be mysterious and mystical at the same time – is threatening and it’s clear that some drama between these two characters will emerge in the future. With Pandora trapped by some long curse, she believes the Justice League can help her. This is a great set-up for a future story, and not very much is given away which is very good. It’s teasing a very intriguing future.
As I said earlier, Jim Lee is a very talented artist, but he’s often considered to be at his best when creating impressive splash-pages depicting dramatic moments. There are plenty of those in Justice League: Origin, but Lee conveys the calmer moments featuring dialogue well too. Like Neal Adams, Jim Lee has an eye for detail – nothing looks rushed, left out, or boring. His sense of detail is incredible, and he is helped by an inker who can be both highly faithful but creative in his own right. When you look at Jim Lee’s pencils, you might notice that the inker will have to work out some details for themselves. Scott Williams does that brilliantly as he makes Lee’s pencils come to life. Other inkers like Sandra Hope and Mark Irwin do the same here too. Most readers will probably remember Justice League: Origin for the impressive art, and that shouldn’t be much of a surprise.
VERDICT
Overall, Justice League: Origin is a good starting point for readers of modern comics. I suppose a cynic could argue convincingly that the art has more impact than the story, but perhaps that’s a sad truth to comic books these days. Art sells better than writing does, and it’s not helped by the fact that this story is laced with endless fight scenes and barely any dialogue. But it certainly did hook in a keen readership, and Geoff Johns writes a Justice League that feels both retro and modern. Overall, I may have complaints about it, but its brevity and action do make it very enjoyable.
Next Week: Justice League: The Villain’s Journey (Justice League (vol 2) 7-12). Written by Geoff Johns with art by Jim Lee, Gene Ha, Carlos D’Anda, Ivan Reis, Ethan Van Sciver, David Finch, Scott Williams, Joe Prado, Mark Irwin, Jonathan Glapion, Sandra Hope, Matt Banning, Rob Hunter, Joe Weems, Alex Garner, and Trevor Scott.
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