The big complaint with the Justice League of America in recent months (and years) is that the comic that was a leader for the DC Universe has been relegated to being a follower and reacting to all the mega-crossovers that have dominated of late.As a result, the cast of the JLA has been made up of second-tier characters, as the big five (among others) have been caught up in bigger events.
There seems to be some effort to turn that around, as the creative reins are handed over to two big names in DC's arsenal: writer James Robinson (who's still working on the JLA spin-off, Cry for Justice) and Mark Bagley, who recently wrapped the year-long Trinity series.
Unfortunately, the characters available still haven't caught up to events. So no Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern or Flash.
In their place we have characters like Vixen, Red Tornado, Plastic Man and Dr. Light. Fine characters, but not the kind of high octane heroes you need for a great team book.
Right out of the box they're pitted against an incredibly powerful foe, just to emphasize their problems (as if it needed to be spelled out for us).
The art, of course, is outstanding. I'm a big fan of Bagley's, who turns in strong, clean storytelling with sexy women and powerful battles. His work is like a cross between Gil Kane and John Byrne (with a dash of Wally Wood) - strong layouts, great physicality - at its heart, fun comic art.
The story just seems to be continuing the title's tradition of marking time. Hopefully things will pick up in a few months with the end of Cry for Justice - but surely fans ran out of patience for things to get back to normal by now.
Here's hoping the future brings brighter things.
Grade: B-
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