Issue Review: Justice League 23 (New 52)

As the story begins, the Alfred Pennyworth of Earth-3 narrates a summary not just in the Trinity War but events since the start of the Justice League series.  While the JL was battling Darkseid, Alfred-3 escaped his world through the weakened barriers, accompanied by Atom. And while the JL was occuppied fighting normal threats, Alfred-3 was working to bring his master to this earth from Earth-3.  The three JLs, however, are busy fighting over Pandora's box, thanks to the evil leaking out of it. They battle each other in a superhero verison of the old schoolyard game "kill the guy with the ball", until they finally stop as they realize that the box is affecting everyone else mentally but Superman is being affected physically.  Firestorm concludes that there is Kryptonite inside him, and Atom admits that she put it there, inside his brain -- because she is not with the JL, but secretly with the people of Earth-3.  Cyborg's robot parts betray him at this point, and tear themselves away from him to become "Grid," a walking virus.  In the confusion, Alfred-3 grabs the box, which he reveals is from Earth-3, the "birthplace of evil," and the box acts as a portal. He uses it to gate his allies, the "Crime Syndicate" (an evil anti-Justice League from Earth-3) to our world.  Thus the "Trinity War" (Trinity for "Earth 3") ends and the Forever Evil story begins.

It's official -- I'm done with JLA

Back in December of last year (2012), I returned to the comic-book reading and collecting hobby after being away from it for 13 years.  As part of the process, I had to decide what to read, and I started with the company that had been my favorite since the 80s -- DC.  In fact, part of the reason I returned was learning about their "New 52" reboot. Although I normally don't like reboots because they erase established continuity, one reason the New 52 attracted me was that I wouldn't have to figure out what had been going on for the last 13 years. I could jump right in with digital copies from just a year ago, easily catch up on my favorite characters like Supergirl, and in a matter of months I'd be "up to speed." Thus, I could shortcut the normal "wading in" process that can, with a long-running continuity, take months, sometimes even years.

Obviously, with 52 titles being put out a month, even limiting myself to DC meant I would have to make some pretty quick decisions about what titles to read.  Historically, even when comics only cost 75 cents, I had always limited myself to 10 ongoing titles per month (with some allowance for additional purchases of one-shots, mini-series, and the like), and I figured to do the same thing this time -- especially with over a year of back-issues to buy even with the reboot.  After a bit of "sampling," as my local comic-shop owner calls it, I settled on a handful of titles, one of which was Justice League.

Early on, Justice League, written by Geoff Johns and drawn first by Jim Lee and then Ivan Reis, was an excellent comic-book that reminded me just why I loved them years ago.  The first story arc, which re-tells the origin of the team and how they all met, was funny, dramatic, tense, and interesting (at least until the last issue, which was a huge disappointment).  By the time I'd read a handful of issues, it was on my "pull list."

Then, just a couple of months into my renewed collecting hobby, and before I'd even gotten completely caught up on Justice League (they were putting out issue 16 or so and I was still catching up on 11 or 12), DC announced the release of a new JL-related book, called Justice League of America.  I'll be honest. I wasn't too thrilled about this to begin with.  Although I was happy to commit to an issue of Justice League every month, I wasn't sure I liked the team, or the premise, enough to commit multiple slots of my pull list to them -- and again, I refuse to allow my pull list to just balloon without limit.

Issue Review: Justice League of America 7

This issue represents the fourth part of the 6-part (plus) "Trinity War" Justice League event, and the crossover continues to be lackluster.  The story begins with Lex Luthor salivating over the fact that Superman has somehow been framed for killing Dr. Light, and in the middle of his prison, Pandora shows up with her skull-shaped box.  She encourages Luthor to open it.

As these events unfold, elsewhere, members of the three Leagues (JL, JLA, and JL Dark) burst into Dr. Psycho's base, and battle him.  They think he used his mind powers to trick Superman into killing Dr. Light, but they find out that he was not involved.  He does, however, implicate a "secret society."  Atom finally admits that the JLA was formed to fight the JL, and everyone feels betrayed.  At the same time, Steve Trevor leads another group against a mysterious house.  Inside, they find a mirror that shows the Phantom Stranger, who had traveled with a fourth team to seek out the dead soul of Dr. Light.  Unable to find it, the Stranger returns the team to the house through the broken mirror, and then disappears.

Superman's group returns to Amanda Waller, ready to accuse her of wrongdoing, but the secret society blows up Dr. Light's body, causing the entire building to explode.  Meanwhile, back in Luthor's prison, Wonder Woman stops Pandora from giving Luthor the box and takes it herself. The issue ends with Diana drawing her sword, and the clear implication is that now she has turned evil and everyone will have to fight her ("The box has me!").

New Comic-book Night - 6/26/13

It's the final week of June, and a fairly decent week for getting new comics as well as some older ones.  This morning I had to turn back the keys to my apartment, and the c-shop is much closer to that than to my new home, so I stopped by there after bidding the apartment complex farewell, and before heading in to work.  Hey, it's summer, and I don't have any classes to teach...

I'm also not saving up for a house or trying to keep my bank balances flat due to lender credit checks any more, so that means I was able to un-clench the wallet a little bit, and pick up one of the last few Supergirl trades I've been wanting.  Actually, the next trade in order for the Supergirl series (volume 5, or series 4) that I'm currently working on should be "Who is Superwoman?" but the comic shop didn't have that one, so I picked up the next one in the sequence, "Friends and Fugitives." That one collects issues 43, and 45-47, but not 44, which was part of a different story arc (Superman: Codename Patriot). I don't want that whole other arc, just the Supergirl story, so I picked up issue 44 as well.

In terms of new comics, there were three this week. One currently residing on my pull list (Justice League), one that's been teetering on the edge of being on or off the pull list (Justice League of America), and a brand new issue 1 release (Batman/Superman).  And so, all told, I bought 4 comics and a trade today.  Below, I will summarize the three new comics -- Supergirl 44 and the trade must wait until I get the "Who is Superwoman" trade so I can read the stories in order.

Justice League 21 - The Justice League series has had a persistent Shazam! backup story featuring the retelling of the origin of Captain Marvel (I refuse to call the character "Shazam") for about a year now, but this month, Billy Batson takes center stage.  His arch-enemy, Black Adam (the first to wield the Shazam! power) has tracked him down, and now threatens Mary Bromfield and Freddy Freeman, along with the other foster siblings Billy has joined since being taken in from the orphanage.  Adam tells Billy/Captain Marvel that he can "transfer" the Shazam! power, and Billy gets the idea (aided by a magical genie that keeps appearing in reflective surfaces and giving him advice) to transfer that power to his foster siblings. And suddenly we have the good old "Captain Marvel family" of yesteryear roaming the pages of the comics.  I greatly enjoyed this sequence, because I've always liked Captain Marvel, Jr. (Freddy) and especially Mary Marvel, who is one of my all-time favorite female superheroes (right behind Supergirl and Wonder Woman).  Mary defends the city against the physical embodiment of the Seven Deadly Sins while Billy/Captain Marvel battles Black Adam.  The action in this issue is strong, but there's also plenty of heart, and there are some wonderful nods to nostalgia, including a nod to the old "Mr. Tawny" character.  Johns did a great job on this issue, and proves that the Marvel Family absolutely deserve their own series, rather than to be relegated to guest stars of Justice League.  I hope Cap gets a permanent position on the team soon, and I'd love to see Mary and Freddy rotate in as subs on occasion.  The art by Gary Frank is, of course, phenomenal, but then it always is.  This is a great issue... I'd say "JL is back" but I know it probably isn't, since next month we start another of DC's gawd-awful "events" (Trinity War) -- sigh. But for this issue, 10/10.

Justice League of America 5 - Last issue's manipulative ending, which showed a clearly impossible event (Catwoman having her brains shot out) really pissed me off about this series, and the overall story was not as strong as the first three.  I had been considering dropping it if things did not get better this issue, but they definitely did.  We finally see the JLA fight as a team here, and work together to defeat the Secret Society of Super-villains.  The victory is more like a stand-off, with the SSV vanishing, but two of their number captured.  We get to see Star Girl really unload on a few of the villains here, which I greatly enjoyed -- I love her youthful energy and heroism.  Star Girl is proof that people who insist that all teenagers must be portrayed as recalcitrant bags of angst is just plain wrong. The art's a bit better in this issue as well. As a result, I give it an overall score of 8/10, and it remains on the "maybe" category -- maybe it will make it onto my pull list.  Once again due to Trinity War, I am going to have to wait... it may be October or November before I make up my mind, since I will be sitting out the entire DC line in September (right after Trinity War ends) over my objections to "Villain Month."

Batman/Superman 1 - Since the days of the original World's Finest Comics, the tandem of Batman plus Superman has always been exciting for readers. These two characters, who have such different styles and powers, can, when written well, truly complement each other.  Therefore, I picked up issue 1 of the newest version of World's Finest Comics, Batman/Superman, with great interest.  I'm sad to say, I was highly disappointed.  This story is typical of DC issue 1 offerings in the New 52 -- the writer and artist seem to have as their main goal, making the reader think "What the heck?" over and over again.  Honestly, I have know idea what the hell is going on in this issue. Many panels depict scenes that are simply incomprehensible.  The story doesn't make any sense, and it's clearly not supposed to yet.  Here again we have the annoying motif that I am expected to wait half a year or more, and shell out $4 per month while I wait, to find out what is going on (and whether I like what's going on enough to keep reading).  Sorry, DC, but that is not going to happen. I will give Batman/Superman another month or two, but if it doesn't become penetrable, and I mean post haste, I'm gone.  Which is a shame, since I like these characters enough that I really should collect a series about them -- but so far nothing offered for either Bats or Supes makes me want to spend my money.  My score on this one is 5/10, and that's being generous.

I also had a chat with the owner of my comic shop about my decision to sit out the whole of Villain Month, and he said that I am not alone. Many of his customers are adopting a "wait and see" attitude toward it.  For me, I'm not even doing that. I will not be picking up any print copies of DC titles in September. Instead, I will use September as "sample independent titles month," and if I like a few of them more than I like what DC has been putting out, I will be dropping some of the maybes, like Batman/Superman, The Movement, and possibly JLA.

New Comic-book Night - 3/20/13

It's "week 3" of the month, and that means my largest haul of new paper comics, at least for the moment.  This week's "pull list" included Justice League 18, JLA 2, and Supergirl 18.  In addition, I picked up the trade paperback containing issues 6-9 of the previous Supergirl series, Supergirl: Candor.  Combined with last week's purchase of Supergirl: Power, I now have the stories contained in the first 10 issues of that series (0-9), plus a few other stories in which that version of Supergirl appeared.

I've not read Candor yet, but I have read this week's new offerings, and they are a mixed bag.  Strangely enough, JLA, which is the new kid on the block, and is written by Geoff Johns, was the strongest book this week.  I'll provide brief reviews of each issue.

Justice League of America #2

 After getting off to a slow start in issue #1, where hardly any of the team members got much screen time, we finally see the team coming together in this issue.  I'm still not quite sure that Catwoman makes much sense on this team, but I am greatly enjoying Star Girl, who seems to be one of the few classical superhero characters left in the DC Universe, and Martian Manhunter, who is always interesting.  There's a nice cliffhanger ending in classical comic-book style as well. This one's an 8/10.

Justice League #18

In the main story, the JL has decided to let new members onto its roster, and this issue has them all showing up at the JL base (which is a space station orbiting the earth) and meeting each other.  We see one of the first "Metal Men," who malfunctions, and watch a great number of heroes interact.  The basic premise is interesting enough, but it is executed very badly.  They're going for humor as the heroes interact, but a lot of the jokes fall flat.  In the Shazam! backup story, which is finally back after vanishing for a couple of issues, we see Black Adam terrorizing the city, and Freddy tells the rest of the family about Billy Batson being Captain Marvel (I know they don't call him that any more, but that's the proper name for the character). The Seven Deadly Sins also make their appearance.  Although I enjoy the Shazam! backup feature, I really think it is misplaced. They should have just made a 6-issue Shazam! mini-series rather than adding it as a backup feature to JL. I give this one 7/10.

Supergirl #18

I was looking forward to this issue, hoping that, with the atrocious H'el story arc finally over, and with her finally admitting the destruction of Krypton and knowing how to speak English, Supergirl would start to attain some level of normalcy, which the book has not had yet since it started a year and a half ago.  Sadly, DC just seems unwilling, or perhaps unable to make Kara act like a normal person, or have any sort of normal down-to-earth experiences.  Instead, she's suffering from Kryptonite poisoning after the events of H'el. There are hints in this issue that they may be doing this to "depower" Kara so that she is not equal in power level to Superman (if they are doing so, it is both lame and sexist, and they will earn even more of my derision than they already have).  Supergirl gets attacked by a lava creature that apparently comes from the Superboy comic.  That part is a typical mindless superfight.

But what I really hated about this issue was Kara's behavior, which continues to be utterly inexcusable. She is a complete hot-head, who won't listen to anyone else and does just whatever she pleases.  She doesn't think, doesn't plan, just goes off half-cocked all the time.  This aspect of her personality is decidedly unappealing, and it is starting to make me actively dislike this version of Kara, rather than just being disappointed in it.  They may call this character "Supergirl" and "Kara Zor-El" but from where I sit, she is even more of an impostor than the old Matrix character, who at least acted like Supergirl should act.

I'm not sure why the writers and editors have decided to make Supergirl such a hot-tempered, unsympathetic, down-right jackass of a character.  Perhaps this is how they view teenage girls. Perhaps they just don't like the character and therefore aren't inclined to make her likable.  But at this point, I'm getting very close to giving up on the Supergirl series. And that's pretty amazing, when you consider all the money I have spent getting every single back-issue of The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (series 2), and Peter David's 80-issue run about a character that was called Supergirl but wasn't even Kara.  At this point, honestly what I would really love to see is original, pre-Crisis Supergirl from Daring New Adventures show up in this timeline, and kick this new Kara's ass all over the planet.  Hell, I'd root for Matrix Supergirl in that fight at this point. And again, for someone who loves the original Kara so much, that's really saying something.

Here's hoping the new writer with issue #20 can do something positive with this character. Right now, she's just a complete and total brat of a teenager. And that's not a very respectful way for them to write this venerable character.  I give this issue 6/10.

New 52 Justice League - Year 1

For decades, one of the flagship titles of +DC Comics has been the Justice League.   The Justice League's book has taken on various forms and titles over the years, but whatever the exact name of the series (Justice League of America, JLA, Justice League International), it has always been a top-seller for DC, and has usually (though not always) featured the heaviest hitters in the DC Universe.  Classically, the Justice League membership includes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern and Aquaman.  Each of these characters has historically been a major DC star in his or her own right, so putting them together has always engendered the highest of expectations.  When the book delivers, it is unparalleled in the comic world -- even the Avengers cannot compare.  But when the book doesn't deliver, it has produced some of the most bitter disappointments in the history of comics.

Therefore, when I started collecting comic-books again back in December, it was with a mixture of both excitement and a little concern that I started reading the New 52 Justice League. Would it live up to its vaunted history? Or would it be another New 52 disappointment, as so many other titles have already been (Superman, Action Comics, Hawk and Dove)?  My trepidation was increased when my good friend, +Stuart Johnson, indicated that the title was mediocre.

As with the other New 52 titles, I began buying the series digitally, starting with issue #1 and working forward.  I have now completed the first year (issues 1-12 plus the #0 "origin" issue).  I read a couple of issues each in December and January while I worked on getting myself current with series that were more important to me - Supergirl, Batgirl, and Superman.  After catching up to #16 with all those New 52 titles, I then started to work on Justice League.  What follows will be my review of the series in its first year (issues #1-12 and #0).

From the very start, I was pleased to see that Justice League was living up to its name.  Headed by Geoff Johns (writer) and Jim Lee (artist), the book has fairly blown me away right from the beginning.  The stories have been interesting and fun to read. The plots have made sense (for a change, compared to the impenetrable Gordian knots of Action Comics and Superman). The characterization has been strong.  And although there have been plenty of world-threatening, nail-biting situations, Johns has managed to inject a wonderful note of levity into the series.

Justice League's first year, as with most of the New 52 titles, is divided into two 6-issue story arcs.  I will discuss each one separately below, and then discuss issue #0, and close with my final thoughts.

Story Arc 1: Justice League (issues 1-6)

The first story arc of Justice League takes place 5 years in the "past."  I found this to be slightly confusing at first, as the series of the League's members (e.g., Batman, Superman) all seemed to be taking place in the "present" (thus, though the #1 issues were all published at the same time, they were depicting different eras in the DC timeline).  However, although this "five years ago" setting did confuse me in terms of how the events of the book related to events in other titles within the DC Universe, the story itself was easy to follow and quite enjoyable.  The arc begins before the Justice League even exists. Each hero (other than Cyborg, who is just a normal kid in high school at the start) is on his own, and little by little, the heroes meet each other, starting with Batman and Green Lantern.

Right from the beginning, writer Johns infuses the story, which is of the utmost seriousness (an invasion of Earth by Apokolips, as it turns out), with a wonderful sense of humor.  Perhaps one of the funniest exchanges I have ever read in comics occurs in issue #1, where Green Lantern asks Batman what his super powers are.  "Flight?" asks Lantern, to which Batman answers, "No." "Super strength?" "No."  Then Lantern looks at him and says, "Waiiit a second... your just a guy dressed up like a bat, aren't you?"  I laughed so hard I almost dropped my Nexus 7 tablet.

As the story unfolds, in different cities all around the world, pinging boxes are being set up ("mother boxes" for those who know about New Gods lore), and they keep teleporting (via "boom tubes", again if you know New Gods lore) creatures into our world to attack us (the creatures are Parademons, another item from New Gods lore).  Over time, gradually these attacks draw the heroes together... Batman and Green Lantern are drawn to Superman. Then the Flash joins them.  And finally Wonder Woman and Aquaman.

Along the way, we are treated to the origin of Cyborg, who is fatally wounded by one of the mother boxes, and whose father has to graft him to machinery to save his life.  I had never seen the origin of Cyborg told before, so I really enjoyed this part of the story.  I'm glad they put Cyborg (who used to be a Teen Titan) onto the Justice League.  I've always thought he deserved more attention (I'd love to see him get his own book one day), and Johns and Lee do a great job with his first moments as a hero.

After the Justice League finally assembles, the last issues of this story arc depict an all-out battle between them and the forces of Apocalypse.  Darkseid himself arrives on earth, and the League has to battle the most powerful villain in the DC Universe. Up until this point, the series was outstanding. But I have to admit, the way Johns handled Darkseid was underwhelming.

Why didn't I like how Darkseid was handled?  Well, the primary reason was that he was too quiet.  Old school Darkseid never shut up -- he was always soliloquizing about his power and making bombastic statements.  Who can forget his words to Supergirl in Legion of Super-Heroes #294 circa 1982? "You have much to learn child. For instance this? This is pain.  You should be honored, child. I have not done this with my hands for a millennium. How DeSaad would have loved this.  A shame he is no more. But even he had his limits. As have all. Save I!"  Or how about when the Legion finally defeated him, and the Invisible Kid asked how they would hold him.  Darkseid's response was, "Remember children, the darkness cannot surrender. It is ever on the other side of the dawn. And the instant you gaze at it in fear... your time shall come."

And that, I suppose, was my one real disappointment.  Darkseid was powerful, but silent.  He said nothing. He made no threats. He did not give his classic Darkseid speeches.  After reading a series full of fantastic dialogue and witty repartee among the rest of the characters, Darkseid's relative muteness was quite a let-down.  He also did not seem anywhere near powerful enough, in most of the scenes.  If, before reading this story, I didn't know who Darkseid was, I probably would not have been very impressed with him.

On the other hand, Darkseid's blandness aside (and it is a major flaw), the rest of the story arc was great.  I enjoyed the general story, and I thought it was fitting that Darkseid was the cause of the Justice League's formation. He's an appropriate first, and arch, enemy for them.  By the time the story arc wraps in issue 6, the Justice League has formed, and they are being cheered on by a grateful public, who finally realizes that these super-beings are heroes, and are protecting the world from harm.

Story Arc 2: The Villain's Journey (issues 7-12)

The second story arc takes place in the present -- i.e, 5 years after the first one. Beginning in this issue and continuing through issue #12, Johns presents two stories. The main story is about 20 pages long, covering the activities of the League, and features the art of Gene Ha and Jim Lee.  The second story is about half as long, and features the art of Gary Frank (a huge favorite of mine since his days drawing the Matrix version of Supergirl).

The "lead" story in each issue is about the revenge being planned and then taken on the Justice League by a man named Graves, who is dying of a disease that also killed the rest of his family.  Graves blames the League for this, because his family fell ill right after the League's battles with Darkseid (issues 1-6).  Even though the JL saved his family's life at the time, little by little each one grew ill and died, until only a very sick Graves was left.  Graves, dying, travels to a remote mountain, where he finds what he thinks are gods, but turn out to be spirit-parasites.  He gains some power from them temporarily, and uses that power against the League. Ultimately, there is a huge battle and the League defeats him.

At the same time, there is a thread running through the story about the growing concern and mistrust of the JL by the federal government.  Congress wants someone on the "inside" of the League, which the heroes resist.  The government doesn't trust the heroes with all this power.  So they continue to put pressure on Steve Trevor, the team's liaison, to admit new heroes into the team.  This thread leads to Green Arrow trying to get onto the team in issue #8, and culminates later this month with the creation of a new "Justice League of America."

In the secondary story, orphan Billy Batson is adopted by a foster family whose other children include Mary Bromfield and Freddy Freeman (for those who don't know, these three are traditionally given the SHAZAM! powers and become Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel, Jr.).  As Billy struggles to fit in, a mad scientist named Dr. Sivana searches for the final resting place of Black Adam (Captain Marvel's classic enemy). By the end of issue #12, Sivana has found Black Adam, and awakened him, and Billy Batson has ended up in a mysterious underground temple.  The story will then lead us into #0.

Issue #0 - SHAZAM!

As with the other titles in the +DC Comics New 52, Justice League, for its 1-year anniversary, put out a "zeroth" issue.  The #0 issues of each title reveal an origin or backstory of the characters in the current series.  In this case, Justice League #0 tells the origin of Captain Marvel, who gains his powers from the ancient wizard Shazam, by saying the wizard's name.  Billy Batson, the teenager we have been following for about 6 months now (see above), finally meets the wizard, and is told to speak the magic word - SHAZAM! When he does, a bolt of lightning and a crack of thunder transform him from a teenage boy into a grown man (Captain Marvel) with power to rival Superman.  The interesting wrinkle to Captain Marvel has always been, though, that although he has the body of a man, his mind is still that of a teenage boy.  In that sense, he has more in common with the Teen Titans than with the Justice League.

Overall, this was a good issue.  Gary Frank's art, as usual, is fantastic. He has always been very talented at showing subtle changes to facial expressions, and he continues to shine in that area.  His Captain Marvel looks great, and I like the updated costume (though I'm not sure where I stand on the new hood, which makes his cape look more like a cloak).

The story was good, although there were a couple of elements I didn't love.  For example, it has always been the case that the meaning of the word SHAZAM! is told during his origin story (which has been told and re-told many times since before +DC Comics even owned the character).  The acronym means: The wisdom of Solomon; the strength of Hercules; the stamina of Atlas; the power of Zeus; the courage of Achilles; and the speed of Mercury.  I don't understand how Geoff Johns could have spent an entire issue re-telling the origin of SHAZAM!/Captain Marvel and not explain what the word means (without that, it's just a nonsense word).  Similarly, although they show the seven deadly sins, the sins are not named.  Presumably these will come out in later issues (the back-up story already hints at that), but the seven deadly sins, like the meaning of the word SHAZAM!, are so tied up with this character's origin that I don't see how you can feel like you've re-told it properly without explaining those to the reader, at least (if not, yet, to the character).

That said, I found the actual story to be mostly satisfying. Billy Batson, once possessed of the SHAZAM! powers, is very entertaining. He acts like the unruly teenager he's been all along, but yet we still see the purity of heart there, as he rescues a strange woman from a mugger, and also worries that he might have hit the mugger "too hard" (he really does over-do it).  But we also see his mischievous side, when the woman asks how she can thank him and he asks her for money, or when he suggests to Freddy Freeman (who is still presumably the future Captain Marvel, Jr., although we will have to wait and see on that one) that they can use Billy's seeming-adult status to buy beer.

One thing that was glaringly left out, however, was any instruction by the old wizad Shazam as to just exactly how Billy is supposed to revert back to normal.  In the past, he has been able to change back and forth via the magic lightning. Will he be able to do so, or is he going to be "stuck" as Captain Marvel for a while? I hope he can change back, because I think the character will lose a lot without the Billy Batson side of things.

Overall, this was a good issue, although not as well done as Jerry Ordway's retelling of the origin 20+ years ago.  I suppose they felt they had to "update" it, but I'm not sure the elements they left out did anything to serve that purpose. Rather, they probably left new readers confused.

Reflections on the first year

Overall, I have been very pleased with Justice League.  Geoff Johns has done a spectacular job with perhaps the most difficult book to write in the DC Universe.  It can't be easy to keep up with what is going on in 6 other books, and to write in-character dialogue for seven of the most important characters in DC.  Given how difficult it has been for people even on single-character books (like Superman) to do a consistent job with characterization, Johns' work has been impeccable on this series.  Each character acts the way he (or she) should -- frequently, more so in Justice League than they do in their own books (again, see, for reference, Superman).

Similarly, Jim Lee has done an outstanding job.  I know he has been a fan favorite for many years, but he's honestly never been one of mine, in part because, at least back in the day, I always thought his faces looked the same for everyone.  But at least so far in this series, he has done a good job making everyone's face distinctive and keeping them all with their classical looks while still making them looking younger and "updated."  His backgrounds and "SFX" elements are first rate.

The series overall has been excellent.  Out of all the titles that I've started reading in the New 52, one of the only ones that has delivered issue after issue, and has never disappointed, has been Justice League.  It's got some of the best writing and art of any title I've tried.  And so, I expect to be with Justice League for the long haul.  Here, finally, like Batgirl, is a series that is truly enjoyable, and is one of the rare gems of The New 52.