DC New 52 Review: Justice League #3-4

I don't think I've written a scathing review yet. I've been more than fair to most of the titles I've reviewed. Well, I have to say, I've really given this book the benefit of the doubt so far and I think I have to lay it out there...


Justice League #3-4
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils by Jim Lee
Inks by Scott Williams
Cover Price: $3.99 Each

In a nutshell:
Each issue another hero joins in on the action. "Hey, lets team up!", (insert some childish comment from green lantern here) Big Action, Big Action... Next issue, another hero joins in on the action... "Hey, lets team up!", (insert some childish comment from green lantern here)...

Synopsis:
By the end of the fourth issue you realize that there hasn't been a breath since first panel of the first issue, and that's not a good thing. The story started in issue one with Batman and Green Lantern in action and each issue another character has joined in on the action in an implausible way, and there is almost no story besides the action. The story that is there seems stuffed in in an unnatural way. In fact, nothing in this comic feels natural (Cyborg gets one of the most bizarrely rushed origins I ever read). Geoff Johns has written some of the best stories by DC Comics in the last decade. This is not one of them. I remember listening to Jeff Loeb being interviewed on WordBalloon once and he spoke of how he tailors his stories for his artist and I can't help but feel that that is what Johns is trying to do here because nothing here feels like a Geoff Johns story. The difference is that when Loeb did Hush with Jim Lee he actually had a story with all the bells and whistles. The dialog in this story seems like it's trying to be Brian Michael Bendis but reads more like Tiny Titans. The characters don't even seem to have the same personality that they do in the other books that Geoff Johns is writing that features them. Now come on, be honest, Johns didn't really write this, did he?

Why did I pick it up?
Because this is the series that has gotten the most media attention, I'm committed to seeing this story arc through.

The Good:
In the third issue we finally get Wonder Woman although she seems to have the bubbly naive personality Starfire had in the classic New Teen Titans stories. And the story really gives props to Aquaman who comes off as a major badass in this story. But the draw of the book is getting to see Jim Lee draw all the major icons, even if their appearance is some what less iconic because of the ridiculously out of date costume modifications by Jim Lee. And by issue four Lee's art finally is starting to look like what we expect from the superstar and I have to say Jim Lee can make even the lame look pretty spectacular.

The Bad:
I'm going to use this space on a little commentary about Cyborg's new look. In the 20th century we had this vision of what the 21st century would be like that was "big". The future was expected to be huge and metallic, and blasting off. But the reality is that the trend of the 21st century has been the opposite. Everything is becoming more subtle. Instead of bigger, it's been smaller. Instead of in your face graphic design, we get "classic". So if Cyborg was added to this team because he's the character that DC feels represents the 21st Century, why is his new design anything but? Don't get me wrong, Jim Lee does cool machines as well as anyone, but I don't think that's 21st Century. How about making Cyborg look a little more like an iPhone, sleek, classic, subtle, with a whole lot of surprises packed inside...

Is it worth it?
This book is a dollar more than the other DC titles and the extras aren't interesting at all. The appeal is the art and for some people that's enough. But it wasn't enough to keep Image Comics on top in the 90s and this is the weakest story I've ever seen Geoff Johns write. I'm still holding out a little hope that the story will really pull together, but this feels like an improve session that so far just goes on and on and on...

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DC New 52 Review: Justice League #2

Justice League #2
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils by Jim Lee
Inks by Scott Williams
Cover Price: $3.99


In a nutshell:
Still moving the story way too slowly!

Synopsis:
This chapter basically begins with a classic Marvel style misunderstanding where the heroes fight each other for no apparent reason, basically to show that Superman can take on everyone (I can't help but think that this display is really a setup to establish Wonder Woman's power in a future issue by having her be the only one who can match Superman). This story adds in the Flash to the mix whom apparently already has a close relationship with Green Lantern. Batman is the cool headed one here which is refreshing considering that he's often been portrayed as an arrogant jerk in a lot of modern comics. Green Lantern refers to Batman in the comic as "a tool", but really, it's Green Lantern who seems like a teenage fanboy internet troll and I can't help but feel that these guys talking not just like guys in their early 20s, but immature reality show rejects, just isn't that appealing to read about. The story ends with us getting a little bit more about pre-Cyborg Victor Stone in which we learn about his father's relationship with him and we get the setup for his origin.

Why did I pick it up?
Because this is the series that has gotten the most media attention, I'm committed to seeing this story arc through.

The Good:
By the end of the comic I'm actually interested in the Victor Stone storyline. I think there is nuance in his relationship with his father who obviously sees the big picture very clearly, but misses a lot of the personal stuff. I'm also glad to see a Batman that is level headed and not brooding.

The Bad:
Have I mentioned how much I hate Superman's costume design? The fight between the characters makes them seem like arrogant jerks and the catty dialog really isn't appealing. This is the second issue and we still don't have any setup for Wonder Woman, who not only is one of there big icons that DC has, but is also the only female member of the team and because this is the book that DC has been pushing as the face of their big relaunch, it seems like a really miss to not offer something for female readers to relate to. The story is moving way too slowly and the and there is so much action that the story feels like it doesn't have room to breathe. It feels like a setup to get the characters together and I just don't feel like we're getting natural introductions to these characters.

Is it worth it?
This issue is an improvement from the last issue, but I still can't recommend it in this format. I'm as of yet undecided and open to being surprised by this story, but I would recommend at this point to hold off and wait until the story is done and then get the book sized collection when that's released if the story seems to come together.

DC New 52 Review: Justice League #1

Since DC has relaunched their line this month with new #1 issues of their mainline titles as well as a (partial) restart to the history of their characters, I've been searching for reviews that could give me the scoop on the books I haven't been checking out. In doing so I found very few reviews of the ones that I have been checking out that have matched my own feelings on those books or the feedback from other fans at the comic shop I do work for. So I've decided to review the books that I had enough initial interest to pick up. This is the first of those reviews.


Justice League #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils by Jim Lee
Inks by Scott Williams
Cover Price: $3.99


In a nutshell:
Where's the beef?

Synopsis:
My main problem with this comic is that I feel like I've read it already. I get that this book is supposed to appeal to new readers, but that doesn't mean there aren't new ways to introduce characters in comics and team them up so that the story will be fresh. The story structure is very similar to the first issue of All Star Batman and Robin and the changes seem to be for the sake of being more provocative but really, these ones are kind of tired cliches at this point, not just in comics but other popular media as well. The majority of the story is about Green Lantern meeting Batman, we get a glimpse of pre-origin Cyborg, and most of the characters in the comic aren't in it. We see that Batman is an outlaw, but we've seen that before so it's not really a shocking start and the dialog feels contrived. Besides the dialog, it's not that the story is bad, it's that it feels like half an episode and doesn't really give us an idea of what the Justice League is about and why we should care. Since the story starts with the captions explaining that it is five years in the past, perhaps what it could have used is a scene preceding what is now the opening scene that shows the entire team in an actions sequence in the present time so we get to see the characters on the cover that haven't made an appearance yet (which is almost all of them) and we get a sense that something actually happened in the comic.


Why did I pick it up?
Curiosity, primarily. The advance images with the costumes really put me off but Jim Lee and Geoff Johns are top talent. While I'm not a hard core DC fan, I do feel a connection with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman and the other "Super Friends" that I grew up with. So having really mixed expectations, I decided to take a risk on the chance that it might end up being an iconic story after all.

The Good:
This isn't Jim Lee's best art, but it's still Jim Lee with Scott WIlliams on inks (the under-appreciated member of that art team).

The Bad:
The costumes look dated, they seem to follow the trends of the 1990s with the only addition from the current trends in comics being a ridiculous amount of seams in patterns that don't make much sense. Superman has armor now for a costume and a ridiculous looking collar that reminds me of alternative versions of him we saw in 90s stories like Armageddon 2001 and the DC Year 1,000,000 Annuals. Of the DC trinity, only Batman has any story time, Superman doesn't show up until the last panel, and Wonder Woman isn't even in it which really doesn't give anything for the female reader who might be checking out the comic. The characters just seem in general to be snarky, confrontational, and pissy (kind of like fanboy posturing on internet message boards) which I don't find offensive but isn't interesting and has sort of become a cliche in modern comics. The cover is a week design, the character renderings on it and strange poses and angles are not examples of Lee's talent and the orange background cover and weak logo don't help. The characters that are supposed to be in a normal non-superhero setting looks like they're posed like superheroes and they are tensed up for battle, which might mean those kind of scenes are Lee's "Achilles Heal" as an artist (and perhaps one of the reasons Hush looked so awesome is because no other writer focuses on tailoring their stories to their artist like Jeff Loeb does). Geoff Johns has done so many amazing stories that were just home runs for me. Both him and Lee are A caliber talent. But they didn't bring their A game to this issue!


Is it worth it?
For $4 in today's economy, when most of the other books are selling at $3 with a story that feels incomplete, not at all! Which doesn't mean the complete story won't be good, but for a first chapter this really doesn't hook you. If the rest of the story arc delivers perhaps the trade would be worth it. But this single issue is not!