Stand aside Justice League, and make way for a more human inspired team otherwise known as the Justice League of America!
Batman’s recently formed team has been pretty busy saving different cities of the like from various dangers. The team appears to be making some progress until a portal opens, and a classic foe makes his DC Rebirth debut. Who steps foot from the portal? None other than Lord Havok and his Extremists. What Does Lord Havok want with earth? Why did he come here? And will the league be able to pull it together or fall in division?
Steve Orlando showed that he is capable of writing a Justice League title and here is no different. Admittedly it’s very interesting that Batman insists that the team was formed to be more approachable, boots to the ground, more “human”. But when you look at who is involved on the roster, it’s the very opposite of normal human beings given their abilities that are the least human-like. Maybe He’s looking for members who are more relatable to the everyday people that they are poised to protect. Regardless of that, this was a fun read and looks to show that Orlando has a direction in mind for this title. The banter with Lobo and Canary is minuscule but still present in the book (which I’m glad Orlando decided to keep since the Rebirth#1 issue of this series). He makes this ragtag group of CW characters have a presence than most writers lack in this current day and age. Implementing Lord Havok is an interesting choice since he has been a staple villain in most iterations of JLA titles, especially in the 80’s and 90’s, so it’s very refreshing seeing Orlando return the Villain into a fresh lenses for new fans to read about. The dialogue is good, but I don’t know if it’s me, but killer frost and Atom (Ryan Choi)’s conversation came off a little cheesy, but that’s just a nitpick of mine. The writing is solid throughout.
Ivan Reis never disappoints when he illustrates any character that he is assigned, and much the Rebirth #1 of JLA, he strikes gold again with this issue. I’m not sure how long he’s gonna remain on the title, possibly for this one arc, even then it’s top notch art that provides a blockbuster style that makes the book visually stimulating. I think my favorite page is just seeing Lobo somewhere In the south pacific dealing with some minor threats while riding his space bike. It’s simple compared to Reis beautiful splash pages, but I like how he captures a simple moment within that page that left em.grinning more than anything.
Inkers Prado, Albert and Ferreria all do a crisp job at providing solid ink work making Reis’s pencils leap off the pages with energy. Maiolo’s colors add on to that artistic sandwich with ease, and Cowles lettering does a serviceable job as it’s meant to. If you’ve been looking for a Justice League series that has all the things you like such as character dynamics, well-paced structure in story, and solid art to boot along with a general sense of direction, then this is the Justice League title to pick up.
Newsdesk