Justice League of America #0 is the preview issue to the much anticipated debut of the all new Justice League of America. I imagine we will deal with Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman resolving their differences. And then we will end with a teaser for the members of the new JLA. It is still blazing hot here at the Bunker so I have another ice cold cerveza and am ready for this review.
Creative Team
Writer: Brad Meltzer
Artists: Far too many to list.
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: This issue is basically a bunch of short scenes from different points in the JLA’s past and different points in the future. The issue starts with when Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman agree to found the original Justice League of America. They then vow to meet once a year just the three of them to commemorate this moment.
We see scenes from various past incarnations of the Justice League including the Satellite League, the Detroit League, the Justice League International as well as past scenes like the wedding of Donna Troy, when Batman brought in Jason Todd as the new Robin, when Superman died, when the League discovered that Batman had secret files on each member, the scene where Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman met during the OMAC battle and right before Infinite Crisis and when the three met right after the end of Infinite Crisis before they all disappeared for one year.
We also see scenes from the future. We see Hal’s wedding. Ollie and Wonder Woman are already married, too. Batman is the last one still not married. We see a scene where Lex Luthor is attacking the big three. Lex is yelling “He. Was. My. Son!” We see a scene Clark is morning the loss of Pa Kent. We see a scene where Wonder Woman gives up her immortality to get married to her love of her life. We see a scene with a new JLA satellite and Superman is alone since Wonder Woman and Batman have refused to meet despite their promise to meet once a year. We see a scene where the three are talking about how the Flash has discovered that there is a second Earth. (Hmmmm, interesting.) We see a scene where Batman is dead and Wonder Woman and Superman are meeting and talking about Bruce.
The issue ends with a scene from the present. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman all meet in the Batcave. The two make amends with each other after everything that happened prior to Infinite Crisis. They all agree that it is time to move on. Batman then says it is time for a new Justice League of America. Batman shows his files for various potential members. We see pictures of Green Arrow, Captain Marvel, Supergirl, Hawkman, Hal Jordan, Red Tornado, Flash, Black Canary, Power Girl, Zatanna, Cyborg, Vixen, and Aquaman (it looks like the real one). End of issue.
Comments:
The Good: Justice League of America #0 was a nicely done one shot issue. This was an effective teaser issue that accomplished its job of getting the reader excited for Justice League of America #1. This issue also accomplished the task of re-uniting the big three so that they could move past their differences that came to a boiling point just prior to Infinite Crisis.
Meltzer did a great job writing this issue. The story was well done, focused and properly paced. I enjoyed the alternating scenes of the past and the future. Meltzer has a great feel for Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman and did a wonderful job handling each character and their interaction with each other.
The past scenes gave the reader insight into the big three during the various past incarnations of the JLA. The future gave us neat little hints of what is to come. We see how Green Arrow, Wonder Woman and Hal Jordan all get married.
But, the most important and interesting future scene is the one where they discover the existence of a second Earth! This meshes with what we read over in the History of the DCU in 52 #11 where Donna Troy learns that there was a divergence during Infinite Crisis. Our reality where Jade died out in space and another where Donna died. This made me think that we would be getting two Earths. This scene further cements that we may be looking at two Earths in the DCU. I love it. Anything that involves multiple Earths, even in an extremely limited form, is a good thing.
And now we get to guess who is going to be a part of this team. Out of the 13 pictures that we see on the final page, I’ll narrow it down to a core team of 8 members for the new JLA. Now, I have avoided any and all spoilers and speculation for the members of the new JLA. I think that in addition to Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, the Justice League of America will consist of Hal Jordan, Hawkman, Green Arrow, Black Canary and Red Tornado. Now, maybe DC will follow the Justice League cartoon and rotate in other members every so often to mix in with the core members. Personally, I love that idea.
I like that there were numerous artists on this issue with each one drawing the era of the JLA that most suited their style. That was a cool touch.
The Bad: No complaints. This was a nice preview issue that definitely got me excited for Justice League of America #1.
Overall: Justice League of America #0 accomplished its purpose of stirring up interest for Justice League of America #1. It was nice to see the big three come together once again and stand united. I am looking forward to this first issue of the JLA. I believe that Meltzer is going to do an excellent job writing this title. I hope plenty of people give this title a chance.