Justice League United #1 is an outstanding way to begin a new series. Consisting of a number lower teir superheroes of the DCU, United makes each one feel unique, thanks mostly in part to the tremendous writing of Jeff Lemire. Being the writer on Green Arrow and his past work on Animal Man (both members of this new team) he has a closer understanding of who each character is and it really comes through in this work.
What we get here is the story that follows up on the United zero issue (I really hate zero issues before series even begin. It makes things confusing for new readers like me) and part 1 of Justice League Canada. I know, this DC New 52 reboot was supposed to make it easier for people like me to jump back into comics, but when your #1 of a new series is so fraught with backstory from all over the place, it becomes difficult to do just that.
We get a brief interlude of an ongoing event between Hawkman and Lobo (ugh, don’t get me started on him) before the book shifts to the core members on the books cover battling a giant monster in Canada. Mike McKone has art duties on the book and he does an adequate job of bringing the characters to life even if he has the occasional hiccup when it comes to closeups. There is a particular panel of Green Arrow early on that looks less like Oliver Queen and more like Sloth from Goonies. There is also a distinct lack of attention to backgrounds throughout most of the book with gradients favored over any kind of real-world detailing. While this may be a personal preference to many readers, I find the overuse of the gradient tool to be a cheap way to cut corners, especially on issue #1 where the art team should be pulling out all the stops.
What really stands the book apart though, is the dynamic between the team. Yes, this is still a sort of coming together story, but not so much in the traditional way. Each character knows their abilities and is on the path of learning how to best incorporate them within the unit. The writing really helps to accentuate this with witty dialogue and banter between characters. Being as Jeff Lemire has worked closely with both Green Arrow and Animal Man, they both get the best lines throughout the book, something of which I am very okay with. One of the funniest moments comes with the introduction of Adam Strange, as he dons the suit that his classic incarnation is most commonly known for. How this bit happens is really silly and comes off as a wasted opportunity, but the writing manages to save the scene from its own subversion.
It’s great to see connections being formed between members of this Justice League, even if they aren’t officially calling themselves that at the moment, to the dismay of Animal Man who has wanted to be part of that team for god knows how long. The story ends with a very strange science fiction twist out of left field with the team transported from Canada to the far reaches of space. It does come off as a bit jarring, especially having no point of reference or inclination that it might be coming. Also, evil space baby. Yeah… I’ll leave that one for you all to see and judge on your own.
Justice League United #1 is a great read and a really fun start to what I hope is a book that has a good long run. The characters have enough personality and chemistry that you’ll quickly forget that they aren’t the AAA Justice League. Everything here is solidly put together minus the few artistic hiccups, and while the whole off world/space baby angle is a bit jarring (I’m sure it has precedence in earlier books even though this is a #1) it is intriguing enough to make you want to read the next issue.
Story by: Jeff Lemire
Art by:Mike McKone
$3.99
May 14 2014
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