Monday, September 5, 2011

Justice League #1 (DC New 52)

I've never read a  Justice League book.  I've always liked DC more than Marvel, so it's not a brand-hating thing, and I really liked the Justice League cartoon, so it's not an ensemble-hating thing, but the book always seemed like it wasn't something I'd enjoy.  I have no idea if that's true or not, but that's what kept me from picking one up.  When I was walking past the comics in my local Hastings, though, I was drawn to the "New 52" logo, and decided to give it a go.

This issue sets up the world the new number ones take place in.  It is a world in which superheroes are not particularly appreciated.  It is under these less-than-appreciated circumstances that we witness Batman and Green Lantern's first meeting.  Batman is typical Batman, brash and cocky as ever.  I was a bit put off by Hal Jordan's personality, but it helps to remember that this is supposed to be early days for the superhero set.  Hal Jordan is a cocky, confident guy, especially early on in his career, so I suppose this is par for the course for this character.  His choices for constructs were inventive, but sometimes the detail required made it hard to tell what they were.  When you only have green to work with, simple is better for clarity.

We also see the very beginnings of Vic Stone, before he becomes Cyborg.  It was nice to see some of the backstory behind a character I don't know much about.  Vic is a high school football star; it will be interesting to see how he teams up with the older members that fill out the Justice League.

And of course, there had to be a reference to the "alien in Metropolis."  Batman has always been distrustful of him, and that comes out very clear in this first issue.  I don't know how long this arc is, but I can be sure that at the end there will only be the minimum amount of trust between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel.

I can't say that this was the best comic I have ever read, but it got me a bit more excited for, if also a bit more nervous about, the entire new DC universe.

Overall Grade: B

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Amalgam Emergence

Coincidental Fishsticks will be re-emerging from the amalgam-blog into which it disappeared shortly.  In the meantime, here are other amalgams which are lesser known, but no less awesome.




Enjoy.