Justice League of America #1 Review

Justice League of America: Rebirth #1

Writer:
 Steve Orlando
Penciller:
 Ivan Reis
Inker: Joe Prado, Oclair Albert & Julio Ferrera
Colorist:
 Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Cover: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado & Marcelo Maiolo

Publisher: DC Comics

A review by Nico Sprezzatura.

Now that Batman’s Justice League of America has been rebirthed, it’s time for them to prove their mettle in the DC Universe. Is the DCU big enough for two Justice Leagues? Going by this issue, I’d say so.

Justice League of America #1 more or less picks up where JLA: Rebirth #1 left off, with Batman’s motley crew of heroes getting to know one another. Naturally, this leads to some interesting dynamics in the team: Atom and Killer Frost seem to be getting along chummily, while Vixen makes a strong case for herself to be Batman’s number two. And then we’ve got Lobo, proving himself to be every bit a wild card with pretty much anybody he interacts with.

The honeymoon period doesn’t last long, however – the Eradicators show up to crash the party, forcing these disparate characters to work alongside one another quickly and efficiently. It makes a lot of sense to have the JLA’s first adversaries be another team-based entity, rather than a single foe. I shouldn’t be surprised by Steve Orlando’s storytelling savvy at this point, yet here I am…

The art team from JLA: Rebirth #1 returns here, and they’re successful in bringing timeless, classic visuals to the proceedings. There’s a double splash spread in particular that filled me with unadulterated glee when I saw it, and who doesn’t love one of those? More of that, please.

There’s also some quality lettering work done here by Clayton Cowles, who styles Orlando’s script with the appropriate flourishes. Killer Frost, for example, speaks in icy blue speech bubbles to convey eerie coldness in her tone, while The Eradicators’ bold posturing is visualized by large type and black speech bubbles outlined in red. Lettering is often overlooked in comic book criticism, which is unfortunate – they’re just as much of the total package as anything else, and should be treated as such!

The Verdict
Barring budgetary concerns you may have about its schedule –JLA ships twice-monthly, so you might prefer to wait for the trade– I’d highly recommend buying it. If you’re in the market for a classic take on super-heroics with modern sensibilities, you could do worse than picking up JLA #1. Orlando and the rest of the creative team have set the table for good things to come, and I fully endorse starting on the ground floor.