• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

  • DC Guides
    • DC Events
    • DC New 52
    • DC Rebirth
    • Batman Guide
    • The Sandman Universe
  • Marvel Guides
    • Marvel Events
    • Captain America Guide
    • Iron Man Guide
    • Spider-Man Guide (1963-2018)
    • Spider-Man Guide (2018-Present)
    • Thor Guide
    • X-Men Reading Order
  • Indie & Licensed Comics
    • Spawn
    • Star Wars Guide
      • Expanded Universe Comics (2015 – present)
      • Legends Comics (1977 – 2014)
    • Valiant Guides
  • Drag
    • Canada’s Drag Race
    • Drag Race Belgique
    • Drag Race Down Under
    • Drag Race Sverige (Sweden)
    • Drag Race France
    • Drag Race Philippines
    • Dragula
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
  • Contact!
You are here: Home / consume / comic books / DC New 52 Review: Justice League International #1

DC New 52 Review: Justice League International #1

September 12, 2011 by krisis

On Saturday I realized I had been actively avoiding Justice League International.

As a fair representation as a lifelong DC skimmer, I look at this cover and see Batman, a lame alternate version of Green Lantern, and a bunch of unidentifiable nobodies. Not exactly the most-inspiring reason to read a comic book.

That’s always been one of my major problems with DC – past the heavy-hitters from Justice League of America and a handful of other heroes we all played with in the 80s as super-friends toys, I’ve never heard of these people. Unlike Marvel, they don’t sprout from one of just a handful of classic lines of 60s and 70s titles. I suppose you could say the same thing for the extended supporting cast of the Avengers or the X-Men, but they’re part of a larger interconnected family of stories. Even when they’re off panel their lives are being affected by what’s happening.

Can you say the same for Godiva or Vixen?

I seriously don’t know! Maybe I’m just projecting my DC distaste – but this weekend I finally sat down to find out by reading this issue.

Justice League International #1

Written by Dan Jurgens, art by Aaron Lopresti & Matt Ryan

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 – Okay.

In a line: “A different Justice League?”

140char Review: Justice League Int’l #1 is a standard “let’s start a team” take on a redebut, cribbing Giant Size X-Men. Plot set motion, but not thrilling.

Plot & Script

 

Dan Jurgens is a comics veteran – he knows how to structure a first issue and introduce a new team.

He starts with an effective and not-unappreciated device of performing a roll-call of potential members that reveals their countries of origin, though a quick primer on powers may have also been warranted. A UN security guy informs his committee “No masks or hidden identities” … and then tries to pick Batman? The committee members were wise to decline, yet Bats is still on flying the jet when the mission takes off. Doesn’t that make him a hijacker? I think it’s the League’s duty to restrain him.

Everyone gets at least three on-panel moments – their roll call intro, lines within the Hall of Justice, and on the battle field. We also get to see each member in action at least once. As a result, a newer reader has some way of identifying (and identifying with) a team of relative strangers.

The whole scene outside of the Hall of Justice doesn’t especially make sense. We’ve been lead to believe this is a world that hates and fears heroes – or, at least, it did five years ago when Justice League and Action Comics are set. Why, then, are there protesters outside of a Hall of Justice? Who would there be to assemble inside said hall? And, why had they vacated to allow the UN inside? Furthermore, we see that all these heroes seem to know each other and their work, which is also confusing in the context of this week’s books.

Weirdly, the only person who gets any character depth is Guy Gardner, who promptly disappears (I assume he is an act one gun that will come back in the third to save the day.) I was especially confused by the bullish Guy Gardner as a Green Lantern, since we see a different Green Lantern in Justice League. I thought there was only one per sector?

I suppose all will be answered, but the issue felt weirdly out of place against all of the other books this week. Also, this seriously plagiarizes Giant Size X-Men in a number of different ways, right down to the geological horror of the villain.

Artwork

 

Lopresti ads to the slightly retro feel of the book with a charming, ultra-heroic take on the characters. It’s not super-exciting, but it’s solid pencil work that nicely complements Jurgens’ story. I especially love his faces, which are distinct and expressive throughout, helping to sell a mostly “talking heads” issue.

In the past I’ve found Lopresti to be a bit rigid and stodgy, but that’s not the case here – maybe due to inker Ryan, or maybe from the beautifully understated set of colors. Characters feel as though they have weight, but also momentum. Godiva is especially lovely, Booster is a definitive over-muscled hero, and Batman has a lurking quality with his tendril-like cape. The action is limited to just a few pages at the end, but what we see is effective.

(In the final fight Vixen gets a Phoenix-esque flame effect around her body as she flies off the ground. I was confused as to whether Fire was using harmless flames to lift Vixen into the air or if this was a power beyond the seemingly Black Panther set of agility and claws.)

CK Says: Consider it.

Justice League International has a slight by-the-numbers feel thanks to its hastily assembled multicultural team of heroes (plus hanger-on Batman) responding to orders from a bald guy to face an unspecified geological terror. It’s Comics 101 – and, effectively the first half of Giant-Size X-Men #1.

Jurgens works to quickly establish the personalities and conflicts of all the members within the somewhat rote, old-school story. No Morrison-style existential dilemmas here. We’re given at least a hint of the attitudes of each and their powers were all obvious enough to be telegraphed by the art in a few panels of battle (except for Booster’s, which are unclear).

The bottom line is that this cookie-cutter approach aims the book more towards the DC insider than the newbie. A long-time DC fan will likely be excited to read the B-list characters they’ve grown to love (as I would be on an X-Men b-team). It’s a good intro for a new reader, but I’m not sure it’s worth revisiting in another month.

Filed Under: comic books, reviews Tagged With: Batman, Booster Gold, Dan Jurgens, DC New 52, Justice League International

Previous Post: « 30 for 30 Project: we’ll be right back!
Next Post: #MusicMonday: “Electric Love” – Victoria Spaeth & The Spaeth Cadets »

Primary Sidebar


Support Crushing Krisis on Patreon
Support CK
on Patreon


Follow me on BlueSky Follow me on Twitter Contact me Watch me on Youtube Subscribe to the CK RSS Feed

About CK

About Crushing Krisis
About My Music
About Your Author
Blog Archive
Comics Blogs Only
Contact Krisis
Terms & Conditions

Crushing Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Events Guide

Spider-Man Guide

DC Comics

  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 Avengers Omnibus MappingTIME TO VOTE – 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    It's time to vote in the 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll! […]
  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 Marvels Anthology Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Marvel Anthology Omnibus, Mapped | 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    Marvel Magazine & Anthology omnibus mapping for books that don't yet exist - all options on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 13th Annual Secret Ballot […]
  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 My Love Silver Age Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Non-Superhero Silver Age Omnibus, Mapped | 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    Marvel Non-Superhero Silver Age omnibus mapping for books that don't yet exist - all options on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 13th Annual Secret Ballot […]
  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 Alf Marvel License Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Marvel License Omnibus (+ Indiana Jones), Mapped | 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    Marvel's License Omnibus mapping for non-Marvel IP books that don't exist - all options on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 13th Annual Secret Ballot […]
  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 X-Files FOX Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Marvel 20th Century FOX Omnibus (+ Indiana Jones), Mapped | 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    20th Century FOX omnibus mapping for books that don't yet exist - all options on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 13th Annual Secret Ballot […]
  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 Darth Vader Star Wars Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Marvel Star Wars Omnibus, Mapped | 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    Star Wars omnibus mapping for books that don't yet exist - all options on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 13th Annual Secret Ballot […]
  • Image Comics April 30 2025 New ReleasesNew Comics & Collected Editions Releases: Image Comics – April 30 2025
    This week in Image Comics: Copra dies, Wes Craig draws a silent Duke, DWJ's Transformers gets deluxed, Feral wraps its first year, a new fantasy from Curt Pires, conflict finds the Rocketfellers, life after a death in We're Taking Everyone Down with Us, and more! […]
  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 Marvel Imprints Alternate Realities Demon Days Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Marvel Imprint & Alternate Reality Omnibus, Mapped | 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    Marvel Imprint & Alternate Reality omnibus mapping for books that don't yet exist - all options on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 13th Annual Secret Ballot […]
  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 Marvel UK Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Marvel UK Omnibus, Mapped | 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    Marvel UK omnibus mapping for books that don't yet exist - all options on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 13th Annual Secret Ballot […]
  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 Ultimate Marvel Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Ultimate Marvel Omnibus, Mapped | 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    Ultimate Marvel omnibus mapping for books that don't yet exist from its debut to the present day - all options on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 13th Annual Secret Ballot […]
  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 Fear Itself Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Marvel Event Omnibus, Mapped | 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    Marvel Event omnibus mapping for books that don't yet exist - all options on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 13th Annual Secret Ballot […]
  • DC Comics April 30 2025 New ReleasesNew Comics & Collected Editions Releases: DC Comics – April 30 2025
    This week in DC Comics: Ewing does Detective, Grodd's reign continues in Waid's League, All-In Special hits paperback, Power Company recharges, a Silver Lantern omnibus, and more! […]
  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 Namor Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Marvel Solo Hero Omnibus from N to Z, Mapped – Namor, Scarlet Witch, Thanos & more! | 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    Marvel Solo Heroes omnibus mapping from N to Z for books that don't yet exist - all options on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 13th Annual Secret Ballot […]
  • Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 2025 Hawkeye Omnibus MappingEvery Missing Marvel Solo Hero Omnibus from H to M, Mapped – Hawkeye, Hercules, Ms. Marvel, & more! | 13th Annual Tigereyes Most-Wanted Marvel Omnibus Poll
    Marvel Solo Heroes omnibus mapping from H to M for books that don't yet exist - all options on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 13th Annual Secret Ballot […]

Content Copyright ©2000-2023 Krisis Productions

Crushing Krisis participates in affiliate programs including (but not limited to): Amazon Services LLC Associates Program (in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), eBay Partner Network, and iTunes Affiliate Program. If you make a qualifying purchase through an affiliate link I may receive a commission.