Oh yes, it was actually that good! One of the best stories I've read in recently? Just possibly. Considering how solid several titles from Marvel, Dark Horse, Image and DC have been lately, that's more than a "tall building in a single bound" kind of feat to pull off.
This issue came with quite a bit of prerelease hype and coverage. Despite that, it did the uncommon... it more than lived up to the early promises. It looks like restoring "of" to the title after roughly twenty years reading Justice League America, JLA or simply Justice League might actually be a good thing, especially if this is the kind of story we get to take home each month.
If we set aside for a moment the fact that this issue doesn't definitively answer who will be in the new Justice League of America and look for a deeper significance to issue #1, I think we can see one clear statement emerge within the pages. Right off the bat it seems bullseye clear that there is one person who really absolutely HAD TO be part of the Justice League of America for it to work. That person would be writer Brad Meltzer.
In Identity Crisis and right from the start here, Brad Meltzer understands emotion, motivation and can humanize even the most machine-like (take Red Tornado for example) of characters. In his writing he doesn't wallow and loose himself in the iconic hero, but honestly understands the identity present behind the mask working to share what makes a hero tick. In the scene to the left, the soul of the Red Tornado discusses returning to life and rejoining the family he left with Deadman. This scene ends with him saying, "Look how she holds my hand." In that one sentence, the Red Tornado was more real and conveyed more emotion than in almost any story I've read featuring him before. I think here, Brad Meltzer's literary background brings a fresh angle to his storytelling as it seems to make the story feel more textured and honest.
Moving beyond characterization, Meltzer can build to a pulse pounding climax quicker and more thrillingly than many a writer I see in comics today. As the Red Tornado's adopted daughter races to answer the door over the warning cry of her mother, you feel the tension build to a crescendo within just a few comic panels as it's shockingly mixed with a violent attack on the Metal Men. I like a comic that can make me want to race to read the next page. I just can't get enough of that sensation and don't feel it often enough in the action sequences presented in comics today.
Okay, let's do some comparison shopping. I challenge you to read this issue then read Marvel's just released Claws #1 (starring Wolverine and Black Cat) back to back. I found myself doing just that yesterday and it was pretty shocking. As you read, you'll see both ends of the narrative spectrum. One story, Claws, feels hollow and pointless while the other, Justice League of America, feels like you've been offered the opportunity to serve as a fly on the wall as comic history unfolds.
As we open this new chapter of the Justice League of America series, we begin by sitting in on a meeting of the big three... Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman. Here they're talking about who they each want on the team. They've come together following the events of the recent Crisis and, as Wonder Woman puts it best, are seeking to rebuild the League. She explains to Superman, "We broke it Clark, we should be the ones to put it back together."
Again, in reading this it doesn't read like a strategy session for building a team, Meltzer makes this moment feel like three old friends sitting around the table discussing who they want to take with them on a great adventure that lies ahead. It's very real, filled with inner emotion and balances the personalities of each quite nicely. You can read the voice and history of each character easily into the running monologue and that's not a easy feat to achieve.
This feeling held throughout the issue as I found myself intrigued by characters I've written off many times before. Characters such as Vixen, Black Lightning and, yes, Red Tornado are interesting in the hands of this series. In his own way, Meltzer made Black Lightning feel, for me, a little like the more investigative side of Martian Manhunter and I could see him easily evolving into the glue like central figure that every Justice League needs and has often been filled by J'onn J'onzz.
I'll admit I rolled my eyes when they spoke highly of including Vixen in the line-up. I've not been a fan, but the few pages in which she appears and the powers displayed intrigued me. Score one for Justice League of America #1 in winning me as a convert to the character. I like her vocalization of the animals she was accessing and the style of the character. She has a feral side which either hasn't come through or I've missed in stories past. When she said "Lion" (pictured left), you can see lion. Well done.
I really liked the interaction between Roy Harper (aka Arsenal) and Hal Jordan (aka Green Lantern). It was nice seeing Roy make it into the big league (pun intended). I also liked the very personal interplay between Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Black Canary and Arsenal which served as a nice homage to the great buddy stories between Green Arrow and Green Lantern from years past. Seeing the mentor role evolve between Lantern and Arsenal was rewarding. Green Arrow's reaction to being left on the sidelines was a romantic passing of the torch to Arsenal as he privately cheered Roy on as he left to join the League.
Red Tornado was really the heart of this first issue. If you had told me that before reading it, I wouldn't have been very excited for the direction of the issue. For that matter, had you told me that Blue Beetle was going to be a focal character for one of the biggest changes in DCU history a year and a half ago I wouldn't have believed that either, but surprises when stories are place in the right hands do happen. Having read the issue, this new series couldn't have started focusing on a better character. Meltzer really humanized Tornado (both literally and figuratively) and I look forward to the hints and clues dropped regarding his future. This first storyline clearly centers on him and the evolving league, but it's easy to care about what happens to John Smith, the Tornado and his family.
A very nice first issue which has me anxious to see the final line-up and where we go from here. The first time I see this new league gather around the table for a team meeting, I will be satisfied. For now, we're treated to an outstanding start.
Scale of 1 to 10 ... 10 August 30th, 2006 ... Review by Chuck
Written by Brad Meltzer; Art by Ed Benes and Sandra Hope;
Two standard covers by Ed Benes; Variant cover by Michael Turner
It begins here — a bold new era for the World's Greatest Heroes by New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer and superstar artist Ed Benes! It's Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman...and the true roster of members who will become the new Justice League of America. Join us as we head into "The Tornado's Path."
This issue will ship with two covers by Ed Benes, one featuring Green Lantern and Green Arrow (cover A, left half of art above) and one featuring Superman and Batman (cover B, right half of art above). A variant cover by Michael Turner will also be available!
DC Universe | 32pg. | Color | $2.99 US
On Sale August 23, 2006
Taking a look into the future...
Cover of Justice League of
America #2
(surprises blacked out)
Oh yes, it was actually that good! One of the best stories I've read in recently? Just possibly. Considering how solid several titles from Marvel, Dark Horse, Image and DC have been lately, that's more than a "tall building in a single bound" kind of feat to pull off. 
In Identity Crisis and right from the start here, Brad Meltzer understands emotion, motivation and can humanize even the most machine-like (take Red Tornado for example) of characters. In his writing he doesn't wallow and loose himself in the iconic hero, but honestly understands the identity present behind the mask working to share what makes a hero tick. In the scene to the left, the soul of the Red Tornado discusses returning to life and rejoining the family he left with Deadman. This scene ends with him saying, "Look how she holds my hand." In that one sentence, the Red Tornado was more real and conveyed more emotion than in almost any story I've read featuring him before. I think here, Brad Meltzer's literary background brings a fresh angle to his storytelling as it seems to make the story feel more textured and honest. 
As we open this new chapter of the Justice League of America series, we begin by sitting in on a meeting of the big three... Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman. Here they're talking about who they each want on the team. They've come together following the events of the recent Crisis and, as Wonder Woman puts it best, are seeking to rebuild the League. She explains to Superman, "We broke it Clark, we should be the ones to put it back together."
I'll admit I rolled my eyes when they spoke highly of including Vixen in the line-up. I've not been a fan, but the few pages in which she appears and the powers displayed intrigued me. Score one for Justice League of America #1 in winning me as a convert to the character. I like her vocalization of the animals she was accessing and the style of the character. She has a feral side which either hasn't come through or I've missed in stories past. When she said "Lion" (pictured left), you can see lion. Well done. 
I really liked the interaction between Roy Harper (aka Arsenal) and Hal Jordan (aka Green Lantern). It was nice seeing Roy make it into the big league (pun intended). I also liked the very personal interplay between Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Black Canary and Arsenal which served as a nice homage to the great buddy stories between Green Arrow and Green Lantern from years past. Seeing the mentor role evolve between Lantern and Arsenal was rewarding. Green Arrow's reaction to being left on the sidelines was a romantic passing of the torch to Arsenal as he privately cheered Roy on as he left to join the League.
Red Tornado was really the heart of this first issue. If you had told me that before reading it, I wouldn't have been very excited for the direction of the issue. For that matter, had you told me that Blue Beetle was going to be a focal character for one of the biggest changes in DCU history a year and a half ago I wouldn't have believed that either, but surprises when stories are place in the right hands do happen. Having read the issue, this new series couldn't have started focusing on a better character. Meltzer really humanized Tornado (both literally and figuratively) and I look forward to the hints and clues dropped regarding his future. This first storyline clearly centers on him and the evolving league, but it's easy to care about what happens to John Smith, the Tornado and his family.
