Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley; Rob Hunter; Marlo Alouiza; Walden Wong; Pete Pantazis; & Rob Leigh
Cover Art ‘A’ & ‘B’ by Mark Bagley; Rob Hunter; & Pete Pantazis
SUMMARY:
Entitled “Team History (Part 1),” DC Comics released this issue for March 2010. After Blackest Night and the controversial Cry for Justice, the only active Leaguer left is Dr. Light II (Kimiyo Hoshi). She sadly watches over a dissembled Red Tornado. An injured/demoralized Vixen also departs the team; off-screen; Jason Rusch’s Firestorm, Gypsy, Plastic Man, and Zatanna Zatara have already done so.
Despite her younger sister’s mixed feelings, Wonder Woman encourages Donna Troy to help Kimiyo spearhead the team’s next recruitment drive. Among the initial candidates are: Mon-El, Green Arrow, Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern, and several adult Titans (Cyborg, Starfire, Dick Grayson’s Batman, and Troy herself).
Meanwhile, a time-warping sub-plot set in 1777 Virginia depicts Tomahawk, his young partner Dan, and Miss Liberty stumbling upon a mysterious metallic item of possibly alien origin. At the present-day Smithsonian Institute, top-secret researcher Darwin Jones is unpleasantly approached by a super-powered being seeking this same artifact.
REVIEW:
Considering how horribly misogynistic the prior issue is, Justice League of America # 41 is a welcome step in a far better direction. Though the solid artwork falters in some panels, Robinson merits credit for plausibly assembling a mix of DC’s big-name Leaguers and its best next-generation heroes as the League’s next phase. Not only are a few scenes enigmatically dropped to build a new threat, there’s nice work depicting Kimiyo Hoshi (as her own parting gift) and a reluctant Donna Troy rebuilding the JLA from the inside out. Overall, even if it isn’t a must-have, the all-ages Justice League of America # 41 is still good entertainment.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
DC Publicity Manager Alex Saguro hypes the new ‘Source’ in the “DC Nation” column. There’s a five-page First Wave portfolio from Brian Azzarello & Rages Morales. Included are their First Wave player profiles of Batman, Doc Savage, Savage’s crew, Justice, Inc., the Spirit, a variant of the Golden Age Black Canary, and Rima the Jungle Girl, along with revelations re: this mini-series’ chosen villains.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
A
B
