Justice League Volume 1: Origin (The New 52!) by Geoff Johns, Jim Lee and Scott Williams (graphic novel review).
When I thought reading ‘The Darkseid War’ would be straightforward, I quickly realized it’s part of DC Comics’ ‘The New 52!’. Although it’s split into volumes 7 and 8, starting with the first volume, ‘Origin’, made sense to understand the build-up. This volume includes the first six issues, along with costume designs and additional material at the end, which seems geared towards assisting in the creation of models for the Justice League members.
Coming into this without having read the individual comics of the main characters, I had a fresh perspective. The story begins with vigilantes and super-villains being pursued by helicopter-manned police officers, who find both groups bothersome. The arrival of Darkseid’s minions via transporting motherboxes adds to the chaos. Readers familiar with the DC Universe will have the advantage of knowing what comes next. Starting with Darkseid, the most dangerous villain in the DC Universe, sets a high bar that is hard to surpass, even a decade after its release.
The Super-7, as they eventually become known, are portrayed uniquely compared to their traditional counterparts. Green Lantern, the police officer for this sector, gets along with the Flash but is less familiar with the others. He is even surprised to learn that Batman has no superpowers. Superman, on the other hand, has powers in abundance. Wonder Woman is always ready for a fight, and Aquaman, referred to humorously as Aquafresh, is relatively laid back. Victor Stone becomes Cyborg and joins the battle. Their common enemy, Darkseid, unites them, and they manage to repel him for the time being, a fact that hardly counts as a spoiler given the impending war.
The pace of the battle is relentless. I read it all in one sitting, planning to spread out the subsequent volumes to avoid finishing them too quickly. The characters’ struggle to cooperate is a sharp contrast to the traditional DC Universe setup, almost resembling a Marvel-like dynamic, a now typical comic book trope. Batman revealing his identity to Green Lantern, who remains unaware of Batman’s true identity as Bruce Wayne, struck me as peculiar, especially since Batman typically maintains his mysterious persona.
Jim Lee’s art, inked by Scott Williams, is action-packed, using double-page spreads effectively at key moments. Geoff Johns’ scriptwork, which I’ve mostly seen in his DCU TV series, seems like he thoroughly enjoyed working with a mostly clean slate, pushing the characters in new directions. They are recognizable yet taken to more extreme and passionate levels, forming a formidable team not easily challenged individually or collectively.
GF Willmetts
November 2023
(pub: DC Comics, 2011-2012. 192 page graphic novel softcover. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-40123-788-2)
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