Summary

In central city Flash is stuck investigating himself while Batman and Green Lantern can’t seem to calm Superman. Lantern contact Flash for help and he manages to hold off Superman long enough for batman to talk to him. The feds soon show up and the group flees. At Star Labs Cyborg’s father examines one of the Mother Box’s left behind. Cyborg and his dad have an awkward and tension filled moment right before the mother Box activates and Apokalips troops attack both the lab and the Justice League in two different locations. Cyborg is altered by the experience.

The Good

Origin- I must admit this new origin for Cyborg has me very interested and anticipating his technology coming out of this. Before he was an advanced cybernetic being largely earth based. Here he appears to have ties to Darkseid’s Apokalips technology. Huge upgrade! Can’t wait to see how this plays out.

Splash pages- This issue made great use of Splash pages to highlight the action.

Family-Cyborg is easily the most human of all the Justice League thus far and understandably so since he’s the only team member without his own ongoing series. Cyborg is an athlete, his dad a scientist, they don’t see eye to eye on anything. Neither considers what the other does important, they have differing world views…..it’s an all too familiar tale which I can relate to since my dad was more sports oriented while I was an indoors type (laugh). This is a great set up for both Victor and his father’s characters to grow from here, granted Vic’s dad doesn’t die.

Characterization- Batman the detective brain, Flash ad Green Lantern the old friends and Superman the wild card. This issue really does a great job of highlighting all the various personalities, something missing from team books like recent X-men r even justice League international. Here everyone is important to the tale, its nice having a small cast where personalities are at the center of the tale.

Action- More fights more explosions and more excitement. This issue racks up just about everything from the first issue to great effect!

Cover Art- Superman pummelling Batman while Green Lantern tries to separate the two not only fits the story contained with but also showcases the artistic strength of the aged like fine wine Jim Lee.

Interior Art- Still gorgeous

The Bad

Hero vs Hero stories are cliché at this point even if we do like to read them.

The Ugly

4.5/5

Summary

Five years ago Batman is being tracked by armed feds while he tracks an unknown assailant. Green Lantern/Hal Jordan shows up to assist him and they meet for the first time. Together they track down the assailant who self destructs leaving them with a mother Box. They head to metropolis!

Meanwhile Victor Stone wins another match for his team and the scouting agents go wild to sign him. His dad has again missed the game and doesn’t even show up much to his dismay.  Overhead Batman and Green Lantern fly to metropolis. They arrive and get attacked by Superman.

The Good

Cover- Gorgeous! Jim Lee’s style is perfectly suited to the larger than life characters of the Justice League and don’t get me started on how cool Cyborg looks!

Sombre tone-DC has taken a page out of marvel’s post civil war line up and re-created the dc universe as abhorrent to superheroes and vigilantes. It works wonders in injecting freshness in to the otherwise “stale” DC comics of couple months ago. Sure I miss old continuity and sure most of my dc collection is rendered useless and irrelevant but the new status quo fills me with a sense of excitement I HAVENT FELT IN YEARS!

Cyborg- Victor Stone is the everyman on this team of established Superheroes. Here we see Victor as an all American football star with the whole world ahead of him. No doubt we are being set up for tragedy on an epic scale in his new origin tale. Also noteworthy is just how unhappy Victor is. In the age old tradition of Superhero’s he also has a neglectful dad which results in “daddy issues”, can’t complain when things have me anticipating next issue already.

Interior art- Jim Lee’s style has improved somewhat in recent years. For years after drawing X-men #1 his characters had similar poses, bodies and costumes but here Lee flexes his art muscles by having a very distinct look and feel to each of his characters. I particularly like his rendering of the batman and superman costumes.

Action- Every good comic needs good fight scene and this first issue managed to give us a taste of Superman vs Batman and Green Lantern, while also get a explosive opening with a dazzling chase scene.

Dynamic- Batman and Green Lantern instantly have a great dynamic since they have different approaches to heroics. Literally night and day and with a newer younger more aggressive Superman, good times ahead!

The Bad

Ryan Reynolds- Someone please tell DC to stop incorporating Ryan Reynolds personality into Hal Jordan, it’s like the taste of bad aftershave in the mouth. Sure Hal has always been a flat personality but was he in need of a “reynoldsification”? Kyle already has the corner market on being the Joker of the Lantern squad this is just bad taste!

Pacing- The issue felt stretched, not allot happened in this issue when compared to Justice League International which literally hit the ground running

The Ugly

4/5