Hey gang, Dante here to talk more comics. The topic today will be the current Justice League of America, we’re gonna get you caught up with the current cast of characters and bring you up to date on some of their recent exploits. It’s an exciting time for DC fans as Final Crisis is fast approaching, hopefully this guide will help you keep track of the players.
Batman
Batman is the man in DC, and has been a member of the league off and on for years. Personally, I think that Batman should have absolutely nothing to do with the JLA or the rest of the DCU for that matter, but despite that he’s been really well written within the framework of a super team over the years. What new readers need to be aware of is a DC series called Identity Crisis where it is revealed that members of the team messed with Batman’s memory which created a great deal of tension between he and the rest of the team. On two recent occasions, Batman’s actions have put the team in real danger, the first time, Ra’s Al Ghul discovered Bruce’s notes on how to defeat the league and used it against the team, and more recently his Brother Eye satellite system was co-opted by a villainous Maxwell Lord. Look for Batman to be a major player (as always) in the upcoming crisis.
Black Canary
Dinah Laurel is the current leader of the JLA, a cool thing since the team is notorious for not really having a leader in the same sense as their Marvel counterparts. Dinah has been through quite a lot over the years, and has had the misfortune of existing in a comic universe with more than its fair share of fem fatales. Recently the character made a return to main stream continuity by joining the group Birds of Prey. These stories helped prepare the character for her post Crisis activities. Recently she finally tied the knot with Oliver Queen (the Green Arrow), but it looks like their marriage might be over before it begins. She, Red Arrow, and Vixen present a counter balance to the major characters that make up the teams membership. Look out for the new Black Canary/Green Arrow book that will be out soon.
Black Lightning
Jefferson Pierce is not as popular as John Stewart (Green Lantern), and Mr. Terrific but has actually been around much longer. DC’s first black character to have his own series, Black Lightning has been the center of a good amount of controversy. Tony Isabella created Black Lightning in 1977 (after creating Luke Cage for Marvel comics) but the series was cancelled early in its life. The character bounced around the DCU for years, never gaining any real popularity. This was due mostly to the antics of the characters creator, who made a stink whenever DC tried to use him in any of their animated projects (the reason we got the Black Vulcan on ‘Super Friends’). It wasn’t really until Lex Luthor became president in 2000 that Pierce found a stable position in the DCU. Those stories created the opportunity for Black Lightning to join the JLA as one of its most respected members. His relationship with Lex Luthor (he was secretary of Education during the presidency) will also factor into upcoming stories.
Flash
The first item of interest concerning the Flash is the Lightning Saga, a show series within the pages of a few DC titles; it featured the return of Wally West just after the death of Bart Allen. West had apparently died during the Infinite Crisis storyline and was thought lost forever, well according to DC however, forever is about six months as not only did Wally come back from an alternate dimension, but his infant twin children came back aged to their pre-teens with super powers to boot. There was a lot of speculation that the Lightning Saga was supposed to end with Barry Allen back amongst the living, not West. That still might be a possibility considering the sketchy details about Final Crisis.
Geo-Force
Many people have been asking, “What the hell is Geo-Force doing on JLA?” Personally I think that is a great question, because Geo-Force sucks in a major way. But, there is a lot of intrigue in JLA right now and the Prince of Markovia is smack dab in the middle of it. Right now Geo-Force is playing an important role as a pawn in a chess match between Batman and Deathstroke the Terminator, and who wins that match is one of the reasons people come back to read JLA month after month. With any luck, Geo-Force will lose his life in the midst of all this so that his lame won’t spread too much.
Hal Jordan (Green Lantern)
Hal Jordan is considered the Green Lantern, even though a man named Alan Scott wore the mantle first, and has really just been brought back into that role. Around the time that Superman died and came back, Hal Jordan’s life was changed. During that adventure Hal’s home town, Coast City was destroyed. That was only the beginning, in his quest to restore his home, Hal fell to the dark side (for lack of a better term, and to save time) and started roaming around consumed by a being called Parallax. After that incident Hal took on a new job as the Spectre before finally becoming Green Lantern once again. He brings a great deal of history and fanfare to the JLA book, as a great many adventurers can spill out of JLA and into his own book series and vice versa.
John Stewart (Green Lantern)
John Stewart bounced around the fringes of the galaxy for a while not really finding a solid place for some time. There was a brief moment where he didn’t even have powers. It seems like his run on the animated JLA series has done him wonders as he’s become one of DC’s premiere characters. Stewart has been one of the most solid members of the league for some time, and is a great supporting cast member in a lot of series. Because of the Green Lantern Corps books and his appearances in the Lantern title, it’s anyone’s guess when we’ll see this hero strike out on his own; we’ll have to just enjoy his time in JLA in the meantime.
Hawkgirl
Kendra Saunders is the current Hawkgirl, but readers who aren’t aware of this character might not truly understand her. For all intents and purposes this Hawkgirl is yet another reincarnation of the original. The only difference is that this current Hawkgirl hasn’t fully come to terms with her existence yet, but she’s getting there. Hawkgirl provides a lot of pluses when you add her to the JLA; she’s a strong female character with enough complexity and history that she can be the focus of stories or a strong support character. Newer readers will appreciate her as a character because she will provide an anchor for readers to latch on to. The cancelation of her own series may have been a blessing in disguise, since this will be her primary book she will be all the easier for the writer to utilize making her an even more important piece to the JLA puzzle. As far as her future in the DCU, Kendra looks to be safe and her involvement with Arrow should be interesting going into the future.
Red Arrow
1941 is the year that Roy Harper first hit the comic’s scene as Speedy, Green Arrows sidekick. By 2007 we find Roy to be one of the more complex characters in DC. He’s a single father, and has recovered from a heroin addiction (Roy Harper was the vehicle DC used to tackle the drug abuse issue, no easy task at the time), and has bounced in and out of general popularity for decades. Seeing Roy make the jump to the big league is welcome and long overdue, especially considering that Conner Hawke technically made the team first which never should have happened. Make sure to read the Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special, the last few pages and the promo for the new ongoing series should have deep implications for Roy Harper.
Red Tornado
John Smith is a super powered android created by a villain with the hopes of double crossing the original Justice Society of America. One of the heroes to make the jump to mainstream DC after Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, the Red Tornado seems to be the perfect foil for event comics. Every time there is a major event in DC something big happens to Red Tornado, and this time is no different as the end of the recent ‘Lightning Saga’ Red Tornado get’s a warning to fight what is inside of him. We’ll have to wait and see what that means but I have a feeling that we won’t have to wait too long.
Superman
What would the top team in DC be without its top hero? Probably better but hey, its anyone’s guess from issue to issue. The problem is that Superman is a lot of things to a lot of creators, and how he’s interpreted in stories is sometimes up for grabs. Will he be a big boy scout? Or a brooding hero hampered by the weight of responsibility, or will he be a naive ‘big’ kid who is lucky to have super powers because without them he’d be eaten alive? He’s all those things, which is dangerous with a team book that has to flow. The JLA book will live and die by what’s going on in the Superman books unless he’s left out of a lot of the stories. The cool thing about the character is that his stature makes him standout even when he’s not really written into the story. I am, however, really curious about what effect Final Crisis will have on the Man of Steel.
Vixen
Vixen has actually been around for some time and is a really nice character, and should work out great for the JLA. With so many female characters, it feels like I’m reading the X-Men sometimes which is a good thing, female characters add depth and realism to comic stories in a lot of cases. Another player that isn’t featured in their own book, Vixen has a lot of inner turmoil that should translate well in the day to day storytelling that will go on in the pages of JLA. The slow and seemingly deliberate change to her powers is a welcome one if they stick to it. Even though she’ll be a little similar to Rogue, she’s like that character done right, and I look forward to seeing what DC has in store for her in the future.
Wonder Woman
Last but not least is the lady who paved the way for so many other female characters, Wonder Woman. It’s this player that really has me thinking about Final Crisis, especially considering the recently alive Donna Troy running around again. When I first saw the promo for Final Crisis, I got the sensation that we would see the permanent removal of the big three from mainstream DCU continuity, which would also mean Wonder Woman. Her character seems to be very compartmentalized within her own series, with the exception being Amazons Attack!, without a lot of input from other heroes. I think we’ll see a new Wonder Woman by the end of Final Crisis, or maybe no Wonder Woman at all. We’ll have to wait and see.
So, that’s the latest version of The Justice League of America, a great book that just might be the best team book on the shelves right now, and if there was any time in the history of comics to read JLA, then now is definitely the time, I’ll see ya at the shop.
