Justice League United #0 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I'm tagging this issue as "Justice League of America," despite the fact that it's a new series, because it's essentially a coda to the previous book.  Martian Manhunter and Stargirl form the core of the new team, meaning that practically half the issues of "Justice League of America" have essentially been a buddy comedy featuring the two of them (without the comedy).  I'm hard pressed to remember who else was even on the team.

To be honest, it's a pretty decent issue.  Animal Man and Stargirl are at some sort of public appearance when they're approached by an anthropologist with a story of alien artifacts and a missing fiancée.  It ends with the Justice League in space uncovering some sort of alien genetic-engineering operation, something that seems to bode poorly for the galaxy.  If you miss "Legion of Super-Heroes," you should probably pick up this series.

I'm writing this review, though, mostly to note how ridiculous it is that I'm even reading this book at all.  This issue is the second -- after "Batgirl" #30 -- that suffers from the delay of "Forever Evil" #7.  The collapse of the JLA is implied, but we don't actually know what happened.  Were they the fall guys for the Crime Syndicate's victory over the Justice League?  Did everyone else die?  We have no idea and won't for several more weeks.  DC really needs to pull it together.  Given how decent this issue is, I might've considered stick with it, but, man, I'm just done with the Justice League(s) at this point.

*** (three of five stars)

Justice League of America #13 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Ugh.

To be honest, this issue was in some ways better than the last few issues, since something -- namely, Stargirl's confrontation with Despero -- at least happens.  But, Kindt laid it on way too thick here when it came to Courtney's inspiring journey to overcoming her fear.  Her parents seem hardly to mind the death of her brother, since it helps them realize how amazing Courtney is, and she is apparently the only Justice League member capable of overcoming her fear, freeing herself from Despero's prison.  It's just too much.

From a plot perspective, it's even worse, since I'm still not sure how Despero exactly ties into the Crime Syndicate.  He's not from Earth-3, so did he strike some sort of deal with them to capture the Justice League and feed off their fear?  If so, why now?  If the Crime Syndicate didn't give him any sort of special power, it implies that he always could've done what he does here.  Why did he wait until now?

In the end, I can't believe that the best DC could do with this title during "Forever Evil" was to give us a six-issue Stargirl story.  Given how awesome the rest of the "Forever Evil" issues have been, it just seems like a huge waste.

* (one of five stars)

Justice League of America #12 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

After what seems to have been an interminable number of issues dragging out the mystery of Stargirl's defining loss, I still have no idea what it is.  We still don't know who the shadowy figure ("the man on the news") is and what he did to Courtney and her mother, though Kindt hints at the answer.  He also hints that the shadowy figure killed Courtney's brother, but, again, we don't know that.  My frustration with Kindt's failure to get to the (not-that-interesting) point when it comes to Stargirl isn't made any better by the overly wrought narration by Martian Manhunter.  Kindt seems to think that it heightens the emotional tension, but it just as often made me roll my eyes.  Moreover, J'onn's "death" (if he really did die) comes after just a few punches from Despero and we learn from J'onn as he dies that Courtney has apparently succeeded in freeing the Justice League, even though she didn't seem anywhere near Firestorm.  I...yeah.

* (one of five stars)

Justice League of America #11 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I'm tempted to stop getting this series now, rather than waiting for "Forever Evil" to end, as I was planning.  This issue was hard to follow and I can't say that I was particulary motivated to sort through the mess.  Ostensible, it involved J'onn and Stargirl traveling to the West Coast so J'onn could find Firestorm and Stargirl could find her family.  But, they're waylaid by a giant robot destroying Denver.  However, it's not simply a matter of the two of them saving Denver and continuing onto the West Coast.  This story seemingly gets spliced by another story, of Stargirl confronting a man holding another man hostage.  I say "seemingly" because I couldn't tell if this story happened before or after the fight with the robot; in fact, it seems like it didn't happen in Denver at all.  Plus, we're never told why the man wanted to attract her, since he immediately flees.  Moreover, Stargirl also sees random images of her childhood throughout this issue, images that we're told relate to the profound sadness that apparently motivates her.  (I'm guessing that she discovers her father dead?)  But, these images fade and they defeat the robot, only to be attacked by Despero (I think).  It's all confusing and I can't say that I really care at all.

* (one of five stars)

Justice League of America #10 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

If you've ever watched the TV show "Heroes," it's hard not to find the struggles of Stargirl repetitive, since they're essentially the same ones that Claire faced during the first season.  As such, I really can't wait for the Stargirl-focused phase of this story to end.  Thankfully, as expected, we learn that Firestorm is the prison where the Justice League is being held, so it seems like we should be getting to a resolution of sorts soon.  This whole story has gone on way too long, particularly given how little impact that it's having on the overall story.

** (two of five stars)

Justice League of America #9 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This story wasn't all that interesting when we read it for the first time in issue #8; sitting through it a second time through the eyes of Stargirl doesn't make it any more interesting.  Moreover, the ending is ridiculous.  Stargirl defeats the J'onn doppelgänger, but, instead of staying to discover who he is -- and, therefore, discover the truth about the Justice Leagues' "prison" -- she flees.  Kindt clearly has orders to keep this story alive as long as possible, but I doubt that I'm going to be here to see it concluded.  

* (one of five stars)

Justice League of America #8 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Martian Manhunter awakens to discover that the Justice Leagues are being held in some sort of mental prison, stuck in rooms where their worst insecurities are exploited.  Wonder Woman is driven to fight male soldiers by a fear that she's not going to die a warrior's death (apparently due to her feelings toward Steve and Superman), Flash decides that he wants to use his powers to experience everything the world has to offer all at the same time, Superman is trying to turn back time to prevent himself from murdering Dr. Light, and Green Lantern (Simon Baz) becomes a terrorist because people expected him to be one.  It's a dark issue, but it's still mostly a placeholder.  We don't learn where the Justice Leagues' physical bodies are.  I'm left to assume that Batman's absence in this issue and his comments at the end of "Forever Evil" #2 mean that he and Catwoman somehow avoided/escaped imprisonment.  However, it's still not clear how the Justice Leagues were imprisoned in the first place.  But, I'm guessing that we'll get there next issue.  Although it's a finely constructed issue, I'm only giving it two stars mainly due to the fact that the vamping was a little too obvious.

** (two of five stars)

New Comics!: The "Trinity War" Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Justice League of America #7:  So, the Secret Society sent Dr. Psycho to Khandaq, possibly to convince Superman into killing Dr. Light, except maybe Amanda Waller did it first.  So, is Amanda Waller colluding with the Secret Society or did she and its mysterious leader just happen to have the same idea on how to discredit Superman?  Also, what exactly is the Box, since it apparently isn't what we think it is?  At this point, Johns has pretty much jettisoned any effort at characterization, letting the mysteries propel the story.  It actually works, but I'm still not really sure that I care all that much about the answers.

Justice League Dark #23:  It's not a box, it's a doorway and Amanda Waller claims that she didn't get Superman to kill Dr. Light, though no one really believes her.  Onto the conclusion!

Justice League #23:  OK, I acknowledge that this ending would've been a lot cooler if I knew more about the DC Multiverse and, specifically, Earth-3.  I'm sure Wikipedia will reveal a lot, though I know enough that I recognize Owlman as Earth-3's Bruce Wayne, making the revelation that Alfred was the Secret Society's leader all the more awesome.  ("The butler did it."  Heh.  Hilarious.)  I was also impressed by how well Johns delivered the revelation that the Atom (a.k.a. Atomica) was playing all sides; I was really honestly shocked not only by the revelation that she was an Earth-3 villain but also by how well her treachery explained Superman's illness.  (The confirmation that the Secret Society played Dr. Psycho by using him as a diversion was also welcome.)  The transformation of Vic's armor into a super-villain -- activating the threat inherent from the start when his father used a poorly understood technology to save him -- was just icing on the cake.

That said, Johns leaves some things on the table, if only because this plot has been building for so long that it's hard to remember all the details.  I don't really recall how the JLA discovered the Secret Society and I don't think we ever really got a full understanding of how Alfred recruited so many DCnU villains into the Secret Society, since it's unclear what they had to gain.  But, in the end, these are minor quibbles and, in fact, probably due to my own faulty memory and not Johns' plotting.

Turning to the item at the center of this story, the fact that Pandora's Box did actually unleash evil onto the world -- in the form of the Crime Syndicate -- is pretty great.  I will say, though, that I don't understand how Pandora "opened" the Box in the first place if only someone from Earth-3 could do so.  Did the gods, whoever they are, trick her into thinking she did?  Why would they do that?  Moreover, we never really learn why Earth-3 put the Box on Earth in the first place.  Was it exactly as a back-up plan in case they had to abandon their Earth?  I get the sense that Johns isn't leaving those questions on the table so much as they're answered in one of the side mini-series, like "Trinity of Sin:  Pandora."  I'm not all that curious about the answers, so I'm happy to leave them be.

Honestly?  I'm really tempted to get "Forever Evil."  I can't believe this issue would convince me to do that, but it was actually that good.  I was ready to turn my back on "Justice League," but I think I've got some back ordering to do.  What an awesome surprise.

Justice League of America #6 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

With the first issue of this arc establishing the questions, this issue starts the characters on the hunt for answers.  Wonder Woman approaches John Constantine and (the ridiculously named) Justice League Dark for help in tracking down Pandora to discover how her box affected Superman and the Question breaks out Superman to get to the bottom of Dr. Light’s death (and, presumably, identify the leader of the Secret Society).  It’s not really all that exciting, but I’m intrigued where Johns is going.

Justice League of America #5 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

It's no coincidence that, as the team started to click together in this issue, this series started to click with me.  I'm still considering dropping both this title and "Justice League," because $4.99 an issue is a lot to be spending on two titles that I can't say I've enjoyed all that much.  But, this issue opened the door to the possibility that I may revisit that decision.

Beyond the attention given to the team starting to work together, Johns creates a mystery that I actually find intriguing (and not just one that I know will result in me rolling my eyes when it's answered).  The leader of the Secret Society seems pretty clearly to be connected to Batman, given his comment about knowing where Batman lives, his reference to the Joker, and his possession of Two-Face's coin.  I'd guess that he's the Riddler, but Johns clearly has a few more aces up his sleeve, so any guess is probably premature.  Beyond just his identity, we also don't know why he wants to take down the Justice League.  Why would one of Batman's villains want to take down the entire Justice League?  To up the intrigue, we learn that the Society appears to have some connection to Pandora's Box, meaning that it may play a role in the upcoming "Trinity War" cross-over event.  All in all, it's a honest-to-goodness mystery and one that I actually find myself interested in seeing answered.

Johns also drops all sorts of other hints about future storylines in here, from Chronos' failed hunt for Booster Gold to Dr. Light's malfunctioning powers.  If only "Justice League" had such interesting developments...

Justice League of America #4 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

It's becoming increasingly clear that Johns views reading this title as essential if you're reading "Justice League" and vice versa.  "Paleface" has a map of the Batcave, which seems to track with the revelation in "Justice League" that someone broke into the Batcave to steal the kryptonite ring and give it to Despero.  Moreover, the fact that the Atom was revealed in "Justice League" to be a spy for the JLA has clear implications for this title down the line.

The problem, however, is that I can't say I'm really enjoying either title all that much.  This issue was so boring that I actually stopped reading it halfway through it, picking it up later.  The back-up story about Martian Manhunter was the best part (similar to the Shazam! back-up stories in "Justice League"), but, since I'm not a long-time DC reader, some of it went over my head.  Basically, if I'm supposed to be shelling out $7.98 for both issues each month, I'm more inclined to shell out money for neither title, "Trinity War" or no "Trinity War."

Justice League of America #3 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Honestly, I think Johns is actually doing a better job on this series than he is on "Justice League."  But, I'm having problems justifying getting two Justice League series a month, particularly when neither one of them is particularly setting my world on fire.  Given the upcoming "Trinity War," I guess I'm going to have to stick with "Justice League" and say good-bye to this one.  Good luck, JLA.  Hopefully I'll see you in the main title every once in a while.

Justice League of America #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I'm not quite sure what I think about this issue.  On one hand, I thought it was fast-paced and intriguing.  On the other hand, I kept wondering why people were doing what they were doing.

For example, why would Amanda Waller insist on sending an untrained team against a secret society of super-villains?  It seems completely ridiculous that she couldn't wait for Green Arrow to emerge from his coma and provide them with information that would undoubtedly help improve its chances for success.  Does she want the team to fail?  Is she secretly colluding with whoever the guy running the Secret Society is?  It just makes no sense that she would want to jeopardize the team's chances of success by rushing it into the field before it's ready.  If she really thinks that this team will help keep America safe, then why wouldn't she be doing everything she could to make sure that it succeeds?

I also don't understand what the guy running the Secret Society intended to do with Scarecrow.  He seems intent on shooting him, but then it appears that he knew that Scarecrow would respond that he wasn't afraid of death when confronted with the gun, allowing him to launch into his soliloquy about Scarecrow's obsession with fear.  Bizarre.

Also, I have no idea what happened in the back-up feature.  Did Martian Manhunter make that guy go after the President?  If not, how did that guy manage to get passed security?  

But, for all those faults, we've still got some potential here.  I'm intrigued by the Secret Society, though I have to say that it's a little pat that the first trial run for the JLA is Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.  Again, it's almost like Waller is colluding with the Secret-Society guy to make it happen.  Most importantly, the team seems like it'll have more interesting dynamics than the Justice League itself.  Catwoman and Steve?  Hawkman vs. everyone?  It could definitely be interesting, so I'm willing to give it a little more time.  But, I think Johns has to rein in his take on Waller in particular, making her seem more like a focused warrior rather than an insane zealot.

Justice League of America #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Instead of dropping us in media res as he did in "Justice League" #1, Geoff Johns decides to start from the beginning here, showing us Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor build the team from scratch.  It's a wise move, given that many of these characters need more introduction than the Justice League did in their debut.

The most interesting revelation is the fact that the JLA is created as a safeguard against the Justice League, with each member selected as a counter-balance to the power of a specific member of the Justice League (Martian Manhunter to Superman, Katana to Wonder Woman, etc.).  It's an interesting premise, though Johns oddly hangs his hat on the Superman/Wonder Woman romance as the genesis for the government's response.  Waller explains that her superiors are worried about the power such a couple who wield and, although I get where they're going, it seems a somewhat hysterical reaction, given that they've essentially kissed and gone on one date.  But, given Waller's general state of advanced paranoia, I guess I could buy that someone like her would immediately go to the worst-case scenario, particularly if doing so meant that she got a green light to form her own Justice League.

Going forward, the main challenge to me seems to be integrating a somewhat random roster into a team.  Catwoman, Green Arrow, Hawkman, and Martian Manhunter are the most famous members of the group, though Johns reminds us that we know less about them in the DCnU than we did previously.  But, right now, it's hard to see how these eight heroes (assuming Green Arrow is eventually included) are going to form a coherent team.  It's also unclear if they're going to know that they're essentially here in case the Justice League goes rogue, particularly if Amanda Waller is the one who gets to define "rogue."  But, with introductions made, I'm definitely on board to see where Johns goes from here.  I actually feel like the less known characters might make it a bit easier for Johns to craft a narrative than it has been in "Justice League."