Justice League Dark #19 came out today, and with it, a new arc has started. And I just want to say now that I love Justice League Dark. It is my favorite team book at DC, and it is a lot of fun. At its core, the series is a fantasy adventure, using B-list and C-list characters from the magical side of the DC Universe. And I think more people should be reading it. So, to help anybody on the fence, here’s a breakdown of the series, in terms of story arcs, characters, and quality. But before any of that…

What is the Justice League Dark?

The Justice League Dark is a magical team, a group of supernatural heroes who protect the world from the paranormal threats that the regular superheroes aren’t equipped to battle. The team has a constantly changing roster, with a handful of permanent members and a bunch of rotating fill-ins. We’ll discuss the members of the team in a bit, but first, there’s another team I’d like to talk about.

The Creative Team:

Writer (Issues #1-#8): Peter Milligan

Peter Milligan is a British writer, largely famous for the work he’s done in the past 20 years such as the Vertigo series Shade the Changing Man, Batman, and X-Men. In DC’s New 52, Milligan has also been the writer of Red Lanterns since its first issue, though he will be leaving the book after Red Lanterns #20, and wrote several issues of Stomrwatch.

Milligan’s run on Justice League Dark is, in short, probably why the comic isn’t very popular right now. People had lots of problems with his initial issues of the series, mainly that none of the main characters were all that likable. In retrospect, when you read volume 1 of the series, “In The Dark”, in full, it seems that Milligan may have had some kind of grand master plan that he never got to carry out. While I would have liked to have seen where his version of the book was going, I’m really not too broken up about the change in writers.

Writer (Issue #9-Present): Jeff Lemire

Jeff Lemire is a Canadian author known for books like Top Shelf’s Essex County Trilogy and Vertigo’s Sweet Tooth. He has also been all over the New 52, writing fan-favorite book Animal Man, the first nine issues of Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., and taking over Green Arrow as of issue #17. He took over Justice League Dark with issue #9, turning it into one of the best books at DC. Lemire is a fantastic writer, with a real penchant for writing diverse, likable characters, and great relationships between those characters, and his involvement with this comic has been a godsend.

Co-Writer (Issue #15-Present): Ray Fawkes

Ray Fawkes is a Canadian writer who’s worked on books such as Vertigo’s Mnemovore and Oni Press’s One Soul. A friend of Lemire’s, he came on board to help co-write the series starting with issue #15, when Lemire started piling up too many titles at once. He and Lemire also co-write the current Constantine series, and Fawkes has done excellent work on a fill-in issue of Batgirl (Batgirl #18), and will be writing the upcoming Pandora series later this year. Fawkes is a very good writer, every bit as good as Lemire, and there’s been no noticeable change in quality to the series since he joined it, either good or bad.

Arist: Mikel Janin

Mikel Janin is a Spanish artist who’s done very little work outside of DC comics. At DC, his art credits mostly include Justice League Dark, as well as his work on Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons. Janin’s art is fantastic, and I’d go on about it now, but you’ll see plenty of examples of it later on. But he’s been doing the art for the book since issue #1 (although there are a couple of issues where they’ve had to get fill-in artists), and it’s great.

The Stories:

The series has just started its fifth story arc. Keep in mind that every one of these arcs is a jumping-on point in itself. They are…

Volume 1: In The Dark (Issues #1-#6):

The origin of the team. When a powerful witch known as the Enchantress goes mad, and her magic starts wreaking havoc throughout the world, not even the Justice League is able to stop her. The immortal fortune teller Madame Xanadu brings together a group of magical misfits to stop the witch’s reign of madness: John Constantine, Zatanna Zatara, Deadman, Shade, and Mindwarp. These individuals must not join together only to stop the Enchantress, but also to stop a great evil Madame Xanadu has forseen coming to destroy the world. These six issues make up the first trade paperback volume of the series.

-Quality: In The Dark gets a lot of flak, and not all of it is ill-deserved. The characters are all whiny and unlikable. Zatanna’s magic is totally ineffectual, Xanadu’s a heroin addict, Deadman is a womanizing asshole, Shade is obsessing over his dead girlfriend, and Mindwarp’s inclusion is totally pointless. Constantine’s the only one who seems capable of actually getting anything done. That said, the story and central conflict is interesting, Deadman and Constantine have interesting character arcs, and as I mentioned earlier, it seems like Milligan had some grand master plan, and if he were allowed to continue the story, we’d probably look back on this first story arc and talk about how genius of a foundation it was.

Rise of the Vampires (Issues #7 and #8):

Rise of the Vampires is a crossover story arc that takes place in both I, Vampire and Justice League Dark. The reading order is JLD #7, I, Vampire #7, JLD #8, I, Vampire #8. As a part of Justice League Dark, it’s not a crucial storyline, though it is the story where Shade leaves the team. It’s really more important to the I, Vampire story arc, as it’s where some monumentally important events occur for that comic. If you want to read it, you can hunt down the individual issues, or you can pick up Volume 2 of I, Vampire. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t grab Volume 2 of I, Vampire unless you’ve also read Volume 1, because the whole comic is one continuous story.

-Quality: This is basically an I, Vampire story guest-starring the JLD. But since I, Vampire is really good, this story is really good. That said, this is an easily skippable JLD story.

Volume 2: The Books of Magic (Issues #9-#12, Issue #0, Issue #13, Annual #1):

Steve Trevor, the leader of the US Government agency A.R.G.U.S. (Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans) approaches John Constantine with an offer. Get the Justice League Dark together again and help him retrieve his magical operative Dr. Mist, who’s been captured by Felix Faust in Peru, and recover the magical artifact Mist was looking for. If Constantine does this, he’ll get access to the Black Room, A.R.G.U.S.’s treasury of magical weaponry and artifacts. However, the JLD soon discovers that they now hold the key to finding the Books of Magic, the fabled source of all the world’s magic, artifacts too dangerous to let fall into the wrong hands. What ensues is a race between the Justice League Dark and a group of evil magic users for the most powerful magical objects in all of creation, and the stakes are the fate of the world.

-Quality: Jeff Lemire becomes the new writer in this arc, and he knocks it out of the park. It’s a much more fun, lighthearted story than Milligan’s was, but at the same time, the stakes seem higher, and the danger more real. There’s a lot of fun and action here, and the characters go from being a group of useless whiners to an actual team of heroes, working together, using their abilities properly, and just being likable. Deadman and Constantine are constantly taking shots at each other, Zatanna is tough and confident, Madame Xanadu is much more active and less worried about everything, and special guest Black Orchid is a lot of fun. The story is just great, playing with a lot of magical aspects of the DC Universe, and really just redefines the book as a fantasy adventure, rather than the grimdark neurotic tragedy Milligan was writing. And that’s the great thing about this. The book didn’t just undergo a creative team change, it basically turned into an entirely new comic. And I couldn’t be happier with the change.

The Death of Magic (Issues #14-18):

Technically, the Death of Magic starts with issue #15, but issue #14 is a fun filler that takes place between the Books of Magic and the Death of Magic, allowing the readers to catch their breath before jumping into the next big story. After the events of the Books of Magic, a couple members of the team get sent to another universe, and the other members have to follow them and retrieve them. Upon arriving in this other world, called Epoch, the team finds themselves being radically changed. Deadman is alive again. Madame Xanadu’s immortality disappears and she starts rapidly aging. Constantine can no longer lie. In addition to this, Epoch is a world of magic-hating scientists, who have outlawed magic and hunt down and destroy anything remotely magical, which does not bode well for the team. While some members of the JLD are captured by the science police, other members join an underground resistance of fairies, trolls, dragons, and other magical beings, trying to take their world back from the humans.

-Quality: The Death of Magic is not quite as good as the Books of Magic, but it’s still a good story. Half of it is this great story where the team members’ very natures have been turned against them, and they’re fighting against an enemy that’s basically designed to destroy them. The problem is that the other half of a story is a generic, somewhat boring “Chosen One” storyline, and the whole thing has a really boring Deus Ex Machina ending. Nothing really feels accomplished. There are still good moments, and the whole thing is entertaining overall, and I’d say it’s on par with pretty much any good comic book story. I wouldn’t blame Ray Fawkes either, which may be people’s first reaction seeing as this is the story arc where he joins as co-writer. I know that Fawkes is an excellent writer, and I think he and Lemire both just were working with a flawed premise. But like I said, it’s still good. It’s just a weak follow up to its phenomenal predecessor.

Horror City (Issues #19-#21):

This arc has only just started. Seriously. As I write this paragraph, it is almost 1:00 AM on Thursday, April 25th, 2013. Justice League Dark #19 has been available to the public for less than 24 hours. As such, I can’t really give a proper premise to this story yet, because it’d be a real dick move to give spoilers in the first day of the comic’s release, and also I’m still not 100% clear on what the premise is. However…

-The Quality: The first issue of this story was fantastic. Unlike issue #15, the first real issue of the Death of Magic, which I read with some trepidation, I was hooked on this from page 1. This is shaping up to be a great story arc, and I can’t wait to see where it goes. If you’re interested in the comic, but don’t want to spend money on a ton of back issues, this is your jumping-on point. Head to your local comic book store and buy a copy of Justice League Dark #19.

The Team

So, I’ve talked about the creative team, and the story arcs, and the overall quality of the book. But what about the characters? As I mentioned before, Justice League Dark has a constantly changing roster. That said, there are five permanent members. A core group that always sticks around to give the series a sense of familiarity and consistency. And they are…

John Constantine:

John Constantine is a British conman, a chain-smoker, a sorcerer, and an all-around bastard. He’s untrustworthy, puts himself above everybody else, and unfortunately, is almost always right. He’s the team’s leader, due to his magical knowledge, his experience in dealing with the occult, and his ability to make the tough decisions.

Constantine is a great character. While he’s got tons of magical ability, his real strength is his sharp wit and silver tongue. He’s always in some kind of amusing exchange with another character, always cool and collected, and always gets results. At least, in Justice League Dark he does.

Constantine is most most famous for being the star of the highly-acclaimed Vertigo comic Hellblazer, which recently ended with issue #300. Hellblazer has always painted him as a more tragic figure, and while there are similarities between the old version of Constantine and this new one, the differences are pretty noticeable. He’s now the star of his own book in the New 52, Constantine, which started in March 2013, and has two issues out so far. This version of the character is more true to his Hellblazer roots, but also stays in line with the character as he’s portrayed in Justice League Dark. This is probably because Constantine is also written by Ray Fawkes and Jeff Lemire, and it has been fantastic so far. Constantine has also made cameos in a lot of books in DC’s dark line, including Sword of Sorcery, Animal Man, and The Phantom Stranger.

Madame Xanadu:

Madame Xanadu is an immortal fortune teller and sorceress. Originally Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, she has traveled the planet for hundreds of years. She can see the future, though her visions aren’t always clear, and she tends to have a better understanding of the ancient magics that any of the other members of the team. She’s the one responsible for bringing the team together in the first place, and along with Constantine, shares the leadership role.

Xanadu is interesting, because while she is a capable combatant, she tends to spend a lot of time away from the team, handling related affairs to their current dilemma while the rest of the JLD fights the actual villain. Her main focus seems to be on her clairvoyant abilities, with the sorcery being a lesser aspect of the character, and I find it really impressive that Lemire’s found things to do with a character like that at all. Since Fawkes has come on, Xanadu’s gotten a slightly bigger role, as she’s his favorite character on the team, and she’s starting to become more active with the others.

Madame Xanadu’s younger self can be seen traipsing around medieval Europe along with the demon Etrigan, Vandal Savage, and a group of other immortals in the fantasy team book Demon Knights. The first two volumes of the series, written by Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell, are excellent, and issues 16 and beyond, written by Robert Vendetti, have managed to keep the book’s quality going even with a slight change in direction.

Zatanna:

The daughter of one of the most powerful magicians in history, Zatanna Zatara is the mistress of backwards magic. By speaking words backwards, her will becomes manifest. Aside from Constantine, she is by far the most well-known character in this book, and is probably the main draw for a lot of people curious about the series.

In the series, Zatanna and John Constantine are in a sort-of relationship. I say “Sort of” because it’s very complicated, as the two have feelings for each other and have been with each other in the past, but Constantine also caused her father’s death. Still, she’s probably the person Constantine cares most about in the world, and he’d go to the ends of the Earth for her (and does). The driving force of her character is that she helps hold the team together during the start of Lemire’s run, because unlike Constantine, everybody trusts her. Honestly, I wish I could say more about her character, but Zatanna hasn’t really done much yet. In Milligan’s run she was just a combatant whose magic never worked, and in Lemire’s run, she’s been in a damsel in distress role a couple of times, and while she’s still a great character, there’s just a lot of untapped potential here.

Zatanna hasn’t really made many appearances in other parts of the New 52, aside from some cameos in the regular Justice League book. She’s also not currently with the team, for reasons detailed in Justice League #18 (John has kind of put her into a forced hiatus due to her tendency to get captured repeatedly), but she’ll be back after Horror City for the upcoming Trinity War.

Deadman:

Deadman is my single-most favorite fictional character of all time, and I can write whole essays about why this guy is so great, so while I’ll try to keep this objective, you’ll have to forgive me if I start doing a bit of fanboy gushing.

In life, Boston Brand was one of the greatest acrobats the world had ever seen. Performing under the stage name “Deadman”, he defied death several times a day, until a sniper’s bullet hit him during his act, killing him at his prime. Boston’s soul was intercepted by the goddess Rama Kushna, keeper of balance, and assigned to help the living so he may cleanse his own soul, because he was kind of a jerk in life. In death, Boston is the ghost hero Deadman, who can’t be seen or heard by the living (unless magic is involved) but can possess them and take control of their bodies, gaining access to their skills and knowledge.

Deadman is the most heroic member of the Justice League Dark. Having lost his own life, he views it as a very sacred thing, and is all about protecting and helping others. That said, he’s not 100% selfless, and will sometimes possess people simply to indulge in pleasures he can no longer enjoy as a ghost, usually food. He’s got a bit of an attitude, especially when it comes to dealing with Constantine, but he’s a genuinely kind and caring soul, and a great guy.

Because the universe doesn’t want me to be too happy, Deadman sadly lacks his own book. However, he was the star of the first five issues of DC Universe Presents, and that story, “Twenty Questions”, is my favorite story in the New 52. He also has been in a couple issues of Swamp Thing’s side of Rotworld, “Rotworld: The Green Kingdom”, as well as a couple issues of The Phantom Stranger along with other members of the JLD.

Frankenstein:

Frankenstein is an agent of S.H.A.D.E. (Super Human Advanced Defense Executive), a secret UN agency dedicated to protecting humanity from the things that go bump in the night. Frankenstein is incredibly strong, and is armed both with the holy sword of the Archangel Michael and a powerful sidearm called a Steam Pistol, both of which he’s proficient in the use of. Also, as an undead monster, he’s immortal and virtually indestructible, able to handle being crushed, dismembered, and even blasted with a nuke point blank and live though the whole ordeal. He is the only member of the core five not part of series from the get-go, joining it in Justice League Dark Annual #1, the end of the Books of Magic storyline.

Frankenstein is Jeff Lemire’s favorite character in Justice League Dark, and it’s not hard to see why. The guy serves as both the team’s muscle and its conscience. He’s a couple hundred years old, a warrior poet, whose bloodlust in combat is only matched by his eloquence, although he claims to not enjoy battle. Frankenstein is a natural born leader who never gives up, and while he does let Constantine call the shots, he doesn’t let anybody push him around.

Frankenstein had a book, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., that was cancelled after issue #16. Jeff Lemire wrote the first nine issues, with the rest of the series being written by Matt Kindt, and while there’s a bit of a drop in quality once this change happens, it’s still a good comic the whole way through. He was also a surprise guest star in the recent Batman and Red Robin #19, and has been in the Rotworld finale in both Animal Man #17 and Swamp Thing #17, as well as appearing in The Phantom Stranger along with other members of the JLD.

Now, let’s get to the past members and guest stars.

Shade the Changing Man:

One of the team’s founding members, Rac Shade has a magical alien item called the M Vest, which allows him to change the world around him, although it seems to have a mind of its own. Shade is a character Milligan’s done tons of work with in the past, but he just wasn’t enjoyable in this comic at all. He left the team during Rise of the Vampires, and hasn’t been seen anywhere since.

Mindwarp:

Jay Young is a man who just confuses me. It seems he can use astral projection to leave his body, but only for a short time, but what he can do when this happens isn’t really clear. He was a useless character who wasted everybody’s time and did absolutely nothing to advance the plot. He didn’t even really join the team. He’s a creation of Milligan’s, spinning out of Flashpoint, but he left the comic during its first arc, a move that upsets nobody.

Andrew Bennet:

Andrew Bennet is a vampire, over 500 years old. He’s learned to control the hunger that drives vampires to feed on humans, and is the world’s first line of defense against evil vampires who want to take over the world. He’s a very classic, Bram Stoker era vampire archetype: Incredibly strong, able to shapeshift into bat, wolf, or mist forms, and he doesn’t die in the sunlight, although he is strongest at night. Bennet joins up with the team in Rise of the Vampires, and then helps them out a couple times in the Books of Magic. His adventures can all be seen in his comic, I, Vampire, which has just ended with issue #19.

Black Orchid:

Black Orchid is an agent of A.R.G.U.S., with heightened strength and the ability to shapeshift. She’s sent by Steve Trevor to make sure Constantine doesn’t betray A.R.G.U.S. during the Books of Magic, and sticks around until the end of the Death of Magic storyline. She’s a tough gal who loves to fight, but still takes her job as a government agent very seriously. Outside of this book, she’s appeared in the Rotworld issues of Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man, “Rotworld: The Red Kingdom”, but hasn’t been seen since she left the team.

Dr. Mist:

Dr. Mist is an African sorcerer with the ability to absorb and redirect magical attacks back at his aggressors. He’s also an agent of A.R.G.U.S., and the catalyst for the Books of Magic storyline. He’s very serious and obsessed with death, having lost all of his loved ones to a disease he couldn’t cure. He leaves the series after the beginning of the Death of Magic storyline.

Timothy Hunter:

A young British boy, Timothy Hunter is a magical wunderkind, gifted with the potential to be the greatest magical hero in the world, or the most deadly magical threat. Originally from Neil Gaiman’s “The Books of Magic”, Timothy shows up in the storyline of the same name, and is the driving force of both the Books of Magic and Death of Magic story arcs. He has not appeared anywhere in the New 52 after the Death of Magic.

Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld:

Amy Winston is a teenage girl, who, on her 17th birthday, discovers that she’s actually Amaya, Princess of the House Amethyst of Nilaa, a magical realm that exists parallel to Earth. She briefly joins the team for the conclusion of the Books of Magic, helping out in JLD Annual #1, and sticking around until the end of Justice League Dark #14. She’s a fun character, still getting a handle on her royal title and all the powers that go with it. Her further adventures, which heavily feature Constantine, can be seen in Sword of Sorcery, which is sadly ending soon.

Swamp Thing:

Dr. Alec Holland was the world’s most ingenious botanist, until he was killed in an accident at his lab in the swamps of Louisiana. Now, as Swamp Thing, he is the avatar of the Green, the source of all plant life on Earth, able to communicate with and control plants. He is an incredibly powerful elemental, and has just joined the team for the Horror City arc. His own adventures can be seen in the fan favorite Swamp Thing comic, which has garnered tons of praise under Scott Snyder’s direction, and as of issue #19, is now being written by Charlie Soule.

The Flash:

Central City Police Scientist Barry Allen was experimenting in his lab one night until a freak accident gave him access to the Speed Force, making him the fastest man alive. The Flash has just joined the comic as part of the Horror City arc, and if I had to guess, I’d say he’s here to help bring it into Trinity War later this summer. Flash can, of course, be found in the pages of his own book, The Flash, as well as Justice League.

So, there you go. A guide to the series, its characters, and the people behind it. I hope this guide has gotten you interested in Justice League Dark, because it’s a great comic, and I think a lot of people are missing out on something wonderful by not reading it. I’ll also be updating this guide over time to highlight new arcs and characters.

Versions:

-Version 1.0: Original Guide

-Version 1.01: Updated the original with some cameo appearances the characters have made.

Trinity War’s on the way, and we’ve got this bitchin’ three-part cover art showing us the covers for Justice League, JLA, and Justice League Dark. So just for fun, let’s look at all the battles going on here and analyze possible outcomes.

Click here to see it in full resolution.

Dr. Light vs. Madame Xanadu: Interesting match-up, and given the nature of Xanadu’s spellcasting, probably the most fair fight on this whole cover. That said, I’d have to go with Xanadu, simply due to bias.

Element Woman vs. Catwoman: Not fair by any stretch of the imagination. Catwoman is crafty, but unlike Batman, who has a ton of gadgets that could combat chemical reactions, she has no fighting chance. Element Woman is WAY out of her weight class.

Cyborg vs. Katana: While I think Cyborg is the clear victor here (pun not intended), Katana does have speed and a magical sword on her side, so if she gets in close, it’s one hell of a fight.

Superman vs. Green Arrow and Green Lantern: Obviously Ollie has a snowball’s chance in Hell here. Simon Baz does have a much better chance, but at the end of the day, Superman is still Superman, and has both the power to beat Ollie and the experience to beat Baz.

Batman: I have no idea what he’s trying to do. Probably stop Pandora. I’m guessing it won’t work.

Wonder Woman vs. John Constantine: Constantine. Now normally I wouldn’t say this, but Constantine’s magic can totally beat Wonder Woman here. Not because he’s better than her, but because this is Wonder Woman as written by Geoff Johns, who’s just angry and punchy all the time instead of the elite warrior writers who actually understand Diana portray her as. I like Johns, but I hate how he writes Wonder Woman.

Vibe and Stargirl vs. Firestorm: This is a good matchup. I don’t think Vibe could take Firestorm on his own, because any shit he tries to do with earth, Firestorm could just transmute into cotton candy or fly away from. But both Stargirl and Vibe are pretty powerful, at least as powerful as Firestorm individually in terms of pure strength, if not just slightly below, so I think he’s going to lose this one.

Aquaman vs. Martian Manhunter vs. Deadman: I love this idea. While he’s good, Aquaman obviously doesn’t have what it takes to bring down Martian Manhunter. But I can see Deadman possessing J’onn, taking down Arthur, and then using J’onn as a weapon against the League and the JLA. That said, I’m still hoping that Deadman possessing Black Adam still happens.

The Atom: Like Batman, I have no idea what she’s trying to do with Pandora. But she’ll probably fail too.

Zatanna vs. Steve Trevor: Steve is fucked.

Constantine vs. Steve Trevor: Steve is fucked.

Frankenstein vs. Flash vs. Hawkman and Steve Trevor: I love that Frankenstein just picked the part of the battle with the most violence going on at once and jumped into it. At least that’s how I’m choosing to interpret this, because it seems like something he would do. And really, I gotta go with Frankenstein here. He’s kind of the baddest badass in the New 52. Hawkman and Flash are both worthy foes, but unlike Frankenstein, they both tire out, and in a three way fight between them all, Frankenstein’s strength, stamina, and indestructibility just seem to give him the winning edge. Also, Steve Trevor is a non-element in this, and he is fucked. Seriously. The only person he could reasonable go toe-to-toe with is Catwoman, and even that is a fight he’d lose. I’m sorry Steve, you’re good, but of all the badass normals in the DCU, you’re probably the weakest.

The Phantom Stranger vs. The Question: Not technically going on, but the two pretty much seem to be enemies, as shown in the most recent issue of the Stranger’s comic. Question won their last fight, but he had the element of surprise at the time and the Spear of Destiny on his side. I’d say that in a straight-up fight between the two, the Stranger’s magical mojo dominates, but we haven’t really seen what this new magical Question can do, so it’s still up in the air.

I really can’t wait for July now. This is gonna be awesome.

I GOT NEW TOYS.

It’s the sequel to the top result when you “Google New 52 Wave 3”! I’m really proud of that, you know.

Yes, just like I did when they announced Wave 3, I’m covering the information on Wave 4 of the New 52. This is actually a weird wave this time, because it’s five books being launched over three months. And when you include the cancellations, the event starts in December, and continues through March. So, this time, since we know the schedule, I’m going in order of what’s being cancelled and replaced, and giving my thoughts on all of them.

CANCELLED: GI Combat

Ending with GI Combat #7, this book ties with the cancelled first wave books for shortest run, ending on its eighth issue (can’t forget GI Combat #0). I do in fact read GI Combat, and honestly, I have mixed feelings on its cancellation. It’s by no means a good book, especially the first story arc, but Peter Tomasi’s current Haunted Tank story is interesting, and I’ve been enjoying the Unknown Soldier backup that’s run since issue #1. Truthfully, I was planning on dropping this book once the Haunted Tank was over and one with, but it’s still kind of a shame to see it go. DC just seems to have trouble keeping its army books alive, and army comics are part of a proud tradition of the comic book industry. The Golden Age was all about supporting our troops, and guys like Sergeant Rock (who I believe starred in the cancelled Men of War comic) are a fun part of comic book history.

But then again, times have changed. War is no longer glamorous. We live in an age where we’re not just the good guys fighting the bad guys anymore. There are much fewer secrets, and the world is a much smaller place now. We don’t see these things in black and white anymore, and we can only have so many stories about army men shooting desert people before we get bored with it.

BEING REPLACED BY: Threshold

It may be more appropriate thematically to say that Threshold is replacing another book starring a certain teen hero listed further down here, but as it’s debuting first, I’m calling it GI Combat’s replacement. Launching in January, Threshold is a space-based anthology title (I think, I’m honestly not sure) starring a bunch of lesser-known space heroes in DC’s line-up. However, for me, the big draw of this book is going to be the backup story starring Larfleeze. One of the first posts I made here was about how I like Larfleeze a lot, and my initial reaction to the character, as well as wanting to see him have his own series. Well, it looks like I’m finally getting my wish. Sadly, I don’t have much interest in DC’s space-based characters outside of Green Lantern, but I’m willing to give it a chance. Maybe if they include some guys like Adam Strange and Lobo, it could turn out ok.

CANCELLED: Legion Lost

This ends with Legion Lost #16. I don’t know anything about this book. I don’t care about this book. I do not now, have never, and probably will never care about the Legion of Superheroes, and the fact that they had two whole books run for a year and a half confounds me. If you’re a fan of these characters, I’m sorry, but I just give so little a damn that this book being cancelled just doesn’t phase me at all.

BEING REPLACED BY: Justice League of America

Why am I calling this Legion Lost’s replacement? Because they’re both team books. Anyway, I’ve talked about this book at length already. I’m excited for it. I’m gonna read it. It comes out in February. Let’s just move on.

CANCELLED: Blue Beetle

FINALLY ending with issue #16, I was really happy when DC cancelled this book. I jumped ship with issue #8, because Blue Beetle really is one of the worst things about the reboot. In fact, the entire Young Justice line seems to be a flop. Blue Beetle was bad. Static Shock was a disaster. Teen Titans is doing poorly, Superboy is doing poorly, Legion Lost in being cancelled, Legion of Superheroes never gets mentioned by anybody ever. The best I’ve heard is mixed reviews regarding The Ravagers, and that’s not a ringing endorsement. Blue Beetle’s adventures will continue in Threshold, though, so maybe Jaime will wind up doing better in the future. But for now, break out the cake, because it’s time for a party!

BEING REPLACED BY: Justice League of America’s Vibe

I love how DC realized nobody cares about Vibe, so they actually bothered to mention that he’s a member of Justice League of America in the title just to get people to care. I’m mildly interested in checking this book out in February. I think it’ll depend on if I like Vibe in JLA itself or not. I’m saying it replaces Blue Beetle because fuck it, I just don’t care.

CANCELLED: Grifter

I’m honestly amazed Grifter made it all the way to issue #16. You’d think Rob Liefeld controlling it for the first year would be a death sentence, and I fully expected for this book, Deathstroke, and Hawkman to all get cancelled back in Wave 3, like Hawk and Dove were cancelled for Wave 2. All three have new writers now, but apparently, it’s not enough to save Grifter. Still, fans of the character can see him in Team 7, so he’ll live on.

BEING REPLACED BY: Katana

Look, I’m not dumb. I know that Ann Nocenti does not have a good reputation. But I really like Katana, and I’m really excited for this book, and I really hope she doesn’t fuck it up. It’s already on my pull list for February. Please, Ann, show me why you’re an industry professional with this one.

CANCELLED: Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

This is the one I’m sad to see go. Frankenstein dropped in quality once Jeff Lemire left, but that doesn’t mean Matt Kindt’s been doing a bad job. I like it a lot, still. The book went from being great to being good, and good’s good enough for me. I’d be even more sad to see it end with issue #16 if it weren’t for the fact that Frankenstein is now a member of the Justice League Dark, meaning I’ll have plenty of fun with for a long time to come. Still, thanks for all the good times, Frank. I’ll miss your supporting cast.

BEING REPLACED BY: Constantine

I could swear I’ve seen a cover for this book somewhere, but DC doesn’t have it up on their website yet, because I don’t think they solicit books more than three months ahead of time, and this isn’t being released until March. I am very excited for Constantine. I want to get into Hellblazer, but it’s notoriously difficult to collect. I realize that Constantine is in fact replacing Hellblazer, which is ending soon with issue #300, but in the context of the New 52, I’d say it’s replacing Frankenstein, as they’re both part of the Dark line and members of Justice League Dark. I really can’t wait for this one. It’s gonna be awesome.

Really, the books I’m really looking forward to for Wave 4 are JLA, Katana, and Constantine. Overall, I feel like this is gonna be a good wave. The fun kicks off in January, and I’ll be giving my reactions to these books sometime in the future.

YES. YES. YES. FUCK YES.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #0 DELIVERED EVERYTHING I WANTED AND MORE!

ourvaluedcustomers:

Regarding WONDER WOMAN and SUPERMAN kissin’ in JUSTICE LEAGUE #12…

Normally I agree with your tags, regarding dopes, crazies, and the like, but I’d like to point out that Wonder Woman was originally created by a man who was in a polyamorous relationship with bisexual women. This man also believed that the ideal society would be one where women ruled, and where love was strength. Also that the Golden Age Amazons tied each other up ALL THE TIME:

Basically, the notion that Wonder Woman could be lesbian probably isn’t far off from her creator, William Moulton Marston’s, original intentions for the character. If they wanted to keep true to the character’s conception, I imagine she’d be bisexual at the very least.

Doesn’t change the fact that Wonder Woman, officially at least, has never been a lesbian, and how much of this information your valued customer was aware of is questionable, but it’s something to consider.

WARNING: This article will contain spoilers for the New 52 Justice League comic.

The Justice League is traditionally known as the JLA, the Justice League of America. People make the mistake of calling the current New 52 Justice League comic the JLA, but they’re not. The book establishes that the League answers to no government, even if most of their members are American (I’m not totally clear on Wonder Woman’s citizenry at this point).

Steve Trevor: 110% badass.

The Justice League is a group of Earth’s greatest heroes, not America’s. Of course, America doesn’t like not having their own superheroes. They need their own Avengers, superheroes who can be called upon for the purposes of national security. To this end, the US Government will be founding the Justice League of America, a new series from DC hitting shelves next year.

This information was revealed firstly to MTV Geek, and an interview with Geoff Johns, the book’s writer (I guess that’s why he’s leaving Aquaman), and David Finch, the book’s artist (not to be confused with the film director David Lynch, a mistake I made at first) is available on their website. The team’s full roster has been revealed: Nine people. Six men, three women. This is already a better female-to-male ratio than the primary Justice League (1:2 instead of 1:6), and it’s a pretty big team. So let me give you a rundown on each member, their status in the New 52, and what I think of their joining the team. This is basically a bunch of miniature New 52 spotlights (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, it has its own tag, just type “New 52 Spotlight” in the search bar), but the article won’t be classified as such.

Steve Trevor:

-History: Steve Trevor first appeared in All Star Comics #8 in 1941. He was Wonder Woman’s love interest, an American military agent who crashed his plane on Paradise Island, causing Wonder Woman to venture out into Man’s World. Steve was basically a role-reversal character. He’d always go off on a mission, get in over his head, and then his superpowered girlfriend had to come save him. There’s certainly nothing wrong with this, and at the time, it was revolutionary. But by modern standards, it’s a bit blasé. After the Golden Age, Steve didn’t do much, and he hasn’t really been used in modern comics much, mostly being a member of Wonder Woman’s supporting cast.

-Abilities: Steve is a trained soldier and born survivor. He’s a tough-as-nails son of a gun and fiercely loyal to his friends.

-New 52 Steve: Steve has only been seen in team books so far: Justice League and Justice League Dark. He’s actually an very important character, both in and out of universe. His history is a modernized version of his Golden Age character: He crashed on Paradise Island, and fell in love with Diana, the 18-year-old Princess of the Amazons, causing her to come to man’s world and become the superhero Wonder Woman. In Justice League, he serves as Wonder Woman’s love interest, although we all know where that’s going.

Steve don’t win.

Steve is also head of the US government’s metahuman response agency, A.R.G.U.S., the Advanced Research Group for Uniting Superhumans, an agency which deals with metahuman threats, backs up the Justice League when needed, and keeps high-tech superweapons and magical artifacts under lockdown. He’s the one non-leaguer that’s most trusted by the Justice League, and the USA’s (and the world’s) liaison to the League.

-Part of JLA: I don’t know how I feel about this. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Steve. In fact, he’s pretty much my favorite character in Justice League right now. Geoff Johns chose to make him a very strong character in his own right, rather than just Wonder Woman’s boy toy, and it works and works great. I’m also really excited to see him being the leader of a team. The only problem is, the new Green Lantern’s appearance indicates that this takes place as the New 52 timeline goes on, unlike Team 7, which will be taking place in the past. And, well, Steve’s kind of supposed to be dead right now.

It’d suck to have a character not only come back from the dead, but come back in less than a year, so I guess this spoils the big surprise that Steve’s death is a fake-out.

Anyway, speaking of the Green Lantern…

Green Lantern:

-History: His name’s Baz. He has no history yet. Pick up Green Lantern #0, available September 5th, 2012, to learn about this guy.

-Powers: For those not in the know, a Green Lantern ring is a piece of alien technology that allows the user to channel their willpower through the ring, allowing them to make anything they can think of out of green light. These things are called “Hard Light Constructs”.

-In the New 52: Every bit of material we have on Baz says he’ll be fighting the Justice League. His only appearance so far, Free Comic Book Day #1, shows him fighting Batman during the upcoming Trinity War event, and every book he’s slated to appear in shows that the Justice League will be fighting him, demanding to know where Hal Jordan is. 

-Part of JLA: We still know next to nothing about this character. Honestly, all that’s got me interested is why an interstellar cop is working for a single country’s government. I’m hoping it confirms my theory that he’s an ex-con. Every member of the team is handpicked by Steve. And I think that this GL was picked for PR reasons.

Green Arrow:

I think it’s a butt.

-History: Green Arrow first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in 1941. Really, this is one of DC’s big guns, and has too much history for me to cover here. The basics are this: He’s a rich boy who was a conceited ass, then got stuck on an island, then became a better person and turned into Batman meets Robin Hood. You want to know more about him? He has a TV show coming to the CW very soon (which I totally plan to review. Calling dibs now, guys).

-Abilities: The Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, is a master archer and billionaire playboy, who uses a variety of implausible high-tech arrows to fight crime in his home of Star City.

-New 52 GA: I don’t know what’s been going on in the New 52 Green Arrow series, but I know that Green Arrow fans hate it with a burning passion, and they want to tear out Ann Nocenti’s throat.

-Part of JLA: Green Arrow appeared in Justice League #8, which is my favorite issue of the whole series, and I love the way Geoff Johns writes him. It’s got to be the most endearing version of the character, right up there with how he was written in Justice League Unlimited. At the end of JL #8, Steve Trevor approaches Ollie with a proposition, saying that he needs a man of his skills, who can manipulate the political world and people. So for that to turn into superheroics is a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. I’m really happy to see him here.

Hawkman:

-History: Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, back in 1940. Like Green Arrow, he’s one of DC’s big guns, although lesser known. A sort of B-lister among A-listers, if you will. A lot of characters have used the name, but the most famous, and the one currently used in the New 52, is Carter Hall. Traditionally, Carter and his lover, Shayera (Hawkgirl) have been murdered and reincarnated endlessly throughout history. However, I don’t know if that still holds, as Hawkgirl is now a member of the JSA in Earth 2.

-Abilities: Hawkman’s equipment uses a fictional alien material called “Nth Metal”. His wings are made of it, which is what makes him fly. His weapons and armor are also made of the stuff, and one of Nth metal’s properties is the ability to dispel magic, which has been invaluable on more than one occasion. I think he also has super strength, but I’m not entirely sure. It might just be enchanted strength, which is stronger than most people, but not quite super.

-New 52 Hawkman: I do not read his current series, “The Savage Hawkman”. All I know is that it is currently under the complete control of Rob Liefeld, one of the most infamous names in the comic book industry. He’s basically the Michael Bay of comic books, and his only modern claim to fame is the creation of characters like Deadpool and Cable. Luckily, Liefeld’s leaving DC after next month, so somebody else will be able to undo the damage he’s done to Hawkman, Deathstroke, and Lobo in his wake.

-Part of JLA: The only reason I can think of having Hawkman in the group is because Nth metal can dispel magic, but that’s it. Otherwise, I have no opinion on this. Hawkman is a character that’s always flown under my radar. The only comic I’ve ever read with him in it was Brightest Day, and I didn’t really like his parts. I’m not against his joining, I’m just kind of indifferent towards the whole thing.

Martian Manhunter:

-History: J’onn J’onnz, the Martian Manhunter, was a product of the Silver Age, first appearing in Detective Comics #225 back in 1955, when it was an anthology book featuring a multitude of characters and not just another place for DC to print Batman’s face on it and get money as a result. 

Pictured: DC’s business model.

The Manhunter became a member of the Justice League of America, DC’s attempt at modernizing the Golden Age Justice Society of America. And the rest is really extensive, and I’m not going to get into it. Needless to say, this guy is one of DC’s most recognizable characters, and the fact that Cyborg replaced him in his traditional spot in the New 52 Justice League was a massive shock to everyone.

-Abilities: The Martian Manhunter is roughly as powerful as Superman. He has flight, super strength, and laser vision, but then also has psychic powers, can shapeshift, phase through solid matter, and turn invisible. He’s one of the most powerful characters in the DC Universe.

-New 52 J’onn: The Martian Manhunter is currently a member of Stormwatch, an ancient and secret force dedicated to protecting Earth from alien threats. He was briefly involved with the Justice League. To quote Batman, “It ended very badly”.

The history of this encounter will be detailed this January, according to Geoff Johns.

-Part of JLA: I like that Martian Manhunter seems to be getting back into more of a traditional superhero role. Until now, we’ve really only seen him as a serious, shadowy member of this secret society, isolated from the rest of the world. I’m just surprised that he’s working for the USA. Also of note is that this seems to be the first time in the New 52 that we’re seeing J’onn in his more human form, instead of his natural Martian form, indicating a desire to belong.

But come on now, WHERE THE LADIES AT?

Catwoman:

Is that one of those Yaoi paddle things from anime conventions?

-History: Catwoman first appeared in Batman #1 back in 1940, not as a costumed supervillain, but as an ordinary thief simply known as “The Cat”. Over the years, the character was revamped a million times. But the modern version of the character is Selina Kyle, a thief-turned-antihero due to her feelings for Batman. She’s one of Batman’s most famous villains, and one of the most recognizable female comic book characters of all time.

-Abilities: Selina is an excellent fighter, using her flexible body and cunning wit to get the advantage over her opponents. She’s also a master thief, possessing several thief tools which can be used to her advantage, and her prowess with a whip is known far and wide.

-New 52 Catwoman: Like Hawkman, I don’t read anything with Catwoman in it, so I don’t know the details of her current series. I’ve heard a lot of mixed opinions about her book, with some people loving it and others thinking it sucks. The only thing I know for sure is that she and Batman fucked on a rooftop, in their costumes. I wish I were making that up.

But I’m not.

-Part of JLA: This is a really big surprise. The thing Geoff Johns has confirmed about pretty much every member of the JLA is that Steve Trevor has something that they want, and in Catwoman’s case, it’s not a big diamond or a get out of jail free card. She’s obviously the team’s infiltrator, and I’m excited to see how she plays with others.

Katana:

-History: Katana first appeared in Brave and the Bold #200, in 1983, and was a member of the Outsiders, a team founded by Batman in the 80’s when he left the Justice League for while, which consists of lots of C-list and below characters, including Metamorpho, the Creeper, and Black Lightning. A young Japanese woman, after her family was killed by the Yakuza, she turned to fighting crime.

-Abilities: Katana is a master martial artist and samurai.

-New 52 Katana: She is currently a member of the Birds of Prey, an all-female super team operating in Gotham City, acting as the replacement for Barbara Gordon, who left the team when she became Batgirl again.

-Part of JLA: Like Cyborg, Katana seems to be a character DC’s been making a big push for lately, with her inclusion in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon and her role in the upcoming show, Beware the Batman. I’m definitely interested in the character, but what’s got me most confused about her is the fact that a Japanese character is joining the JLA. I’m not saying immigrants can’t join, but between her and Martian Manhunter, you’ve already got two members of the team who aren’t originally from the USA. The other thing I find interesting about her inclusion is that makes four members of the team who don’t have any superpowers, six if you keep in mind Green Lantern and the next person on our list, who both get their abilities from technology.

Stargirl:

-History: The Star-Spangled Kid first appeared in Action Comics #40. The name became a legacy, and the second Star-Spangled Kid, Courtney Whitmore, appeared in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 in 1999. She’s appeared with rising frequency since her creation, and has risen to DC Universe C-list status in the relatively short time she’s been around.

-Powers: Stargirl has the Cosmic Staff, which originally belongs to the superhero Starman. The staff functions similarly to a Green Lantern Ring.

-New 52 Stargirl: She hasn’t appeared yet.

-Part of JLA: Stargirl was created by Geoff Johns himself, so I don’t think any of her fans will complain about her being written out of character. Geoff has said that although she gets her start in Hollywood, she’s basically the anti-Paris Hilton, a very kind, genuine celebrity living among the fakest people in the world. It’s definitely interesting seeing this character on the team, and very fitting, as she’s always been tied to America from her outfit alone.

Vibe:

-History: Vibe appeared in Justice League of America Annual #2, back in 1984. A Detroit gang leader with superpowers, when Vibe heard that the League was being resurrected, he gave up a life of crime to become a superhero. He was also the first member of the League to ever be killed while performing League duties. I wish I could tell you I didn’t get all of this information from Wikipedia, but I did. Hell, even the picture’s from Wikipedia. There’s really not much to this guy.

-Abilities: Vibe can cause vibrations. Yeah.

-New 52 Vibe: Vibe was briefly mentioned in an issue of Justice League, when a group of reporters heckling Aquaman said that Aquaman was even more useless than Vibe.

-Part of JLA: Geoff Johns mentioned a while back that he was very interested in working with the character. Seeing how this guy’s entire existence has been tied to the JLA, I’d say that if they can make him interesting, now’s as good a time as any to bring him back.

Final Thoughts:

This is interesting, because since the New 52 started, DC’s tended to announce new books in waves, announcing the cancellation of some books and the start of an equal number of new books several months in advance. Wave 2 occurred during month 9 of the New 52, and was announced a few months ahead of time. The books that were cancelled were Blackhawks, Hawk and Dove, Static Shock, O.M.A.C., Men of War, and Mister Terrific. Replacing them were World’s Finest, Earth 2, Batman Incorporated, Dial H, GI Combat, and the Ravagers. This September, during Zero Month, DC’s canceling Resurrection Man, Justice League International, Voodoo, and Captain Atom. They’ll be replaced with Sword of Sorcery, Team 7, The Phantom Stranger, and Talon.

For DC to announce a new book for the next year, before the next wave of the New 52 is even out, raises a lot of questions. What book will be cancelled to make room for JLA? What else will join JLA in Wave 4? Will there even be a Wave 4? Does this individual announcement mean the end of waves, or are they just making a big deal out of this because it’s Justice League of America? Will a book be cancelled at all? While DC clearly has no plans to undo the reboot, is this the end of the concept of the New 52? Will DC drop the New 52 branding and just continue in this rebooted DC Universe now, releasing as many books as they damn well please? Lots of questions, no answers right now.

But as for the book itself, here’s what I think. This is exciting. I really like a lot of the characters in this team, and the fact that this book is bringing back the Secret Society of Supervillains has me giddy as a schoolgirl. This book is going to be interesting, and I’ll definitely be adding it to my pull list when it comes around.

I made this video for the “I Am DC Comics’ Biggest Fan!” contest on /r/DCComics. It won second place, and now I’m sharing it here. This video will explain why I’m so obsessed with DC Comics.