John Constantine Presents: Justice League Rock
Ryan Sook rocks a cover that isn't exactly super compelling, but considering this is a big new jumping on point, it definitely has a bit of a 'First Issue' kind of vibe that makes is succeed.
Mikel Janin has definitely smoothed his art out a bit, the action feels more kinetic, the panel layouts are still experimental but in a more well thought out manner, and the characters look fantastic (mostly). I LOVE the way Black Orchid's shapeshifting looks, it's so ridiculously epic every time she lets a disguise fade as if it's crinkling and decaying away. My only problem in this case is the way Andrew Bennett is drawn. I REALLY can't stand Janin's version of Bennett. But on the other hang, the style for the issue title is INCREDIBLE.
Jeff Lemire basically makes good on all his promises right off the bat. He gives the series a tie to the title, in incredibly clever one that makes perfect sense. He gives them an interesting sense of direction, though I wonder if it'll be able to hold up beyond this arc. Readers of the DC New 52 FCBD Edition will be delighted to see a nice follow up on one of the major scenes' teases right into this story. Steve Trevor is what creates the tie, for the most part, and he wraps John Constantine into this through some excellent knowledge of the character as far as I've seen him. There's selfish motivations all around, and the way the new team is roped into everything feels very natural, and doesn't make the absence of Shade or Madame Xanadu seem awkward.
New readers can ABSOLUTELY jump in on this issue. Even current readers will find delight in the opening exposition where Constantine breaks down the team and their abilities. It explains EVERYTHING for the new readers, and is filled with a nice sense of fun that prevents it from being dry exposition. Even though I knew pretty much everything he was telling me, I loved reading HIS explanation of it. Also, this being a HUGE jumping-on point, the Editor's Notes are mostly justified.
This issue ALSO manages to succeed in ANOTHER usual pet peeve of mine, the 'Start in the middle, then see how we got here' cliche. This issue starts in the middle to set the scene, and it really helps the new readers because it gives Constantine an excuse to dump the aforementioned exposition on us. There's no absent tension because the only stuff that needed to be filled in was 'Why they're on the mission,' 'How Constantine got roped into it,' and 'How he gathered the others.' There's no missing action leading up to this, the issue begins at the beginning of the actual mission, and simply fills in the assigning. It all actually WORKS, and as I said, it's even justified.
In Conclusion: 5/5
Two people said it before me, and far be it from me to disagree in this case. I've got nothing at all against Peter Milligan, and I was enjoying his JLD just fine, but this is already my favorite issue in the series. For once I had 99% no qualms with the issue, and the only one I had was the art for one character. There were just so many great things about this issue, and it set up so much stuff for it to keep itself going. Anyone who was on the fence about this series GET THIS ISSUE NOW because it'll likely make up your mind within a few pages.