JLA Reincarnated
The Story:
Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman meet in the Batcave to select members for a new JLA team. Deadman helps Red Tornado become human by transporting him into a human corpse. The team slowly comes together to face a smarter version of Solomon Grundy and Amazo. The JLA also find out Starro is somehow involved in everything.
My Thoughts:
The relaunch of the JLA series is written by acclaimed novelist Brad Meltzer who in the comic industry is best known for writing Identity Crisis. Meltzer is definitely a talented writer and shows readers as he crafts a thrilling story. Not only is the plot exciting, but the character selection for the new team is as well. I thought a couple of the choices were surprising and unexpected, but Meltzer makes it all come together nicely. I'm glad it wasn't the exact same group of heroes as last time.
Some of the standout moments for me were Arsenal becoming Red Arrow, dawning the new costume. I thought the dialogue during this part was great as well as when Green Arrow and Hal Jordan were talking about it. A nice heartfelt moment between the two characters that seemed very fitting. Another moment I enjoyed and think is a wise move was when Black Canary was named team leader. I wouldn't have guessed it would be her that was chosen to be leader, but I am glad they made it someone outside of the big three (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman). I think in time this will prove to be a nice change of pace and make for more refreshing stories rather than having the feeling of recycled material being presented.
The interior artwork is by Ed Benes, one of my personal favorites. His work, as always, is simply amazing. His pencils are so beautiful and the amount of detail he puts in his panels is rediculous. Of course Alex Sinclair accentuates those pencils with gorgeous colors. Cover artist Michael Turner did an outstanding job. Even the variant cover gallery at the end was equally as beautiful as the main series covers.
This is a series well worth the read. It's a great jumping on point introducing a brand new JLA team with new heroes. Solid writing and beautiful artwork make this a standout comic.
Rating: 4.5/5