Justice Leagues: Justice League of Atlantis # 1 - Sea Change

Aquaman's Justice League of Atlantis returns to the capital city with Power Girl in tow. Along the way, they pick up Lori Lemaris. If Mera harbors any jealousy, it is not revealed in this chapter. Seated at the round table, Arthur relates the reason for his recruitment drive. On patrol of the kingdom, he came upon death and decay, followed by an encounter with 'borg dolphins and sharks. Further still, he came upon alien machinery that rose up into an island alien outpost! He returned to his throne where he found Arion, who confirmed for him what had to be done.

Arthur muses over Wonder Woman's League of Amazons, wondering just how many Leagues there are. He shares with his league that he was strangely complled to form a League, and that it would be complete in seven members. He and Arion go to find the Leagues seventh - Devilfish.

The League makes its way to the installation throught the 'borg drones. Just as they reach the installation, they encounter Zauriel's Justice League of Apostles! With him are Deadman, Dr. Fate, The Phantom Stranger and Zatanna. Obviously something has happened between chapters to sway her allegiance from Diana to Zauriel. This League seems hardly complete in five members. Arthur brushes them off, and then is unable to reign in his team before they destroy the station before they can determine what its purpose is or was. As the Advance Man checks in with a status update for Plura, Arthur sulks on his throne at his inability to govern his League as he does Atlantis. Arthur searches his memory for fleeting glimpses of shadows; as we shift from his realm to another's and yet another League! 
 
I'm beginning to see the Advance Man more as Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation. John DeLancie was perfect as the over-the-top alien entity. There's a madcap, devil-may-care mischief to his menace. Given his update to Plura, he notice a cruise ship, which he refers to as The Love Boat. Then we see the Kraken that Arthur was searching for devour the ship. 

This chapter is a little stronger from writer Len Kaminski and if you've enjoyed Javier Saltares Marvel work on Mutant X and Slingers, as well as Dark Horse's X, his stuff here is pretty good. I'm not sure Arion and Tempest should be as muscular as they are on the splash page, but at least Mera, Lori and Power Girl are duly buxom.

I'm surprised that Dolphin is not in this story. And, I'm wondering why this story, featuring a King is put right after the story featuring the Princess.The two chapters are just heavy with drama and seriousness, it would have been nice to have a madcap, light-hearted Justice League of Anarchy to break it up. Arthur pretty much echos Diana's regal superiority, with more than a spoonful of arrogance. That seems to be the tone of the series. That in order to work together the Magnificent Seven have had to put aside their own egos.
 
Zauriel's Apostle League just looks totally ineffective. I have to wonder if Diana's League disintegrated or Z just bailed. Now that would have been interesting to see. Here Arthur shows up and pretty much takes control from Diana, takes one of her team-mates and Diana does nothing about it. I would imagine that any respect that the others had for her would have been gone by that point. That kind of thing is what the series is about, after all. Not so much what the Advance Man is doing, but how the League reacts to it.

So far, it looks as if the writers got together and plotted along a narrow course, and offered the single-panel Leagues only as aside. Pity. Not that I would want to see a full issue or anything on Zauriel's League - I think there's been whole mini-series' focusing on teams like that, It would have been nice to see some sort of dimension, rather than a cameo appearance.

The Justice Leagues storyline continues in probably the weirdest issue ever, JLA: Justice Leagues of Arkham 1!