Cry for Justice
By Satyrquaze 16 Comments
So, I became aware of this limited series about 4 months ago when while loitering at my LCS I saw the eye catching painted art of Mauro Cascoili on the cover. Then, I noticed the name 'James Robinson' and I distinctly recalled my friend singing his praises one night, so I checked out the first issue.
Check out G-Man's preview here: http://www.comicvine.com/news/justice-league-cry-for-justice-1oh-boy/138552/
The opening scene is just chilling. It depicts a Hal Jordan who is fed up with watching friends and compatriots die during the various crisies. With the most recent deaths of J'onn J'onzz and Batman, Hal has hit his limit. He basically tells Superman and the rest of the League that he's done standing idly by and waiting as villains plot their next strike and perhaps kill again and at one point sounds not unlike I imagine Sinestro might have sounded back in the days before he crossed the line back on Korugar. Oliver Queen backs Hal and they leave as Hal questions if the Justice League places the importance on the word "League" or the word "Justice".
This series has kept me coming back to pick up the following issue for a number of reasons, but one of the big ones is the villain in the story. Prometheus.
This is a character that in his very first appearance challenged the most powerful roster of the JLA to date by himself, and he took out half the team before they realized they were under attack. Prometheus has no powers, he's just got a pretty brillant and inventive criminal mind, high-tech gadgets, and is a master of about a dozen or so martial arts. Sound like anyone you know? Shortly afterwards, he teamed up with Lex to form a new streamlined Injustice League and blew up the Justice League Watchtower during the Magdegon crisis. Batman managed to outmaneuver Prometheus and captured him.
After this, (and this is an opinion I happen to share with James Robinson) Prometheus fell on hard times. He showed up as a henchman to Hush and started using pistols for no reason. Later on, he lost one-on-one to Robin III... with each appearance he seemed less and less competent. Sure, during this period, he knocked out Lady Shiva in about 3 panels of combat, but he had effectively gone from being a credible threat to the entire JLA to being arch-nemesis to the Huntress. (The Huntress? Really??) I am eternally indebted to Robinson for making an effort to not only awknowledge the damage, but to try to repair the damage to this great Grant Morrison creation.
Also in this series is the continuation of the story of Freddy Freeman. Captain Marvel has also always been a favorite of mine, but I didn't care much for Freddy until he took over the mantle from Billy. Now, I'm glad to see him on the frontlines here, searching for justice.
Which brings us to the title... "Cry for Justice" is taken from the various characters who feel personally touched by all the recent deaths in the DCU. Hal for example, despite not liking Bruce Wayne, feels he should do something about it, demand justice. Which is odd, because in Promethus' first appearance he makes a point of saying it is his wish to 'destroy justice'. So, we'll see how this ends up with Hal's thrown together team of Ollie, Ray Palmer, Freddy, and Kara Zor-El going up against Prometheus' plans.
If you're not reading this mini-series, you're missing out.
