bookrev: JLA: Year One by Mark Waid
4 stars: A great beginning
We watched Justice League and Unlimited on Toon for many years while my son was growing up. Now he collects the graphic novel collections of the comics, and we are re-reading them together.
My son like this one because it tells the story of the beginning of the Justice League, focusing on Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and Black Canary, with a little sprikling of other superheroes ala the Justice League Unlimited Show.
The story (originally JLA: Year One #1-#12, 1998) tells a lot about the interaction with the five, and how they gain respect with the rest of the heroes and start working as a team. It also has an excellent story arc, about the alien Appelaxians, their battle for supremacy amongst themselves and then for control of Earth.
Our favorite characters in this one are Green Arrow and the Martian Manhunter (me) and the Flash (my son). I think J’onn goes through the most transformation, the most discovery, and the Green Arrow keeps popping in and out. My son likes the Flash because he takes charge, but also cracks jokes (he’s remembering the TV show too).
The Vandal Savage part of the story was my least favorite, he seemed shoe-horned into the story, only there to fix a couple of pieces in the stoy line.
On to New World Order, JLA graphic novel #1.
