Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Love the JLofA, and So Does Brad Meltzer, July 5, 2007
Let's just get this straight: I love the Justice League of America. I always have, and I always will. I loved the Detroit stories, I loved the "Bwah-ha-ha" era, I loved when Jurgens tried to get it more serious, and I loved it when Nuklon and Obsidian joined the team. When Morrison came along, I thought the comic book gods had smiled upon us, and when Waid took over from Morrison, I thought all was still right in the world. When Joe Kelly came along I was thoroughly impressed, and then, after he left, well, things got a little rough for a while. However, who comes in to save the day but the otherworldly Geoff Johns. And then, well, it got rough again.
However, when I heard Brad Meltzer had been tapped to reboot the title, I was more than ecstatic. Meltzer earned my undying loyalty with Green Arrow: The Archer's Quest, and Identity Crisis was very strong as well. I realized from those two works that Meltzer's strengths are definitely characterization and the interpersonal relationships between characters.
So, when I gave in once again to my weak will and read the message boards as to what people thought of his work (because I'm a wait for the trade kinda guy) on JLofA, I was disappointed that they were largely saying negative things (I know, the message boards being negative, big surprise). This concerned me, because I couldn't believe Meltzer was doing a poor job.
Fact is, he didn't do a poor job at all.
The Tornado's Path works in almost all aspects. Meltzer is harkening back to my favorite era of the league, before the Detroit era, and that's when they were one big happy family hanging out and acting like the greatest super hero team in the world. But, he puts his own twist on it. Instead of the team coming together and then breaking off into splinter groups to deal with problems, like in the old days, the series begins with them teaming up into small groups and then coming together to form a larger whole.
There were some complaints that this slowed the action down, but this baby had plenty of action from the get-go. Sure, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman spend half the book simply talking with each other, but the rest of the team is out there in splinter groups getting things done. This allows Meltzer to establish the rest of the team and help the reader get a feel for them. It's not like anyone doesn't already know what the Big Three are about, right?
I also heard a bit of rumbling because Meltzer has all of his JLofA members calling each other by first name. This didn't bother me at all. I mean, these people are friends, that's what's Meltzer is trying to establish. If you were friends with a police officer, would you always call him Officer Smith? Probably not. The code-names are there to protect their identities, but if the team already knows their identities, why would they continue to use code-names when in private?
The Tornado's Path is basically a storyline to reestablish the Justice League of America and to bring Red Tornado back into the forefront of the DCU. I've always thought Reddy was cool, but after Zero Hour, things got a little weird for him for a long time. Thank God Johns finally brought back the very-human Reddy, and Meltzer took that even one step further. Are there some plot holes in The Tornado's Path? You bet, but nothing that impedes the sheer exuberance of seeing the JLofA done right. We've got lots of heroes, we've got lots of villains, we've got lots of characterization, we've got some mystery and humor to go along with the action--this one's got it all.
And finally, I'd like to talk about two things: One--I am one hundred percent in favor of Meltzer's lineup. The Big Three is an obvious choice that I'm glad they made. Hal Jordan makes a lot of sense as he's becoming a bigger and bigger deal in the DCU. Black Canary is also a logical choice because of her status in the DCU among characters, and it's high time she became editorially more important. Hawkgirl makes sense because she fills in for Hawkman as Red Arrow fills in for Green Arrow, thus keeping the Hawk vs. Arrow classic feud in an all-new and interesting way. Red Tornado HAS to be on the JLofA and I'm glad somebody finally realized that fact. Vixen is a cool character with a lot of room for growth, so she's a good choice for giving the writer some breathing room. Black Lightning has long been one of my favorite characters, and it's time he FINALLY is getting some respect. I prefer his red and blue costume, but I can deal with the shaved head and bodysuit. And finally, Meltzer is the only one who's ever made me care about Roy Harper in the least. I'm excited to see where this character, who has been around since 1941, goes in the JLofA.
Two--In my opinion, you have to read the collected editions of Meltzer's work for it to truly shine. He is a novelist, remember, so his pacing is geared towards intro, climax, and conclusion with lots of characterization in between. I loved The Archer's Quest, which I first read in collected edition, but Identity Crisis wasn't as good for me, and I read that in the single monthly installments. Trust me, those who said The Tornado's Path was too slow may have a leg to stand on if they were reading the monthly issues, but if you read the collected edition, you will be amazed at what a page-turner it really is.
The Justice League of America is in very good hands, indeed.
~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Slow Burning Relaunch by Novelist Meltzer, July 19, 2007
For those comic book fans expecting another Identity Crisis, this collection is bound to disappoint. The latest JLA series isn't a complete bust, however. The first issue is slow-moving as the lineup is revealed, and the suspense about who is on the new Justice League team doesn't hold up when all of the characters are on the cover! Like some other reviewers have pointed out, the story arc was too slowly paced to work as a monthly comic but holds up better as a collection.
The focus on the Red Tornado brings some humanity back to the character...is he an android? An elemental? Or...something else? When the villains are revealed, things get a little complicated and can be confusing if you're not too familiar with all of the characters.
This collection is also "missing" issue #0, an oversight that I would hope is corrected in future printings. For those not familiar with issue #0, it focused on possible "futures" for the Big Three--Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A REBOOT THAT IS WORTHY, July 13, 2007
This hardcover collects the first seven issues of the new JLA series. I normally am not a fan of series reboots as more often than not, they are done strictly for profit than purpose. Not so with the latest incarnation of the Justice League of America. DC seemed to realize that it was skidding down the same slippery slope as Marvel with morally ambiguous characters and decided to take steps to fix their universe. Coming on the heels of Infinite Crisis and 52, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman have come together to reconstruct not only the Justice League, but their ideals and reputations. In the commentary section in the back of the book, Meltzer is dead on when he says, "The long lasting beauty of comics has nothing to do with big breasted women in skimpy costumes. The true beauty of comics is its history."� And it's as simple as that: DC is embracing it's 70 year history of characters while still producing outstanding stories for the modern reader (Joe Quesada should be taking notes!)
As the story begins, the trio of legends are discussing and voting on new members of the team as Red Tornado, now human, discovers his robotic body has been stolen. Professor Ivo, with the aid of several villains has stolen the body in order to create a new Amazo, grafting Amazo's programming into Red Tornado's CPU. But there is a more sinister villain behind the plot. A now intelligent Solomon Grundy wants the new Amazo body so he can live forever. Among the notable events in The Tornado's Path is Roy Harper, the former Speedy and Arsenal, now growing into the role as Green Arrow's successor, and taking the name Red Arrow. Throughout the book there are respectful tributes paid to the teams of the path with a collage of panels and covers from previous issues of the JLA as well as photos of the previous teams on the wall. They even rebuilt the Hall of Justice! This is what a superhero book is supposed to be all about!
REVIWED BY TIM JANSON
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