JLA Year One - Book Review

Those who know me well will know I am a huge fan of the super-hero genre, particularly those of Marvel & D.C. Comics. They will also know that I am a massive fan of the super-hero team, with the Justice League of America being among my all-time favourites.

So it was with great interest and eager anticipation that I read the graphic novel "JLA Year One", charting the first year in the life of this team. A warning though - some of you will probably be misled by the cover somewhat. Although they are major players in other incarnations of this group, and they appear on the cover, Superman and Bat Man are really only bit-part players in this tale, the spotlight being given to the Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, the Martian Manhunter, and the Black Canary.

The story begins after their first battle, as the star players take their first formative steps as a team, and their first huge test as a mysterious organisation plots not just the destruction of the JLA, but the world as well.

Older comic book readers will welcome the cameo appearances of the Justice Society, the Blackhawks, and the Doom Patrol. Superman and Bat Man do make appearances, but they do not detract in any way from the major players in this story.

This is an enjoyable piece of work, from some of DC's finest writers and artists, with good characterisation from beginning to end, something that was definately lacking in the DC stories of years gone by.

If you're willing to read a JLA story without DC's two biggest characters, then this is the story for you. If you'd rather see a JLA team with Superman and Bat Man in major roles, then perhaps this won't be to your liking.