Thursday, February 21, 2013

Justice League Of America and Vibe


Geoff Johns offers a double dose of dynamic stories with two new series from DC Comics.

First up is the Justice League Of America #1.

The government is not happy that the Justice League members are free agents.  They need to be contained and controlled.  Director Amanda Waller and her organization have been placed in the position to create a new League-one that is answerable to her and the government.

She wants  Wonder Woman’s friend, Steve Trevor, to head up the new team.  The team will have two missions: be accessible by Waller and her agency and to be the frontline against the original League should they go bad-specifically Superman and Wonder Woman.

The new League team will consist of misfits and those on the edge of the law or with little public exposure and experience.  Vibe, the new Green Lantern, Green Arrow, the Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Katana, Catwoman, Stargirl and Trevor make up the new team.

It looks to be an exciting team and title-Geoff Johns provides the stories and David Finch the art-how can you lose?

Of all the unlikely heroes to get his own title, Vibe is the last one I figured would get his own series.

In the past Vibe was considered one of the lamest and most ridiculous figures in DC Comics roster.  That’s about to change.  Geoff Johns and Andrew Kreisberg have successfully turned that assertion on its collective ear.

The place: Detroit.  The time: five years ago.

Armando and his young brother Cisco are walking down the street discussing Armando’s upcoming college life.  Suddenly an energy sphere appears and the first of Darkseid’s Parademons emerges.  Cisco is drawn into the inter-dimensional vortex and starts to be disintegrated in the energy field.

Armando manages to pull him free only to be killed by the demon.

Years later Cisco is getting ready to graduate from high school.

While walking home he is approached by Agent Dale Gunn of A.R.G.U.S. who wants him to join the new Justice League of America.  The reason?  Cisco has been given an unusual gift.

When he was pulled from the Boom Tube energy vortex five years ago he obtained the power to detect inter-dimensional gateways and control their energy.

His new job in the League is to spot the gateways and beings that have slipped through and stop them with the aid of the League.  But, as with all government operations there is far more going on than Cisco is being told-Darkseid’s sister anyone?