JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VOL. 1: WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS by Geoff Johns, David Finch, Brett Booth, and Doug Mahnke
Collects Justice League of America 1-7 Price: $24.99
This book offers a pretty interesting take on the concept that is Justice League of America. It's a name that's long been familiar with any reader of comic books. When The New 52 relaunch happened two years ago and the flagship title was simply known as "Justice League", I assumed we wouldn't see the "of America" portion again. Earlier this year, DC rolled out a new title that takes those words quite literally. This is the Justice League OF AMERICA; a team put together by the US government to counter the main Justice League. The lineup consists of Steve Trevor, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Katana, Stargirl, Green Arrow, Catwoman, Green Lantern Simon Baz, and Vibe. Yes, you could call it a team made up of mostly B and C listers, but therein lies Geoff Johns' superpower: the ability to make any character he touches an A lister.
Speaking of Johns, his ability to craft dialogue is at its finest here. A prime example would be the interactions between Steve Trevor and Amanda Waller. These two are probably the backbone of the book, so it's important that he really made these two click. One of my favorite moments had to be the "it's not my blood" scene with Hawkman and Vibe. Hawkman's nonchalant nature followed by Vibe's reaction was enough to make one laugh out loud. I also really love how Finch managed to give a very regal look to such a visceral interpretation of Hawkman. The only relationship in the book that I felt indifferent to was the one involving Catwoman and Steve Trevor. I'm not alone in saying that seeing her with someone other than Batman doesn't feel right. On the other hand, Batman seems to have a different girlfriend with each writer that touches him. I'm just part of the crowd that prefers to see him with Selina and no one else.
World's Most Dangerous, the arc which this collection is named for, encompasses the first five issues included in the hardcover. Much like the heroes, Johns makes great use of lesser known villains like Professor Ivo, Signal Man, Copperhead, Blockbuster, and Shaggy Man. The Outsider is the main villain of the book, making this an important read as it is a prelude to Trinity War and Forever Evil. Having read a few issues of Forever Evil and the Secret Society one-shot, I've gained new insight into certain aspects included in this story upon giving it a second read. This arc also doesn't short change you when it comes to art; whether it be David Finch's insane attention to detail or Brett Booth's flair for providing beautiful, glorious mayhem.
Issues 6 and 7 are chapters 2 and 4 of Trinity War, respectively. While it does feel a bit odd to read only a third of a story, they had to include it. There will be folks that will collect JLA in trade format and it's best that they don't have any omissions. Giving them a book with only issues 1-5 and then a trade that collects 8-TBD wouldn't be proper. A positive in this is that issue 6 does feature the big confrontation between the Justice League and Justice League of America, so the trade does have payoff after building that up in the previous issues, giving the reader a somewhat complete experience. You do get a cliffhanger that alerts you to continue the journey in Justice League: Trinity War, which will no doubt be available in hardcover in the near future. This is very much a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation and I'm personally glad that they did.
Also included are the great Martian Manhunter backups written by Matt Kindt. J'onn is one of the most powerful and underutilized heroes DC has to offer. These backups and the whole book in general give him the proper focus that many fans have been clamoring for. My favorite is the one in which he enters Catwoman's mind. Not only do we get new insight into their pasts, but examinations by the opposite character. These aren't two characters that you would normally think to do such an intimate scene with, but it worked very well.
As for supplemental material, we are treated to a gallery of variant covers. We also get every Trinity War triptych, standard and variant.
The lineup of superstar creators alone is enough to make one want to buy this book. As I stated earlier, it's an absolute prerequisite for readers of Forever Evil. If you're someone that enjoys a covert ops tone to a superhero story (fans of the Young Justice TV series, that means you), then this is worth every penny.
Score: 8/10.