What's to Come in 2013: Justice League

As we all by now know, both "Justice League" and "Aquaman" are getting new artists starting in December, along with that month featuring a crossover between the titles called "Throne of Atlantis." Now we don't really know much about the crossover beyond what the solicits and covers tell us which isn't much beyond the fact that Ocean Master is involved. But, if we begin examining the covers there are a few questions we have to start asking about the League.

Namely: Where is the Flash?

Cover to Justice League #15 by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

At this point, if you haven't heard that Green Lantern left the League in issue #12 while stating that the League can blame him for the fight with Wonder Woman (which took place in either #10 or 11 of the series), then where in the hell have you been? So now we know why Hal isn't shown in October through December's covers and solicits (and probably won't into the New Year at least), but where is the Flash?

On the cover shown above (and on the cover to "Aquaman" #15, which features several members of the League as well), we don't see anything having to do with the Flash. Which has to make you wonder, where is Barry? Does he end up leaving the League, too? And now with the cover to #16 of "Justice League" already having been leaked, you have to wonder...who else might be leaving the League?

Cover to Justice League #16 by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

We already know that Steve Trevor isn't friends with Superman and the gang anymore and he will be creating a rival League in "Justice League of America" (to come out sometime next year, possibly January). And by the looks of things, Aquaman may be making a turn against the League as well which would leave the team's line-up as of the end of January 2013 as only Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg. Justice League and Aquaman scribe, Geoff Johns, has stated that we will see the addition of the Atom and Shazam to the League (and he also said Shazam and Cyborg become quick friends, bridging the gap between science and magic, which probably means that Cyborg won't be leaving anytime soon). But as we saw at the end of "Justice League" #12, someone that they let onto the League is a traitor.

And I just wanted to throw this out there. Isn't this cover to #16 (shown above) oddly reminiscent of Ivan Reis' first dip into the New 52 League, seen in "Justice League" #8, with the League fighting the Martian Manhunter?

 

 All of this is making me wonder: Who, besides Shazam and the Atom, will be joining the League in 2013? And who besides Hal and Barry will be leaving the League? Not that I wouldn't mind seeing the roster change quite a bit, and with Hal and Barry gone that could open spots for a different GL (perhaps John or Kyle?) and a new, yet familiar, Flash in Wally West, but after five years of being a solid seven-member powerhouse of a group you have to wonder how it must feel for some of their most powerful members to leave?

What do you think is coming in 2013 for the League? Will we see any hero(ic) deaths? How will this tie into Trinity War? Will we see any more hero vs. hero action? Keep checking in here for more info on "Justice League," "Aquaman," "Justice League of America" and much more.

Teen Titans #0 Preview!

Cover to Teen Titans #0 by Brett Booth

Justice League Group Solicits for December 2012!

Cover to Justice League #15 by Ivan Reis

JUSTICE LEAGUE #15
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Backup story art by GARY FRANK
Variant cover by BILLY TUCCI
1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
1:100 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale DECEMBER 26 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
• Part 1 of “THRONE OF ATLANTIS,” crossing over with AQUAMAN!
• Don’t miss the debut of IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO (AQUAMAN) as the new JUSTICE LEAGUE art team!
• Can the Justice League band together to battle the forces of Atlantis?
• And in the backup feature, Shazam comes face to face with Black Adam, and Billy makes a decision that will shock his friends!
This issue’s 1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover connects with the AQUAMAN #15 1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover to form a single image.
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

Cover to Aquaman #15 by Eddy Barrows

AQUAMAN #15
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by ARDIAN SYAF
Cover by EDDIE BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
1:25 B&W Variant cover by EDDIE BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
“We Can Be Heroes” Blank variant cover available
On sale DECEMBER 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Crossover with JUSTICE LEAGUE!
• Part 2 of “THRONE OF ATLANTIS!”
• Atlantis invades the surface world!
This issue’s 1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover connects with the JUSTICE LEAGUE #15 1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover to form a single image.

Cover to Wonder Woman #15 by Cliff Chiang

WONDER WOMAN #15
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art and cover by CLIFF CHIANG
1:25 Variant cover by CLIFF CHIANG
On sale DECEMBER 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Who is Orion — and what are the New Gods?!
• Massive changes are coming for Wonder Woman and the entire DC Universe!
• Get ready for round 1 of Wonder Woman vs. Orion!

Cover to The Flash #15 by Francis Manapul

THE FLASH #15
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:25 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale JANUARY 2 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Flash forward in time as Barry Allen goes to extreme measures to defeat Grodd!
• Barry uses the Speed Mind to glimpse the future, and things are not looking good for him and the Rogues.
• And that’s before things get much, much worse!

Cover to The Savage Hawkman #15 by Joe Bennett

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #15
Plotted by ROB LIEFELD
Scripted by FABIAN NICIEZA
Art and cover by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT
On sale JANUARY 2 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• “HAWKMAN: WANTED” continues!
• Hawkman is a fugitive — and everybody wants to kill him for his Nth Metal Armor. Good thing Carter’s always ready for a fight!
• Guest-starring Deathstroke!

Cover to DC Universe Presents #15 by Ryan Sook

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #15
Written by MARC ANDREYKO
Art by ROBSON ROCHA and OCLAIR ALBERT
Cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale DECEMBER 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• The New Black and Blue team-up of Blue Devil and Black Lightning continues!
• Blue Devil’s suit is the source of his power, and it’s out of control!
• Black Lightning has to stop him…hey, maybe killing him will do the trick!

Cover to Earth-2 #7 by Ivan Reis

EARTH 2 #7
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by NICOLA SCOTT and TREVOR SCOTT
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS
On sale DECEMBER 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Who is Hawkgirl? The secret is revealed!
• Mr. Terrific makes his first appearance on Earth 2 since he left our world!
• Don’t miss the aftermath of “THE GRUNDY APOCALYPSE!”

Cover to Worlds' Finest #7 by Kevin Maguire

WORLDS’ FINEST #7
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by KEVIN MAGUIRE, GEORGE PEREZ and SCOTT KOBLISH
Cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
1:25 B&W Variant cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
On sale DECEMBER 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Robin begrudgingly helps Huntress track down the threat to Wayne Enterprises, but little do they realize that threat is actually tracking them!
• Meanwhile, Power Girl continues to explore the connection between Earth 2, Apokolips and this Earth, only to find herself in a stand-off with...a bunch of heavily armed 10-year-olds?!

Cover to Green Arrow #15 by Aaron Lopresti

GREEN ARROW #15
Written by ANN NOCENTI
Art by FREDDIE E. WILLIAMS II and ROB HUNTER
Cover by AARON LOPRESTI
On sale DECEMBER 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Ollie begins a downward spiral as he slowly loses everything!
• Betrayed and alone after the loss of Q-Corps, can the Emerald Archer hold on to his arsenal?

Cover to Fury of Firestorm #15 by Dan Jurgens

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #15
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art and cover by DAN JURGENS and RAY McCARTHY
On sale JANUARY 2 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Firestorm vs. Captain Atom!
• Two of the most powerful heroes in the universe go head to head, and things are going to EXPLODE!
• Don’t miss this issue’s shocking conclusion as the first hints of a disturbing new force in the DCU are seen!

New "Justice League" Roster and Creative Team Starting in December; Crossover with "Aquaman"



Cover to Justice League #15 by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

It was just announced yesterday that starting with December's #15, DC's premiere series would be getting a new ongoing artist. That artist happens to be one of my personal favorites: Ivan Reis. For the past year, Ivan Reis has been doing beautiful work on one of Geoff Johns' (who will be continuing on the series, by the way) two other series Aquaman. Which, by the way, is getting a crossover with Justice League starting (and maybe finishing?) in the #15 issues of the two series. Reis' work on the League has been seen various times over the past year including a few pages of #8 and the end of #12, and before the New 52, we saw his DCUniverse work with series like Blackest Night and Brightest Day. Personally, I have always loved Reis' work, especially since he was the artist of the first comic I ever bought myself (Blackest Night #1). I have always wanted Reis on a JL book and so this is a dream come true.

As for the cover, the issue shows Shazam on the cover along with the rest of the team so I'm wondering if that means that he joins the League at the same time as all this "Atlantis" stuff is going on? Or is it just like how in #1 of JL we didn't see Diana, Arthur, and Barry despite their appreance on the cover? Either way, I love the cover. It's bold. It's simple. And it kind of teases the way the series seems to be headed.

Now, to the crossover. I'm not sure who the new Aquaman artist will be (I can't recognize it from the cover?) but I'm sure as hell gonna be buying at least Justice League at that point and since Justice League is crossing over with Aquaman, I figure "Why the hell not?" ya'know? It'll only make sense if I buy both, so I might as well. Apparently the crossover is going to be Ocean Master attacking the surface world? Or taking over Atlantis and Arthur doesn't like that or something? Who knows! Well, I suppose Geoff Johns would. Either way! Looks interesting enough!

Check in for more information on "Justice League", "Aquaman", Ivan Reis, and this crossover!

Heading into Year 2 of the "New 52"

WARNING: THIS POST HAS SPOILERS FROM ISSUE #12 OF "JUSTICE LEAGUE". IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS ISSUE, YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD. ANYTHING THAT ISN'T SPOILER-RIFFIC IS MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION.

At the end of "Justice League" #12 we got our first look at the second year of both "Justice League" itself and what may be happening in the rest of the New 52.

This is what we see at the end of "Justice League" #12. I believe that the page on the left is teasing the four major story arcs that will be happening in issues #13-23. Obviously we know that two of those issues will be devoted to the panel on the far left (which will be the League vs. Cheetah).

The second panel shows Aquaman and the Atlanteans coming out of the ocean with a full-scale invasion force. I'm wondering whether that means that the Justice League refuses his leadership of the team. Maybe Aquaman tries to take charge of the League and they don't want him to and ultimately shove him away. Now this is very unlikely, but you have to wonder what about the surface world would set Arthur off so badly that he would go back to Atlantis (who has tried to kill him many different times).

Next up, is the panel of Shazam punching Superman. I assume that will probably be a one-off issue, as I can't figure out what exactly how long a story arc we could have to introduce Billy to the League. It seems pretty simple, though. Shazam and the League have an initial fight, then end up teaming up.

The last panel is the only one that isn't very straight-forward at all. All we know from the last panel is that the League allows someone into membership (I'm assuming it isn't Shazam as he will probably be a member for a longer period of time) who ultimately ends up betraying them. And I'm going to guess that that person is not a member of Trevor's soon-to-be-created "Justice League of America."

The question I have about the page on the right ("AND COMING IN 2013") is the picture of the League shows Green Lantern who, if you read #12, we all know quit the League. And obviously since he kind of just, well...died...in the Green Lantern Annual #1, it makes sense that he doesn't stay with the League.

What are your thoughts on the next year of "Justice League" and in the second year of the New 52 overall? Sound off below if you want.

Zero Issue Previews! Action Comics, Animal Man, and Worlds' Finest

Cover to Action Comics #0 by Ben Oliver

 

Cover to Animal Man #0 by Steve Pugh

 

 

Cover to Worlds' Finest #0 by Kevin Maguire

 

 

 

Earth-2 #0 Preview!

Cover to Earth-2 #0 by Ivan Reis