Justice League: War review

By some weird fluke, despite the release date for Justice League: War being February 4th, iTunes has released it to everyone (or at least those who pre-ordered it) as of today. So. I figured I'd give it a good old review since I have it two weeks before the DVD/Blu-Ray gets released!

 

 



The story, based off of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's Justice League #1-6 "Origin" story arc, largely sticks to the original plot. But despite keeping true to the original story, it features a few important changes to the story. The most noticeable ones are the changes to Wonder Woman's outfit and the fact that Shazam is on the team instead of Aquaman. Inherently that will cause some immediate changes to how the story flow works and how well (or lack thereof) the team works together.

The team getting ready to go head-to-head with Darkseid

In the comics, the story starts off focusing on Batman, where here it starts off with Green Lantern. But the dynamic between the two goes exactly the same as it did in the comics. At first, Cyborg is introduced as this big hulking robot monster (once he becomes Cyborg of course) but as he fights with the Parademons his suit is beaten down and it begins to look like the regular suit we know for him. Interestingly enough, Flash is introduced as a friend of Silas Stone (Victor Stone's A.K.A. Cyborg's father) instead of being called in by Green Lantern to help fight Superman.

Darkseid is a little bit odd in the way that he is handled, but it really isn't too different from the comic story arc.


The really big surprise is that the animated movie does have a mid-credits scene.

Spoilers follow

Someone who appears to be Ocean Master (A.K.A. Aquaman's brother) appears in the middle of the credits and he says that the surface world killed the King of Atlantis (who does not appear to be Aquaman, by the way) and that they will pay. This heavily implies that the next Justice League animated feature will be based off of the New 52 Justice League book's second story arc, the Throne of Atlantis.

Overall, I give Justice League: War an 8/10.

 

 

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.