This issue promises the heroes of the Pre-Flashpoint Justice League in action once again, but there’s a couple of surprises awaiting them (and us) in Gotham City! Your Major Spoilers review of Convergence: Justice League #1 awaits!
CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
Writer: Frank Tieri
Artist: Vicente Sifuentes
Colorist: Monica Rubino
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Editor: Marie Javins
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Convergence: Justice League: In the wake of the horror (both in-universe and out) of the ‘Cry For Justice’ miniseries, the Justice League reformed under the leadership of former Teen Titan Donna Roy and Green Hal Jordan, including Dick Grayson who was then serving as interim Batman. With a team including Mon-El, The Guardian and others, they seemed poised to recreate a new era of greatness for the League…
…until it all fell apart. Most of the members left, with Jade and Jesse Quick joining the team to fill out the roster, and a wonderful buddy team of Congorilla and Mikaal Tomas Starman rounding out the team, but this era, too, was cut short by the Flashpoint event resetting the entire DCU.
A LIKEABLE LINEUP OF CHARACTERS
All of that is only sort of relevant to the plot here, though, as we open with Supergirl rushing Jesse Quick to the hospital so that she can have her baby. As Jesse is rushed into the delivery area, a puff of smoke (and a ‘BAMF’ sound, which feels a little too smugly self-aware) heralds the arrival of Zatanna, Vixen and Jade, as we discover that Jesse has gone into labor during her baby shower, which was interrupted first by labor and then by a massive dome over the city (interestingly, it’s GOTHAM City, which we’ll get to in a moment.) There are admittedly some lovely character moments for the heroes here, emphasizing a deep friendship between Jesse and Supergirl and a nice camaraderie between the female heroes of the League. It is a good thing they all get along, too, because as the dome covers Gotham, everyone’s super-powers just fade away…
SOMETHING HIDING IN THE DEPTHS
Where are Gotham’s regular heroes, you ask? I’m going to assume they’re off somewhere resurrecting Bruce Wayne. (That happened right before Flashpoint, right?) There is some awkward transition, and the story stumbles quite a bit as we cut forward a year and find our heroes running a nightclub and dressing the part, with miniskirts and tight leather galore. We find that Mera has also been trapped under the dome, and she’s really bummed that her husband was trapped OUTSIDE. It’s doubly cruel when you remember he just got resurrected, by her perspective. That’s when then events of Convergence #1 occur, the domes come down, and everyone suddenly has their powers back. Worse, the alternate scarred-face Flashpoint Aquaman is more than ready to reclaim his bride and fight to the death as Brainiac commands…
THE BOTTOM LINE: NOT THE SMOOTHEST RIDE
There are a lot of comics that ask us to swallow a lot of strange premises: By historical standards, Brainiac capturing heroes from the multiverse isn’t all that hard to accept, and if you like this team (including a much more accessible Supergirl and fan-favorites Zatanna and Vixen), the character moments are pretty nicely done. I’m not so sure that having the heroes go into battle in their party clothes is a decision made for story-related reasons, and I’m very troubled by how easily and brutally alternate-Aquaman conquers his would-be queen. Convergence: Justice League #1 has some noticeable flaws and seems aimed specifically at those who fondly remember the James Robinson pre-Flashpoint JLA, but on those terms it does an okay job, earning 2.5 out of 5 stars overall.
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