...aka the Teen Titans, some sidekicks, wannabes & a talking gorilla. I guess Hal Jordan and Green Arrow are there, too. This is the new roster coming out of Justice League: Cry for Justice and will debut when James Robinson and Mark Bagley take over the Justice League title. For those wondering who these people are, the roster includes:Congorilla, Donna Troy, Mon-El, Batman (Dick Grayson), Green Arrow, The Atom (Ray Palmer), Dr Light (female version), Starfire, Cyborg, Guardian (seriously?) and Hal Jordan.
Conspicuously, with so many speedsters currently running around, including Hal's bestest buddy, Barry Allen, there is no speedster on this team. Would have been a good place to spotlight one of the many recently back from the dead Flashes.
Anyways, any thoughts, opinions or other remarks? Agree with the roster? Is it really a JLA without Superman, Wonder Woman or Batman? Is this temporary or a longterm roster? Just what the hell is the Guardian doing on the premiere team when there's no Flash on it? Let us know in the comments below.
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28 comments:
I don't get why people complain about the roster in JLA. Its the JUSTICE LEAGUE! They should have a giant lineup, and if the creator can justifiably bring in another character that adds to the story, why are most fans so against it? The roster changes don't affect the success of a story, and they probably have minor affect on sales. Good writing will bring the fans in, and with Green Lantern, Vixen, Red Arrow, Black Canary, Red Tornado, and Hawkgirl you have enough characters to have every emotion needed for a good story.
I absolutely hate the idea of THROWING Batman and Hal on this team. We have Batman running around in so many titles doing so many things, yet we're supposed to believe that Dick can do all that plus the crap Robinson writes but Bruce can't? Take Dick out, its just asking for bad character development and contradicting themes. Same goes for Hal Jordan and to a lesser extent Green Arrow. The Hal Jordan we see in GL every month is clearly of a different brand than Robinson's view on the character in Cry for Justice. Its a shame the man is forcing the "stars" on us because he and his editors feel like that's the reason why McDuffie failed. Its not the lack of star power, its the lack of progression and good storytelling. Both of which I think Robinson will fail at with this abysmal roster.
I don't think Donna Troy, Mon-El, Guardian, Congorilla, and Dr. Light count as stars.
You know how people say the idea JLA team is one with 5 of the big 7(or big 8) and two or three smaller names? This is the reverse.
I can understand a support the idea of a writing using characters he really likes even if not many others do. On the other, what the heck are Mon-El, The Guardian and Congorilla doing on the JLA? One or two of the, sure, but all three?
Mon-El, Guardian and Ray Palmer are incentive enough for me to at least check this out. Especially Mon-El and Guardian, keeping how awesome they've been in Superman this year.
Or would it be especially Ray because he's always awesome?
The biggest problem with this line up is that it immediately leads to the question of "When are Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman coming back?" No one can take this League seriously since it's obviously just a stand in League, not a real one.
glspotlight - Comics like JLA are successful based on how well they stick to the formula that made them successful in the first place which, in the case, would be the core seven members of the League - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman. Good writing and story telling has very little to do with it. Even when Justice League became Justice League Unlimited they core seven members where still the thing that held the whole show together. Successful franchises are based on following a formula, not innovation and quality.
JLI is the exception to this rule, before anyone brings it up.
I'm somewhat divided on this. While it is kinda cool that Robinson is giving a chance for some of the B- and C-list characters to shine, so many of them are just so stupid that it doesn't really work. Who the #$*@ is Congorilla and why should we care? Same with Guardian and Mon-El.
I have to echo your sentiments here, Kirk, regarding the lack of a Flash. Why not bring Wally West on board? He's probably going to get shafted when the next Flash ongoing launches and he's left in the cold for Barry Allen, so it would be a perfect place for him to be.
But then again, considering how poor the Cry for Justice mini has been and glspotlight's point on the editorial mandates seem to be accurate. I'll stick with New Avengers.
It's a step up from the Detroit League. I'll give this book a chance. But they really need a new artist on this series--that cover is a little too rookie for Justice League material.
Oh, and is it just me, or does it seem like Hal Jordan's costume is different than how it usually is, especially down the middle?
I give DC 4 months until they switch teams. Seriously.
Well now I am interested in this book, mostly for Bagley on art. I dislike the roster mostly. While the major 3 in there are all right choices, glad Donna and Batman made it in I can't see why Cyborg or Starfire are in there. Guardian was a dumb choice.
It seems like this is the Titans League. Then why aren't Wally and Roy in there too? I like Green Arrow, but I like when Roy was in the league. No Black Canary either? whats with that?
I think that best example of how the Justice League should work is either Grant Morrison or Brad Meltzer's run on JLA and Justice League respectively. While Morrison started off with the big 7, it eventually got to a point where ever storyline featured a couple big guns mixed with guys like Steel, Plastic Man, or Big Barda. Same with Meltzer, who's best moments involved big guns working with B-listers (Batman/Black Lightning or GL/Roy Harper). I know people talk trash about Meltzer's league, but I loved it and everything that's happened since he left has reduced the JLA to a joke. I don't even bother reading it for free anymore, let along JL: Torture for Justice. UGH.
I don't like having Ollie and Hal involved with the rest of the lineup. I would have rather have seen Connor and John Stewart in the rolls of arrow and ring.
Guardian will nice as the common man. I love the Titans moving up into the "Bigs". This is a natural progression and hopefully will be played as such.
Wally joining makes sense.
Lose the Gorilla and Dr. Light and I like it.
Dick
Donna
Mon-El
Connor
John
Wally
Vic
Star (not trying to spell her name without looking it up!!!)
Ray
Guardian
That's a 10 person lineup. You have science, power, deduction, speed, flight, strength...really the same as what JR has planned but I personally would go ALL young instead of the mix.
I'll buy it in trades or get it interlibrary.
One more reason NOT to read Cry for Justice. What a cheese-filled fiasco.
While Congorilla is wierd, I actually think the roster makes sense. One would expect the original teen titans to eventually become the Justice League. The only problem is that this one will completely dissolve when Bruce Wayne comes back next year with Superman. If DC were committed to moving on this would be a nice move. Since they are not, it just feels like a waste of time.
@Tyler - I think Black Canary isnt here due to the whole split up between her and Hal that led to Cry for Justice. Not sure if she'll still have her own team post-JL: CfJ or not, but dont see her going with Hal's team.
@Anonymous (the one prior to this post) - And that is my biggest problem with the Jr Justice League roster. DC has no intention of keeping Mon-El, Dick or Donna and the others on the team and in a year or so's time, just as it's getting going, we get Batman: Reborn, World WITH a Superman and Wonder Woman #600 to bring the Big 3 back. Hell, post Blackest night, we'll probably have Martian Manhunter and the other big 7 guys back, too, making this new JLA redundant and on their way out for a relaunch of the book.
I have been saying for years that it's time for Nightwing to take Batman's place in the League, and that's sort of what's going on here. Dick is like Bruce, except he's a team player and not a total downer half the time. And it gives Bruce time to obsess over Gotham, and Dick the opportunity to shine.
(Cyborg works along the same lines, but I always figured he's be the one leading the next generation of Titans.)
That being said, I am a huge fan of Robinson's work on Starman. Huge. But everything I hear about Cry for Justice makes me sad inside.
(And I'm hoping it's not really Guardian, but actually a White Martian. Or a Skrull.) (Hey, whee's Mikaal?)
I do not approve! Especially of Hal and maybe Ray too.
Other than Starfire and Guardian being on the team I really don't have a problem with the line-up. I would have preferred it if it was Fire or Firestorm instead of Starfire since having Starfire on the team looks like a weak way to inject some drama on to the team between her and Dick. And instead of Guardian it should be Wally or Barry on the team as the Guardian's inclusion on the team makes this team feel like it is only a short-term team as DC awaits for Superman, Batman (Bruce), and Wonder Woman to come back.
Why is Starfire so tiny?
My biggest complaints are already mentioned above: This is not going to be a permanent change, I give it 8~12 months top before the REAL Justice League shows up and most of these characters are moved out. I like that they are trying to give these characters a spotlight, and it is the logical progression, but it's a stupid move if you don't plan to stick to it.
And Congorilla? Really?
It occurs to me that the Guardian and Mon-El are pretty big parts of the Superman titles and those title are leading to a big event in summer 2010. So maybe this is a way to bring the JLA, and the larger DCU, into that event.
I am a DC fan for life. I only pick up about 2 marvel books from time to time. I never thought anyone could top Meltzer's awful JL line up.
I feel like throwing up. Waste of Bagley.
The line-up really has little to do with how good the stories are. I mean with this team there has got to be someone for every fan and as long as Robinson delivers something better than his current "Superman" and "Cry for Justice" stuff, I'll be happy. Guardian has become a mentor to Mon-El, so I can understand that one comes with the other. I've always preferred teams with members that didn't have their own books. Characters with their own books leave little room for major changes withing the actual pages of "Justice League". So many of these characters have been forgotten in recent years and it will be nice to see what happens with them. I've been loving Dick Grayson as Batman and look forward to seeing as much of him as I can until Morrison kills him off next year. The only character I'm not too crazy about is Congorilla. He's a pet of Robinson's and, so far, has yet to do anything remotely interesting.
Remember, there is rumor of a secondary JLA series starting sometime in 2010 written by Geoff Johns. It would make sense if DC is saving some of the major icon characters for Johns to write.
If this secondary series happens, I imagine it will come out sometime after Blackest Night. And given Johns' interest in certain characters, I'm sure it will have a Flash (probably Barry), a Green Lantern (could be any of them), and Firestorm (whichever version comes out of Blackest Night).
Just my two cents.
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@The Dangster:
Meltzer had a bad JL lineup? I never noticed because I enjoyed the stories so much. Simonson's Thor, Moore's Swamp Thing, Miller's Daredevil, Morrison's Doom Patrol... I loved those runs despite not caring an iota about the characters beforehand. IMHO it's all about the writing.
This is obviously DC trying to fix some of the roster issues of the past few months. DC can't use Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman so they're giving us "lite" versions of them. Those are the only characters people really require for Justice League. No Martian Manhunter. No Lanterns. No Flash. And definitely no Aquaman. If the Big Three are on the team, the rest of the roster could be c-listers, d-listers, no-listers. It doesn't matter. Hopefully, Donna, Dick, and Mon can fill the void. By the way, of all the characters that have showcased in Justice League of late, why keep Dr. Light? Why not keep Plastic Man?
I totally do NOT have a problem with a JLA without the big three. Actually I am relieved to see that something like the league can exist without them, because it's always Wonderwoman, Superman and especially ALWAYS Batman! Get the focus away from that and show there's more to the DC universe than the big three.
Awesome!
I won't even start to argue as to if it makes sense whether some people are on the team or not. Because that can only be seen, when the team is actually in action! I also disagree about the franchise formula. Without innovation and experiments, there is no moving forward and that would be just one thing:
Boring.
Has anyone noticed that, with the exceptionof say Mera for Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, most of the big names are represented here by their counterparts.
Mon-el: Superman
Donna Troy: Wonder Woman
Batman (Dick): Batman (Bruce)
....along with Green Lantern and Green Arrow...seems like a solid team to me.
I love Donna Troy and Dick Grayson. But, The Guardian makes me raise an eyebrow. Also, what will happen to Roy Harper....hopefully he will stay with the league.
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