Justice League United, Volume 1: Justice League Canada

Justice League United

by Jeff Lemire (Writer), Mike McKone (Illustrator)

Top comics writer Jeff Lemire teams with superstar artist Mike McKone for the all-new monthly series JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED, starring the new team of powerful heroes Earth calls Justice League Canada!

In the aftermath of FOREVER EVIL, Adam Strange is caught up in an adventure across the far reaches of the cosmos that will unite an unexpected team of heroes including Supergirl, Hawkman, Green Arrow, Stargirl, Martian Manhunter and Animal Man - but if they're on the team, who exactly is Canadian? Plus: Don't miss the debut of a new Canadian hero who will have a huge effect on the group!

Collects: Justice League United #0-5.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

176 pages, Hardcover

First published March 10, 2015

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 2 out of 5]

(B) 72% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Ever exhausting, it's visually vapid, a careless cliché, all deathly dilute, and drifting aboot: a dim view of Canada, eh?

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #0-1 ◦ Issues #2-3

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I love my Canuck comic book buddies.
There are a lot of you, and thankfully you each seem to have an excellent sense of humor.
Especially when it comes to how poorly you guys get treated on the panels!



I was actually hoping that this would be your big BREAKOUT (and breakaway from Alpha Flight), but so far...not so much.
The good news is, JLU isn't the worst thing I've ever read!
And there are is one spectacular moment in this that (honest to God) made the whole thing worth reading for me.

*WARNING: There are all kinds of spoilers below!*
Seriously. You've been warned. No bitching...

All of this takes place after the whole Forever Evil stuff in JLA Survivors of Evil , and now the team of B-Listers formerly known as the Justice League of America is sort of in limbo.
The only one anyone cares about real powerhouse is Martian Manhunter, but Animal Man, Stargirl, and Green Arrow are all still bopping around in the background.
Hey! What happened to Hawkman?!
I'm just assuming you asked that.
Well, now. Don't you worry...he shows up.
*insert evil cackling here*
PS - I'm fucking serious about that spoiler warning.

Get ready, because the big news is that Adam Strange and his girlfriend fiancee wife, Alanna, join the team in this one!
Yeah! Whoo-Hoo! Yeah! Yeah!



Oh. You're not as excited as I thought you'd be.*cough*
Well, that's ok. That's ok.
Equinox is also another new member! And when I say new, I mean it.
She's a Native American...or is she a Native Canadian?
No, I think she's still a Native American, because...it's the continent not the country. Right? Am I right? I don't want to take anything away from my Maple-SyrupLeafed friends, but I'm pretty sure it's still Native American.
You know what? Doesn't matter.
Anyway, back to Equinox!



She's actually pretty cool, and I'm hoping they keep this character around after they cancel this title! And it will get cancelled.
She gets her powers from 'seven elders', and each one basically represents something good...I just can't remember exactly what 'good stuff' right now.
All she has to do is say her magic word, and she controls the powers of the elements. But (I think) she can only access the element that she's currently around.
Like, if it's snowing she has the power of...snow.

Moving on!
There was a lot of bickering between Animal Man and Green Arrow, with each picking on the other for being The Lamest Superhero.
I liked this, because it was an attempt on Lemire's part to address what everyone is already thinking about these guys.
Some of their interactions were funny, and some of them felt forced and hokey, but at least he tried.



Alright, alright! If you're still reading this, it's because you probably want to know what the hell I was talking about at the beginning that made this entire volume worthwhile.
*Ahem*
Drum roll, please...



He's dead.
Says Supergirl...all sad n' stuff.
Bwahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha! Ha! Hahaha! Hahahaha!
I can't *wheeze* I can't stop...I can't stop laughing!
OhGod!IPeedMyself! They killed that hairy-shouldered fucker!
I should give this shit 5 stars just for this one panel alone!



Yeah, yeah. I'm sure that fucking Nth Metal will heal him.
But for one brief moment the sun shone down on me, angels sang, and little woodland creatures gently nuzzled my face...

Highly recommended if you want to see Hawkman bite it!

I received a digital arc from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Get this review and more at:

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid story but nothing mind-blowing. Mike McKone's art was serviceable but has lost that edge where I could look at it and instantly pick out that it was McKone's.

[Gavin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is terrible.

Jeff Lemire is Canadian? I'm guessing he never left Toronto in his life if that's the case...

First of all, having been up north, James Bay is NOT the Gateway to the Arctic. Moosonee is a tiny tiny town. "Ever Cool"? WTF. Stupid.

Also, Adam Strange, if you were a prof at U of T, you might have a bit of a clue that you cannot do a "dig" in the winter, due to the ground being frozen solid. Also, Toronto, when he meets A-Man and S-Girl...ugh...it looks like late fall, not the dead of winter. But a few panels later, it's minus 35 C? OK. That's January February weather. On top of that, Adam Strange, you might want to wear a fucking toque...or you'd get frostbite in less than 10 minutes, and lose your ears...then that helmet might be handy...to hide the disfigurement.

Are we sure Lemire is Canadian? Because I want to trade him for someone, anyone, if he is.

Now let's get to the writing, and dialogue...holy fuck this is turgid shit. Is he learning disabled? If so I apologize, but if not, he should get tested...hamfisted, overly stupid explanations of obvious shit, trying to have Animal Man taken seriously when you only call him A-man? Might want to just try a-hole at this point. Then have him engage in witless banter with Green Arrow, who looks ridiculous here, the artist makes him look like an animated cartoon. Plus, Green Arrow isn't going to have to try any harder to be a dork...he's Hawkeye with no balls, or humour, or fans. Ollie Queen, pre Flashpoint would murder himself if he saw what he'd become...

Supergirl just gets thrown in, why? Hawkman randomly fights Lobo, who's unrecognizable and stupid looking...and has nearly nothing to do with the story, but then ends up dying, which is about the best comedy relief of the book. Then Martian Manhunter says afterwards..."oops, brainfart! If I sent Supergirl, she's indestructible, so she would've been fine...guess my bad on the whole Hawkman dying part...anyhow, what cool,name should we call ourselves? PS. I'm now an alien babysitter!"


I also have no clue how Adam Strange went from being a professor of Anthropology to a space traveller superhero...apparently just stealing an alien suit and jet pack with ray gun will suffice? I should try too! Oh wait, Alanna already did! And now you must stay apart because of our sketchy transporter! But it's all good, everyone else go right ahead and trust the mad scientist has fixed all the glitches in just a few panels! Idiots.

Also, apparently every animal that Buddy takes over goes "grrrr!" Yet somehow, this is some of his best dialogue of the book...I think it should be called Justice League Cardboard Cutouts/B minus listers who used to be better than this.

Oh, and then apparently, Space is Canada...more lame jokes aboot not knowing Geography, Canada being lame, and poutine. Justice League Canada spent more time on alien planets than in Canada.

Then we let Jeff introduce his new CANADIAN SUPERHERO! Who ends up being a lame version of Dani Moonstar, and has literally no interaction with any JL members other than Mrs. Strange, who's only qualifications are stealing a suit just like her hubby did. I think the writers decided to keep them separate so that the Stranges wouldn't go klepto and steal all the things. (Adam even stole Alien Skulls, and a machine he knew nothing about! As an anthropologist, he's about as ethical as Indiana Jones...too bad he's not even close to as interesting).

This is a big gigantic fat turd of a book, and it's so lame, they just decided to give it a crazy cliffhanger ending with a Space Time Traveller from the 31st Century! I have to kill the wee baby now to save humanity!

Wow. What. An. Original. Idea.

Pass me a Molson Jeff...

[Sam Quixote · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you thought New 52 Justice League International was the most woeful team book DC could come up with, don’t look now - it’s Justice League United! (Am I the only one who thought this was a superhero football team when they first heard the title? It’d be so much better if it was!)

The JLPoo are: Martian Manhunter, Animal Man, Supergirl, Stargirl, Green Arrow, and Adam Strange. Completely arbitrary line-up by the way - the character selection felt just as cynical and fake as that first issue of New 52 JLA where Steve Trevor and Amanda Waller are picking out headshots and putting them on a board! (I actually like J’onn so it’s sad seeing him getting lumped into yet another dismal line-up of nobodies - first Stormwatch, then JLA, now JLU. Poor bastard!)

Jeff Lemire provides yet another reason why he should be barred from writing superhero team books with this volume, subtitled Justice League Canada. Why Canada? Because there’s a Cree (one of the aboriginal peoples of Canada) girl called Miiyahbin who turns out to have superpowers when she says a magic word – y’know, just a fully-formed superhero who appears out of nowhere! Also some of the book is set in the Great White North.

It’s great to see DC branching out from casting white Americans in all of their superhero roles but, much like Simon Baz, aka the Muslim Green Lantern, simply putting a person from a different racial group in a goofy costume isn’t enough - that’s too transparent a decision. You know why many people thought Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel was the first Muslim superhero when Simon Baz had appeared two years earlier? Because Simon Baz was so bland and forgettable and Kamala Khan was so vital and alive!

Sadly, like Simon Baz, Miiyahbin Marten also suffers from a distinct lack of personality. You can’t just throw a minority into a suit, they need to have a well thought-out story, purpose and character – a level of writing that Lemire has shown during his time at DC that is beyond him.

So what’s this all aboot, buddy? The story of Justice League United is a mangled mess. Adam Strange conducts a dig in the middle of the Canadian winter - y’know, the perfect time to go digging, when the ground is frozen solid - and finds alien artifacts that transport him and the JLU into space. There, two boring alien races, Rann and Thanagar (the latter is responsible for Hawkman so fuck them very much), have decided to create a test-tube baby with the DNA of several alien races as a symbol to unite the planets, or some gobsmackingly idiotic thing like that. The JLU get roped in because they had nothing else going on.

This volume has arguably the most worthless sub-story of all the New 52 and it stars the two worst characters DC have: Hawkman and New 52 Lobo punch each other until one falls down. That’s a “story” apparently! Why did only one have to lose - why not both?! Couldn’t they have just killed each other and disappeared forever?

Green Arrow and Animal Man bicker, er, “endearingly” (I think that’s what Lemire was going for)? I’ve honestly never hated either character until seeing them whine at each other in this book. Mike McKone’s art is slightly better than it was in Avengers: Endless Wartime but then the only way to go from rock bottom is up. What’s even funnier is that another terrible superhero team appears on the last page of this volume - Justice League United really was a perfect storm of the shittiest superheroes DC could offer!

Canada deserved better than this. Justice League United is an insult to anyone with a modicum of taste or intelligence whether you’re Canadian or not (though I expect Canadian readers will be especially disappointed that this drek was done in their country’s name). Now Lemire’s at Marvel, he’s on yet another team book: Extraordinary X-Men - haven’t the X-Men suffered enough?!! The good news is that shortly after this title failed J’onn finally escaped all these losers and got his own solo series.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was new to me. I like this version of Animal man. There is an unusual mix of characters in this volume. Stargirl and Martian Manhunter and Adam Strange - who I still don’t know who that is really. This is set up in Canada in the snow. I love that touch. There is also a Native girl in Canada of the Cree first nation called Miiyahbin who is a super hero. She gets her powers from the 7 protectors of the Cree Tribe of ancestors.

I want to have a whole book about this Cree nation and their superhero. It seems like really interesting and cool stuff.

I did enjoy this book, but it got weird. There is some weird beam thing that takes the heroes to another galaxy and there is this genetically modified super baby that is supposed to be the hope for the future and all that. I didn’t so much care for that whole part of it. Still, I had fun reading this story and it was nice having a group of lesser known DC characters and seeing what they are capable of. I’m a fan and I want to get the 2nd volume now.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Received from Netgalley for review.)

I've got some serious mixed feelings about this. I honestly had no idea what to expect out of this book. I didn't read the New 52 JLA, the series this seems to be a sequel to, so I wasn't sure what kind of tone this might be going for, or how most of these characters have been handled since Flashpoint. I was intrigued by the JLC thing, though.

Unfortunately, not enough of this book actually takes place in Canada. This is more of a new origin for Adam Strange. I sort of vaguely knew about the previous version of Adam, and he was not exactly a favorite of mine. To be honest, I've never been all that enamored of any of DC's cosmic stories. And for me, the cosmic parts of this book were kind of a drag, with one exception. I absolutely love how Alanna has been revised. I love seeing her as an intellectual equal and hero in her own right to Adam. She's a very cool character, and if we had to go through cosmicy stuff to get her, so be it. But absolutely nothing else about that story was engaging to me.

The Canada stuff, on the other hand, that was good. This is actually were Alanna does much of her hero stuff, which was very cool. Even cooler is entirely new hero Equinox. I'd like her in any event, because I like her personality and I love her costume design. Best of all, she's Cree. There are very, very few First Nations characters in comics, and most of them have costume designs with stereotypical elements. Think of X-Men's Thunderbird, either version. I can tell that her heritage is going to be important to her character, and that's as it should be, but I think we've gone well past the point where a First Nations character has to have feathers somewhere or, God help us all, a tomahawk.

The entire book is effortlessly diverse, in fact. There are female characters, and non-white characters, and non-human characters, and it isn't a thing. This makes me happy. In comic books, we don't have to limit our imaginations, so why should we limit what our protagonists look like? New 52 hasn't been as diverse as it could have been, but they're making strides over at DC lately.

Will I read more? Actually, yes. I do like the cast overall, and I'm actually quite interested in seeing how Equinox works out.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Introductory note: the primary reason I'm reading this book is the library recalled it (after months of collecting dust on my shelf like it's a lost relic of Inca).

My going-in attitude to this book was hindered by a few significant biases:
1. Lemire has never made me excited (though he sometimes surprised by not sucking)
2. JLA series from which this springs was terrible
3. New52's overarching theme of "we'll be different than other DC you've seen before" is so transparently desperate that it's hard for any creators to just play, they're trying so goddamned hard

This is truly an award-winning book - awards I'm handing out myself, naturally, and for some pretty spectacular achievements in comics.

The awards will be distributed alongside the random thoughts I've recorded while reading this...work.

First thought: glad for the kilometre and Celsius references in a book supposedly rooted in Canada, but goddamn you ought to get an artist who can finish his work. This looks like the initial breakdown sketches were just turned in before they even dried.

Next thought: *that* tool was Lobo? He looks like a reject from American Gladiators, or someone graduating from a boy-band who elects to look tough for his solo career (but only shops at Abercrombie).

Third thought: fucking *Hawkman* gotta stink up the joint with his pointless overbearing "I am a god" nonsense.

Fourth: for Tim Horton's sake Jeff, would you stop making Martian Manhunter use the word "telepathically"? Gosh doughnut, it sounds increasingly ridiculous each and every time. (And "he tends not to miss" is my runner up for Most Overused Phrase of the book.) I counted seven "telepathically"s, any one of which could have been replaced with "using my mind", "peering into their minds", "psychically" or any friggin synonyms that a non-comatose writer might dig out of their Roget's.

Fifth: inexplicably, I forgot about DC's compulsion to chop off arms. Why is this necessary? Who keeps approving this torture-porn decreptude?

Sixth: Lemire, what were you smoking? The solution to intergalactic war was to build an alien hybrid of the warring parties - OK, weird but acceptable - but then they decided to sprinkle in DNA from thousands of unrelated species - and no one thought this might turn out to be an uncontrollable monster?

Seventh: for a dude who prides himself on expounding through his own art, it's more than disappointing how as a writer only, he ends up leaning on the crutch of terrible, lengthy exposition to get out of a plot corner. And bad shit too - when meeting the aliens behind all he weirdness, we get six pages of expo, broken only by a one-page flashback of yet more expo. You. Are. Getting. Sleepy. You will keep turning pages. You will not remove your pants...

Oh my god, and as my nomination for Unintentional Irony Of The Series - at the end of this interminable sequence, MM says:



Eighth: winner of the Scientific Illiteracy Award...oh my god, Jeff Lemire wins again! Listen to this stinker, said by none other than Martian Manhunter (who of anyone should know better - I mean, I'd expect this out of hipster white-trash Green Arrow): "I cannot be sure Green Arrow, but judging by the moons visible in the sky, I would guess we have been transported somewhere in the Polaris star system." Class, hands up if you can see both flaws in that statement.

Ninth: for a book that Lemire supposedly busted his balls to root in Canada, (a) where are *any* Canadian-themed heroes or villains, and (b) why the fuck does most of this take place in outer space? The only reason I bothered to pick this book up was for *some* kind of patriotic jolt I might get, but I'm so disappointed I don't even feel like apologizing. Closest I get to something gratifying is:



Tenth: Most Retarded Line goes to Hawkman, who when carrying a decaying device away from the *planet* that it would vaporize, says this:


Sure dude, we'll just vacuum up some of the toxic plasma you leave behind, and make sure to bury it in the center of a major city. How's that sound?

Eleventh: Super-Cheesy Cliffhanger Ending Award can go to none other than the final page like this:

[L. McCoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

People who follow my reviews probably know that I ain’t afraid to give snarky reviews to books I don’t like... Lemire, how could you write one of those books I end up writing a snarky review for?

What’s it about?
Superheroes do stuff involving Canada and space because Lemire’s Canadian and wheeeee sci-fi!

Pros:
The art team involved does a fantastic job! There was a pretty big team for the art and it really pays off, there are so many fantastic panels in this.
There’s some really good and exciting superhero action!

Cons:
The story is pretty much just a bunch of weird, hard to follow nonsensical s*** happening because superheroes. It felt like it could be a story that is weird but make sense like Lemire often does except he doesn’t explain s*** as he tells this story, things just happen.
The characters annoyed the f*** out of me for the entire book! Martian Manhunter and Lobo could have been cool and had a few cool moments but their potential was wasted. Stargirl just stands there and looks pretty. Adam Strange is important to the plot but isn’t very cool. That lady in the black, blue and white outfit (already forgot her name) wasn’t interesting. Animal Man and Green Arrow spend most of the book yelling at each other over dumb s***. Supergirl shows up only this time she’s a bit of a b***h. Hawkman’s freaking lame.
The dialogue is horrible.
This book attempts humor and fails miserably. I think I laughed once and cringed a dozen or so times thanks to this book’s humor.

Overall:
This is f***ing awful. Lemire is one of my favorite writers so this book was a major disappointment for me. This has to be one of the worst DC comics I’ve read in a while (definitely not THE worst one I’ve ever read though). Seriously, if it weren’t for the great art I don’t think this review would be nearly as nice.

2/5

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's the Justice League, and then there's the Justice League of America. Only, as it turned out, an American-mandated superhero team poised to counter the Justice League wasn't successful (especially when betrayed from within...)

So now, remnants of the JLA and interested civilians converge on Moose GFactory, Canada and battle mysterious occurrences, giving birth to a new Justice League -United! The story also brings Adam Strange and a new, Canadian superhero to the mix.

The art is generally clear and well drawn, although there are occasional lapses. The storytelling seems somewhat forced in the attempt to introduce the new & diverse changes. Worth reading for completeness, but I would not invest the books had the library not had managed ot find some ILL copies.

[Milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read these in single issues and apart from a few problems that normally come with team books, it was impressive even if Lemire has written better stuff (I strongly recommend you check out both his Animal Man and Green Arrow runs). The team itself is really interesting, with the likes of Animal Man, Hawkman, GA, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter etc, and a Canadian-based team makes a nice change from the primarily USA-centric heroes that we've had from DC in the past (even if I'd prefer to see more further afield characters, specifically England and Europe as a whole.) There's a lot of space stuff going on here as well.

Accesible to newcomers if you're not too familiar with the characters as Lemire balances it well and there's some pretty good artwork inside as well. Also, if you're a Legion of Superheroes fan then you'll want to pick this up because Volume 2 will deal with them. So my recommendation is to either hunt down the single issues in print, catch up digitally on comixology or wait for the release of the graphic novel. It's not perfect, but there are far worse series at DC than this.

[Crazy for Books (Stephanie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.

3 Intergalactic Stars

Dr. Adam Strange approaches Animal Man and Stargirl at a signing at a convention to get them to help him. It turns out when he and his student/fiancé, Alana, were checking out an area of disturbance, Alana disappeared. Alan is taken by Byth in order to provide DNA for an experimental child made of of all species of the universe. They find a bomb shelter being use by aliens who are working with Byth have been hold up. Martian, Green Arrow, Supergirl, show up to help. They are beamed to another planet in order to stop Byth. Thereby forming Justice League United.

Although some of the storyline was a little wonky for me, I liked it. Drawn beautifully with lots of graphic action. Based on the ending, I would love to see what happens in the next installment.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing story that gets some heroes together with pretty artwork. I found myself skipping the mediocre to bad dialogue about a third of the way through. It started with promise.

OVERALL GRADE: C to C plus.

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Justice League Canada!!! LOL. Jeff Lemire takes on the task of writing a superhero team book and does it pretty well. This Justice League book is a bit more fun and thrilling than the rest. Mr. Lemire is a bit of a rising star at DC Comics. I mean I really am enjoying his run with the Green Arrow character and he is doing great with Swamp Thing as well. The story is a simple alien invasion story. A few of the disbanded JLA members hid to Canada and get swept into an alien conflict of epic proportions. We get the New 52 origins of two characters. The first is the space adventurer Adam Strange and the next hero we are introduced to is the teenage Canadian hero Equinox. The artwork is a pleasure to look at and there is a lot of humor in the story. This is a great jump on book for those looking for a superhero team a little different from what we are use to seeing from DC Comics.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Goodreads First Reads.

I don't read a lot of DC comics (I'm more of a Marvel fan minus the love for Wonder Woman, of course) and this is not the first New 52 graphic I've read.

I find these new retellings kind of confusing and not to date myself, but I remember when good guys were good and the bad guys were devilishly evil.

These new 52 graphics sorta make me uncomfortable, and not in the I'm-learning-how-to-ride-a-bike-and-I-might-fall-on-my-face-but-I'm-so-excited kind of way but in the I'm-not-supposed-to-talk-to-strangers-so-why-is-this-dude-giving-me-candy kind of way.

Justice League Canada starts like the Kentucky Derby, but without the cocktails and fancy hats. It just starts.

Good guys are still good, kinda, and bad guys are not, which is just 'huh?' to me.

Granted, I'm not that familiar with the Justice League and their back stories (minus the great WW) but then this is Justice League Canada so maybe that's why I'm a little 'huh?'

There's no exposition, no run up to the main event, its just "Here are the aliens!" and "Here are the bad guys! GO after them!" and action action action!

No problem with nonstop action but I do like a little more with my 'superheroes pummeling the bad guys' typical scenarios.

The plot is nothing original or unique; in fact, its kinda ridiculous and carries a 'been there, done that' feeling to me.

Give it a try but in my opinion, don't buy a copy if you don't have to.

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard one for me because I'm a huge fan of Jeff's, but overall this book just felt meh to me.

Origin stories are hard especially for a team book. I really liked the balance of characters, especially the Martian Manhunter, but the "threat" that brings them together is very confusing.

An anthropologist meets two heroes at a signing (first off why is Animal man & stargirl doing at a fan signing?) , and next there off fighting intergalactic baddies & deciding to form a team! I do love that there are 3 women on the team and they are well rounded but I don't know if I'm on board for volume 2 of the series.

[Brian Poole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Justice League United, Vol. 1: Justice League Canada continues DC’s Justice League brand extension in a winning fashion.

Arising from the ashes of the abortive Justice League of America series, Justice League United, Vol. 1: Justice League Canada starts out with Star Girl, Animal Man, Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow investigating a possible alien excursion in northern Ontario at the behest of anthropologist Adam Strange. Strange and his grad student/secret wife Alanna had made an odd discovery at a dig site when an alien beam snatched Alanna away.

Strange and the heroes encounter some hostile aliens at the site. In deep space, evil shapeshifter Byth holds Alanna and captives from numerous other planets, under the watch of the new Lobo. Among the prisoners is Hawkman, who has Alanna lead a jail break while he fights Lobo. Back on Earth, not far from the dig site, Miyahbin, a teen girl from the Moose Cree nation discovers she might have mystical powers.

The heroes at the dig site encounter a mysterious beast whose form keeps shifting. Strange discovers the gear that allowed him to become a rocket-powered hero and joins the fight. Lobo and Byth foil the jail break and reveal that Byth is engineering the creation of a baby whose DNA was derived from numerous alien species: Ultra, the Multi-Alien.

After the heroes from the dig site are spirited away to the planet Rann, Miyahbin and her friend stumble onto the dig site and encounter another fearsome beast. On Rann, Supergirl joins the heroes and helps them defeat the creature they’d been battling. Sardath, the prime scientist of Rann, reveals to the heroes that as part of a peace treaty, a coalition of scientists had tried to create a child composed of DNA from numerous species as symbol of galactic unity. Unfortunately, Byth hijacked the project and intends to turn the multi-alien into a world-killing weapon.

The heroes invade Byth’s space ship, where Adam and Alanna briefly reunite. An explosion destroys the ship, but not before Sardath spirits the heroes back to Rann using its “zeta beam” technology. Lobo and Ultra also are brought to Rann. The heroes fight with Lobo, while Manhunter forges a telepathic bond with the impressionable Ultra, who seems to be aging rapidly. A glitch in the zeta beam has Adam and Alanna switching places with one another at random intervals and being in the same place causes them both excruciating pain. Sardath sends Alanna back to Earth while trying to unravel the zeta beam glitch.

A squad of heroes faces Byth in battle. In Sardath’s lab, the main zeta beam technology threatens to overload, which would destroy the planet. Hawkman hauls the malfunctioning technology into the atmosphere, saving Rann but apparently dying in the explosion.

Back on Earth, Alanna finds some rocket gear of her own and meets Miyahbin. Alanna helps Miyahbin face down the monster pursuing her and embrace her role as the latest in a long line of mystical protectors of her people, a heroine called Solstice. After Byth’s defeat, the heroes return to the alien base in Ontario and decide to form Justice League United, based there. Alanna and Solstice both join, while Adam remains behind on Rann. Ultra stays with the heroes, while Manhunter helps him develop. When the heroes receive a distress signal from what appears to be Hawkman, Manhunter sends Supergirl, Green Arrow, Star Girl and Animal Man back into space to investigate. Finally, Mon-El, a hero from the future, arrives at the new Justice League United base, insisting that Ultra had to die to save the Legion of Super-Heroes.

After the darkness of Justice League of America and the massive Trinity War and Forever Evil crossovers that dominated most of its brief run, Justice League United is a breath of fresh air. Writer Jeff Lemire works with a much lighter tone, incorporating a lot of quirky, character-based humor that makes the most of the oddball cast assembled for the book. The focus on galaxy-spanning adventure gives Justice League United a different feel from other current DC team books and a distinctive identity that helps it stand out in a crowded market.

Lemire fully embraces a Silver Age aesthetic for Justice League United. The kind of wild space adventure in which the new team finds itself embroiled could be a classic fever romp straight from the late ‘50s. Byth is a good choice for the first arc’s villain. The character’s been around for decades and has a deep history as an antagonist for both Hawkman and the original Justice League, but has never seemed to develop a strong persona. In this story, he was positioned as a substantial threat, but also an exotic one. That colorful evolution makes up for the generic choice of the new Lobo as Byth’s henchman.

Lemire also brings several other concepts into the “New 52” continuity. Adam and Alanna Strange are quite different from their classic versions. Both are Earth-born and Alanna’s race has changed, but the story still finds a way to tie the characters to Rann, even if Alanna is no longer Sardath’s daughter (as far as we know; Lemire might have some surprises up his sleeve). The zeta beam quirk that’s keeping the couple on different planets adds a unique obstacle to their love story. Lemire also finds an intriguing way to bring Ultra into the modern day. That character from DC’s old space-based stories has rarely been seen in recent years, but Lemire leans into the bizarre elements of the concept to produce something interesting and potentially compelling.

Solstice also is an appealing new creation. Introducing a First Nation heroine for the Canada-based team is smart and appropriate. Lemire manages to fit Solstice’s origin story in around the edges of the main space plot without it seeming extraneous. By the end of the arc, the character has been well established, but still has a lot of room for growth.

The rest of the cast is smartly chosen. The Star Girl/Martian Manhunter connection was one of the more successful parts of the otherwise underwhelming Justice League of America and is a firm grounding for the new Justice League United. Green Arrow and Animal Man provide a bit of “bro swagger,” with constant needling providing a cocoon for their emerging bond. Hawkman is often misused, but Lemire deploys him fairly effectively in this story. Supergirl is probably the hardest member of the cast to warm up to thus far, but that’s hardly Lemire’s fault. The character had been mandated for a certain direction in the New 52 that made her colder and more alien. Lemire sticks with that, but there are signs the character is loosening up toward the end of the arc.

Veteran star Mike McKone handles most of the art for this arc and does a fantastic job. His classic, bright and clean style suits the wide open ethos of Justice League United quite well. His design sense and character work are excellent and he produces a lot of great, widescreen adventure storytelling that propels the action with a lot of imagination. Timothy Green II steps in for the final issue in the arc. He brings a similar sensibility to his work that makes him an effective complement to McKone and keeps the end of the arc visually interesting.

Justice League United has gotten off to a strong start and provides the kind of high concept, entertaining action that a lot of old school Justice League fans are craving.

A version of this review originally appeared on www.thunderalleybcp.com

[Brini · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a little bit confusing to read this because I've just read the Justice League Paperback in which the JLA was founded. Now the Justice League of America is dead and I don't know why. That's a minor matter. Basically it's a new compilation of superheroes who meet in Canada, fight the bad guys together and think that there is nothing better than to call themselves the Justice League. The first illustration of Hawkman looks strange (I don't like it) and I certainly don't like what they did to him. I don't know why they keep adding new Justice League versions but I like this one a lot. It's a great start of a new series and I look forward to read more stories with them.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This teams forms in the aftermath Of "Forever Evil" following the end of Justice league America. The new team consists of Adam Strange, Hawkman , Stargirl , Green Arrow and Supergirl..And a new Hero Equinox from the Cree Nation. . It feels different and new a whole new concept.. Jeff Lemire writes a fabulous exciting adventure. I really like the fact that some of these Heroes that are not normally front and center are at the forefront. I really like this fresh , new , exciting comic.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't decide if Jeff Lemire was trying to be campy with his Canadiana, or whether he has never actually experience -40 Celsius whether.... because you can't go out in shirtsleeves when the temp is that low!!! Yikes!

And what product is Buddy Baker (er, A-Man) combing into his coif to get that effect??

Actually, this book was pretty silly. A lot of throw-away Canada jokes, very little team or character building, and oft times it felt directionless.

3/5

[TK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps not the best I've read but still really good and definitely worth reading. Both the story line and graphic were nicely done, at least to my thinking. Interesting to see where or if the story continues, whether directly or indirectly. Although JL is not my favorite set of super hero characters this was good regardless.
arc from NetGalley.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.5 of 5

I had high hopes for this book. I saw that it was set in Canada and I thought "Great! Why not? If there are superheroes with powers in the world, why DON'T we have some in Canada?" (Of course some of my friends and readers who read comics and graphic novels much more regularly than I probably know of a number of heroes in the north.)

The book started out interesting, or at least with an interesting concept... members of the Justice League are in Canada doing a little PR and signing autographs. Yeah ... that's pretty good. Some good press and publicity should help them counter-act some of the bad PR they surely must get when their battles destroy entire cities. I like this idea.

But then we get in to the story and it goes downhill.

Animal Man and Stargirl are the designated superhero representatives signing autographs (I guess you don't send your "A" team to Canada?) and are convinced by anthropologist Dr. Adam Strange that something weird has occurred not too far away in the woods and they go to check it out with him. They discover something strange indeed and battle some odd aliens, but need help and get rescued by Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow -- which begins 125+ pages of verbal sparring and disrespect between Green Arrow and Animal Man that grew old after three pages.

Although the scene starts in Canada, a good portion of the action takes place in space or on alien worlds. There is nothing uniquely Canadian here (though I'm not sure what would be 'uniquely Canadian').

The story itself, with the aliens, the child, and Martian Manhunter being a sort of guru to all things non-human was just dull. I'm getting a little tired of Manhunter being used to impart some information to the reader so that we can be told when and where we are and who all the different aliens are.

The introduction of the new superhero, very uniquely Canadian -- Inuit, I believe -- was really nice. This was the one saving grace for me with the book. It will be interesting to see her in action in her own story. But everything that lead to her tale was much too drawn out. This has the feeling of a single comics issue that's padded with unnecessary dialog and exposition to get four or five issues out of it -- just enough to put together a graphic novel.

The art, by Mike McKone, is pretty standard fare for comics art these days, which is to say inconsistent. Sometimes it's very nice, and sometimes it's very rushed looking. I wouldn't buy this book for the art, but I would necessarily NOT buy it for the art either. But back to Martian Manhunter... what the heck is up with his appearance?! Early in the book he had the smooth-head appearance, and later in the book we had a very angled, rough, almost lizard-like appearance. I thought maybe one of the aliens they were encountering was doing something to him, but no one in the issue made comment on it and I realized it was just the artists decision to change his appearance. I was maddened by this! I understand that he has different 'looks' depending on the comic or cartoon episode that you might see, but to change it mid-stream? Really? Is this the quality of book we're looking at, that there is no consistency?

All in all, this book was a major disappointment. At least we met someone new who shows promise ... now put her stories in someone else's hands. Please.

Looking for a good book? This graphic novel introduces a new superhero but draws out a short story into a novel in order to do it.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Former members of the Justice League find themselves pitted together against an alien invasion in the Canadian wilderness in this opening chapter of Justice League United. Also known as Justice League Canada, this short-lived series didn't get very much love, lasting only about 16 issues, along with an annual and a Futures End tie-in one-shot. But I don't know why- I liked it! (Okay- that reason alone is probably why JLU was canned.)

The events of this volume take place after Forever Evil with the government sanction disbandment of the Justice League. Now I've read Forever Evil, but I don't remember the group splitting up. In fact, I thought the League carried on having Lex Luthor as a member! So, when and where this happens is something I've not come across. But that lack of knowledge didn't keep me from enjoying this book.

The way these heroes come together is reminiscent of how the Justice League first came together way back in 1960. A would-be alien conqueror (Starro) sends forth creatures based on the elements to subjugate mankind. In the New 52! reboot, a rogue Thanagarian scientist is kidnapping humans in the Great White North in order to create a being that would be so undefeatable that whoever possessed it would literally being the ruler of the universe. His mission is carried out while under the protection of a heavy that can change from fire to stone, and then wood much like in the first appearance of the Justice League of America in Brave and the Bold #28

Another twist is the role of Adam Strange and the love of his life Alanna. Here, Alanna is a human but due to a zeta beam malfunction, the two must switch places on earth and Rann or the two will die thanks to close proximity. This twist with Adam most often stuck on Rann gives Alanna a chance to be the hero for once.

One more thing surprised me about Justice League United that I think was grossly underreported. This series introduces the new character of Equinox. Equinox is a female member of the Cree nation whose powers change with the seasons. Being how the media has gotten so excited over diversity in comics, such as a black Spider-Man, a female Thor, and a lesbian Batwoman, the addition of Equinox got swept under the rug. What, is it only news if an established character becomes more diverse? Hypocrisy, I cry!!!

Justice League United was quite good. Writer Jeff Lemire paired up a great mix of wisdom (J'onn J'onnz), youth (Stargirl), muscle (Supergirl and Hawkman), and the much needed comic relief (with the roles of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold going to Animal Man and Green Arrow.) Mike Mckone has a deft touch with just about all of these characters as series artist though his Martian Manhunter seems to be artistically fluid as the alien team leader looks strikingly different in every issue.

I managed to snag volume 2 which I'll be tackling very soon. This issue made me excited for Justice League titles again and not since Giffen and DeMatteis were the League this much fun.

[Michael Church · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a complete and utter disappointment this was. Jeff Lemire did a great job on the solo titles for Animal Man and Green Arrow, so I went into this really expecting him to give them some great character moments again. I wasn't a huge fan of what happened with Martian Manhunter and Stargirl in Justice League of America (the sort of precursor to this title), but I just thought it was boring and the characters weren't that interesting. Supergirl and this new Equinox I was excited for, and I knew nothing about Adam Strange.

Well it turns out that whatever understanding Lemire had of Animal Man and GA has gone out the window. They spend the majority of the title accusing the other one of being the lamest superhero. I don't get that at all. I didn't like it in the Aquaman title way back when and I don't like it now. I read these titles because I like the characters. I don't want to read about how lame they supposedly are. Martian Manhunter is still stoic and overly serious and has an inner monologue about how he is responsible for everything. Stargirl is still naive and inexperienced. She did almost have an interesting moment with Supergirl talking about how crazy it was to see aliens and Supergirl pointing out that she IS an alien, but they never really followed through with it. Adam was completely useless.

The conflict could have been wild and interesting, but it throws you into the middle of apparently an interplanetary feud that has been raging for a long time. Hawkman shows up. So does Lobo. I still don't understand why Hawkman is the only Thanagarian with wings. I thought when they were aliens that all their race had wings (as opposed to when Hawman and Hawkgirl were reincarnated ancient Egyptians). Oh and all of this, I think, has ties to stuff that happened before the New 52, which I have no clue about. Stuff blows up. There are crazy coincidences. Everything feels random and scripted. I mean I get it that it was scripted, but it shouldn't FEEL scripted.

The art is decent for the most part, until Timothy Green shows up. He is just awful. His characters are messy and ugly and chunky in all the wrong ways. The poses are awkward and unrealistic.

Overall I was just very let down by this book. I had really high expectations and was looking forward to it for a long time. I hear rumors that it is supposed to get better, but I don't know how long it even continues after this with the next wave of continuity changes. I'll keep an eye on this one, but for now, I'm dropping it.

[Ma'Belle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this a lot more. I'm a huge fan of Jeff Lemire, and even got to meet him recently and have him autograph my copy of the collected Essex County comics from his early days. Mostly through those stories, I grew affectionate towards Canada, and was looking forward to what he might do with odd and underutilized superheroes placed in his home country.

The first, and most important thing you should know about this book is that in it, he introduced an indigenous superhero girl from the Moose Cree First Nation! Yayyyy! That was the best part of these stories, and because of that, the last couple issues that look more at what's going on with Miiyahbin and her bff. So, that was good.

But the first 2/3 of this book are boring as hell. It's some of the worst writing I've seen from Lemire and the least interesting plotline, which was doubly tragic for me because I wanted to see these particular characters shine with all their quirks, eh!

This trade is branded on the cover as part of the New 52, and references some major event called the Villain Uprising throughout. Anything called the Villain Uprising in superhero world makes me roll my eyes, and I'll probably never read it. I have a feeling this series got cancelled before they even had enough issues to do a Vol. 2. It's a damn shame. Is Miiyahbin, who apparently later gets called "Equinox," in anything post-Rebirth? I hope so, and I hope to see more of Martian Manhunter and Animal Man and Stargirl and Alanna and Adam Strange.

[Garret Watts · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series of comics has some pretty good qualities, which I'll name off. Unfortunately, it has some pretty bad things to go with it. One of the things I'll list off are the characters. While the writer of the series Jeff Lemire did a good job combining DC heroes and demonstrating their powers and abilities, the heroes (and villains) weren't much to write home about, and if you don't know the origins of any of these characters, this isn't the place to start learning, as you are thrust right into the action.

The plot was pretty weak and predictable, and while I won't spoil it for future readers, how everything falls into place and you see the final puzzle, it doesn't really turn out what fans expected, or wanted for that matter.

Fans may recognize Mike McKone (Green Lantern, The Amazing Spider-Man) as the artist of this series. The first couple of issues was very well done, pulling off a great art style for the team. However, in the last two issues, Mike tried to change his style, changing some of the character's looks and how they act. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't nearly as appreciated nor relatable as the previous issues.

So to sum it up, this book isn't terrible. But it is mediocre, and while it has some great character moments that may wow you, there's no depth to it. If you are a fan of all these characters and you see this on a shelf at your local comic shop, you might want to pick this one up, but I just wasn't a fan.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent if unimpressive first volume, gathering a new Justice League team together from New 52 presences like Jonn J'onnz and Green Arrow and Animal Man, and adding Cosmic Girl, while introducing Doctor Strange and his fiance Alanna. The big McGuffin is Ultra, a genetically engineered child built from the synthesis of all sentient species, and being driven by evil alien Byth. But that's more a backdrop for the team to meet and gel; there's a nice friendly rivalry between Green Arrow and Animal Man, and the way Strange gets his suit and jetpack is unique. But ultimately, the story spends a lot of time telling the story and not a whole lot really selling it. That and there's the introduction of an all-new hero, Midayo, who seems to be the Native American Shazam with powers that change by the season. Her introduction and story is less than inspiring.
All told, it's a mediocre book; the use of the new Lobo is grating, and Hawkman's presence is important to the plot even if he doesn't make much of an impact directly. This is definitely not one of Lemire's best comics, even within the bounds of his New 52 work. Not bad, which puts it head and shoulders above a lot of the New 52, but not memorable either.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all of the comics and graphic novels I've ever read – this is one of them. Not bad, not by any stretch – but not memorable, either.

Byth never really caught my interest as far as a world-(no, universe)-class super-villain, and this issue neither enhanced nor detracted from that opinion of him. Some Candian Cree spiritual monster called the Whitago – meh. Lobo … hero or villain, he never really grabbed my interest. Still hasn't. OK, I was intrigued by the re-invention of Adam Strange and Alannah, but that doesn't take up enough of the book to grab me.

Perhaps I was disappointed by the title of “Justice League Canada”, only to find out that only one of the main characters was Canadian! (OK, two – one hero, one villain.) After all, that's why I bought this particular graphic novel over the several other options available to me.

Not worth abandoning, but if I had it to do over again, I would have opted for another book

RATING: 3 stars. Neither great nor terrible.

[Danielle Booey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll admit to picking this book up almost solely because Supergirl is in it so I can't really complain that it wasn't what I expected, but...there wasn't a whole lot of Supergirl to be found here so...

This is definitely a Justice League book for fans of quirky team ups, Canada, and/or Jeff Lemire. I'm going to read volume 2, but again, just because Supergirl is in it. I don't think the story is SUPER compelling in volume one and besides the appearance of Lobo and a pretty cool fight between him and Hawkman there isn't a whole lot here in my opinion.

[Koen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, and I thought Justice League 3000 was bad... This is even worse :( Too bad you have to give at least 1 star, because it doesn't even qualify for that one.
Storyline doesn't do it AT all for me, and the characters - I liked J'onn, Stargirl and Animal man before, but after reading this..
I bet you think "well, at least the artwork can't be as bad as JL3000"... no that's true, but it still lacks power... There's nothing worth mentioning that's coming out of this issue.. Game over..