This week, the Justice League, Part Two: Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Aquaman
Wonder Woman (Brian Azzarello and Cliff
Chiang):
Wonder Woman is a strange case in the world of comic books. She’s one of the oldest characters at either of the big two and easily the most recognizable female superhero. Somehow she has retained her iconic status despite years of lackluster stories, poor sales and multiple
reboots and re-launches.
Considering that she is the least well known of DC’s big three, the higher-ups at the company seem to have been more willing to let new and even untested talent take shots at reviving interest in the character. The most recent Wonder Woman re-launch (2006) was spearheaded by Allan Heinberg, writer of television shows The O.C. and Grey’s Anatomy. After a rocky start, the book was handed to best-selling author Jodi Picoult, who also only lasted a handful of issues. Even when Wonder Woman was under the direction of more experienced comic book talent, DC was willing to take artistic left turns with the character. Wonder Woman (2006) had finally found its footing under the direction of comic vet Gail Simone when DC decided to transition the book to J. Michael Straczynski. As he did with his run on Superman, JMS turned in a lackluster story and abandoned the book mid-run when his work was panned by readers.
September will see yet another revamped, redesigned Wonder Woman. This time, instead of looking outside the realm of comic book for talent, DC has gone to two of the most respected creators currently working within the industry—Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. Azzarello is most famous for his lengthy creator owned Vertigo work, 100 Bullets, but has written his share of DC royalty. In 2004 and 2005 he wrote solid stories for both Batman and Superman. He also penned well-regarded stories with art by Lee Bermejo starring Lex Luthor and Joker. I have no doubt that Azzarello can tease out all of the most interesting aspects of Wonder Woman. If his work with Superman and Batman’s greatest villains is any indication, perhaps he can also give Wonder Woman a villain that is as iconic as she is. Chiang is a fan favorite but has been little more than a cover artist over the last few years. He's developed a unique style that will lend itself to the more magical elements of Wonder Woman's mythology. Azzarello and Chiang have worked together before—their Tales of the Unexpected backup story “Doctor 13: Architecture & Morality” was brilliant, weird, and beautiful, and easily outshone the book's main feature. If the team can avoid lengthy delays, Wonder Woman could be one of the most artistically exciting books of the DCnU. For Wonder Woman’s sake, let’s hope so.
Green Lantern (Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke):
Right now, two things at DC are working as intended—Batman and Green Lantern. Sure, the nearly universal praise that Geoff Johns' GL run garnered in the beginning has started to deflate somewhat and the color-coded stories of the last few years might seem a little played out, but there can be no argument that Johns has pulled an flailing character out of the doldrums and into the forefront of DC's pantheon. There is no doubt that without John's run on Lantern there would have been no Green Lantern movie this summer. Blackest Night may have been a letdown after the thoroughly awesome Sinestro Corp War, but there is no denying that BN was the best-selling event DC has published in years—all thanks to Geoff Johns writing Green Lantern.
So, as DC prepares to relaunch their entire line, it should be no surprise that they are leaving the main Green Lantern book in Johns' capable hands. In fact, the powers-that-be-at-DC have kept the complete creative team in place. Art on the book should be awesome thanks to Doug Mahnke, who consistently hits his deadlines and is one of the best superhero artists in the comic book industry. Though it may look like a known quantity, Mahnke's art continues to get better and Johns has proven that he is able to consistently surprise readers. (As long as he avoids some of the pitfalls that have plagued his run. For example, Mr. Johns, we really don't need to see more characters possessed by Parallax. I feel as if Bouncing Boy and Ambush Bug are the only DC properties that haven't been taken over by the Yellow aspect, at this point.)
Honestly, the biggest question mark with Green Lantern will be the book's lead. When the DCnU was first announced it was implied that someone other than Hal Jordan would be the focus of the comic. Then, at Comic-con it was revealed that longtime GL villain (and recently reinstated Green Lantern Corpsman) Sinestro was going to be the main character. This is certainly interesting from a story stand point, but a strange move for them to make in the context of a relaunch that was specifically targeted at bringing new readers into the universe. So the Green Lantern movie was bit of a flop, but surely it was big enough that when John Q. Public decides to “give comics a try” Green Lantern will probably be one of the books he or she picks up. Sure, the pre-evil version of Sinestro was (perhaps) the best part of the movie, but at the end he puts on the tellingly yellow suit of fear and...blah blah blah...you get my point. It's just an interesting choice for a character that already has potential identity issues. With four human Green Lanterns flying around and literally thousands of Corpsmen, new readers could find the characters diluted and confusing. Especially when it turns out that Hal, the hero of the movie they just watched, is a court-martial'ed bum wandering America (again).
Regardless, Green Lantern has been one of DC's premiere books for the last handful of years and I see no reason for that to change. With Johns writing both Justice League and Green Lantern there can be little doubt that both books will play an integral part in the shape of the new DCU. Personally, the book would be worth buying just for the art. Combine Mahnke's pencils with John's scripts and Green Lantern should be at the top of any DCnU pull-list.
Aquaman (Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis):
Essentially, there are two Aquamen. One is the inevitable butt of superhero jokes, destined to be mocked as a useless, one-note character. The other is the actual Aquaman—the bad-ass, tough-as-nails king of 75% of the globe. Conceived during the any-gimmick-goes Golden Age of Comics when even the most ridiculous ideas were fertile ground for a brand new superhero, Aquaman is far from the most ludicrous super-concept of the era. Yet, years of replayed Filmation footage has watered down his image, even within the halls of comic book geekery. Among the most ardent DC Comic supporters, only a select few would identify themselves as hardcore Aquaman fans. Ironically, his perceived lack of utility has given Aquaman a certain level of fame (or more correctly, infamy) outside the general comic book fandom.
This image is not entirely deserved. Aquaman, or Arthur Curry, has had his share of solid comic book stories and has been written by some of comic's biggest names. Over the years, writers like Peter David and Kurt Busiek have attempted to rehabilitate the King of Atlantis' image. Perhaps tellingly, both David and Busiek flipped the script on the traditional version of the character. David's run famously saw Curry lose his hand, grow a beard and change his costume while Busiek took advantage of DC's “One Year Later” initiative to reboot the character almost entirely.
Now, with the DC Relaunch one of the biggest names in comic books is taking the reins. Geoff Johns will be looking to use the same magic he used to reinvigorate Green Lantern (and, to a lesser degree, the Flash) to infuse Aquaman with new life. Art on the project will be by Ivan Reis, who has teamed with Johns on several of his more successful projects. Reis is one of the best monthly artists in the comic book industry and will bring much to the project. The creative team is, by no means, new to the character. They have been writing/drawing Aquaman for the last year as part of DC's Brightest Day bi-weekly comic book.
If Johns' plans for Aquaman are similar to his plans for Green Lantern or Flash we can predict some of what is in store for DC's King of Atlantis. Like Hal Jordan and Barry Allen, Arthur Curry will most likely be taken back to his roots with a distinctively Johns' twist. Geoff's greatest talent is his ability to layer and nuance stories while distilling the essence of a character and challenging them on that level. If successful, we could see a yellow-suited, traditional Aquaman with a strong supporting cast and engrossing epic-level stories.
Like Green Lantern and Justice League, Aquaman benefits from being written by Geoff Johns. As a member of the powers-that-be-at-DC, Johns can bring the biggest battles and most important tales to any book he writes. From a talent perspective, Johns has the writing chops to pull off just about any story he can conceive. Ivan Reis' art is more than capable of both interpreting Johns' scripts and adding the necessary emotional depth needed to make stories compelling. This is certainly meant to be one of the premiere books of the new order and DC has put one of their most popular teams on it in an effort to bring Aquaman the respect he deserves.
Next week: DC goes Dark! Justice League Dark, Swamp Thing, Frankenstein
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