It is a tall order for a team book of lesser known heroes to highlight every character and give them all something interesting to do in every issue. It’s even trickier to do it in a one-off issue right after a big story line, but that is what the creators behind Justice League of America managed to do this week. If anyone is a bit under served in this issue it’s Batman, but I think we all can admit that he gets enough screen time all over the DC Universe.
The story opens up with Ryan Choi, the Atom, and Caitlin Snow, Killer Frost, spending some quality time together in a museum working on the problem that is her metabolic need to drain the heat of others. Then we jump to Lobo and Black Canary in the middle of a casino bar fight; followed by Ray and Vixen doing some community outreach as part of being superheroes. We get to see the whole group here interacting with each other and the growing aspect of teamwork between them. I think that the former villain Killer Frost comes out the best in the particular issue.
She is basically the reason the Justice League of America exists. Her story of redemption is what inspired Batman to put this unlikely crew together. We get to see many sides of her here. It is clear she is developing feelings for Ryan, but also how much those feelings scare her. When the two of them are attacked at the museum, we get to see how far the Atom has come in his super-heroics. The downfall is how dark Killer Frost is still willing to go in battle.
Later on, Black Canary and Killer Frost even get an opportunity to relate to one another. This issue is likely just a little one-off meant to bridge the gap between the overarching story lines. In spite of that it ended up being a wonderful foundational story. These are the kinds of tales that build a fan base around a series like this one. The bonding, action and sense of humor remind me somewhat of the Grant Morrison run on the Justice League of America years ago. Get into Justice League of America to ensure that this book get the full run it deserves!
