Wonder Woman and the Justice League Volume 1 TP 1st print DC NM Dan Vado

Description

Wonder Woman and the Justice League America 1 Paperback
Writer Dan Vado, Chuck Dixon, Bill Loebs
Art Kevin West, Ken Branch

Wonder Woman takes over as leader of the Justice League of America, whether other members like it or not! Acting at the behest of the United Nations, the team must respond to a human rights crisis in a remote African nation, only to find the populace under the thumbs of the super-powered Extremists. The team must then jet to Norway, where the young superhero called Ice struggles to keep the nation out of the hands of her older brother. All this plus the mystery of two Guy Gardners!

Comics writer Dan Vado is joined by a team of veteran artists that includes Kevin West and Rick Burchett, who introduce Wonder Woman as the new leader of a very different kind of Justice League!

Collects JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #78-85 and JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA ANNUAL #7.

Publisher DC Comics
Paperback 280 pages
ISBN-13 978-1401268343
Weight 15.5 ounces
Dimensions 6.61 x 0.55 x 10.08 inches

The backstory: after Superman’s first death left him temporarily unable to lead the Justice League, Wonder Woman – whose past membership of the group had at that time been erased from continuity – got shunted over to lead the team’s battered remnants. Several of whom also got royally messed up while Doomsday was killing Superman, the difference being – as Beetle points out here, with understandable annoyance – the world didn’t much care about them. Their numbers are filled out with various C-list characters like the brash alien Maxima, and the Ray – and to be fair, having always thought the Ray had a cool look, but only really seen him as a background player in big team-ups, it was nice to get to see something of what he was actually like. And for all that some of the team, especially Guy Gardner, are ticked about Diana’s leadership, there are times when you sympathise with them, as in the whole story about aliens seeking sanctuary with the League even as the US government agrees to extradite them (including a scene where Bill Clinton tells Wonder Woman “In a normal circumstance I’d be one hundred percent behind you”. I bet you would, you dirty sod).

I do know why DC is putting it out now. If you are a Wonder Woman fan, beware; she’s not really an important character in this book, although she is the leader. With the Ray featuring in a new animated show and in one of the new Justice League comics, as well as some of the villains in this book, it makes sense to release it now in anticipation of the Wonder Woman movie.

As for the book itself, Vado’s Justice League America is a significant improvement over the end of Jurgens’ run. As a big comics fan, I found myself enjoying this as an artifact of the 90s and for the characterizations of heroes like the Ray, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, and Fire. The plot moves along briskly and there is a variety of action to keep things going.

This would be a four-star rating, but because the comics were written at a time when plots unfolded in the background of seven or so issues before being dealt with. If you are interested in the slow decline of the early 90s Justice League comics, it is an interesting piece of history with a marvelous exchange between Booster and Blue to set every fan’s heart aflame.

978-1401268343

Collects Justice League America 78-85, Guy Gardner 15 and Justice League America Annual 7. Near mint, 1st print. Check description for more pictures.