Justice League Red #1
Kevin Rossi
Recap
The Justice League has a new spec-ops team so covert, the founders can't know it exists. And its leader is the only hero who could keep JLR off its radar... because he is the radar. Red Tornado is the heart and mind of the Watchtower — watching, projecting into the future, and his projections point to apocalypse as a direct result of the concentrated power of the JLU. When your Justice League ID card lights up red, Reddy needs you. For the fate of humanity, and for yourself, because you don't want to find out what Red can do with what he knows about you.
Review
DC All In ushered in a whole new era for the Justice League with Justice League Unlimited, which reestablished a bigger-than-ever Justice League with fan-favorite inclusions like Watchtower. Readers will be familiar with the role of Red Tornado in this new and improved League, who acts as the eyes and ears for the team. However, Red Tornado’s presence is confined to being part of the Watchtower’s computer systems. Until Justice League Red #1 – written by Saladin Ahmed, with art by Clayton Henry, colored by Arif Prianto, and lettered by Lucas Gattoni – readers haven’t physically seen Red Tornado. Falling apart, Red Tornado covertly contacts two heroes, Green Lantern Simon Baz and Power Girl, to request their help.
Justice League Red #1 covers a lot of ground in one issue, with Ahmed doing a fine job introducing the key players of the issue and then getting right into the action. Essentially, Red Tornado recruits the two heroes secretly because he believes the sudden return of the Justice League will lead to Earth’s demise. He draws these conclusions based on thousands of threat simulations. The concept of this black ops-esque team is interesting enough, but far from fresh. However, once Green Lantern and Power Girl complete their first mission, taking down a massive robot which they are told is a weapon of mass destruction on the planet Varva, they learn that said robot was designed to grow food. This leaves the heroes questioning Red Tornado’s reasoning and if he might have gotten the information wrong. Clayton Henry and Arif Prianto are an excellent pair and deliver some incredible art. As mentioned before, this issue covers a lot of ground, but the visuals ensure that nothing feels rushed. The designs for the main players are fantastic and look great in action. Judging by the cover, which also features Cyborg, Red Canary, and Deadman, the team is going to expand.
Final Thoughts
Justice League Red #1 is an enjoyable debut issue that efficiently sets the scene and jumps into the action. Writer Saladin Ahmed’s voice for the main players of the issue comes through strong and is brought to life by Clayton Henry and Arif Prianto. Some interesting elements are introduced late in the issue, including an unexpected character. Justice League offshoots aren’t anything new, but with the inclusion of the team depicted on the cover and the twists in this issue, Justice League Red has a lot of potential.
Justice League Red #1: Spec Ops
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 8/108/10
- Color - 8/108/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10
