Nubia & The Justice League Special #1: Dang, She is Cool

It’s hard to believe that Nubia was created fifty years ago since creative teams at DC Comics have done so little with the character until recent years. I’m pretty sure I could count on both hands the amount of appearances she’s made over the years. That was, until Stephanie Williams and Alitha Martinez came in and brought about a Nubia Renaissance.

I was a little disappointed when I saw that the bulk of this special was by Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad instead of Williams. That’s no knock on Cloonan or Conrad – their current run on Wonder Woman has been fantastic so far. But Williams and Martinez are at the core of Nubia’s popularity. However, Cloonan and Conrad manage to capture a similar feel with Nubia’s voice, while artist Amancay Nahuelpan brings some amazing action sequences. And Williams and Martinez still managed to celebrate Nubia’s 50th Anniversary with the warm-and-fuzzy follow-up story “I Am Nubia”.

“New Salvation” introduces Nubia to several key members of the Justice League. It’s fantastic seeing this strong and compassionate woman inspire characters like Black Canary while also striking a nerve with others like Black Adam. Her interactions with Black Adam were particularly fascinating. While I’m not a fan of the character, seeing him come to respect Queen Nubia was great fun. We also see how she fights supervillains ranging from Firefly to Parasite. The final page of the story promises that this is “only the beginning”, and I truly hope that’s the case.

It feels like only yesterday Queen Hippolyta had joined the Justice League. It was sort of a big deal for the Amazon Queen to join the A-List superhero team, but then they went and killed her off. I’m praying to all the gods that the same fate doesn’t befall Nubia, as there’s a wealth of story potential with Nubia on the Justice League.

Oh, and I have to mention that variant cover of classic Nubia by Joshua Swaby. Literal perfection. Swaby has done some amazing Nubia art in the past, and this piece perfectly captures Nubia’s look from the 1970s.