Justice League Incarnate #1 – Joshua Williamson/Dennis Culver, Writers; Brandon Peterson, Andrei Bressan, Tom Derenick, Artists; Hi-Fi, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: Coming off the events of Infinite Frontier, Josh Williamson and his co-writer Dennis Culver are taking us deeper into the multiverse—and they make the wise decision to go completely nuts. The first issue of Justice League Incarnate takes us to Earth-8, the home of the deceased traitor Machinehead. This world seems patterned on another popular universe, right down to arch-villain Tartarus and his glove filled with colorful gems. But this world has also tried to wall itself off from the Multiverse, and that includes heroine Doctor Multiverse, who can tap into every world. While she’s rejected by her former teammates, on Earth-0, Calvin Ellis and Thomas Wayne are searching for new allies to help get Barry Allen back from the multiverse. They need a Flash—and they choose Williamson creation Avery Ho, who is busy fighting supervillains in China when she gets drafted for a much bigger mission.
So, this issue is kind of a mixed bag. The Marvel references are a bit much and take up a lot of the story, including a battle between Darkseid and Tartarus that mostly seems designed to answer those many questions about who would win between two famous granite-faced villains. But the cast is a lot of fun, with this motley crew of multiverse heroes including Captain Carrot, Dino-Cop, and a Mary Marvel from the world where the Marvels are the only heroes. Choosing Avery as the POV character for this volume is a great move. She’s competent, but she’s also young and green, making her an unlikely choice for a multiversal savior. The last run left us with a lot of unanswered questions, and the tone of this first issue is sometimes a bit too jokey. But Williamson seems to be setting himself up as the architect of the future of the DCU, and this is another promising start to a new chapter.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
