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Musings about the new team’s line-up and what’s to come…
Justice League of America has been an anticipated forthcoming book since its preview in last year’s Justice League #12. The roster of characters set to appear are Catwoman, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Stargirl, Green Lantern Simon Baz, Katana, Vibe, Hawkman and the man who assembled them Steve Trevor.
Trevor himself has not been too happy about the actions Wonder Woman has taken in their friendship which he mistook for a possible relationship, and now with her decision to date Superman, he is on a bit of a vengeance. He is angry at the League for not keeping him in on decision making and organizational related type activities and he then officially decides to form an alternative League to better represent the people of America since the other heroes seem to not be responding to the needs of the government or the American people.
Green Arrow was the first one who inquired about joining the Justice League since he had a similar commitment to helping others but Superman shut him out. He was not allowed to help out even though he proved himself capable of fighting just as hard as the other heroes. He spoke to Trevor, and Trevor gave him a possible future with another group he described. It eventually led to a final meeting at the bar where Trevor had been somewhat dumped by Wonder Woman, and he had enough finally committing to an idea the two men had discussed.
The next one to receive a not-so welcome response from the League was Martian Manhunter. To say he was no so welcome was an understatement. He vehemently attacked the heroes to test them; to see whether they “were ready” as he put it but in his final analysis, they were not. His wish to join another League possibly full of capable heroes stems entirely from that event, and his feelings are shared along with Trevor who does not think they are best representative for the country he works for. However, what exactly leads him to join the team is yet to be seen.
The one that is just as obvious as Green Arrow is Simon Baz. In his first debut, he has been chased by the US Government and the Justice League. He has not been trusted by Superman or the rest especially since they think he must be responsible for the disappearance of Hal Jordan which is entirely separate from that (see “Rise of the Third Army”). However if brought to meet a more compassionate soul in Trevor, he will likely be persuaded to join especially with Trevor’s ability to get the government off his back.
What is not known is how/why the government would want characters like Catwoman, Katana and others to join. Catwoman does not have a bright reputation by any means being a robber and having recently broken into the Black Room in ARGUS (see the current issues of Catwoman by Ann Nocenti and Rafa Sandoval). However, this robbery will likely put her on Trevor’s most wanted list, and he will likely pursue her for this crime and past crimes. However, what will lead Katana to join? She has been taking part in activities with the Gotham-based vigilante group known as the Birds of Prey, and the only thing keeping the government off their back is the Batman supports them. However, the government is still pursuing Dinah Lance for murder, and might her service in the new League stop the government from prosecuting her for her crimes and/or associations with Dinah Lance? (see current issues of Duane Swierczynski and Romano Molenaar That seems the most likely.
Hawkman’s had his own set of events recently with the Thanagarian people, and that is likely to place him on the map for Trevor but for Vibe or Stargirl, it is not known. What is known is that they are going to face the Justice League amongst the events of the coming Trinity War. But is Trevor aware of the coming War? Batman is currently suspicious of S+WW (Superman and Wonder Woman’s relationship), and does not think it bodes well for League as a whole, and is a distraction from the League’s important work. Batman’s suspicions are indeed coming true as the last big mission the League took was to face the Cheetah because Dr. Minerva (her real name) used to be friends with Wonder Woman, and she wants to try to save her.
This is indeed putting your own needs before the rest of the world, and Superman is going along with it dragging the League into it. Their ignorance towards the feelings of the rest of the world are quite obvious, and Batman is concerned not only because of these current events but also what they hold for the future having had some strange events happen to him (Receiving a letter from his father in the Flashpoint universe; see Flashpoint by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert). Trevor has the same concerns but they begin from personal not the selfless reasons Batman has.
However, what remains to be seen is how these Leagues will interact. Yet, we don’t have long as the events that will change the DC Universe for the future begin this week in the pages of Geoff Johns’ Justice League and Justice League of America.
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