{"id":326,"date":"2008-08-30T10:18:00","date_gmt":"2008-08-30T16:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glspotlight.wordpress.com\/2008\/08\/30\/james-robinson-justice-league"},"modified":"2012-09-07T06:36:36","modified_gmt":"2012-09-07T06:36:36","slug":"james-robinson-justice-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/james-robinson-justice-league\/","title":{"rendered":"James Robinson Justice League"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

Greetings everyone, today I thought I would talk about the upcoming Justice League with James Robinson. About two years ago when Brad Meltzer relaunched Justice League of America following the end of Infinite Crisis. The book was on fire. The roster included the Trinity, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman with Hal Jordan, Vixen, Red Tornado, Black Lightning, Roy Harper becoming Red Arrow, Hawk Girl and Black Canary as chair person. The first 12 issues by Meltzer were probably some of the best issues I had read Grant Morrison wrote the book back in the 90s. While, everyone knew that Brad would be leaving the title with issue 12, Dwayne McDuffie took over as writer. His first story arc dealing with the newly established Injustice League (a personal favorite of mine). Came at the Justice League in high fashion and started taking them apart one by one. Of course they didn’t count on John Stewert and later Firestorm turning the tide of battle. Firestorm was then forced on the team by Batman and John decided to play a rotating position with Hal on the League. Now, you would think with all of this that the book would be great… but it proved to start having a downward spiral.<\/p>\n

I don’t fault McDuffie for this though, it was an editorial decision to have the book spend almost 7 months to deal with cross overs of other events in the DC Universe while everything lead to the Final Crisis. However, the Queen Bee story with Wonder Woman and the Flash was some solid stuff (nothing to do with her being my favorite Justice League villains). His recent story arc tying up everything with Amazo was also well done but… the story also dragged out and I felt that Vixen was so poorly handled. Plus, and please don’t everyone start sending me hate mail but I have noticed that when Dwayne writes books on a longer basis, he has to include as many African-american characters as possible. I have no problem with the characters at all but… there is a limited to how you add characters to a book before you realize it’s an ethnical thing. I was happy that finally a writer outside of Gail Simon was writing Vixen the way she should be and having Black Lightning take center stage was long over due. Plus, we had Firestorm, a personal favorite of mine but the more you read the more it was like: “We had Hal, and John is in the main Green Lantern book and is playing a lot in Blackest Night. Why is John in the book more than Hal?” If you read McDuffie’s Fantastic Four, the same was happening when the Black Panther and Storm took Reed and Sue’s positions on the team after Civil War. I want good stories and variety of characters in Justice League of America, not adding more characters of a certain background. <\/p>\n

So, now I’ve put Justice League down for the next few months and moving towards James Robinson’s upcoming run or new title or whatever this is all about. In an interview a couple of months back, Robinson talked about the new book. \u201cYou can\u2019t imitate [writing comics]. It\u2019s completely unique but I needed some time away from it,\u201d Robinson continued. \u201cAnd just as I was beginning to get my engines revving again, in terms of doing something in comics, [\u201cAction Comics\u201d writer] Geoff [Johns] called me up and invited me up to be a part of \u2018Superman.\u2019
\u201cAt the same time, I had come up with a concept of my own for the new \u2018Justice League\u2019 book. And everything from there just fell into place. As much as I am grateful to DC for their support — especially [DCU Executive Editor] Dan DiDio, who has really gone out of his way to welcome me back into the fold — I am equally grateful to Geoff. ” \u201cI met Geoff at Motor City Con many years ago when he was a fan. And he impressed me then. And he proved me right. He is one of the great comic book writers and I owe everything to him in terms of coming back to comics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johns is, of course, the mastermind behind \u201cJustice Society of America,\u201d \u201cAction Comics,\u201d \u201cGreen Lantern\u201d and \u201cBooster Gold,\u201d as well as two upcoming \u201cFinal Crisis\u201d tie-in series \u201cLegion of Three Worlds\u201d and \u201cRogues\u2018 Revenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, Johns has become such a good friend to Robinson that when he writes the two headliners of ‘Justice League’ ” Green Lantern and Green Arrow ” he simply taps into his and Johns\u2019 real-life relationship for inspiration and, more importantly, dialogue. \u201cWhen I write Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen, I just write me and Geoff talking to each other,\u201d mused Robinson.<\/p>\n

Robinson\u2019s concept for \u201cJustice League\u201d is fuelled by the notion that while some of the world\u2019s greatest heroes react in perhaps a more methodical and pensive way to the murder of a DCU character in \u201cFinal Crisis,\u201d others, namely Hal and Ollie, are ready to strike down with great vengeance and furious anger as if Samuel L. Jackson was calling the shots.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know who was going to live or who was going to die in \u2018Final Crisis,\u201d so I came up with a concept for a new \u2018Justice League\u2019 book, where the team had a purpose that was different from the Justice League of America,\u201d explained Robinson. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a purpose that literally, you can keep going with it. The reason for the team is always there. It\u2019s not just the like the Keith Giffen \u2018Justice League\u2019 was funny, \u2018so let\u2019s do another funny one in Europe.\u2019 This team has a purpose that I pitched to Dan. Dan said yes immediately, \u2018let\u2019s do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>So, setting up the roster we have Hal Jordan as Green Lantern and Oliver Queen as Green Arrow setting up the new Justice League in the aftermath of the Final Crisis. Robinson said the rest of the team is formed through events as opposed to \u2018people sorting through photographs,\u2019 referring to Brad Meltzer\u2019s bestselling relaunch of \u201cJustice League of America.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is completely different, that worked in the book at the time but the idea of three people picking the team, I think is preposterous,\u201d said Robinson. \u201cIn this book, it is driven by the situation. It is two guys, who break away. The other thing you have to remember, and Hal sort of reminds Justice League of America of this, is he does sort of play second fiddle to the Trinity.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he has to remind himself of the fact that when he is on Earth, he is the law in this space sector. He\u2019s Marshall Matt Dillon from \u2018Gunsmoke.\u2019 He needs to uphold that law. And that is one of the things that will ultimately drive Hal to break away and form his own team. \u201cBut it\u2019s typical to him and Oliver, they\u2019re like, \u2018Geez. We have broken away but what do we do now?\u2019 They don\u2019t really have a concrete plan. Obviously, events and fate bring other characters into play and slowly the team comes together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, with those two in charge you need a Superman and Batman family member in the mix and that’s where Supergirl and Batwoman coming into play. Now, with Kara you have her basically moving up from the small leagues to the big leagues with no pun intended. From the Teen Titans and the Amazons to one of the power roles in this Justice League. However, the biggest surprise comes with Batwoman. Greg Rucka confirmed at Emerald City ComiCon that his long-rumored \u201cBatwoman\u201d series was a go. <\/a>As such, Robinson admits some trepidation concerning Katherine Kane. \u201cTo be honest with you, I am a little hands off with that character. She\u2019s Greg Rucka\u2019s character. She\u2019s in the book to give the book a \u2018Bat\u2019 emblem. I don\u2019t really have the greatest handle on her. She\u2019s going to be more off to the side. I don\u2019t want to offend Greg Rucka! Truly, I think he\u2019s a great writer that I respect immensely but Batwoman is his baby to run with. She isn\u2019t going to be as big a personality on the team as Ollie, Hal and Kara.\u201d With them on the team you add in Ray Palmer who will return not as the Atom but as the scientist of the group. I’m looking forward to having Ray back in the spot light but not in the full super hero mode. There is nothing wrong with the current Atom, Ryan Choi. Having Ray in this role will be a wonderful role as he deals more with his ex-wife’s role as the killer of Sue Dibny and as the former host of Eclipso. <\/p>\n

<\/a> A real favorite I’m looking forward to is Freddy Freeman, the former Captain Marvel Jr. as the new Shazam on the team. \u201cFreddy Freeman, to me, is a little bit lost. So we are going to find Freddy Freeman in the course of this book,\u201d said Robinson.
\u201cDo you know the whole thing with Captain Marvel Jr. and Elvis Presley? Well, let me tell you. For Freddy Freeman, \u2018Captain Marvel Jr.,\u2019 the art was always done by Mac Raboy, or a lot of it was. It was a much more serious book than \u2018Captain Marvel.\u2019 It felt more serious. It was darker. It was more real than C.C. Beck\u2019s \u2018Captain Marvel\u2019 and definitely more serious than \u2018Mary Marvel.\u2019 And also he was a scruffy, cripple news guy, who when he said, \u2018Captain Marvel,\u2019 became Captain Marvel Jr.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Elvis Presley wanted a unique haircut. And at the time, in the fifties, especially in Memphis, he couldn\u2019t get it because everything was short, back and sides. So he would go into ladies hair salons with copies of \u2018Captain Marvel Jr.,\u2019 show them Captain Marvel\u2019s haircut and that\u2019s the original look of Elvis. And when you think about Elvis later, Vegas Elvis, with the cape, think about it in your head, turn into red and gold or blue and gold and it\u2019s a Captain Marvel costume.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyways, it\u2019s not for me to criticize what people are doing but I think in \u2018Justice League,\u2019 we are going to find who Freddy Freeman is. We are going to make sense of it all. I can\u2019t talk about it now but Geoff and I have discussed this and we have some big plans, some big, big plans for Freddy and that whole aspect of the book, the Shazam aspect of the book.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now rounding out the cast are the two characters that I’m a bit worried about but at the same time, very interested in. Congo Bill and the Mikaal Tomas (Starman). \u201cCongorilla\u2019s basically a magical, seven-foot tall, golden gorilla. But he has the intelligence and the sophistication of a big game hunter, who has lived for 90 years,\u201d explained Robinson. \u201cHe\u2019s not necessarily the smartest guy on the team but he\u2019s the wisest guy on the team.
<\/a>
\u201cAt the same time, because he is in a gorilla\u2019s body, the golden gorilla\u2019s physical demands mean when he is challenged, he\u2019s this savage, exciting jungle predator. So that\u2019s why I stress that he\u2019s magical, and I am probably ripping off a million characters here, but it\u2019s occurred to me if he takes on Deadshot, all Deadshot needs to do, it doesn\u2019t matter if he\u2019s a seven-foot tall gorilla or not, is shoot Congorilla and he\u2019s dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the whole concept of this big game hunter, who became this big gorilla and could originally go back and forth, doesn\u2019t work. So now he is basically stuck as Congorilla and he\u2019s magical, I am giving him sort of a healing factor, which will allow him to survive against that type of foe. That makes him just that much more formidable if you can\u2019t eliminate quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is not a single person, who is not doubtful about this character when they see that he is going to be in \u2018Justice League.\u2019 But if you remember, and I say this proudly, if you remember The Shade originally, he just had Shade powers, he had a top hat, he had a goofy costume with pixie boots and he looked ridiculous. And I turned the Shade into a character that people liked [in \u2018Starman\u2019]; people cared about, and now think he is cool. I made The Shade cool. I will do the same with Congorilla, you, all of you will love him!\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, people like The Shade so much, Robinson and DC are ready to bring him back. Confirmed Robinson, \u201cI am going to go back and do a Shade special within the year for DC, or a miniseries. It will be one or another but it will be his origin and it will be touching on him in various points of his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>James Robinson said that: When I pitched the idea to Dan, he said, \u2018If you want to include Starman, I wouldn\u2019t be unhappy,\u2019\u201d Robinson revealed. \u201cBut Jack Knight is in San Francisco with his wife, with his kids, he\u2019s painting, he\u2019s retired. He\u2019s done. And the thing is, if I bring him back. He becomes part of the DC tapestry and then other people get to have a go at him. I just don\u2019t want to do it. It was an elegant ending. It was an ending I planned for Jack Knight from #4 of \u2018Starman.\u2019 I don\u2019t want to open it up again.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut when Dan said Starman, I thought about it. And I thought about Mikaal Tomas.\u201d<\/p>\n

A blue alien stranded on Earth, Mikaal Tomas has a gem embedded in his chest that grants him the ability to fly as well as other special powers. Very popular with readers, Mikaal appeared throughout Robinson\u2019s \u201cStarman\u201d series and has scarecely been seen since.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought about how I left him in the air a little bit,\u201d Robinson continued. \u201cAnd he had so much potential. Again, he\u2019s an elegant guy but how we left him in \u2018Starman,\u2019 he was beginning to reconnect with the war-like aspects of his race. So you get a guy who sometimes can do Cary Grant and other times he is Wolverine or whatever savage hero you want to throw at me. So we have that juxtaposition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robinson said one of his favorite things about \u201cJustice League,\u201d so far, is that the heroes throw away the honorifics and keep the title worship to a minimum. \u201cIt occurred to me with Freddy Freeman. That\u2019s\u2019 a name that you brought up. Well, Hal and Ollie call themselves Hal and Ollie. You are never going to hear \u2018Congorilla\u2019 used in the book. He\u2019s just Bill. Mikaal is Mikaal. Kara is Kara. Ray Palmer is Ray. So it\u2019s a book where everybody is known by their first names, which I like.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mean to be facetious. I really want to make this different than any other book out there. And so far, based on the editorial comments, I have succeeded. And I hope to continue to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that kind of a roster and with artwork by Mauro Cascioli (\u201cThe Trials of Shazam\u201d) on the book, I can’t wait to see this book in action in January. Could this Justice League be a classic in the making? Or will the hype around it just be all the book has for it besides a great writer and artist on the book. I’m hoping it’s the former but I can say this, I am so excited for this book when the New Year roles around. Peace everyone and have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greetings everyone, today I thought I would talk about the upcoming Justice League with James Robinson. About two years ago when Brad Meltzer relaunched Justice League of America following the end of Infinite Crisis. The book was on fire. The … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegreenlanterncorps.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}