Convergence: Justice League #1

By Frank Tieri, Vicente Cifuentes & Monica Kubina

Convergence: Justice League is one of the many Convergence books to explore life before the New 52 and for fans of the older DCU, it’s great to have some favourite characters back in the spotlight, as Convergence: Justice League throws a pretty much all female cast of Justice Leaguers into a battle against the evil Aquaman from Flashpoint, who has lost his world’s Mera, making for a rather interesting reunion between the two characters.

Convergence: Justice League #1 was a break from the norm, opting wisely to focus on character rather than go for the option of cramming in too much plot in a mini-series that’s only two issues long. This issue sets the stage pretty well and allows us to get reacquainted with a happier, lighter Supergirl, as well casting characters like Zatanna and Jade back into the spotlight, and Mera herself of course. It makes an interesting line-up that would be fun to see as a regular ongoing in the DCU, and based on what we’ve seen here, this reviewer wouldn’t mind at all if Frank Tieri wrote it because he’s delivered a very strong read here, with the book increasing in tension as it heads towards the end of the  issue, promising what should be a very fun second half. It should have readers who liked this one return for more.

The artwork is impressive and Viciente Cifuentes handles it well, when paired with the addition of Monica Kubina’s colours, this issue actually spends the majority of its time with the main characters out of their costumes in civilian clothing, and it’s good to see that the artwork is pulled off well. Don’t expect many fight sequences in this issue with the majority of the battle sequences likely saved for the second act, but the artwork is impressive and based on what we’ve seen here it’ll be interesting to see what Cifuentes and Kubina can bring to the table next month.

Whilst the book can feel uneven at times, with the transition from the character drama to the action not being pulled off as effective as it could have been, Convergence: Justice League #1 is a very solid start that features the return of characters that fans will enjoy – Vixen is another character that makes a welcome addition to the roster here. Frank Tieri handles the character focus well and gives each superheroine enough time in the spotlight, and combined with some decent artwork, this book serves as a fun and enjoyable tie-in to the main event that fans of the characters looking for their Pre-New 52 fix should certainly check out.