We’re in a Golden Age of the Justice League again, and it’s awesome. Justice League Unlimited took the idea from the cartoon of the same name — that the Justice League should have every DC hero as a member — and brought it back to the comics. One of the things that you realize after being a longtime DC fan is that whenever the publisher is trying to “fix” its universe, they lean heavily on the Justice League. DC All-In has put out multiple Justice League books since 2024, and the latest is taking the League in some very unique directions. Justice League Red #1 is an intriguing first issue for a type of Justice League team that readers haven’t seen in a couple of decades.
There have been different types of Justice League teams for a long time, and Justice League Red brings back a type that readers don’t often think about when they think of the Justice League: a black ops team. The book kicks off with Red Tornado doing projections on the world-ending events that can happen and it’s a pretty cool way to kick this story off. I’m not generally a fan of writer Saladin Ahmed but this is a cool idea for a Justice League team. It’s also great to see Red Tornado again as more than the Watchtower’s computer system. Ahmed does a great job of setting up the ideas of the book and it asks an important question — does the Justice League matter or does it just make things worse?
The book’s cast is also awesome, and Ahmed does a good job with them. Simon Baz is the forgotten Lantern a lot of the time, so getting him back is awesome. Ahmed doesn’t really dig into the character very much — he basically just does standard Green Lantern stuff — although he does give the character a pretty good line that ties to his somewhat problematic history. Power Girl is the classic Power Girl, not the timid Paige version of her most recent series, which is cool for longtime fans of the character who didn’t like Power Girl. Towards the end of the book, Ahmed throws an interesting twist into the story, one that comments on the efficacy of AI, that could go a few different ways. Finally, the last page reveal is pretty awesome, in my opinion, as it brings back a fan-favorite character who has been in limbo for a few years now.
Artist Clayton Henry does a great job with the visuals in this issue. Henry has become one of DC’s go to fill-in artists (along with Travis Moore), so it’s cool for him to finally get another series. Henry’s style is very simple — good linework, great character acting, and just the right amount of detail — and it gives this issue a certain amount of visual flair. Henry drops some pretty horrific imagery at readers in the first few pages, really outlining the sense of dread that Ahmed lays out with his script, and then gives readers a couple of cool scenes introducing our cast. I really like the way that Henry uses body language to do some visual storytelling with Power Girl and Baz. There’s a confidence to the characters that you can tell by looking at them. The body language throughout the issue is good in general.
The issue’s action set piece is a lot of fun as well. It’s a pretty short scene, but it definitely works. Ahmed throws a curveball at readers at the end of the scene and Henry’s art does a really good job of showing the sudden distrust that Baz and Power Girl have afterwards. Henry’s art style is a bit understated, so the action is missing the sense of spectacle that other artists could have given it, but that also helps with the detail. Sometimes, you can tell when an artists bites off more than they can chew, but you never get that feeling with Henry. His detail is always on point, and he does a pretty good job of giving scenes the kinetic feel they need to shine. Henry is great for art like that; while he’s never going to kill a big Justice League action scene like some other artists could, his simple style works for the kind of the book that Ahmed is setting up.
The Justice League is in a great place right now. DC All-In and “We Are Yesterday” have set up a lot of great story ideas for the team. Justice League Red #1 adds to that. I’m always a little leery about Ahmed’s work — after wowing readers with his Black Bolt series, Ahmed has been kind of disappointing ever since, and his Wolverine has torpedoed the books sales — but this issue takes an idea I like (the black ops Justice League team a la Justice League Elite) and sets it up well, asking some interesting questions about the League and AI. Henry’s art is very good, and does a great job with the script. Henry’s art doesn’t wow you, but it’s still pretty aesthetically pleasing. Finally, it brings back one of my favorite DC characters, with a plot that can go a variety of ways. All in all, I’ll be buying the next issue of this book to find out where it’s going and you should too.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Justice League Red #1 is on sale now.
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