Convergence: Justice League International #1

The members of Justice League International have spent a year under Brainiac's dome, protecting Metropolis as best they can. This issue begins with them taking on Metallo and his robot army, with Blue Beetle leading a mostly powerless team. Mostly? Yes, because while Fire, Captain Atom, Ice and the Martian Manhunter have been cut off from their powers by the tech of Braini-lackey Telos, Beetle, aka tech-genius Ted Kord, has managed to keep Red Tornado functioning. 

Yes, this is a Justice League in which Red Tornado is the most valuable player. Just imagine...

Mind, it could be argued that Ted is equally important, as he's the one who's kept both Reddy and this severely underpowered team running. Heck, he's even got the girl in finally winning Fire's affections. Morale remains high, with only J'onn J'onnz expressing true gloom. 

And when Telos declares that representatives from the various bottled cities must fight, it's J'onn who is quickest to embrace the idea. This is the one big off-note of Ron Marz's entertaining script. Yes, J'onn has lost one world and doesn't wish to see another die, but he's always been a compassionate hero, not one to dismiss the people of another parallel as less worthy than those of his own. (Of course, food supplies are down, it may be Oreo withdrawal...)

Mind, the League will need someone with a lot of fight in them next issue, as they take on the ruffians from the Kingdom Come reality. Guess who I'm rooting for?

Mike Manley does a great job on the art, with the opening pages of Metallo-mangling particularly good. Facial expressions are strong throughout, and he manages to add visual interest to a conversation between Ted and J'onn, above, that's a page too long. The only bit I didn't like, visually, was the appearance of Kingdom Come Huntress - my word, that's a horrible, horrible costume and I ain't reproducing it here - but it's not like he came up with the look. Credit, too, to Sotocolor, for a vibrant job of colouring, and Tom Napolitano for the fine lettering. And boy, do I love Paul Renaud's cover - talk about 'suitable for framing'. 

So, I have niggles but overall, this is a more than decent Convergence entry. I hope the conclusion's even better - betcha MVP Reddy is junked by page five. It's tradition.