by Don MacPherson

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #0 "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" DC Comics Writer: Brad Meltzer Artists: Eric Wight, Dick Giordano, Tony Harris, George Perez, J.H. Williams III, Luke McDonnell & Paul Neary, Gene Ha, Rags Morales, Ethan Van Sciver, Kevin Maguire, Adam Kubert, Dan Jurgens & Kevin Nowlan, Jim Lee, Howard Porter & Dexter Vines, Andy Kubert & Jesse Delperdang, Phil Jimenez & Andy Lanning, and Ed Benes & Sandra Hope Colors: Alex Sinclair Letters: Rob Leigh Cover artists: Michael Turner and J. Scott Campbell & Sandra Hope Editor: Eddie Berganza Price: $2.99 US/$4 CAN I forgot DC was releasing this tee-up issue to its new Justice League of America series penned by novelist Brad Meltzer. I almost didn't pick this up, as I assumed it would be low on actual storytelling content, maybe with an interview piece or sketchbook section. But no, this is a full-fledged story about DC's holy trinity of super-heroes: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Meltzer pays tribute to the Justice League's past, spotlights the more modern tone and conflicts of today and teases the audience with the promise of the possibilities of tomorrow. But most importantly, he reworks continuity and character to convince the reader of the power of the friendship among the three iconic heroes. It works surprisingly well, and the participation of a myriad of artists works with the nature of the storytelling rather than against it. Ever since seven meteors, each containing an alien warrior, landed on Earth years ago, sparking a diverse group of heroes to come together to combat the threat, three of those champions have gathered annuals to discuss the future of the team they helped to found. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman started out as colleagues and eventually became friends. they learned to lean on each other, but as darker times fell upon their world, their relationship grew more and more strained. But they've always held true to their promise to meet once a year to discuss the Justice League, and this year, the topic is who to include in the membership of a new roster. Employing different artists to bring different eras of the Justice League to life was a great idea, and I'm impressed that editor Eddie Berganza lined up A-list talent to fulfill those roles. It was particularly satisfying to see artists -- such as George Perez, Kevin Maguire, Luke McDonnell and Howard Porter -- return to the property on which they worked years ago. Eric Wight and Dick Giordano captured the 1960s and 1970s incredibly well too. The shifts in time made the shifts in visual style easy to accept and incorporate into the reading experience. It enhanced the storytelling rather than interfering with it. This script was definitely crafted for longtime DC readers in mind. It helps to know JLA history to pickup on such references as the Justice League Detroit team and the JLA/JSA/Seven Soldiers of Victory teamup that led to one the Red Tornado's deaths. Meltzer's script is far from the most accessible DC Universe story I've seen, but it's certainly not impenetrable either. All of the attention in the pre-release Justice League hype machine has been about who's going to make up the core team. The focus is on flashy, traditional super-team storytelling, so I was honestly surprised to find that's not at all the point in this introductory issue. The focus is on characterization, and not only that, but on the characterization of arguably the three best-known super-hero characters in history. And Meltzer pulls it off. These three characters see one another as equals, and in that respect, one gets to see a different side of each -- especially Bruce Wayne. Batman actually comes off as a vulnerable figure, even fragile, but Meltzer sacrifices not one iota of the character's intensity and edge in the process. 8/10 Email Don MacPherson with your comments about this review.