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A review by captwinghead
Justice League of America, Vol. 1: The Tornado's Path by Brad Meltzer
4.0
Aside from some unnecessary ass shots... this was quite possibly the only Justice League story I've read that actually used women well? I am utterly shocked considering women were barely in Identity Crisis, and when they were, they weren't used well.
This is a story that takes Dinah Lance, Diana Prince, Mari McCabe, Kendra Saunders and used their abilities well. Red Tornado's wife Kathy is here for a short while and she even has some really great moments. I've read New 52's Justice League (regretfully), a volume of Rebirth's Justice League of America (regretfully), Waid's Justice League books, a classic volume of JLA and a few other issues here or there and the women are never used well. Even Diana has such a small role compared to the men and I'm never sure why. Her abilities are incredibly versatile yet she's usually regulated to exposition or, even worse, being rescued. The other female members of the team are also usually not used that often, or all that well.
Considering my chief gripe with Identity Crisis was the lack of great representation of women, imagine my shock when the same writer managed to use these female characters better than I've ever seen them used in a JLA book. Wonder Woman is treated just as importantly as Bruce and Clark in building the new team. Mari's abilities are used quite diversely, she doesn't get rescued when she's in peril, she saves herself and the end scene with the little girl seeing her as a role model for her work stopping Amazo was perfect! Dinah is shown as a brilliant fighter, incredibly smart in battle and her love and support of Roy during his lowest point comes back in a really big way. Hawkgirl isn't as present as the others but, for the little that she's here, she's shown as a fierce warrior that is greatly respected for her skill in battle.
Also - Hawkgirl! New love of my life! <3
Sorry to say so much on that and so little on everything else but that really meant a lot to me. When reading team books, I usually just resign myself to not seeing female characters aside from cheap T&A shots that make me regret reading the books at all. This was a pleasant surprise (y'know, aside from the unnecessary ass shot of Wonder Woman during what was supposed to be a brutal fight scene).
Anyway, the story itself was great. I never cared all that much about Red Tornado but this story made his plight and his love for his family a compelling plot. I loved the stuff with Roy Harper. He's one of my favorite characters and I liked that this featured how much Hal, Dinah and Ollie want to do right by him and also acknowledges that Ollie treated him like shit. It also managed to show how great of a father Roy is -which is always a plus for me.
I liked seeing Jefferson Pierce here. I enjoyed the bits at the beginning with Clark and Bruce demonstrating how much they trust each other. I thought all of the interpersonal relationships were done really well in this book.
So, yeah, 4.5 stars. Definitely a recommend from me.
This is a story that takes Dinah Lance, Diana Prince, Mari McCabe, Kendra Saunders and used their abilities well. Red Tornado's wife Kathy is here for a short while and she even has some really great moments. I've read New 52's Justice League (regretfully), a volume of Rebirth's Justice League of America (regretfully), Waid's Justice League books, a classic volume of JLA and a few other issues here or there and the women are never used well. Even Diana has such a small role compared to the men and I'm never sure why. Her abilities are incredibly versatile yet she's usually regulated to exposition or, even worse, being rescued. The other female members of the team are also usually not used that often, or all that well.
Considering my chief gripe with Identity Crisis was the lack of great representation of women, imagine my shock when the same writer managed to use these female characters better than I've ever seen them used in a JLA book. Wonder Woman is treated just as importantly as Bruce and Clark in building the new team. Mari's abilities are used quite diversely, she doesn't get rescued when she's in peril, she saves herself and the end scene with the little girl seeing her as a role model for her work stopping Amazo was perfect! Dinah is shown as a brilliant fighter, incredibly smart in battle and her love and support of Roy during his lowest point comes back in a really big way. Hawkgirl isn't as present as the others but, for the little that she's here, she's shown as a fierce warrior that is greatly respected for her skill in battle.
Also - Hawkgirl! New love of my life! <3
Sorry to say so much on that and so little on everything else but that really meant a lot to me. When reading team books, I usually just resign myself to not seeing female characters aside from cheap T&A shots that make me regret reading the books at all. This was a pleasant surprise (y'know, aside from the unnecessary ass shot of Wonder Woman during what was supposed to be a brutal fight scene).
Anyway, the story itself was great. I never cared all that much about Red Tornado but this story made his plight and his love for his family a compelling plot. I loved the stuff with Roy Harper. He's one of my favorite characters and I liked that this featured how much Hal, Dinah and Ollie want to do right by him and also acknowledges that Ollie treated him like shit. It also managed to show how great of a father Roy is -which is always a plus for me.
I liked seeing Jefferson Pierce here. I enjoyed the bits at the beginning with Clark and Bruce demonstrating how much they trust each other. I thought all of the interpersonal relationships were done really well in this book.
So, yeah, 4.5 stars. Definitely a recommend from me.