Justice League #14 (DC)

writer: Geoff Johns
artist: Tony Daniel

(via dccomics.com)

I've been saying it so long I guess it's still surprising that I seem to be unique in saying it.  And this issue only makes it so much more obvious: Geoff Johns has basically been using Justice League to write his first Wonder Woman series.

This issue is all about Diana's relationship and conflict with Cheetah, who has long been a signature element of her rogues gallery.  And yet even moreso than Aquaman, Wonder Woman's enemies aren't quite as well-known to comic book fans as, say, Batman or Spider-Man's (Geoff himself is the reason Sinestro has been elevated to such ongoing prominence for Green Lantern).  If you don't know anything at all about Cheetah, then you'll find out everything you need to know, as well as how she fits in with Geoff's depiction of Wonder Woman so far in Justice League.

The Amazing Amazon has her own ongoing series, of course, under the auspices of Brian Azzarello, which at the moment operates very much like an indy comic.  Incredibly, Wonder Woman has never had two concurrent ongoing series in the modern era, whereas Batman and Superman have never had to settle for just one, and even Green Lantern has enjoyed more than one era of having several (and so has the Flash).  She's one of the Big Three at DC mainly because she's long been the most prominent female superhero in comics, yet she doesn't have that same immediacy as her counterparts.  She's never had a movie, although she did have a successful TV series (from which Lynda Carter remains famous), and several attempts have been made recently to do so again.

Most of what I'm saying here is that Geoff is basically doing more in Justice League to elevate Wonder Woman than has been done for any reasonably sustained effort in decades.  There have certainly been respected creators (George Perez, John Byrne, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone) who have worked on her over the years, but not once has she been buzzed about to the same degree as Batman or Superman.  Her "Doomsday"/"Knightfall" saga was called "The Contest."  Remember that?  Remember Artemis?

The story fans will remember from recent months is that Wonder Woman and Superman are pursuing a romantic relationship.  Just like Justice League as a whole it's significance by association.  But it's still a start.  And then to have a whole issue devoted to her is still more significant.  It's something to build on.  Chances are Geoff has much more to say about this.  Anytime he spends time on a character, the character is usually the better for it.  And sometimes when he spends time on a character in a team book, he ends up writing them in their own book.

(Here's hoping!)

The other thing of note is that the art is from Tony Daniel, who in recent years has made his name working on Batman, but has recently been expanding his repertoire. I've described his work as reminiscent of Jim Lee in the past, so it's only appropriate that he works in a title where Lee left a big mark (well, again, after Batman).  Yet lately Daniel's work seems to have evolved to another level.  It may be the inkers or Daniel himself or the colorists or a combination of all three, but certainly in this issue he looks all the more vivid.

Chapter 7 of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's "Shazam" is also featured, with an emphasis on Black Adam's emerging interest in Billy Batson's activities, which at the moment is still figuring out what it means to be a kid in an adult's body, and how best to exploit it, ably abetted by Freddy Freeman (who in previous continuity becomes powered himself and inducted into the Shazam family).  Black Adam is a favorite of mine, but I suspect the story will have to progress a little more for him to really express himself, because the Black Adam I know is definitely known for expressing himself.