Why You Should Read "Justice League: Origin"

The Justice League are the world's greatest heroes and they got this!

Justice League is still out in theaters and even though critics and box office sales suggest it was a huge failure, but I am among the fans that thought Justice League is fun and brought some of our favorite characters to life. Though after watching Justice League, I could not help but think about Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's "Justice League: Origin", a story that brought the world's greatest heroes into the New 52.

Even though the New 52 was not a hit among fans, "Justice League: Origin" was actually a proper reintroduction of characters like The Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and others. "Justice League: Origin" is also a good story to read if you want some background before watching Justice League in theaters since many of the images from the movie seem like they were taken straight from the comic book.

So, what's the story of "Justice League: Origin"? Well, the world is slowly being invaded by aliens who are seeking ancient extraterrestrial devices known as Mother Boxes, and heroes like Batman, Green Lantern, and Superman, have come across these aliens and investigate their intentions.

But as the heroes form a shakey alliance, the Mother Boxes activate and transport an army of aliens along with the cruel and villainous Darkseid. But along with bringing horror and destruction to earth, the Mother Boxes transform the high school athlete Victor Stone into a high-tech Cyborg.

Heroes like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Flash join the fight to help battle against Darkseid and his army of alien Parademons. But only by joining forces and fighting Darkseid together, the world's greatest heroes are able to challenge Darkseid and have a chance at saving the earth.

This version of the Justice League is made up of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, and with such a large cast of characters, the story can't give everyone an equal amount of time in the spotlight. The characters that seem to stand out the most are Green Lantern, Batman, and Cyborg.

Green Lantern is brash and hotheaded. He jumps into a fight without thinking too much about who he's going to fight or how he's going to even win the fight. Green Lantern fights parademons, Darkseid, and even Superman. The reason he gets involved with the League is because, as a Green Lantern, it is his duty to protect earth and Space Sector 2814.

Batman serves as a foil to Green Lantern's impulsive personality. While Green Lantern shines for everyone to see, Batman stays hidden in the shadows, and when Green Lantern jumps into a fight with Superman, Batman holds himself back and studies his opponent. Even though Batman works alone, he understands that he needs to work together with super humans like Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash, in order to save the world.

Unlike the rest of the heroes in "Justice League: Origin", Cyborg doesn't start out as a crime fighter when the story opens. Cyborg is Victor Stone, a high school football player on the path to become a star professional athlete, but an accident at his father's lab almost kills him, and in an attempt to save his life, Victor's father turns him into a Cyborg. Even though he's disturbed by what he has become, the League inspire Victor to use his new abilities to help them save the world.

The story isn't anything groundbreaking, but what makes "Justice League: Origin" so fun is how writer Geoff Johns plays with the characters. Because these characters are so iconic, Johns throws readers right into the action without getting into their origins and shows off the unique personalities of these characters and lets them bounce off each other.

Darkseid's motivations aren't really explored, which lets the story focus on showing how the League went from being this group of random crime fighters to being a united team of heroes. All that readers really need to know about Darkseid is that he's a bad guy and he wants to conquer the earth.

The art in "Justice League: Origin" is really phenomenal. Jim Lee is a really awesome artist and a lot of the pages and panels in this story are works of art that need to cover the walls of fans. The designs of Jim Lee's characters are like the statues of Greco-Roman gods and goddesses, which elevates these characters to a legendary status. If I have to choose two characters that I think Jim Lee really excels at, I would say Batman and Wonder Woman. Lee's Batman is intimidating and his Wonder Woman is beautiful.

At the end of the day, I think that "Justice League: Origin" is a great story for any new fan who wants a proper introduction to the team or for anyone who needs more of these characters after watching Justice League. Long time fans will enjoy the art and seeing their favorite characters argue, joke, and fight side-by-side. I would classify "Justice League: Origin" as a must read!

ISSUES: Justice League #1-6 (2011-2012)