Review: New Super-Man and the Justice League of China

New Super-Man and the Justice League of China

One of the best things about The Flash television show has been its supporting cast. The character of Barry Allen is pretty compelling, but who surrounds him is just as interesting. Cisco Ramone and Caitlin Snow started out foils for the main character but have slowly across the seasons become formidable in their own right. Then there is the West family, who Barry was raised by and with.

Joe West has been Barry’s father figure and mentor. Iris’s role in Barry’s life has been a bit more complicated. She grew as his “sister” but eventually became his love interest. Her role in the comics has been more marginalized than what has been portrayed in the show, which only has made the television show even more interesting. In the final volume of Kong Kenan’s escapades in China we find out just how Laney Lan’s role in her reporting of New Superman and The Justice League of China has brought her to the forefront of the action.

We find Kong Kenan at Justice League of China’s headquarters high in the mountains, as he is trying to meditate and put together the lessons his master, I-Ching has given him. Meanwhile, the League goes up against a new threat, by the name of Sleaz, a fight which catches the ire of the Green Lantern Corps of China. As tensions rise between the League and the Corps, their tender alliance is eventually tested when a North Korean prisoner, seeks the League’s protection.

Overall, a satisfying conclusion to a series that dared to be different and became something so much more than just a riff on what we’ve seen elsewhere. The story by Gene Luen Yang is funny, smart, action packed, and well developed. The art by Brent Peeples and Matt Santorelli is gorgeous. Altogether, an exquisite study in how familiar character types could be cast in different parts of the world.

Story: Gene Luen Yang Art: Brent Peeples and Matt Santorelli
Story: 10 Art: 9.7 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Buy