New Super-Man and the Justice League of China #20 Review and **SPOILERS**

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New Fish

Writer: Gene Luen Yang 

Pencils: Brent Peeples 

Inks: Matt Santorelli 

Colors: Hi-Fi 

Letters: Dave Sharpe 

Cover: Philip Tan with Rain Beredo 

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: February 14, 2018

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Man, am I excited for this series! Admittedly, the last couple of issues fell a little flat (and I think it was because Gene Yang was preparing this series), but this should be Kenan and the Gang untethered from that Ministry of Snoozery or whatever it was that kept breaking their balls all the time. Dr. Omen and them, you know what I mean. This is the team going freelance, and I can’t wait to see it! So let’s stop waiting, and read my review of New Super-Man and the Justice League of China #20, served piping hot!

Explain It!

I recommend that you don’t pin your hopes on someone else’s creative output. Whether it’s a new film in your favorite series, the comeback album by your favorite recording artist, or a new comic book. It’s just too easy to have your hopes dashed, and any elation you feel from the success of these creative ventures will be fleeting to you. Better, then, to make your own stuff, which will give you a feeling of personal satisfaction to go with the anxiety and sinking suspicion that you are the least talented person in history. I won’t lie, though: I have really been anticipating this changeover from New Super-Man to New Super-Man and the Justice League of China since it was announced last Fall. For one thing, I love this comic and I love the Justice League of China and want to see more of them. For another thing, the last three issues of New Super-Man were…not so great. And we think it’s because work had to be done on this newly-named series, but the result was still twelve bucks of not-so-great-comics.

This issue sets up the dynamics of the team very succinctly. Kenan, now the embodiment of balance and stuff, tries to be very “grown-up” and metered in his approach to everything, a position that is noted and mocked by Avery. She’s got the hots for Kenan, by the way, which was already pretty obvious before this series changed gears. Baixi and Deilan are dating, though it does seem like Baixi likes her more than is reciprocated, which is probably the story of his life. And there’s a Green Lantern Corps of China, a group of super soldier cops that want to bust the Justice League of China since they, you know, quit the Ministry of Defense. I assume we’ll find out more about this Green Lantern Corps of China down the line, and I can’t wait to read it.

Meanwhile, in North Korea, Ahn Kwang is questioned by the state police about some inconsistencies in his obedience. They’ve found a television set in Ahn’s apartment, which would probably be forbidden outright anyway, but it’s also been fitted to receive channels from across the border. Ahn, who is incredibly nervous and sweating bullets, explains that it’s in order to watch some insipid cartoon, to which the North Korean police respond by kicking the ever-living crap out of Kwang. With every kick and punch, he expels more sweat—a ridiculous amount, in fact, leaving giant puddles of perspiration on the ground. From one of these puddles crawls two gigantic spider crabs, who kill the North Korean cops and grab Ahn Kwang to escape North Korea—and later, the giant crabs are seen hauling him across the border with China!

This is definitely the pilot episode of New Super-Man and the Justice League of China, and it is very effective in that capacity. The characters, their relationships, and the current status of the JLC as personas non-grata in and around China are very well expressed. I am interested in the Green Lantern Corps of China, but much more interested in what develops with Ahl Kwang, who looks to be an Asian Aquaman, of sorts, though his powers might be a combination of Mera’s and Arthur’s. Great debut issue, very strong visually though the art is not necessarily anything to crow about. What we’ve got here is a nice package, a fun story with good supplementary artwork. Back in the long-ago, we used to call them “comic books.”

Bits and Pieces:

Our inaugural issue of NS-M&tJLC kicks off with a bang, and a great entry point for new readers. Some old faces, some new faces...some faces behind opaque masks that are presumably new. I couldn't be more excited to see how this story develops!

8/10