You know that scene in movies where one person says to the other “This town isn’t big enough for the both of us” and then there’s a face off and one person either ends up dead or run out of town?

 

Well, we don’t get to say this often, but boy are we glad real life isn’t like the movies.  We’re incredibly glad there’s enough room for two things in this town because it means we can not only get the ongoing Justice League title featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and more—but also the brand new titles Justice League of America, Katana and Justice League of America’s Vibe, whose first issues all hit comic shelves this month.

 

Reading these comics has left us bouncing up and down like a two-year-old on a sugar rush for more, which made us realize that the life-not-like-movies philosophy also applies to Willy Wonka. He nonchalantly tortures children and has a whistle that summons a bunch of creatures that do his bidding and sing songs about your demise. The man’s clearly a super-villain.

 

Actually, we have quite a bit to say about super-villains this week (we’ll get back to this), but right now, we’re looking for something to help alleviate some of the eagerness coursing through us while we wait for the next issue of these three new titles. And since we also have to put together this week’s 5.2 Reasons column, guess what we’re going to talk about?! We’re going to give you the 5.2 Reasons We’re Excited for More of the Justice League of America!

 

1. Katana

From her early role in Birds of Prey, we already sort of knew Katana kicked ass. Now that she’s flying solo in her own title, we severely underestimated how much butt she can kick. It’s a lot. With KATANA #1, writer Ann Nocenti managed to really capture an anime-esque feel in the title—and it’s freaking awesome. There’s a guy in the first issue that feels like he’s straight up out of Rurouni Kenshin (if you have any interest in anime, watch that series!), and Katana even manages to take out nearly an entire squad of assassins with just her clothes and jewelry.

 

 

2. Vibe

Look, even we’ll admit we’re pleasantly surprised here. As fans of Geoff Johns, we knew if there was anyone that could make Vibe a character we’d end up liking, it’d be him. And by Hawkman’s giant mace, Johns, co-writer Andrew Kreisberg and artist Pete Woods did it. The ending of that first issue alone gave us tingling chills. We’ve got questions and we can’t wait for the answers!

 

 

3. Justice League of America

As great as Vibe and Katana are on their own, we can’t wait to see them continue to interact with the entire team Johns’ has brought together in the coming issues. It’s certainly an eclectic group, but already the new takes on Hawkman and even our beloved Stargirl has us itching to see where things are going to go. Especially with...

 

4. The Secret Society

We told you this would come back around. Most comic fans might recognize the term “The Secret Society.” For those that don’t, know that those three words are often followed by “of Super-Villains.” Who’s part of the society? Who is in charge? And are these killer robot versions of the Big Three??

 

 

5. Amazing Artists

Between Pete Woods, Alex Sanchez and, of course, David Finch, all three JLA-related titles are burst at the stapled together seams with eye-popping visuals. Sanchez’s art perfectly matches Katana’s anime-inspired feel, Woods’ Vibe brings with it a feel of ::ahem:: vibrant youth and exuberance, and Finch’s dark style fits flawlessly with the tone of the new League and their morally questionable mission statement.

 

5.1 This Spread Full of Cameos

Can you figure out who is who?

 

 

5.2 JL vs. JLA: Place Your Bets!

 

 

How about you all? What excited you the most from the debut issues and what are you most looking forward to as the Justice League of America titles continue?