JLA/Cyberforce #1

July 25, 2005

Quick Rating: Surprisingly Good

Can the JLA and Cyberforce combined defeat a mad Ripclaw?

Writer: Joe Kelly
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Norm Rapmund
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover Art: Mark Silvestri
Publisher: DC Comics/Top Cow Productions

To be frank, I didn’t expect much out of this book. First of all, it concerns Cyberforce, a Top Cow team that’s been out of the spotlight for a long time and that I never knew very much about anyway. Second, the story hinges on a plot point from the little-read (in fact, I didn’t think it ever actually came out) Image Anniversary Hardcover. And third, it was written by Joe Kelly, whose turn on JLA was, to be charitable, disappointing.

So imagine my surprise that this one-shot crossover was actually really good.

To be honest, this is really a Cyberforce story guest-starring the JLA, and in fact seems to exist as a set-up for a new Cyberforce series that’s apparently scheduled for next year. But even taken on those merits, I was rather entertained. Cyberforce is on the move, tracking down their former friend Ripclaw, who has been taken over by the alien technology inside of him. The Justice League heads to Russia to combat rising thread of cyborg corpses, controlled by Ripclaw, and wind up butting heads with the stars. Although there is the obligatory hero/hero fight scene in this issue, it’s actually saved for the end and, for once, Kelly finds a perfectly logical explanation to have such a scene in the issue. In fact, most of the heroes find analogues pretty quickly – Flash and Velocity obviously have common grounds, Wonder Woman finds quick respect for Ballistic, and Cyblade immediately starts flirting with Batman, which is much more entertaining than it sounds.

Mahnke is particularly well-suited for this title, always having had a talent for darker superheros and science fiction monsters, which is what he gets to play with in these pages. He handles both teams quite well, and I’ve got to wonder if this team is planning to stick with Cyberforce when it comes back next year.

The conclusion of this issue not only gives birth to a surprising friendship to the two teams, but also sets up the status quo nicely for the return of Cyberforce to the forefront. It’s just okay for fans of the JLA, but for Cyberforce fans it’s a must-read.

Rating: 8/10