Book Review: New Super-Man and the Justice League of China by G. L. Yang et al.

New Super-Man and the Justice League of China written by Gene Luen Yang, penciled by Brent Peeples, and inked by Matt Santorelli

This book is actually issues 20 to 24 of Gene Luen Yang's New Super-Man comic, where a Man of Steel copy is made in China via technology. He eventually forms a team of what's been called "metahumans" in the DC comics line. At first I thought this was an alternate reality story, like Red Son where Kal-el's Kryptonian space ship crashes in the Soviet Union rather than in Kansas. This story apparently exists in the regular DC Universe, meaning there's the Justice League in America with the original heroes who for some reason don't interact with these Chinese counterparts. So in addition to missing the first nineteen issues of the series, I was also confused about these people and their relationship to the original characters. It's a bit of a mess. The story here has the heroes liberating a metahuman from North Korea who is the Asian equivalent of Aquaman (though he doesn't know who Aquaman is thanks to the political regime in North Korea). The book contains some interesting riffs on the personal dynamics of the Justice League and has plenty of fun dialogue that Yang is so good at. The overall story just isn't interesting.

Slightly recommended, if the concept sounds interesting to you. Otherwise, avoid!