Justice League of America: Sanctuary #1

Super-villains are being tracked down an imprisoned by the Suicide Squad on behalf of Amanda Waller. A bunch of super-villains break into the Hall Of Justice to seek sanctuary from the Justice League. 

This story arc of the Justice League Of America series has an interesting premise the ties into the Salvation Run mini-series. Alan Burnett and Dwayne McDuffie shared writing duties for this installment.

The story begins during Salvation Run and slowly transitions towards the impending Final Crisis by the end of the story. I enjoyed the opening issues which showed super-villains seeking sanctuary format he Justice League. I like how the situation was handled by the heroes. Alan Burnett wrote compelling dialogue between Amanda Waller and members of the League as they didn't see eye to eye on the handling of the situation. Eventually The Justice League travel to the planet where the villains have been imprisoned. They run into much more than they bargained for. A villain by the name of Kanjar Ro (who I had never heard of before) trapped each member of the League. It doesn't take long for them to find a way to overcome the odds stacked against them. My only complaint was how quick this part ended and no mention of it was made again as the next issue featured Wally West and Wonder Woman teaming up. The team-up was nice but it did feel a little bit like a filler issue in between the two bigger stories. 

One thing I do enjoy about this series is that no matter how large or grand the Justice League's missions and adventures are, they always take time to focus on the little things. Dedicating a whole issue to trying to persuade Wally West to be more active in the League is a good example of that. Another prime example is when Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman meet up to discuss a variety of topics. It adds a nice humanized feel to the story that grounds these characters that are normally recognized only for flying around the world and saving it from disaster after disaster. 

Ed Benes handles the bulk of the artwork but is accompanied by Jon Boy Meyers, Ethan Van Sciver and Carlos Pacheco. Each artist brings their A-game to the series. It only makes sense DC got some of the best in the business for this series that stars a lot of their biggest characters.

This was another fun and exciting edition to the series that has maintained a consistent level of quality since its inception. Even throughout the shifting of writers and artists, this series hasn't suffered one bit. It looks as if things are about to get even more interesting for this team which I look forward to.