OneJustice Leaguebook gave readers a unique spin on the classic team and its high time DC Comics brought them back. TheJustice League of Chinadebuted in the DC “Rebirth” era title,New Super-Man, and gave fans a brand-new hero team based out of Shanghai.
The “Rebirth” initiative pumped new life into DC Comics by giving fans exciting new stories, one of which focused on a young man who got the opportunity of a lifetimeafter gaining Superman’s powers. ButNew Super-Manwas more than just ‘DC heroes set in China’. It was a gripping story of heroism that deserves a second chance at life.
New Super-ManWas a Powerful Story about Personal Growth
The Justice League of China Became a Worthy Expansion of the Team
New Super-Manwas created by Gene Luen Yang and Viktor Bogdanovic, and largely centered around a young man named Kong Kenan, a bully who cared only about himself. But after going viral for standing up to a supervillain, Kenan is selected by China’s Ministry of Self-Reliance for an experiment to imbue him with the power of Superman. The experiment is a success and Kenan is quickly paired up with Wang Baixi and Peng Deilan,the newly christened Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman of China.
Kenan’s adventure begins inNew Super-Man #1 (2016)!
As theJustice League of China, the trio works for the Ministry of Self-Reliance, officially representing their country and taking on jobs in their nation’s interests. Over time, the team expands to include other Asian heroes such as Avery Ho, the Flash of China and later, Ahn Kwang-Jo, aka Dragonson, the Aqua-Man of North Korea. Though the team is composed of young men and women, the team is by no means naive, and later determine that the Ministry of Self-Reliancedoesn’t exactly have the Justice League’s best interests at heart.
As Kenan developed into a better person, he mastered his new powers…
Also throwing a wrench in the works is Super-Man’s powers. While Kenan was given the power to channel Superman’s qi (or life force) and thus his abilities, Kenan struggled to master each individual power like freeze breath or heat vision. Aiding him in his quest was Master I-Ching, Kenan’s mentor, who taught Kenan discipline and how to grow. As Kenan developed into a better person, he mastered his new powers and became a hero worthy of the Superman name and symbol. By the end of the series,Super-Man was a true leader and the Justice League of China, a genuine superhero team.
Where the Justice League of China is Now
DC Hasn’t Forgotten Them, But They Could Be Used More
Despite the critical success and positive reception among fans forNew Super-Man(later retitledNew Super-Man and the Justice League of China), the series was canceled at issue 24, two years after the series began. After cancelation, the Justice League of China wasn’t seen as much, though they were mentioned as having been folded into China’s other superhero team, the Great Twenty. Individual members did appear in other team-based books, such asFlash becoming a part ofJustice League Incarnateand Bat-Man appearing inBatman Incorporated.
… the Justice League of China’s appearances have become few and far between.
Kenan, on the other hand, managed to join the Superman Family, though it wasn’t exactly his first choice. Super-Man discovered Superman’s secret identity and nearly died due to a psychic trap Lex Luthor created to kill anyone who found it out. Kenan survived, but the incident got Bat-Man involved and forced Kenan to pretend he was defecting from his old team to save Baixi from the same psychic bomb. Bat-Man turned against his old comrade, but Kenan was welcomed into Superman’s family with open arms.
New Super-Manfans, don’t miss the two-part story “Secret Identity” inAction Comics 1058-1059 (2023)!
But aside from that, the Justice League of China’s appearances have become few and far between. Some of them still pop up in large group shots during big battles, and members of the team have been featured in specials honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Unfortunately, there’s only so much space DC Comics has to showcase certain characters. Gene Luen Yang did create another series for DC,Monkey Prince, and while it featured cameos from other DC heroes,it didn’t feature any crossovers with the Justice League of China.
The Justice League of China was a Great Experiment That Deserves Another Shot
Why Not Try Other Heroes in Other Countries as Well?
One can’t say that DC Comics didn’t give Super-Man and his team a fair shot. 24 issues is a lot more than some series ever get and the fact that their members continue to show up in other places is extremely fortunate. But the biggest appeal to their comic was the camaraderie they shared and the growth of each hero, whether it be Kenan’s journey from bully to leader or the blossoming romance between Wonder-Woman and Bat-Man. There’s so much thatcould be done with the Justice League of China if they just got another shot.
Now’s the perfect time to see what the Justice League of China are up to.
And it’s not just a revival of the Justice League of China DC Comics should aim for. The real strength of New Super-Man was taking the core elements of classic DC heroes and combining them with other cultures and their mythologies and traditions. Kenan’s powers were established through the lens of the Eight Trigrams, which wasn’t just creative, it provided a fresh spin to Superman’s classic panoply of powers. Justimagine what another Justice League book could do by incorporating the lore and philosophies of other countriesacross the world.
DC Comics is currently in its ‘All In’ era and its heavily emphasizing bold new ideas like a dramatically expanded Justice League. Now’s the perfect time to see what the Justice League of China are up to. Have they resolved things with Super-Man or have they moved on? And what does the League’s massive roster mean for heroes on the international stage? Books likeNew Super-Man and the Justice League of Chinacould do quite well right nowand give fans something different from the rest of DC’s line.
DC Comics Needs to Be Just as Bold as WhenNew Super-ManDebuted
Go All In and Bring More International Heroes into the Fold
New Super-Manis almost a decade old at this point and while it remains an evergreen favorite, it could use a follow-up. DC gambled on Yang and Bogdanovic’s series and people fell for it because of how creative and fresh it was compared to the publisher’s other options. Experimenting with Superman and other heroes' archetypes and combining them with new international assets was a recipe for success the first time and there’s a good chance it could work again. Whether it’s giving fans moreJustice League of Chinaor something completely new, DC Comics could do a lot of good by thinking outside the box.
