This week’s issue of Justice League (#18, out today) is a good, old-fashioned recruitment drive.And while it’s not at all surprising who joins up (after all, we’ve seen these members appearing on promotional materials already), there was one notable addition to the cast–a name and glimpses of a personality for the new Atom.Named Rhonda Pineda, we get very little information about her–obviously from the surname, she’s of Spanish or other Hispanic descent. And she was (as one might expect from somebody dressed as The Atom) discovered at Ivy University.Beyond that and a propensity for catching the ball when it’s thrown to her (as seen at right, we don’t get much…but as the cover for Justice League #20 had already revealed to us, she’s got a spot on the roster.With The Fury of Firestorm the Nuclear Man being cancelled, one has to wonder whether the other new recruits in this issue–particularly Rhonda–might be set for their own titles, but certainly The Atom is a character who’s historically not had an easy go of a solo series.Or even maintaining a status quo–it was only last Free Comic Book Day that we figured out The Atom was going to be a woman, after having been told for a year up to that point that Ryan Choi–one of the people to have worn the costume before the launch of the New 52–would be brought back for Justice League (in fact, he appeared on promotional art for the series).Adding a new Atom who is a Latina is an interesting choice; not only does it diversify the primarily-white Justice League (something Choi would have done as well), but it also gives the team two new female members this issue and adds another new, high-profile character of Spanish-speaking descent to DC’s roster, hot on the heels of Justice League of America’s Vibe being launched. Given the popularity of Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle) among younger readers, it’s possible DC is making a concerted effort to reach new readers of Hispanic descent.
