The Justice League is DC’s greatest team and they’re finally back. Being a Justice League fan has honestly been pretty tough for most of the last 15 years, as DC kept dropping the ball with the team after making them great again in the ’90s and the ’00s. DC’s Absolute Power event brought the team back to prominence, with Justice League Unlimited bringing an idea for the team from the cartoon of the same name — that every hero was a member of the team. This has opened the League up in a way that it never was before, as any hero — from the A-list to the Z-list — could be a member of the Justice League even if only for one mission.
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Justice League Red #1 starts a new Justice League team, one that is made to do things that the main team can’t or won’t. Red Tornado realizes that the Justice League’s return could endanger the Earth, and forms a team of some great former Justice Leaguers. One such member isn’t just a member of the Justice League, but also one of the many Green Lanterns from Earth — Simon Baz. Simon Baz first debuted back in the New 52, and had a pretty interesting career. He’s sort of fallen through the cracks of the DC Multiverse since then, and it looks like Justice League Red is about to give him the chance to shine that he’s always deserved.
Simon Baz Is Earth’s Most Underrated Green Lantern
Simon Baz is a Lebanese-American. He worked as a mechanic and was a car thief for a while. He was driven to crime by his desperate circumstances, and was finally caught after stealing a van full of explosives. Because of his Arab heritage, it was assumed that he was a terrorist and he was arrested, questioned by federal agents. A defective Green Lantern ring burst into the room and Baz was inducted into the Corps. Baz became a Green Lantern at a very interesting time. Sinestro was a Green Lantern again, taking Hal Jordan’s place as Green Lantern of Sector 2814, and the Corps itself was dealing with an existential threat from the inside. There were some shenanigans around Baz becoming a Lantern — the Justice League thought he had stolen Hal’s ring and they fought, he returned the van to the person he stole it from and learned they were a terrorist, and was able to clear his name — and he would be drafted into the war against the Third Army, a group created by the Oan Guardians of the Universe to destroy the Justice League. Baz would eventually be partnered with another “problem” Lantern, Jessica Cruz, who first used the fear powered Earth-3 Ring of Volthoom before getting her own Lantern ring, and the two of them soon took over the Green Lanterns of Sector 2814.
Baz and Cruz were both recruited into the Justice League in the DC Rebirth publishing initiative and shared top billing in Green Lanterns. Baz was a more violent Green Lantern, shooting first and asking questions later. Growing up in post-9/11 America, he was used to having people assume the exact wrong thing about him, and that affected him on a deep level. Much like Cruz had to overcome her anxiety and fear, Baz had to get past the bigotry of those around him to grow as a person. After the end of Green Lanterns, he and Cruz ended up off Earth, leaving the Justice League as well. That was in 2018, and since then Baz has basically been a background character. Baz was very interesting as a Green Lantern. Unlike some of the other Green Lanterns of Earth, Baz was part of a community that society was told to be scared of, and had to overcome the stigma of the way he was treated by the world to become a better Green Lantern. This was a great arc for the character, and it made him one of the more unique Lanterns out there.
Simon Baz Might Be the Most Interesting Character in Justice League Red
Justice League Red brings together a pretty great team of Justice Leaguers — Red Tornado, Power Girl, Red Canary (I love her so much and am happy she’s getting a role in a series), Deadman, Cyborg, and Simon Baz. Each of those members have their strong suits and are well-suited for the kind of team they are. Baz fits pretty well with his roster, as each of them have their own things that they need to get over, things that have often held them back.
Baz had a pretty good time of things throughout the New 52 and DC Rebirth, getting a lot of focus and being built up rather well. We left the character at a pretty good time for him, and seeing how he’s changed in the interim since his time as a main Lantern is going to be one of the more interesting parts of the book. Simon Baz opens up a lot of cool ideas for the book — especially in the place we’re in politically and how Baz’s heritage plays into it — and could allow it to become better than it would have been without him.
Justice League Red #1 is on sale now.
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Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
