SPOILER WARNING for Future State: Justice League #1!
Batman is a master sleuth, which is why he’s known as the World’s Greatest Detective. In DC’s Future State event, however, Green Lantern Sojourner “Jo” Mullein is the Justice League’s resident expert in deduction. Jo is one of many new characters to take up the mantle of a famous hero. In fact, the new Justice League is full of new heroes bearing familiar names. Having new people fill these roles, however, means that these heroes do not have the same experiences or expertise as their predecessors. Their powers may be similar, but each of them has a distinct function on the team.
Mullein is fairly new to the comics scene, debuting in 2020’s Far Sector #1 by N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell. Before becoming a Green Lantern, Jo served as a police officer, but her career didn’t last long. After witnessing her partner beat a suspect to the brink of death, she reported him, but was subsequently suspended from the force. Her will to speak against injustice, however, caught the attention of Oa’s Guardians, and she joined a new form of law enforcement as a Green Lantern.
Readers are finally seeing Jo fight alongside other popular DC heroes in Joshua Williamson and Robson Rocha’s Future State: Justice League #1. In the opening pages, the villain T.O. Morrow gives a brief description of each new Justice League member to his new Legion of Doom. When discussing Green Lantern, he says, “She united all the Corps just in time to solve Oa’s greatest mystery.” While further explanation isn’t given, readers can deduce that Jo’s detective skills must be fairly strong. This is confirmed a few pages later as the Justice League investigates the deaths of the Legion of Doom’s new members.
While many fans might expect to see Batman or the Flash searching for clues, Green Lantern is the one to take charge of examining the crime scene. The new Batman, Tim Fox, does suggest that he’s familiar enough with crime scenes, telling Jo to go easy on their less experienced teammates, but even he doesn’t make any discoveries. Eventually, Green Lantern tells the rest of her allies to head out while she continues to look around. Working alone proves successful, as she seems to figure out who the culprits are by the end of the issue.
It makes sense that Jo Mullein is such a great detective, as she trained to be a police officer along with solving crimes in the Far Sector series. While there is still plenty to learn about the character, her accomplishments already speak for themselves. Plus, she’s even earned the respect of Superman, who claims, “She’s the best detective in the multiverse.” The new Batman may be upholding Bruce Wayne’s legacy well, but the way things are headed, people may start referring to Green Lantern as the World’s Greatest Detective. Future State: Justice League #1 from DC Comics is available in stores now.