Monthly (Comic) Book Club - January - Justice18945
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Monthly (Comic) Book Club - January - Justice Justice #1-12 Week 1 (1/2-1/8): Justice #1-3 Week 2 (1/9-1/15): Justice #4-6 Week 3 (1/16/-1/22): Justice #7-9 Week 4 (1/23-1/29): Justice #10-12 Discussion topic ideas: * Thoughts on the story or artwork * Details in the story, artwork, or presentation * References to outside events or other works of fiction * Making of/Behind the Scenes details * Editions you will be reading from * Items in your collection pertaining to this week’s selection |
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 If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8.
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| Time for some Friday reading! Always excited to see some Alex Ross art. #1 starts with a narrator speaking over a worldwide attack on Earth. The narration reminds me of parts of Marvels, with someone wondering why (not so much if) humanity gave power over to heroes to save them instead of working to be ready to save themselves. The attack is such that everyone is killed; Wonder Woman somehow turns to stone and crumbles but it's irrelevant when the Earth explodes. The only survivor is Superman, who flew into space. This turns out to be a dream. A dream that a bunch of supervillains are having. I'm not 100% on the bottom two panels, but I think we see Black Manta, Cheetah, Riddler (?), and Toyman (?). Then we turn to Aquaman, who senses something wrong and is shown something by a group of sharks. He gets ready in a fairly nonchalant way; he saves the day all the time. But this time he loses; Black Manta somehow turns the sharks against him and Aquaman is overwhelmed. They take Aquaman into the weird black sphere in the water and it looks like Lex Luthor is organizing something, starting with Black Manta. A couple of mysteries - sharks shouldn't be able to hurt Aquaman, right? Them turning on him in the first place is weird, but he shouldn't have been threatened at all. And what is Captain Cold doing in the desert? |
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| #2 has sort of a funny moment (to me, at least), where Riddler sees on a Wayne Tech computer that Bruce Wayne is coming but it turns out to be Batman. And instead of taking the straightforward approach of connecting those facts, he assumes Batman hacked the computers to make them think he was Wayne. I guess that's how heroes keep their identities. Whereas Luthor was the narrator for the first issue, this time we have Batman. He tracks down Riddler, who suddenly acts ill, and sends him to Arkham. In the meantime, Flash discovers that Captain Cold's ice mountain has become an oasis in the desert, presumably with the help of Poison Ivy. And at the end, it looks like Brainiac is in on the Aquaman stuff. Mysteries - what does Riddler's riddle mean? Why does Poison Ivy know is coming? Why doesn't the Joker have the dream? Potential spoiler - in the first issue I wondered to myself if all the villains are having the dream for an unknown reason, or if Luthor is giving them all the dream. |
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| #3 has Martian Manhunter looking for Aquaman, who has been missing for weeks now. It's only issue 3 so it's weird for that much time to have passed. I guess everything is a slow-moving plot. Heroes are seeing on the news that villains are doing the good things around the planet, like Toyman making artificial limbs. The TV host's monologue strikes me as kind of crude, and I had to look it up but I assume that's the Creeper. Things are taking a turn. Aquaman manages a distress signal, but Red Tornado destroys himself just as he figures it out. Gorilla Grodd seems to incapacitate Manhunter. Cheetah is hunting Wonder Woman. And the heroes' identities are sent out into the world. |
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| Issue #1 starts you off in the middle of a global cataclysm. It’s a little disorienting at first but unlike last month’s Black Panther you’re supposed to be. The narration also reminded me of Marvels and a bit of Astro City with respect to the relationship between humanity and these godlike heroes that walk among them. I think the narration also highlights the idea of good villains not seeing themselves as the villains. They may want to kill people or take power but in their mind it is always for the greater good, to prove a point, or to even things out for some perceived wrong or injustice. Rarely is it outright destruction for destruction’s sake. Here we see villains faced with the idea that the heroes will fail and everyone on earth will die starting to come together to save it. In a way, in the spirit of Luthor’s narration, it feels more admirable because most of these villains aren’t super-powered beings but humans using the tools and abilities they’ve earned through intellect and creation, to save their own home, not some random speck of rock some outsider decided was important enough to save or destroy |
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| Well I think we saw in Identity Crisis what would happen to Riddler if he did actually connect those dots! Issue 2 seems to be giving a wider view of the threads that will be coming together. Riddler is trying to get the plans for the Justice League satellite but is he doing it for himself or as part of a greater plan? Captain Cold and Poison Ivy are greening arid areas (and why is Ivy crying?). Someone is anonymously administering some sort of miracle cure. The Justice League is searching for Aquaman who is held prisoner by Braniac. Regarding the Riddler chase a couple of things stuck in my head. First, did I miss something? How did Batman know to track Riddler to the cemetery? He got the eye and ear did that somehow lead him to the cemetery? Or are we just meant to understand that of course Batman would track down the Riddler so let’s skip to the end? But even so, with the disc out of Batman’s sight for any length of time shouldn’t we assume that the information had been disseminated somehow? Batman seems to be concerned that Riddler did something with the information but I guess feels confident that all the sensitive data isn’t already conpromised. This issue also made me laugh a bit ironically. Batman is always portrayed as super strict about his no-killing rule but you always see him doing things and injuring people in ways that could easily lead to their deaths. Case in point, the grappling hook Batman fired into the van could very easily had killed someone and it’s really only dumb luck that it didn’t.  I fee like there’s more to Riddler’s sudden bout of illness. The art seemed to emphasize his spittle so I wonder if the plan was for Riddler, maybe even unbeknownst to him, to infect Batman with something as part of the grander scheme. |
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Justice #4 starts with a pretty convincing speech by Luthor and the lead villains. It's a point I've made when discussing the morality and value of superheroes: how much good are they really doing flying around, getting in brawls, instead of really trying to improve the world? Stuff like this: On the next page, Reed says it took him two days to figure out. In the panels below it, they have a discussion about what the UN says. But really, with all the super-geniuses in comic books, where's the free energy? Bountiful food? Saving the Earth from alien invasions is great but what about all the other hours in the day? While Luthor does his public campaigning, villains are going after the heroes. I'm not sure who exactly goes after Green Arrow and Black Canary, or the Atom, but they're all surprisingly effective. There are plenty of other stories where villains finally really work together to take out the heroes, but they usually team up to do that, or at least switch usual adversaries. Here the heroes are outclassed by their usual foes. I haven't mentioned the art so far. In the first few issues I was feeling a bit critical. Ross' stuff is classic but I felt like there was some flatness to the panels. Like they weren't dynamic enough and were too portrait-y. But I liked this issue, and I felt like a number of the fights were well done. |
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| #5 has the heroes turning things around a bit. It also points out a couple mistakes in my previous post (which I could've noticed while I was typing anyway). Some villains did switch up their adversaries, like Grodd with Martian Manhunter and Scarecrow/Clayface with Green Arrow and Black Canary. And not so much a mistake as an observation, but we're reminded of why the villains fail so often - even when they team up, they don't necessarily work together. Captain Marvel saves Superman, and Luthor shows up to browbeat Parasite, Metallo, Bizarro, and Solomon Grundy. Parasite in particular didn't think things through, as taking Superman's abilities also made him vulnerable to Metallo's kryptonite. It's not all smiles and sunshine though, as the heroes are apparently being infected with some kind of mind-controlling robots. |
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| #6 seems, comparatively, like more of a set-up issue. Superman and Wonder Woman turn things around, and Red Tornado was recovered before the JLA satellite blew up. But otherwise the story doesn't really progress. But I'm enjoying the read so far. | ||
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| I agree that the time gap feels strange in issue 3. Has Braniac been performing surgeries that whole time? I’m not super familiar with everyone's rogue’s gallery in DC but Grodd telepathically overpowering Martian Manhunter reminded me a little of Old Man Wolverine where the villains end up finally defeating the heroes for good by retargeting away from their usual adversaries and instead attacking heroes that are particularly weak to their abilities. So far it feels like one hero is being featured in each issue. Aquaman in the first, Batman in the second, and Martian Manhunter in issue 3. The focus on individual characters and the slow start leaves the story not feeling quite like a Justice League story yet. Also the fact that the heroes are on the back foot the whole time without even realizing it. Aquaman is captured, Martian Manhunter and Red Tornado overpowered. Batman caught Riddler but that seems to have been by design. Again that weeks-long time gap just feels strange. Has Batman, the World’s Greatest Detective not caught on to something yet? Fid Flash’s investigation in the desert not lead to anything with Captain Cold or Poison Ivy? Had they not mentioned the weeks-long gap and just left the reader to assume it’s been a few days, I think these questions wouldn’t really need to be asked. |
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| Luthor brings up some interesting points at the start of issue 4. With all the power superheroes have, should some major scientific and societal problems have been addressed by now? Of course this hasn’t been missed by comic creators in the past. Watchmen touched on it slightly with Ozymandias’ plan being to unify the people of the world so that they can work together instead of nuking themselves out of existence. Before that, Mark Gruenwald’s Squadron Supreme tackled that more directly. The Justice League analogues basically decide that they can no be reactionary and that they must be proactive in addressing the world’s ills. I wonder if there is meant to be something else going on that makes the heroes fall so quickly to even the villains they fight all the time. With Superman it seems like Bizarro caught him by surprise and then Parasite drained his strength enough for Grundy and Metallo to get the upper hand. It does seem logical that Green Arrow would be outmatched against Clayface, especially since he doesn’t even have his bow and arrows. I’m not entirely sure what’s happening with Flash or why Wonder Woman was so easily defeated by Cheetah. |
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| So it looks like the Riddler‘s coughing infected Batman with the mind-controlling worms, which I suppose answers my question about why Batman hadn’t made any progress figuring out what the villains have been up to. I’m still not sure what’s going on with Flash. A few observations on the art. Ross’ art is always amazing but I particularly love his Captain Marvel. The shot where he appears to Superman after saving him is just fantastic! Also, is it just me or do the Bat-vehicles seem inspired by the vehicles in Batman Forever?   Batman comes off especially dickish with Marvel. I know he’s infected by the worms but you still gotta wonder how much that’s him. Superman’s solution for getting rid of the worms is dramatic, to say the least. I have to wonder what the plan is to disinfect Batman and Alfred and why it wouldn’t work on Superman. Or if there’s any less dramatic way to burn them out of him, like say a few bolts from Marvel’s lighting. Or maybe part of it is to recharge himself after being so severely weakened I’m also wondering why the worms haven’t had much of an effect on Superman. Could it be that he only just got infected? Or was he infected earlier? |
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Quote:Originally Posted by dielinfinite If you've been reading the character profiles at the end of each issue, I think that's just Batman. |
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Quote:Originally Posted by dielinfinite There might be an explanation later but I think I can make some stuff up. Superman acts that dramatically because he knows how much of a threat he would be under someone else's control. There might be a solution out there for Batman and Alfred but he can't risk waiting to find it, so he goes big. The rest you could chalk up to Superman's physiology. He's resisted the worms (or maybe that's why the bad guys got such a good jump on him?) because he's Superman, and recharging in the Sun would let his body recover to fight off the worms itself (as opposed to the Sun being what burns the worms). When he got infected is a question; it's not clear what happened to Flash or if they're related. I originally thought Wonder Woman must have gotten dosed as well but apparently that was centaur blood. |
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Quote:Originally Posted by xkonk Ahh! I’m reading the Absolute Edition and it put all the profiles in the back with the bonus features, which I’ve avoided for fear of spoilers. Reading Batman like this makes Miller’s take feel more like a reasonable extrapolation than completely off the rails. Quote: Originally Posted by xkonk Ahh, good ol’ Kryptonian physiology where getting beaten to death means you just go to sleep for a while and then you wake up with a glorious mullet. I’ll admit I was being a bit nit-picky with those nit picks. I think the story is enjoyable but haven’t really found much to sink my teeth into, thematically yet. The villains did indict the heroes for preserving the status quo instead of using their powers to improve people’s lives, which the book itself hasn’t really explored the subject at any great length yet. This was a bit surprising since Ross’ work typically accompanies stories with rather grandiose ideas. For example, Marvels had the man-on-the-street perspective to the arrival of the “Marvels” and their influence on history and society. Kingdom Come contrasts the aging heroes of the Gold and Silver age with a new breed of darker and edgier heroes typical of the 90s. Finally, Earth X, by the same creative team as Justice, tours a post-metahuman world on the brink of a cosmic apocalypse. We’re only halfway through so there is still room for the story to develop but as of issue 5 I think it is lacking a bit compared to the stories accompanying some of Ross’ other works. |
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| Probably a good idea to skip any bonus features (at least I would, too), but the profiles don't have any spoilers. They're pretty basic info on the characters, so they aren't even necessary if you're a fan. Since they're written from Batman's point of view, though, you learn as much about him as the person he's talking about. I agree on the thematic issue. I do hope that kicks in sometime soon because they've definitely set the stage for the conversation. |
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| #7 has the superheroes gathering at the Fortress of Solitude while the villains turn to grabbing their friends and sidekicks. Aquaman is recovered, and regenerates back to health. But, it's going to be bad news when he finds out that Black Manta took his baby. And that's really about it for this issue. If we were looking for some big themes to chew on, we were let down. |
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| #8 continues the plot, but things aren't progressing a whole lot. I'm disappointed to say that I'm getting disappointed. On the upside, there are still nice Ross panels to look at. Although I am confused about the animosity between Plastic Man and Elongated Man. Are they always like that? |
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| #9 reveals a few secrets. Luther and Brainiac, who seemed to be somewhat-reluctantly working together, are more in a sort of bargain. Sivana figured out that they're splitting the Earth's population, and he was too tough to control so they temporarily lobotomized him instead. At the same time, the heroes come up with a way to armor themselves against Brainiac's control. Having the armor designs is cool. From the (DC) Mythology and Marvelocity books, I get the impression that Ross likes coming up with new costume designs. And the armor makes sense, as you don't want anyone tied up in being brainwashed. But given how quickly Green Lantern is cleansing people at this point, how much of a threat are the worms, anyway? If they can find where the friends and sidekicks are, couldn't he just suck all the worms out from outside the building, before anyone knows he's there? I'm sure there are more worms, etc etc, but Captain Marvel was turned and it was a problem for about two pages. I feel like they've really neutered the threat. |
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| Yeah nothing entirely groundbreaking in issue 6 but we do learn a few things indirectly. The first major thing being that Grodd is casting the dream into specific people’s minds. I don’t know yet if he’s mind controlling them exactly or if it’s meant to inspire them to collaborate with Luthor’s grand scheme. It would also explain why thr Joker hasn’t been given the dream as he may be too chaotic to control or cooperate. Speaking of Luthor, we get some idea od his end-goal, a world without superpowers with Braniac leaving earth with a selection of metahumans. Still, a lot of powered villains like Clayface and Poison Ivy are in on the plan so are they planning to leave or do they not exactly fit the criteria? It has also become a bit obvious that the villains’ philanthropy has ulterior motives. The eyedrops, at least, seem designed to infect the population with the mind-control worms. Maybe the other cures also infect them or somehow else will work towards Luthor’s scheme. As for the Joker’s chaos, he is now free and trying to get into the villains’ new cities. He was right, he could get out of Arkham whenever he wants and it’s such a non-event the book doesn’t even bother showing us his escape. Green Lantern has essentially transported himself inside his ring to save himself while he is stranded in the void. He begins asking himself some existential questions. It would be nice if they tied into the overall themes of the story. Maybe Luthor/Braniac’s plan is to creat exactly what Hal already has and wants to get away from; a world full of people they completely control? Also Flash is still running. He’s been running for half the book practically and we still don’t know what his deal is, other than conveniently keeping a Justice Leaguer out of the story until the plot has need of him. |
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| In issue 7 The League finally recovers Aquaman. He’s been subjected to some exploratory brain surgery but he just…gets better 🤷♂️ Superman and Marvel finally stop the Flash. It is interesting that Superman feels Barry has been letting him win but that Marvel might actually be able to beat him with the speed of Mercury. Hal Jordan is still drifting through space alone. He‘s been alone since the attack on the Justice League, which I think has been about a week and he’s already wishing for death, which seems a bit fast for me. I kind of fee like the story is trying to manufacture some drama because it hasn’t really built it into its main story. About the lack of drama, I think part of that comes from the fact that it doesn’t feel like there is really any real risk to any of our heroes. Maybe it’s part of Ross’ silver age sensibility but it really feels like any instance of the heroes being in danger is only fleeting and they’ll turn it around without too much struggle in the next page or two. Superman was on the losing end of a beating but Marvel showed up and it was all over. Wonder Woman was assaulted and was able to turn it around. Atom was shot but is okay enough to do some super hero-ing. Flash was running uncontrollably but Superman and Marvel were able to stop him and get him a buffet. I feel like it’s going to turn out that Hal isn’t actually drifting in the far reaches of space but maybe he’s trapped far closer but isolated from any outside signals making it seem like he’s further away. What I’m trying to say is maybe someone (or two) should actually have died in that assault on the Justice League if only to show that there is SOME danger and that the villains’ plan didn’t fail in their every attempt. |
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Quote:Originally Posted by dielinfinite I meant to call this out since it was my spoiler idea back at the beginning of the series. I find it a bit disappointing because it puts Luthor in control of the narrative instead of the big idea he narrates in issue 1, although it would also be a little weird for a bunch of supervillains to spontaneously have the same dream. I hope we still get some payoff on the idea of a world led by superheroes as opposed to led by humanity. |
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| Issue 8 feels like the story is turning in favor of the heroes. They grab Cold who spills the beans on the whole scheme and Phantom Stranger brings Green Lantern back who can remove the mind control worms rather easily. The villains, meanwhile, continue kidnapping the heroes’ loved ones and turning the powered ones over with the mind-control worms. This does set up what could be an interesting conflict with the heroes having to face their protégés in combat. But at the same time, it’s quite literally the A team against the second stringers so the question isn’t so much whether the heroes can defeat their counterparts but if they can defeat them without harming them. The Joker seems to have conned his way into one of the sphere cities but his role in the story hasn’t come into focus yet. I agree that the story hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. With a name like “Justice” you kind of expect something that really hits at the heart of what the Justice League are. The story has touched on and danced around a few interesting themes but hasn’t really explored them to any great extent. It really feels like it’s an average Justice League story but beautifully illustrated. The story has touched a little on the dangers of the heroes’ identities being revealed but I think that was touched on much better in Identity Crisis where you really felt the risks that it entailed and thus had to reckon with how far the heroes have gone to protect their identities. I also agree that revealing Luthor/Grodd/etc as the source of the dream has a diminishing effect on the power of Luthor’s initial monologue. Had the dream been something like a prophecy from one of the many gods in this universe, or a message sent backwards in time as a warning that only certain people, mostly villains, could see thus giving the vision a sense of inevitability or destiny. The story then could’ve been about the villains saving the earth in their own way for their own selfish reasons and that bringing them in conflict with the heroes could’ve been interesting as well as the heroes wrestling with the possibility that Earth’s fate is not always in their hands. Instead the story seems intent on reducing events to just a plot by the villains to gain money, prestige, and power like they’ve done a hundred times before. |
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| Issue 9 feels a little filler-y to me. Batman decides what everyone needs is armor to protect them from the worms and nothing in the issue really works towards that. The armor is just done at the end of the issue. A task force attacks Grodd, who is ready for them with his own Yellow Lantern ring. He is eventually defeated but whisked away by Sinestro, but not before the League is able to disarm him of the Yellow Ring. One thing I’m not clear about was there supposed to be a device amplifying Grodd’s power or is that contained entirely in the electrodes on his head? Captain Marvel is lured away almost the instant the task force arrives and though it lead to a cool few pages of action, he didn’t seem to accomplish very much under the worms’ control and Green Lantern was able to rid him of them without much trouble. So the issue created and resolved a non-problem within itself that didn’t really go anywhere. The new armor does look cool but it also feels like the conflicts are being resolved in a very superficial way. Instead of seeing character or team growth in a significant way that leads to their victory, they just slap on some new armor. Though apparently it all is still going according to Luthor’s plan. Also, that Plastic Man/Elongated Man quarrel feels even more out of place since absolutely nothing was done to follow-up on it in this issue. |
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| I don't usually do weeknight reading, but let's finish this up. #10 has the big battle. The fancy armors that the heroes got is a downside to me, as many of the panels have so much going on that it's sometimes hard to pick out who is who (particularly taking a little time between issues). Batman is obvious, but I didn't know Superman was Superman until there was a panel with him big enough to see the S. I think the choices of who was featured was also a little odd. Given how important Green Lantern was previously, he barely shows up here. And Riddler takes an outsized role because his holographic light show is all over the place. It feels like this battle along could have been two issues. On the flip side, the Doom Patrol gets taken out pretty quickly. Both (?) attacks are really a distraction while Green Arrow delivers a ring to John Stewart, so maybe a Green Lantern will get things going again next issue. One question I have after reading this issue: why kidnap the 'loved ones' instead of brainwashing them like the sidekicks? Doing one is basically doing the other, just with the benefit of control. |
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| #11 reveals the other tricks that the heroes had up their sleeves, like Superman actually being Shazam and Green Lantern using the yellow ring from Grodd. The payoff is that they can defeat some of the heavy-hitter villains easily. The downside, to me, is that John Stewart makes me wonder why all this happened at all. He just clears everyone of Brainiac's nanobots; why didn't Hal do it? Despite beating the villains, there are still obstacles to overcome. Brainiac is still missing with Aquaman's son, and Scarecrow has turned a city worth of normal people into a riot against the heroes and themselves. Although again I wonder about the logic of the situation. 'Every defensive blow will create a cripple!', says a villain who doesn't remember that very hero has bagged a run-of-the-mill bank robber at some point. To have Robin and a bunch of Bat-folks be concerned about if they can not maim or kill seems a bit much. |
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| #12 ends with the heroes saving the day, of course. And no one dies, not even Wonder Woman who is reborn from fresh clay. But on the whole I think the series disappoints. It set up such a compelling idea at the beginning and never followed up on it. And while it turned out to be in service of Brainiac's plan, the villains certainly seemed to do a pretty good job of turning things around for lots of people. If Batman's final monologue is meant to say that people can't have things given to them because they have to go through hardship to inspire others, that seems awfully cynical. It's only a step away from Luthor, who was willing to give Brainiac all the 'takers' if it left Earth with the best/toughest humans available. Ross' art is a saving grace, as usual. While I had some complaints here and there, there are also lots of great panels. The story is what's lacking here. |
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| The battle illustrations in issue 10 really shine but I agree that the new costumes make it difficult to recognize everyone. Unless you get a good look at their logo, most characters just look like metallic humanoids. Again, though, the book seems to brush against interesting themes but never takes the time to explore them. The issue begins with a letter from one of the healed civilians living in one of the villains’ cities. She tells us that she knows the leader was a villain but feels that what they’re doing now kind of makes up for it. That’s something the heroes have never provided an adequate response for in this series. I think the big sin was that Braniac will basically be kidnapping half the population and turning them into cyborgs or machines? It’s a danger that the series never really defined or driven home. The heroes have yet to address why they haven’t healed the sick or revived deserts. I!stead they find out that the villains are putting themselves in leadership of the cities, that by all accounts seem like great places, and that simply cannot stand. There is a bit of focus on the villains being unable to function as a group but it also feels like that’s not necessarily why they failed. It feels like they could just have easily succeeded and then gone their separate ways but instead they have a big throne room or something where they all hang out together so the heroes could attack them all at once. Oh and the Joker’s there just blowing stuff up for no real reason. |
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| There’s definitely a lot of stuff going on in issue 11 and I don’t feel like a lot of it was properly set up for the payoff to be as impactful as it is meant to be. Jon Stewart has been mentioned a few times but I have no idea why he is special as a Green Lantern and why it had to be him to eradicate the mind control worms. Hell, I don’t think he’s spoken more than a few words in the whole series, including this issue where he basically saves the world single-handedly. Oh and not only that, but he also wipes away the villains’ memory of the heroes’ identities. Talk about a Deus Ex Machina! No hard consequences there! The fight between Hal and Sinestro feels like it should be a big deal but this is like the second time they’ve seen each other in the series. Then you have smaller moments getting lost in all the noise, like that moment between Marvel and Black Adam. I hadn’t realized that Parasite had drained him and had to go back a few pages to find it. The story also seems to throw stuff at the reader because it would seem cool but without really devoting the time needed to explore it. We had the Plastic Man/Elongated man thing a few issues ago that didn’t amount to much. Then Scarecrow turns the city against the heroes. I agree that the threat of the heroes harming the civilians was a bit much but the heroes facing hundreds or even thousands of regular people is still a formidable challenge, except that it lasts all of a page and a half because Stewart magically clears their heads And now we have Braniac apparently turning the world’s weapons against the planet but the significance threat itself gets lost in all noise of the , again beautifully illustrated, battles. |
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| Yeah, Issue 12 wraps things up and the world is ready for a brighter future…I guess. It has a somewhat silver age feel, which I’m not surprised since a lot of Ross’s work seems to be a tribute to that time period, in the way everything gets wrapped up and the heroes win the day and everyone is okay. I agree that, barring mostly Brainiac’s transforming the general population into robots, the villains didn’t do a terrible job improving people’s lives. The heroes seem to throw the baby out with the bathwater and seem to dismiss any point the villains may have had just for the fact that they’re seen as villains. I agree that I’m not entirely sure what to take away from Batman’s final monologue. Is it that argument that things shouldn’t get easier because hardships build character? I’m reminded of that one meme  Then again, I don’t think anyone would accuse Batman of having turned out fine. The book touched upon a ton of potentially interesting themes but failed to explore them because it had to include so many characters on account of it being a Justice League book and to over-complicate the conspiracy to turn it into an event. Looking at the book’s release, this came out about 10 years after Ross’ Kingdom Come, which the collected edition covers draw a lot of inspiration from, and about five years after Earth X, which Ross didn’t illustrate but was involved with the story development. This is definitely the weakest of the three with more focus being paid to the story’s messy conspiracy plot than to any significant theme throughout the book. Again, I’m reminded a lot about Identity Crisis. However controversial some elements were, it had a theme and it hade stakes and it made them both clear to the reader. It was also a Justice League book so it also had a large cast but they weren’t spread so thinly as I felt they were here. Part of that was that this book wanted to follow the villains just as much as the heroes. The story didn’t really follow the JLA until about halfway through. Before then we were just watching the villains’ plan develop from the point of view of the heroes trying to stop them. |
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