Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "jla"

Crisis on Multiple Earths, Vol. 2 by Gardner F. Fox

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Four of the annual crossovers between the JLA and JSA that occurred in the late Silver Age between 1967-1970. This book collects the last two crossovers written by Gardner Fox and the first two by Dennis O'Neill while also including the final book penciled by Mike Sekowsky and the first three by Dick Dillon.

The Super Crisis that Struck Earth Two/ and the Negative Crisis on Earth One/Two: Black spheres turn four average people of various moral standing into powerful supervillains the JSA can't defeat, so they turn to the JLA for help and ultimately a solution is reached that involves exposing Flash (Earth One), Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Earth One), an Hourman to the same spheres which could turn them evil. This is the weakest story in the book, partially because there's no real explanation for the source of these black spheres. There's also the introduction of an adult Earth Two Robin who is in a costume halfway between the Robin and Batman costumes and its the worst of both worlds. However, there, are some fun superhero fights and other interesting moments to make this not a bad read. Grade: B-

The Stormy Return of the Red Tornado/T.O. Morrow Kills the Justice League Today: A robot appears at a JSA meeting claiming to be Red Tornado, a hero last seen in the pages of All Star Comics #3. However, things start going wrong for the JSA and we learn it's the plan of Dr. Morrow, a Golden Age villain out for a rematch. Once he's finished with the JSA, he's ready to go after the JLA. This is a fun story. Morrow is a formidable foe with some cool tricks that make him a credible threat. The story moves at a great pace and is very fun to read. Grade: A-

Star Light, Star Bright, Death I See Tonight/Where Death Fears to Tread: Earth Two is Imperiled when people start going randomly beserk. The root cause is the evil influence of Aquarius, a star creature who was punished thousands of years before by his fellows. Now he sets to wreak havoc and the JSA sends for help because they have little choice. This is a really compact but epic story with a great sense of imagination. We have some heroes fighting that goes on long enough to give us some cool moments, but doesn't harm our heroes' image and leaves time for several other good moments, such as the Earth One Green Lantern reciting the Earth Two oath. I have mixed feelings about the death at the end, but this one is sold. Grade: A

Peril of the Paired Planets/Where Valor Fails...Will Magic Triumph...The Earths are in the crosshairs of an alien being whose bands who plans letting Earth One and Two to be destroyed so he can build a new planet for his clients. It's up to our heroes to stop them and it is an epic struggle with many heroes trying, but ultimately a line of mystical heroes is given a chance to shine. Overall, great story with some grat battles, een though there a few logical lapses. Grade: A-

Overall, the stories in here hold up as truly memorable and imaginative tales. Definitely worth a read.



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Justice, Volume 1 by Jim Krueger

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Justice, Volume 1 is a slow build but a really good one. There's a lot of narration and build up as to what the villains' plans are and why they involve doing seemingly heroic things. There are multiple mysteries that are raised.

Jim Kruegger has a handle and manages to balance all these characters. Alex Ross' artwork is at its captivating best. The fourth issue a real treat. The entire book builds to it and the first four issues end on one heck of a cliffhanger that definitely leaves the reader wanting more. Overall, a just superb start to this series.



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JLA, Vol. 2 by Grant Morrison

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The second volume is a bit of a mixed bag. The first several issues start off as Lex Luthor starting a new Injustice Gang and quickly become a prefiguring of Final Crisis.I have mixed feelings on the story and where they went from there.

Then we have the Justice League disbanding...except not really. And then there's an attack on the Watchtower that feels like an overkill right after the previous story.

Then the book concludes with the JLA/Wildcats crossover that's borderline unreadable. Even if I had any understanding of what the Wildcats are about, I don't if I could get much out of the crossover.

For me, this isn't bad, but it's a bit mediocre.



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