Product Description

When Lex Luthor spearheads a campaign against parahumans and aliens, his xenophobic rhetoric fans the flame of fear and suspicion and the Justice League of America are transformed from society's protectors to its pariahs. As the situation spirals out of control, it could spell the end of the JLA.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #602212 in Books
• Published on: 1999-03-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Customer Reviews

What if Superman hadn't joined the JLA?
Based around the idea that Superman never met the JLA, this tale shows us a would were the superpowered world is under attack from an enemy very close to the missing hero.
I'd recommend it to anyone who like the Elseworlds tales, as it gives great insight into how the JLA would be without old red pants.
Look out for Batman going Tonto and a shocking discovery in a small Western town!

Great idea, but could have been done better. (3½ stars)
It's a good premise - imagine the DC universe without Superman, and show the sort of things that he normally keeps in check, like personality clashes in the JLA and Lex Luthor's plans. It's a good story - the enemy the JLA are fighting through most of the book is PR, and it's winning. Many of DC's heroes get brief appearances, and the JLA themselves are put through the wringer. They do get to be heroic - Green Lantern gets the mantle of upright, square-jawed team powerhouse, Martian Manhunter is big, brave, noble (and green), and Batman does his usual thing of knocking down supervillains through determination rather than power. It's good artwork too, though rarely giving that "wow!" factor that makes you just stare at the page for a while.

The main problem is the dialogue. The individual characters have very little to distinguish their speech, and all talk in a stilted way, avoiding contractions ("it's", "I'm", etc) even when under great stress. There's a long scene near the beginning where the JLA wonder what's going on and what they should do, and it sounds like the writer giving us a lecture rather than the characters talking. I've read a couple of the JLA collections by Grant Morrison, and he does a better job of giving them distinct personalities. Also, the ending does fit the story, but I agree with the previous reviewer that it's a bit of a deus ex machina.

Good story, weak ending . .
The Kents never discovered Superman, and so he doesn't exist. Lex Luthor has managed to make Metropolis crime free. The normal human population is beginning to resent the costumed heroes, and someone seems to be not only encouraging this idea, but setting up the heroes as well.

From this setup a good solid story is told. Lots of characters from throughout DC history are used in different ways, and it's all tied together in a varied, interesting and downright exciting way. The characters actually seem to interact, even if they are at each other throats half the time.

But. This is a DC Elseworlds, and it suffers pretty much the same problem as any other DC Elseworld book, because the entire book is a lead up to . . . well, I won't spoil it for you, but considering that this concentrates on some of the most powerful and resourceful heroes in the Universe, the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Shame really.