The Justice League of America is a great example, having enjoyed great success and - well, let's just say certain eras did not enjoy critical acclaim (cough - Detroit JLA - cough).
But one of the highs hit in 1997 when the title was restarted with writer Grant Morrison at the wheel. It was rechristened JLA, and it brought back the classic team - or at least the versions of those heroes then on display, including Wally (Flash) Wood and Kyle (Green Lantern) Rayner.
Add in Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter, and you had a "Killer's Row" of heroes.
The visuals were provided by the strong artwork of Howard Porter and John Dell, who brought a unique, powerful style of their own - a real departure from the more classic lifework the title usually featured.
And the opening story was a powerful one, as a new super-team - the Hyperclan - appears dramatically, promising to help the world. But despite their altruistic ways, the members of the JLA are skeptical - and for good reason.
The members of the new team are incredibly powerful, and soon they work to take down the JLA. As the story spills out across four issues, we see one hero after another captured, until only one is left - their "weakest" member.
In one of the great sequences in the run of this title, the villains gloat that it'll be easy to take out Batman - he's just an ordinary man. Superman breaks it to them - "He's the most dangerous man on Earth."
And then Batman proves it.
A terrific story, and a real classic.
Grade: A
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1 comment:
Agree 100%. Not sure this title has ever been better. Interestingly, the great artist Bryan Hitch is taking the title over, but he's also writing it. His "Real Heroes" comic was OK, but never hit stride. With Previews giving no plot synopsis but hyping Hitch's artwork, I'm already skeptical, especially as I'm not "Converging"....
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