kegriese1's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
earlapvaldez's review
4.0
I have to say that this is the best that Elseworlds can create... that is, if they want to come up with a B-movie.
Imagine this: the JLA survives without a Superman who this time is hiding in an Amish community. We have two irritating villains here in Luthor and Olsen. And what do you get? World destruction, chaos, and everything nasty that comes in the span of a hundred and fifty pages. In terms of the story, it's not that satisfying. However, it does gives us another possibility that we could have considered at one point in our life.
Imagine this: the JLA survives without a Superman who this time is hiding in an Amish community. We have two irritating villains here in Luthor and Olsen. And what do you get? World destruction, chaos, and everything nasty that comes in the span of a hundred and fifty pages. In terms of the story, it's not that satisfying. However, it does gives us another possibility that we could have considered at one point in our life.
dumblydore's review
4.0
I initially only picked this up because a friend had mentioned that there was a deeper exploration of the Batman/Catwoman relationship (even though it's not in canon), but this Elseworlds tale is surprisingly fantastic. The premise begins with a what-if situation where one seemingly inconsequential nail is wedged into the Kents' truck tyre and they never discover the alien ship that holds the future Superman, thus earth and its superheroes are not led by an all-encompassing guardian of goodwill and justice.
All the JLA characters as we know and love are somewhat warped (Green Arrow, for instance, turns into a ramped bitter old man following a tragedy), but retain their unique personalities, and it's curious to see how changeable their lives become depending on the choices made. Humans now fear and loathe meta-humans with increasing intensity, and one by one the JLA members become entangled in an anti-meta-human resistance, whose source remains unknown until it is almost too late, and help seems so far away.
One haunting scene I must say is one involving Batman and the Joker. I don't want to elaborate any further because it's a defining moment, but witnessing the sheer horror of Joker's antics is far from funny.
Alan Davis' art is extremely easy on the eye and proportionate, and the action sequences flow quite seamlessly.
This great narrative is followed up by [b:Another Nail|668863|Justice League of America Another Nail (Elseworlds)|Alan Davis|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176949012s/668863.jpg|654904]
All the JLA characters as we know and love are somewhat warped (Green Arrow, for instance, turns into a ramped bitter old man following a tragedy), but retain their unique personalities, and it's curious to see how changeable their lives become depending on the choices made. Humans now fear and loathe meta-humans with increasing intensity, and one by one the JLA members become entangled in an anti-meta-human resistance, whose source remains unknown until it is almost too late, and help seems so far away.
One haunting scene I must say is one involving Batman and the Joker. I don't want to elaborate any further because it's a defining moment, but witnessing the sheer horror of Joker's antics is far from funny.
Alan Davis' art is extremely easy on the eye and proportionate, and the action sequences flow quite seamlessly.
This great narrative is followed up by [b:Another Nail|668863|Justice League of America Another Nail (Elseworlds)|Alan Davis|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176949012s/668863.jpg|654904]
pages_and_reels's review
4.0
Thanks to Aveek for the recommendation.
Why does the JLA need Superman? More importantly, why does the world need Superman?
These are the questions that this Elseworlds story answers, where Jonathan and Martha Kent do not discover the rocket ship carrying Kal-El and the world grows without a Superman.
The story has some parallels to the X-Men comics, with the media spreading paranoia about the metahumans and the subsequent persecution of the latter by the Sentinel-like Liberators.
Why does the JLA need Superman? More importantly, why does the world need Superman?
These are the questions that this Elseworlds story answers, where Jonathan and Martha Kent do not discover the rocket ship carrying Kal-El and the world grows without a Superman.
The story has some parallels to the X-Men comics, with the media spreading paranoia about the metahumans and the subsequent persecution of the latter by the Sentinel-like Liberators.
mishaone's review
2.0
A resounding meh. If you want a better What If story featuring a change in Superman's circumstances affecting the world, read the excellent Red Son instead of this. In this case, the story is going well and has a lot of potential until the final reveal. The villain is ultimately disappointing and deus ex machina saves the day and everything resets and we're all fine. Lame.
morrigan's review
2.0
An interesting idea that I think was just not quite pulled off right. Some of it is probably just not to my taste but in reality it just delayed Superman coming to power and joining the JLA. Basically it just wasn't all I hoped it to be.
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