JLA: Earth II

The Plot: An alternate-Earth version of Lex Luthor comes to the DC Universe to recruit the Justice League to help free his Earth--which has been virtually enslaved by the Crime Syndicate of Amerika, evil counterparts of "our" JLA.

Firstly, let's dismiss the issue of price; if this were a 4-issue limited series, you wouldn't mind shelling out something close to the 24.95 cover price for this gorgeous hardcover book. At least, you wouldn't mind if you're a fan of the JLA.

I am. I am also a huge fan of the concept of alternate worlds, and in particular the DC Multiverse that existed prior to the Crisis On Infinite Earths in the 1980s.

That landmark series supposedly left us with only one universe, but such events as Kingdom Come and the Kingdom, the Marvel vs. DC series and the Hypertime revelation that the Elseworlds stories are "really" happening somewhere have put the lie to that. Maybe the Crisis eliminated all the alternate universes I loved so much, the ones filled with Earth-2, Earth-3 (home of the Pre-Crisis Crime Syndicate) and the rest, but this story proves once and for all that multiple Earths are back, and can provide great stories.

And make no mistake about it, this is Morrison's strongest JLA story since the first 4 issues of the current run. For my money, it's actually his strongest JLA story ever. The plot is complex but not indecipherable, and Morrison does not attempt to shoehorn in any extraneous plot elements. I don't know if it was the editing of Dan Raspler or if Morrison was just particularly focused when he wrote this story, but it is lean and mean, and pays excellent tribute to the alternate-Earths concept in general and the Earth-3 stories of old in particular.

If you've seen the black and white previews of the artwork, and think you know what's in store, you're mistaken; Frank Quitely's art and Laura Depuy and Wildstorm FX's colouring combine with truly top-notch production values to bring this story to life in a way few hardcover projects of this type have. This, truly, is what the future of adult superhero comic books can and should be.

The tale begins with an amusing variation on the "Baby Kal-El arrives on Earth" scenario, when Alexander Luthor crash lands in a field looking for "the super-people." Quitely draws Luthor as the arrogant, larger than life presence seen in the regular DC Universe, and I also detected a note of the animated version as well; this is a good thing, as I could hear his voice from the cartoon throughout the story.

Morrison establishes the teamwork and camaraderie (and occasional tension--I love Aquaman's line about the League letting part of the plane drop "on my roof") of the JLA in their opening sequence; the League rescues a crashing plane, only to discover all aboard are dead, and appear not to be of their Earth. (One question here--and maybe it's just me, but how did Wonder Woman determine the people's hearts were on the wrong side? Did she rip one of their chests open? It seems to me her line here should have gone to J'onn or Superman, where we could have inferred they were using their x-ray vision.)

I noticed almost immediately Quitely's apparent Frank Miller influence. The shot of Wonder Woman on page 9, panel 1 looks like it could have come straight out of The Dark Knight Returns, and many shots of Superman and Batman also are reminiscent of Miller's DKR style. It suits the massiveness of the story being told, which after all is about the meeting (literally) of two worlds.

A digression: I want to thank whoever was responsible for the inclusion of page numbers in this book. It makes it much easier to discuss, and raises my esteem for the volume even more. The trend toward not numbering pages in comic books, especially in collected editions, is damn annoying. I can't figure out if it's to disguise how much you're really getting for your dollar, or to discourage critical analysis, but it drives me up the wall. End of digression.

I like the disorienting manner in which Morrison and Quitely establish that the Alternate Luthor has supplanted his DCU counterpart. I was four pages into the sequence where the JLA confronts Luthor at Lexcorp HQ before I realized what was really going on. It was one cool moment, and one that happens all-too-rarely in my adult comics reading years.

As the Alternate Luthor persuades the JLA of his true identity and asks them to work with him to free his world, we're shown the depth of the depravity of this world. These Crime Syndicate members are not the mere bank-robbing thugs of the Pre-Crisis Earth-3 tales. These sleazy, powerful beings grope each other, while Ultraman randomly kills humans with from high above the planet in a satellite HQ (his Fortress of Solitude) reminiscent of the JLA's 1970s satellite home. The scene where Ultraman kills one of the people below reminded me of nothing so much as the scene in Schindler's List where Ralph Fiennes, drunk, randomly picks off the concentration camp prisoners with a rifle while his Jewish girlfriend naps in a bed behind him.

The true twist in the plot, which is revealed late in the tale, should have been obvious even in this early sequence, but I was so taken in by the storytelling that I completely missed the setup for the revelation to come. That, too, is an unusual treat for someone who's been reading comics for decades. Morrison and Quitely set up the readers masterfully, and I never even saw it coming. That is a great example of the sense of wonder this story engages in the reader. If you're willing to come along for the ride, Morrison and Quitely are well prepared to give you a good time.

As always with Morrison, one of the best parts of this book is the characterization of Batman. I've said it before, but I would love to see what Morrison could do with Batman in a solo story. His Owlman, the "evil twin" version of the Dark Knight, is also well done. I loved the throwaway revelation that he is able to keep Ultraman in line because "I have the negatives, remember?" How Morrison; how Batman.

As is fitting, the three members of the CSA we learn the most about are Owlman, Ultraman and Superwoman. A similar focus has been seen in Morrison's regular JLA run, where Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have always seemed a little "more equal," than their partners; since they are the Leaguers most substantially unchanged from their Golden Age days, I can't really dispute their stature in the mythos.

In the CSA, there is a love (if you wanna call it that) triangle set up between the three heavy-hitters; it is quite repulsive, in an entertaining way. Superwoman is apparently in a relationship with Ultraman, but allows Owlman to grope and maul her when they think Ultraman isn't looking. She also has, uh, an interesting relationship with Jimmy Olsen. God, these people are gross.

Johnny Quick and Power Ring are pretty much ciphers, much as in the regular series the Flash and Green Lantern don't get a whole lot to do. Like our Kyle and Wally, they pal around together, and there's an amusing scene of the two of them in a men's room together.

The JLA, after some debate, goes with Luthor to the Alternate Earth from the DCU-Earth, which Luthor logically names "Earth-2." (I do wonder, though, why the residents of the alternate Earth would call themselves "Anti-Matter," and yet refer to the DCU Earth as Earth 2, but that's an extremely minor quibble.) The JLA quickly begins to set Luthor's plan into motion, with Green Lantern isolating the CSA's satellite (in a use of his power that I question as more than a minor quibble, but it could have been explained with a throwaway reference to Luthor's somehow enhancing the ring, so I will just pretend that's what happened. Willing suspension, willing suspension...) as the rest of the League sets about righting wrongs on the planet below.

The scenes of the League restoring justice on the CSA's Earth makes for a nice thematic bookend to Morrison's run; after all, the first opponents his JLA faced came to Earth in the very first issue to "save the world" much like Superman and company do here on Luthor's world.

It becomes clear about two-thirds of the way into the story, though, that Luthor and the League haven't stopped to consider the consequences of a world where everything appears to be reversed. Morrison uses this conceit, which has been used in one way or another in the DCU for decades ("This am Bizarro World! Here bad am good and good am bad!") as a major plot point. And it's one Luthor and the League don't think of until it's too late to stop the CSA from wreaking havoc on "Earth-2," the DCU's Earth.

The decadent CSA members raise hell on Earth in a manner reminiscent of the scenes in Miracleman where Kid Miracleman finally let loose with all his evil glee. I wondered a bit about President Clinton's reaction to being lassoed by Superwoman--was that despair or pleasure our President (no stranger to decadence himself) was expressing as he knelt before her?

The true villain and true plot don't stand revealed until well into the story, although I won't spoil that here. The rage of the cuckolded CSA was understandable and believable, as was the way both Earths were returned to their status quo. Morrison plays with the logic of the altered laws of nature in a way that is unexpected, but makes perfect sense. It's a moment much like the early Alan Moore Swamp Things, where Moore turned the usual cliches on their ears.

In a moment of sublime alternate-irony, the League learns something from their experience while the CSA alternately learns nothing and immediately returns to its decadent ways, with Ultraman looking especially evil and stupid in the concluding panels, which hint that he will eventually pay once again for his ignorance.

All concerned are to be congratulated for this effort. It keeps the promise of everything Morrison set out to do in the regular series, and serves to make up for a good deal of the unfocused, disappointing tales he often told in the run's latter days. The artwork by Quitely expresses the power Howard Porter implies much more eloquently (and competently, not to damn with faint praise) than that of the regular series, and I look forward to future projects from this gifted artist.

The production values, as I said earlier, are impeccable. The moment I tore the shrink-wrap off the book, I noticed the technique on the excellent cover by Quitely; the CSA figures are embossed, making them seem more "real" than the JLA members that are reflected below. The design of the volume, even down to the paper stock and endpapers, serves only to enhance the reading experience.

As I said at the beginning of this review, don't be discouraged by the price of this handsome edition; think of it as buying all the issues of a particularly good limited series at once. It's money well spent, and you'll be rereading and treasuring this volume for years to come.