Justice League: Last Ride #1 Discussion and Spoilers

A little talk has been going on about this but honestly it deserves more conversation so I’m making a thread. Now if I were to describe this miniseries (which is available in physical, not just digital) it would be an elseworld series that is stepped in more modern continuity but with a few twists. It’s a bleaker future but it’s not an apocalypse.

Anyway the essential premise is that the Justice League has disbanded after a crisis level event occurred which left some heroes dead and the survivors with some issues, the one with most being Superman who you get the feeling that something bad happened to him and it may have involved Batman and the death of Martian Manhunter. Even Lois can tell what happened bothers him as they sleep in the fortress of solitude before being called to the Watchtower on the moon.

Wonder Woman (Diana), Flash (Wally West according to Zdarsky’s twitter), Superman, Batman (Bruce) get there first which ends in a big argument between Batman and Superman about leadership until the ones who called them arrive, the Green Lantern Corps (John Stewart, Jessica Cruz, & Kilowag) and their Leader in Kingdom Come armor Hal Jordan who everyone but Batman is happy to see. Hal’s here with a special mission that if goes well can possibly mean currying favor with the United Planets and setting up the earth’s moon as the new Oa turning the earth into a cosmic centerpiece with possible protection from the Corps working in tangent with earth’s heroes. But Batman has none of that and leaves.

This however leads to an interesting scene where Clark basically doesn’t try to persuade Bruce but instead yells at him that he’s sick of this nonsense and just wants him to help, which Batman agrees. It’s very clear that Superman is not okay and I’m not sure where it will lead. By the way we get shout outs to Nightwing, Batgirl, & Alfred is here too.

Now what is this mission and what is the plan? well spoilers below for those who want them.

[spoil] The green lanterns have arrested Lobo and he will be put on trial by the United Planets. His Crime, besides all the others he committed, is the murder of the New Gods which is a pretty impressive feat for Lobo of all people. The mission is guard him from his numerous enemies so he can live to see court.

Batman knows the only safe place to put him is where no one would go, the ruins of Apokolips. [/spoil]

Honestly it’s a pretty decent story so far that’s set in a continuity not so distant from our own as no one is mysteriously old or significantly changed but with a twist of clearly something bad happened. I also think the art is really good and striking for this Justice League story and I want to see what Chip Zdarsky has planned for this story.

It’s clearly drawing on certain in-continuity storylines, the formation of the United Planets, the fall of the Corps, but going in a different direction with them. Given Alfred is alive and well, this is definitely an Elseworld. It reminds me of Snyder’s [I]Last Knight on Earth[/I] which was basically an alternate ending to his JL run. So far I think it’s solid and am curious about where Zdarsky plans to go.

[QUOTE=sifighter;5535894]A little talk has been going on about this but honestly it deserves more conversation so I’m making a thread. Now if I were to describe this miniseries (which is available in physical, not just digital) it would be an elseworld series that is stepped in more modern continuity but with a few twists. It’s a bleaker future but it’s not an apocalypse.

Anyway the essential premise is that the Justice League has disbanded after a crisis level event occurred which left some heroes dead and the survivors with some issues, the one with most being Superman who you get the feeling that something bad happened to him and it may have involved Batman and the death of Martian Manhunter. Even Lois can tell what happened bothers him as they sleep in the fortress of solitude before being called to the Watchtower on the moon.

Wonder Woman (Diana), Flash (Wally West according to Zdarsky’s twitter), Superman, Batman (Bruce) get there first which ends in a big argument between Batman and Superman about leadership until the ones who called them arrive, the Green Lantern Corps (John Stewart, Jessica Cruz, & Kilowag) and their Leader in Kingdom Come armor Hal Jordan who everyone but Batman is happy to see. Hal’s here with a special mission that if goes well can possibly mean currying favor with the United Planets and setting up the earth’s moon as the new Oa turning the earth into a cosmic centerpiece with possible protection from the Corps working in tangent with earth’s heroes. But Batman has none of that and leaves.

This however leads to an interesting scene where Clark basically doesn’t try to persuade Bruce but instead yells at him that he’s sick of this nonsense and just wants him to help, which Batman agrees. It’s very clear that Superman is not okay and I’m not sure where it will lead. By the way we get shout outs to Nightwing, Batgirl, & Alfred is here too.

Now what is this mission and what is the plan? well spoilers below for those who want them.

[spoil] The green lanterns have arrested Lobo and he will be put on trial by the United Planets. His Crime, besides all the others he committed, is the murder of the New Gods which is a pretty impressive feat for Lobo of all people. The mission is guard him from his numerous enemies so he can live to see court.

Batman knows the only safe place to put him is where no one would go, the ruins of Apokolips. [/spoil]

Honestly it’s a pretty decent story so far that’s set in a continuity not so distant from our own as no one is mysteriously old or significantly changed but with a twist of clearly something bad happened. I also think the art is really good and striking for this Justice League story and I want to see what Chip Zdarsky has planned for this story.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. Sounds interesting. How is the art?

So, the League has fallen apart mostly because Superman and Batman can't get along? There have been a bunch of JL lineups that didn't have one or both of them. And of course Batman is somehow vital to this plan because nobody else can figure out what to do with Lobo? I'm not sold on this story yet, and it's already looking to be very Trinity-centered again. I hope it's more than that.

Hal Jordan already said he knew where to hide Lobo. I think Superman is asking for Bruce's help because he wants to put aside their enmity. As he said, he's tired of fighting his friends. I get the impression that whatever happened it's bigger than just Superman and Batman - the Green Lantern Corps has fallen apart and there's no Detroit League style group of second stringer heroes currently filling the Watchtower. It just seemed to be empty before this group showed up, like the whole concept of superheroes combining forces has become unpopular.

Something bad happened, and right now the hook of the series is finding out what. In a way it's kind of like a murder mystery, only the mystery is what killed their friendships. I'm enjoying it so far, and I'm curious to see where the story goes once they do reveal the mystery. The mission to save Lobo isn't exactly thrilling, especially for a miniseries set in an alternate world. We don't care that much what happens to alternate Lobo. But i'm sure this is just the inciting incident that sets them off on a greater adventure.