Your thoughts on 'Justice' by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger (2005 - 2007)

[DrNewGod]

Almost all of The First 10 (+ The Hero Formerly Known As [the real] Captain Marvel) were given at least one moment to shine, which was no small feat on a stage that crowded. I particularly liked Green Lantern's double nasty surprise for Sinestro and Bizzaro.

The limelight was a bit narrower for The Legion of Doom. I'd have been curious about the perspectives of Solomon Grundy and Metallo.

[Dr. Ellingham]

In terms of modern stories about the classic JLA, I wouldn't put it in a class with The Nail or The New Frontier. I'd put it on par with JLA Year One qualitatively. Just with a more self-serious, Kingdom Come-ish tone.

[dancj]

Is it really as good as people say or is everyone putting this on a high pedestal due to nostalgia for a specific era? Things that are cheesy turn me off.

Maybe I was in a good mood, but while I never really enjoyed New Frontier (which I think gets put "on a high pedestal due to nostalgia for a specific era"), I enjoyed the hell out of Justice. It was just a good well done big superhero story.

[dancj]

I didn't make it very far into Earth X.

Oh I hated Earth X. Justice is far better.

[dancj]

In terms of modern stories about the classic JLA, I wouldn't put it in a class with The Nail or The New Frontier. I'd put it on par with JLA Year One qualitatively. Just with a more self-serious, Kingdom Come-ish tone.

I enjoyed it much more than all three of those. The Nail in particular was beautifully drawn, but I didn't think it was a very good story at all. The other two were merely okay for me.

[Lightning Rider]

I enjoyed it much more than all three of those. The Nail in particular was beautifully drawn, but I didn't think it was a very good story at all. The other two were merely okay for me.

Would be interesting to make a thread ranking the stories with this particular theme.

[BatmanJones]

I enjoyed it much more than all three of those. The Nail in particular was beautifully drawn, but I didn't think it was a very good story at all. The other two were merely okay for me.

In The Nail (and Another Nail) and in Justice we had artists trying to be writers. Made for some beautiful comics but not terribly sophisticated ones. Still The Nail and Another Nail will always be sentimental favorites for me. When I read them as a teen (IIRC) I found what happened to Ollie in The Nail to be horrifying.

[Fight On State]

I originally bought all 12 issues and then the three-volume book set. I wish we could've gotten this as the cover for volume 3:

Very cool image, and one that demonstrates how Ross "gets" even secondary characters and sidekicks...Supergirl essentially shares the same body language Superman does, John Stewart is no nonsense, and colorful costume aside, Dick Grayson is CLEARLY Batman's son...ready to bust some heads! Ha!

[greatmetropolitan]

Oh, Christ. Justice. A super-friends love-in that was more about Ross saying "MY FAVES ARE THE BEST" than anything else. Genuinely read like bad fanfic (NOTE: I like good fanfic). From a crying Superman being saved by Captain Marvel to the "It's always you, Hal" from Ollie, it read like Ross railing against things like legacy characters and a general attitude of "Why aren't comics like they were when I was a kid?" Pretty (if someone soul-less) art, but apart from that, I just couldn't get on board.

[dancj]

In The Nail (and Another Nail) and in Justice we had artists trying to be writers. Made for some beautiful comics but not terribly sophisticated ones.

I've always considered Darwyn Cooke to be a far better artist than writer, so I'm not sure I wouldn't lump New Frontier in with those. At least Justice had Jim Kruger helping out with the writing.

[caj]

Very cool image, and one that demonstrates how Ross "gets" even secondary characters and sidekicks

Agree. The only one I don't care for is Kid Flash. Wally looks 3 or 4 years younger than the other Teen Titans in this painting. He must've had a late growth spurt because he was always taller than Robin in the New Teen Titans books of the early 80s.

[DrNewGod]

Agree. The only one I don't care for is Kid Flash. Wally looks 3 or 4 years younger than the other Teen Titans in this painting. He must've had a late growth spurt because he was always taller than Robin in the New Teen Titans books of the early 80s.

That is true, but Ross, et al. were pulling from an earlier iteration of The Teen Titans.

[phantom1592]

In terms of modern stories about the classic JLA, I wouldn't put it in a class with The Nail or The New Frontier. I'd put it on par with JLA Year One qualitatively. Just with a more self-serious, Kingdom Come-ish tone.

I really keep it completely separate from Nail and New Frontier. I loved the Nail, but it's REALLY a solid Elseworld. Same with New Frontier they are alternate worlds with alternate rules and the backstories are altered to a point where some things are awesome and some things are completely unrecognizable... As good Elseworlds should be.

Justice... Is and Elseworlds/alternate reality too... but It feels more connected to the 'real' characters. It could have been lifted straight from the silver age world and at the end of the story, status quo is restored. The characters are written more serious, more grounded... but at the same time there isn't anything that feels fundamentally CHANGED this time. They didn't reinvent a wheel... they just made the wheel better, smoother, and prettier.... but the wheel is still there.

I like all three, but I don't really see them as comparable.

[BatmanJones]

Oh I hated Earth X. Justice is far better.

Earth X from Marvel? Or is this a reference to a DC story I missed somehow?

[phantom1592]

Earth X from Marvel? Or is this a reference to a DC story I missed somehow?

Yeah, Earth X was essentially the 'Kingdom Come' for Marvel. 30 years later, post apocalyptic Marvel universe... I missed out on that one and jumped on the sequel Universe X... but wasn't overly impressed. Lot of nice character moments... but overall plot was dull.