Favorite Justice League Storyline

[kcekada]

I read all 3 issues first when it was reprinted in a DC comic digest. It was a decade or more when I found all 3 issues in a comic book store in Houston

As soon as I discovered back order catalogs around 1977, I attempted to order JLA 102 many times, only to have an alternative comic book shipped (in those days, you listed other books you'd accept if the book you wanted was out of stock -- thank God for internet ordering!). I think I finally got it after graduating college and attending a comic book convention in Monroeville, PA (outside of Pittsburgh). So, it may not have been 20, but was at least 14 years later.

[batnbreakfast]

I m glad nobody likes Tower of Babel

[HsssH]

I m glad nobody likes Tower of Babel

**** story by mediocre writer, whats to like?

[Ilan Preskovsky]

Which Issues specifically? Back in the day I started reading Starman and just stopped. Wasn't my thing at the time...

He's in a huge bulk of the series. Like the final half to two thirds. Robinson does some super interesting, even quite heartbreaking with the character in it.

It's an utterly amazing series as far as I'm concerned. One of the greatest superhero runs of all time and was so far ahead of everybody else that in all these years since, I don't think any other long-running mainstream superhero comic has ever really caught up in terms of sophistication and, dare I say it, maturity - certainly nothing that Robinson himself has done. And by "mature" I don't mean dour or grim and gritty but "mature" in the way that something like Sandman could be mature. Something like Mister Miracle by Tom King probably comes closest, but even that is a "special" 12 issue maxi series. It's what adult superhero comics should be, but so seldom are - and this while working within the limits of, effectively, PG13 content restrictions.

[Laser_Man]

**** story by mediocre writer, whats to like?

If Waid is a mediocre writer, then there must not be many good writers in comic books.

[Stanlos]

**** story by mediocre writer, whats to like?

Mark Waid??? ****"mediocre"****?
You are the proud recipient of ALL the side-eye for that bizarre comment.

[Adekis]

If The New Frontier qualifies, then absolutely The New Frontier. I've called it "The Great American Graphic Novel" before, and I absolutely stand by that.

[j9ac9k]

If The New Frontier qualifies, then absolutely The New Frontier. I've called it "The Great American Graphic Novel" before, and I absolutely stand by that.

New Frontier definitely qualifies as a Justice League story - the initial pitch was for Cooke to do a Justice League story and "New Frontier" is what he came up with.

[caj]

I'm glad some have listed storylines from JLI/JLA/JLE. Everyone remembers Bwah ha ha but there were some great stories in that period. I especially liked the Despero and Extremists storylines.

[Darksideofmylife]

Seriously that's one of THE Worst Stories in DC History.

[lalalei2001]

I like Tower of Babel by itself but a lot of creators and fans got the wrong message from it, and the animated adaptation taking the completely opposite tone with the resolution than the comic did doesn't help.

[Laser_Man]

I like Tower of Babel by itself but a lot of creators and fans got the wrong message from it, and the animated adaptation taking the completely opposite tone with the resolution than the comic did doesn't help.

The animated adaptation did everything it could to paint the rest of the League as pathetic losers to prove that Batman is the best and always right in every instance.

In the comic, the Justice League together save themselves and in the end save the world, with Wonder Woman in particular getting a pretty cool moment.

Nothing of that sort in the animated movie. It's all about Batman rescuing the others and saving the day in the end using his brains. Heck, they even gave a dumb line to Superman so Batman can shut him up and prove how useless Superman and the rest of Leaguers are without him.

Even the way the villains accessed the plans removed a lot of blame from Batman. In the comics, Batman allowed Talia in his cave who extracted the plans from his computer. In the movie, Mirror Master was the one who got in through his technology.

[marhawkman]

The animated adaptation did everything it could to paint the rest of the League as pathetic losers to prove that Batman is the best and always right in every instance.

In the comic, the Justice League together save themselves and in the end save the world, with Wonder Woman in particular getting a pretty cool moment.

Nothing of that sort in the animated movie. It's all about Batman rescuing the others and saving the day in the end using his brains. Heck, they even gave a dumb line to Superman so Batman can shut him up and prove how useless Superman and the rest of Leaguers are without him.

Even the way the villains accessed the plans removed a lot of blame from Batman. In the comics, Batman allowed Talia in his cave who extracted the plans from his computer. In the movie, Mirror Master was the one who got in through his technology.

Ultimately the biggest issue is that it's one of the most blatant examples of Bat-god ever printed.

[exile001]

Ultimately the biggest issue is that it's one of the most blatant examples of Bat-god ever printed.

It's the opposite, though.

It intentionally shows that Batman has feet of clay and despite all his preparation and self-belief that his way is right, not only can the Justice Leaguers overcome his plans against them but that he himself is a weak link for making them. That his obsession with being a loner and believing himself a step ahead of the league actually makes him less effective and a detriment to them.

He doesn't take anyone down. He doesn't beat anyone. By the end, it takes the League to rescue him.

Bat-God is him being superior and that proven right.

I know it has been taken to ludicrous extremes by DC and we're all sick of it, but Waid's entire point was that Batman's worldview (as it was written at the time) was wrong and endangered the league, and so the world, rather than safeguarding them. There's a million awful examples of it from Morrison to Johns to Snyder. Tower of Babel is pretty much the opposite of this sentiment, while pushing it to (at the time) a logical extreme to make that point.

[marhawkman]

It's the opposite, though.

It intentionally shows that Batman has feet of clay and despite all his preparation and self-belief that his way is right, not only can the Justice Leaguers overcome his plans against them but that he himself is a weak link for making them. That his obsession with being a loner and believing himself a step ahead of the league actually makes him less effective and a detriment to them.

He doesn't take anyone down. He doesn't beat anyone. By the end, it takes the League to rescue him.

Bat-God is him being superior and that proven right.

I know it has been taken to ludicrous extremes by DC and we're all sick of it, but Waid's entire point was that Batman's worldview (as it was written at the time) was wrong and endangered the league, and so the world, rather than safeguarding them. There's a million awful examples of it from Morrison to Johns to Snyder. Tower of Babel is pretty much the opposite of this sentiment, while pushing it to (at the time) a logical extreme to make that point.

Enh.... it certainyl made Bat-god seem like a bad thing that's for sure. But the logic of why Batman had THAT specific piece of Red K??? that he'd never even TESTED???

It's the story arc that made me hate the concept of Bat-god.