Comic Review – “JLA: Earth 2”

The JLA travel to an alternate Earth.

General Information

Title: JLA: Earth 2
Author: Grant Morrison
Illustrator(s): Frank Quietly
Original Publication Date: 2000
ISBN: 1-56389-631-1
Cover Price: $14.95 US, $24.95 Can
Buy from: Amazon.com
or Amazon.ca

Premise

Alexander Luthor, a hero in an alternate dimension, brings the Justice League of America to his Universe to defeat their Crime Syndicate of Amerika counterparts.

High Point

Big Brother is watching you.

Low Point

Does anybody out there writing these things understand how matter and anti-matter work? If there is a chemically identical anti-matter version of you, it wouldn’t need to shake your hand to be annihilated. If it contacted any amount of matter, such as our atmosphere, that matter would annihilate, and it wouldn’t be pretty. Matter-anti-matter annihilations are 100% efficient when converting matter into energy, so an entire 75kg person would be converted. For comparison, less than a gram of matter was converted into energy at Hiroshima. Alexander Luthor’s arrival in his body armour should have devastated a large portion of the planet.

The Scores

The mirror universe thing has been done time and again, in and out of DC comics, so I can’t call this very original. I give it 2 out of 6.

The artwork was good in style, but the depictions of Lois Lane and Wonder Woman were not at all the way I’ve pictured them from the other works I’ve read. I’m not thrilled with these versions, either. I give it 4 out of 6.

The story was well written and paced out. I wasn’t thrilled with the “evil always wins here” idea, if only because it therefore implies that good will always win in the normal universe, which takes some of the edge off of things. That’s the only part that really got to me, though. I also think it was somewhat strained that the only two JLA members without evil counterparts were the only two that stayed behind, despite the fact that one of the ones who left was the one who voiced the biggest objections, but I’ll forgive that for the artistic advantages. I give it 5 out of 6.

The characterization was well done for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and their counterparts. I can clearly see how they work and why they’re different from their teammates. The rest of the teams were not well defined. I give it 4 out of 6.

The emotional response this produced was pretty poor. Things were going very well for the heroes until about the half-way point, at which time they realized everything was futile. There was no suspense involved, nor was there any real sense of danger. I give it 3 out of 6.

The flow was well done, making it clear who was who, how much time was elapsing, and keeping the dialogue in pace with the action. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, this is not a bad read, but I wouldn’t really recommend it that strongly. I give it 4 out of 6.

In total, JLA: Earth 2 receives 27 out of 42.

2 replies on “Comic Review – “JLA: Earth 2””

  1. Final Fantasy 1 + 2 coming here!
    I have recently read that Final Fantasy 1 + 2 are coming to Canada and the U.S. sometime in Spring 2003 for playstation (P.s. 1) to verify my comment you may chenck in the Game Now magazine January 2003 edittion on page 20. the games have been modified and the story line is better as well as the graphics which makes playing seem like a brand new game.

    • Re: Final Fantasy 1 + 2 coming here!

      I have recently read that Final Fantasy 1 + 2 are coming to Canada and the U.S. sometime in Spring 2003 for playstation (P.s. 1) to verify my comment you may chenck in the Game Now magazine January 2003 edittion on page 20. the games have been modified and the story line is better as well as the graphics which makes playing seem like a brand new game.

      It can also be verified here.

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