Review by Ian Levenstein of the Comic Timing Podcast
Writer: Doug
Moench
Penciller: Dave
Ross
Inker: George
Freeman
Letterer: Kurt
Hathaway
Colorist: Ben
DiMagmaliw
What makes
someone a hero?
Tough question
to answer, that
much is for
sure. Still,
some people
think they have
the answer.
Superman.
Wonder Woman.
Green Lantern.
These guys are
heroes. They
use their powers
to help the
greater good, to
achieve feets
others could
never achieve.
So what happens
when all of this
power is taken
away. Is the
superhero still
super? Better
yet, are they
still heroes at
all? This is a
question brought
forward in the
Elseworlds tale,
JLA: Act of God.
The day begins
like any other
in the DC
Universe. Green
Lantern is busy
chasing down
Sonar II, as the
villain tries to
rob yet another
bank. The Flash
is assisting the
police as a
crime takes
place, about to
give yet another
policeman a few
more years with
his wife and
kids by stopping
a speeding
bullet.
Superman is in a
town outside
Metropolis,
repairing a dam
before it
breaks, covering
the town with
water. Then, it
happened.
Scientists
called it "The
Blacklight
Event." All the
world is bathed
in this light,
which lasts for
only a few
seconds.
Electronics go
haywire,
including
aircrafts,
computers, and
suits of armor.
Steel goes down
hard, before his
systems have a
chance to
reboot. But
that is far from
the worst of
it. Suddenly,
Kyle Rayner's
power ring would
not function.
Wally West seems
to slow to a
sudden halt.
Kal-El loses his
heat vision,
freeze breath,
telescopic
vision, and his
ability to fly.
The superheroes
fall, and so do
those they are
trying to
protect. Sonar
gets away. The
cop dies from a
bullet to the
brain. A town
is flooded
beyond repair.
The hero
community is
left reeling in
the wake of this
event, as nearly
80 percent of it
is now
crippled.
Aquaman nearly
drowns as he can
no longer
breathe
underwater,
while J'onn
J'onnz is forced
to appear as an
alien without
his shape
changing
abilities.
Still, those
without
metahuman
abilities are
fine. Nightwing
still has his
gymnastic
skills. Booster
Gold's suit
still works like
a charm, as does
Blue Beetle's
ship. Batman
remains Batman.
But what of
those who had no
true skill other
than their
powers? What
should they do?
Do they simply
retire and
become normal,
or do they find
new ways to help
the community
they once
protected from
above and below
the surface?
For some, the
transition is
not as simple as
you would
think. Wally
West is haunted
by the vision of
a cop, dead
because of him.
Kal-El is left
as no more than
Clark Kent, a
Super made man
for the first
time. He sits
alone in his
apartment, with
not even Lois
Lane able to
comfort him, as
she realizes
just how much
she loved his
other half.
Does she even
truly love his
human side? In
the end, Lois
leaves Clark,
while Clark
finds solace in
the arms of
another former
superhero:
Diana.
Kyle Rayner is
left in a mental
state that can
only be
described as
madness. Jade
tries to snap
him out of it,
yet still Kyle
does nothing but
try to get the
ring to work
once more. He
cannot stand to
lose at the
hands of a
two-bit thug
like Sonar II;
he focuses on
nothing else,
leaving Jade to
leave once more,
unable to stand
watching the
shell of a man
deteriorate any
further.
Meanwhile, the
supervillain
community
gathers together
as one, as their
numbers are now
much greater
than the
superheroes.
Technology has
been kind to
them. The
Toyman sees this
as an
opportunity to
destroy Lex
Luther once and
for all, while
Luther sees it
as an
opportunity to
rid himself of
two potential
thorns in his
side: Steel, and
Toyman.
John Henry Irons
is working on a
suit to replace
the one he lost
during "The
Blacklight
Event," when he
sees a giant toy
robot heading
for LexCorp
Tower. Against
the wishes of
his niece, Steel
jumps back into
actions before
his injuries are
truly healed.
As he begins to
take down the
robot, his
injuries flare
up once more.
His arm is
broken, and his
systems are not
responding. The
robot takes the
advantage, and
crushes Steel
beneath its
foot. John
Henry Irons is
dead.
As the story
unfolds, we
discover that
there are many
left powerless
that still have
the will to be a
hero. Arthur
Curry, formerly
Aquaman. J'onn
J'onnz, formerly
Martian
Manhunter.
Wally West,
formerly The
Flash. Linda
Danvers,
formerly
Supergirl. Each
undergo rigorous
training under
the hand of
Batman to ensure
they can still
keep society and
their fellow
heroes safe from
Lex Luther as he
tries to
capitalize on
the fallen
heroes by
offering them a
"cure," which
entails
kidnapping many
former
metahumans and
performing
dangerous tests.
Along with these
strong willed
individuals,
other former
heroes find the
legs to stand on
that will allow
themselves to
heal mentally,
over time.
Diana and Clark
find they have
more in common
with each other
than even they
realized. One
looks towards
the heavens,
thinking of a
homeland that no
longer makes him
stand out from
the crowd, while
another looks
towards the
heavens,
wondering if the
Gods that once
gave her power
have shunned
her.
JLA: Act of God
is a fantastic
read that gives
us comic book
fans a brand new
perspective on
the heroes we
have grown to
love over the
years. Are they
super more than
hero?
Sometimes, it
takes losing
what makes you
special to find
this truth out.
And by the way,
did I mention
Hawkman kicks
some major butt
in issue 2?
Anyway, here's
how I score this
three issue
Elseworlds
miniseries:
ART: A (Solid
work from Dave
Ross. Makes me
want to see him
do a JLA book)
STORY: A (Give
Doug Moench more
DC to write!
The man seems to
know these
characters as
well as any
writer I have
seen before,
which he
displays
outright in this
story)
OVERALL: A
So pick this
story up in the
backissue bins,
if you have a
chance. You
won't regret it!