JLA, Vol. 18: Crisis of Conscience

JLA (Original Trades)

by Geoff Johns (Writer), Allan Heinberg

In the wake of Brad Meltzer's Identity Crisis , the JLA decides the time has come to tell Batman that they stole part of his memory. However, the League is attacked by the Secret Society of Super-Villains, out for vengeance now that their own memories are restored. As the JLA battles, Martian Manhunter confronts Despero, the alien conqueror, behind the villains memory-restoration. By the time the dust settles, the League may have won the battle but lost the war.

Collecting: JLA 115-119

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

126 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2006

About the author

Geoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.

His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.

Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spinning out of Identity Crisis, the Secret Society of Super-Villains have gotten they're memories back and they are pissed. Now they know who the relatives of all the JLA members are and they want revenge. The League must defeat the villains and decide if they are going to strip the villains' memories again in order to protect their families.

Geoff Johns and Chris Batista knocked it out of the park with this one. Good art, fantastic story. Johns brought back some villains we haven't seen in a very long time and made them dangerous again.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Batman related read in celebration of his 80th birthday! What a fantastic end to a really cogent storyline - really liked the questions about privacy and surveillance that are asked here!

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good.

This is the actual prelude to Infinite crisis with the league dealing with the fallout of Identity crisis and Batman has quit the league and well they have to deal with that and when the Secret Society remembers what was done to them by Zatanna they target every close family members or friends of the league and Lois and all, and thus it falls on the league to stop them but at the same time Despero has returned and he is controlling members of the league and its a fight on both sides, what will happen, who will fall and will there even be a league by the end of it all?

This was epic and deals with the fallout of one event well and leads into the other spectacularly and does a great job of asking the moral questions and spotlighting the real reason why Batman doesn't trust the league after that and its good plus I love Selina and the thing they do with Zatanna is so revealing and pushes her character in darker directions. There is a lot of subtext and its awesomely done and leads to a new era of the league plus the art was so good throughout and makes the story better. Its one of those stories that redefine the team and is such a great prelude! MUST READ!

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was well-written but not much of a surprise. I think Johns has a good handle on the characters but it feels like he had to shoehorn this into the greater "event" plotline, so it doesn't come as much of a shock how this turned out. Or perhaps it's just a question of when this "set of momentous moments" will get forgotten in favour of some future event or whim. Maybe I'd feel more oomph if the villains had half a brain cell between them here and took one action that seemed coordinated with any other villain.

Decent art, a little cartoony but it services the action well enough.

[Desmond Killian · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the wake of Identity Crisis, the JLA's most terrible secrets stand revealed. Batman has misgivings about his relationship with Catwoman, Wally West is kind of a lech, Despero shows up, and Zatanna puts the toys back in the box with another mindwipe. Featuring what might be the JLA's worst lineup ever.

[C.J. Edmunds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following the events of the groundbreaking, IDENTITY CRISIS by thriller author, Brad Meltzer, this 18th volume of the Justice League of America, collects Issues 115-119. Take note, all this happens before the New -52, just in case you got suddenly confused and wondering.

I felt IDENTITY CRISIS, blew the ball out of the park and so our heroes are left to deal with the memory tampering that they did with the villains but also with Batman. Crisis of ethics come into play with this collection and along with that the return of the villains memories, which lends them to resume their attacks on our heroes on a more personal scale for they already know of our superheroes true identity as well as personal lives.

So what's the logical step to do in order to protect the one you love? Lois lane has been hurt as well as Bruce's on and off girlfriend, Selena Kyle, aka. Catwoman. Do you repeat what was done by lobotomizing the villains again or does ethic dictate that one stays thy hand, or this case, Zatanna's magical hand, and look for a solution.

This Aftermath issue for me will only work if one has read, IDENTITY CRISIS. And since the New 52 has already happened, all these past crisis are moot. But for those who enjoyed the world of DC before the New 52, then this is a must!

[Kyle Berk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crisis of Conscious acts as a aftermath to Identity Crisis. But it takes place after the OMAC project.

And to start I really liked Identity Crisis and loved The OMAC project so I ended up really liking this too. I think they’re good comics and they’re definitely more interesting then the Justice League since 2011 (though at this time I’ve read none of Scott Snyder’s League except for they first issue).

It’s got a good lineup of hero’s and other than the threat being some bigger conspiracy (it’s always a big conspiracy) it’s really solid and fun to read and drawn well and has good moments for all the heroes.

I think this should be in the collection with Identity Crisis but then I wouldn’t have to buy it again.

4 stars.

[Warren]

Countdown to Infinite Crisis

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good follow-up to Identity Crisis.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good treatment of the fallout of Identity Crisis. For the record, I think this comic is some of the last we see of women-NOT-overposed-and-overexposed.

[Guido · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minicrisis dentro de la semicrisis que fue Crisis de Identidad, justo antes de la Crisis Infinita.

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of the fallout of the events of Identity Crisis. This one deals with the repercussions of the mind-altering done by some members of the Justice League.

I really enjoyed the novel Identity Crisis and I am reading its side companion pieces. In that novel, a despicable event happened and the Justice League answered back by altering minds of several characters including Batman. Those characters have had their memories returned and they are not happy. I liked this collection but I was hoping for more of an impact. We have the question of "how far is too far" for punishment and the enforcers of this punishment. I wish that this book delved into that a little more but instead the book focused on the physical fighting. The artwork was terrific and if you a fan of Catwoman, you will enjoy this as I thought she was the stand out of this collection.

This was an enjoyable read but I thought it could have been better. I believe the problem is that this was filler between two major events in this universe and the writer was restricted with his story.

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. It's one for you, even if you aren't much of a comic book reader. It explores deep themes of love, marriage and loss. It's a bit of a sad read if you know the characters of the DC universe. Some key individuals die. But how the themes are dealt with was surprisingly mature. I learned a few things from it, like how the perpetuity of love after someone passes away can be a comforting and positive thing, not just another reminder of sorrow.

[Michael Irenski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picking up where Identity Crisis ended this book is the failing apart of the JLA. While I urge readers to read Identity Crisis first, the book really captures what makes the Justice League so great while also tearing them apart.

[Index Purga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Traduce los números 115 a 119 de JLA de 2005.

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Con Crisis de Conciencia, Liga de la Justicia se incorporaba al devenir de todo el Universo DC, cubriendo el tiempo entre Crisis de Identidad y Crisis Infinita, como parte de los pasos que se denominaron "Camino a Crisis Infinita", y el mismo Geoff Johns se incorporó de desarrollar esta historia, basándose en lo narrado por Brad Meltzer en Crisis de Identidad.

En Crisis de Identidad, habíamos visto como el asesinato de Sue Dibny, la mujer del Hombre Elástico, revelaba una serie de episodios oscuros en el pasado de la Liga, en los que después de que Sue fuera violada por el Doctor Luz, los miembros de la Liga de aquel entonces habían decidido que Zatanna borrara los recuerdos de varios villanos, entre ellos Luz y la Sociedad de la Injusticia. Pero también a Batman cuando había descubierto lo que habían hecho. Aunque finalmente ni Luz ni la Sociedad de la Injusticia había tenido nada que ver en la muerte de Sue Dibny, una brecha se había abierto en la JLA, y en Crisis de Conciencia es donde se desarrollaría, de forma simultánea a otros eventos de DC, como Sacrificio, donde podemos ver un enfrentamiento entre un Superman dominado por Maxwell Lord contra Batman y Wonder Woman, y como tras matar a Lord, Wonder Woman había abandonado la Liga de la Justicia.

Así que la Liga que tenemos en Crisis de Conciencia no es la que habíamos dejado en el tomo anterior: el regresado Hal Jordan, Flash, Flecha Verde, Hawkman, Zatanna, Superman, Batman y J'onn J'onzz tienen que hacer frente a los pecados del pasado de la Liga cuando alguien devuelve a la Sociedad de la Injusticia sus recuerdos robados y estos deciden hacer lo que habían planeado hacer tanto tiempo atrás: atacar a la Liga a través de sus seres queridos, convirtiendo en objetivos a Lois Lane, Linda West-Park, Tim Drake y otros familiares y amigos de los miembros de la Liga... al tiempo que tienen que hacer frente a un profundo conflicto entre ellos, y al responsable de devolver a la actividad a la Sociedad de la Injusticia,

Aunque no carece de momentos épicos en el enfrentamiento entre la Liga y la Sociedad, Crisis de Conciencia es sobre todo un relato sobre la desconfianza, y los enfrentamientos que saltan a primera línea son los internos en la Liga, no sólo físicos sino también verbales y de principios, y sobre todo, con Crisis de Conciencia el propio concepto de la Liga de la Justicia queda herido de muerte. .........

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cracks into the justice league leave this group of heroes fractured and broken.

Villains who've regained their memories after them being wiped go after Superman, and Lois, and the Justice League has to stop them. Which leads us to the point of them having to decide what to do. Do they erase their memories? Is it too much of a burden for multiple heroes to hold. What is the right and wrong choice here? A ending that leaves this entire world of DC in a nasty spot before Infinite Crisis truly begins.

[Judah Radd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite some logic and ethics issues (who cares if we mindwipe badguys) this was still pretty fast paced and fun.

Geoff Johns is definitely my favorite DC writer. He rules. I love how he contrasts the personalities of the various Leagers.

The big fight towards the end was exciting. I also really liked this art. This is the best arc of the whole Countdown to Infinite Crisis set. Def worth a read.

[Cristhian · Rating 5 out of 5]

La primera vez que leí Infinite Crisis pasé de largo esto.

Ahora que estoy leyendo todo en orden, hace perfecto sentido el cómo une Identity con Infinite.

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This trade follows the revelations of Identity Crisis, the point at which DC decided that "Lo, there Comes a Crisis..." means a yearly crossover. This is the start of the end for the DC Universe that Byrne, Giordano, and Stern created lo those many years ago. Bats flips at the news that his "friends" in the JLA have wiped his mind, the League fights over whether or not it was right, Superman plays dumb, and the next thing you know. villains are attacking secret identities, J'ohnn is accused of being no better than Zatanna, and oh yeah, we get a super surprise Guest Villain.

The Cliff Notes version of all this? Geoff Johns does Avengers Disassembled.

That's not to say this is a bad story. In fact, given what happens in the mini-series, for anything *other* than this to occur would make no sense. When Bats goes against the League, the League falls because he's the brains holding it together. When Supes gives up on the League and lets himself get played, the League falls because he's the heart holding it together. There was only one thing that was going to happen when the dust cleared--a League unable to sustain itself.

There are some really great moments here--Johns handles the Bats-Catwoman interplay well, for instance, especially when she shows that she wants to be with him and not the villaisn with whom she used to associate. He also gets the Carter-Ollie dynamic going well. But some of the others--Hal and Wally in particular, seem to be playing the roles the writers want for them, rather than using their natures to tell the story. (In fact, Wally gets a little mental whiplash--he's against the mindwipe in his own book but appears to be for it here.) Martian Manhunter also seems to be playing the role of "Everyman" rather than that of the league's core.

I think the biggest problem here--and one that's plaguing DC and Marvel very badly right now--is that these are no longer stories written for their own sake. This is an arc entirely devoted to clean up and set up. Can it be a good story? Sure. It can even be a great story. But to my mind, a comic has to stand on its own two legs, not be propped up by the uber-plot of the year (or in this case, years). There's a way this could have been handled to do that, but it would have meant more talking and less action. In a slugfest against a whole slew of League villains, there's simply not enough time for such things as real character development, beyond the obvious. It's a shame, really. However, to get the full picture, of today's DCU, this is a must-read. (Library 01/08)

Trebby's Take: Helps move the big picture along, doesn't really shine as a League story.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the time it was first published (first as monthly issues, then as a trade paperback) it capitalised on the reveal (from Identity Crisis) that even Batman had been mind-wiped. Ooooh! The Justice League is self-destructing to begin with, but then comes along Despero and the Secret Society of Super-Villains to make matters worse.

Today, years later, this has become a forgotten, irrelevant storyline, in light of the many "Crises" that DC has gone through, not to mention the many series/character reboots. It's like the events of this book are (now) from another continuity, which in fact is what they've become.

Some good moments here, but nothing spectacular, nothing that survived the subsequent re-shuffling of the DC Universe. Ideal for completists, but that's it.

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zatanna, Zatanna, Zatanna...I don't care how good you look in your velvet tophat and fishnet stockings, you should know better than to try and erase Batman's FREAKIN' MEMORY, because only bad things will happen. Like Batman beating up Hawkman and quitting the Justice League kind of bad. Oh, right, do one better JLA (this should stand for Jiant Lame Asses) and alienate Bats from his only real steady lay, Catwoman. And, yes! Yes! while you're at it, imprison a parallel Earth's Superboy in another dimension where he can coldly plot the evisceration of the entire DC multiverse! Idiots! This is the reason why Batman is so much better than, say, Aquaman. Bats would never leave a litany of bad decisions in his wake.

[Matej · Rating 4 out of 5]

JLA: Crisis of Conscience collects JLA issues #115-119 that answer some of the unanswered questions left from the Identity Crisis.
The plot is surprisingly interesting, the story moves rather quickly and it ends on a pretty big cliffhanger.
The art is pretty clean and simplistic, and although it looks great, it is not that memorable.
Overall, this is a quick and interesting aftermath to the Identity Crisis.

[Jerry Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

The misuse of their superpowers leads members of the Justice League of America to reconsider being a team in JLA: Crisis of Conscience. Following a number of stories preceding it, this graphic novel represents the struggle of a team to work together when its members are in conflict over one another's actions, even when those actions were aimed at serving the greater good -- to prevent evil from prevailing.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good follow up to Identity Crisis. The repercussions of recent events have affected the Justice League in a major way. You see the unraveling of the JLA after Batman quits the team. That also sets the stage for Infinite Crisis.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Longer review possibly coming.

ARTISTIC PRESENTATION: B to B plus; STORY/PLOTTING/PANELS: B plus;
CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B; ACTION SCENES: B; JLA/JSA FOCUSES/MYTHOLOGY: B to B plus; WHEN READ: end of November 2013; OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edición argentina. Tomo presentado como "las explosivas consecuencias de Identity Crisis". Sexto y último recopilatorio de la innumerada JLA de SD.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast-moving look at a League that's crumbling. Good writing and solid art all throughout. There's just a few things that keep this from being a four-star book for me.

The villains are built up to be a big time menace. Writers Geoff Johns and Allan Heinberg do a good job of making things feel different here: our heroes seem truly vulnerable. So it's disappointing to see the bad guys quickly dispatched so the Leaguers can stand around bickering about what to do with them. An underwhelming payoff to an intriguing buildup.

My other issue is that this feels like one chapter in a rather long story (which it essentially is, as everything in the DC Universe was building up to Infinite Crisis at this point). A great deal has happened before the reader turns the first page and it's clear there's a lot more story to come by book's end. This is nothing new for modern mainstream comics but it feels a little more egregious here. This is a good read and, at only five issues, it's clear that more story could have been included to give the reader a more satisfying experience.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

JLA was a "Turn of the Century"/"Cusp of the Millenium" book. It had Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, and Joe Kelly.

This was part of the shift where Geoff Johns started to take control, IMO. It was an arc that was fallout from Identity Crisis. When characters started to experience trauma from Death of Superman, Knightfall, Emerald Twilight, etc. He had worked extensively on JSA, but here is where we started working on the JLA, Green Lantern Rebirth and Infinite Crisis shortly thereafter.

Johns was the "middleway" one of the writers who tried to balance the darkness with the light.

[Zes C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una de las "no colecciones" mejor conseguidas que tuvo SD en su breve etapa publicando DC fue la seguidilla de tomos dedicados a la JLA, comenzando por el ya clásico JLA Tierra 2 y cerrando con el Tie-in de Crisis de Identidad. No todos los tomos están a la altura pero el resulado fue muy bueno.