Crisis On Multiple Earths TP Vol 04

Crisis on Multiple Earths #4

by Elliot S. Maggin, Dick Dillin (Artist), Cary Bates

Discover the stories that set the stage for today�s groundbreaking comic book and graphic novel event INFINITE CRISIS in this thrilling collection of classic team-ups between the Justice League of America and their legendary counterparts, the Justice Society of America. This volume includes sensational stories featuring Captain Marvel, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and other favorite DC characters

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

168 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2006

About the author

Elliot S. Maggin, also spelled Elliot S! Maggin, is an American writer of comic books, film, television and novels. He was a main writer for DC Comics during the Bronze and early Modern ages of comics in the 1970s and 1980s. He is particularly associated with the character of Superman.

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of this volume was filled with confusing issues and disappointing story lines! The only issue that I really enjoyed was issue #147! That was different and interesting. Plus it had an OP villain that the heroes didn't just defeat in the last couple of pages *cough cough*. I did enjoy the JSA and JLA heroes teaming up (the Legionnaires too in the last couple of issues!) however, I didn't feel like what was going on in the stories were compelling enough to excite me. Overall, not the best volume within this Crisis on Multiple Earths series.

[allowableman2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another mixed bag crisis collection

[Zack! Empire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy did I have a hard time making it through this collection. I had enjoyed the previous volume, and I figured this collection would be another fun collection of DC's bronze age period. Sadly that was not the case with this book. I just could not get lost in the story the way you do with good books. Every few pages I'd be pulled out of the story. Not by something in particular, just because the story was not engaging me. I had been considering getting all volumes of this series, but after this weak entry I don't think I will.
A few nice things though are that I'm glad the book takes chances on little known, or almost completely forgotten heroes. It would be easy to just throw the biggest characters you have in a team up of this caliber, but the writers challenged themselves to write a story that didn't take the easy way out. there's also a big build up to a Captain Marvel and Superman slugfest, that ends rather abruptly, which was really disappointing, but the way they do end it is a nice piece of writing.
I can't say I would really recommend this book.

[Robert Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Alex Ross cover. Check.

Some fun, if occasionally silly (OK, very silly) stories. Check.

The Marvel Family and other Earth-S heroes. Check and Check.

Legion of Super-Heroes. Super-Check!

This era and style of storytelling will not be to everyone's taste. Honestly, even for me, the story involving Earth Prime and the JLA's writers was a tad too far over the top.

Still and all, a fun read, especially for JSA fans and fans of the JLA-JSA team-ups.

Anyone else spot the swipe from the Shazam/Superman battle that got used decades later in Waid's Kingdom Come?

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the annual JLA/JSA crossovers when I was younger. Now I understand how difficult it must have been to juggle a dozen or so characters, plus antagonists. Bates & Maggin self inserting themselves in the first one was, well, it was dumb.

The intro of the Earth S characters was interesting, although Captain Marvel being held off until the last minute didn’t quite pay off. He used his lightning offensively on Superman (Ross is just more and more a hack) to shock the Red k evil out of him? Does Red K even work that way?

The Legion crossover was fun, although the Legionnaires came across as dumb. The escalation of Mordru to Demons Three was good, and issue 148 was just packed with stories. Packed!

I can only imagine how this would read to a modern decompressed reader. I like to think it would give Bendis a stroke.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 4

The annual crossover event continues to develop and expand, with heroes from Earth S (Universe of Shazam and the Marvel Family) and the Legion of Superheroes now involved in these adventures.

The artwork is of as high a standard as ever, but some of the tales are now knowingly tongue in cheek such as our opener, where Cary Bates and Elliot S! Maggin are literally drawn into the storylines.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps more valuable than the team ups themselves are the two essays that celebrate the period in which these comics were created, including an ode to artist Dick Dillin and the state of DC Comics in general.

[Sarospice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This volume promises alot but doesn't deliver. Yaasss we want to see Captain Marvel vs. Superman! Yaasss we want the kids of The Legion of Superheroes to shine with The Justice Society! Yaasss we want three ratchet queens to fight over chackis! but everything fizzles.... except the fun art. I always smile when they time travel and await a return to fabulous 1977!

[Rick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Justice League of America #123-124 - This time the real villains of the piece are the writers. No really. Clever idea, but poorly executed.

Justice League of America #135-137 - I have to admit I was looking forward to this story. The cover even features a confrontation between Superman and Shazam (formerly Captain Marvel, or at least only referred to by that name inside the comics, as doing so gives free publicity to their competitor Marvel Comics), but guess what - said confrontation never actually takes place. Nothing but a propaganda tease. And really, this 3-issue arc is just a mass of incomprehensible stupidity. Things happen without any rationale or even a pretense of a rationale. Disappointing is an understatement.

Justice League of America #147-148 - This time the present members of the JLA & the JSA are thrown against members of the Legion of Superheroes from the future. And it’s just as contrived, insipid and pointless as all the previous mashups have been. Clearly the editors at DC didn’t have a very high option of their readers or their own characters.

Justice League of America #159-160 -The last anniversary mash-up sent the might of the combined teams against a menace from the future. This time the special guest-stars come scattered from various points of history and while the story is marginally better written, it’s still pretty lame.

This is probably the most disappointing volume of the four that I’ve so far read. Had I not already bought the box set, I would have definitely stopped here.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was always a big fan of the JLA/JSA crossovers when DC had the multitude of worlds before their revamp in "Crises on Infinite Earths". Great stories and good art and a ton of heroes in each story. Very recommended

[Marcos Muñoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pese a contener algunas de las historias más insatisfactoriamente resueltas de la serie (promesas en portada de 1 viñeta, acción de los autores, milagros literales), este volumen incluye al mismo tiempo algunas interacciones entre grupos y con la continuidad novedosas y estimulantes.

[Mati G. W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

La tapa es medio un engaño pero las historias son muy divertidas.

[Michael Emond · Rating 2 out of 5]

We have three crossover events - two two-parters and one three-parter. These are stories from my childhood and gosh, my childhood deserved better art and stories than this. I really loved the JLA because I got to see so many heroes at once but the clunky art of Dick Dillin and confusing/rushed stories by Bates, Levitz, Pasko (I didn't know he was Canadian) could have been and should have been so much better.

Lets start with the first one which is just a straight team-up on JLa and the JSA but with the added twist of writer Cary Bates inserting himself into the story - this is Earth Prime and he and editor Julius Schwartz and writing partner Elliot Maggin decided it would be fun to be part of the story. This story had a huge impact on my as a kid because it was a fun idea to think the worlds of the Super heroes existed in another dimension. as I read it now, it is cute but makes no sense. How does Bates activate the cosmic treadmill - he isn't fast as Flash to activate it (they explain that by saying there was residual speed energy left by the Flash...In all fairness this is the comics and I shouldn't fact check but that is pretty lame)? Why does Bates get super powers when he comes to Earth 2 (home of the JSA)? And not just powers but he is a God. And he becomes evil. The reasons are mentioned but they don't make sense (if the Wizard could turn anyone this evil and powerful why wait for Bates?). And worst part of the sotry for me (40 years ago and now) is that the JLA are tricked into killing the JSA. the JLA would never kill anyone even the villains the JSA are disguised as and the JSA are killed with little love taps. In other words - they are killed WAY too easily. And then brought back to life just as easily.

The second story is a JLA/JSA team up with the super heroes from Earth S - how of the Marvels. Sadly they don't show up until the last few pages of this three-parter. This IMO is the best of the three stories but I do wish the ideas Kull came up with to destroy the three Earths were a little more interesting. Also - how did Kull get so powerful?

The third story is the JLA.JSA teaming up with the Legion of Super-heroes. Paul Levitz (one of the best Legion writers ever) should have been able to do a better job writing for the Legion but it falls really flat. There is a confusing reason for the three teams to battle each other and the day is saved. Most frustrating about this story is the wizard Mordu is trying to summon the three demons (from JLA 11) and they immediately turn on him. Why wouldn't Mordu anticipate this? He's pretty evil himself. He should know demons would be just as evil.

And all through this we have Dick Dillin's art. Funny how the introduction is written by a colourist singing his praises. They had to dig pretty deep to find someone to write an intro saying Dick was a great artist - because he wasn't. I'm sure he was a great guy, I am sure he tried hard, I am sure drawing 50 heroes wasn't easy. But, as a comic book fan he is one of my least favourite artists (from that time period) who got regular work.

Anyway...sadly these stories are a good snapshot of how the JLa book was back i the 70/80's. Not great.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a re-read for me but even then... the book is a huge disappointment. I love the Justice League. I love the Justice Society. I even love the Silver Age DC books of 15-20 years prior to when I was born. But this book... didn't work. Part of it is by the 70s these two (or sometimes three) part annual JLA/JSA teamups had become a bit old hat. Most of them relied on the 'some sort of McGuffin broken up into pieces, randomly slam heroes from both teams together to fix it. Instead of giving us something different, they went with 'more of the same.... only add more heroes. That gimmick might have worked back in volume three. But this time... adding the forgotten Fawcett Heroes... really didn't. They TRIED with the Legion story. I wish the same could be said for the Earth Prime story.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fourth volume collecting the annual JLA/JSA teamups from the 1970s was a pretty good one.

It starts off with a rather weird premise that was used a few times back in the day, namely, DC comic book writers and editors show up in the comics as characters themselves! This was when "our" earth, the earth of the comic book reader, was known as Earth-Prime, and the heroes were just comic book characters. In this story, JLA writers Cary Bates and Elliot S! Maggin are brainstorming with legendary editor Julius Schwartz about the upcoming JLA issue. After Julie is his gruff self, the two writers decide to use Flash's cosmic treadmill that's stashed away in Julie's office. Bates gets on the thing and somehow activates it to go to Earth-2, where he is manipulated by the new Injustice Society to become a super-villain. Maggin decides he has to save Bates and he ends up on Earth-1. Naturally, they end up meeting the JLA and JSA, and eventually defeat the villains. This story is actually better than the plot sounds, though still cheesy, and has some nice moments of characterization. It was always nice to see the Earth-2 Robin, also, and he plays a big part here.

The next story returns to the introduction of a third set of heroes to get the story rolling. This time, a Cro-Magnon bad guy has caused all the gods on the Rock of Eternity to become unable to move. Yes, this is the home of the Fawcett Family of super-heroes: Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Capt Marvel, JR, Ibis, Bulletman, Bulletgirl, Spy Master, Mr Scarlet, and Pinky the Whiz Kid! The wizard Shazam is able to mentally free the god Mercury, who travels to Earths 1 & 2 to collect the JLA and JSA to help the heroes of Earth-S (for Shazam, I suppose).

This was a great story, as the heroes team up to fight a bunch of villains from all the earths. One of the villains, oddly enough, is the Penguin, who seems out of place here, but it's kinda fun seeing him take on other heroes besides Batman. Because the wizard Shazam is immobilized, Billy Batson, et al., are unable to turn into their respective heroic counterparts at first, but eventually that issue is solved and Captain Marvel, the real one, and the one and only, saves the day in a fight scene with Superman very reminiscent of the one from Kingdom Come. This tale was plotted by E. Nelson Bridwell and written by Marty Pasko. Bridwell is not remembered today, which is a shame, as he was a comics fan who ended up working for DC and became known for his knowledge of DC's past. He was the go-to guy for trivia answers, and helped keep DC's continuity straight for many years, until an early death from lung cancer.

The final story is also a mish mash of super-heroes, as the JLA and JSA are brought into the 30th century by Mordru the Merciless and meet up with the Legion of Super-Heroes. One of the early JLA cases dealt with these three demons who were almost unstoppable until the JLA found a way to lock them away in isolated places on earth. Three talismans, a bell, jar, and wheel, used in connection with the demons, are desired by Mordru to help amplify his own power. Stored in the JLA satellite, Mordru attempts to steal them across time, but grabs the JLA/JSA members there instead. Once in the future, the heroes have to figure out how to find the talismans in that era, and once they do so, Mordru summons the demons. The demons turn on Mordru, naturally, and soone quarrel among themselves, and decide to use the three teams as proxies in their battle. Some very fun to read fights ensue before the game is up for all the bad guys involved.

This story was written by Marty Pasko and regular Legion scribe Paul Levitz, who was also writing the JSA's book at the time. Interestingly, there's not a lot of "older vs younger" here, although the age of the JSAers does play into the resolution of the conflict. Most fun was seeing the feud between Superboy and Wildfire continues when Superman and Wildfire meet for the first time. In the Legion's own book, relative newcomer Wildfire narrowly defeated Superboy for the Legion leadership, and this was a constant source of conflict in the book. It was great to see Levitz and Pasko deal with that here.

Dick Dillin and hist best inker, Frank McLaughlin, provide the art, up to their usual standards. Not sure how their hands didn't cramp up from drawing all those heroes! Remarkable work, considering this was done on a monthly basis, when most modern artists don't seem to be able to do the same amount of work. Dillin missed only one or two issues during his twelve year run on JLA. That's some great dedication to his craft, and some true professionalism.

[Dony Grayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tomo 4 de 14 del Box Set y cuarto de seis de los plateadísimos Crisis on Multiple Earths en una edición hardcover preciosa, aunque los tomos individuales no tengan ISBN propio.

[Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of tales about the ORIGINAL JLA and JSA teaming up together. Therefore, by definition they are excellent. Dick Dillon's pencils were marvelous, and the various writers knocked themselves out to create tightly plotted and crafted, wonderful stories. Perhaps best of all, nobody in the DC bullpen was out to kill ANY superhero. The Legion of Superheroes makes a guest appearance here and there are other special guest stars. Read them and rejoice!

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing better than the old Justice League/ Justice Society team up events.
This volume includes a huge epic featuring the various Shazam/Captain Marvel heroes and villains and a disappointing meeting with the Legion of Super Heroes.
The LSH story had uneven art and the writer couldn't seem to juggle the big cast as well.

[Ritchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, as with many of the TV shows I loved as a kid, these stories simply do not live up to the fond memories I have of them. It's amazing how much of them I remember, though, down to particular panels.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historias más tibias que los tomos anteriores, más normales, menos ridículas y por lo tanto menos divertidas. Pero igualmente bien dibujadas y con crossovers para tirar al techo. Pero aun así otro gran tomo, por más que la tapa sea de las más engañosas de la colección.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading for classic Justice League fans.

[Mulviterso Infinito · Rating 4 out of 5]

No es tanto lo que promete la portada pero el tomo sigue engrosando las grandes Crisis anteriores a LA gran CRISIS.

[Ribrarian Not · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro de historietas con ISBN compartido con el resto de la colección. Edición estadounidense que forma parte del Box set de Crisis. Hubo ediciones similares con contenido muy similar o igual.