JLA: The Deluxe Edition, Vol. 9

JLA: The Deluxe Edition

by Kurt Busiek, Geoff Johns, Allan Heinberg

In this follow-up to the best-selling IDENTITY CRISIS and prelude to the epic INFINITE CRISIS, Kurt Busiek (ASTRO CITY, JLA/AVENGERS), Geoff Johns (JUSTICE LEAGUE), Allan Heinberg (WONDER WOMAN) and others tell the story of the final days of the JLA!

The Earth has survived catastrophe after catastrophe, from alien invasions to the sun dying, but it has never reached a turning point quite like this, and neither has the JLA. While no one knows the Infinite Crisis that is coming, the members of the JLA can feel it, and it’s starting to wear on their already-frayed nerves.

The beginning of the end starts with an incursion from the antimatter universe by the Crime Syndicate of America, the JLA’s evil dimensional counterparts. As chaos reigns across Earth, the two super-teams must band together before the might of the Weaponers of Qward.

Closer to home, Batman has learned the truth behind the Justice League’s darkest secret: that they used magic to alter the minds of the Secret Society of Super-Villains. With the Society returned, seeking vengeance, the League is forced to question the fine line between hero and vigilante.

Collects JLA #107-125 and JLA SECRET FILES 2004.

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

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.

Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.

During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).

Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.

In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.

In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.

In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.

Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.

Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collects volumes 17-19 of JLA.

JLA Vol. 17: Syndicate Rules - 3 Stars
The Crime Syndicate is back. Reality has been altered (We never find out why.) and it's our universe's fault. So the CSA come to our Earth to find out why and, of course, decide to take out the JLA. Meanwhile the Qwardians are also invading our reality due to something the CSA did. Eventually, it all comes to a head.

I found something missing from this story. It was a bit of a slog to get through. Maybe I just hate the CSA. It's a very one trick pony. Ron Garney's art here is really sloppy too. It reminded me some of Sal Buscema, which is not a good thing.

JLA Vol. 18: Crisis of Conscience - 5 Stars
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. Now 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.

JLA Vol. 19: World without a Justice League - 2 Stars
This series is just limping along to the finish. The League has been disbanded but Green Arrow can't accept that, so he's going around trying to recruit heroes to unofficially band together. Meanwhile The Key has escaped from Arkham and is murdering people. The book is filled with needless bickering until it mercifully ends. Bob Harras should stick to editing. The only good thing about the book was Tom Derenick's art.

[Saif Saeed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The JLA is one of my favourite series in all of comics and for one of the most noble groups of heroes ever assembled, it's only right that their ending is so.. tragic yet hopeful.

The planet of Q'Ward and the alternate universe JLA, the Crime Syndicate of Amerika, feature in this volume along with Despero and The Key. The League comes together and then slowly begins to unravel and the story is handled wonderfully, especially with how the events of Infinite Crisis are mentioned but not spoiled and have an effect on the story without making the story an after thought of an event.

Volume 8 saw several creative team lineups but the writing and art don't suffer for it. While it could never match the highs of the Grant Morrison led early volumes, it's decent quality stuff and most of the time you don't even notice the changes. A few cases of repeated expository lines here, the action with the battle cruiser of Q'Ward being almost entirely a case of tell and not show, it's mostly forgiveable stuff if you've made it to Volume 9. You're here to see what they do after they win, not how they win.

Without spoiling it, I liked the ending. Still knocking off a couple of stars because it really isn't the same quality in it's twilight issues but it wraps up well and I'm glad. If you're considering the series and wanted to see if the ending was worth it: it is.

[Maurice Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice follow-up to Identity Crisis. After all the mind control and memory wiping, there had to be repercussions, and here it is.

Batman and the league are at a crossroads now. He's learned that they took ten minutes of memories from him and they've learned that he kept files on how to defeat every one of them. Now they have to fight the Crime Syndicate from Earth-3 and deal with their internal trust issues at the same time.

It was well written and their evolution as a group was completely in character for all of them.

[Xavier Hugonet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fourth part of my re-reading of the DC crisis events in order : The JLA « Crisis of Conscience » story arc, second part of JLA Vol. 9 (1997-2006). It’s a direct sequel to the Identity Crisis mini-series, and part of the Countdown to Infinite Crisis prelude.

In Identity Crisis, we learnt of dark secrets some members of the league kept from the others. Now all those secrets are out, and there is a price to be paid. The Justice League might not survive it.

Two others tie-in to read before the main event : Superman Sacrifice, and Countdown to Infinite Crisis.

[Michael Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better JLA volumes, and the end to this era of the Justice League.

The first storyline is Syndicate Rules by Kurt Busiek, which is a sequel/consequence of the JLA/Avengers storyline Busiek had completed the same year. If you’re going into it having not read that storyline, or having any knowledge of it then this story may be confusing. We have the Crime Syndicate and the Qwardians as our main villains, and this is just the sort of universe spanning/hopping JLA story I enjoy. The Crime Syndicate are some of my favourite villains whenever they pop up, and their storylines tend to be memorable. The way in which the League wins this one is genuinely satisfying and good old comic book shenanigans. This story gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

The second storyline is Crisis of Conscience by Geoff Johns and Allan Heinberg, dealing with the fallout of the Identity Crisis event. As with the previous storyline, having knowledge of that event goes a long way in enjoying this storyline. The teams dynamics have shifted, and trust has been broken. Seeing them struggle with these issues, while facing off against Despero, and leading into the events to come with Infinite Crisis looming. This storyline is always a great read, especially when read right after Identity Crisis (when those wounds are still fresh). A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.

The final storyline is the one that lets down the book a bit. It is World Without A Justice League, and sees the culmination of the JLA/Elite storyline, with the repercussions of Identity Crisis and the beginnings of Infinite Crisis. The first couple of issues are okay, with Batman and Green Arrow arguing over the value the League brings to the world (with Batman also viewing them as potential threats, especially after what they did to him in Identity Crisis). Batman himself is viewed in a negative light due to his involvement with Brother Eye. The Key's (classic JL villain) involvement is also interesting until the final two issues where they try to shoehorn in an Infinite Crisis tie in and acknowledge the Days of Vengeance mini in which the Seven Deadly Sins are released on to the world. Envy (the sin) is to blame as the cause of the fighting at the end and it all wraps up a little to neatly and randomly. It drags down the ending to this volume, and as the grand finale of this Justice League era. Overall this storyline gets a ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Nate]

The last JLA collection before Infinite Crisis caused the series to reboot. The three stories here range from okay to good to godawful, in that order. Geoff Johns and Allan Heinberg’s arc takes place between Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis, tying in to both. It’s easily the best story in the book. Solid character work, exciting action, and moves at a good pace. It leaves off on a cliffhanger, so read Infinite Crisis if you want to know what happens. I don’t have the energy to go into the other two. Kurt Busiek’s was a rare dud from him. Bob Harras is a better editor than writer. The end.

[Eric Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed all three story arcs here, the first by Busiek was a lot of fun, and Ron Garney's art is amazing.
The second by Geoff John's And Alan Heinberg was an excellent exploration of the fallout of Identity Crisis, and all the distrust in the JLA. There are plenty of character memorable character interactions and it's fascinating to see which heroes are for mind wiping and which are against it.
The final arc really allows for Green Arrow to shine, and I loved seeing him be jealous and annoyed of Batman, and seeing them both fight each other was great.

[Ralph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Syndicate Rules is a fun and entertaining storyline. Crisis of Conscience is sort of emotional, which slowly laid the groundwork for the cracks in the League. World Without a Justice League is an underwhelming end to the JLA title, especially when it started with the legendary run of Grant Morrison and followed by Mark Waid.

[Alex E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This final volume of the Justice League contains a little bit of everything we have seen so far. From the first story which is huge and grandiose, like the days of Morrison, to the more personal team focused story regarding the relationship between the members, like in the days of Waid, and yes, even some of the not so good stuff as well.

The first story is written by Busiek, and it deals not only with the Crime Syndicate returning, but also at the same time with the invasion by the Qwardian race and their massive war ships. I loved this story and it felt great to get into this kind of huge over the top plot that the JLA first started with. The Garney art was good too, as it gave it that overall early 2000's vibe to it.

The second story deals with the fallout of identity crisis. Its much more low key and more focused on the severe rift within the team itself. I liked this story very much as well. John's is a great followup writer to Busiek as he has a good grasp on most, if not all the characters in the DC cannon.

Lastly, we have the story of the JLA breaking up whilst trying to find the Key, who is on a murderous rampage. While I did like that they focused more on lesser known JLA members like Manitou Dawn, I felt it this story wasn't as tight as the others, and tended to linger too long on certain aspects. The pacing was off, and to be honest, I wish they would've gone out on a higher note than this.

Overall, this series is very high high's and also some lows. I can honestly say I enjoyed the series as a whole, and had some amazing stories in it. If you are a fan of DC or superhero teams in general, you cant go wrong with this series.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This large Justice League collection has highs and lows to say the least. The story with the ramifications of Identity Crisis is far and away the best. The story needed to be told and was full of raw emotions and some great moments with many characters, especially Zatanna. Johns and Heinberg delivered a solid story. The Earth 2/Qwardian war, written by Kurt Busiek, was a severe letdown. Busiek's JLA was fine but there was so much involving the Qwardians from Earth 2 that were hard to care about. His pseudo science made no sense when the two universes were involved. The final arc, involving The Key was also pretty rough. Bob Harras tries to up the ante with a lesser known villain while adding the existing Identity Crisis fallout but it was a big miss. The art was really good across the board. Overall, a collection worth reading due to the art and the JLA internal drama.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've seen Kurt Busiek get to carry the ball. It's. . . .OK! I can't say I feel interested in the Weaponers of Qward and it's hard to make the CSA into a real story because they're such a flat contrast. The ultimate resolution of the story was lampshaded a little too much but it was good.

Then there's a Geoff Johns story. That's basically just the echo of Identity Crisis.

Then there's a Bob Harras story(!) Maybe it would work if I knew about the Key and if the new Manitou had been foregrounded for any period of time. I guess that wraps up the universe. On to the relaunch?

[Rondinelle Nunes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a bad story, but is not so good than the five first volumes of the JLA. After half of the book starts the end of the league after various discussios that happened among them, like i said its not bad, but without the strongest heroes like martian manhunter, wonder woman and superman in the league, the story takes a different way, the roteirist didn't know how to improve the story. Could be better.

Ps: I loved the Geoff Jonhs part, I am suspicious to say that because he is one of the better modern comic writters for me nowadays.

[Javier Campos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un final y basta

[Christian Oliverio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collects the last three stories of the JLA run with the last two being pretty awesome, spinning directly out of Identity Crisis and seamlessly transitioning into (and taking place during) Infinite Crisis.

Story 1: Syndicate Rules. The Crime Syndicate is back in a fun/violent rampage. As the multiverse was still 'dead' a this point, they were from the antimatter universe here, so we got some fun use of that connection via the weaponers. If none of that makes sense to you, that's fine. Evil Justice League fights good Justice League and they end up having to work together to fight something bigger. All the worldbuilding you need to know is included. There's also a fun moment of Power Ring (evil Green Lantern) race-swapping to look like the new Green Lantern. Any time anybody questioned this sudden change in appearance, Power Ring would get livid and it was pretty funny/self-aware.

Story 2: Crisis of Conscience. Easily the best part of this and the reason I picked it up. Read Identity Crisis as this is a direct sequel that is just as good. Spoilers for said crisis until the end of this paragraph. Batman finds out his mind was erased and undoes everything (maybe). So those villains who knew the Justice League's secret identity? They are back and ready for revenge. Personal attacks happen and a series of intense events spiral out of control. The morality of the JLA is fully questioned and many rage-quite after a heated debate between the secret cabal in the League. Very character focused and some great consequences that carry onto the next story and Infinite Crisis.

Story 3: World Without a Justice League. The League officially dissolves as they question the abuse of their power in the last few stories. Still, a crisis emerges and they are forced to work together, despite hating and not trusting one another. The character work from Identity Crisis and Crisis of Conscience carry over into another stellar tale. The only problem is it takes place during the insanely convoluted and busy events that are Infinite Crisis, so unless you have read it and/or the OMAC Project, there will be moments of heavy confusion.

In short, an era ends in some dark and interesting tales. Lots of character work for a 'fun' series. Luckily, you are eased in with the first arc. Unfortunately, it pales in comparison to the intensity of the last stories. Worth the read if you loved Identity Crisis and/or Infinite Crisis.