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Superman & Justice League America #2
Superman and the Justice League America Vol. 2 (Justice League of America
THE JUSTICE LEAGUE-RIPPED APART!
The Man of Steel has died! Falling at the hands of the monster Doomsday, the Justice League's most powerful member is now gone. And in addition to killing Superman, the creature grievously injures Leaguers Blue Beetle, Booster Gold and more!
How will the Justice League re-collect in this moment of crisis? Who will be the newest members? And how will they cope in a world without Superman?
Veteran comics creator Dan Jurgens is joined by an all-star team of artists that include Rick Burchett and the legendary Dave Cockrum as they chronicle the JLA's loss of their leader and the world's greatest hero, Superman! Collects JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #69-77 and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ANNUAL #6.
The Man of Steel has died! Falling at the hands of the monster Doomsday, the Justice League's most powerful member is now gone. And in addition to killing Superman, the creature grievously injures Leaguers Blue Beetle, Booster Gold and more!
How will the Justice League re-collect in this moment of crisis? Who will be the newest members? And how will they cope in a world without Superman?
Veteran comics creator Dan Jurgens is joined by an all-star team of artists that include Rick Burchett and the legendary Dave Cockrum as they chronicle the JLA's loss of their leader and the world's greatest hero, Superman! Collects JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #69-77 and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ANNUAL #6.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 1993
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About the author
Dan Jurgens
2,230 books285 followersDan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw, and Booster Gold. Jurgens had a lengthy run on the Superman comic books including The Adventures of Superman, Superman vol. 2 and Action Comics. At Marvel, Jurgens worked on series such as Captain America, The Sensational Spider-Man and was the writer on Thor for six years. He also had a brief run as writer and artist on Solar for Valiant Comics in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 7, 2017
The title of this book is a misnomer. Superman dies between the first and second issues. Those first 2 issues are best read as part of the Death of Superman collections. In the wake of fighting Doomsday, the team has been decimated. Wonder Woman comes in to lead the team and recruits a bunch of B level superheroes to fill the ranks. The Destiny's Hand story line is the best in the book. Dr. Destiny has created an alternate world where the JLA of a few years ago have taken over the world and murder criminals. Then we find out the deal behind Bloodwynd and it is as dumb as how he spells his name. There's also an annual that is part of the Eclipso: The Darkness Within that ran through all the DC annuals one year. It takes place sometime during volume 1 though as Guy is still a Green Lantern.
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July 20, 2017A daft name for the collection, really - as the cover suggests, within two issues Kal is dead. Let's not get into the many sins of that story here, but note only that it also messes up the rest of the League pretty much as set-dressing, leaving Blue Beetle comatose and Booster Gold's costume - the source of his powers - in shreds. A problem to which, even considering he's often played as a bit dim, he takes a remarkably long time figuring out the solution. And not only does poor Fire lose her powers too, but it doesn't even happen in her own book, meaning that as you read this collection they basically vanish between issues!
So that means Jurgens and the rotating cast of art finishers have to do the 'recruiting a new team' story, which goes about as well as you'd expect, including the obligatory character nobody's ever heard of (Agent Liberty?) who proceeds not to do much for a couple of issues, then vanish with as little explanation as Fire's powers. Even speaking as a fan of Aztek, that's a poor showing, mate.
And then it's on to the 'dark alternate future' story which reads like an amateurish foreshadowing of Injustice, to the extent that I wonder if that game or comic's creators read this at a formative age. Weirdly, this also features Doctor Destiny, as seen in the early issues of Gaiman's Sandman, which it explicitly references - yet another nail in the coffin of any notion that the DC and Vertigo universes were ever separate, an oddly widespread belief despite such other giveaways as Darkseid and J'onn at Morpheus' funeral. Speaking of which, the collection - and Jurgens' run - wrap up with the resolution of the mystery surrounding enigmatic League member Bloodwynd. A resolution which is promptly bungled in exactly the same way Xorn later would be in X-Men, despite this version all occurring on one writer's watch.
A right bloody mess, then. With one odd exception. The first thing in the collection is an annual tying in to a long-forgotten crossover starring Eclipso, who I've always found more a Macguffin for hero-versus-hero fights than a character. It's not even written by Jurgens, only plotted, with some guy of whom I've never heard doing the script. And yet it's really good fun! Part of this is down to the Dave Cockrum art, not least when Wonder Woman is not impressed with someone, which is fairly frequent. But even beyond that, Mishkin's dialogue captures the feel of Giffen & deMatteis much better than Jurgens manages, especially in the scenes following Beetle as he singlehandedly tries to evade and stymie a much more powerful foe in the League's base.
So that means Jurgens and the rotating cast of art finishers have to do the 'recruiting a new team' story, which goes about as well as you'd expect, including the obligatory character nobody's ever heard of (Agent Liberty?) who proceeds not to do much for a couple of issues, then vanish with as little explanation as Fire's powers. Even speaking as a fan of Aztek, that's a poor showing, mate.
And then it's on to the 'dark alternate future' story which reads like an amateurish foreshadowing of Injustice, to the extent that I wonder if that game or comic's creators read this at a formative age. Weirdly, this also features Doctor Destiny, as seen in the early issues of Gaiman's Sandman, which it explicitly references - yet another nail in the coffin of any notion that the DC and Vertigo universes were ever separate, an oddly widespread belief despite such other giveaways as Darkseid and J'onn at Morpheus' funeral. Speaking of which, the collection - and Jurgens' run - wrap up with the resolution of the mystery surrounding enigmatic League member Bloodwynd. A resolution which is promptly bungled in exactly the same way Xorn later would be in X-Men, despite this version all occurring on one writer's watch.
A right bloody mess, then. With one odd exception. The first thing in the collection is an annual tying in to a long-forgotten crossover starring Eclipso, who I've always found more a Macguffin for hero-versus-hero fights than a character. It's not even written by Jurgens, only plotted, with some guy of whom I've never heard doing the script. And yet it's really good fun! Part of this is down to the Dave Cockrum art, not least when Wonder Woman is not impressed with someone, which is fairly frequent. But even beyond that, Mishkin's dialogue captures the feel of Giffen & deMatteis much better than Jurgens manages, especially in the scenes following Beetle as he singlehandedly tries to evade and stymie a much more powerful foe in the League's base.
January 2, 2018
Things start off strong but the mix of characters gets progressively less interesting as the page count climbs. You can keep your Black Condor, thank you; I would gladly have a little more Ted Kord and Clark Kent.
March 7, 2020
I'm aware that the material itself does not read as well, even to me, in 2020, as it did a quarter century ago. Dan Jurgens is definitely an old school superhero comics storyteller. But there's a great amount of admitted nostalgia fueling my interest, and also, for what I said, some pretty good storytelling in here.
One name: Bloodwynd.
To most other fans, that name means close to nothing. There's a nibble of interest out there, but for most other fans, it's a name that still means what it seemed to mean, if you misread or didn't read all of the comics in this collection, that Bloodwynd turned out, in the end, to be Martian Manhunter. Which is true and not true, in thorough superhero comics logic. He was but he wasn't, insofar as the Bloodwynd featured in most of his appearances was Martian Manhunter, but Bloodwynd was trapped in his own blood diamond the whole time, and at the end of the collection was finally set free. To make a relative handful of additional appearances, probably by indifferent writers who thought they were handling the same mystery character who'd existed before the events of this collection. And then vanished, and then randomly reappeared in Grant Morrison's Multiversity (despite the fact that Morrison himself was ultimately about as impressed with the character as anyone else).
This is a collection that could just as well be appreciated for its "Death of Superman" material, about how it captures the state of the Justice League at the time of one of comics' most famous events, just before and just after, although I guess Superman's dead for most of the collection and so the title is a bit of a misnomer (subsequent collections were titled Wonder Woman & Justice League America; I assume this one wasn't for continuity's sake, as it's the second and last featuring work from "Death of Superman" creator Dan Jurgens). And probably, for most fans, that's how its significance will stand.
For me, though: Bloodwynd.
The collection opens with an "Eclipso: The Darkness Within" tie-in. This is itself part of the nifty storytelling involved in the collection. Eclipso is a villain who in this crossover event took over the minds of various superheroes, and it wasn't always clear from the trademark shadowed face who was compromised or, in fact, who he was impersonating. The art of Spider-Man legend Dave Cockrum shows us Starman (Will Payton) being used this way, but the writing never makes explicit if it's Bruce Gordon (whom savvy readers will know is Eclipso's tragic secret identity) or Metamorpho being used to infiltrate the League.
Anyway, Blue Beetle's obsession with cracking Bloodwynd's secret resumes in the next issue, which also happens to be Justice League America's direct involvement in "Death of Superman," in which Beetle (along with everyone else) gets pummeled by Doomsday, right after discovering the Martian Manhunter connection (still hidden from readers at this point).
Doctor Destiny, who at this point in DC lore had just been featured in the early issues of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, entangles a new lineup of Leaguers in a nightmare sequence of corrupted counterparts, at which point Beetle finally wakes up from the coma Doomsday beat him into, and the Bloodwynd reveal is made, and then the final two issues are the first and only sustained look at the character (except for a Showcase '95 short) fans ever really get, including an origin and archnemesis.
So there's the symmetry between beginning and ending in the collection. I have no idea if an editor for this collection decided on that, or if it was Jurgens' original intention, but it's nice to see either way. Jurgens, along with a number of inkers, provides most of the art, and it's exactly what you remember from his style (which unfortunately, or fortunately, never looked better than the all-splash-pages splendor of Superman #75). None of this would rival the best that superhero comics have ever delivered, but again, that comfortable middle ground that Jurgens so often delivers, even today (for those keeping score, currently the latest adventures of Batman Beyond and Nightwing, although if you wanted to explore the latter, just know that Jurgens is once again exploring issues of identity, as Dick Grayson's memory is gone and he calls himself Ric; apparently par for the course with ol' Dan).
One name: Bloodwynd.
To most other fans, that name means close to nothing. There's a nibble of interest out there, but for most other fans, it's a name that still means what it seemed to mean, if you misread or didn't read all of the comics in this collection, that Bloodwynd turned out, in the end, to be Martian Manhunter. Which is true and not true, in thorough superhero comics logic. He was but he wasn't, insofar as the Bloodwynd featured in most of his appearances was Martian Manhunter, but Bloodwynd was trapped in his own blood diamond the whole time, and at the end of the collection was finally set free. To make a relative handful of additional appearances, probably by indifferent writers who thought they were handling the same mystery character who'd existed before the events of this collection. And then vanished, and then randomly reappeared in Grant Morrison's Multiversity (despite the fact that Morrison himself was ultimately about as impressed with the character as anyone else).
This is a collection that could just as well be appreciated for its "Death of Superman" material, about how it captures the state of the Justice League at the time of one of comics' most famous events, just before and just after, although I guess Superman's dead for most of the collection and so the title is a bit of a misnomer (subsequent collections were titled Wonder Woman & Justice League America; I assume this one wasn't for continuity's sake, as it's the second and last featuring work from "Death of Superman" creator Dan Jurgens). And probably, for most fans, that's how its significance will stand.
For me, though: Bloodwynd.
The collection opens with an "Eclipso: The Darkness Within" tie-in. This is itself part of the nifty storytelling involved in the collection. Eclipso is a villain who in this crossover event took over the minds of various superheroes, and it wasn't always clear from the trademark shadowed face who was compromised or, in fact, who he was impersonating. The art of Spider-Man legend Dave Cockrum shows us Starman (Will Payton) being used this way, but the writing never makes explicit if it's Bruce Gordon (whom savvy readers will know is Eclipso's tragic secret identity) or Metamorpho being used to infiltrate the League.
Anyway, Blue Beetle's obsession with cracking Bloodwynd's secret resumes in the next issue, which also happens to be Justice League America's direct involvement in "Death of Superman," in which Beetle (along with everyone else) gets pummeled by Doomsday, right after discovering the Martian Manhunter connection (still hidden from readers at this point).
Doctor Destiny, who at this point in DC lore had just been featured in the early issues of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, entangles a new lineup of Leaguers in a nightmare sequence of corrupted counterparts, at which point Beetle finally wakes up from the coma Doomsday beat him into, and the Bloodwynd reveal is made, and then the final two issues are the first and only sustained look at the character (except for a Showcase '95 short) fans ever really get, including an origin and archnemesis.
So there's the symmetry between beginning and ending in the collection. I have no idea if an editor for this collection decided on that, or if it was Jurgens' original intention, but it's nice to see either way. Jurgens, along with a number of inkers, provides most of the art, and it's exactly what you remember from his style (which unfortunately, or fortunately, never looked better than the all-splash-pages splendor of Superman #75). None of this would rival the best that superhero comics have ever delivered, but again, that comfortable middle ground that Jurgens so often delivers, even today (for those keeping score, currently the latest adventures of Batman Beyond and Nightwing, although if you wanted to explore the latter, just know that Jurgens is once again exploring issues of identity, as Dick Grayson's memory is gone and he calls himself Ric; apparently par for the course with ol' Dan).
September 21, 2016
via NYPL - Firstly, the title is slightly misleading, as Superman dies after the second chapter and is hardly in the book (although his death casts a long shadow over two subsequent chapters). As for the stories, the Eclipso Annual is solid enough, but as part of that years's Annuals crossover storyline, don't expect any real resolution. The Doomsday brawl is solid action, but the aftermath stumbles badly. The greater arc, the JLA roster overhauled as members are unable to continue after being battered by Doomsday, is a nice idea, but the dialogue, flat emotional beats, and clumsy introduction of new members leave the entire mini-arc lifeless. Fortunately, Jurgens bounces back with a very satisfying and dark Dr. Destiny-featured thriller. The volume-concluding two-parter that reveals J'Onn/Bloodwynd's secrets is pretty much run-of-the-mill mediocre superhero stuff.
August 26, 2018
Superman and the Justice League of America Volume 2 (1992-93/ Collected 2016): written by Dan Jurgens and Dan Mishkin; illustrated by Dan Jurgens, Dave Cockrum, Rick Burchett, Sal Velluto, and others: The Death of Superman arrives early in this volume, which reprints only the one issue of JLA that was part of that story arc. It's not like it's hard to find a copy of the Death of Superman story from 1992, so stop complaining!
Superman's brief leadership of the JLA comes to an end off-stage, then, after which we deal with the aftermath. Superman went into battle with his killer Doomsday after the mysterious juggernaut mopped the floor with the rest of the JLA. This reality has left the JLA feeling like a failure. Well, and Blue Beetle is in a coma after getting his head somewhat crushed by Doomsday. Booster Gold's power suit is also in dire, perhaps irreparable shape. Everyone is bummed.
Before the Death of Superman comes 1992's JLA Annual, a double-length story that's part of DC's title-wide Summer Crossover Event featuring Silver Age cult character Eclipso as the villain. While the story is obviously inconclusive and not really a standalone, it's notable for art by New X-Men great Dave Cockrum, who supplies some nifty visuals, especially of Superman.
In the issues After-Death, the JLA mopes a lot until being forced into what is a really strong four-parter dubbed Destiny's Hand. It's a great 'short-long' story arc that nods to the JLA's past without sacrificing sense or clarity to continuity. It really is a gem of a story. It also manages to nod to past JLA rosters that were in 1992 'out of continuity' without requiring the reader to be aware of this if that reader doesn't know those pre-1986 JLA rosters.
Destiny's Hand is sly. And it slyly uses long-time JLA villain Dr. Destiny. By 1992, Destiny was best-known by comic-book readers as the villain in the first arc of Neil Gaiman's Sandman. There's a nod to that as well in the storyline that doesn't require the reader to know Sandman. Does Destiny's time in the realm of Sandman allow him to remember JLA rosters that never 'existed' in this continuity? Good question!
As the collection ends, so too does Dan Jurgens' year-plus stint as writer and co-artist. It was a very good year. Well, really more like 18 months or so. Recommended.
Superman's brief leadership of the JLA comes to an end off-stage, then, after which we deal with the aftermath. Superman went into battle with his killer Doomsday after the mysterious juggernaut mopped the floor with the rest of the JLA. This reality has left the JLA feeling like a failure. Well, and Blue Beetle is in a coma after getting his head somewhat crushed by Doomsday. Booster Gold's power suit is also in dire, perhaps irreparable shape. Everyone is bummed.
Before the Death of Superman comes 1992's JLA Annual, a double-length story that's part of DC's title-wide Summer Crossover Event featuring Silver Age cult character Eclipso as the villain. While the story is obviously inconclusive and not really a standalone, it's notable for art by New X-Men great Dave Cockrum, who supplies some nifty visuals, especially of Superman.
In the issues After-Death, the JLA mopes a lot until being forced into what is a really strong four-parter dubbed Destiny's Hand. It's a great 'short-long' story arc that nods to the JLA's past without sacrificing sense or clarity to continuity. It really is a gem of a story. It also manages to nod to past JLA rosters that were in 1992 'out of continuity' without requiring the reader to be aware of this if that reader doesn't know those pre-1986 JLA rosters.
Destiny's Hand is sly. And it slyly uses long-time JLA villain Dr. Destiny. By 1992, Destiny was best-known by comic-book readers as the villain in the first arc of Neil Gaiman's Sandman. There's a nod to that as well in the storyline that doesn't require the reader to know Sandman. Does Destiny's time in the realm of Sandman allow him to remember JLA rosters that never 'existed' in this continuity? Good question!
As the collection ends, so too does Dan Jurgens' year-plus stint as writer and co-artist. It was a very good year. Well, really more like 18 months or so. Recommended.
September 7, 2025
“I mean, look at all these flags flying at half-mast. I bet it’s like this all over the WORLD, too!
Wow.
Superman’s death is big enough to affect the ENTIRE UNIVERSE.
Wow.”
Wow, indeed, Wally.
In the wake of an Eclipso attack that janks everyone’s powers and even turns some people heel apparently and THEN in the wake of the death of Superman, we find Jurgens and company…really trying some things.
What works, the artwork, obviously and the way we have a pretty bonkers rotating cast of characters that keep the cast from feeling static. I also can’t help but appreciate the sheer bonkers amount of ongoing plots Jurgens keeps coming to the table with.
The whole thing about who is leading and who is getting recruited, I was genuinely pretty engaged with that and that’s always the fun stuff when it comes to a big ensemble book like this. Villains too! Like any time Weapons Master shows up in something, I’m never going to hate it completely.
But also very much the shift in tone and the…let’s say, questionable elements of Bloodwynd just drag this whole stretch down just when I was trying to really vibe with it. Knowing where we start up until now is very odd.
I’m certainly going to keep going because I’ve gone too far to stop now, but I really have NO idea where this can go next.
Wow.
Superman’s death is big enough to affect the ENTIRE UNIVERSE.
Wow.”
Wow, indeed, Wally.
In the wake of an Eclipso attack that janks everyone’s powers and even turns some people heel apparently and THEN in the wake of the death of Superman, we find Jurgens and company…really trying some things.
What works, the artwork, obviously and the way we have a pretty bonkers rotating cast of characters that keep the cast from feeling static. I also can’t help but appreciate the sheer bonkers amount of ongoing plots Jurgens keeps coming to the table with.
The whole thing about who is leading and who is getting recruited, I was genuinely pretty engaged with that and that’s always the fun stuff when it comes to a big ensemble book like this. Villains too! Like any time Weapons Master shows up in something, I’m never going to hate it completely.
But also very much the shift in tone and the…let’s say, questionable elements of Bloodwynd just drag this whole stretch down just when I was trying to really vibe with it. Knowing where we start up until now is very odd.
I’m certainly going to keep going because I’ve gone too far to stop now, but I really have NO idea where this can go next.
October 30, 2018
A mediocre compilation of Justice League stories, mainly circling around Superman's Death (as shown on the cover)...
We start off with the still-struggling new JLA led reluctantly by Superman. The team includes Fire, Ice, Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Maxima, and Bloodwynd. Max Lord and Oberon are involved somewhat too.
Superman dies between the first two issues, so most of the book deals with the aftermath. Unfortunately, the League is decimated too. In Doomsday's initial attack, Beetle was put in a coma and Booster's suit was destroyed, so they're out of action. Fire somehow loses her powers, and then Ice quiets, so they're out too. As a result, Max Lord arranges for new members (the Ray, Black Condor, and Agent Liberty) to fill out the roster, and Wonder Woman to lead. (For once, someone is able to channel Guy's attitude.)
The collection of stories is okay, but nothing too special. We see some interesting villains (especially Dr. Destiny) and a Dark Justice League, and Bloodwynd's origin is finally explained as well. I woulldn't recommend this for beginners... overall, it's really only good if you want to see some aftermath of Death of Superman.
Or how Booster reacts to losing his "powers" and almost his best friend.
We start off with the still-struggling new JLA led reluctantly by Superman. The team includes Fire, Ice, Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Maxima, and Bloodwynd. Max Lord and Oberon are involved somewhat too.
Superman dies between the first two issues, so most of the book deals with the aftermath. Unfortunately, the League is decimated too. In Doomsday's initial attack, Beetle was put in a coma and Booster's suit was destroyed, so they're out of action. Fire somehow loses her powers, and then Ice quiets, so they're out too. As a result, Max Lord arranges for new members (the Ray, Black Condor, and Agent Liberty) to fill out the roster, and Wonder Woman to lead. (For once, someone is able to channel Guy's attitude.)
The collection of stories is okay, but nothing too special. We see some interesting villains (especially Dr. Destiny) and a Dark Justice League, and Bloodwynd's origin is finally explained as well. I woulldn't recommend this for beginners... overall, it's really only good if you want to see some aftermath of Death of Superman.
Or how Booster reacts to losing his "powers" and almost his best friend.
September 24, 2017
These are fine JL stories from the era that inaugurated me into comics. The Justice League faces Eclipso, loses Superman to Doomsday, and launches a recruitment drive before landing in Doctor Destiny's alternate reality. The book closes with a classically complicated revelation of Bloodwynd's true identity. Dan Jurgens is a master storyteller, and the artwork is slick house style.
October 29, 2016
Public library copy.
Considering the in and out roster line up of the team, Jurgens' long run was good and he told great stories. I was surprised because the book was better than expected.
Considering the in and out roster line up of the team, Jurgens' long run was good and he told great stories. I was surprised because the book was better than expected.
June 3, 2024
Quite enjoyable. Excellent work by Dan Jurgens
February 28, 2024
Booster Gold in that crop top > everything else that happens in this comic
Want to read
June 25, 2016Segundo y último tomo de la League de Jurgens. Publicado años antes en castellano en dos tomos.
April 4, 2017
Love when Hawkman has his servants cut off Sinestro's arms and then when he escapes, he kills him with a yellow sword made from the yellow ring he stole from Sinestro.
November 5, 2017
Apart from the first chapter dealing with the aftermath of the death of Superman, this was a pretty mediocre collection of stories that don't really say anything interesting.
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