Superman: The Never-Ending Battle

Justice League of America #1

by Roger Stern

Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. The Flash. Green Lantern.They are the world's greatest super heroes, fighting endlessly against corruption and injustice. Each of them alone is a formidable opponent of evil, but banded together their powers are unmatched. Ever ready,

they stand united as the --

JUSTICE LEAGUE of AMERICA

A mysterious super-terrorist has devised a master plan to bring the world to its knees, using the planet's own weather as a weapon against Superman and his teammates in the JLA. But the conflict raises troubling questions for the Man of Steel about authority, justice, power and the price of liberty in a world where the enemies of freedom stand on the brink of victory.

Genres: Superheroes, Comics, Fiction, Audiobook, Dc Comics, Superman, Science Fiction

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 24, 2005

About the author

Roger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though Superman is featured on the cover, this is actually more of a J.L.A. book than an individual outing, as Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman are also featured prominently. Further, it's more of a Clark or Clark-and-Lois story than a Man of Steel adventure. And all of those things are good, because it makes for a much more interesting story, especially the Clark-Lois, Superman-Flash, and Superman-Green Lantern interactions on the themes of responsibility and abuse of power. It's a pretty good story centering on climate control and weather-as-a-weapon, but the well-handled characters are the main treat.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadly it's been nearly a month since I finished this.

I did find it enjoyable. The production was well done. The plot was easy and again, enjoyable.

But because I've waited so long, I cannot give it the review it requires.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger Stern is among the best writers to ever handle Superman. Maybe because in my heart of hearts I am a 80-90s Superman fan. So I prefer Clark Kent being who the Man of Steel is in his soul and Superman is just a role he plays to put his powers to good use. Superman is strong but can't juggle planets of time through time under his own power. He's Super in many ways but there is still a very human factor to him. Plus, 80s-90s Superman had one of the wide, varied and bizarre supporting casts in comics. Not just Lois, Jimmy and Perry. But Turpin, Dr. Faulkner, and a personal favorite of mine Bibbo Bibbowski. All these characters from the comics I've missed for YEARS who seem to have been forgotten for some reason are all there. And it is a lot of fun.

There are some REALLY good character moments and subplots with the leaguers. In particular with Superman and Flash (Wally West). And a REALLY good section with J'onn Jonnz.

Now to the things that kept it from getting that fifth star.

But as good as all that was, it seems like many of the other of these Justice League and DC Universe novels I've read, much of the league seems to be there to fill space. The threat being posed is tough but I don't think it is 'the entire league would be needs to be there' level disaster. I'm not saying the two villains used here and dangerous but there is no reason this couldn't have been a simple Superman and Flash with maybe an Atom cameo. Do FEWER subplots and do more with them.

Oh and the reason it took me so long to read this one is the I was reading from a paper copy and I misplaced it for almost a month.

[literaryaura · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book is titled Superman, he might not even be in half of the book. And the parts that he is in, there's a lot of 'walking down memory lane'. The good thing was that it was put in nicely, and didn't turn out to be partially an origins story, like a lot of the other books in this series.

There was a lot of Batman in this book, and I loved those scenes. I think there was more of Batman in this book, than in his own book. He's portrayed wonderfully. We also get to see more of the rest of the current Justice League. I would have loved 2 more books in this series focusing on The Atom and The Martian Manhunter, as they have significant roles in the series. Aquaman is around, but not a lot.

This was the last of the 6 GraphicAudio JLA books. Probably the best of the bunch. I didn't love them, but they were fun reads, and I'll miss the DC world for a while. I think I'll check out more GA superhero books.

[SteveH · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUPERMAN THE NEVER-ENDING BATTLE by Roger Stern is an old- fashioned comic book in prose form. All members of the Justice League of America make an appearance. Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, etc, they are all here in the confines of this excellent book. No alternate time-lines or aliens that provoke war against the earth. Just an old-school story that is straight out of the comic books of the 1960-70s.

A super villain uses the WEATHER WIZARD, (an old foe of Flash) to manipulate the weather, causing the Justice League to be too busy saving people from catastrophic weather events to zero in on the villain and his master plan. A fun read that brings back memories of comics books of the past. Five stars.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads exactly like one of Roger Stern's Superman comics. That's both good and bad - he has a strong handle on what makes that character tick, writes the supporting cast well, and nails a few outstanding scenes between Superman and Flash and later Superman and Batman. On a less positive note, Stern never takes advantage of the novel form's strengths. The novel's plot is sound, but there is no internal narrative arc affecting Superman's character. And as a Justice League story with Superman as its focal point, the classic Superman supporting cast is reduced to small roles. It's a decent novel, but not a special one.

[Anthony Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT! These are the type of prose novels i miss. They have great material that reflects perfect comic moments- if that makes sense. Stern is great at dialog too and finds perfect moments for our heroes to chat together and get to know each other. I could see this book as i read it. and I hated to see it end. I just wanted to continue on their journey alongside them. Here's all the characters you get to experience in this novel, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Kyle Rayner Green Lantern, The Atom, Aquaman, Alfred Pennyworth, Bibbo Bibboski, Detective Turbin and many more. It's awesome , and they are all awesomely wrote.

[Nicolas Knight · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yet another story about superman that spends all of its time trying to get rid of him because they can't think of how to make a believable plot.

Let me give you a clue:

The best superman move made in the last 15 years?

Hotel Transylvania.

Not even kidding.
Adam Sandler did it better.
And he wasn't even trying.

unkillable protagonist: Check.
Powers that can solve any physical danger in seconds: check.
Respect and awe of all his peers: check.
Believable plot that did NOT really on his kryptonite for more than one scene: Big F****** check.

This book however, not so much.

Hard pass.

[Zac · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10
JLA vs weather wizard teamed up with terrorist Jesus. Actually focuses on the titular character (Supes) which the WW and Batman books did not do. While giving us a good look at superman's role in the league and his own internal struggles and relationships with Lois and the League, it mixes in a good amount of action, heroism, other JLA members, and for once in this series, people acting intelligently.

[Jerry Yoakum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm finding that Batman is the key figure in many of the Justice League books, which is fine with me. Superman was only a focus to answer the question of how to keep from abusing power. The answer seemed to be to make sure that your personal life is happy and fulfilling enough to prefer it over power. In that regard, I enjoyed the emphasis on Clark Kent's personal life.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love superhero characters, but I've never been able to get into comics (*gasp* I know, blasphemy right?), so I was excited when my husband found this for me. Though Superman is the lead, there's a lot of time with the other superheroes, which I really liked. Overall, it was fun to read.

[KJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

God I loved this! This is exactly what I was in the mood for! 😍 Here I was happy with a Superman book only to have other League members in it and have it follow them occasionally? Love it! I always love seeing the members interact and this was no different! Can't wait to read more of this series 💕

[Derek Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected, but I did enjoy the story. It's nice having a full cast of the Justice League in these and to see the real like Clark Kent/Superman at points.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The personal character interactions really make these for me.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book...simple story...very escapist.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a decent read. Not much focus on Superman the hero as it focuses on the Justice League and Clark Kent as well. Has an abrupt jump to the end, though it ended well.

[Bimal Garg · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has a lot of ideas that were surprisingly never seen in any animated or live action adaptations.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was... Fine. Not something I would reread or recommend to others.

[kay reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 🌟

[BookMarc · Rating 4 out of 5]

With so much of America experiencing extreme winter weather this season it seemed apt that I review 'Superman:The Never-Ending Battle' as it's a novel that has extreme weather at the forefront of the storyline.
This novel is part of six individual Justice League of America novels that make a complete series. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and The Flash all have their own book where they are the main character. The sixth book in the series is a more generalized novel whereby they all work together. That's not to say that Superman, for instance, is the only character in the Superman novel but rather he is the main focus of the novel with the other members of the Justice League playing more minor roles. I have to admit to not liking the cover of this novel, or any of the covers for that matter, in the individual hero series. Each one focuses on one aspect of the hero and as you can see from the cover of this novel it's the iconic 'S' as the shirt rips open for Superman. That works okay I suppose, in an attention grabbing kind of way, but doesn't translate as well to the other members of the Justice League especially the Batman cover which looks like someone took a photograph but didn't manage to get Batman's full face in the shot.
The storyline sees the various members of the Justice League battling the weather. Oh how we could have done with them this winter! From blizzards to hurricanes the country is being besieged by inclement weather and our heroes are trying to save the lives of the innocent people affected...and through it all Wonder Woman still fails to put on some thermals. This obviously works better for some members than others with Green Lantern being able to manipulate his green energy into anything his mind can come up with.
Some of the situations our heroes find themselves in are a tad cliche. For instance, Martian Manhunter who is afraid of fire has to help stop a forest fire brought on by intense heat and Green Lantern has to erect a green energy barrier to stop a tsunami before it reaches land. In each of those situations it would have been easy to predict the hero who was going to be involved stopping the disaster to anyone familiar with the characters.
One member of the Justice League not battling the weather is Batman. He is busy investigating the cause of the outbreaks and, of course, there is a super villain behind the extreme weather. Batman's role worked well within the story and, in many ways, he had more of an effect on the story than Superman did.
The character of Superman is written very well and we get to see the human element of him as much as, if not more than, the superhero aspect. As such there are wonderful exchanges between Kal-El and his human parents as well as with Lois and Bruce Wayne. This really added a depth to the book and raised the story to beyond the regular fare of good versus evil.
One aspect I didn't like was Wonder Woman flying around in her invisible plane. I feel that unless the hero involved is somehow fully associated with their gadgets and gizmos, such as Spider-Man with his web shooters, Gambit with his deck of cards or Batman with his utility belt, then anything else just waters down the character. I think what really irks me about Diana's plane is that she is a superhero who can fly.
Speaking of Wonder Woman and Superman:


Superman is on his way back to the Daily Planet when he flies over Wonder Woman's house noticing that her bedroom window is wide open. He stops for a quick look and sees that she is laying on her bed naked squirming around and looking real hot.
Superman, caught up in his lust thinks, "I could just fly in there at super-speed, have a quick in and out and be gone before she even knows what's happened." So in he goes...wham bam thank you ma'am and then he's out of there in the blink of an eye.
Wonder Woman sensing something has occurred says, "What was that?" to which the Invisible Man replies, "I don't know but, f*ck, is my ass sore!"


Anyhow, I enjoyed this novel and while it's by no means a classic it's very well written and well worth a read.

[***Dave Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Original review Jan 2007)

Continuing with DC/Warner’s JLA series of paperbacks, — a pleasant surprise: a nicely crafted, if unremarkable, JLA novel.

Overall 3/5
Story 3/5
Re-Readability 2/5
Characters 2/5

Roger Stern proves what didn’t need proving — he can write a solid, middle-of-the-road, decently crafted comic book … as a novel. The JLA, Superman in their lead, take on the weather-altering scheme of Kobra. Will they succeed? What do you think?

Story: This could be a comic book. Literally. There are no significant missteps, but no real risks, either.

The biggest problem is, like any other stand-alone comic book (think of a giant-size annual here), there is no real progress or change between the beginning and the end. Nobody grows. The status remains quo. We spend some interesting time with our heroes (and villains), people talk, stuff happens, plots get revealed, the good guys fight back, the danger becomes dire, the good guys triumph, huzzah. This could — assuming the membership matches — drop anywhere into JLA continuity over the last decade without affecting any backstory or continuity. No comics were harmed in the publication of this book. That’s neither good nor bad, it just is — but it means that the nature of triumph or tragedy is going to be strictly bounded — no heroes die, nobody falls in love, nobody passed on their powers to a successor, etc.

Characters: Again, Stern does a solid, workmanlike job. No false notes here, pretty much. People sound and act the way you expect them to from the comics. Nobody significantly new is introduced, no continuity or characterization is mangled. It all just works.

That said, there are no real penetrating insights here into any of the characters. Everyone goes through their paces, but I’ve seen Justice League cartoons that taught me more about the characters than this novel does — which is a shame, because in book form, that sort of insight and introspective is a lot easier to do than in a cartoon or a comic book.

The only other possible flaw is that, even though this is touted as a Superman story, it’s really a JLA story. Supes is “first among equals” here in face time, though his supporting cast shows up here and there, too. But it’s not a Superman story, but a JLA story with a Superman focus. We get a lot of time with Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Atom, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.

Re-Readability: Been there, read that, enjoyed it, don’t expect to need to read it again. I’ll be passing this on to the used book store.

Overall: There’s little to object to with this book, but there’s not a lot to enthuse about either. Again, this feels like a stand-alone annual or giant-size or guest writer fill-in, solid but unremarkable, and while it was fun to read (especially after the last JLA novel I read), I can’t say much more than that. Nor, necessarily, do I need to.

[Manly Manster · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my live review of the book.

Prolugue
A man who is tracking someone, finds him in a bar. The man being tracked has powers. The two men talk.

Chapter 1
The city of Metropolis. The author tries to create suspense by having a man be unidentified, like he is a random stranger. Then description by description we lean it's Superman. That seems unnecessary, since this is a Superman book.

Superman catches a criminal and then the scene goes into unnecessary length, with dull character dialogue to explain what just happened. This is when I start skipping pages....

It's just going on and on about pointless celebrities the police chief thinks Superman resembles. Now, he and Superman are discussing the weather. It's really boring, but the book description says a supervillian will come along to control the weather later, so I guess this is the set up.

The man, Adam, who was looking for the guy in the bar has turned into an awesome character. He talks in a flat matter of fact way. He and Mike, the man he was looking for, are planning something. He gives Mike a new outfit, and Mike says "...Green was always my best color."

"This is no time to indulge in base personal vanities." Adam's tone turned harsh. "It is both wasteful and unbecoming."

Chapter 2

Superman had been the first of an new generation of champions. His first appearance in Metropolis seemed to trigger a new wave of costumed mystery men and women.

This is a book about the Justice League not just Superman. Martian Manhunter invisibly sneaks up alongside Superman and reads his thoughts. Wonder Woman shows up later in her invisiable plane.

This book is not trying to show who Superman really is on the inside. It is as shallow as an action movie, so far.... I am expecting/wanting more characterization. Who is the REAL Superman. What is his life all about? I want more than, here is another crime for him to stop.

I'm deciding to stop reading. I want a book about more than what this is offering. It is not worth the work of reading to get a just typical Superman story, when cartoons and movies exist.

The End

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a Superman fan I ordered this book from the Paperback swap site some time ago. Since I've been going through the Superman novel type reading phase, here we are. As part of a Justice League series, this book may feature Superman as the main title, but really almost every Justice League character gets almost equal time.

Plot-wise, I thought it was pretty good. The villain is the infamous Kobra, who I've never read about before but have heard of, using a person with special abilities to control the weather to a giant degree. Batman is here in his detective glory, termed the World's Greatest Detective, and he seems to have had the most experience with Kobra while the Green Lantern has had more experience with 'The Weather Man'. Superman is thrown somewhere in the midst, leading the Justice League and of course realizing the huge threat and what it could mean. There were plenty of obstacles facing the team as they try to track the cult leader and his merry league of demented men.

I thought that the Lois and Clark scenes were especially well-written and sweet, including an almost ten page dedication to their romance without seeming cloying, instead playful and sincere. There were moments where the cheesiness factor was awkward of course, and I do miss the older Flash type where more sarcastic humor is used and not everything is so high-five. The ending was one of the better parts of the book.

Not perfect but good reading if you're into this sort of thing. Something this book really had going for it was being so filled with movement, where every chapter something crucial and exciting is happening. Not the best of its kind out there but the story isn't too flimsy and the characterization, for the most part, stays true. I can't help it, I really just never liked Wonder Woman, and at times I thought she was overused a bit with her plane and such, and a surprise (that delighted me) was the Green Lanterns role. Batman was great as always and I thought well-stayed to, as was Superman.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

GraphicAudio delivers the goods

Performed by 29 actors.
Duration: 6 hours

GraphicAudio promises "A Movie In Your Mind" and they come awfully close with 29 actors, special effects, music and a go-go-go plot. While not the best of the Justice League series that I have listened to, it was still quite entertaining.

Superman and the rest of the Justice League get caught up in a series of weather-related missions and about one-third of the way into the story the JLA begins to suspect that someone is manipulating the weather - summertime blizzards, ultra-thick fogs, record numbers of tornadoes, droughts and even worse abound. The questions, of course, are who is doing this and why are they doing it?

Really, the plot is just an excuse to look at Superman, his life, his fears and how he moves past them, his influences, his philosophy and how he inspires and supports the rest of the Justice League. Batman is intriguing and the Flash is fun but Superman, the original Boy Scout superhero is really the foundation of the whole phenomenon. He is what we would all hope that we would be if we were suddenly endowed with super powers. Listen to this one for a boatload of action, but mostly listen to this one as an homage to Krypton's Last Son and a Kansas farm boy - Superman...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...

[Nicolaus Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a very cool superhero book and if you like this kind of novel I do recommend giving it a try. I will warn you though that at times it drags SO badly; this novel touches on a lot, too much in my opinion, to the point where while I was reading it I just wanted it to end after a while. The author has picked some creative, under the radar villains to showcase which I always love to see and the superheroes aren't just fighting villains here, they're helping people with disaster relief or stopping everyday crimes and that's super cool to see because I feel as readers we often miss that. Stern jumps around a lot from nearly every member of the JLA (Superman, Batman, Manhunter, Flash, WW, GL), to the villains' points of view, and occasionally to a civilian's point of view. This last one in particular while being a little bit cool to get that street view of events, can get really tired out really fast--especially when he keeps doing it; this particular practice really added some pacing issues to the mix. I will gladly give this a solid 3.75, but be warned, you're in for the long haul if you pick this one up.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. In this book the JLA is called on to 'battle' various weather phenomena from around the world [starting in Alaska]. The gist of the plot boils down to a ruthless terrorist organization determined to ruling the world gaining control of various weather satellites in their mad bid for world dominion. Batman fakes his death and causing the terrorists to focus on the hometowns of the other JLA members. In the end, Batman and Superman defeat the bad guys [after the entire JLA, including reserve members, becomes involved in battling the bad weather].

It was okay. It seemed long in parts. I lost my interest by the time I finished reading the book and finished it just to finish it. The end was cool, though, with Clark and Lois flying via bodysuits. Not sure if I would recommend it to anyone else as reading. It was better, I guess, than the Flash's book in the series, but not as good as Batman's and definitely not as good as the book about the whole team [each book is about the whole team, but still manages to 'focus' on one particular character].

[Cory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started slow but picked up towards the end. I wasn't crazy about the story but I really like the characterization of all the characters. This book nailed Superman for me. They need to use this superman in the movies. You can listen to this book and watch the movie then easily see all the flaws in "the man of steel" superman.

My favorite part was the George Washington quote at the end. Movie superman should quote George Washington.

I would definitely recommend this book. In fact, I think I am buying it for my son to read.

The villain seemed mediocre. Probably why superman spent so much time talking to flash and his parents.

Batman was also really good. I like when writers show him in disguise and show him as a detective.

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in a row I've read from the Justice League of America series and it gets the lowest rating. It's still a very good book that I enjoyed a lot, but it was a lot less focused than the Flash and Green Lantern volumes. Where those centered wholly on their respective, and granted, lesser-known super heroes, this book that purported to be about Superman took turns looking through the eyes of all the JLA heroes plus several civilians.

Again, this book was still entertaining and I did in fact enjoy it. But I think I would have enjoyed it more had it dealt solely, or at least predominantly, with Superman and his history and his feelings.

[Timo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best Graphic Audio I have encountered, but still quite a good one.
But I have to point out that these characters talk a lot. Man, they talk pointless driveling sometimes.
But some nice images this created in my mind.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a decent book to read, but I really just felt like it was going through the motions rather than offering anything new and exciting.