What do you think?
Rate this book
JLA (Original Trades)
JLA, Vol. 13: Rules of Engagement
They are not just a team, they are the team - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and many more standing shoulder to shoulder in the ranks of the ultimate earth-shattering mega team - the Justice League of America! When a UFO lands on the Moon, the JLA heads off to investigate, only to discover the ship contains a black hole that bends memory, leaving members of the League with no idea of who they are! More worryingly, they can no longer control their awesome powers! All this and much, much more crammed into the latest JLA graphic novel that follows on directly from the hugely-successful The Obsidian Age series!
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2004
1 person is currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Joe Kelly
1,004 books207 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 16, 2011
Veitch writes some clangy-sounding dialogue - like my writing when I was a grade schooler. Just awful.
Kelly's rules of engagement story was engaging and included some satisfying problems, but it seemed to end rather neatly and prematurely for a story where the JLA was in over their understanding.
The "White Rage" story, OTOH was actually pretty cool. I like the mystery - not knowing what was happening, and being genuinely interested as details emerged. This is more like it - what needs to be done with a super team, to make or something truly challenging.
Kelly's rules of engagement story was engaging and included some satisfying problems, but it seemed to end rather neatly and prematurely for a story where the JLA was in over their understanding.
The "White Rage" story, OTOH was actually pretty cool. I like the mystery - not knowing what was happening, and being genuinely interested as details emerged. This is more like it - what needs to be done with a super team, to make or something truly challenging.
June 9, 2015
The stories were a bit silly, with super odd dialogue. I found the art pretty poor also.
December 16, 2019
Creo que después de una maravilla como La Era de Obsidiana, era inevitable que la colección flojeara un poco, y es lo que ocurre en las dos historias que se incluyen en Reglas de Aprendizaje y que sirven como presentación de la nueva alineación de la JLA. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman y Flash se unen a John Stewart, Fe, Átomo, Firestorm, Cuervo Manitú y el Mayor Desastre en dos tramas que, la verdad, son interesantes sobre todo por cómo Kelly enfocó muchos aspectos de la propia política de Estados Unidos en los años posteriores al 11-S.
En la primera historia, a causa de una extraña manifestación cósmica (ojo que Kelly no se queda atrás con Waid y Morrison cuando se pone espacial), la JLA recibe una transmisión de radio procedente de una distancia absurda (creo que son 50 años luz), una llamada de auxilio de una civilización, los Kylaq, que piden ayuda frente a un imperio galáctico que los quiere absorber, una unión liderada por un tal Pacificador. Esta civilización no tiene posibilidad de viaje transluminal, así que es una amenaza que no va a llegar a la Tierra nunca, ni afecta a nuestro planeta de ninguna manera, así que la JLA tiene que decidir si se involucra en el conflicto... y empujados por Wonder Woman lo hacen, encontrándose de pronto en una incómoda posición, pues los Kylaq han requerido los servicios de un antiguo enemigo de la Liga, Kanjar Ro, para que les ayude a hacer frente al Pacificador, y sus métodos no son compatibles con los de la JLA, que tiene que hacer frente a muy difíciles decisiones.
La siguiente historia, contó con Duncan Rouleau en los lápices, dándole un descanso a Doug Mahnke, con quien comparte cierto estilo pictórico, aunque Rouleau es bastante más cartoon que Mahnke, y en ella, Kelly habló ni más ni menos que del fascismo en norteamérica y de la situación de miedo creada por el 11-S. La JLA interviene como mediadores entre la policía local y un refugio para niños metahumanos conocido como Safe Haven, dirigido por un grupo de voluntarios metahumanos. Pero Safe Haven es destruido, todos sus habitantes dado por muertos, y parece que todos los miembros presentes de la JLA son los culpables. Así, mientras Superman, Fe, Desastre, Flash y John Stewart enfrentan su culpabilidad de diferentes maneras, Batman, Átomo, Firestorm, Wonder Woman y Cuervo Manitú tienen que averiguar qué ocurrió en verdad en Safe Haven... y lo que descubren tiene mucho que ver con un grupo de metahumanos de corte fascista y la manipulación de un grupo paramilitar para conseguir que uno de los miembros de la JLA vuelva con ellos.
Por último, y con lápices de Chriscross, Kelly lanza un número único muy interesante en el que afronta un espinoso tema: la guerra con Iraq bajo el pretexto de la existencia de armas de destrucción masiva. Y lo hace, como no, recurriendo a una metáfora metahumana, en la que la JLA tiene que hacer frente a unos ataques terroristas en Estados Unidos tras los que según la administración Luthor se encuentra Qurac, pero sin pruebas claras, y mientras Superman toma una decisión, los miembros de la JLA contrarios al intervencionismo de Luthor comienzan a desaparecer uno a uno...
En fin, una saga muy interesante, que sólo pierde estrellas, la verdad, porque Golden Perfect y la Edad De Obsidiana habían sido prácticamente perfectos, pero que mantiene un nivel muy alto de calidad y que es infinitamente mejor que cualquier cosa que se esté escribiendo a día de hoy.
En la primera historia, a causa de una extraña manifestación cósmica (ojo que Kelly no se queda atrás con Waid y Morrison cuando se pone espacial), la JLA recibe una transmisión de radio procedente de una distancia absurda (creo que son 50 años luz), una llamada de auxilio de una civilización, los Kylaq, que piden ayuda frente a un imperio galáctico que los quiere absorber, una unión liderada por un tal Pacificador. Esta civilización no tiene posibilidad de viaje transluminal, así que es una amenaza que no va a llegar a la Tierra nunca, ni afecta a nuestro planeta de ninguna manera, así que la JLA tiene que decidir si se involucra en el conflicto... y empujados por Wonder Woman lo hacen, encontrándose de pronto en una incómoda posición, pues los Kylaq han requerido los servicios de un antiguo enemigo de la Liga, Kanjar Ro, para que les ayude a hacer frente al Pacificador, y sus métodos no son compatibles con los de la JLA, que tiene que hacer frente a muy difíciles decisiones.
La siguiente historia, contó con Duncan Rouleau en los lápices, dándole un descanso a Doug Mahnke, con quien comparte cierto estilo pictórico, aunque Rouleau es bastante más cartoon que Mahnke, y en ella, Kelly habló ni más ni menos que del fascismo en norteamérica y de la situación de miedo creada por el 11-S. La JLA interviene como mediadores entre la policía local y un refugio para niños metahumanos conocido como Safe Haven, dirigido por un grupo de voluntarios metahumanos. Pero Safe Haven es destruido, todos sus habitantes dado por muertos, y parece que todos los miembros presentes de la JLA son los culpables. Así, mientras Superman, Fe, Desastre, Flash y John Stewart enfrentan su culpabilidad de diferentes maneras, Batman, Átomo, Firestorm, Wonder Woman y Cuervo Manitú tienen que averiguar qué ocurrió en verdad en Safe Haven... y lo que descubren tiene mucho que ver con un grupo de metahumanos de corte fascista y la manipulación de un grupo paramilitar para conseguir que uno de los miembros de la JLA vuelva con ellos.
Por último, y con lápices de Chriscross, Kelly lanza un número único muy interesante en el que afronta un espinoso tema: la guerra con Iraq bajo el pretexto de la existencia de armas de destrucción masiva. Y lo hace, como no, recurriendo a una metáfora metahumana, en la que la JLA tiene que hacer frente a unos ataques terroristas en Estados Unidos tras los que según la administración Luthor se encuentra Qurac, pero sin pruebas claras, y mientras Superman toma una decisión, los miembros de la JLA contrarios al intervencionismo de Luthor comienzan a desaparecer uno a uno...
En fin, una saga muy interesante, que sólo pierde estrellas, la verdad, porque Golden Perfect y la Edad De Obsidiana habían sido prácticamente perfectos, pero que mantiene un nivel muy alto de calidad y que es infinitamente mejor que cualquier cosa que se esté escribiendo a día de hoy.
March 3, 2017
Reprints JLA #77-82 (March 2003-August 2003). There’s a new JLA and the team is trying to find its new identity. With new members John Stewart, Manitou Raven, Major Disaster, and Faith, the JLA has a lot of rookies to train but Earth’s problems won’t wait! Be it a threat from a unit collecting information, a war in a far-away galaxy, or a stand-off between a super-human compound, the JLA’s problems keep growing, and they could become wanted themselves!
Written by Joe Kelly and Rick Veitch, JLA Volume 13: Rules of Engagement follows JLA Volume 12: The Obsidian Age—Book 2. The volume features art by Darryl Banks, Doug Maknke, and Duncan Rouleau and is divided into the stand-alone “Stardust” (JLA #77), the two-part “Rules of Engagement” (JLA #78-79), and the three-part “The White Rage” (JLA #80-82). The issues were also collected in JLA—Volume 7.
JLA started out strong…really strong. Despite being DC’s premiere team, the Justice League series never really seemed to hit the stride as much as something like New Teen Titans or even Legion of Super-Heroes did. Grant Morrison’s reinvention of the team is what the team needed, but by JLA 13: Rules of Engagement, the series feels like it is once again on autopilot.
I do admire the team. The new team was set up in the previous storyline “The Obsidian Age” and features a lot of non-traditional heroes especially surrounding a reformed villain in Major Disaster and Faith. John Stewart feels like a natural match for JLA, but Manitou Raven also provides an interesting twist (along with his wife Manitou Dawn). The exploration of these characters is a worthy storyline…but the stories presented in this volume are not.
There always seems to be a sense of detached confusion in the JLA title and this is true even of the Grant Morrison run. The issues seemed a bit piecemealed together and you sometimes end up going back to see if you missed something when the story jumps. The stand-alone “Stardust” definitely feels this way, but later issues in both “Rules of Engagement” and “The White Rage” also feel this way.
The art for the series is fine. It is pretty solid and tells the tales. I always run into a problem in volumes like this in that the art is good, but the story doesn’t hold up…leading to a lower rating when the art is strong. The art is a good hook for a title, but in the long run the story needs to hold up.
I will always stick with JLA despite so-so titles. Growing up Marvel, JLA was one of the closest things to Marvel when you read DC so I always have a soft spot for JLA series (also due to my childhood love of Super Friends). Unfortunately, JLA can be better, and it has been better. I hope that some of the future volumes catches the energy of the first run of this series, but reading some of the later issues, JLA is past its prime already. JLA 13: Rules of Engagement is followed by JLA 14: Trial by Fire (omitting JLA #83 from the collection).
Written by Joe Kelly and Rick Veitch, JLA Volume 13: Rules of Engagement follows JLA Volume 12: The Obsidian Age—Book 2. The volume features art by Darryl Banks, Doug Maknke, and Duncan Rouleau and is divided into the stand-alone “Stardust” (JLA #77), the two-part “Rules of Engagement” (JLA #78-79), and the three-part “The White Rage” (JLA #80-82). The issues were also collected in JLA—Volume 7.
JLA started out strong…really strong. Despite being DC’s premiere team, the Justice League series never really seemed to hit the stride as much as something like New Teen Titans or even Legion of Super-Heroes did. Grant Morrison’s reinvention of the team is what the team needed, but by JLA 13: Rules of Engagement, the series feels like it is once again on autopilot.
I do admire the team. The new team was set up in the previous storyline “The Obsidian Age” and features a lot of non-traditional heroes especially surrounding a reformed villain in Major Disaster and Faith. John Stewart feels like a natural match for JLA, but Manitou Raven also provides an interesting twist (along with his wife Manitou Dawn). The exploration of these characters is a worthy storyline…but the stories presented in this volume are not.
There always seems to be a sense of detached confusion in the JLA title and this is true even of the Grant Morrison run. The issues seemed a bit piecemealed together and you sometimes end up going back to see if you missed something when the story jumps. The stand-alone “Stardust” definitely feels this way, but later issues in both “Rules of Engagement” and “The White Rage” also feel this way.
The art for the series is fine. It is pretty solid and tells the tales. I always run into a problem in volumes like this in that the art is good, but the story doesn’t hold up…leading to a lower rating when the art is strong. The art is a good hook for a title, but in the long run the story needs to hold up.
I will always stick with JLA despite so-so titles. Growing up Marvel, JLA was one of the closest things to Marvel when you read DC so I always have a soft spot for JLA series (also due to my childhood love of Super Friends). Unfortunately, JLA can be better, and it has been better. I hope that some of the future volumes catches the energy of the first run of this series, but reading some of the later issues, JLA is past its prime already. JLA 13: Rules of Engagement is followed by JLA 14: Trial by Fire (omitting JLA #83 from the collection).
February 11, 2018
Joe Kelly's take on the JLA is a fun ride, starting with "Stardust Memories" in which the JLA take on an alien capable of wiping out all their memories and higher brain functions. "Rules of Engagment" shows the team debating whether or not to intervene in a conflict on a planet 50 light years away, and tusselling with Kanjar Ro, who is the planet's minister of defense. Firestorm is the comic relief throughout the stories. "The White Rage" involves the team helping a metahuman who runs an orphanage and somehow runs afoul of the government. Excellent read.
July 11, 2018
I miss the old JLA lineup. Don't get me wrong, the new members of the JLA were all interesting characters but I didn't felt like they were a part of the team. Their interactions were limited to only a few old members of the League like Superman and Batman. I miss the story arcs where the characters came first. The plot for this arc was too big and too overwhelming.
November 3, 2016
The comic I read was "The World's Greatest Super Heroes- JLA: Rules of Engagement", my opinion on this comic is that it is a good comic to read if you want to. On page 110 there is a giant picture of the Martian manhunter and Ember. These is when Ember is asking Martian manhunter to help her with her memories that she wants to forget. On page 96 and 97 there are both two well illustrated and powerful pictures on what happened. "GUILTY!" (97).This book kept me on the edge of my seat near the end of the comic, because the beginning of the book was just boring and nothing intense was happening.
For the first part of the comic, I feel that the Atom and the mechanism with a mind of its own were the main characters. For the rest of the comic the main character is Faith. The main plot is the team of heroes have problems that they need to solve, such as helping a whole planet of people, getting rid of a machine with a mind of its own, and figuring out how to save a village of meta-humans. This book was set in world where earth contains super heroes and where there are aliens. This book teaches you that a group of people with different "abilities" can make a big difference on the world.
I would recommend this comic to people that enjoy reading comic books, such as Jace. I would recommend this comic to Jace because it contains several short stories that connect together well. It also is an entertaining comic book that contains extraordinary illustrations. Also this comic has Batman featured in it, and that is Jace's favorite super hero.
For the first part of the comic, I feel that the Atom and the mechanism with a mind of its own were the main characters. For the rest of the comic the main character is Faith. The main plot is the team of heroes have problems that they need to solve, such as helping a whole planet of people, getting rid of a machine with a mind of its own, and figuring out how to save a village of meta-humans. This book was set in world where earth contains super heroes and where there are aliens. This book teaches you that a group of people with different "abilities" can make a big difference on the world.
I would recommend this comic to people that enjoy reading comic books, such as Jace. I would recommend this comic to Jace because it contains several short stories that connect together well. It also is an entertaining comic book that contains extraordinary illustrations. Also this comic has Batman featured in it, and that is Jace's favorite super hero.
September 29, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this 3 story collection by Joe Kelly. The artwork is pretty good, and all three stories have something to offer.
In the first part, The Atom and several JLA members find themselves fighting a black hole powered music box that orchestrates the destruction of solar systems to make masterpieces.
Then the JLA find themselves as peacemakers when a tyrannical faction of three planets tries to force another into their faction. There is a nice black/white/grey moral going on that makes for an intriguing plot line that is topical as well as entertaining.
Finally in the final story, The White Rage, Faith's past comes back to haunt her when the JLA tries to be peacemakers yet again with the police and a community of metahumans. Joe Kelly's narrative is excellent with this story, introducing a new villain that is menacing and mysterious.
A very good book that leads on to more stories.
In the first part, The Atom and several JLA members find themselves fighting a black hole powered music box that orchestrates the destruction of solar systems to make masterpieces.
Then the JLA find themselves as peacemakers when a tyrannical faction of three planets tries to force another into their faction. There is a nice black/white/grey moral going on that makes for an intriguing plot line that is topical as well as entertaining.
Finally in the final story, The White Rage, Faith's past comes back to haunt her when the JLA tries to be peacemakers yet again with the police and a community of metahumans. Joe Kelly's narrative is excellent with this story, introducing a new villain that is menacing and mysterious.
A very good book that leads on to more stories.
February 12, 2008
I picked this up from the library and started it a couple days ago, only to find out that some little malcontent ripped out a few pages in the middle. So I'm off to the library to find another copy.
Joe Kelly rocks. I really never thought I would enjoy a comic with Wonder Woman or Superman in it but he consistently delivers. The art is great (although I like Nyugen less than the other guy). The writing has current topics like torturing enemy combatants to save lives etc... I started somewhere in the middle with JLA so I'm also excited about seeing how much I like the Grant Morrison stories.
Joe Kelly rocks. I really never thought I would enjoy a comic with Wonder Woman or Superman in it but he consistently delivers. The art is great (although I like Nyugen less than the other guy). The writing has current topics like torturing enemy combatants to save lives etc... I started somewhere in the middle with JLA so I'm also excited about seeing how much I like the Grant Morrison stories.
July 19, 2008
I came to this having previously read up to volume 9, a Mark Waid book, and then, earlier this week, volume 17, Syndicate Rules, by Kurt Busiek. What, for me, placed Joe Kelly's work here over either of those was that it felt like things were happening: relationships were changing, decisions had ramifications, villains were dangerous. What the stories here do very, very well is get at Superman's biggest weakness - not kryptonite, but being forced into making decisions in situations where there is no right or wrong answer. He has super-strength, but he has no power of super-philosophy.
February 25, 2013
Joe Kelly has always been a hit or miss type of writer for me and here was a pretty big miss. While the lineup is as close to ridiculous as the JLA Detroit ever got, the plot is also all over the board. There are three different stories in this trade and two of the three make little to no sense. The art by Doug Mahnke is good and Darryl Banks has delivers. However, Duncan Rouleau, as usual is not a good fit for a superhero book. Its pretty bad when Superman is indistinguishable from Major Disaster. Overall this was a weak effort and could easily be forgotten.
October 29, 2010
Neither the stand-alone story nor the Rules of Engagement section are that great (the latter was probably pretty topical at its time, but it's not as complex as it would need to be to work). Fortunately the White Rage section is pretty rewarding and presumably sets up some stories to come.
August 21, 2015
The first two stories have great ideas that aren't developed well. The last story is a plain idea but written well. The main characters were flat, but the new four (Faith, Monitor, Raven, and Major Disaster) were surprisingly compelling!
February 4, 2023
These stories are just ok but solving small scale political events rather than Earth shattering disasters is an interesting take on the JLA. Kelly continues to do good character work with the full team.
October 9, 2011
Disappointing. Some nice moral dilemma's but the story didn't grab me. There wasn't enough original ideas in it. Good guys beat bad guys, bad guys trick good guys, good guys win.
April 26, 2015
Una pessima sequenza di storie, prive di mordente e tanto per cambiare disegnate da Mahnke.
April 26, 2015
THe team faces down a galactic war and is a peacekeeping force in a town of Meta-humans that goes wrong.
December 20, 2009
Really interesting to begin with, but went a bit super hero cliche by the end.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews