JLA, Vol. 16: Pain of the Gods

JLA (Original Trades)

by Chuck Austen, Ron Garney (Illustrator)

144 English DC Comics Written by Chuck Austen; Art and cover by Ron Garney A new trade paperback collecting JLA # 101-106 What happens when a hero fails The members of the JLA are forced to face times when they! were unable to save an innocent or prevent disaster. Can the JLA members help each other process the pain and go on

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

144 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Chuck Austen (born Chuck Beckum) is an American humor novelist, comic book writer and artist, TV writer and animator. In comics, he is known for his work on X-Men, War Machine, Elektra, and Action Comics, and in television, he is known for co-creating the animated TV series Tripping the Rift.

In his most recent prose novels, Chuck Austen has been going by the name Charles Austen.

Reviews

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 4 out of 5]

El final de las sucesivas etapas de JLA y la cercanía de Crisis de Identidad y todo el camino que llevaría a la Crisis Infinita orquestada por Geoff Johns, ponía JLA en una situación extraña, ya que ningún guionista podía desarrollar arcos largos, lo que fue llevando a una superposición de interinidades pero manteniendo autores de renombre al frente de la colección. Y ese sería el caso de El Dolor de los Dioses, un arco con guiones de Chuck Austen y dibujo de Ron Garney que supone un giro radical en las tramas que hasta este momento y desde el primer número de Grant Morrison se venían dando en la serie.

Y es que Austen se aleja del tono cósmico y épico de la JLA para construir una historia intimista donde podemos asistir a los momentos más duros y emocionales del equipo, donde podemos ver la fragilidad interior de cada uno de sus oponentes principales. Dedicando un episodio a cada héroe y con una metatrama que comienza cuando un error de Superman provoca la muerte de un superhéroe desconocido, El Dolor de los Dioses se adentra en las dudas, los miedos, los traumas y las responsabilidades de estos dioses modernos que son Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern y el Detective Marciano, y lo hace de una forma realmente interesante y bien contada donde Chuck Austen demuestra que es un auténtico especialista en este tipo de historias, con una gran capacidad para humanizar a personajes tan distantes como pueden ser Superman o J'onn J'onzz.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why can't I shake the impression that this is a book of fill-in issues, each basically playing out the same story?

It's healthy and grounding to see our heroes actually stumble once in a while, but all jammed together in a row like this, it can't help but feel forced. If this was an occasional diversion from unconquerable JLA members, throughout the series, I'd feel less confronted by it, more like the natural order of things.

Thus just feels like a one-off exercise in "What If?" tales, rather than something that's really part of canon.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this collection of stories from Chuck Austen. Up until now I have only read his Superman Gog storylines, which to me were more about action than anything else. This volume is more about the themes of guilt and what happens when a superhero fails.

The story might feel a bit repetitive by showing each member going through something bad, but they manage to breathe life into with a bigger storyline about a family that is torn apart by something tragic. The Flash's storyline was definitely the best one out of them all.

I liked the simple human edge brought out by this volume.

[Stephen Olley · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happens when superheroes stumble, when they fail and when people die?
They turn to their SuperFriends!
I enjoyed this book. Some nice moments for the characters but I agree with some of the other reviews that it does get a little repetitive.

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must-read JLA graphic novel. I love the different approach, and perspective on each hero and the sorts of pains they endure to be heroes.

[Maythavee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this arc! It gave us an insight into how each core member of the JLA respond to their own failures and how the rest of the League would come together to offer comfort. There weren't any big action scenes or big villains to fight but the failures of each League member was mundane things that happen to us in real life. I think this is why these stories are effective in exploring these larger than life characters. The Flash's story was the most heartbreaking one in my opinion. I also liked the subplot arc where Superman felt that he needed to look out for the son of the man he failed to save. It was a fascinating insight into Superman's character.

I really don't understand why this book got such a lower rating. It is better than some of the past JLA arcs.

[James De Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of 2025. It's full of cliches and it's a bit repetitive, but I ended up really liking this arc. It serves to humanize the heroes and show that they can feel pain, too.

It's a bit on the nose but still enjoyable. The only story I didn't quite get was Wonder Woman's story - it went over my head. I'm sure there's some connection I missed or some story I haven't read that would explain her reaction to almost dying.

Overall, it's a decent read that I enjoyed very much. Objectively, I know it's not a 4/5, but hey, maybe I'm the target demo for this kind of story. The art does its job well - super 90s but in a good way.

[Devero · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dopo la JLA di Morrison, ottima, venne quella di Waid, altrettanto ottima; poi venne quella di Kelly che non mi piacque per nulla. Quindi ci fu il ricongiungimento della coppia di platino Chris Claremont & John Byrne, dopodiché abbandonai la JLA.
Il fatto è che ho anche acquistato questo TP di Austen, l'ho letto e l'ho dimenticato.
Nell'ultimo week end me lo sono ritrovato per caso, l'ho riletto ed ho dimenticato subito quanto ho letto. L'inutilità unita all'insipidità.
mezza stella.

[Richard Schaefer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something about this volume feels a little off. Maybe it’s the tone, which is a bit dark by JLA standards, or maybe it’s the focus on the JLA learning lessons they should already know. There’s also the fact that Austen doesn’t have the image grasp of the characters’ personalities that all the best JLA writers do.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chuck Austen and Ron Garney team up for a look at the Justice League in this 16th collected volume of the illustrious title. The overarching plotline discusses how superheroes cope with failure, as seen through the eyes of each Leaguer. Superman must come to terms with allowing a new hero to assist him with a building fire, as it leads to the man's accidental death. The Flash encounters the bodies of young children while evacuating a tenement and must accept that even he is not fast enough to save everyone. John Stewart, the Green Lantern at this time, is faced with two simultaneous domestic disputes. While he breaks up the first one with no problem, the second man has already escalated to murder; this sends John on a mission to protect the whole planet as was his original mission. Martian Manhunter opts for a leave of absence to escape the human emotions of his comrades, instead seeking solitary detective work while in his human guise. Wonder Woman faces a new villain who is able to seriously injure the powerful Amazon, thus reawakening a long-buried fear of death. Finally, Batman investigates the family from the Superman issue as they deal with hidden secrets, buried powers, and the tragic loss of a family member. Chuck Austen attempts to offer a look at superhuman failure, but only succeeds in forming a quagmire of a story. His heroes are bounced between uselessness and stoicism, robbed of the characterization that should be present in such long-standing players. While Ron Garney does his best to illustrate this mess, his hard-line designs and waxy faces fail to add the emotional resonance needed for this endeavor. The Pain of the Gods is just too painful for mortals to read.

[Shane · Rating 1 out of 5]

So this is definitely the worst JLA I've read. I see where he was going with it but it was just too repetitous. To have ALL of the characters having emotional breakdowns in the same book seemed kinda lame and unbelievable. The coolest thing about it was the villianess that kicked Wonder Woman's ass and Superman getting punched through a couple buildings by a kid with superpowers. There was also a great single frame close up of Flash's face when he saw something horrible that really conveyed his emotions well.

Nothing monumentous happens in this book so I would say skipping it wouldn't be a big deal. Sorry Mr. Austen.

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard one to review this. I liked the story idea, about superhero guilt and how they cope, but the execution was just poor. I just felt the characters were twisted to suit the story, rather than the story fitting the characters. Some of the dialogue just didn't ring true either. Not all bad, but hard to recommend.
Ron Garneys art was a little inconsistent, sometimes quite rough and scratchy, other times very impressive with double page spreads...his Superman is especially good! Borrow from the library, don't buy it.

[Allen Setzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A five star book for great characterization. Each story does a great job of exploring the heart wrenching decisions superheroes deal with. Not only were the stories emotionally compelling, he told these sad stories without them being overly dark. I see too many writers rely on brutality or overly dark themes to show how being a hero takes its toll. Wonderful collection.

[Ponsius Odaga · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art in this particular edition of JLA is quite impressive. But overall the writing was to formulaic over the different comics in this volume. It seemed like something that was just churned out and not give much thought

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really like the idea behind this but it's not very well done. The first several issues are really repetitive, the ideas aren't explored in much depth, and the art is fine for the action but can't really portray the subtleties in body language needed for this kind of story.

[Declan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book. Hated it. Just a superheroic guilt trip.

[Justin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concept, writing, characterizations, and art are all terrible. This is for completists only.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little interlude. It shows all heroes dealing with times when they were unable to save somebody. Emotional character building stuff.