JSA: The Liberty Files

JSA: The Liberty Files

by Dan Jolley, Tony Harris, Ray Snyder (Illustrator)

Collecting the 2-issue JSA: THE LIBERTY FILES miniseries as well as the 2-issue follow-up, JSA: THE UNHOLY THREE! In 1942, as war rages around the globe, the "Owl," "Clock," "Bat" and a host of other very familiar costumed characters battle for the safety of the world!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Fantasy

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collects JSA: The Liberty File and JSA: The Unholy Three. They are Elseworld tales set in World War II and its aftermath. Batman is The Bat, Hourman is The Clock, Dr. Mid-Nite is The Owl and some other JSAers have other aliases as well. Dan Jolly and Tony Harris are the creative team.

Holy hell, I enjoyed the shit out of this. Since I'm really glad no one spoiled any of the twists for me, I'm going to do the same. Suffice to say, this is some pulpy WWII action and it's great stuff.

[Christopher Hong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best comics I picked up last year. It's premise is appealing in and of itself but its story exceeds expectations with its tight plot twists and deep noir ambience. You have Batman, Hourman, and Dr. Midnight as black ops agents for the US during WWII, kicking Nazi ass (and even if you're not familiar with the latter two heroes, don't worry there will be plenty of cameo appearances from more familiar Justice Leaguers later on).

So that's all great-- good guys punch Hitler, rollicking good time, et cetera. Except that it's not that kind of Hellboy or Indiana Jones, something blows up, shoot a wise-crack and ride off into the sunset thing. It's tone is grim and the morality gray. Every character is vulnerable and potentially expendable, especially as the "heroes" start to question their (and their government's) motives. As WWII gives way to the cold war you're setup for a final twist that leaves you slack-jawed and sucker-punched. Comic fans will certainly appreciate the nods to alternate incarnations of these self-same characters but being a nerd isn't a requirement to enjoy a sharp noir tale with fine illustrating by Ex Machina's Tony Harris.

[Nancy Martira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you love Batman? Do you hate Nazis? Well, this book is for you, but if you're not uber familiar (little ubermensch joke there for you) with the DC Universe, you may spend a lot of time scratching your head regarding the many, many characters who show up here. Like reading The Yiddish Policemen's Unionand thinking, "yeah, this is good, but I bet if I spoke Yiddish this would be even better." Oh, and this is also an alternate history book, something else it has in common with The Yiddish Policemen's Union.

Tony Harris's art is beautiful and really evocation of the WWII style, but it won't help you keep the heroes straight when they're in their street clothes. I'm sure real DC fans were just so thrilled to see all of their favorites at the party, they didn't mind some sloppy writing.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm usually very nervous about alternate-reality superhero stories, as they can often be muddled and confusing. I didn't find that to be the case here, however. This one stars variations on certain golden-age heroes, reset as US secret agents in World War II and the Cold War. The Bat (Batman), The Clock (Hourman), and The Owl (Dr. Mid-Nite) unite as the Unholy Three to fight Nazis trying to unleash a secret weapon, and try to keep a cataclysmic nuclear trigger away from a very unlikely (in the regular universe) nemesis. The action is told in the frantic pace of an old movie serial, and the atmosphere is dark and gritty like the best of film noir. I loved the odd twists on some very familiar characters, the snappy, period-appropriate dialogue, and the terrific artwork by Tony Harris and Ray Snyder. Great hard-boiled, twisted superhero thrills.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the golden age superheroes from DC and the new JSA brings these original heroes back into the modern age along with their legacy namesakes. Well above average art and plot keep these 70 year old comic characters interesting and entertaining. This is a nice alternate realiry story of these heroes. Very recommended

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just so much fun.
What a good read.
Just what Elseworlds should be.
If you are a fan of the JSA or just think you are..If you are a fan of old Batman. If you enjoy Superman history. You should gave this title a try.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually two individual miniseries set in the same Elseworlds universe collected together. I didn't find the first one that interesting; the second is better. The art by Tony Harris is pretty good, although the coloring is rather dark and shows some limitations of early computer coloring.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful art, but I'm not a fan of the story. First of all, it's a Batman story, not a JSA story. Second, I'm not s fan of these versions of the characters. Meh.

[Scott Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Elseworlds is really the only DC stuff I like and this just hit all my interests with pulp-era JSA. Tony Harris is also one of my absolute favorite artists. The reimagined Scarecrow is one of the best uses of the character I've seen.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

medium good

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review concerns only the first story JSA: The Liberty File, for which I have both issues, not its sequel which I have yet to read. 3 and a half stars. Highly recommended, a hair short of an all time classic but only because it doesn't get quite enough space in 2 issues to flesh out the characters and setting for my liking. Excellent art. Tony Harris did a great job for this, nice period feel with elements of noir and some great panel work and layouts along with some great color when called for. I didn't expect this book to look bad by any means, but there really are some gorgeous splash pages here that Im frankly surprised aren't talked about more. The story does have some twists and surprises and veers off from our version of WW2 considerably in the process.

The major shift here is one of time and place, instead of superheroes Batman and some other slightly altered versions of DC's Golden Age heroes are covert government spies working in Europe to fight and root out Nazi spies. The JSA fought Nazis in the comics as well....but these versions are much closer to the front lines. Some of the changes to characters and backstories are understandable or even pleasantly surprising, but the weirdest one is the decision to use a supervillain with a zombie-like appearance in a JSA story and not have it be Solomon Grundy. Batman fans should enjoy the interesting changes here, but recognize him as mostly the same character if just slightly altered in a down to earth fashion. Maximum appreciation will be had if you are well versed in the DC universe at large, not just Batman, though he gets plenty of "screentime" here. JSA fans should appreciate some nice continuity nods. Art is very good and the ending is unexpected but appropriate. To say more would give away too much plot, but if the premise seems good and you like the DC universe you should enjoy this.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, but not great.

Published by D.C. Comics in 2004.

I am not the biggest comic book fan. I have never even set foot in a real comic book shop so I don't even know if the 'Comic Book Guy' on 'The Simpsons' is realistic or not. Continuity means nothing to me. Being a history teacher, I was more intrigued by the history part of the story. (Speaking of continuity, I know for a fact that Superman was fighting Nazis during WWII, just like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck - I've seen the movies!)

However, I've read some of the big stuff (Dark Knight I and II, Red Son and a few more). I was dimly aware of some of the heroes featured in this one, which makes sense since JSA was originally intended to promote the lesser known heroes). This one was interesting, but in the end, not as good as I had hoped...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...

[Elijah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those interesting alternate history ideas DC cooks up every so often. This time, some of the members of the Justice Society of America are spies during WWII and the Cold War era. The characterization is a bit different for some of them (for instance, Batman's no-killing rule doesn't exist since international spies can't risk their enemies escaping most of the time) and completely mind-boggling for others (Martian Manhunter and Superman especially, but I'll let you read to find out why those two). There were several characters that I felt lost reading about, probably because my knowledge of the JSA itself is scant other than knowing they are one of the alternate versions of the Justice League. The stories here are pretty good as stand alone issues and work very well together as a graphic novel. I'd recommend this one to anyone who likes comics.

[Bill Sleeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This alternative take on the JSA is a fairly typical Elseworlds title although this one is more “Harry Turtledovish” in the work’s overall style and storyline (not that that is bad – I enjoy Turtledove’s style). That said fans of the Justice Society and DC comics will appreciate the way that the primary characters are developed as well as the different take on the familiar pantheon. The insider references are everywhere and I enjoyed the “isn’t that….” aspects of the story. In all a fun diversion for an evening, if you do read this graphic novel and like it then the Red Son or any of the Planetary story lines may also appeal.

[Eliran · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storytelling and artsytle are SO noire, but that's really the great part of this read. Asides from Batman, there were several obscure heroes I didn't really know about(Hourman? Dr. Midnight?), but it provides more reading to do!
Anyways-- Batman, Hourman and Dr. Midnight play the roles of elite spy agents during the days of WII. The pacing for the story is quick, but not so quick that you get overwhelmed. Fighting scenes are done nicely and there are several unexpected plot twists.
The characters are different enough in these new roles and settings, making them seem new but still retain their familiarity. All in all, a good read. I'm interested in reading JSA stuff now.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It introduced me to some characters I hadn't heard of before, like Hourman and Dr. Midnite. This made it harder for me to appreciate the differences between these harder, darker versions and the originals, but didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story.

This is a hard-boiled, pulpy, noir book with a few fantastical elements, and the take on the familiar characters is interesting. It is no spoiler to mention that the Bat kills people in this book. He is in the U.S. military in World War II, after all. That being said, there is a lot of blood and violence in this one, which is why I docked it a star.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Damn. I was really keen on reading this. I'm one of those folk who generally like Elseworlds stories. I was excited at the concept of this one, but man was it poorly executed. The story is easy to follow in most respects and fairly simple, but sometimes too simple. What really knocks this down is the art or more to the point the choices made as to what should be illustrated. Action sequences are chopped to hell and tough to follow. Our heroes in their civilian alter egos are sure as hell tough to tell apart. All in all, feeling let down by this one, particularly as it took me a while to get a copy.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal Elseworld. Spanning from WWII to the middle of the Cold War, it follows covert operatives Batman, Hourman, Doctor Midnight, Sandman, Black Canary, Mister Terrific, and any number of other recognizable characters through a fantastic series of adventures. Featuring not one but two fake-outs regarding the identity of Superman, absolutely beautiful art, and the most singularly creepy and original Two-Face I have ever seen.

I highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy comics, though I think people familiar with the DC universe will get the most joy from it.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this mildly entertaining, with a disjointed and surprisingly confusing storyline, and, on the other hand, a few memorable character adaptations (Scarecrow, Superman). I wasn't feeling the core characters in this work at all though, I didn't really care what happened to them, and I didn't like how some important fight scenes were dealt with by a page.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed Elseworlds stories that have taken place in the “real” world. So, getting to see spy versions of the JSA, Batman, Superman, and others in WWII was really fun. These versions of the characters were great especially Batman and Hourman. Tony Harris makes each panel come to life. Overall, this was a truly fun comic and I wish that there were more like this!

[Emilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting retelling of WWII and use of popular DC comic book heroes. Loved the steampunk elements. I think I would have liked this more if I actually knew more about the normal DC comic superhero universe. This will probably appeal to people who liked Marvel 1602.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on the golden age DC heroes. I can't believe I only now just discovered this book.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's two stories in this, and while the second one has Tony Harris's much improved art, the first is a much stronger story.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to visit Wikipedia a few times while reading this book, as I wasn't familiar with some of the characters, but I enjoyed the concept overall.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, bought it knowing nothing about it. Was very surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I have read it several times since then! Thank you for a great read Dan Jolley!

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun enough to read. Not sure if I'd pick it up at the store though.

[READERS RETREAT · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story, great read

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was like watching one of those dc animated films, the point of which is to rest the mind and the eyes