JLA Vol. 6: World War III [Paperback]

Grant Morrison (Author), J. M. Dematteis (Author), Howard Porter (Illustrator), Mark Pajarillo (Illustrator), John Dell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: JLA (DC Comics) | Publication Date: July 1, 2000

The sixth new Justice League of America collec- tion sees the world descending into strife and chaos as mankind approaches its ultimate test! And where are Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the team at this pivotal point in human history? Fighting for their very lives against the New Injustice Gang, including villains Lex Luthor, Prometheus, and the indestructible General!

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563896184
• ISBN-13: 978-1563896187
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.5 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Have we forgotten anyone?", August 15, 2003

By 

Sam Thursday (APO, AE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JLA Vol. 6: World War III (Paperback)

Morrison's trademark apocalypse comes right on schedule in his version of the JLA, which looks for all the world like a big-budget, mid-summer blockbuster movie. All the loose ends that you thought were forgotten about, all the characters that you thought just showed up for one issue, every superhero you can name and few that you can't come to the rescue in Morrison's admirably surreal take on the end of the world at the hands of a giant, planet devouring menace. It's a great read, and Howard Porter has finally gotten a handle on anatomy, as well as the classic Superman. The best of the series.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about time., December 23, 2000

By 

Craig Lawrence "hilandercs" (Gaithersburg, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JLA Vol. 6: World War III (Paperback)

Ladies and Gentlemen who have been following the "Watchtower Era" JLA; let it be said here first: Maggedon Has Arrived! This book is truly incredible. A masterpiece of grand comic proportions. However, before you all take my word for it and order this book, let me tell you that first you should read or have read the following JLA titles: Midsummers Nightmare, JLA: American Dreams,JLA: Rock Of Ages, JLA: Strength in Numbers, and JLA: Justice for All. It helps to have read most other JLA books, for character backgrounds, but these four contain some important forboding elements that really make World War 3 the powerhouse it is. Aside from the extensive need for background info, this is really an increible book. It's no Kingdom Come, but still a masterpiece all in itself. The major fault I would find with this book is that it's not really worth it all by itself. You really need to have read the whole story arc to truely appriciate how long this has been building. Additional!ly, the story does flow rather fast for such an epic experience. Bottem Line: A very good JLA book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Big clumsy super hero story, February 6, 2007

By 

D. Ortman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JLA Vol. 6: World War III (Paperback)

I really enjoyed most of Grant Morrison's run on JLA. Unfortunately, his work grew rather weak towards the tail end of his run, and you'll certainly find evidence of that in this collection.

My overall gripe with this run is that it reads like a big super hero story done exactly by the numbers. It feels as if Morrison ran down a checklist of necessary story elements, checking each of in order as he included them in the plot.

The main threat in the story is a 15 billion year old doomsday weapon which has thrown Earth into peril. Global threat of cosmic origin - check. The bummer is, you never get the impression that this is anything more than a plot device. It's there because it needs to be there.

As if that weren't enough, we have the formation of a new Injustice Gang. With impeccable timing, they come together to give the Justice League a sound thrashing at the worst possible moment. Thread of destruction from super villains - check.

The real downer is that Morrision brings Prometheus, a character who I really enjoyed in his previous runs, back into the book. He then uses the characters in several sequences that fail to impress. First, there is a confrontation with Oracle which resolves itself between pages. This really doesn't fly; Prometheus is capable of taking down the entire league, yet we are to believe that Oracle is saved from impending doom that cleanly? Later, Prometheus comes to blows with Batman - and it's obvious that the confrontation was only a means for Morrison to work in what he thought was a cool idea regarding Prometheus' helmet. Both fights (Oracle and Batman) seem to have been put in place so that Morrision could use this plot device, and it comes across as lazy story telling.

I know that super hero stories are built on clichés. The good guys always win; there is often some new cosmic threat which we've never seen before - whatever. A good super hero story can have all of these clichés, but can still feel fresh. Nothing here feels new or particularly special.

In addition to Morrision's less than exciting JLA story, there is also a Spectre story by J.M. Dematteis. I love J.M. Dematteis. However, I wasn't especially impressed by this issue. It could be that I'm biased, as I never warmed to the idea of Hal Joran becoming The Spectre. Either way, it didn't do anything to raise my opinion of this trade paperback.

Don't get me wrong, Morrision did some great work on JLA. This just isn't it.