Customer Reviews

Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of those stories that starts really well but doesn't end well. The world is full of "normal" people bequethed with super powers and those who should have super powers have no memory of their past. The writing is tight and the story compelling. Why three stars? The adversary to our heroes is poorly thought out--dare I say stupid (stupid origin, stupid powers, stupid motivations). When the master plan was finally revealed I was left thinking THAT's IT! It seemed contrived. It was a perfect buildup to nothing. This was a good concept that failed to be big enough in scope. I would buy it if you are really into the Justice League. There are good moments for all of the cast, but if there are other stories you could buy first--please do. I don't regret buying this as I am a fan of the genre. I'm simply disappointed with where this story might have went.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE accomplished what I wanted it to do, re-establish the true core of the Justice League of America. Originally purchased in the mini-series format, it combines the Super Seven against Doctor Destiny to unwrap the loopy world they have been all trapped on. Definitely for the hard-core JLA fan, of which I am. This version of the team is the best one out of the three that have existed so far.

DC Comics has packaged the original -- and difficult to find -- three-issue mini-series, 1996's "Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare", into this trade paperback. In addition, there is a brief introduction by Grant Morrison, who writes DC Comics' "JLA" regular series (at the time this review was written) as well as interesting character biographies at the end.

For JLA fans, "A Midsummer's Nightmare" is essential reading. For newcomers, this is a good introduction to "JLA" and the unique characters it portrays. While there may be some reservations about this context of this book (i.e. super-heroes, comics, etc.), the content is quite intriguing. The story delves into issues concerning equality and freedom, among others, while it delivers the action and suspense that I would expect from a super-hero comic.

That synopsis may sound very vague and general, but that was intentional; I didn't want to reveal too much of the story. ! Readers looking for an in-depth analysis of the issues will not find it in "A Midsummer's Nightmare". Instead, there are subtle questions that seem to linger after reading the story (at least for myself).

The art is good, and the story is even better. However, I probably would have given a higher rating if I hadn't previously read DC Comics' "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" and "Kingdom Come", as well as Marvel Books' "Marvels". Needless to say, I find those books to be outstanding, and I am obviously partial to them.

Nevertheless, "Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare" is a good book. I would recommend it to casual readers interested in comics as well as people looking for a good story regardless of the format it comes in.

Happy reading ...

With the Midsummer's Nightmare the league is returned to greatness. No more second stringers only the big guns. This book reprints the entire three issue limited series form 1996 the year heroes returned fromt he dark ages.

IT is no longer an era of grim and gritty heroes who you are not sure if you should be rooting for. This book shows you that heroes are good and are looking to save the world. A really fun story that captures the imagination with its wide scope and properly using all seven of the Justice Leaguers. After reading this you will know something about each one that you may not have known before. The Justice League is now a group of the most powerful heroes on the planet, they may not always like each other but they can put those differences aside to save the world. I recomend this book to anyone who is a fan of the heroes. Anyone who always said the League is cool but they just aren't breathtaking. Well this book is certainly a start int he right direction not just for the Justice League but comics in general.

JLA: A Midsummer's Nightmare starts in a fantasy world, where our seven favorite Justice Leaguers live what perhaps they've all always wanted: normal lives with normal jobs and normal families (imagine what this means to Bruce Wayne, Jonn J'onnz). Blissfully unaware of their supernatures, they slowly realize that not only is the world amiss, but they can and must do something about it - no matter the personal sacrifice. You thought the X-Men's "omnipath" foe the Gamesmaster was powerful!

You get to see what the most famous superheroes are like without powers. You get to see an exaggerated version of their burdens. You get to see what the Martian Manhunter's life was like before he came to Earth. You'll laugh at Wally West (Flash) and Kyle Rayner (Green Lantern). My favorite part is at the end, when you get to read a little info about each superhero, and the part he or she plays in the Justice League. It's fascinating.

This is the recent reteaming of the original Justice League of America: Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter! The story begins with the heroes unaware of their superhero lives and powers, and everyone else discovering new powers. It takes a look at what the world would be like if everyone had these abilities. The heroes slowly begin to realize something is wrong and investigate it further. The story ends with a warning of some future threat, that urges the heroes to form a new Justice League. This is a great place to rediscover your favorite heroes!

Let me just start by saying that I'd have given this a 4.5 out of 5 stars if that option were available! That being said, this was a GREAT find and addition to my Justice League collection. It is the set up story of the events that lead to the formation of the Justice League of the mid to late 90's. In a VERY 'Avengers' moment, the team discovers that they have been brought together to fight a threat that none of them could have handled alone. And not to give away too many spoilers, but it sets up a MAJOR storyline that will play into the later Justice League volumes.
The story itself starts slow, though there is no problem with that in my opinion. It's a slow start, but a good one nonetheless. By the middle and end, it's become a rip roaring Justice League adventure like those we will become used to seeing. If there was one flaw with the book, in my humble opinion, it's that I didn't find the art as tight and detailed as I would have liked. In many places, it was very sketchy. Which is all good and fine if you like that sort of thing. It didn't detract from the overall story, and I think that it what really counts here. Grant Morrison does the intro to this book, which is fitting, since he'd go on to do a years long run on the newly launched Justice League comics. This book immediately leads into the following books:
JLA, Vol. 1
JLA, Vol. 2 (Deluxe Edition)
JLA, Vol. 3 Deluxe Edition
JLA Deluxe Edition Vol. 4
It should be stated that while this is a 4 to 4.5 star intro to that series, each of those books receives a RESOUNDING five stars with bells and whistles. I'll do reviews on them later, but for now, if you're looking to start reading the JLA of the mid 90's, then this is the book that started it all. Give it a try folks, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thanks for your time. Sincerely, R.A. McDowell

"Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare" is somewhat of a bore. I read it after loving JLA: Year one & Crisis On Infinite Earths, but there isn't anything in this title to love, it's all for the most part, very forgettable. The art is crappy, the storyline isn't riveting, it just is what it is.

The Justice League of America have to contend with the fact that they are now powerless, in a world where a whole lot of other people now have usper powers. Obviously something is not right, and they have to go about finding out what is going on.

This is all tied up with the horrific abilities of Doctor Destiny.