"And as for the most persistent thorn in our side, the Detective … well … distracting him was so obvious a matter, I cannot believe I never thought of it before."
This book collects JLA #42-46 and material from JLA Secret Files #3 and JLA 80-page Giant #1. The main story was by Mark Waid who has worked as a writer on most of the major characters from both DC and Marvel. The book also features a host of pencillers and inkers but the principle story was drawn by Howard Porter and Drew Geraci, in the main.
The main story has Batman investigating the disappearance of his parents after their graves were desecrated by Ra's al Ghul who implements Batman's contingency plan to incapacitate the other members of the Justice League. With the Justice League incapacitated or distracted Ra's is free to pursue his agenda to escalate tensions in the Middle East.
The other stories in this book feature a gang trying to frame Superman for a murder in Gotham, Aquaman inadvertently revealing too much about his feelings for Wonder Woman on a rescue mission and the Atom discovering a bacterial civilisation manifesting as a tumour in a boy's brain - a civilisation doomed to self-destruction that has a deep resonance for Superman.
The main story is an examination of the paranoia of Batman and the schemes he is prepared to consider, against his friends and colleagues, to ensure that each member of the JLA can be held accountable for their actions and brought to justice if necessary. When his schemes are turned into actions against the members of the Justice League, they must consider how far they can trust a man that does not have faith in them and whether they can continue to work with him knowing that he is constantly judging them. The only slight niggle I have with an otherwise great book is that there are a lot of artists used and even the main story has an interlude with guest artists as does the final chapter of the story - is it too much to hope that a creative team can see out a four or five page story without chopping and changing. A good story that would seem to have ripples that affect not only Batman's relationship with the JLA but also those of his close companions within their respective teams.
First published on RevolutionSF on Tuesday Jul 31, 2012
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