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Mild Mannered Reviews - JLA Comics

JLA: Classified #3

JLA: Classified #3

Scheduled to arrive in stores: January 19, 2005

Cover date: March 2005

Writter: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Ed McGuiness
Inker: Dexter Vines

"Seconds To Go"

John-Paul Zito Reviewed by: John-Paul Zito

Click to enlarge



Under the mind control of Gorilla Grodd the Ultra Marines are tearing the world apart. Luckily for the world the JLA just got home. They leap into action like the well oiled machine they are; halting destruction and saving lives despite their superhuman counterparts standing in their way.

Meanwhile Batman finds himself strung up on a rotisserie and being seasoned. But when Grodd's back is turned the essence of Warmaker One manages to reconstituted himself and free Batman. With the JLA now at full force, and the gorilla rebels subdued, the good guys set to work deconstructing the competition.

Taking out the more immediate threats first; like the rampaging Goraiko, who turns out to be the mental projection of a tiny Asian girl. Once she is awakened the projection of Goraiko disappears. Superman faces down the malevolent Neh-Buh-Loh who escapes once he has gathered enough information about Earth and this universe which he considers to be his enemy.

Disaster averted and the Ultra Marines have been restored control of their faculties. Superman reprimands them for their complacency in these events. Superman declares the Ultra Marines and their no-nonsense approach to heroics a failure. In the complex world they live in heroes that kill are simpletons. He suggests a new path.

The Ultra Marines make the infant universe of Qwewq their new home. This universe will someday achieve sentience and when it does it will become the evil Neh-Buh-Loh. But now with the help of the Ultra Marines maybe this Qwewq will grow up a little more well adjusted.

The End.

5Story - 5: Fantastic ending. I've already discussed how much I like Grant Morrison's approach to the JLA so I won't bother repeating myself here. Instead I'd like to touch on the many layers here; contextual, metaphorical or otherwise.

The infant universe of Qwewq is interesting. It is a world just like the DC Universe except it is wholly devoid of supermen, monsters and aliens. In that respect it is that much similar to reality. Qwewq is in its infant stages in the present time but it's already caught up to a parallel time table with the DC universe; much the same way that the DC timeline mirrors reality. Without a universe full of heroes, wonder and adventure Qwewq grows up to become a malevolent creature that craves the destruction of the DC universe. Its existence violates his sensibilities so much that he's traveled back in time to end it.

I think Qwewq may be a thinly veiled analogy of our modern world. Science, big business and corruption threatens to destroy the pure heroes of fantasy and fiction. In our world comic books are only published so that Superman and Batman can find their way on to a pair of under-roos. Is our world, really, slowly killing theirs? The in-story solution of transplanting the Ultra Marines to Qwewq also fits in with this analogy. By the persistent addition of new modern myths the spark and the hope of fantasy is kept alive for each generation. It also serves the story as a solution to stop Neh-Buh-Loh's rampages before they start.

The moral of the story; without the heroes our world is destined to become a very dark, bitter and evil place.

4Art - 4: I had a little trouble here and there actually following the turn of events in some instances. I think a few times McGuiness tried to pack too much exposition into a single panel. For instance the page where Manhunter is just out of reach as Goraiko is about to make his final atomic level stomp. I had to reread that page and the page after it a few times before I understood that Goraiko had disappeared on his own.

But that's really a minor thing in comparison to the amazing feats of strength he displays in the several panels that show Manhunter piecing himself back together. Or better still the hilarious continuity between the shots of Batman twirling on the rotisserie.

5Cover Art - 5: This cover gave us nothing we didn't already know, plus it served to heighten the drama going into those first few pages. It's an immediate recap of where we left off and what the cliffhanger was from the last issue. I would have enjoyed a little more definition on Grodd's legion of rocket monkeys in the background, but that's just me nit-picking.


Mild Mannered Reviews

2005

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

January 2005

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