Product Description

For the last 40 years, DC Comics' Justice League of America has united the most powerful superheroes -- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Green Lantern -- against some of the most diabolical villains in comic book history. The Ultimate Visual Guide tells the history of the Justice League of America; their epic battles against awesome adversaries such as The White Martians, The Key, and Megaddon; and includes specially commissioned, spectacularly detailed artwork revealing JLA's brand-new headquarters on the moon, Wonder Woman's island home, Aquaman's undersea base, and more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #54328 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 96 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up-Batman and Superman may already be the subjects of "Ultimate Guides," but their inclusion here won't stop this wonderfully inviting volume from flying off the shelf faster than a speeding bullet. It chronicles the JLA, a superheroic team that has included Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and many others throughout its colorful past. Readers with an appetite for trivia will find plenty to chew on here, whether it's Plastic Man's real name (Eel O'Brian), Wonder Woman's first appearance (1941), or the color of Aquaman's eyes (sea blue, of course). With over 40 years of outrageous story lines and hundreds of episodes to cover, Beatty does a commendable job of transforming a tremendous amount of information into a cohesive work. Created in the signature DK style, the text appears in bold spreads, each with an introduction, several items of note, and plenty of dramatic, colorful images, including some that were specially commissioned for this publication. The book opens with a "biographical" chapter on the JLA's current members, followed by sections on their allies, enemies, and legacy. The inclusion of an encyclopedic time line of important events will please longtime fans. With interest in comic books and recent film and television spin-offs at a high, expect a demand of heroic proportions.
Douglas P. Davey, Guelph Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Scott Beatty earned his Master of Arts degree in fiction writing at Iowa State University. A former English teacher, radio personality, and magazine editor, Beatty is also the author of DK's Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight.

Customer Reviews

Review From a Future Critic
I do agree with the person who said that this book should have had more on previous Justice Leagues, but if you just recently got in to comics and want to know more this book is a must have.

An incredible guide for the Grant Morrison JLA
This guide follows the rest of the Ultimate Guide/Visual Dictionary series of books by DK, with the emphasis on the current JLA envisioned by Grant Morrison.

Full of pictures, and "popup video" style tidbits about the characters, it is a quick, easy to absorb gallery of characters used in the JLA comic book series by DC.

What it lacks is the comprehensive info for the Justice League of America and its other incarnations, but then again, it was listed as JLA: the Ultimate Guide. Because of that it's great for what it's worth. The timeline does make a nice attempt to mention all of its past incarnations.

One thing... it keeps mentioning Triumph, but it didn't really show who this traitorous character is or looks like.

The Justice League Revised
This is not a good book. If you are a fan of the current "Dark Age of Comics" and revisionist history it may be your cup of tea, but not mine. Yes, it has some decent drawings, but has a cookie cuter style standard with the publisher DK. It favors heavily the current group over past superior line-ups touching only lightly on the Bronze Age Maxwell Lord and Martian Manhunter led inner city groups. It fails to value the fondly regarded Super Friends. The whole thing appears like an ad for the present Justice League. If you are looking for a more fair and balanced overview I suggest petitioning Les Daniels of "The Complete (Superman, Batman Wonder Woman) series to do a Complete Justice League of America. This volume and others in the DC Ultimate series try, but do not hit the mark. They are worth buying, but not at this price. And with a little effort could be improved upon.