Product Description

Following the success of his run on Supreme, acclaimed comics writer Alan Moore was given the opportunity to write a mini-series featuring an entire super-hero universe. The results were just as unpredictable and ingenious as his writing on his landmark work, Watchmen.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #643999 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 168 pages

From Booklist
After the ambitious graphic novel From Hell (2000) and before recommitting to superhero comics in the America's Best Comics line, Moore, the most popular and innovative contemporary comic-book author, tested the waters by revamping a number of costumed adventurers. In this collection of some of those stories, one member of the superpowered team Youngblood is murdered, and, in a wry commentary on the darker tone superhero comics adopted in the 1980s, one of her comrades stands trial. The investigation uncovers a magical book containing the stories of every person who ever existed; tracing the book's history over the centuries gives Moore the chance to visit various other genres, including the western, the war story, and the jungle tale. The collaborating artists' styles range from Rob Liefield's overblown excessiveness to the comics classicism of Gil Kane in some of his final work before his death. If not nearly as clever or satisfying as Moore's concurrent Supreme stories (Supreme: The Return [BKL Ap 15 03]), better than most everything else in the field. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

A fantastic commentary on Rob Liefeld's place in comics
While I was aware of Alan Moore's stint on Supreme, during which he added an incredible amount of history and totally redefined the hero, I did not know of his involvement with this particular title until the trade paperback release. For those of you who are fans of his work on Supreme, you owe it to yourself to pick up JUDGMENT DAY.

The plot, in short: the Awesome Entertainment superhero community is shocked by the murder of Youngblood member Riptide. The prime suspect is fellow Youngblood member Knightsabre; however, during the trial, it is revealed that details of the case originate at the dawn of time. What follows is a series of flashbacks over thousands of years in the Awesome Comics universe, building to a surprise conclusion. As in Supreme, Moore weaves a very complex story, strengthened by the involvement of "Silver Age" characters he introduced in Supreme, as well as analogues of other famous comic and literary characters. As a result, Youngblood is provided with a history of sorts. The framing story is illustrated by Rob Liefeld, with the flashback sequences handled by a host of guest-artists, including Chris Sprouse and the great Gil Kane. Also included is an overview of some of Moore's other Silver Age characters, in a story that is a tribute to, and illustrated by, Gil Kane. Additionally, there is a kick-off for another Youngblood series featuring Shaft, Suprema, and a handfull of new characters.

So, the story alone warrants 5 stars. What really solidifies the rating for this book, however, is the message that Alan Moore presents to the reader: the fact that Youngblood and other Liefeld characters are angry, bloodthirsty, conflict-motivated anti-heroes that changed the face of comics for the worse. He shows that, compared to the comic characters of yesteryear, this type of character is ridiculous and irrelevant. It's so fitting that, as the members of Youngblood listen to testimony during the trial, they begin to realize that they are out of their league. Rightly so! What's so amazing is that Moore could present this message with Liefeld's say-so. Who knows... maybe Liefeld has actually come to realize this?

But even if Liefeld's approach to superheroes has possibly matured, his artwork certainly hasn't. It amazes me that, after 15 years in the industry, the man still has no understanding of layouts and anatomy.

"Let us handle this."
Alan Moore saves the day yet again with this short, sweet murder mystery about one of the most-loathed series in comics: Youngblood. Almost unbelievably, Moore manages to turn the established continuity on its ear, and goes on to spin complex and charming backstories for all of the participants, which go further toward explaining the characters and their motivations than the original series ever did. It's a wonderful read, and if you squint hard, you can see all kinds of great silver-age heroes and villains reincarnated with a twist (Storybook Smith = Johnny Thunder, The Fisherman = Green Arrow). The artwork ranges from atrocious to lovely, as Moore tells his story mostly in flashbacks and has a different artist for each one, but they include the incomparable Gil Kane and Keith Giffen, so it's still worth the price of admission. The framing sequences are by Rob Leifeld, unfortunately, who still can't draw feet after nearly 20 years in the medium. Overall, a great book written with in Moore's wordy, witty style with a couple of forgivable artistic flaws.

Note: Sadly, this story sets up the wonderful and defunct Youngblood revamp, that has yet to be collected, or even released in its entirety.

A fantastic story hampered by bad and unreliable art
Obviously, Alan Moore is a master of comics storytelling, and JUDGMENT DAY is no exception. The story builds on themes he had already been exploring in SUPREME. However, the art on the mini-series turns what could have been a great story into merely a really good one. There are several dimensions to this problem: one is that the art is just not consistently good enough. Work by the likes of deserving comics legends and veterans like Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens is tempered by work from Rob Liefeld and a few others in his lackluster stable of artists. This is nowhere more apparent than on the main story about the trial, leaving the main story not as good as the various flashbacks. If you're a Moore completist, definitely pick this up, especially if you enjoyed SUPREME and his ABC books. If not, wait until you can find this book for cheaper than it is here.