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By Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84023-169-6
One of DC’s most significant core concepts was the multiple Earth/alternate Justice League stories that fired the imaginations of children in the 1960’s. Over the years the company have chopped and changed, tweaking, refining, abolishing, reinstating the concept. In the final analysis, readers of all fiction love the thought of doppelgangers, and counterparts – even evil opposites.
The Crime Syndicate were originally just such a team from an Earth that had reversed the concepts of Law and Justice. On Earth 3 Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman fought for themselves, not for Good. After the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths all those alternates were unmade, but have been creeping back ever since in one form or another.
Comic superstars Morrison and Quitely added their efforts to the confusion with this tales of the first meeting of the two teams. Here the baddies inhabit their own twisted mirror universe of anti-matter – quite literally ‘player on the other side’. When people and artefacts begin ‘leaking’ into each others universes the Justice League must find out why, leading them on a doomed Fool’s Errand to liberate the antimatter Earth.
There are lots of clever touches and beautiful pictures but ultimately this is a silly exercise with little logic to sustain it, innovation to uplift it or drama to carry it. It certainly isn’t a good use of its creator’s great talents. Just one for the dedicated fans I’m afraid.
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