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Alex Ross is an incredible artist and this is the type of book that really showcases his art. If you are a dc comics fan and a fan of incredible art work get this book.
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This collects the large format stories put together by Paul Dini and master artist Alex Ross- Ross' photo-realistic artwork is absolutely incredible. The stories feature Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and the Justice League- however, these are no ordinary superhero stories. Rather than fighting villains with death rays or armies of killer robots, the stories focus on the superheroes' frailties and failures, making them feel more accessible and 'human'. Superman takes on world hunger, Batman attacks the root cause of crime- poverty, Wonder Woman fights for women's rights, Captain Marvel reconciles the child and adult sides of himself, and the Justice League fight an alien virus- which the world thinks they might have created.
This is fantastic value- much cheaper than buying the stories individually. Plus you get to see some of Ross' original sketches and photo-references. Highly recommended.
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From beginning to end, this book is gorgeous. This hardcover slipcased edition is a tactile wonder. Everything from the cover to every single page has a pleasant, glossy sheen not found even in other DC Absolutes. Now in previous absolute editions, I have lamented the inclusion of both a slipcase AND a dust jacket, (hello, redundant!) I am pleased that this book features both, because it's just more canvas to feature the Ross's to-die-for art.
Now if you're expecting to see a lot of the Justice League together, you'll be disappointed because 2/3 of this book is Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel in their own stories. However, the 80 page LIBERTY AND JUSTICE story that concludes the book is the cream of the crop. If you need a bigger JLA fix, then look to Ross's series JUSCICE.
In short, this should be on the shelf of any DC comics fan, and considering that the BATMAN and WONDER WOMAN paperbacks are selling for more than this collected edition, it's a friggin' steal at 32.99.
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EXCELLENT! Astonishing artwork and vivid stories that do justice for these classic DC heroes. NUFF SAID!
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I find Alex Ross to be the best artist in the comic book industry, period. Some people say that a comic shouldn't be painted, but they're just being closed minded. It's about time anyway, especially with some of the work out there being done today. Some comic book artists need a lesson in proportion and figure study, that's all I'm saying. (And for some inkers, a class about understanding the role of light and shadow wouldn't be too bad a thing to take either.)
Anyway, like I've probably hinted, I bought this book because of the art. And considering Dini's past experience, I'd expected the writing to be pretty good as well. Unfortunately, it's not all that great. Most of the stories don't use word bubbles (excluding the Justice League story,) in what I'm guessing to be a sort of different take on the standard comic book. I have nothing against that move, but what came out of it was rather flat. A narrative, I believe, doesn't conjure as much interest as dialogue (which would be word bubbles.) Not that there isn't any sort of dialogue in these stories, there are, but more room is taken up by the thoughts of the narrator, which would be the lead super hero in each story. Of course, to read the inner workings of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman sounds like great fun, but it just comes out rather bland and uninteresting.
Two stories that I think worked the best were the Batman and Captain Marvel stories. The two that I think were the least engaging were the Superman and Wonder Woman ones. Others may think differently, but we all have different opinions, so it's up the person. All of the stories in the book deal with humanity issues, which is a nice change. And the Justice League comic isn't bad. And Alex Ross is doing his Alex Ross thing. So overall, if you want the art, just buy it, considering the savings you get with Amazon. If you're more the person that wants an interesting and engaging storyline, you might want to look elsewhere.
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