JLA: Heaven's Ladder

[TJ Shoun]

I just re-read this last night and it reminded me of how much I liked it the first time around.

What'd you guys think?

I loved it. Okay, there were some problems - namely, the fact that some of the concepts presented here were pretty far-fetched, even for a uber-threat JLA story.

But still, if your suspension of disbelief was strong, everything else about this was golden. Incredible Hitch/Neary art, gorgeous Laura Martin coloring... all showcased in the over-sized format -- it just made everything visually mindblowing.

The only thing that disappointed me was how easily the Zealot "God" was defeated after he was made to be so unbeatable.

Anyways, I loved the art, the dialogue, the theme, the story, even the oversized format - which I usually don't like - pretty cool stuff.

[Reptisaurus!]

Really, really, really liked it.

Definitely my favorite Post-Crisis JLA story.

I love that it was based on Gardner Fox style comic-science and insane creativity, I love the Len Wein/Denny O'Neil style team-ups, I love that Waid somehow ties it all together with a moral.

And the art is breathtaking.

Greatgreatgreatgreat stuff.

[bannermanonemillion]

Waid come back to JLA! All's forgiven!!!

[Lex]

Good frickin' book!

This is probably one of my favorite comic projects of all time. The writing was amazing and the art was mind-blowingly cool (and the reason that I desperately want Hitch to return to DC).

[TJ Shoun]

Definitely my favorite Post-Crisis JLA story.

Yeah, maybe mine too.

Honestly, I liked the Morrison run a lot, but I prefered the Waid stuff.

And the art is breathtaking.

Oh yeah, really worthy of the oversized format.


the art was mind-blowingly cool (and the reason that I desperately want Hitch to return to DC).

Well, it was nice when he could pull off a "sorta-monthly" schedule but I'd hate to see him leave The Ultimates. :)

As much as I'm looking forward to Jim Lee doing Batman again, what I'd really like to see is him do JLA. Those panels he did of the JLA during his Superman run were amazing!

That'd be my JLA dream team: Waid, Lee, Williams, Laura Martin :eek:

[Kid Seven]

You know, this is one of those things that I just managed to never pick up somehow. I hadn't gotten into Authority yet, so I didn't know the 'new' Hitch. All I knew was the old one that did X-men fill-ins and was a passable Alan Davis clone. 180 degree turn there; and I had just dropped JLA after Morrison's run. But I think I'm gonna have to go pick it up now.

[Suzanne]

"Heaven's Ladder" was the first JLA comic - for that matter, the first DC comic - I ever read. The book itself was a little big, but I thought it was great. The art blew me away - I'd never seen graphics and lighting effects used that way in a comic before. I liked the story, though I didn't appreciate then as much as I would now.

[Kid Seven]

I can't believe that so many peopel got this and loved it, and I never picked it up. I guess part of the reason is that it seems like the Waid/Hitch issues are never really singled out as great, it was over pretty quick. Was 'Heaven's Ladder indicative of their run in general, or the exception to the rule?

[Lex]

Definately the exception. Heaven's Ladder is several notches above what Waid and Hitch produced for the regular JLA run.

[Kid Seven]

Definately the exception. Heaven's Ladder is several notches above what Waid and Hitch produced for the regular JLA run.


That's dissapointing. I was hoping that if Heaven's Ladder was better than I thought, then their run on the book would be too.

[dancj]

That's dissapointing. I was hoping that if Heaven's Ladder was better than I thought, then their run on the book would be too.

A lot of people (myself included) really enjoyed Waid's run on the book

[Kid Seven]

What was it that you enjoyed. I gues it's always seemed crazy to me that something by Waid and Hitch could NOT be good. Just seems like a sure bet.

[T Rath]

A lot of people (myself included) really enjoyed Waid's run on the book

Count me in on that as well. Dropped the book right after he left because the follow-up was just so dreadful. Will come back once Kurt starts his permanent run.

Waid's stuff was really fun and very well written. Maybe not as larger than life as Morrison's, but I thought Waid did what a comic writer is supposed to do; tell good stories. I'd love to see him take another run at the book if Kurt leaves, but not at the expense of LSH.

[Kid Seven]

See, for me, it wasn't even so much that I had diliked Waid's run (I had picked up Tower of Babel's first part and liked it), it was more that Morrison's run was ending and then I was leaving to travel in Europe and then get back and move up North. Then when I thought about picking up the back issues it seemed as though it wasn't good stuff. But maybe now I'll go search it out.

[barbgrayson]

that story was really profound though is it related to the mainstream continuity of DC?

[TJ Shoun]

that story was really profound though is it related to the mainstream continuity of DC?

I'm pretty sure it's in continuity.

It's mentioned in the DC Encyclopedia as one of the biggest threats the JLA ever faced.

And I was under the assumption that everything noted in the Encyclopedia was canon. :)

[Kid Seven]

That's my general impression as well; unless, of course, it's mentioned in the ELseworlds sectin towards the end.

[TJ Shoun]

That's my general impression as well; unless, of course, it's mentioned in the ELseworlds sectin towards the end.


No, it's in the JLA entry - not the Elseworlds section. :)

[Expletive Deleted]

And I was under the assumption that everything noted in the Encyclopedia was canon.I forget the details, but there were some continuity errors in the book. Search around a little, and you'll probably find a thread or two on it.

The biggest one, of course, is that everything regarding the Legion is already invalid.

I do think HEAVEN'S LADDER is in, though.

[Kid Seven]

LOL. For some reason that struck me as hilarious.
"Well, like fer instance, the entire 30th century is now completely differnent, and all those entries mean nothing. Enjoy your book."

DC should send out regular updates like this to people that bought it. :rollesyes:

[Stanlos]

I just re-read this last night and it reminded me of how much I liked it the first time around.

What'd you guys think?

I loved it. Okay, there were some problems - namely, the fact that some of the concepts presented here were pretty far-fetched, even for a uber-threat JLA story.

But still, if your suspension of disbelief was strong, everything else about this was golden. Incredible Hitch/Neary art, gorgeous Laura Martin coloring... all showcased in the over-sized format -- it just made everything visually mindblowing.

The only thing that disappointed me was how easily the Zealot "God" was defeated after he was made to be so unbeatable.

Anyways, I loved the art, the dialogue, the theme, the story, even the oversized format - which I usually don't like - pretty cool stuff.

The best Justice League story/special product ever written in modern times for me. The Gold Standards.

[Elayis]

I just got this, as well as JLA volumes 7-9, and I was just wondering where Heaven's Ladder fits in. Was it Hitch's first issue, his last, or somewhere in-between?

[WorstThingUS]

Really, really, really liked it.

Definitely my favorite Post-Crisis JLA story.

I love that it was based on Gardner Fox style comic-science and insane creativity, I love the Len Wein/Denny O'Neil style team-ups, I love that Waid somehow ties it all together with a moral.

And the art is breathtaking.

Greatgreatgreatgreat stuff.

You've said it all. Friggin' love this thing. Love the moment The Atom shares with Superman asking about what it was like being dead.

[dumbstruck]

I just got this, as well as JLA volumes 7-9, and I was just wondering where Heaven's Ladder fits in. Was it Hitch's first issue, his last, or somewhere in-between?

It was before the regular series run for Waid/Hitch.

[kalorama]

I loved it. Good story, great art, and the oversized format brought back childhood memories of the old "Treasury Editions."

I think Hitch did some of the best work of his career on JLA. The layout and drawing was less busy and more focused on telling a story than wowing people with his drawing chops, which I think really undercuts some of the stuff in the Ultimates.