Krueger and Ross (joined by Braithwaite at times) brought a vision of a dark future of the Marvel Universe to that publisher's readers, and as their efforts spawned three major limited series and a slew of one-shot spinoffs, it's not hard to declare the projects huge successes. Now, the creators turn their eyes to the icons of the DC Universe, and they take a much different tack this time around. First of all, instead of just providing covers and character designs, Ross is painting over the interior pencils, making his creative input more profoundly felt. But more importantly, the writers focus on a more innocent interpretation of the archetypal heroes. Innocence is maintained here while it was lost in Earth/Universe/Paradise X. It's an interesting shift, as is the role reversal inherent in the plot. Still, the narration and dialogue are more than a little overwrought, and the plot lacks much in the way of subtlety.
The world is coming to an end, and there's nothing that Superman can do, not even with the help of the Justice League of America. The Man of Steel watches in horror as explosions and flames consume those he loves, those he calls his friends and teammates, and every other living thing on the planet. This is a vision of a coming armageddon, one only a select few have seen, and they set out to do what Earth's Greatest Heroes could not. They are some of the most vile villains in the world, and they are about to gather at a new headquarters in order to save it.
Braithwaite and Ross do an excellent job of the opening dream sequence. There's a strong sense of reality to what's going on, but at the same time, the nature of the threat and source of the explosions is vague and elusive, in keeping with a more dream-like quality. I found glimpses of a couple of the villains -- Captain Cold and Black Manta -- in a somewhat civilian mode to be visually interesting as it brought the characters down to earth a bit. I also appreciate the profile/sketchbook section at the end of the issue as a brief glimpse into the creative process.
The scope of the story and largesse of the art drives home the narrator's concerns about the nature of super-heroes and how they could be seen as impeding mankind. The script is just too ovedone for my taste, though. There's little in the way of grounded speech, and that's necessary in order to bring the characters down to a level at which the reader can relate to them. Even Aquaman's family time is too full of purple prose.
Another element of this book I enjoy is that it offers the art of Alex Ross in an affordable package. His past work for DC has mainly been limited to prestige-format limited series or oversized graphic novels with higher price points. These individual issues will end up costing in the long run, but in the short term, it gets the work into the hands of fans who don't normally shell out for the more expensive formats.
I love the notion that a group of villains is banding together not to plague heroes or reap the benefits of criminal enterprise, but to do what their heroic enemies could not. At the same time, Ross and Krueger are careful not to portray them as selfless or changed. They're still corrupt and petty. The portrayal of Luthor is a little too over the top, but then again, the writers are trying to evoke a simpler time in super-hero storytelling, such as the Silver Age and the Challenge of the Super Friends cartoon from the 1970s and '80s that is celebrated in the lineup of characters and in the art. 7/10
