Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: Justice League of America: Another Nail (1 of 3)
An Elseworlds Tale.
Written by: Alan Davis
Penciled by: Alan Davis
Inked by: Mark Farmer
Colored by: John Kalisz
Lettered by: Pat Prentice
Associate Editor: Stephen Wacker
Senior Editor: Peter J. Tomasi
Publisher: DC Comics
— From inside back cover.
Alan Davis returns to DC’s Elseworld’s “line†with a sequel to his popular 1998 Justice League: The Nail. While you don’t need to have read that tale to enjoy or understand the first offering of the 2004 sequel, if you have it can only enhance your reading experience. (However, the key parts of The Nail are peppered throughout the sequel.)
Following in that vein and for the record, Justice League of America: Another Nail really IS an experience!
This sequel returns us to a world that has only recently begun to acquaint itself with its nail… its Superman.
The “nail†comparison is clearly deliberate. The previous series had its back cover adorned by the verse the “nail†reference comes from:
the shoe was lost,
for want of a shoe
the horse was lost,
for want of a horse
the knight was lost,
for want of a knight
the battle was lost.
So it was a kingdom
was lost,
— all for the
want of a nail.
— Colloquial adaptation
of a verse by George Herbert
(Jacula Prudentum 1651)
In this Elseworld’s universe, Superman — even though one man, one nail — proves vital to changing the fortunes of the world. While Another Nail is a JLA tale, it is still very much a story with Superman at its heart — as he is the heart of the JLA and of DC Comics as a whole, as well as the heart and father of super-hero comics.
While I believe I understood why Alan Davis and DC dubbed the first series “The Nailâ€, I am at a loss of why this series is called “Another Nailâ€. If Superman was the “nail†in the first series, how can he be “another nailâ€? The word “another†denotes “one more, an additional one†(per Random House College Dictionary). If this tale was to focus on new hero or ‘another knight’, I could understand the “Another†part of the title. In any event, that’s a small matter for a story that could quite possibly be my favorite read of 2004 thus far!
If you are a fan of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps or Jack Kirby’s Fourth World or the Satellite-era Justice League of America you should love this story. Another Nail is clearly influenced by a DCU of yesteryear yet it also offers some newness to a world we thought we knew.
While I won’t spoil the story for you, DC’s solicitation copy for the book says enough about the series to whet your appetite:
Don’t miss this tale of cosmic powers, human redemption, gods, monsters, and of course, heroes and villains, by two of the top creators in comics!
Alan Davis’ characterizations of Batman and Flash in particular ring true for a world where the Dark Knight has lost Robin and Batgirl and where the Fastest Man Alive seems obsolete next to a Man of Steel.
The humanity of our heroes is comforting and endearing.
The true unadulterated villainy of Jack Kirby’s Darkseid by Alan Davis’ pen and pencil is truly something to behold. While the Dark Lord of Apokolips has popped up in many DC arcs over the past two years, its his portrayal in Another Nail that figuratively sends shivers down my spine. Comic book villainy at its finest!
Alan Davis is no slouch in the art department either. He know how to tell a story through this visual medium. This art is dynamic and energized. His heroes look noble, even when some doubt themselves. His villains reek of evil. His women are hot! [>>Insert ridicule of fanboy here.<<] Justice League of America: Another Nail is quite possibly the most well-rounded and entertaining comics’ tale I’ve read this year. Pick up issue #1 before they’re gone. Issue #2 couldn’t come soon enough!
