I picked this up in an airport book store a few years ago and read it on the plane. I'm a comics fan. I actually really enjoyed this book. Just empty mental calories, but highly enjoyable. ( )

I'm finding that Batman is the key figure in many of the Justice League books, which is fine with me. Superman was only a focus to answer the question of how to keep from abusing power. The answer seemed to be to make sure that your personal life is happy and fulfilling enough to prefer it over power. In that regard, I enjoyed the emphasis on Clark Kent's personal life. ( )

Being a Superman fan I ordered this book from the Paperback swap site some time ago. Since I've been going through the Superman novel type reading phase, here we are. As part of a Justice League series, this book may feature Superman as the main title, but really almost every Justice League character gets almost equal time.

Plot-wise, I thought it was pretty good. The villain is the infamous Kobra, who I've never read about before but have heard of, using a person with special abilities to control the weather to a giant degree. Batman is here in his detective glory, termed the World's Greatest Detective, and he seems to have had the most experience with Kobra while the Green Lantern has had more experience with 'The Weather Man'. Superman is thrown somewhere in the midst, leading the Justice League and of course realizing the huge threat and what it could mean. There were plenty of obstacles facing the team as they try to track the cult leader and his merry league of demented men.

I thought that the Lois and Clark scenes were especially well-written and sweet, including an almost ten page dedication to their romance without seeming cloying, instead playful and sincere. There were moments where the cheesiness factor was awkward of course, and I do miss the older Flash type where more sarcastic humor is used and not everything is so high-five. The ending was one of the better parts of the book.

Not perfect but good reading if you're into this sort of thing. Something this book really had going for it was being so filled with movement, where every chapter something crucial and exciting is happening. Not the best of its kind out there but the story isn't too flimsy and the characterization, for the most part, stays true. I can't help it, I really just never liked Wonder Woman, and at times I thought she was overused a bit with her plane and such, and a surprise (that delighted me) was the Green Lanterns role. Batman was great as always and I thought well-stayed to, as was Superman. ( )

I picked this up in an airport book store a few years ago and read it on the plane. I'm a comics fan. I actually really enjoyed this book. Just empty mental calories, but highly enjoyable. ( )

With so much of America experiencing extreme winter weather this season it seemed apt that I review 'Superman:The Never-Ending Battle' as it's a novel that has extreme weather at the forefront of the storyline.
This novel is part of six individual Justice League of America novels that make a complete series. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and The Flash all have their own book where they are the main character. The sixth book in the series is a more generalized novel whereby they all work together. That's not to say that Superman, for instance, is the only character in the Superman novel but rather he is the main focus of the novel with the other members of the Justice League playing more minor roles. I have to admit to not liking the cover of this novel, or any of the covers for that matter, in the individual hero series. Each one focuses on one aspect of the hero and as you can see from the cover of this novel it's the iconic 'S' as the shirt rips open for Superman. That works okay I suppose, in an attention grabbing kind of way, but doesn't translate as well to the other members of the Justice League especially the Batman cover which looks like someone took a photograph but didn't manage to get Batman's full face in the shot.
The storyline sees the various members of the Justice League battling the weather. Oh how we could have done with them this winter! From blizzards to hurricanes the country is being besieged by inclement weather and our heroes are trying to save the lives of the innocent people affected...and through it all Wonder Woman still fails to put on some thermals. This obviously works better for some members than others with Green Lantern being able to manipulate his green energy into anything his mind can come up with.
Some of the situations our heroes find themselves in are a tad cliche. For instance, Martian Manhunter who is afraid of fire has to help stop a forest fire brought on by intense heat and Green Lantern has to erect a green energy barrier to stop a tsunami before it reaches land. In each of those situations it would have been easy to predict the hero who was going to be involved stopping the disaster to anyone familiar with the characters.
One member of the Justice League not battling the weather is Batman. He is busy investigating the cause of the outbreaks and, of course, there is a super villain behind the extreme weather. Batman's role worked well within the story and, in many ways, he had more of an effect on the story than Superman did.
The character of Superman is written very well and we get to see the human element of him as much as, if not more than, the superhero aspect. As such there are wonderful exchanges between Kal-El and his human parents as well as with Lois and Bruce Wayne. This really added a depth to the book and raised the story to beyond the regular fare of good versus evil.
One aspect I didn't like was Wonder Woman flying around in her invisible plane. I feel that unless the hero involved is somehow fully associated with their gadgets and gizmos, such as Spider-Man with his web shooters, Gambit with his deck of cards or Batman with his utility belt, then anything else just waters down the character. I think what really irks me about Diana's plane is that she is a superhero who can fly.
Speaking of Wonder Woman and Superman:

Superman is on his way back to the Daily Planet when he flies over Wonder Woman's house noticing that her bedroom window is wide open. He stops for a quick look and sees that she is laying on her bed naked squirming around and looking real hot.
Superman, caught up in his lust thinks, "I could just fly in there at super-speed, have a quick in and out and be gone before she even knows what's happened." So in he goes...wham bam thank you ma'am and then he's out of there in the blink of an eye.
Wonder Woman sensing something has occurred says, "What was that?" to which the Invisible Man replies, "I don't know but, f*ck, is my ass sore!"

Anyhow, I enjoyed this novel and while it's by no means a classic it's very well written and well worth a read. ( )