Each month, we delve into a comic book issue that’s 10, 25, 50, or 75 years old, with an exception for a special wild card in months featuring a fifth week. This time, we’re traveling back to May 2000, where we begin the “Tower of Babel” storyline. In this instance, Ra’s al Ghul manipulates Batman to bring down the Justice League.
It’s undeniable that Batman has always been a prominent character in the DC Universe. But when it comes to the Justice League, portraying Batman as equal to heavyweights like Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and The Flash was initially met with some resistance because he doesn’t possess superpowers. In an amusing twist, even Atom, who did have powers, was placed in the non-powered group during Denny O’Neil’s first Batman storyline.
With Grant Morrison’s arrival on JLA, the portrayal of Batman shifted significantly, making him so incredibly competent that the rest of the Justice League seemed almost outmatched by him. When Morrison’s JLA debuted (with art by Howard Porter and John Dell), it was a major event for DC, as they had generally avoided having all their top superheroes on one team. However, Morrison managed to persuade DC that this approach would work, and the series became incredibly popular. Wizard Magazine even dedicated an entire issue to the JLA. In that issue, Morrison was asked who would win in a fight amongst the members of the Justice League, and he humorously replied that Batman would likely emerge victorious due to his extensive knowledge about each of his fellow superheroes, enabling him to take them down if necessary.
This certainly sparked a great deal of debate within fan circles, and it marked the origin of what I later referred to as a “golden idea,” an idea so impressive that its potential for a compelling story was self-evident. We all knew this concept would be utilized eventually in a comic, and true to form, in May 2000, it was employed to initiate Mark Waid’s tenure on JLA, succeeding Morrison (though there was a transitional issue between the two runs, you understand what I mean). Howard Porter and Drew Geraci continued their artistic roles (Geraci faced a tough choice when deciding whether to leave his collaborator at the time, Greg Land, to become Porter’s inker after John Dell departed from DC for CrossGen. Given that Geraci stepped in during the final stages of Morrison’s storyline, Dell still received cover credits for the last two issues, which were both inked by Geraci).
How were the Justice League taken down?
The initial outline may not cover every step of the plan to defeat the Justice League, but it begins by depicting Martian Manhunter getting hit by a bullet containing nanotechnology…
In this scenario, the nanotechnology transforms into flames, causing Martian Manhunter to be perpetually enveloped in flames when performing any action. Notably, this trait represents a significant vulnerability for Martians as a whole.
In the mission assigned to them, Plastic Man’s body froze solid and shattered upon being hit with a hammer, while Aquaman was subjected to a new variant of Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin, causing him an intense fear of water.
Ultimately, Green Lantern’s sight has been lost, impairing his capacity to materialize items using his Green Lantern ring.
Isn’t that an intriguing twist to conclude with, indeed? While it hasn’t been definitively proven that Batman is involved in these events, the evidence certainly suggests a compelling mystery, doesn’t it?
How did Ra’s al Ghul keep Batman from finding out? What is Ra’s al Ghul’s plan?
The most shocking aspect of the story might be that Ra’s al Ghul secretly takes Batman’s parents’ bodies from their grave, intending to deceive him and divert his attention away from uncovering the truth.
Of course, Batman is deeply driven by the desire to uncover the truth about his parents’ fate. Consequently, he rejects any overtures from the Justice League, immersing himself entirely in the pursuit of their remains, demonstrating his unwavering dedication.
Afterward, we uncover Ra’s al Ghul’s grand scheme. His intention is to deprive the world of speech, which he believes has led to the overgrowth of contemporary civilization that he despises…
Crazy stuff.
Wow, talk about a massive home run! Jumping into this comic book for the first time, Mark Waid really knocked it out of the park. I mean, those were some big shoes to fill, but he sure did an outstanding job stepping up to the plate and delivering a fantastic performance!
Hey fellow gamers! If you’ve got any recommendations for comic books from June (or any other months) in the years 2015, 2000, 1975, or even 1950 that I should highlight, feel free to shoot me an email at brianc@cbr.com! Just keep in mind the cover dates of these comics so your suggestions are accurate. In most cases, the comic will have a cover date that’s actually two months before its release date (so if it came out in August, it would have a cover date of October). It might be simpler to pinpoint when a book from more recent years was released since there were online resources covering comics back then. Happy hunting!
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2025-05-30 19:07