In the minds of both fans and critics, Tower of Babel almost always lists highly as one of the greatest JLA stories ever written. As a start to Mark Waid’s brief run after Morrison’s lengthy stint on the title, Tower of Babel radically changes the JLA and its stability when it comes to teamwork. However, is Tower of Babel really a JLA story? Some would argue that it is for the obvious reasons, those being that it was published in the JLA title and it features the team in one of their most challenging duels yet. But, many others, including myself I must confess, state that Tower of Babel is really a Batman story. Batman has always been a shady character when it comes to the JLA. Since the Dark Knight returned to his darker roots in the 1970s, he felt separate from the likes of Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and even his World’s Finest pal Superman. Tower of Babel reveals something about Batman, who he is and how he thinks. It is arguably one of the most important Batman stories ever, but its effects on the JLA are just as large. The team hasn’t been the same since this story. Finicky fans like myself could often point to a desperate JLA comic from the early 1990s or even the Detroit Era and point at it in fear, proclaiming it to be the story which killed the JLA and changed them forever. But terrible stories from the past are nothing compared to Tower of Babel, a story which does more than alter one or two aspects of the JLA. Tower of Babel destroyed the JLA…
JLA 43-46 was published from July to October 2000. The story was written by Mark Waid with art by Howard Porter, Drew Geraci, Steve Scott and Mark Propst. I have read the story in the JLA: Volume Four trade paperback. Also, I’ve missed out JLA 42
by Dan Curtis Johnson, Mark Pajarillo and Walden Wong because, plainly put, it sucks. It’s about a group of sub-atomic sized aliens fighting each other inside a boy’s head and, with the help of the Atom, the JLA must stop the fight before it kills the boy. It’s a story which is so bad that I don’t have any energy to talk about it, so, I’m missing it out. Sorry to all four of you out there who like it.
So, why did Tower of Babel destroy the JLA? When you look back to the days before Tower of Babel when the JLA was undoubtedly fuelled by teamwork and cooperation, Batman was always the anomaly. He has always been separate from the team, whether it be his darker visual appearance of his moody theatrics. But, on the outside, the JLA was still a team, one in which the line-up often changed, but they would work together to take out threats that would destroy the world. Even as comics became darker in the late 1980s and 1990s, the JLA were still a team. Morrison’s stint on JLA from 1997 to 2000 made the JLA into gods, ones that we look up to (hence the angle we see the heroes from on the cover of JLA 1). This was what the JLA looked like from the outside, viewed by humanity almost like an alien species protecting the planet. Then, Mark Waid came along, and he presents to us Tower of Babel, a story which deconstructs the JLA. For the first time, we see the JLA from the inside. Strangely, Waid’s choice of villain for the story is one that has never fought the JLA before or since I think, that being Ra’s Al Ghul, who, after one of his servant’s feeds chocolate to a near extinct animal, asks his daughter, Talia, when humanity will learn. As he speaks of how humanity’s actions are resulting in various animals becoming extinct, he decides that humanity must be controlled. With Talia’s help, he prepares his plan to destroy humanity. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne visits the graveyard where his parents are buried, but finds it has been dug up and the coffins are missing. Dennis O’Neil in his The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics lists this scene as a fantastic hook to start the story and he is certainly right. Anyway, Talia tracks down Martian Manhunter, firing a missile at him before he bursts permanently into flames. Wonder Woman and the Flash then find Martian Manhunter on fire screaming in a burning forest, surprised to find their alien teammate in such pain. This scene is also very effective as Waid sets the status quo of the team. More accurately, he sets the old status quo, as it does radically change by the end of the story. We see how the JLA function as Wonder Woman and the Flash joke with one another, as if they are real friends and characters. Meanwhile, in a boring meeting between two hostile foreign governments mediated by the Atlanteans, Aquaman and Plastic Man arrive when suddenly, Ra’s Al Ghul’s men appear and freeze Plastic Man solid (good) and fire a rocket at Aquaman, who which makes him terrified of water, something he needs to survive with. As Superman and the rest of the JLA (without Green Lantern and Batman, who is tracking down his parent’s coffins) conduct tests on Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, while the Flash notes that Ra’s Al Ghul’s men referred to the heroes as “JLA targets”, suggested that all members are at risk. Although Superman contacts and speaks to Batman, it is only brief as Batman is occupied with his obvious problem. Oh yeah, Plastic Man is also being treated, I forgot about that. Look, there will be a lot more Plastic Man hate coming so I’ll explain why later. Anyway, Aquaman begins to question how the assassins could have found the heroes, before he realises something. What has he realised? We don’t know yet, but we will. But, at the same time, using a machine that is very vague in how it works, Ra’s removes the power for humans to understand written words, with everything becoming an assortment of random letters, sending the economy and pretty much everything into disarray. At the same time, Wonder Woman and the Flash visit Green Lantern to ensure that he is okay. But, when they find him, they discover that he is blind. This is the first of three great cliff-hanger endings in Tower of Babel and the first of many others in Waid’s run as a whole. Despite my hatred of Porter’s art, the splash page showing Green Lantern blind is effective and works well as an end to the first part. The second part of Tower of Babel is certainly what the story is most remembered for, specifically the ending, but before that, we start with Batman breaking into Ra’s base and discovering that his parent’s coffins are about to be dropped into a Lazarus Pit, creating a strong opening and a stroke of genius in Ra’s plan. Meanwhile, Green Lantern rages that his sight has vanished as without it, he can’t get the focus he needs in order to use his powers. Suddenly, Aquaman warns over the Flash using his JLA frequency that another attack is coming. In a matter of seconds, Ra’s assassins arrive, with one firing an electronic spider into Wonder Woman’s ear. Meanwhile, Superman, with Oracle’s help, scans the angstrom units .004 and .005, finding a sine wave frequency that Ra’s has broadcast, causing those who hear to be unable to understand written words. Ra’s is unchanged by this as he is wearing a pair of headphones. That easy huh. This is actually one of the aspects which I’ve never been too keen of in Waid’s writing. His use of scientific phrases which I don’t really understand is a nice reference of sorts to the writings of Gardner Fox and how he used to write his JLA stories, but I find the scientific stuff just a bore to read as it seems that Waid wants to show how knowledgeable he is. I’m far more concerned with him telling a great story with great characters rather than flawless physics. That’s not to say that he doesn’t accomplish writing a great story with great characters and the second part is a prime example of it. Another aspect of Waid’s work which is common is his use of regular people in the world. This is an aspect I do like as shows how the story affects real people and how the loss of understanding written words has resulted in the deaths of many people. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman fights one of the League of Assassin’s top warriors. Their battle goes on for ages as the nanobot inside Wonder Woman’s head makes her believe that she is fighting an unending battle, which results in her effectively having a heart attack. Ra’s assassins then fire a weapon at the Flash, sending him into seizures at lightspeed. Then, Superman, using a giant forcefield from one of Brainiac’s old schemes, saves Metropolis, but there are still nearly six million people that need to be saved. With everyone but Superman undefeated, Batman thinks about Ra’s offer, wondering if his parents should be bought back. But Batman decides to fight back against Ra’s, until he is shocked to find Ra’s with a piece of genetically enhanced Red Kryptonite. Once that is unleashed before Superman, it weakens his cellular structure, and he screams in agony. With all of the JLA indisposed, Batman tries to contact Superman, saying that all of Ra’s weapons and plans weren’t not his own, but his. Batman is the one who killed the JLA. This is probably one of the greatest cliff-hanger endings in modern comics, as (continued)
Batman is revealed to be the villain, perhaps not directly, but definitely indirectly. But this isn’t a new addition. Waid has clearly been planning this. In his previous JLA stories written as fill-ins during Morrison’s run, Batman has always been secretive, hiding facts from other heroes, who are often distrustful of him. This moment is officially the death of the JLA. Their villains were once the likes of the Crime Syndicate, Starro, Despero and the White Martians. Now, their only real villain is themselves. Trust has been destroyed in the team and without trust, there is no team. Anyway, with the world going to crap and Ra’s Al Ghul’s plan, or Batman’s plan, working perfectly, Ra’s removes language as he did with written word, meaning that everyone now speaks nonsense. I have to say that this is a rather odd way for Ra’s to take out humanity. It is certainly creative, and it is a very Mark Waid idea, but I don’t think it’s particularly practical. Regardless, Batman can’t contact any of the JLA, but he manages to escape from Ra’s men. Meanwhile, Plastic Man, now solidified and put back to together after being entombed in ice and then smashed, saves the injured heroes by teleporting them back to base, with Aquaman fainting and being put in a vat of water for his own survival. Plastic Man then also removes the nanobot from Wonder Woman’s ear, saving her. Why does Plastic Man have to be the hero? Anyway, as the league begin to recover, Martian Manhunter tells Green Lantern that he was tricked by Batman, who (in his plan) used a post-hypnotic suggestion in his mind to tell him that he was blind and due to his ring’s willpower, it makes him believe it. I don’t know how much sense it makes, but once Green Lantern ignores Batman’s “suggestion”, his sight returns. Meanwhile, Batman disguises himself as one of Ra’s guards, witnessing an argument between Ra’s and Talia, in which she rages at him for forcing her to kill Batman. From this, Batman gets the transmission source of Ra’s. He then contacts the JLA to meet him, which some prepare to do eagerly, until Green Lantern believes it might be a trap. This is one element of the story which really does bother me. I understand the need for drama obviously, as without it in this case, the actions of Batman wouldn’t come across as significant or major. But to be honest, the JLA act like a bunch of idiots. Surely, they are aware of the great powers they possess and surely, they know that if they became evil or were mind-controlled, those powers could be used for dangerous and evil causes. More on this in the final part. Anyway, using some of Ra’s nullifiers, Batman speaks to the JLA clearly and they can understand him. Suddenly, Ra’s men attack, but in his rage, Superman takes them out before confronting Batman in front of the whole team. Batman hides his reasoning for now, but the heroes worry how much Ra’s now knows about them. Suddenly, Talia speaks out, telling Batman and the heroes that they won’t be able to destroy all of Ra’s technology and stop his plan, which has already caused the deaths of millions. But Talia tells them that she is tired of being her father’s minion and just as she tells them of a hidden bunker where her father’s bioterrorists are hiding, she is knocked out by an assassin of Ra’s, who tells the heroes that they are finished. Unfortunately, not in-keeping with the great endings to every issue, which the first two followed well, the third part is definitely the least plot heavy of them, but it is probably the tensest. We know, as the JLA do, that Batman has betrayed them, and we wonder what the fate of the league will be. Its clear that it cannot operate in the same way that it did before. Something needs to change dramatically and that is the undertone of Mark Waid’s whole run, from start to finish. Plus, Batman and trust isn’t the only issue in the league. Martian Manhunter freely admits that he once held similar plans to do what he could to take out heroes if they turn to evil. The whole league is under threat here and arguably, it never has been like this before or since. The fourth and final part can really be split into two. The first part is simply the league defeating Ra’s and the second is the JLA’s decision on whether or not to keep Batman on as a member. Starting from the beginning, there is a great scene when Aquaman is effectively having a panic attack due to being trapped in water and Martian Manhunter tells him to think of Batman to use his rage to fight back. Moments like these when you see how the JLA has changed are very effective and it shows that even Martian Manhunter, one of those in the league who trusted Batman the most, has turned against him. Anyway, after an annoying rant from Plastic Man, the heroes reluctantly follow Batman (who flies with Superman’s help). Batman reminds Superman of Agamemno, a villain who gave a gang of villain’s access to the heroes’ bodies (Mark Waid’s The Silver Age). He tells Superman that he needed to make plans if something similar every happened again. Honestly, I completely agree with Batman. Somebody must have the power to take out the JLA if they turn to evil as their potential is unlimited. Superman on his own could just completely destroy the galaxy. Forget about the Earth. He could destroy reality. Besides, Superman himself gave Batman some kryptonite to ensure that he can be defeated if he becomes evil. Surely, Superman must agree with him. Well, apparently not. Anyway, Batman and Superman storm Ra’s base while the others take care of a toxic compound that randomly appears and has no real impact on the story. That is often a common problem with Mark Waid’s work. Too much is thrown into one story and you do question what the purpose of some plot points are. But Batman and Superman defeat Ra’s Al Ghul by saving the Wayne’s coffins, despite some interference from some Red Kryptonite, that’s where Ra’s influence on the story ends and for the rest, the main focus is Batman. This final scene in which all the members (but Batman obviously) discuss what they should do with the Dark Knight. Despite its wordiness, it is a great scene in which the characters speak their mind, and it is tense. But it does annoy me slightly. The league is split, with three voting for Batman to stay in the team and three voting for his expulsion. Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and the Flash (the smart members) understand why Batman came up with the plan to take them out just in case. They aren’t exactly defending them as Ra’s Al Ghul easily managed to get hold on them and carry out Batman’s plan, but they understand why. Plastic Man, Wonder Woman and Aquaman decide that he should be expelled as Batman has broken their trust. But, these people, or more accurately, Wonder Woman and Aquaman, don’t understand how dangerous their powers are. It is ultimately down to ego and how they are too powerful to be controlled and that they will never turn evil. Plastic Man is another story. You may have noticed that I have not exactly been welcoming of his character here and that will continue for the rest of the Waid run, with one exception later on. But, with Plastic Man’s history as a former criminal, he should understand why Batman has these plans. He knows that he can be evil because he was before. Plastic Man is far too ignorant here and compared to the rest of the JLA, he really isn’t that important. If you wanted a good JLA member with powers like his then pick Elongated Man or anyone else. At least Elongated Man is intelligent and a detective. Plastic Man is just an annoyance, one I could do without. Regardless, the final decision comes down to Superman, but the story ends with the team entering the meeting room to find that Batman has grown tired and left. What is the fate of Batman? We’ll find out. But the most important thing is that the league is dramatically different to when the story started, more so than Morrison’s run. In fact, the two runs are very much the poplar opposites of each other, with Morrison’s run creating the JLA into god-like figures, while Waid’s run deconstructs them into humans with flaws. I much prefer this route and Tower of Babel is the reason why. Waid throws us into the deep end with a story that almost destroys the whole team, but the consequences of it are arguably still ongoing to this day. From this story, Batman has always been seen as the unique one in the league. Many members are distrustful of him as Tower of Babel shows the destruction of the JLA in its original form.
This story also sees the destruction of Howard Porter’s time as penciller for the JLA series and thank god. No longer will we have to stand everybody looking ugly or having faces that look as if they have been caught in-between two lift doors. His art inside is incredibly over-exaggerated and the faces he gives some characters just looks flat-out weird. The inks are also very bland, lacking any real kind of detail, which could be for the best due to Porter’s strange muscle definitions. For the last part, Steve Scott supplies the pencils and in terms of storytelling, they suck. The final page is always been one that has bothered me. Its not only the over-the-top faces by the JLA members, but it isn’t exactly clear that Batman has left the room. If anything, it looks
like Superman and the rest of the team are shocked to find that they have a new meeting table. Regardless, thank god we’ll be getting some much better and proper art from the likes of Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary from now on.
VERDICT
Overall, JLA: Tower of Babel is a classic JLA story. It fundamentally changes the relationship between the eight characters in the team. Due to Batman’s actions, they not only begin to lose trust in him, but they begin to lose trust in each other as the next few stories will show. Ra’s Al Ghul surprisingly works effectively as the villain, even if the details of his plan are somewhat impractical. My only real problem (apart from Plastic Man obviously) is the ignorance of some of the heroes who can’t accept that they can do wrong and that there must be a plan in place if one of them turns evil. But, ignoring this heavy bias, Tower of Babel is a superb JLA story, one which I struggle to find a substantial flaw with. Plus, despite the art, there aren’t many other JLA stories that can rival it in terms of both tension and impact.
Story: 9.5/10
Art: 3/10
Next Week: JLA: Divided We Fall (JLA 47-54). Written by Mark Waid with art by Bryan Hitch, Paul Neary, J.H. Williams III, Mick Gray, Javier Saltares, Chris Ivy, Phil Jimenez, Ty Templeton, Doug Mahnke, Mark Pajarillo, Kevin Nowlan, Drew Geraci, Walden Wong, Mike S. Miller and Armando Durruthy. Expected by 14/02/2021.
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