By Waid, Hitch, Neary

This is an oversized graphic novel which touches on personal faith and spirituality. Not so much on organized religion, though.

A huge space craft enters Earth’s solar system and proceeds to kidnap Earth. The JLA are on their Moon base and need the help of the Flash to teleport aboard. They set out to both find out what just happened and to calm down the humans on Earth.

It turns out that Earth isn’t the only kidnapped planet; the space ship has taken with it a lot of planets. The ship belongs to a group of aliens who are nearing the end of their lives.

The story then proceeds to tell how all atheists and agnostics are in denial and also willfully keeping themselves apart from all other species in the galaxy who do believe in “a greater divinity”.

I’ve always been a bit bemused how the big superhero companies are rather desperately trying to not alienate readers of any religion. Marvel has evolution (which is pretty clear in mutants), Asgardian gods, and entities like Eternity. At the same time, Thor refers to a higher divine will (not Odin’s). There are a few characters who follow a clear religion, such as Judaism (Kitty Pryde) or Catholism (Nightcrawler, Wolfsbane). Ororo refers to a Goddess. Yet, the vast majority of characters have some indefinable but Christian faith and I can’t remember any Buddhists, Hindus, atheistic characters.

I’m less familiar with DC characters. They seem to fall pretty much in the indefinable Christian category, though. Even if they’re from, say, Mars or Apokolips.

Oh well. At least the pictures are pretty.