710 WORLD’S GREATEST SUPERHEROES, THE
Th e works comprising Th e World’s Greatest Superheroes are meant to ground super-
heroes in the real world, diverging greatly from the epic battles seen in many superhero
comics by giving the heroes real-world problems to face, such as hunger or street crime.
Each work takes particular care to stress the humanity of its heroes, showing that each
hero’s greatest asset is the ability to connect to the people around them in meaningful
ways. Consequently, the stories are narrated from the heroes’ perspectives in their own
voices. Th is technique is bolstered by Ross and Dini’s decision to place the text unchar-
acteristically outside of speech and thought balloons in most of the works, relying on
speech balloons only in JLA: Liberty and Justice to facilitate the interactions of a larger
cast.
Th e genesis of the work owes itself somewhat to Ross’s style of illustration; he
wanted to bring the same realism that he portrays with his art to the story that he told.
Th e oversized format of the stories hearkens back to the tabloid size one-shots that
Ross remembered from his youth, and like these, Ross wanted Th e World’s Greatest
Superheroes to be appealing to a larger audience who might not fi nd the heroes as famil-
iar as long-time fans. Th is rationale also prompted the two-page origins that begin each
story, as each one is a simplifi ed version meant to allow easy-access to the characters by
the largest audience possible.
While the publication, being placed outside of DC’s regular continuity, did not
heavily infl uence further comics, Superman: Peace on Earth did win the Eisner Award
for best graphic album in 1999, also netting Ross an Eisner Award for best interior
painter/ multimedia artist in that same year. Th e original drawings for Superman: Peace
on Earth, Batman: War on Crime , Shazam!: Power of Hope , and Wonder Woman: Spirit of
Tr ut h were all auctioned off for charity, netting UNICEF $81,000 from Peace on Earth ,
Th e Reisenbach Charter School in Harlem $157,400 from War on Crime , Th e Make-
A-Wish foundation $110,000 from Power of Hope , and the Twin Towers Fund $50,000
from Spirit of Truth.
Jackson Jennings
