History ComicBook / TheNail

* HeroicSacrifice
* MythologyGag: Superman was seen saving a plane when one of its engines was blown, like in ''[[Film/{{Superman}} Superman: The Movie]]''.

* RaceLift: Halo, a blond caucasian in the main DCU, is an African American in this story.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Power Girl and Black Orchid, normally heroes in the DCU, are first seen helping Star Sapphire steal the body of the android Amazo from Will Magnus, fighting the Metal Men in the process. Later they kidnap [[ComicBook/DoomPatrol Niles Caulder]]. [[spoiler: Subverted when it is later revealed that they, along with Black Canary, were securing Amazo's body in a risky bid to transplant Green Arrow's brain into a new healthy body, and that Niles had accompanied them willingly to perform the operation.]]

* PowerPervesionPotential: Early in the story, Mister Miracle wills his body to die and transfers his mind into the Mother Box circuitry incorporated into his wife Big Barda's armor, to escape [=DeSaad=]'s torturing him. Later, it is implied that he enjoys the situation, as while his mind is in her armor he is in constant contact with her body.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Power Girl and Black Orchid, normally heroes in the DCU, are first seen helping Star Sapphire steal the body of the android Amazo from Will Magnus, fighting the Metal Men in the process. Later they kidnap [[ComicBook/TheDoomPatrol Niles Caulder]]. [[spoiler: Subverted when it is later revealed that they, along with Black Canary, were securing Amazo's body in a risky bid to transplant Green Arrow's brain into a new healthy body, and that Niles had accompanied them willingly to perform the operation.]]

* AdaptationalVillany: Power Girl and Black Orchid, normally heroes in the DCU, are first seen helping Star Sapphire steal the body of the android Amazo from Will Magnus, fighting the Metal Men in the process. Later they kidnap [[ComicBook/TheDoomPatrol Niles Caulder]]. [[spoiler: Subverted when it is later revealed that they, along with Black Canary, were securing Amazo's body in a risky bid to transplant Green Arrow's brain into a new healthy body, and that Niles had accompanied them willingly to perform the operation.]]

* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler: To prevent a now-demonic Joker from dragging Selina into Hell with him, Batman is more than prepared to follow Joker into Hell, to make sure that he never escapes.]]

* TheCameo: ComicBook/HawkAndDove, ComicBook/{{Blackhawk}}, ComicBook/JonahHex, ComicBook/TheInferiorFive...If you can name a DC character who showed up in the '60s and '70s, odds are that they'll appear somewhere in this book.

* ClarkKenting: Lampshaded. When Lois suggests a "less is more" approach to disguising Kal El so he can go out as a civilian, the end result resembles the classic Clark Kent we all know and love. Kal asks Lois, "You really think this will fool anyone?"

* ExactlyWhatIAimedAt: AFter she receives a Green Lantern ring, Barda confronts Darkseid, but when she fires her ring at him she misses by a country mile. Darkseid gloats that living on Earth has made her soft, until it's revealed that her first attack was really a GL construct of Mr. Miracle (whose mind now inhabits Barda's Mother Box), leaving him free to disrupt Darkseid's machinery, causing it to overload and ultimately destroy him.

** And in ''Another Nail'', [[ComicBook/NewGods Big Barda and Mr. Miracle]].

In this universe, Martha and Jonathan Kent's truck has a tire puncture caused by a nail. This prevents them from discovering the spaceship containing the baby Kal-El, and so, there's no Franchise/{{Superman}}. There is, however, still a Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica, consisting of Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/WonderWoman, Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}, Franchise/TheFlash (Barry Allen), Hawkwoman, the Atom (Ray Palmer), ComicBook/MartianManhunter and Franchise/GreenLantern (Hal Jordan). There's also a great degree of xenophobia for the "metahumans," fueled by anti-metahuman propaganda from Perry White and backed by Metropolis mayor SelfDemonstrating/LexLuthor; slowly metahumans begin to disappear as other issues arise requiring the attention of the publicly disliked JLA.

* SilverAge: Set in a pre-ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths style universe, the story also features Silver Age features such as big splash pages featuring individual characters doing something impressive.

* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:Jimmy Olsen when beating the crap out of Batman specifically calls himself one and demands that Batman do the same.]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome He tells him to go to hell instead]]

* DatingCatwoman: Aside from the TropeNamer, Green Lantern and Star Sapphire's relationship [[FoeYay has shades of this]]

* EliteMooks: Played straight with the Liberators initially, but ultimately subverted when they're revealed to be [[GlassCannon GlassCannons]]

* GoryDiscretionShot: Poor, POOR [[spoiler: Robin and Batgirl]].
* HeroicBSOD: Batman has an EPIC one after [[spoiler:the Joker kills Batgirl and Robin]].

* JokerImmunity: [[spoiler:Averted, as he ends up [[NeckSnap having his neck snapped]] by Batman. ''On live television'']].
* LeeroyJenkins: Robin and Batgirl. [[spoiler:It gets them killed]]
* LoveRedeems: [[spoiler:Selina goes straight specifically to be with Bruce]]

* PapaWolf: Batman. [[spoiler: This is one of the few universes in which he breaks his ThouShallNotKill oath, and he does so after SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker murders Batgirl and Robin]].

* TheReveal: [[spoiler:Jimmy Olsen is the BigBad and has Kryptonian powers]]

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Likely as a means of showing how integral Superman is to the DCU, this world (and story) lean just a bit more towards the cynical side of the spectrum than the usual portrayal of the DCU. [[spoiler:That said, the ending is a [[BittersweetEnding (mostly) happy one]]]]

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity

* EldritchAbomination: The Limbo Cell

The same general plotline was used for ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' as well. See also ''BulletPoints'' for this series' Franchise/MarvelUniverse counterpart.

* TheCommissionerGordon: Harvey Bullock is the new commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Likely as a means of showing how integral Superman is to the DCU, this world (and story) lean just a bit more towards the cynical side of the spectrum then the usual portrayal of the DCU. [[spoiler:That said, the ending is a [[BittersweetEnding (mostly) happy one]]]]

* UnstoppableRage: [[spoiler: Batman turns ''utterly murderous'' after Joker kills his sidekicks, breaks his ThouShaltNotKill rule and kills the Joker.]]

See also ''BulletPoints'' for this series' Franchise/MarvelUniverse counterpart.

* TechnicalPacifist: [[spoiler:Kal-El, having been raised by an Amish couple, is opposed to violence. This does not stop him from going to town on a Kryptonian Jimmy Olsen]]

* WouldHurtAChild: SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker [[MoralEventHorizon shows this to horrific extremes]] when he [[spoiler:murders Robin and Batgirl]]

In this universe, Martha and Jonathan Kent's truck has a tire puncture caused by a nail. This prevents them from discovering the spaceship containing the baby Kal-El, and so, there's no Franchise/{{Superman}}. There is, however, still a Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica, consisting of Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/WonderWoman, Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}, Franchise/TheFlash (Barry Allen), Hawkwoman, the Atom (Ray Palmer), ComicBook/MartianManhunter and Franchise/GreenLantern (Hal Jordan). There's also a great degree of xenophobia for the "metahumans," fueled by anti-metahuman propaganda from Perry White and backed by Metropolis mayor SelfDemonstrating/LexLuthor; slowly 'metahumans' begin to disappear as other issues arise requiring the attention of the publicly disliked JLA.

* FamousLastWords: A gut-punching last sentence from the BigBad: "[[{{Irony]} We should have been friends.]]"

The story was later followed up by a sequel in ''JLA: AnotherNail'' which ties into the original story and wrapped up several loose ends.