Showing posts with label
justice society of america v.2.
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Showing posts with label
justice society of america v.2.
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Justice Society of America (vol.2) #2 (September, 1992)
"Days of Valor"
Writer - Len Strazewski
Pencils - Mike Parobeck
Inks - Mike Machlan
Letters - Bob Pinaha
Colors - Glenn Whitmore
Editor - Brian Augustyn
Cover Price: $1.25
Boy, it's been ages since we covered the first issue of this series. Ages! As luck would have it... my JSA box somehow made it to the top of the pile(s) during a re-sorting. I probably ought to come to grips that... this is my life now... organizing, and reorganizing boxes... a Sisyphean task, if ever there was one!
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We last left off with Jay and Alan doing their best Wayne and Garth impression... Not! Either way, they're back in the game... but, they're not yet a Society. We open in a subway where a protester is about to get his block knocked off by a couple of big dudes... we'll find out more about this conflict as we continue. Lucky for the fella, a pair of septuagenarians happen to enter the scene. They are Ted and Al... better known to some as Wildcat and the Atom. The buff baddies refer to them as "geez" (which we're gonna assume is short for "geezer" and not the plural of goose)... and so, a fight is on.
Al's a bit trepidacious... after all, they've only been back from the "other place" for a little while, and they're not totally secure in their powers. Also, it wasn't too long ago that Ted Grant didn't have the use of his legs. Regardless, the pummel the punks, and Ted even hands the victim a business card for some personal training.
The former heroes continue on their merry way, passing even more protesters during their walk. Looks like there's an evil corporation called Ultragen mucking with the environment. Al waves it off as "politics" before he and Ted enter the GBC Building... both wondering if the other brought their costume.
In the down below, Ted and Al find their path lit by a green light. It's Alan Scott... and he's got something to show them. He and Jay had brought all of their old Justice Society relics out of storage and set up a neat little base of operations.
Ted thinks it's pretty cool... especially seeing his old heavyweight championship belt among the decor. Al, the rational one, thinks this is all childishness which really ought to be left in the past. He calls it a museum... and refers to themselves as nothing more than "museum pieces". He goes on to harangue Alan and Jay for wearing costumes in their seventies, that looked silly even when they were in their twenties.
Ted asks Al to lighten up a bit, and just hear Green Lantern and Flash out. Turns out, Alan (decked out in his gaudy GL costume) kind of agrees with Al! He agrees that they're just old fools... but continues, and says that they used to be young fools anyway. But, they've come back for a reason...
The Justice Society still stands for something... it's just a matter of finding out what that is. Al crosses his arms and asks a pretty simple question, "Where's everyone else?". Apparently, the only former JSAer yet to check in is Johnny Thunder. Sandman is still recovering from his episode (last issue), Starman "sends his support", Hourman is dealing with his sick son, and Dr. Midnight is busy opening up a clinic.
So... whattabout the Halls? Well, let's head to the videophone and find out. Turns out Carter and Shierra are in the Middle East, presumably on a dig. A heated political climate precludes their leaving just yet. Also, their son Hector recently passed away... in an issue of Sandman... which, I gotta say, I never thought would actually be "footnoted" in a mainstream DC book!
The team chats a bit more. Carter brings up how he had the opportunity to work alongside the Justice League... and thought they were a great team. He hopes that perhaps some of his talents might've rubbed off on them, to make them even greater. Just then, the Halls are called away... something big appears to be happening off-panel.
And with that, Al and Ted seems to come around. Maybe the Justice Society's purpose is in bolstering the next generation(s) of heroes. As it turns out, Ted and Al are already in the process of opening a training complex anyway.
Alan receives a phone call from his wife Molly (the former Harlequin)... she tells him that there's some trouble brewing with the Ultragen protesters being beaten by some storm troopers, or something. The JSAers decide now's as good a time as any to shake off some of the rust. Turns out both Ted and Al brought their costumes.
Topside, the Society tries to manage the hostile situation. A mummy who just happens to be looking on (and who is familiar with the JSA), manages to taze Jay. Then, Alan is shot at with some wooden bullets, which puts him down. Looks like this Ultragen group is well-prepared.
Well... maybe not. Wildcat finds himself under a dogpile of storm troopers... and it looks like Al's about to be run over by a tank... when, the Atom punches through the tank with his Atomic Punch!
The Justice Society is victorious... and as the dust settles, we learn that a mysterious shadowy figure has been watching these events unfold... and they're not happy.
We wrap up with the team returning to their new headquarters... and boy are they surprised by who they find there!
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Ya know, no matter how much fun I have with this volume... and how annoyed I get for DC cutting it off at the knees, despite it being a (relatively) strong seller... when reading back, I kinda get it. This definitely wasn't the kind of story DC (or superhero comics in general) was trying to promote back in ye old '92.
It's sorta funny how something that could be viewed as "dated" during the time, went on to actually feel rather timeless. You ask me, this aged so much better than most things that were clogging up the shelves back in the early 1990's. Sometimes, the formula oughta just be "don't mess anything up". Fine classic superhero storytelling, with clean and dynamic art. That sorta thing was at a premium during the era of excess... and it's why stories such as this stand above so many of its contemporaries. For more of the day's offerings, take a look at the Entertainment This Month... ad below!
For the issue itself? It's relatively low-stakes "street level" stuff (for the moment). It was a neat way for Al and Ted to shake off some of their limbo-rust, and hop back into action.
Al especially was an interesting character here... and I really appreciated his conflicted point of view. Seems like he's the only one who realizes that they're all at an advanced age... and really, are only being held together by magic, which could "go away" at any moment. Of course, that mix of nostalgia and peer pressure is too much for him to deny, and so... he's back in his togs.
I wanna mention that footnote to Sandman #12 (which we did discuss here... ages ago). I thought this was especially cool... simply because I never expected it. Sure, Vertigo wasn't yet a thing (I believe we were 3-4 months away from the official rebranding at this point), but still... those proto-Vertigo books (Sandman, Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Shade the Changing Man) always seemed to be so disconnected to the goings on in the mainstream DCU, that any mention of any of them feels special. As a big fan of lore and the "everything matters" school of storytelling, this really tickled me.
Overall... a fun romp, with some wonderful characters... and amazing art. Well worth a revisit.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Justice Society of America (vol.2) #1 (August, 1992)
"Home Again"
Writer - Len Strazewski
Penciller - Mike Parobeck
Inker - Mike Machlan
Letterer - Bob Pinaha
Colorist - Glenn Whitmore
Editor - Brian Augustyn
Cover Price: $1.25
You ever buy a comic book for the wrong reason? Let me qualify that... you ever buy a comic simply because you believed it was going to go up in value? Not because you cared about the story or the characters... just because you thought one day you'd be able to resell the thing at a profit? I'd love to be able to answer "no" to that question... but if I'm being honest, I was bit by the speculator bug a time or three myself.
It was the Summer of 1992 when that damned bug sunk its teeth into me... and the three books I specu-bought were Spawn #1... Robocop versus Terminator #1... and the book we're going to discuss today, Justice Society of America #1. Looking back... and hell, even at the time... I kinda felt gross about buying these books with no intention of reading them. My collection was quite slim... and consisted primarily of X-Men family books. To give you an idea... I kept my books in several short stacks on a shelf in my closet... when I came home with a Spawn... or Robocop/Terminator book... it just became its own pile. Almost like I didn't want these to intermingle with my "real" comics. Like they just didn't belong...
I mentioned Spawn #1 above... this was quite possibly the most uncomfortable purchase of my youth. I remember it just showing up at the shop... like, outta nowhere. When Youngblood hit, we knew it was coming... but Spawn just showed up. Not sure if it just wasn't on our radar, or what... I know I kinda talked myself out of caring about it... I was so fed up with not being able to afford the McFarlane Spider-Man back issues that I'm pretty sure I displaced my anger toward ol' Spawny.
Anyhoo... we show up at the shop at some point in the summer of '92... and find that we're not alone. Now, our comic shop was basically an unglorified utility closet built into the side of an old house. When me and my buddy were there alone it was cramped... on this day, we found ourselves sharing air with a heavyset dude in a suit jacket and tie... probably in his mid-late 40's. He was loud and obnoxious... and had every copy of Spawn #1 the store ordered on the counter. He and the shop owner were arguing... he wanted to buy out the entire stock... well over 100 copies. The owner, being surprisingly reasonable put a cap on his purchase... he could buy 20 copies, and no more.
The dude was being a jerk... said he'd just do a bunch of separate transactions. Said he'd just give his business to the other shops in the area. Just a real ass. He turned to my friend and me, and started bragging about flipping these books... I don't wanna use the old speculatory chestnut of "putting the kids through college", but I can't outright discount that it wasn't said.
Instead of kicking this jerk out, the owner kept trying to reason with him... and turned to us for help. He pointed out that we were likely there for a copy ourselves... and at this point, we were both really psyched to buy it! I'd hate to have met a snake oil salesman... I'd have been such an easy mark.
The dude hands both me and my friend a copy... laughs at us for "only buying one copy" (I mean, whattayagonnado with ONE copy of a comic book??)... and goes back to arguing with the shop owner.
Ultimately, we pay and leave. As we're getting on our bikes, the dude (I almost called him the "old dude" before realizing I'm gonna be pushing 40 pretty quick) comes out, and brags that he was able to wrangle 25 copies (at $1.95 per... so $48.75 before tax) out of the shop owner... and then... THEN... offers to sell some copies to us, at $10 a piece. You can't make this stuff up!
Okay, back to the JSA. This was advertised as being the "first ever" Justice Society of America #1... when, in actuality it wasn't even the first one that year. In 1991 there was a Justice Society of America 8-issue miniseries. Either way, we bought into the hype... Added bonus, this issue featured an appearance by the soon-to-be-dead Superman... so clearly, this book would eventually cover a down payment on a mansion... right?
Before moving on to my spoilery synopsis... just a check on the current "value" of my speculator books of 1992. From ComicsPriceGuide.com, I found the following for "(9.0) Very Fine/Near Mint":
Spawn #1 - $11.05
Robocop v Terminator #1 - $2.76
Justice Society of America #1 - $9.20
Not a bad haul... it's just too bad that these were all ridiculously overprinted and are quite often found (at least locally) in the cheap-o bins. In the past year I've seen multiple copies of all three of these in Half-Price Books quarter-bins. Twelve-year old Chris would've had a stroke!
It's funny to consider that all 25 copies of Spawn #1 that speculator bought (if we are to believe the "value" posted above) would barely cover one three-credit Community College class (textbook not included)... much less a full four-year tuition.
Wow, that went on far longer than I thought it would. If you're still with me, thank you... Now (finally) on to the book...
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We open as a crowd piles into Gotham Stadium. They are there to celebrate the the return... and subsequent retirement of the original superheroes, the Justice Society of America. We follow a young boy and his grandfather entering the stadium... and perhaps in an ironic commentary on the speculator market, the lad mentions that his gramps' JSA bubblegum cards are probably worth a fortune!
Among the spectators is Lois Lane and Clark Kent. Clark is mesmerized at the sight of the Society, and mentions that they've provided folks in "his line of work" with tremendous inspiration. Lois comments that she hopes they have as much time together as the JSA... hmm, well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Lo... but come November... well, I don't wanna spoil it.
Gotham's Mayor does the honors of introducing the members of the JSA... Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, Flash, Doctor Midnight, Hourman, Starman,Wildcat, the Atom, Johnny Thunder, and the Sandman. We read the Society's thoughts as their roll is called... they all express a measure of melancholy, and embarrassment over the fuss being made.
Before the celebration gets going, the monster from the cover of Fantastic Four #1 burrows its way up from under the ground... right in the middle of the stadium.
The Society puts up a decent fight, however, this is a job for Superman! When the Man of Steel hits the field, all the JSA can do is watch in awe. Superman makes short work of the beast... and when the smoke clears, it appears that Sandman (Wesley Dodds) has had a(nother) stroke.
We jump several months into the future. It's Saturday morning at the Full Cup Diner, and Jay Garrick and Alan Scott are enjoying their weekly cup'a coffee (and doughnuts). We get an update on Wes, he's still in a wheelchair... but is once again able to speak.
The pair talk about just how much has changed... and all they'd been through. During the Armageddon: Inferno miniseries, the team members had some of their youth restored... and by this point, it's beginning to slip away again. Though they're both technically retired, Alan still wears his ring... and Jay is more than happy to run across the country for his morning paper.
A woman with a long blonde ponytail is watching from the bar... and when the waitress drops her tray, she exhibits some speed powers of her own.
Over the television, news of a paramilitary group taking over a nuclear power plant is reported. The fellas look knowingly at each other, and know their morning's just gotten a bit more interesting. Green Lantern lets out a raucous 90's "Not!" and they're off to the races.
Flash and GL arrive at the plant, and neutralize the threat... with ease. The pair share ridiculously fun banter as they wallop the geeks... puns, jokes... sarcastic remarks... just great fun!
With the day saved, one of the plant guards remark that this isn't the Green Lantern he's used to... after all, he doesn't have that terrible red bowl haircut. The older guard scoffs... and states that these aren't the heroes they've been "stuck with" lately... they're the real deal... they're the originals!
As the two old friends leave the scene, Jay turns to Alan and asks about retirement... Alan's reply is yet another "Not!"
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Man, this was a blast! Totally wasted on the 12 year-old me... that's for sure. I really couldn't appreciate this team when I was a kid... and if I'm being honest, I doubt I even tried! Looking back now, I'm glad there was a book like this for fans of the Golden Age characters... especially in seeing them interact with the contemporary (at the time) DC Universe heavy-hitters.
The Justice Society have always been the elder statesmen of the DC Universe to me... which is probably why I had such a difficult time with the New-52 Earth 2 characters. It just didn't feel right... wasn't quite sure who the audience was for young Jay Garrick, and young Alan Scott.
The scene with the pair having their Saturday morning coffee and doughnuts was wonderful. It's just as you would imagine... these two recounting old war stories, and talking about how much different things are "these days" really adds a level of scope to the overall DC landscape. Its history is rich... and wonderful. There is still room for a team of "codgers" in this world.
Seeing Alan and Jay in action at the nuclear facility was a hoot. This is purely an exhibition of what they can do... and I love that they actually appeared to be having fun while fighting crime. They were making jokes and puns while staring down a nutcase who had designs on causing a nuclear meltdown! You can tell that they've missed the crime-fighting lifestyle... it's just who they are at this point.
The writing was great... even with those ninetiesisms "Not!"... you really get a feel for these folks, though Flash and Green Lantern are most certainly the stars of this issue. What can be said about the art of the late Mike Parobeck? Phenomenal. I've said before that I'm not too keen on the DC animated universe style... but this is great stuff.
Give it a look should you get the opportunity... as I mentioned above, this is a cheap-o bin standby. Actually, the entire ten-issue series is pretty easy to come by on the cheap. I'm not entirely clear why/how this (ongoing) series only made it ten-issues... not sure how strong the sales were... either way, it's too bad this team didn't get a decent-sized run.
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Not really a Letters Page, but good enough for me:
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