Justice League of America (vol.2) #8 (June, 2007)
"The Lightning Saga, Chapter One: Lightning Lad"
Writer - Brad Meltzer
Penciller - Shane Davis
Inker - Matt Banning
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Colorist - Alex Sinclair
Assistant Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Considering that we cannot move ahead on out Justice Society re-read until I procure that one Kingdom Come Special I somehow missed, I figure... why not fill in that Lightning Saga-sized hole I left earlier in the run?
I've been talking a bit about the Legion of late, so... I guess now's as good a time as any for some relatively-contemporary Legion Learnin'!
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We open on a trio of scenarios. The Justice League and Society are having something of a get-together in order to hone their skills. We see Wildcat assisting in the field training of Red Arrow and Geo-Force in "The Kitchen", and at The Hall, a blindfolded Mr. Terrific is simultaneously playing Black Canary and Hal Jordan in Chess. While this is going down, we shift to Gotham City where Batman and Black Lightning are examining a young man wearing a curious "L" ring, while cross-referencing him with Superman's Fortress Files. This fella is Karate Kid from the Legion of Super-Heroes and moments later... when he wakes up, it becomes pretty clear why they call him that!
We check back in at "The Kitchen" to see how goes the field training. This is poised to be a game of capture the flag with Roy and Brion on one side... and Vixen and Hawkgirl on the other. Seeing the ladies' flag unprotected at fifty-feet, Roy decides to throw caution to the wind and make a head-on mad dash for it... which, c'mon... that's never gonna be a good idea.
While Hal and Dinah play Chess against Michael, we pop back to the Batcave. We can see that Karate Kid has struck Batman so hard that it cracked his cowl. In fact, the only way for Batman to take him down is to (nebulously) cheat!
We rejoin Roy as he grabs the flag... while Kendra looks on from above. Surprisingly, instead of making another "mad dash", he rolls the flag up and uses it as an arrow! Everything looks hunky-dory, until we meet Kendra's secret weapon... Red Tornado (who is back in his robot body)!
Back in Washington, D.C. Dinah scores a "checkmate". Oddly... at the very same moment, so does Michael! It's here that we can see that the boards are identically laid out. Instead of playing against both of his pals, he was simply playing them against one another! That's a pretty neat trick.
We rejoin Roy and the gang moments after he fires an arrow to "cut" Reddy's cape. This was done to show him that they "weren't done yet"... and it was also one of the dumber things Roy has done of late. Red Tornado, who doesn't seem to be the happiest fella you wanna be around right now, unleashes an intense blast of air which sends Roy flying. Right before he hits a tree (at 60 mph), Brion is able to cancel out his gravity... thereby nullifying his momentum. Red Tornado apologizes for his miscalculation.
Back on Earth, Batman has invited the Chess-trio to take a look at their new hostage... Val Armorr, the Karate Kid. Black Lightning reveals that their man is from the "far flung future", which causes Mr. Terrific to take pause... ya see, he's got "one'a those" too! He is speaking, of course, about Starman. Someone who Val somehow knows!
We now shift to New York City, in the year 1948. A pair of quarrelsome folks break into the Mount Sinai Hospital with dire news for a Ms. Dolores Winters. Unless she comes with them, she will die the next day from a Brain Hemorrhage. Dolores was, of course, a host for the Ultra-Humanite.
Back with the League and Society... Karate Kid is holding Wonder Woman's lasso... and it's proving to be of little help in getting the answers they seek (telepathic fail-safes, donchaknow). Enter: Starman... who walks over and speaks a bit of Interlac, which causes Karate Kid to fall unconscious.
Moments pass, and Val wakes up... suddenly with the all (or, most of) the information we need to move forward. He recalls there being seven of them in total... scattered through time. Someone asks if they're like the Teen Titans of the future... which Kid appears to take as an insult. No, they're not like the Titans of the future... they're like the Justice League of the future. Black Canary and Power Girl decide this pending crisis is big enough for both of their teams to tackle...
... and so, nineteen minutes later, we've got ourselves a big ol' pow-wow of Justice. Hmm... now, I'm not typically the guy who gets bent out of shape by a female hero's "proportions", but holy cow it looks like Power Girl is smuggling a couple loaves of bread in her "window" here. Ay yai yai. That's not even the worst part about this page... that honor goes to Vixen starting to call Wildcat (II) a pretty vulgar name (if you wanna see it, click the image to embiggen). We get it, Mr. Meltzer, you're edgy. We all read Identity Crisis...
Of interest, Mr. Terrific and Red Tornado have a bit of a chat. Ya see, Michael is invisible to all machines... however, Reddy is able to see him. Michael finds this fascinating, and suggests bringing ol'
John into the lab for some tests. Sounds like a good time, right? Welllll, Superman insists that now is not the time for such a thing, and we get back to the matter at hand... literally. I mean, we're talking about Legion flight rings right now. They deduce that there are seven currently in the present.
Using the ring, they (and we) learn the potential whereabouts of the remaining Legionnaires... we've got to cover five cities, two continents, and two planets... so, it looks like we're gonna have to pick teams!
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Weird... I have like zero recollection of this storyline at all. I'm pretty positive I read it as it came out, but... I guess I may've read a another comic or two in the interim. Perhaps this will be an unmemorable affair... or maybe I just didn't have any Legion-context to commit it to memory. Guess we'll be finding out soon enough!
I really like how previous (contemporary) JSA rosters were full of "newbie" members... all of whom now feel almost like veterans when compared to some new JLA members. Folks like Black Lightning, Geo-Force, and Red Arrow... despite their having been around for awhile (I mean, Speedy's been around since the mid-50's), still feel fresh, new, and young in their League roles.
What we get here is a whole lotta set-up, and that's fine. The entire issue didn't revolve around Karate Kid or the Legion, and I feel like that works. Instead, we get a few "basic" Day in the Life training sessions, which all happen to converge on the Legionnaire plot. Well done, and if you were purely a Justice League of America reader (with no interest in the Legion or JSA), you still got some story and character progression.
The art here is... spotty? It starts off really quite strong... but, right around the time we pass the staple, it begins to fall off. Not sure if this was an inking thing... but it gets pretty murky. Plus, there was that whole Power Girl bosom thing... which, I never mention as a problem... but it just didn't look right. Then again, maybe Davis was trying to live-up to that Michael Turner cover we'll be seeing shortly. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it!
Overall... I'm excited to see how this rolls out. It's hard to believe that this came out over ten-years ago, but I guess that's one of the reasons why I can't remember a lick of it! This story has been collected in both Justice League of America: The Lightning Saga (2009) and JSA Omnibus, Volume 3 (2015)... and is, of course, available digitally.
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Justice Leagues: JL? #1 (March, 2001)
"Justice Leagues, Part I: Twilight's Last Gleaming"
Writer - Tom Peyer
Penciller - Ethan Van Sciver
Inkers - Matt Martin & Ray Kryssing
Letterer - John Workman
Colorist - John Kalisz
Separator - Digital Chameleon
Editor - Tony Bedard
Cover Price: $2.50
Was re-editing an old installment of Weird Comics History to be reuploaded next month, and was surprised by the fact that we briefly touched upon this book/event. I'd almost completely forgotten that it existed, let alone that we'd chatted it up on the show.
This was one from relatively early on in my wider DC fandom. Wasn't the kind of book I'd have picked up a year or two prior, that's for sure. I recall not really "feeling" the event as a younger, leaner Chris... let's see how the years have treated it!
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We open on board an airplane headed for the World Conference of Epidemiologists in Star City. A blonde man obnoxiously talks on his cell phone as the plane begins its descent. He's talking to someone called "Plura", and is really making himself a nuisance to the other passengers. When one pipes up asking him to pipe down, he threatens to push a button on his magical mobile which would cause all nearby radar communication towers to go on the fritz... and then he does just that! We turn the page to see he wasn't just whistling Dixie as the airport is a mess with crashed airliners (in an excellent two-page spread)!
Our chatty Cathy, still on his cell phone, is annoyed to see that the Justice League is already on the scene to attempt to manage the crisis. One of whom, the Flash (Wally West) sees our new pal floating... still on his phone... for a brief moment before vanishing.
While the JLA keeps the peace and quells the crowds, we hop to the Justice League Watchtower on the Moon where Aquaman is monitoring the situation. He learns that Star City's radar doo-dads have been overwritten, and sends Batman in to get a closer look.
Now, remember our phone-y friend? Of course ya do, that was only like a paragraph ago. We rejoin him... in prison! Perhaps Belle Reve, it isn't entirely clear. Anyhoo, we see that he is meeting with inmate Hammond... as in Hector Hammond. Getting some real George Perez vibes from Van Sciver's art here... really sharp work here! Our man has a business proposition for the bobble-headed prisoner.
Back at the airport, Superman chats up the fella who was sitting next to... okay, we'll just call him The Advance Man, because that's who he is... on board the plane. He shares his story of a rude cellphone user who threatened him before blinking out of sight. Wally rushes up to corroborate the story, seeing as though he just observed something similar. Aquaman is keyed in on the conversation, and reveals that this cellphone hacker left a "trail"... and so, he teleports the Leaguers to his last known location. Or, does he?
All the League members arrive in... different locations! Seems the Advance Man's plan included a way to elude capture. Back in the prison, our new pal chats a bit more to an unresponsive Hector before excusing himself to make another phone call to Plura. Hammond finally has enough, and breaks his silence... er, telepathic silence. He slams the Advance Man into the wall and asks him to get on with it already. It's really quite simple... they want Hammond on their team, and all he's got to do is... destroy the Justice League! Hey, no big thing, right?
We pop back over to Aquaman, who attempts to trace the Advance Man's steps... only to wind up in the middle of the ocean. J'onn telepathically breaks in and we learn that nobody's minding the store. Whoops. Superman and the Martian Manhunter beeline it to the Watchtower. Back at the prison, the Advance Man suggests that Hammond get started before the good guys get home. His plan? Holy Max Lord, he wants Hector to make the entire world forget that the Justice League ever existed!
Hammond is a bit incredulous... after all, even he has his limits. The Advance Man assures him that, with the aid of his signal booster (the cellphone), he is more than capable. And so, he begins his attempt... and it appears to be going along swimmingly. That is, until he discovers the true purpose of The Advance Man's plan! Hammond quickly reverses course... actually attempting to make people remember the JLA, before getting socked in his over-sized mush!
The Advance Man then hoists Hammond up Bane-style, and smashes him to the ground. It isn't often that Hammond gets manhandled, right? This is a terribly brutal scene! The Advance Man then proceeds to put the boots to the bobblehead, before being 'ported out.
We shift over to a conference room at the Daily Planet where Lois, Clark, and the gang are discussing a recent string of disasters (including the Star City Airport debacle). Clark mentions that even Superman has had it "up to here" with everything. The discussion is interrupted by a frantic Jimmy Olsen, who reveals he can't make sense of the front-page headline. After Perry makes some illiteracy jokes, he takes a look himself... and, whattayaknow, he can't make heads or tails of it either!
At that same time, Lois peeks over Clark's shoulder to find him doodling. Wow, it looks like my binder from 7th grade math class (okay, it looks like everybody's binder from my 7th grade math class... minus a New Kids on the Block logo or two)! Clark has jotted down "Justice League of A" over and over again. So, I guess Hammond was almost successful in making the world remember, eh?
We shift unduh da sea to join Aquaman. He is telepathically communicating with a large school of fish... when the take a formation spelling out J-L-A. Hmm...
Next stop, the desert... where J'onn has just burrowed the letters J-L-A into the sand. Not understanding the significance of such an act, he fears he's lost his mind.
We wrap up the chapter with Wonder Woman speaking about the current slew of menaces... menacing the Earth, and suggests a group come together to face them head on. And so, we're introduced to the JLA... the Justice League of... Amazons?!
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Ya know, I was prepared to really dislike this one. As mentioned in the preamble, the read this as it was released... and wasn't a fan. Perhaps I've softened with age... or maybe I just didn't have enough DC context to truly appreciate it at the time. I'm not saying this is going to rock everyone's socks or anything... just that, I can't get mad at it.
We meet the Advance Man, who has one'a those hyper-punchable Henry Peter Gyrich faces. Can't go wrong with that! I really dig his star-field suit as well, it's always cool when they do stuff like that. It's also gotta be mentioned... couldja imagine living in a time where someone is identifiable simply for carrying a cellphone? It's amazing how quickly times change, isn't it?
Speaking of times changing... this is almost certainly a story that would have had to have been rewritten had it come out just a year later. In early-2001 we really didn't have the same feelings of urgency regarding plane-safety as we later would.
As far as the story goes... it's an opening chapter. We're introduced to our "threat" and it's hinted that he's working for a sort of higher power. Fair enough... like I said above, not likely to rock your socks... but not something I'd advise against reading. It's basically a well-written and wonderfully drawn "old schooly" comic book!
Speaking of the art... this is relatively early in Van Sciver's career, I can definitely see that he's something special and will become a big deal down the line. I also can't help but see some Perez influence here (though, that could be me conflating the interiors with the cover a tad)... not that having a "Perez influence" could/should ever be seen as a bad thing!
I was actually surprised to see his name in the credits here, as I thought he'd gone Marvel-exclusive at this point. Worth noting, Ethan has recently launched a prolific YouTube channel where he shares behind the scenes stories and personal reminiscences about projects he's worked on/been involved in. Also, art tutorials! Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!
Overall, is Justice Leagues worth checking out? I'd say if you come across it on the cheap, you could do far worse. If you're a League completionist, well... it goes without question that this belongs in your library. While I enjoyed this issue far more than I expected, I can't say that I'm all that interested in checking out the next installment. If you're interested, the whole magilla is (somewhat surprisingly) available digitally.
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"Lenticular" silliness:
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Batman: Legends of the Dark Night Halloween Special Edition #1 (December, 2014)
"All Hell Breaks Loose!"
Writer - Jeph Loeb
Artist - Tim Sale
Colorist - Gregory Wright
Letterer - Todd Klein
Editor - Archie Goodwin
Cover Price: FREE
Here we are in mid-October, and boy-howdy have I been neglecting the spooky stuff for #boohauntedblog!
To remedy that, at least for today, let's take a look at this opening bit to Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's "Fear" story from Batman: Haunted Knight (this story in particular originally published in 1993) which was reissued as a Halloween ComicFest freebie in 2014.
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It's Halloween in Gotham City... and after recounting what other locales may do to celebrate the occasion, we get a look at the fella likely to prove to be this caper's baddie... the Scarecrow. From here we jump to a late-night poker game going down between a group of nogoodniks at what appears to be a dilapidated warehouse... surely this is on the up and up! The lights go out... and looking skyward out a large window, the geeks find themselves in the shadow... of the bat.
Batman calmly asks for the whereabouts of Jonathan Crane... but they're not keen on spillin' those beans. This doesn't work out all that well for them... and Batman ultimately comes away with the information he sought.
We learn that for the past week the Scarecrow has been blowing up GE (that's Gotham Electric) relay stations, allowing his men to loot the city while the power's out. It's just a matter of Batman finding out which relay he's looking to take off the grid, and wouldn'tcha know it... with his newly-gotten information, he does just that.
Crane throws himself from the top of the relay... and rides a wire safely to the ground. Batman gives chase, giving the 'crow one last chance to come quietly. To which, Scarecrow nails him with a triple-dose of fear toxin... which he's shocked to find is ineffective. He's likely just a shocked to get socked in the nose.
A moment later Jim Gordon (I can't recall if he's Commissioner or not by this point) and the GCPD arrive to make some arrests. Gordon and Batman break off to the side to talk. We learn that Batman is really very tired at this point... and so, Jim suggests he take a load off and go to Bruce Wayne's costume party that night... at least that'll give him someone to talk to. Ya see, Jim is being dragged there by his wife, Barbara.
Speaking of Bruce Wayne... we check in at the Manor with Alfred trying to talk Masta Bruce into cancelling the soiree due to the fact that he hasn't slept in three days. Bruce's reply consists of a blank stare... which is all we really need, right? Bruce enters the main hall, and we see that it's crammed with a whole lotta costumed humanity... including several nods to independent comics, like Milk & Cheese, Cerebus, Bone and Madman... and even silly things like Hobbes and Waldo!
Jim Gordon, dressed like a Musketeer (or thereabouts) starts to chat Bruce up when a Dalmatian wanders into the scene... Bruce jokingly refers to it as "Barbara" and asks if she's having a good time. There chat is soon interrupted by the arrival of a striking redhead... who Bruce does not recognize.
Remember the Scarecrow? Let's check in on him. He's been loaded into the paddy wagon and is being taken to whatever correctional facility might take him. Along the way, he plucks a single hair from his shaggy head... and before we know it, the entire van is lousy with fear toxin. The Scarecrow is back on the loose... and a certain signal flies in the skies of Gotham once more.
Back at the Manor, Bruce and the redhead... in red are dancing and getting to know one another... sorta. That is, until they hear a crash coming from another room. Turns out those Dalmatians from earlier belong to her... and they got into some mischief. As they survey the damage (it's a broken flower pot, est. value: skatey-eight million dollars), Alfred breaks in to inform Bruce that the "light" is on... although with not all that much in the way of subtlety. Before jamming out, Bruce instructs Alfred to "get her number".
Back at "work", we learn that Scarecrow is back at it... blowing up relay stations. While watching an area of Gotham burn, Batman notices Billy Bear (whoever that is) robbing a convenience store. It's a fairly one-sided affair, ending with Batman kayoing the geek with a solid right... however, he notices that he's not entirely without damage himself... Billy Bear managed to get in a slash!
That morning, we return to Wayne Manor... where we see Bruce trudging up the stairs to his bedroom. It's a really cool scene... it's as though he strips off one piece of his costume with every step. He crashes onto his bed... and moments later, there's a knock at the door. He's expecting it to be Alfred with his breakfast... however, it's actually the redhead from last night. What's more, we finally get a name to go with the face... Jillian Maxwell. Oh, her! Wait, who?
They don't get long to chat, unfortunately, as there's always an emergency that needs to be dealt with in Gotham City.
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Man, it's been a long time since I've revisited any Loeb/Sale Batman... probably too long. This really feels like it's going to be something special.
There isn't a whole heckuva lot to sink our teeth into here... given that this is a freebie prelude in hopes that we'll care enough to pick up the whole magilla at some point down the line... but what we do get is pretty dang good. Stylish, moody... somewhat sinister... really good (somewhat decompressed) comics here. Can't hold that against it... as this is literally just a piece of a completed story.
We've talked a bit about what makes a good "freebie"... and I've complained a whole heckuva lot about some of the lousy non-advantageous ones we've been given over the past several years... from DC and Marvel alike. I feel like this chunk of Haunted Knight makes a great "gift" to new (and lapsed) readers... because, best case scenario here... you dig this story, and only have a single trade collection to buy to get the whole story.
This isn't DC putting out a pre-Flashpoint Superman story for Free Comic Book Day in 2013... which, jeez... what would a new reader think of that??? This is a self-contained piece of Bat-business... and one of DC's "evergreen" books. It's nearly always going to be in print, and easily obtained. A perfect way for a new/curious reader to dip their toe into Batman's world... and hopefully find something they enjoy. Looking at it that way, I'd say this freebie-special is a success. Hell, it's making me want to re-read Haunted Knight... so, it's got that going for it!
As mentioned, Haunted Knight (1996) is an evergreen... and is available from just about anywhere. There is even a hardcover Absolute Edition if you're really brave/have an extra Benjamin burning a hole in your pocket (though this includes Loeb/Sale's Catwoman: When in Rome six-parter as a piece of the package). If you're not keen on all the extra ink and paper clogging up your house, it is also available digitally. No matter how you go about it, it's certainly worth a read!
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