Day of Judgment #3 (November, 1999)
"Choosing Sides"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Matt Smith
Breakdowns - Christopher Jones
Inker - Steve Mitchell
Colors - James Sinclair
Separations - Jamison
Letters - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Tony Bedard
Editor - Dan Raspler
Special Thanks - Kevin Dooley
Cover Price: $2.50
Hmm... that credits list seems to be getting longer and longer, doesn't it?
The only reason I know it's not a contemporary Marvel book is because the list isn't twice as long and consisting mostly of "editors"... and, of course, skatey-eight hundred variant cover artists.
Anyhoo... let's bust on through the halfway point!
--
We open on Earth, where Batman and the Topsiders continue to do battle with the hellions. Meanwhile, the Spectre brainstorms on how he might reclaim his power from Xanadu's crystal. We also learn that Captain Marvel, at the urging of the Phantom Stranger, is leading a crew into space to fetch the Spear of Destiny... which must be the right plan, because Asmodel responds to it by... zapping the Stranger's face off!
Up in space, we join Cap, who is flanked by Star(fire) and S.T.R.I.P.E. They locate the Spear lodged in some "space junk", however as they make their approach... they find that they're not alone. Enter, Soviet Cosmonaut Zombies!
Back to Purgatory, where Hal Jordan is pleading his case to return to "home" to help out his pals. Alan Scott considers it for a moment... and agrees that Hal's the only other person he knows (besides Jim Corrigan) with enough willpower to control the Spectre. Hal's pleased... but will not return as Parallax. He changes into his Green Lantern duds for the trek home. Just then... the hordes of Purgatory attack! They'd already claimed Hal as one of their's... and aren't hip to the jive of letting him go.
Meanwhile, in Hell... the heroes are in the River Styx. I think I neglected to mention yesterday that Charon's Ferry capsized... so, uh... the ferry capsized. While in the drink, the heroes are haunted by their worst fears... and thankfully this only goes on for a couple of pages. I feel like they'd have tried to get a couple of issues out of such a thing nowadays!
Topside... in Manhattan, the heroes continue to fight off the hordes, while protecting Xanadu's crystal. We get a strange bit where it's revealed that Dr. Occult is really his partner Rose... in disguise? Feels kinda random... it also really feels like they're just dying to spin-off a Sentinels of Magic series.
We shift scenes to Salam, where Jay Garrick leads a team set on tracking down Dr. Fate... annnnnnnd, they find him. That's about it.
Back in Purgatory, the heroes (flanked by some "old friends") are able to hold off the hordes, and with the aid of Supergirl's flaming angel wings, Zauriel is able to use his holy blade to cut through the very fabric of the place to send them home.
In Hell, the heroes finally arrive at the City of Dis. Once inside, they are greeted by the demon Nebiros... who appears to really want their souls... but that's a battle we won't see until later.
In Manhattan, Etrigan finally decides to stop watching... and get involved. He rushes Madame Xanadu who... just gives him her crystal?! Is she under mind-control? Is she enchanted? Well, no... she's "seen the future" and knows that a savior is on the way. Her holding onto the Spectre's "essence" no longer matters.
In space... Cap's team takes out the dead Russians innnnn... two panels. More like a panel and a half... really, so pointless. Anyhoo, Starfire yanks the Spear of Destiny out of the space junk... and that's it.
Back on Earth, Asmodel is repowered... and promises that today is Earth's Day of Judgment (hey, that's the name of this book!). The heroes all look to Xanadu like "What the hell--?" At that moment, the Purgatory Pals arrive... with the Earth's savior... Hal Jordan! There's a sense of relief... from everyone except Batman, naturally.
And so, Hal heads right to Asmodel... and socks him in the face! This proves to be a rather stupid move, as it turns his fist into a sort of glass...
... which spreads, turning his entire body into glass... which, hits the ground and shatters! Whoops...
--
Now... as much as I'm coming around to this series... I can't shake the feeling that it didn't need to be a series! This could have just as easily been told in a done-in-one over-sized special... and would have flowed so much better.
This issue is loaded with these rapid-fire scenes that either barely move the plot forward, or take giant leaps over it! The heroes in Hell make it... what, ten feet? They pull themselves out of the River Styx, and then get taunted by Nebiros.
Jay Garrick's team spends a page searching for Dr. Fate... and they find him? What's the point? This could've been handled in a single line of dialogue... just have Batman say "Garrick just reported in that they found Dr. Fate!" Bingo-bango...
Captain Marvel's team... we get a couple of pages of them looking at space junk... two panels of fighting zombies... then they nab the Spear of Destiny. Another bloated (and wasted) scene in my opinion. Another one-liner... Batman could now say "Captain Marvel has located the Spear of Destiny!"
The Purgatory bits were pretty neat. I like the idea of the other lost-soul heroes (Rick Flag, Adrian Chase, etc.) helping their friends fight off the hordes... even if the fight scene itself felt like a complete afterthought.
We get an... interesting cliffhanger... enough to ensure many of us come back for the next issue... but again, this feels so bloated. This certainly doesn't need the 100+ pages it gets to tell this story. This feels like a 48-pager at best... and the editorial/creative musical chairs definitely makes it feel as though it wasn't a top priority for DC either way.
Overall... despite everything I just said, I found more to like than to dislike, and would recommend giving it a flip-through.
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Day of Judgment #2 (November, 1999)
"Lost Souls"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Matt Smith
Inker - Steve Mitchell
Letters - Comicraft
Colorist - James Sinclair
Editor - Dan Raspler
Cover Price: $2.50
Before we hop into Chapter Two of Day of Judgment, I wanna take a minute to celebrate the announced return of Superman's trunks! What a silly thing to be happy about... but, here we are!
Of course, we've got a Bendis story in the issue it goes down, so I'm already bracing myself for a dozen "casual" mentions that Superman's "red underwear" is back... but ya take the good with the bad.
Apropos of nothing, I think "red underwear" instead of trunks might be up there with "floppies" instead of single issues on my list of things that annoy me about the industry.
Anyhoo... hip hip hooray, the trunks are back... now, let's get back into the Day of Judgment.
--
We pick up right where we left off... with an incredulous Asmodel-Spectre thinking these Sentinels of Magic are pretty adorable in their trespass. Well, c'mon now... you might've just turned Superman into a pillar of salt, but there's no reason to get cocky. Madame Xanadu xanazaps him with her crystal ball... which robs him of all his Spectre-y power. Whoops.
No sooner is his power sapped than everything he'd done to the heroes is undone. Wow, that was anticlimactic... and feels kind of rushed. It was a silly idea anyway, so I guess we'll allow it.
Etrigan grabs Asmodel and they flee... however the demons of Hell still haunt the Earth. The heroes plan their next move... considering that Asmodel is still bonded to the Spectre, they know they're going to need to find a better vessel. Who betta then ol' Jim Corrigan himself, right? Zauriel claims to have an "in" in Heaven... so the crew splits into three teams. One to venture into Heaven, one to go to Hell (which has been frozen over... how did I miss that?)... and a third to protect the Earth from those pesky demons.
Zauriel is joined by Supergirl (who was a fallen angel around this time), Mister Miracle (who wanted to see where miracles are made), Wonder Woman, Alan Scott (to grease the wheels with Corrigan), and... Raven? One of these things... not like the other.
The Hell crew will be led by Zatanna and Superman... who are joined by Green Lantern, Faust, Firestorm, and Deadman (using the body of Enchantress).
Up in Heaven, the group is greeted by the angel Michael... and Raven is sent packin'. Can't have the daughter of Trigon stompin' around the pearly gates. Once she's gone, Alan is greeted by a few of his former teammates and friends... Hourman, the Atom, Dr. Mid-Nite, and Mr. Terrific.
Finally... Jim Corrigan arrives. Alan pleads the case for Jim to reclaim his mantle. Corrigan declines... stating that his time has finally passed, and he's ready for his eternal rest. The heroes decide to respect that, and don't put up much of a fight... and leave. Since they are currently Raven-less, it's going to be a much longer trek... with a stop in Purgatory, but we'll get there.
In Hell, things get wonky. Deadman is evicted from the Enchantress... Superman's cape starts attacking him... it gets weird. As they struggle, they find themselves stood before the three-headed dog itself, Cerberus!
Who... isn't as impressive as you might imagine. The heroes take Cerberus out in a single page.
Topside, the heroes fight off the demons while Etrigan and Asmodel plot to destroy Madame Xanadu's crystal.
Back in Hell, Superman and the gang come across a... dilapidated boat! Well, it's actually Charon's Ferry... and it's been left unattended since the River Styx has frozen over. The heroes load into the craft, and Superman, like a Kryptonian George Washington powers it across the frozen river.
We wrap up in Purgatory... toldja we'd get there... where the heroes are greeted by Sargon, Adrian Chase, and Rick Flag. Wonder Woman asks for help... which only stirs up the many, many lost souls. They all reach out, hopeful that they'll be taken back with the heroes.
One soul in particular steps forward... one the heroes never expected. He's the man who saved the world from freezing...
... and he'd love the opportunity to now save it from burning!
--
Wow, I'm glad I stuck with this for another issue!
After reading the opening chapter... I was rather underwhelmed. Felt like it started kinda poorly, but this was a lot more like it! I have no problem admitting I'm wrong about something... especially when it results in getting an enjoyable story.
As I mentioned in the preamble, ya take the good with the bad... so, let's get the bad out of the way first. Madame Xanadu dispatching the Spectre so quickly/early on? Ehh... I feel like that was a bit much. I mean, if they were planning on a Xanadu/Sentinels series spinning out of this, I'd get it... but they're not.
I guess it facilitated making Superman less salty... ahem, but that kinda begs the question... why turn him into salt in the first place if it was just going to be undone a page or two later? I get going for a cliffhanger, but if you're reading this in collected edition... it's literally a couple of pages. Hell... even as a cliffhanger, it's pretty weak. The only Superman book that even tied into this was Superman: The Man of Tomorrow... and that doesn't come out until Week Five. I don't think anyone's heart skipped a beat when Superman was "salted".
Speaking of "quick dispatches"... why they gotta "job out" ol' Cerberus like that? I mean, he barely gets a page before getting taken out... pretty poor showing from the Hound of Hell.
Anyhoo... with that out of the way, let's talk the good. I'm a sucker for these kinda "splitting of forces" stories... when they're done right. I thought it was cool to follow the heroes into Heaven and Hell. It was especially neat to have Alan Scott greeted by some of his Golden Age pals.
Jim Corrigan deciding to accept his "eternal reward" is fine. I don't have any problem with that... especially since he'd been bonded to the Spectre for...ever. Hell, I know if I had the chance to get away from the Spectre, I'd accept just about any "out"! I also appreciate the fact that the heroes respected his decision... and didn't hassle or attempt to guilt-trip him.
Which took them to Purgatory. This was a really well-done bit... I love the fact that the heroes found themselves surrounded by lost souls... all of whom begged to be taken back with them. So cool! Even cooler was the appearance of... Mister Hal Jordan.
I dug through my collection of Diamond Previews (knew I kept those around for some reason) to see if Hal's return had been solicited. I was pretty surprised to see that Hal Jordan gets zero mention in any of the solicits! Hell, they don't even include the cover of Day of Judgment #5 here! Man, I miss the days before internet comics "journalism"... I miss being surprised... I miss a time before internet jokers literally trip over one another in hopes that they spoil things "first".
Anyhoo... I really enjoyed this... and would even go so far as to amend my lack of recommendation for the first issue. I think this story is a pretty good read so far... and, barring me changing my mind again... I think you'll get plenty of fun from it.
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Day of Judgment #1 (November, 1999)
"The Summoning"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Matt Smith
Inker - Steve Mitchell
Letterer - Comicraft
Colorist - James Sinclair
Editor - Kevin Dooley
Special Thanks - Chris Jones
Cover Price: $2.95
Here's one I've been wanting to check out. This is one of the few DC Events that I have never read! I really only started my DC collection in earnest just as this was ending... or maybe it was still going on. Whatever the case, I didn't buy this then... and ever since, I've only seen it sporadically in the bins.
Having learned from past mistakes, I knew better than to grab one of these five issues at a time... I knew I'd lose track, and somehow wind up with a dozen copies of issue #4 or something. I also knew that, one of these days, I was going to come across the whole kit and caboodle on the cheap... which I did! The other day, I found the entire five-part series, plus the Secret Files & Origins for two-bucks. Not too shabby.
Now, I'm not expecting much from this... but it's always cool to fill in holes, and it should be interesting to check out some very early work from Geoff Johns.
Now, let's get to it!
--
We open in Hell, where fallen angel Asmodel is being tormented by our pal from Underworld Unleashed, Neron. As he remains chained, with tiny demons pecking at his flesh he is finally rescued by... Etrigan the Demon, who shares with him the fact that the Spectre has finally released Jim Corrigan's soul... and is looking for another!
Asmodel isn't quite sure what Etrigan's getting at... and doesn't quite buy what he's selling regardless. Just then, the Spectre himself arrives! Wow, Etrigan and the Spectre in the same panel... be still my yawns!
The Spectre lashes out, severing one of Asmodel's wings.... which is exactly what the Demon hoped he'd do. Ya see, per Merlin... via the ashes of an angel's wing... souls could be bound, or ya know, something that actually rhymes. And so, Asmodel is the new host for the Spectre!
Topside, we meet with Zatanna as she's wrapping up a magic show... and has to deal with being hit on by a geeky barman. While being chatted up, she gets the gist of what's going on down below... and zips out.
Next stop, New Jersey... the Ostrander Mental Institute. This is where June Moone is being kept, and wouldn'tcha know it... tonight's the night the Enchantress manages to bust on out. She flies out of the hospital, where as luck would have it... Kyle Rayner just happened to be flying by. More on them in a bit.
Back in Hell, we do that thing where a new "big bad" easily beats an older "big bad". We've seen it with Doomsday defeating Darkseid... and later, Imperiex defeating Doomsday. It's a trope as old as time... and here we see the new-look Spectre ixnay Neron, and then commanding the forces of Hell to follow his will.
Topside, Kyle approaches the Enchantress... who kinda takes him out in a single panel... all the while declaring that he's not the Green Lantern that she knew.
After landing on the street... it begins to split! From it, emerges Etrigan... and, flanked by an army of demons, the Spectre!
We rejoin Zatanna as she begins recruiting for what's to come. First stop, Dr. Occult... who is in Boston, admiring a crying statue. Ya see, crying statues are a sign of the end-times... apparently. Either way, he's in.
Next stop, a St. Louis movie theater where Boston Brand is taking in a flick. Not sure which one... but he's really here for the popcorn anyway. Zee insists he vacate the body... and come along with her, which he does.
Back on the street, Kyle is calling the "trouble ticket" into the JLA, who at this time have their own angel on the roster... Zauriel. As Kyle spills the beans, Zauriel notices that his heavensword has begun to flare... meaning something nasty is on the way.
The JLA heads into action while J'onn remains at the Watchtower to call in some more heavy (and not-so heavy) hitters. These folks include Firestorm... Argent and Damage (ay...), the Marvel Family, Star-Spangled Kid and S.T.R.I.P.E. (gee, I wonder why?), the JSA and Batman and Superman.
We're off to Purgatory... where we see a Sargon the Sorcerer, Rick Flag, and Vigilante Adrian Chase...'s souls? More importantly... we see another soul in waiting... I suppose it's not giving it all away to reveal that this is the soul of Hal Jordan... and it's now awake!
We next check in with the Quintessence... which is, I dunno, a group of powerful folks who kinda play a similar role as Uatu the Watcher? It consists of Ganthet, the Wizard Shazam, the Highfather, and Zeus. They discuss whether or not they ought to intervene... which turns out to be a moot point. The Spectre sees them and tells them to stay put.
Back to Zatanna's magical mystery tour... next stop, Detroit where she chats up Faust... the son of Felix Faust, natch. He's busy... er, washing bones in the sink, but agrees to come along nonetheless. I get it though, I know my wife gets annoyed when I let the bones pile up in the sink!
Then... Greenwich Village, to the home of Madame Xanadu, who is already being attacked by demons! Zee pops in and ixnays the baddies... then calls forth the Phantom Stranger. Wow, this cast... it really is like my perfect sleep-aid.
Okay, so back on the street... the assembled heroes have arrived, and they're taking the fight to the Spectre. Their efforts are, at best, futile. Asmod-Spec shrugs them off completely... including fellow angel Zauriel. We get a bit of exposition, and a handful of handy editorial notes to learn that Zauriel had recently freed the Spectre... so, kinda tipping over that first domino.
Finally, the Spectre tires of the fight... and decides to end it. With a blast from his fingers, he turns Superman into a pile of salt, Green Lantern into petrified wood... and does some similarly nasty stuff to the rest of the goodniks.
The Spectre and Etrigan celebrate their victory, however, it's short-lived... because they now must face... the Sentinels of Magic!
--
I'm underwhelmed... but not disappointed. Ya see, I kinda went into this expecting to be underwhelmed... so I can't get mad at it for delivering.
It's no secret that the Spectre is not one of my favorites... but I gotta say, I think I can get behind him as a villain. He is definitely a thief of joy... so why not just turn him evil for a bit? I must admit, I chuckled when the Spectre popped in on the Quintessence as they struggled with whether or not they should get involved... when that's basically all the Spectre ever does! Especially during event books!
I'm always a bit iffy when a new big-bad takes out an old one to show their dominance... but, ya know... even if I don't necessarily care for him, I know what the Spectre means to DC... and it's not like he was entirely a Johnny Come Lately. So, I guess I don't have a problem with him taking out Neron in a single panel.
The art here is... good, but not a good fit. Matt Smith's work feels like a more cartoony version of Mike Mignola. It's good, really quite good... and nice to look at. I just don't think it evokes a sense of urgency... which I feel like this story kinda needs.
Let's look at the cover for a second... if I didn't know any better, I'd figure Batman would have a rather sizable role... but he doesn't! I think he appears in maybe three panels? I know why they do this... but can't help but to roll my eyes when they do. Hell... least it's not the Joker, right? Here's a bit of a rant for ya... recently there was a loot-geek-nerd-fanboy-box-crate thing based on the Teen Titans. Phil Jimenez drew an amazing cover for it... where almost half the thing was Batman's freaking face. Hell, he always was my favorite Teen Titan! Apropos of nothing... this kinda thing just really bugs me. I know why they do it... it just bugs me that they do.
Ahem... back to Day of Judgment. If I didn't know any better, I would assume... from this point... that this event was put together to facilitate a Sentinels of Magic ongoing series. Seems a lot of work was put into getting them together. As far as I know, that never came to be... but it wouldn't surprise me if the later Shadowpact team had its roots in it.
Overall... this wasn't a bad issue... it just didn't do much for me. I guess everything has to start somewhere. I'd probably tell you this isn't one you need to break your back tracking down, unless, like me, you're filling in gaps in your Hal Jordan library... or if you want to see how Geoff Johns handled his first ever DC Comics event.
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