Justice League America #45 (December, 1990)
"A Date With Density, Part Two: Hell on Ice!"
Plot - Keith Giffen
Script - J.M. DeMatteis
Penciller - Russell Braun & Adam Hughes
Inker - John Beatty, Jose Marzan, Jr., & Malcolm Jones III
Letterer - Bob Lappan
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Assistant Editor - Kevin Dooley
Editor - Andy Helfer
Cover Price: $1.00
Heyyy, it's been a little while... but, today we have a request!
Good pal Jody Yerdon (@regalfan) suggested we take a look at this very issue of Justice League America. He tells me it's his all-time favorite comic!
And as luck would have it, we've already covered the "pre-req" for this issue, way back in the long ago when we read Justice League America #28 (1989), which featured Ice and Guy's first date... with density.
As this is labelled a "Part Two" to that issue... I think we can even toss 'em both onto our "Collected Editions" page!
Big thanks to Jody for the suggestion (and his patience)... at the risk of "spoiling" what's to come... this is one helluva fun issue! Thanks for giving me the opportunity to revisit it!
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We open with Max Lord and Oberon having a little heart-to-heart conversation. Ya see, his good buddy Scott Free just came "back to life"... it's a long story, maybe we'll cover it someday... and seeing as though, the Frees are some of the few folks he actually considers "family", he'd really like to spend some time with them. He tells Max is might be time for him to step back from his responsibilities with the League. Oberon steps out of Max's office... and right into the usual craziness of the Embassy... including, a quarrel between Guy Gardner and his would-be "main squeeze", Ice.
Looks like this time around, Guy took Ice to the most romantic of spots... a cock-fight. Last time we accompanied them on a date, it was a skin flick... so, I guess your mileage may vary on what direction the "Guy Gardner's ideal date" needle is moving. He begs her for one more chance... and after promising to behave... and to let her choose the spot (even crossing his heart and hoping to die) Tora finally comes around.
As they both prepare for their night out, it's revealed that their destination will be... the Ice-Capists! Bea continually badgers Tora over her decision... and tells her she should reconsider the whole shebang. Elsewhere in the Embassy, Lightray gives Guy enough rope to hang himself when it comes to describing exactly what "The Ice-Capists" is. Both excellent (and funny!) scenes. Speaking of funny scenes, upon arrival to Madison Square Garden we get a one-off line I don't think we'd see in 2018.
Back at the Embassy, Blue Beetle gets wind of the Guy/Tora date... and deduces that it's the perfect time to pull a prank. Bea isn't on board... so Ted heads off to find Kilowog... who also isn't exactly keen on the idea. Somewhere (off-panel) Beetle is able to convince them both.
Back at the Garden, The Ice-Capists Show heats up. Looks to me like they've been visited by the Tamaranean Ice Dancers Federation.
Backstage, Beetle, Bea, and 'Wog are chatting up one of the stagehands. Ted tells him they've got a big surprise for Guy Gardner's "birthday". He calls for his manager... and whatever Ted's got planned is okayed.
Outside the main theatre, Guy waits for Ice to finish using the restroom. Not a very exciting scene, but it does provide this panel... which is definitely worth sharing.
Guy and Tora make it back to their seats just in time for a big announcement... tonight's special attraction will be: Guy Gardner on Ice. Well, I'm sure that's how Guy wanted the night to end... but, I'm guessing this is isn't quite what he had in mind.
We shift ahead... back to the Embassy where Guy is still in a catatonic state from his pent up anger. After letting out one great big Garden-shaking scream... he just shut down!
Ice helps him to his room... and thanks him for the nice night. He actually conducted himself like a proper gentleman... though, going catatonic before the night was through probably helped. Guy enters his bedroom to find...
The jig is up, Guy immediately knows that Beetle was behind the whole thing. As he stomps through the Embassy, the ruckus wakes... Orion, who is none too keen on being awakened. He blows past Oberon in search of the source of the racket.
We wrap up with Oberon... who stands for a moment and ponders. He calls out to Bea... who doesn't even hear him over all the craziness. It's then clear to him that his time with this group of yo-yos in done.
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What a great issue! They really don't make books like this anymore, do they?
I feel like when people discuss this era of Justice League, they sometimes lose themselves in the "bwah ha ha-iness" of it all. Or, they just think "heh heh, one punch, heh heh"... but, this issue proves that there is so much more to it than that. Just look at our open and end... Oberon has to make the decision as to whether or not to remain with the team. That's some heavier than expected melancholy for a book many folks dismiss as simply being "silly".
Max refers to Oberon as the "heart" of the League... and, when you really think about it... it's hard to argue. Since this League came to be, Oberon has always been there. Never really a "prime time player", but integral to the team's dynamic. Even if he was just the target for an insult... or the provider of one, Oberon was important (and irreplaceable) to this team.
The ending with him walking out the door... without any pomp and circumstance was heartbreaking... and all too real. I think a lot of us become wrapped up in ourselves... and feel like if we were to, say, quit our jobs... it'd be just as life-changing for our co-workers as it is for us. Then, reality sets in... and you realize that you're just you... and life doesn't wait around long before "going on". It's really just you walking out a door.
Okay, well after bumming everyone out... let's talk about Guy Gardner on Ice! This was a lot of fun... and really showed the strength of J.M. DeMatteis' snappy dialog chops. I mean, the conversation felt so natural in every situation. Sometimes I forget just how good this fella is!
Whether it was Fire and Ice talking about whether or not she should do on the date... Guy being razzed by Lightray... Beetle trying to convince his fellow Leaguers to prank Guy... everything felt "snappy" without being "rehearsed". Today's concept of "realistic" dialog is, unfortunately, whatever we got from a Kevin Smith movie 15 years ago. "Banter" is definitely among those art forms that has been lost.
The only place this issue kind of struggled was with the unevenness of the art. It's pretty clear who did what in this issue... because there are some excellent pages... and some, not-so-excellent pages. Wouldn't say any of it is "bad", but... certainly could've been better.
It's funny, but while flipping through my longbox, I discovered that it's just after this very issue that my "love affair" with this era of the League kinda wanes. From here we jump into the General Glory mishagoss... get a couple of good issues... then right on into the 700-Part "Breakdowns" crossover. Such a rapid shift that you could just tell that there was a change on the horizon.
Overall... definitely check this one out! This is one of those issues... and one of those runs... that I'd say you need to have in your comics library. Now, you know me... I'm a single-issue (not floppy) kinda dude... but if you can't track it down, I suppooooose you could nab it digitally.
Big thanks again to Jody for the suggestion! Requests are always welcome here... we love em! And by "we", I mean "me", because I'm the only one here!
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Letters Page:
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Green Lantern (vol.2) #173 (February, 1984)
"Old Friends, New Foes..!"
"The Progress"
Writers - Len Wein & Joey Cavalieri
Artist/Letterer - Dave Gibbons
Colorists - Anthony Tollin & Jeanine Casey
Editor - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.75
Well there's a strange cover, ain't it? I could elaborate... but, let's not. Sometimes it's best to let an image speak for itself.
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We open with Hal Jordan returning to Earth after a year-long exile. After stopping a drunk driver from making a mess of the expressway, he pops in on Carol Ferris... who actually seems happy to see him! I mean, even during the best of times between the two, she never seemed actually happy... but here, she does!
We then shift over to a... strange satellite. A blonde woman named Lyla checks in with her boss... the Monitor. Yes, this is a pre-Crisis appearance of the man himself. If you wanna see every (to our knowledge) pre-Crisis Monitor appearance, you can pop over to the Weird Comics History site.
Back on Earth, Carol and Hal arrive at Ferris Aircraft for the latter's first day back on the job. As they pull in, Hal notices a hoisted beam begin to give way... and rushes in to push an unwitting Mr. Davis out of the way. Davis looks none-too-pleased to have been saved by the returning Jordan.
Carol tells Hal that much has changed at Ferris over the past year... including the shift to a more virtual reality (and telekinesis)-based "technology". He observes a few scientists huddled around a wacky chair trying to get a paper airplane to move with their minds. They can't... but Hal can! He blames it on a breeze that swept through the lab... but, we all know better.
We shift scenes to a little bit north of Los Angeles... where we meet, The Javelin! This is his first of very-few appearances. He stands down an oncoming truck... and, ya know... tosses a javelin into it. He fights off the truckers... then calls in to base to give the go-ahead for "pick-up".
Back at Ferris, Hal reunites with his old mechanic, Tom Kalamaku. Tom's been working on one bad-ass solar jet, designed by our old friend Bruce Gordon. Ya know, Eclipso. All they're waiting for is the engine... which, as luck would have it, was the bounty the Javelin just jacked.
Hal "Lanterns up" and heads out to look into the hijacking. He overhears the police describing the crime scene... and learns that the thieves used "flying bicycles" to steal the loot. It isn't long before Hal runs right into these geeks... and makes short work of 'em.
Then... The Javelin! Hal is attacked... and then, uh... coated in a yellow liquid plastic goop... and, uh... it looks kinda gross. Our Golden Hal then begins to plummet... and we are out of time!
... Except for the back-up! I know folks really dig these "Tales of the Green Lantern Corps" backups... but, I just can't get into them. So many of them are just so boring. This one opens with a Green Lantern being shot down... and dying on a backwater planet. A backwater fella happens across, grabs the ring... and quickly understands that it has powers.
He goes on to become an actual Green Lantern... and saves a whole bunch of folks, as Green Lanterns are wont to do. Until, of course... he gets shot down, and dies on another planet... and the cycle continues.
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This (first part) was a lot of fun! This era of Green Lantern is one of those that I often jumble into a mess of stories, and, if pressed, probably couldn't tell ya what order they happened in. I know there was an exile... I know (er, think) the Omega Men showed up... but that's about all.
Speaking of the exile... and it being over, I'm happy that this is an Earth-based adventure. Those are my favorite kind of Lantern stories.
It was fun to see Carol and Hal actually happy together. I always got the impression that Carol was just "along for the ride" and never actually happy to be in this nebulous romance. I think of Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years... even when she and Kevin were "an item", she never looked all that happy. She was just like "ehh, I guess this is my life now". That's how I always view Carol.
The Javelin... is a dumb-but-fun villain. We've met plenty of these oddball baddies... and it's always a pretty good time. Seeing them act in earnest... and actually being taken seriously as threats is appreciated. These days, a villain like this would only be used so a writer can nudge us in the ribs and be like "look at how silly he is... look at how silly comic books are". Which, yeah... we get it.
The back-up... happened. Not sure why we needed to see a (wordless) Green Lantern "circle of life". Really didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. It did feature some nice Gibbons artwork, so it wasn't a total loss.
Overall... this was a fun read, and I bet many'a folk would really dig it. Somewhat surprisingly, this issue is available digitally.
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Letters Page (featuring a whopper of a missive!):
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Resurrection Man (vol.2) #1 (November, 2011)
"Pronounced Dead"
Writers - Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist - Fernando Dagnino
Colorist - Santi Arcas
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Editors - Eddie Berganza & Rex Ogle
Cover Price: $2.99
We took a look at the first volume of Resurrection Man yesterday... and, as luck would have it... I was able to procure the first issue of the second volume last night in a 40-cent bin!
Let's do that compare and contrast thang.
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We open with our friend Mitch waking up at the morgue... that is, waking up from being dead of course. This doesn't seem to surprise him, so we might assume this isn't the first time he's experienced the sensation. He mentions that he has the taste of metal in his mouth as he breaks into a doctor's locker and steals his identification and credit cards.
Next we know Mitch is at the airport and he's headed to Portland. Why? Well, he doesn't know... it's just a compulsion. It would seem that with each resurrection our man is given, in addition to a new power... a "mission". He observes his fellow travelers before boarding the plane.
As they take off, he is joined by a "hot in a Gaga kind of way" woman (with a teardrop tattoo). He didn't even see her get on the plane... but, here she sits.
She tells him all about the other passengers... what is compelling them to Portland. Thinking it's just a flirty game, Mitch plays along. Things then turn deadly serious when Gaga informs him that his soul is "overdue". Oh yeah, she also transforms into a crazy half-demon/half-angel thing... so there's that too.
Mitch takes the fight outside as to keep the other passengers "safe". I mean, the roof of the plane is torn off... so, unless Superman's in the area... or Mitch's new power is being Superman, these poor folks are about to wind up on that island with the smoke monster.
Remember how I said that Mitch mentioned that metal taste? Well, that's about to come home to roost. Mitch grabs the Angel/Demon, and his newfound magnetic field gets them both zapped by lightning.
Then... he gets sucked into one of the planes engines, and he... along with everyone on board... dies.
He wakes up in a forest... maybe the did land on LOST island! Nah, these woods are on fire... and as he runs we see one of the lazier "New-52 Number Ones" Pandora cameos.
He notices a group of fire fighters... and engages in his new power, uhhh... turning into water?
Back in the city we started in, the new-look Body Doubles have arrived at the Coroner's Office in search of their "John"... that is, "John Doe", not sure that was clear. They're pretty crazy... questioning people while they're gagged. And when they don't spill the beans (because, ya know... they're gagged) they kill 'em.
Back in the woods, we see that one of the firefighters has that same "Gaga" teardrop tattoo... so, the chase will continue. It's also alluded to that this might turn into a war between Heaven and Hell for Mitch Shelley's soul... at the very least, a "bidding" war.
We close out with a look at Madame Xanadu as she flips through her tarot deck... which, is pretty much all she ever does. She is puzzled that no matter how many times she shuffles, the Resurrection Man always comes back.
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This take, while a bit different (at least as far as I've read), is still really good. I definitely dug this.
This time around Mitch is used to the resurrecting routine... and has a grasp on everything that comes with it. It's sort of like a Quantum Leap approach, wherein every time he "leaps" into a new life, he has a mission he must complete. Here, he was given his metal/magnetic powers... likely with the express purpose of facing off against that teardrop Angel/Demon entity.
During the brouhaha, the Gaga-gal tells Mitch a thing or two about fate. She informs him that none of the passengers were ever supposed to arrive in Portland anyway. The plane was always going to crash... which, I suppose might assuage Mitch's "guilt" in the situation.
Just like in the first volume, we do get more than one resurrections, which I wouldn't expect to be the norm. Though, this title does unfortunately get canned pretty quickly, so perhaps they are able to rack up the body count throughout.
Art here was really good. Definitely suiting the tone of this "darker" DC book... I really dug it. Really liked the coloring too. Just like the pencils, it went from kinda muted (but not in a Vertigo sort of way) to bombastic and back again.
It's a shame this book couldn't find an audience either time, as it's a pretty interesting concept, and an overall fun read. Including the "missions" and a potential war between Heaven and Hell really ups the urgency here... adding to the mythos of the Resurrection Man character without really contradicting what's come before.
I'd say this is definitely worth a glance. It's a short run (13 issues), and it's very likely sitting in your local cheap-o bin. If you want it, and need it right this very second... it is available digitally (for a buck).
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