60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 24

Justice League International #24
Feb. ‘89
“The Road Less Travelled”
Keith Giffen: plot & breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis: script
Ty Templeton: pencils
Joe Rubinstein: inks
Gene D’Angelo: colors
Bob Lappan: letters
Kevin Dooley: demoted to assistant editor
Andy Helfer: will never edit a crossover book again

“Hostage!”
David Levin: writer
Dean Haspiel: artist
Jon D’Agostino: letters
Matt Webb: colors
Joey Cavalieri: editor
Joe Orlando: executive editor

“Across a Crowded Room…”
Another Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire/Rubinstein/Lappan/D’Angelo/Dooley/Helfer overcrowded, underplotted, mildly amusing super-hero spectacular!


In celebration of hitting the two-year mark with “the world’s greatest non-mutant super-hero team,” the powers that were present us with 52 pages of content across three stories all packed into one issue. As mentioned last time, this issue marks Maguire’s last appearance as the regular penciller, and he goes out with a bang in the book’s third story. I’m still getting used to Templeton’s style, although it is similar in tone to Maguire’s, and he does well with this book’s first story, which focuses on Maxwell Lord as he tries coming to terms with the revelation that he possesses some sort of “meta-gene.” (This revelation, it seems, was made somewhere in the pages of the Invasion! event I skipped. Alas.) Seeking answers from what’s left of the super-computer in Metron’s cave (from way back in issues 11 and 12), Lord winds up trapped underground, where, in desperation, he manages to send a telepathic plea to Blue Beetle.


Lord’s shenanigans continue in the second story. Existing in some sort of continuity limbo, this is basically a gag strip wherein Lord is kidnapped by mercenaries hired by some faceless terrorist organization. When the mercs fail to get anyone to pay their exorbitant ransom fee, they wind up paying the JLI (namely, Booster and Beetle) to take him back. Most interesting is Haspiel’s involvement, as he’s gone on to really shine in the years since this clunky outing. A bio page at the end of the story tells us he’d worked as an assistant to Howard Chaykin, Walt Simonson and Bill Sienkiewicz, and those artists’ influences can be felt here.


In the final story, Oberon throws a party at the League’s New York embassy in order to recruit additional members to the team. Although Hawkman takes the opportunity to quit, Power-Girl, the Flash, Animal Man, Elongated Man, Wonder Woman and Metamorpho all agree to join. The story’s a hoot, bringing together a room full of DC’s heaviest hitters, while also dealing with those pesky, size-shifting Khund invaders from back in issue 22.


Finally, from the letters page, where assistant editor Dooley lets us know two important facts: 1) “Here is a list of present JLI embassies: New York, U.S.A.; Canberra, Australia; Paris, France; Cairo, Egypt; Moscow, U.S.S.R.; London, England; Quebec, Canada; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Tokyo, Japan; and Beijing, China”; and 2) “Booster and Beetle aren’t idiots. They’re fun-loving dudes.” Remember that second point, dear readers. It’s an important distinction to be able to make in this mad world of ours.


See you back here next week for JLI #25 AND Justice League Europe #1. Yo-ho!



The complete 60 Weeks with the Justice League on The Danger Digest:
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #25/1, #26/2, #27/3, #28/4, #29/5, #30/6, #31/7, #32/8, #33/9, #34/10, #35/11, #36/12, #37/13, #38/14, #39/15, #40/16, #41/17, #42/18, #43/19, #44/20, #45/21, #46/22, #47/23, #48/24, #49/25, #50/26, #51/27, #52/28, #53/29, #54/30, #55/31, #56/32, #57/33, #58/34, #59/35, #60/36


All images this post copyright DC Comics. Original text copyright Jon D. Witmer/The Danger Digest.