60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 25

Justice League International #25
April ‘89
“Repossessions”
Keith Giffen: plot & breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis: script
Ty Templeton: pencils, pp 1-3, 22
and introducing Mike McKone: pencils, pp 4-21
Joe Rubinstein: inks
Bob Lappan: letters
Gene D’Angelo: colors
Kevin Dooley: assistant editor
Andy Helfer: editor

Justice League Europe #1
April ‘89
“How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm After They’ve Seen Paree?”
Keith Giffen: plot & breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis: script
Bart Sears: pencils
Pablo Marcos: inks
Bob Lappan: letters
Gene D’Angelo: colors
Kevin Dooley: asst. editor
Andy Helfer: drinks too much coffee


Well, friends, it’s April of 1989 (in our trip down the JLI’s memory lane, that is), and that means we’ve hit the fateful period when DC decided to cash in on the League’s success by launching Justice League Europe. I’ve had mixed feelings about the second book’s launch, and only partly because it means I now have two books to write about every week. I tend to view spinoffs with more than a little trepidation. Granted, this is just the first issue, so for now I’ll withhold my full judgment, but after reading in JLE’s letters page that “JLE will be more serious” than JLI, I’m even harder-pressed to be hopeful.

Enough with the generalities, though. Let’s talk about the books themselves. JLI presents a rather weirdly placed one-off story in which Booster and Beetle are hired to capture an escaped vampire and return him to Jacobs Research Labs. It’s essentially a comedy caper through the first two acts, but act three takes a shift for the serious when the two Leaguers come to realize that the vampire, Caitiff, is the misunderstood last of his kind; then, unwilling to be subjected to the same inferred scientific horrors that befell his family, the last vampire impales himself on a stalagmite. Perhaps the sober ending is intended as a transition into JLE? (Also worth mentioning is the appearance of McKone on penciling duties for the majority--but not all--of the book. He does alright, although he’s a bit too Todd McFarlane for my tastes, and he never quite captures the beautiful zaniness of the cover.)


JLE presents the art of Sears and Marcos. Technically, they do nice work, but their panels feel full of lines, almost cluttered even, and really make me long for the elegance of Kevin Maguire’s illustrations. However, it’s truly incredible how far D’Angelo’s colors and Lappan’s letters go toward bridging the look of this book with that of the flagship title.


It’s undeniably strange to read a Justice League book with a bunch of characters who, by and large, haven’t been in the previous 24 issues--sort of like watching Joey after years of Friends. Nevertheless, Giffen and DeMatteis present an intriguing script with three distinct acts: In act one, the team moves into their Paris digs; act two presents a murder mystery; and act three finds a mob attacking the embassy. Even better, the mob scene gives Metamorpho a chance to shine.


Keep your fingers crossed for issue 2…


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, #24, #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.