Nov. '90
"Pastiche"
Let's have a round of applause for those adorable little rascals:
Keith Giffen, nervous breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis, psychobabble
Adam Hughes, going on vacation
José Marzan, Jr., inker
Bob Lappan, letterer
Gene D'Angelo, colorist
Kevin Dooley desperately wants a promotion
Andrew Helfer actually went on an airplane
Nov. '90
"Rue Brittania"
More sequential panel art fun from:
Keith Giffen
Gerard Jones
Marshall Rogers
Bob Smith
Bob Lappan
Gene D'Angelo
Andy Dooley
Kevin Helfer
Despite telling Max he needed some time away back in issue #42, J'onn is still taking it easy with the rest of the League--and mind you, I'm not complaining. More importantly, after showing up in some bizarre duds, Orion's back to wearing his traditional threads this ish. These are important points, dear readers, because the JLA needs to be at its very best to take down "Wally, the amazing Tortolini-Man." Armed with all of the gadgets he won in last issue's poker game, Wally tries to hit the road but is immediately thwarted by a team of mysterious operatives working well outside the law. Undaunted, the erstwhile reporter decides to give his weapons a field test, and based on those weapons, Sonar, Black Mass, Brainstorm, Crowbar, the Cavalier and Blackrock are all assumed to be the parties responsible.
It's a delicious mix up that leads to a fun--and mercifully short--punch up between the League and the band of accused villains, all of whom wind up in the clink by issue's end. Adding to the good times, of course, are Hughes' pencils, which feel better complemented by Marzan's inks this time out--it's a weak point to make, no doubt, since I can't put my finger on just exactly what it was that didn't work as well for me about the inks last issue, but this time the whole package just feels a bit more put together. As for Wally himself, all the excitement prompts a change of heart, and he decides to hand over J'onn the notebook he's been carrying filled with the JLA's secrets.
JLE, meanwhile, welcomes Marshall Rogers to the fold with mixed results. Some of his pages and character acting are great, but others feel rushed or like a halfhearted attempt to mimic the Maguire/Hughes style. All the same, it's an important story in that it sees the accidental destruction of the Paris embassy at the hands of the Beefeater, otherwise known as Michael Morice, the caretaker of the League's London embassy. I suppose this is what happens when readers keep writing letters demanding Europe be better represented in these pages.
Both books only present one page of letters apiece, as opposed to the usual two, but manage nevertheless to fit in cover credits. From "Justice Log": "This issue's cover art by Adam Hughes, color by Bob Le Rose." From "Europinion": "Cover by Marshall Rogers, pencils; Bruce Patterson, inks; and Bob Le Rose, colors."
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, #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, #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.
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