60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 32

Justice League America #32
Nov. '89
The Teasdale Imperative Part Three
"Breaking Point!"
More confusion and chaos, courtesy of:
Keith Giffen, plot and layouts
J.M. DeMatteis, script
Adam Hughes, pencils
Art Nichols, inks
Bob Lappan, letters
Gene D'Angelo, colors
Kevin Dooley, an officer
Andy Helfer, a gentleman

Justice League Europe #8
Nov. '89
The Teasdale Imperative Part Four
"Showdown..."
At last--!--The conclusion of our JLA-JLE crossover, courtesy of:
Keith Giffen, plot and breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis, script and hasty departure
Bart Sears, pencils
Bob Smith, inks
Bob Lappan, letters
Gene G'Angelo, colors
Kevin Dooley, shreds all the evidence
Andy Helfer, takes the fall


First, a point of clarification: While the Gray Man was formerly known as just that, it seems that here in "The Teasdale Imperative," DeMatteis is going with Grey Man instead. So there you go. Apologies for not getting that right last week.

This issue of JLA focuses most prominently on the eponymous Teasdale, offering a three-page backstory that reveals he created the vampirism-inducing chemical for Simon Stagg, who in turn kept the formula and then tried to have Teasdale killed. And indeed, Stagg's plan would have succeeded if not for the Grey Man stepping in to save Teasdale's life, seeing in the scientist's chemical weapon a ticket to all the soulstuff he could ever hope to devour. In other words, this really is all Stagg's fault.

With JLE offering the story's last act, the proverbial shit gets very real indeed. The zombie horde stands at the gates of Stagg's factory, where Stagg has brought the combined JLI for protection. The Leaguers don't particularly care for helping Stagg, but it seems the lesser of two evils considering the alternative is watching six billion people turn into vampires and die; the disease, it seems, is mortal, and as those already vampirified start to die, the Grey Man's power increases--as does his size.

Clumsy as his size makes him, it's perhaps no surprise the Grey Man steps on Teasdale, eliminating half this crossover's villains. As for the Grey Man himself, his defeat is perhaps a bit of a cheat, since the Lords of Order and Chaos unite to put a stop to his antics, which apparently got so out of hand their own livelihoods were threatened.

Despite the deus ex machina, and although Power-Girl would no doubt disagree--she was backhanded by the giant Grey Man and ends the issue hospitalized and comatose--I've gotta say this whole crossover shindig was a terrific idea very well executed, and the oversized cast of characters was expertly handled.

Lots of news to report from the letters pages this time. First from JLA's "Justice Log," we've got cover credits: "Last issue's and this issue's covers were done by Adam Hughes on pencils, Joe Rubinstein on inks, Bob Le Rose on colors, and Sal Mineo on drums." JLE's "Europinion" shares that title's cover credits, as well: "This issue's cover was pencilled by Mr. Sears and inked by Art Nichols (on whom more below), who is also taking over the inking honors on JLA!" As for that reference to "more below," check out the surprise info dropped in JLE's "Next Issue" blurb:

When J.M. told us he had to relinquish his duties on JLE, we wondered who we could get. Well, starting next issue, our new writer will be WILLIAM MESSNER-LOEBS! (Now try telling us Wally isn't portrayed right.) J.M. will stay on JLA and DR. FATE, but next month Bill Loebs and guest artist Art Nichols bring you THE FATE OF POWER GIRL! Guest-starring Kilowog and Superman!

Finally, let's all reminisce about the nutritional merits of "crunchy ninja nets":

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, #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


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal ad copyright Ralston Purina Company and Mirage Studios. All other images this post copyright DC Comics. Original text copyright Jon D. Witmer/The Danger Digest.

60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 31

Justice League America #31
Oct. '89
The Teasdale Imperative Part One
"Crossed Wires!"
Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Joe Rubinstein, Albert De Guzman, Gene D'Angelo, Kevin Dooley and Andy Helfer (as the Beaver) proudly welcome new penciller Adam Hughes aboard the J.L.A. Express!

Justice League Europe #7
Oct. '89
The Teasdale Imperative Part Two
"Teasdale Unbound!"
Part two of the first JLA/JLE crossover courtesy of:
Keith Giffen: mastermind
J.M. DeMatteis: wordsmith
Bart Sears: visual vizier
Pablo Marcos: embellisher
Bob Lappan: lettermonger
Gene D'Angelo: colorizer
Kevin Dooley: boyish enthusiast
Andrew Helfer: grouch


And so begins--and concludes the first half of--the first JLA/JLE crossover, a.k.a. "The Teasdale Imperative," so named due to the mysterious machinations of one Irwin Teasdale. But, before that's revealed in Part Two, an awful lot of ground is covered in Part One, which also brings penciller Adam Hughes into the fold, and a welcome addition he is. His pencils are the best fit for the style set by Maguire that we've seen since Maguire's departure.

In addition to unveiling Fire and Ice's new duds, this issue finds the JLA's shuttle getting a refit ...

... Dr. Fate re-joining the League--or rather joining for the first time as a woman ...

... Maxwell Lord going on Geraldo ...

... and Guy taking the time to write a response in the letters page regarding his behavior in issue 28:

"I ain't pretentious. Ice just made the wrong assumption. Is that my fault? That was my ideal date and one day I'll find a girl who likes the same thing--a match made in ... wherever. Black Hand is a bad guy; bad guys get stomped by good guys; I'm a good guy, like it or not. Remember, scum stays on top of the water. You gotta handle your boss like I handle Max Lord. Walk right into his office and demand what you deserve. Only be careful ... you might get it."

All that, plus the JLA flies off to a small village in Eastern Europe to join up with the JLE in a battle against--wait for it--vampires!

Yes indeed, the populations of one small village after another have been falling prey to some weird vampire-plague that makes them bite the uninfected and seek shelter from the sun. And, as semi-spoiled above, it all seems to be the doing of Irwin Teasdale, who holds some grudge against Simon Stagg (of Metamorpho's supporting cast--see JLE #5 if you need a refresher).

But wait! Could it be that Teasdale is actually just a pawn of--the Gray Man?! His hairdo's gotten weirder since last we saw him, but he's still up to no good, that's for sure.

JLE's letters pages also give us that book's cover credits: "pencilled by Bart Sears, inked by Joe Rubinstein, and colored by Bob Le Rose, with inspirational thanks to Joe Kubert."

In case my enthusiasm hasn't been clear to this point, let me simply say, this crossover is radtastic. Be here next week to see how it all wraps up. 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, #24, #25/1, #26/2, #27/3, #28/4, #29/5, #30/6, #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.

60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 29

Justice League America #29
Aug. '89
"Nabu on in my Mind"
Together again, for the last time: that lovable gang of freelance fools--
Keith Giffen (plot & layouts)
J.M. DeMatteis (script)
Ty Templeton (penciller)
Joe Rubinstein (inker)
Albert De Guzman (letterer)
Gene D'Angelo (colorist)
Kevin Dooley, our hero
Andy Helfer, our flounder

Justice League Europe #5
Aug. '89
"Stagg Party!"
Another relatively witty, fairly exciting international romp, courtesy of:
Keith Giffen, plot
J.M. DeMatteis, script
Bart Sears, pencils
Joe Rubinstein, inks
Bob Lappan, letters
Gene D'Angelo, colors
Kevin Dooley, asst. edits
and Andy Helfer as the Beaver...


Dear readers, August 1989 was a very good month for the JLI. Firstly, there was Kevin Maguire's phenomenal cover to JLA #29, which takes the cake as my favorite cover yet from this whole "60 Weeks" experiment. And then, the story--in which Templeton's pencils truly shone--had the great sense to take Kent Nelson, formerly Dr. Fate, inside Blue Beetle's mind to clean house after the Queen Bee's tampering.

Meanwhile, in JLE, Sears' pencils were getting better by the month, hitting straight-up radtastic proportions in issue #5. As if to prove how awesome his skills were, the penciller finally cut Captain Atom's mullet.

Inside the book, the creators offered up a good, fun romp focused on Metamorpho, with appearances from his pre-amnesia supporting cast: Simon Stagg, Java, and Metamorpho's wife (or former wife, apparently, since she thought her hubby was dead and so remarried to Java), Sapphire. The whole thing makes Neil Gaiman and Mike Allred's Metamorpho story in Wednesday Comics make a helluva lot more sense.

Also worthy of note, the letterers apparently swapped books that month, and according to the in-book credits (not the cover credits), Rubinstein handled inking duties on both titles. (Maybe that's why I liked Sears' pencils so much.) Oh, and JLA's letters page offers this insight regarding art credits for the past handful of issues:

COVER CREDITS: We're getting queries about who did the cover to issue #27, and hence here we'll give cover credits. Issue #25, 26, and 28 were done by Kevin Maguire and Josef Rubinstein; #27 was painstakingly done by Kevin using pointillism: doing every one of those little dots by hand, hour-after-hour, day-in, day-out. Kevin also pencilled and inked this issue's cover, putting in all those women by hand, hour-after-hour, day-in ... (ahem). Which was more fun, Kev?

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, #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.

60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 2

Justice League #2
June ‘87
“Make War No More!”
Keith Giffen: plot & breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis: script
Kevin Maguire: penciller
Al Gordon: inker
Bob Lappan: letterer
Gene D’Angelo: colorist
Andrew Helfer: editor


Picking up the day after the events of Justice League #1, “Make War No More!” throws the reader headlong into late ‘80s Cold War politics as only a comic book of the era could, with the introduction of a galaxy- and dimension-spanning trio of “heroes” who have tasked themselves with ridding the universe of nuclear weapons, the likes of which destroyed their own home world. First things first, though: Batman has to be an insensitive dick.



Despite Dr. Light’s help taking down the terrorists at the U.N., Batman’s peeved that she’s in possession of a signal device of unknown origin, and he’s determined to figure out from whence it came. His interrogation of the good doctor takes a coffee break when Blue Beetle calls the gang around the TV for the latest episode of Jack Ryder’s Hot Seat (misspelled “Rider” in one panel). The TV-screen panels certainly owe a debt to Frank Miller’s serious (some might say “decadent”) The Dark Knight Returns, to which this series’ comedy stands in response.



Beetle and co. aren’t the only ones enjoying the show: Ryder’s commentating serves as an “aural” bridge to the mysterious Maxwell Lord’s one and only page this issue. A potent page it is, though, portending of things to come as Lord welcomes Booster Gold into his office.



Following the Ryder episode, two pages reveal the whereabouts--metaphysical though they may be--of Dr. Fate, who up and disappeared during the first issue. It seems trouble is brewing with the Gray Man, and Fate pays a visit in an effort to keep the old-timer in check.



Page 8 takes us to that smallest of nuclear powers, the backwater country of Bialya, nestled somewhere in Eastern Europe. There, the Silver Sorceress, Wandjina and Bluejay have arrived to send the small nation’s nuclear arsenal into another dimension. Apparently successful in their mission, the three are welcomed by Bialya’s scheming leader, Colonel Rumaan Harjavti, who entices the heroes to make camp with him, and by issue's end directs their attention to the U.S.S.R.




By way of a two-page flashback, the creative team explains that these three characters hail from a world surprisingly like our own, only one that finally teetered over the brink and into nuclear Armageddon. In fact, the parallels between the worlds are so pronounced (beyond even a common species and language) that these three survivors mourn the loss of Captain Speed, “the fastest man on two legs,” which would have rung a number of bells back in ’87, not too terribly long after “the fastest man alive,” Barry Allen, lost his own life.




Thanks to a newscast, the trio’s actions finally catch the attention of the Justice League, and the two groups face off over Bialya. The conflict finds a temporary resolution (at least for this issue) when Batman accepts that the League is violating Bialyan airspace and leads his team away.



Throughout the issue, Batman stands firm as the team’s leader, even if his fellow members respect his guidance rather grudgingly. Significantly, though, J’onn takes his own place as a sympathetic, levelheaded and ultimately strong second in command. Regarding the story itself, it feels quite dated anymore, very much a product of 1987. Otherwise, the characterization and dialogue continue to entertain, although Guy Gardner’s insistence on referring to Captain Marvel as “Captain Whitebread” reads terribly--and even embarrassingly--stilted.



As for the art, the cover is a true weak link, a real step into mediocrity after the bold and now rightly iconic cover image from issue 1. Inside the book, however, Maguire and Gordon’s work again shines, with Maguire’s penchant for facial expressions perhaps best manifesting itself with a group of Bialyan soldiers, awestruck by the power of the Silver Sorceress, Wandjina and Bluejay.



Speaking of Bluejay, I was at first utterly confounded by his actual size, but upon a closer read or three, it seems he can shift his size, shrinking down to the approximate scale of his namesake, or growing to roughly the size of his compatriots. (Also, on the subject of artwork and as an addendum to last week’s post, it was unfair of me to credit Maguire for the run of the book when he was in fact off of the title for much of its run. However, in the 20-plus issues he did pencil, he undoubtedly developed the Justice League style, to which his successors would lend their own touch.)



The issue ends with the space that will become the letters page, now simply titled “Justice League” to match the book. Only being issue number 2, however, the space eschews letters in favor of a piece penned by editor Andy Helfer, who details this reboot’s genesis. Here are what strike me as two especially noteworthy passages:

“The JUSTICE LEAGUE of AMERICA defines the greatest of DC’s heroes in a way which ‘solo’ superhero books can not--that is, it defines the individual heroes in the context of their peers--it deals with the FRATERNITY OF HEROES, and allows readers, for a few brief moments, to enter into that private world, and see how heroes interact with EACH OTHER, rather than the ‘ordinary’ people the heroes are sworn to protect, or the villains they are duty-bound to battle [....]

“Even in the old days, the emphasis on America was down played. The JLA saved the WORLD, the UNIVERSE, every month--the considerations of America were almost petty in comparison. Even though they consistently stated their national affiliation (and even though there always seemed to be at least one MARTIAN in the group) the JLA always represented the interests of more than a single country. They played for the BIG STAKES--and perhaps the insistence on maintaining the ‘America’ led to some confusion on the part of the readers. Perhaps. We don’t really know. Either way, though, we immediately dropped the ‘Of America.’”

BONUS!

Boy, did I love The Centurions back in the day, especially the green dude who I swore was an animated Tom Selleck. It’s a real shame I missed out on this miniseries, advertised opposite page 17 in this issue…




The complete 60 Weeks with the Justice League on The Danger Digest:
#1, #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, #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 plus Andrew Helfer quotes copyright DC Comics. Original text copyright Jon D. Witmer/The Danger Digest.

60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 1

Justice League #1
May ‘87
“Born Again”
Keith Giffen: Plot & Breakdowns
Giffen & DeMatteis: Script
Kevin Maguire: Penciller
Terry Austin: Inker
Bob Lappan: Letterer
Gene D’Angelo: Colorist
Andrew Helfer: Editor



And so begins an epic journey, not only for the Justice League, but for The Danger Digest as well. For we’re about to go through the entirety of the Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire run on Justice League--60 issues that ran from 1987-92--book by book, one book per week, for a total of 60 weeks. (Along the way, we’ll also cover the 36 issues of Justice League Europe that began around the middle of that run and fell chiefly under Giffen’s guidance, with DeMatteis contributing to a goodly number of issues as well.)

Giffen, DeMatteis and Maguire’s Justice League represents a series that I think I really love. Clearly I’ve gone to the trouble and expense of acquiring all 60 issues (96 counting JLE), but I’ve only ever actually read maybe a handful of them. I enjoyed that handful enough that I tracked down nearly the complete run a couple of years ago, but I’ve only just filled in the final issues I’d been lacking, and I’m only now getting around to tackling this beast from the beginning. Here’s hoping that 60 weeks from now I can say it was worth the time and expense…



JL #1 picks up after the events of DC’s Legends crossover event--which itself followed Crisis on Infinite Earths--and the cancellation of the previous Justice League of America series with issue #261. DeMatteis, who had worked on the last issues of the League’s previous incarnation, stayed on to script, and he was joined by Giffen, who prior to this assignment was best known for his work as an artist.

In addition to scripting, Giffen contributed the breakdowns for Maguire, whose pencils perfectly complement the writers’ emphasis on action, comedy and the personal interactions between grownups who spend the better part of their days wearing costumes.

Which brings me to the team’s members in this first issue. Presented roughly in the order in which they appear, they are:


Guy Gardner: If all of these characters are childlike in their wardrobe choices and good-versus-evil worldview, Guy’s the only one completely incapable of at least acting like an adult. When I was younger, I hated him and didn’t have a clue how he could be a Green Lantern. Now, I love to hate him, which was of course the point all along.



Black Canary: She rolls into the headquarters with a deep respect for the League’s history. Also, she looks just like Sarah Connor at the end of The Terminator (1984).



Mr. Miracle and Oberon: Gardner’s incessant jokes regarding Oberon’s short stature might grow old in a handful of issues, but here it’s all good fun. Also, there is always room, on any team, for characters created by Jack Kirby.



Captain Marvel: At least this guy’s alter ego really is a little boy.



Martian Manhunter: The consummate veteran of the League’s many incarnations, J’onn J’onnz grimly carries the memory of recent tragedy. He’s also, arguably, the most powerful member of the team, but with this bunch, he just can’t no respect.



Blue Beetle: I tried reading a few issues from this run of Justice League when I was a kid, and I totally did not get it. However, I instantly thought Blue Beetle was terrific. That impression has not changed.



Dr. Fate: Growing up, I used to read his backup story in the monthly Flash series, so I’ve always had a soft spot for him. Also, apparently reassembling the League was his idea.



Batman: It’s up to Batman to actually reform the re-formed League, and babysitting the likes of Guy Gardner really gets his cape in a twist. But you know what? Angry babysitter Batman is funny.



Dr Light: Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, she was asked to be a member and given a “signal device,” which beeps at the darnedest times.



Maxwell Lord: This guy loves watching TV.


Despite Batman’s desire to keep a low profile at first, the new League is forced to make its public debut when a ragtag band of terrorists holds the United Nations’ General Assembly hostage; the League is alerted by Dr. Light, who, in her secret identity as Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi, is among the captives. Batman sends Fate and Marvel ahead of the rest of the team, who follow in Beetle’s flying “Bug.”

Naturally, hiccups occur in this team’s first outing: Dr. Fate mysteriously “disappears,” perturbing Batman something fierce, and Guy continues to be a pest at every conceivable opportunity. All the same, the team easily dispatches the mercenary misfits--too easily, in fact, for Batman’s tastes. Comedic touches season the action, but the story ends on a rather dark note, with the leader of the terrorists actually killing himself. It’s an action it seems Batman could have easily prevented, and as such I’m not sure it totally jibes with Batman’s character. (Also, it’s pretty ridiculous that this motley assortment of terrorists could have infiltrated the General Assembly, but then again, it’s also ridiculous that the people who come to save the day arrive in a giant flying beetle, so I’m happy to roll with it.)

Of course, some growing pains are to be expected as this new creative team finds its footing, but on the whole, I closed the first issue in eager anticipation of the next. Questions linger, most notably surrounding the mysterious Maxwell Lord (who is confirmed on the final page to have some significant ties to the U.N. attackers). So come on back next week, maybe for some answers, probably for more questions, and most definitely for more danger. Yo-ho!



The complete 60 Weeks with the Justice League on The Danger Digest:
#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, #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.