60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 19

Justice League International #19
Nov. ‘88
“No More Mr. Nice-Guy!”
Keith Giffen: plot & breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis: script
Kevin Maguire: pencils
Joe Rubinstein: inks
Bob Lappan: letters
Gene D’Angelo: colors
Little Andy Helfer: distraught & beleaguered editor


Picking up right where issue #18 left off, this book starts with a five-page brawl between Guy and Lobo outside of the JLI’s New York embassy. The debris finally settles when Booster traps Guy in a force-field bubble, at which point Lobo begins to ingratiate himself with the rest of the League, figuring he can sit tight on killing the space-faring members until they return home and walk right into his gun sights.


The better part of the second half of the book is dedicated to the League’s new membership drive, in which individual members cold call other heroes, most of whom aren’t home or aren’t interested in joining.


At the end of the day, this issue’s pretty talky, and not much happens in it. (Although Green Flame and Ice Maiden officially change their names to Fire and Ice, respectively, and it's finally settled, once and for all, within the pages of the story proper that Black Canary is out of the League.) However, it sets up what will hopefully be some high-stakes shenanigans on Apokolips, and Maguire’s art (now with Joe Rubinstein’s inks) is in top form.



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, #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.

60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 17

Justice League International #17
Sept. ‘88
“Only the Dead Know Bialya!”
Keith Giffen: plot & breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis: script
Kevin Maguire: pencils
Al Gordon: inks
Bob Lappan: letters
Gene D’Angelo: colors
Andrew Helfer: editor


Captain Atom shows up just in time to stop the radioactive Wandjina from killing his teammates. However, he doesn’t show up in time to stop Blue Beetle and Booster Gold from running around like they’re in Wham (with Green Flame playing backup).


Also, in the letter’s page, Mark Waid confirms what he let slip back in issue 13, writing, “Black Canary is gone. Really she is. I promise. She’s no longer around. So will you guys GET OFF MY BACK?”



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, #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.

60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 16

Justice League International #16
Aug. ‘88
“Bialya, My Bialya”
Keith Giffen: plot & breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis: script
Kevin Maguire: pencils
Al Gordon: inks
Bob Lappan: letters
Gene D’Angelo: colors
Andrew Helfer: editor


Kevin Maguire is back with a vengeance for what just might be the best-looking issue of this book yet. Even crazier is the return of Wandjina the Thunderer, who’s become a sort of radioactive Frankenstein’s monster in the pocket of Colonel Harjavti. Anyway, that’s what Harjavti believes until Queen Bee plays this hand:


Huzzah, dear readers--huzzah!



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, #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.

60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 14

Justice League International #14
June ‘88
“Shop … or Die”
Keith Giffen: plot & breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis: script
Steve Leialoha: pencils
Al Gordon: inks
Bob Lappan: letters
Gene D’Angelo: colors
Andrew Helfer: editor


This time around, a planet-devouring spaceship ruled by the evil Lord Manga threatens to destroy the Earth if its inhabitants don’t agree to an ill-defined barter system. With Batman and Black Canary both tied up elsewhere, the short-staffed League just might need Fire and Ice’s help after all, but we the readers are left to believe that our planet’s last best hope is none other than Gnort.


While I unabashedly love Steve Leialoha’s inks on Fables, his pencils here leave a lot to be desired, and DeMatteis’ script relies heavily on a long series of jokes that almost all fall flat. I won’t lie: This issue struck me as a dud. Here’s looking forward to issue 16, when at least Kevin Maguire will be back on pencils.



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, #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.

60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 12

Justice League International #12
April ‘88
“Who is Maxwell Lord?”
Keith Giffen: plot and breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis: script
Kevin Maguire: pencils
Al Gordon: inks
Bob Lappan: letters
Gene D’Angelo: colors
Andy Helfer: nervous breakdowns


Despite the cover’s rather heavy-handed suggestion, Maxwell Lord is indeed a man. To be exact, a wealthy businessman, who just so happens to have partnered with a machine that became self-aware. Naturally, zaniness ensued.

A flashback wades through the duo’s machinations over the past year’s worth of books, and ultimately Max destroys the machine and earns the League’s … forgiveness? Respect? Decoder ring? Something like that. Anyway, the issue is most important for revealing that Green Flame (a.k.a. Fire) and Ice Maiden (a.k.a. Ice)--who will soon become major players in this series--want into the League. Enjoy these two pages in all their glory:

Who the hell is that angry, cigar-dropping man in the last panel? I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. These two pages are fantastic.

Finally, this issue’s nostalgia alert is brought to you by your public TV station:


The complete 60 Weeks with the Justice League on The Danger Digest:
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #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


JLI pages copyright DC Comics. 3-2-1 Contact ad copyright … ? Original text copyright Jon D. Witmer/The Danger Digest.