60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 57

Justice League America #57
Dec. '91
Breakdowns Part 9
"The Descent of ... Despero!"
Meaningless violence and a few stale jokes ... brought to you by those immortal masters of comic art:
Keith Giffen, plot 'n' breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis, dialogue & complaints
Chris Wozniak, penciller
Bruce Patterson, inker
Bob Lappan, letterer
Gene D'Angelo, colorist
Kevin Dooley, hungers for more power
Andy Helfer, just wants out

Justice League Europe #33
Dec. '91
Breakdowns Part 10
"Mere Anarchy"
Keen-O Keith Giffen - plots
Germane Gerard Jones - script
Darin' Darick Robertson - pencils
Jostlin' John Beatty - inks
Wired Willie Schubert - letters
Genial Gene D'Angelo - colors
Kvetchin' Kevin Dooley - associate editing
Anxious Andy Helfer - editing
Billious Billy Yeats


At last, JLA presents the long-awaited return of Mitch Wacky. (And the Beefeater, but that's another story.) Unfortunately, JLE may well be his last appearance--it's unclear, but I think he might have been killed by none other than Dreamslayer, who has inhabited the body of--who else?--Maxwell Lord. Yes indeed, after the destruction of his body back in JLE #19, Dreamslayer's consciousness lived on, searching for an appropriate host body and conveniently settling on Max's comatose corpus. Using his powers of persuasion (which make Max's pale in comparison), Dreamslayer made Uncle Mitch abscond with the Extremist robots to KooeyKooeyKooey; there, Uncle Mitch was forced to return Lord Havok to working order, and now Dreamslayer and Havoc are ready to paint the town red, so to speak. Of course, the League remains blissfully unaware, seeing as they're currently tied up battling Despero--and that battle has so far leveled most of Manhattan, thanks to an ill-conceived earthquake caused by Major Disaster.

Not much else to say this week, I'm afraid. I still don't like Wozniak's art, but I think I'm getting desensitized to it. Robertson's work was strong as usual, although it didn't quite hit the high notes of last issue. Interesting to probably no one, JLE contained a 17-page ad, in comics form, for Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis, and then "Europinion" included this cover credits blurb: "THIS ISSUE'S COVER was computerized by the following programmers: Darick Robertson, John Beatty, and Bob Le Rose." (Remember, L-Ron was supposedly compiling the letters pages; nevertheless, with the advent of digital tools in the comics arena in the years since this was written, "computerized" feels like a poor, misleading choice of words.) No cover credits in "Justice Log," but JLA's cover itself, which offers yet another homage to JL #1, clearly shows the initials of Chris Sprouse and Bruce Patterson.

I think "Breakdowns" is wearing on me. Only three weeks to go...

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, #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, #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 56

Justice League America #56
Nov. '91
Breakdowns Part 7
"Look Homeward, Leaguers"
The never-ending JLA-JLE "Breakdowns" crossover continues, courtesy of those burned-out old hacks:
Keith Giffen (plot & nervous breakdowns) & J.M. DeMatteis (recycled dialogue)
Aided and abetted by
Chris Wozniak, pencils
Bruce Patterson, inks
Bob Lappan, letters
Gene D'Angelo, colors
Produced by Kevin Dooley
Directed by Andrew Helfer, Esquire
With special thanks to Mark Badger's pal, Gerard Jones

Justice League Europe #32
Nov. '91
Breakdowns Part 8
"The Center Cannot Hold"
Keith Giffen - plots and breakdowns
Gerard Jones - dialogue and cheap W.B. Yeats references
Darick Robertson - pencils
John Beatty - inks
Willie Schubert - letters
Gene D'Angelo - colors
Kevin Dooley & Andy Helfer - paper trafficking


I wouldn't even know these issues were part of "Breakdowns" if not for the label on the covers. Gone is the breakneck pacing of recent months, replaced with some laid-back plotting that feels like it could have been plucked from any point of the JLI run. In other words, I thought these issues were terrific. JLA presents a "getting the band back together" story, wherein all of the Leaguers--from both sides of the pond--make their way to the cave on the outskirts of Metropolis to formulate their plan of action going forward. It's a fitting location, since the cave was the first home to this incarnation of the League.

As J'onn mentions, the Doom Patrol has been using one of the cave's darker recesses, and in JLE, Ralph, Ted and Wally decide to go looking for it, setting up a wonderfully absurd 6-page romp through the surreal that stands among the best moments any of the JLI books have ever offered. Indeed, this is one of my favorite issues I've read during this "60 Weeks" adventure--during which I probably haven't given due credit to Gerard Jones' terrific scripting. He's been knocking these JLE scripts out of the park ever since he joined the book's creative team, and he's showing no signs of slowing as "Breakdowns" rounds the halfway point.

JLE also sets up what are sure to be some significant plot points in the coming issues: Manga Khan hires Lobo to track down Despero, and the Extremists go missing from the museum where they've been on display. Oh yeah, and Maxwell Lord wakes up from his coma.

Once again, JLA's art does nothing to impress me, while Robertson and Beatty's work in JLE is on par with the best of the Kevin Maguire and Adam Hughes eras. JLA's cover does shine, though, and this time L-Ron gets the credits right in "Justice Log," too: "Humans Chris Sprouse, Bruce Patterson, Bob Le Rose execute pencilling, inking, coloring manifestations." In "Europinion," L-Ron lets us know, "Our cover was rendered by the following Earthlings: Darick Robertson on pencils and John Beatty on inks, with assist from Uranian Bob Le Rose on colors." Also from JLE's letters page come these fun facts: BlueJay's "real name is Jay Abrams, Sorceress's name is Laura Cynthia Neilsen."

And here's another classic movie from '91.

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, #44/20, #45/21, #46/22, #47/23, #48/24, #49/25, #50/26, #51/27, #52/28, #53/29, #54/30, #55/31, #57/33, #58/34, #59/35, #60/36


Star Trek ad copyright Paramount Pictures. All other images this post copyright DC Comics. Original text copyright Jon D. Witmer/The Danger Digest.

60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 52

Justice League of America #52
Jul. '91
"The Battle of the Century! Decade! Year! Month?"
Pull up a chair, sports fans, as those pusillanimous pugilists...
Keith Giffen, plot & breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis, script
Trevor Von Eeden, pencils
Randy Elliott, inks
Bob Lappan, letterer
Gene D'Angelo, colorist
Kevin Dooley, trainer
Andy Helfer, referee
...get ready to knock you out again!

Justice League Europe #28
Jul. '91
"The Man Who Wears the Star"
Keith Giffen, plot and breakdowns
Gerard Jones, script and script
Bart Sears, pencils and pencils
Randy Elliott, inks and inks
Bob Lappan, letters and borders
Gene D'Angelo, colors and colors
Kevin Dooley, this and that
Andy Helfer, stuff 'n' nonsense

July 1991 was the month everything started to change for the ol' JLI, taking a turn for the serious and setting up the massive "Breakdowns" storyline that will run through both JLA and JLE for the next eight months. (Don't worry--that's only eight weeks for us.) And what  could trigger such a sea change other than this little cliffhanger?

(JLE also ends with this revelation--after all, this is where the two books' continuities become inextricably--irreparably?--combined.)

The shooting is all the more shocking because the earlier pages in the same issue of JLA are, for the most part, so much fun. After months of slacking off, Beetle decides it's time to get himself back in shape, but when he hits the gym he's mercilessly taunted by--who else?--Guy Gardner. General Glory proposes the teammates take out their aggression in the boxing ring, but when Beetle shows he's the better pugilist, Guy attacks from behind. The dirty move, which does some serious damage to Beetle's ribs, leaves J'onn with no choice but to expel Guy from the League.

The story honestly leaves me feeling sorry for Guy--sure he's an unrepentant heel through and through, but he's shown once or twice that he's made of at least a lit bit of heroic stuff, and he's always been good for a laugh. Art-wise, Von Eeden's pencils look very good, but his layouts (as seen above) are often clunky. (Elliott inks this title in addition to JLE this month, but his work here overall doesn't seem as strong.) The undisputed TKO in the art department, though, is awarded to Bart Sears, whose cover for JLE (with colors by Bob Le Rose) is insane in its detail--I'd hate to be the guy drawing all those stars. (Speaking of covers, JLA's was done by "Adam 'Hulk' Hughes, pencil; Joe 'Rocky' Rubinstein, ink; Bob 'The Rose' Le Rose, color," according to "Justice Log.") Sears and Elliott's work inside the book is nice to look at, too, as the Starro storyline wraps up in very satisfying fashion, with guest-star Ice playing a key role and Manga Khan making a brief appearance.

Be back here next week for the beginning of the end.

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, #44/20, #45/21, #46/22, #47/23, #48/24, #49/25, #50/26, #51/27, #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 43

Justice League America #43
Oct. '90
"If You Play Your Cards Right..."
Kevin Dooley, DC Comics' finest assistant editor, proudly presents
Keith Giffen, plot
J.M. DeMatteis, script
Adam Hughes, pencils
José Marzan, Jr., inks
Bob Lappan, letters
Gene D'Angelo, colors
Andy Helfer, editor
(There, Kevin--isn't that better than a raise?)

Justice League Europe #19
Oct. '90
"The Extremist Vector Part Five: Pushing the Button"
Uncle Keith Giffen, plot & breakdowns
Gerard Jones, words
Bart Sears, pencils
Randy Elliott, inks
Bob Lappan, letters
Gene D'Angelo, colors
Kevin D'Ooley, stuff
Andy D'Helfer, nonsense


As mentioned last week, JLA #43 was one of the two issues of this series I actually acquired during the book's run, so there's a certain degree of nostalgia involved in turning its pages again now. However, I don't think I pored over this issue quite as intently as I did the previous book--once again I no doubt wondered who these characters were, and even Blue Beetle's not as prominent this issue. Nevertheless, reading the book now, the story's a winner. (Hughes' art is also a welcome sight, although Marzan's inks give it a different flavor than I'd been used to with Art Nichols--there seems to be a stronger emphasis on dense shadows, for one.) Giffen and DeMatteis dug deep into DC's back catalog to unearth such forgotten villains as Sonar, Crowbar, Black Mass, Blackrock, Brainstorm, Cavalier and Quakemaster. Rather than forming their own Injustice League, however, they all get together to play cards at the hole-in-the-wall bar known as The Dark Side, whose clientele exclusively comprises super villains. Earlier in the issue, intrepid garbageman/journalist Wally Tortolini rescues Sonar from a run-in with the League, and in return Sonar (a.k.a. Bito Wladon of Modora) brings Tortolini to the card table. Hoping for a story, Tortolini instead leaves armed with the villains' myriad accoutrements.

Meanwhile, JLE presents a jumbled mess of a conclusion to "The Extremist Vector." I trust you're sitting down for this. The explosion set off at the end of last issue by Carny--who, it turns out, was also a robot--does indeed awaken "the Visionary," otherwise known as "Uncle" Mitch Wacky, the creator of Wacky World. Back in the day, Uncle Mitch caught the flu, which is fatal in his dimension, and so he placed himself into a cryogenic slumber. Now, of course, he awakens to find his world destroyed, but making things really convoluted, the nuclear holocaust actually wiped out the Extremists who caused it, and it turns out the Extremists currently terrorizing "our" dimension are robots built after the Armageddon to lend an air of excitement to Wacky World. Naturally, the robo-villains went rogue. So, Silver Sorceress (who survived last issue's blast unscathed) transports everyone--including Uncle Mitch--back to our Earth, where Mitch uses a kill switch only he can operate to shut down the Extremists. Well, except for Dreamslayer, who turns out to still be the original and not a robot duplicate. Then Dreamslayer tries to cast a spell on Crimson Fox, but she turns out to be Silver Sorceress in disguise. And so on and so forth. Anyways, the good guys win, but I think Uncle Mitch bit the bullet along the way. Ah well. The pictures are pretty; I really like Elliott's inks over Sears' pencils.

Oh, yeah, and apparently Dr. Light's been hanging out at the League's Japan embassy. I'm trusting that was covered in an Annual somewhere along the way and this wasn't as out of the blue as it first struck me.

"Europinion" gives us these cover credits: "Bart Sears, pencils; Randy Elliott, inks; Bob Le Rose, colors." No cover credits mentioned in "Justice Log," but there are some other noteworthy nuggets. In the spirit of transparency, Dooley responds to Mike Alleni of Staten Island, NY, who wonders why Fire's clothes don't burn: "Do you want a made-up science answer (unstable molecules, I'm sure) or can we just point to that stamp on the cover?" And in response to Greg Schienke of Charlottesville, VA, Dooley offers this insightful summary of what this whole Justice League experiment is all about:

[Justice League] was set up as a sitcom. Read JL #1--most of the action is bickering. Read Andy's intro to 'A New Beginning.' JUSTICE LEAGUE always was about 'the environment our characters inhabit,' 'the simple interrelationships of heroes,' and making the heroes 'act just like people,' funny, silly. As we've said, in this industry of 'normal' seriousness, JL is the aberration. And as Will Rogers put it, "We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can.'

Lastly, remember this show? Boy howdy, was I excited.

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, #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


The Flash ad copyright DC Comics, Inc. and CBS, Inc. All other images this post copyright DC Comics. Original text copyright Jon D. Witmer/The Danger Digest.

60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 41

Justice League America #41
Aug. '90
"Maximum Force"
The birth of a new super-hero as only Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Mike McKone, B.D. Patterson, Bob Lappan, Gene D'Angelo, Kevin Dooley and Andy Helfer (as Harry Von Zell) can bring it to you!

Justice League Europe #17
Aug. '90
"The Extremist Vector Part Three: On the Brink!"
by Giffen, Jones, Sears, Elliott, Lappan, D'Angelo, Dooley, Helfer


Mike McKone returns to the pages of JLA to bring us an extended dream sequence in which Max dons a ridiculous costume and assumes the moniker "Maximum Force." Thus garbed, he uses his powers of persuasion to wipe out crime in a decidedly lethal manner. (Note the tube in his nose to keep his nosebleeds--which he experiences whenever he uses his power--from soiling his suit.)

In those pages not dedicated to the dream, Max does use his power to lure Wanda (seen above), a "fiction editor over at Partisan House," from a party back to his apartment, where he promptly, drunkenly passes out. The whole issue's pretty forgettable, and I'm still no fan of McKone's work from this period. On a bright note, the letters page brings us this great nugget, regarding issue 37, from David J. Harrington of Fort Edward, NY: "Booster Gold cannot quit! This is worse than when they changed the taste of Coke." And speaking of the letters page, this issue's cover credits go like this: "Adam Hughes, pencils/inks; Bob Le Rose, colors."

Meanwhile, in JLE, the Extremists launch every missile in the world's nuclear arsenal, and Dr. Diehard uses his "magnetic powers" to hold them in space, ready to rain destruction at a moment's notice. Faced with such a predicament, the nations of the world more or less acquiesce to the Extremists' demands and order all superheroes to back off and not engage the enemy. Amazingly, everyone in the world listens to this order--everyone, that is, except the JLE.

The fight goes pretty well, except that when Metamorpho imprisons Diehard in copper, the villain loses his control over the nukes and the Earth very nearly meets its end. Suitably embarrassed, the Leaguers more or less try and talk things out with the Extremists, but the last page finds them transported via Dreamslayer's spell back to the Extremists' already destroyed homeworld. Oh yeah, and along the way, we also get a cameo from George Bush (senior, that is):

No cover credits in "Europinion" this issue, but we do get this terrific explanation of Silver Sorceress' bunny hat, courtesy of Kevin Dooley and in response to a query posed by Grant Thornley: "Her 'ears' are necessary to ... pick up the ... magic vibrations to make her powers work." Additionally, in response to Julio Diaz of Tampa, FL, Dooley finally details Crimson Fox's powers: "The Crimson Fox has fox-like senses, reflexes, and speed. Her fingernails can extend to become strong, sharp 'claws.' She can also emit powerful pheromones to ... well, just you never mind."

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, #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 37

Justice League America #37
Apr. '90
"Furballs!"
Keith Giffen, plot
J.M. DeMatteis, script
Adam Hughes, pencils
Art Nichols, inks
Albert De Guzman, letters
Gene D'Angelo, colors
Kevin Dooley, still thinks he's editing "Amazing Heroes"
Andy Helfer ... well, the less said about him, the better
Special thanks to Joe Rubinstein & Jack Torrance for invaluable inking assists

Justice League Europe #13
Apr. '90
"Furballs II"
Keith Giffen, plot + breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis, guest scripter
Chris Sprouse, guest penciller
K.S. Wilson, inker
Bob Lappan, letterist
Gene D'Angelo, colorist
Kevin Dooley, dances divinely
Andy Helfer, always leads

As you've no doubt inferred from the titles above, this week brings us a two-part crossover event, although I use the word "event" loosely. After the serious tone JLE adopted for the Metamorpho & Son story, DeMatteis returns for a lighthearted romp that finds a group of schoolchildren on a field trip to the Paris embassy. At the same time, would-be super-thief Jean-Jean de Jean infiltrates the embassy in a doomed attempt to relieve the building of its art collection, generously donated by the French government. Everything comes to a boil when the JLA arrives in Paris, summoned there by an alleycat who took a nap on the JLE's priority-one alert button.

Three Stooges references strengthen the bridge between the two titles that's built on the cat that lives in the alley behind the New York embassy. The "Furballs" adventure begins when Guy absent-mindedly leaves the back door ajar and the cat slips inside. After the cat frightens Fire and gives Guy a run for his money, Guy tosses the cat into the teleporter, making it the JLE's problem. That's teamwork for you.

JLE's guest penciller, Chris Sprouse--very early in his career at this point--does a passable job, although I wish he would have laid his panels out to a tighter grid. Meanwhile, despite the feline funnies, JLA sets up a number of important threads that'll come to fruition over the next handful of issues, beginning with the return of a mysterious alien ...

... continuing through a reporter for Spy magazine absconding with the League's refuse ...

... and winding up with Booster--who's gone all A.J. Simon with his look--meeting with one Claire Montgomery, which in turn leads us to the issue's surprise finale:

Finally, let's remember that in April of 1990, we were seeing ads for what remains one of the most significant events to ever hit pop culture--and here I use "event" with all the import the word can bear.

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, #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


TMNT ad copyright Golden Harvest, New Line Cinema and Mirage Studios. A.J. Simon frame grab from Simon & Simon, copyright Universal TV. All other images this post copyright DC Comics. Original text copyright Jon D. Witmer/The Danger Digest.

60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 35

Justice League America #35
Feb. '90
"Lifeboat"
Keith Giffen: plot
J.M. DeMatteis: dialogue
Adam Hughes: pencils
Art Nichols/Jose Marzon + Joe Rubinstein - inkers, each and every one of 'em
Bob Lappan, Gene D'Angelo, Kevin Dooley and Andy Helfer, all doin' that voodoo that they do so well!

Justice League Europe #11
Feb. '90
"Family Ties"
Plot: Giffen
Script: Loebs
Pencils and inks: Sears
Letters: Lappan
Color: D'Angelo
Ed. asst: Dooley
Andy: Helfer


In a turn of events I never would have anticipated, Major Disaster--with an assist from Aquaman and some of his "finny friends"--winds up the hero in JLA when he causes an undersea volcano to erupt beneath the wandering island of Kooey Kooey Kooey, thus anchoring the island. (This is comic-book science; it's best just to roll with it.) Unfortunately for the Major, his reward is paid in Kooey Kooey Kooey kurrency--and good luck spending that anywhere.

Aquaman also turns up with some sharks to rescue Max, Oberon, Ice and Huntress, who were each in a teleporter when the island started moving last issue; the teleporters were shaken loose, and this foursome was subsequently stranded at sea, where they spent the better part of this issue. By the time Aquaman arrives, Ice is in particularly bad shape, and Guy--in a rare moment of selflessness that belies the seeds of something special between these two--rushes her to a hospital. (As a fun fact for anyone keeping track at home, Oberon reveals while stranded that he's 59 years young at this point.)

As noted in the credits, there are three inkers on the book, which unsurprisingly leads to a few inconsistencies, most notably a changing pattern on Mr. Miracle's sweater. Nevertheless, each inker handles the material well, giving all due service to Hughes' pencils, which continue to wow. I didn't think anybody could replace Maguire on this title, but Hughes is undeniably his equal. Even his layouts are top-notch, and when he decides to shake up the grid, he consistently does so in service of the story.

Guy also guest-stars in JLE, where he offers to protect his own personal hero, Simon Stagg, from Metamorpho, who's made up his mind to go after his son. Rocket Red and Animal Man (sans costumes, no doubt to keep a low profile--too bad they're with the Element Man) tag along to make sure things go as smoothly as possible, but the book takes a dark turn when it's revealed that Metamorpho's son is the subject of Stagg's experiments and the source of Stagg's new fuel substitute.

After a brawl that leaves Guy a bloody pulp, the issue ends on a cliffhanger with the Metal Men--whose boss and creator, Doctor Will Magnus, is in cahoots with Stagg--promising to end Metamorpho's rampage. Perhaps even more significantly, this issue actually checks in on Silver Sorceress and Blue Jay, who have been locked up in Russia's People's Center for Meta-Human Studies. I suspect we'll see more of them soon.

JLA's "Justice Log" offers that title's cover credits: "DIS ISSUE'S COVER: Adam Hughes, pencils/inks; Bob Le Rose, colors." No credits in JLE, whose letters page was erroneously also titled "Justice Log" this month. All the same, the cover itself clearly shows the mark of "Maguire & Sears" on pencils and inks, respectively.

Last but not least, can anyone out there offer up some statistics on how many thefts were actually prevented thanks to The Official Batman Secret Code Bike Alarm and Sonic Weapons Center? Inquiring minds, and all that. I've no doubt the "buzz bomb" sent criminals of all stripes running for cover.

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, #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


Secret Code Bike Alarm ad copyright HBC and DC Comics, Inc. All other images this post copyright DC Comics. Original text copyright Jon D. Witmer/The Danger Digest.