60 WEEKS WITH THE JUSTICE LEAGUE: Week 20

Justice League International #20
Dec. ‘88
“If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be -- Apokolips!”
Keith Giffen: plot/breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis: script
Ty Templeton: pencils
Joe Rubinstein: inks
Bob Lappan: letterer
Gene D’Angelo: colorist
Little Andy Helfer: r.i.p.
Featuring The New Gods created by Jack Kirby


Honestly, my favorite thing about this issue is that it has a one-page ad for a four-issue Plastic Man miniseries that’s very near and dear to my heart:


In the book proper, though, Templeton does a solid job filling in for Maguire. The story finds Manga Khan, having arrived at Apolokips, in the process of opening trade negotiations, using Scott Free (a.k.a. Mister Miracle) as his one and only bargaining chip. Things go south for Manga, however, when it’s discovered that a certain group of Leaguers have followed him to the home of Darkseid himself.


Those Leaguers manage to breach Granny Goodness’ orphanage, but a swarm of Para-Demons (please note, I'm using the spelling from this particular comic) forces Barda to boom back to Earth for reinforcements. With no time to explain, she grabs the rest of the team from the New York embassy and booms them all back to Apokolips to join the fight. All of them, anyway, who were in the room.



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, #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 18

Justice League International #18
Oct. ‘88
“Where No League Had Gone Before!”
Keith Giffen: plot & breakdowns
J.M. DeMatteis: dialogue
Kevin Maguire & Al Gordon: art
Bob Lappan: letters
Gene D’Angelo: colors
Handy Dandy Andy Helfer: editor

Bonus Book:
“Raising the Roof!”
Mark Askwith: writer
James Webb: pencils
Mark Pennington: inks
Duncan Andrews: letterer
Danny Vozzo: colors


“What’s that business about a ‘Bonus Book?’” you say? Well, here’s how DC explained it back in ’88:

Every month until further notice, we’ll be adding an extra 16 pages to an ongoing DC title and filling them with the work of promising newcomers. You get a free story. We get a chance to work with people we feel will become important creators in a few years. So everybody wins. Enjoy.

Yeah, I know: There’s not a whole lot of enthusiasm in that description, and I can’t muster more than a lackluster response to the Bonus Book here presented, which is basically a domestic sitcom based around the League’s interaction with Big Barda. I’ll give ‘em this, though: The story seems to take place outside of continuity, and that’s always a breath of fresh air.


Meanwhile, the “real” story deals with those League members who have been chasing Manga Khan all across the cosmos in an attempt to rescue Mr. Miracle. Looking for a quick solution, Manga hires Lobo to kill the Leaguers, but then Barda boom-tubes him all the way to Earth, where he just so happens to land smack dab on top of Guy Gardner. Basically, it’s all just a 22-page buildup to the return of Guy’s tough-guy asshole persona. (And yeah, it’s about time.)



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, #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.