Posted by Darren in Comics
No, not THAT Death Star, another one.
With this story we get a bit of a tonal shift in our JLA/JSA cross-overs. Veteran author Gardner Fox has been replaced by up and coming Denny O’Neil and with Mr. O’Neil comes a bit more realism in his comics and a bit more pathos.
We open in the cosmos where the Council of Living Stars is passing judgment on the star Aquarius, who is apparently guilty of crimes that we are not informed of, but the council decides to rob Aquarius of all his powers except for those that sustain his life force. This now ex-cosmic force is sent fading to Earth where we pick up our story with our heroes.
ROLL CALL: JLA: Batman, Green Lantern, Atom, Hawkman, Superman. JSA: Red Tornado, Starman, Black Canary, Doctor Fate, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Doctor Mid-Nite, and Superman
Red Tornado has appeared in the JLA headquarters to inform them of a dire threat to the universe and the Justice League insists that he tells the tale to them.
The scene fades over to Earth-2 where the Starman has detected the matter floating to Earth that was once the powerful star Aquarius. Starman attempts to apprehend the strange creature, but winds up being caught himself More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
Good question T.O. Morrow, but let us not count our chickens before they have hatched, eh?
Lets remember that last issue T.O. Morrow basically pwned the Justice Society of America and left them all for dead and then discovered that in order to succeed in his evil plans he had to eliminate the Justice League as well. All caught up now? Good. Lets go.
So the Justice League is having a meeting in their Mountain Cave headquarters and the entire membership is there: Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Hawkman, Green Arrow, Snapper Carr, and the Atom. Down below the main meeting room is the Souvenir Room where we see five of the Leaguers significant others waiting to surprise their lovers: Steve Trevor, Jean Loring, Hawkgirl, Midge (Snapper Carr’s Girlfriend), and Mera. During the meeting the five lovers burst into the room and plant the “kiss of death” on their targets: Wonder Woman, the Atom, Hawkman, Snapper Carr, and Aquaman. The Justice Leaguers attacked fall to the ground lifeless and their lovers turn into dust.
It is at this point that the Justice League receives a challenge to go fight some beasts that are coming to the planet now. In typical More >
Posted by Darren in Crisis
And here we are again folks at another moment between worlds in which a Crisis is occurring.
We open our story with Hawkman of Earth-One is going after a truck of criminals that have stolen a priceless load of furs. Yes, this happens Pre-PETA concerns in our modern world. As Hawkman closes in on the villains a fog takes over and not even Hawkman’s telescopic vision can see through the dense cloud. When Hawkman gets closer to the vehicle it has changed from a delivery truck to an armored truck that begins to fire upon him. Confused by the change but undaunted by the bullets, Hawkman takes out the robbing crew.
At the same relative time and the same relative place, The Sandman of Earth-Two is pursuing an armored truck. Using his trademark sand tricks, Sandman takes out the fur thieves, but is wondering what happened to the armored truck that he was chasing.
Doctor Mid-Nite has a similar experience in which he begins to take out some thugs on Earth-Two and while the good doctor employs some really cool medical techniques against them just as he is wrapping things up he begins to spin uncontrollably and finds himself the prisoner of The Flash on Earth-One. The two heroes More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
Notice anything “odd” about the “Justice League” on the cover above?
No?
Well let me help you out.
First off, that’s NOT the Justice League, that’s the Lawless League.
Let’s recap from last time.
On Earth-Two, a Johnny Thunder and his magical Thunderbolt had a disagreement, but Johnny still controls the genie like Thunderbolt and commanded Thunderbolt to take him to Earth-One to meet his counterpart. What Johnny and the Thunderbolt had not counted on was that the Johnny Thunderbolt of Earth-One was an evil counterpart and E-1 JT knocked out E-2 JT and took over control of the magical Thunderbolt.
When the Earth-One Flash, Barry Allen foils a plot of Johnny Thunder, JT of E1 gets the idea to have the Thunderbolt go back in time and prevent the Justice League from coming into being, which he does. No Justice League, then Johnny Thunder is able to plunder with absolutely no obstacles in his path.
The JSA are waiting on Johnny Thunder at their headquarters meeting on Earth-Two and when he does not show on time, the JSA investigate through Dr. Fate’s mystic powers and discover what has occurred prior. They go to Earth-1 disguised as the now missing members of the Justice League of America. The Thunderbolt reveals the JSA’s plan to the More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
As the Justice League remains helpless on Earth-Three the JSA begin to plot how they will repel the Crime Syndicate’s invasion of Earth-Two, when the Earth-Three villains transport into the JSA headquarters via the globe Doctor Fate used to view where the JLA are being held captive.
Remembering the JLA’s warning to the JSA that they should not let the Crime Synidcate touch them and say their magic word of “Volthoom!” the JSAers are forced to find ways to defeat the villains in unique ways.
Johnny Quick uses his speed on Hawkman to get the winged wonder to get back down to Earth. As Hawkman resists, he decides to instead fly full force and knock Johnny Quick out with a massive punch. Unable to say the word, Hawkman believes he has won this battle.
Doctor Fate defeats Power Ring with the animals of the zodiac while Dr. Mid-Nite uses his blackout bombs and a bit of brain power to finish his battle with Owlman.
Black Canary is able to use one of her “freeze pellets” in her cameo (yeah cuz its really got room for a whole bunch of crime fighting equipment up in there), and put that down Superwoman’s throat, causing her vocal cords to “freeze up” so Superwoman cannot say “Volthoom!” Black More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
It is that time again when the Justice League of America title is home to another earth-shattering Crisis tale.
This time the tale introduces another Earth and another group of analogues to our mainstay characters.
Earth-One
Earth-Two
Earth-Three
Superman
Superman
Ultraman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Superwoman
Batman
Batman
Owlman
Flash
Flash
Johnny Quick
Green Lantern
Green Lantern
Power Ring
Before we get into the meet of the story, let us make sure we understand a few things.
Analogues are those characters that are duplicates of another character in another Earth or Dimension. They share enough traits that they may seem identical or similar to another character.
Superman of Earth-1 and Earth-2 are both depowered by Kryptonite while Ultraman of Earth-3 is powered up when he is exposed to Kryptonite.
Wonder Woman of Earth-1 and Earth-2 are both wielders of amazing amazonian strength, so is Superwoman, but her name has changed. In addition Superwoman carries a lasso with powers completely different than Wonder Woman’s.
Batman of Earth-1 and Earth-2 are both very similar, as is Owlman. The main difference is the symbol that each chose in order to don their costumed persona, instead of a bat flying through a window, it was an owl.
Flash of Earth-1 and Earth-2 have similar powers but dissimilar costumes. Johnny Quick of Earth-3 has a costume similar More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
There is perhaps no word more evocative of the DC Universe experience than “Crisis”.
Crisis as defined by Dictionary.com is as follows
cri·sis
[krahy-sis] noun, plural -ses [-seez] adjective, noun
1. a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, especially for better or for worse, is determined; turning point.
2. a condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic,political, or
international affairs, leading to a decisive change.
3. a dramatic emotional or circumstantial upheaval in a person’slife.
4. Medicine/Medical .
a. the point in the course of a serious disease at which a decisive change occurs, leading either to recovery or todeath.
b. the change itself.
5.the point in a play or story at which hostile elements are most tensely opposed to each other.
In the DC Universe, the word Crisis is reserved for a specific type of story that is going to change the status quo. As with serialized fiction, like soap operas, literary series or movie franchises, it is sometimes rare that anything will happen of significance to the main characters. This is especially true of comic book characters. While actors on soap operas may leave and be replaced by another actor, or tv.movie franchises replacing their leads like with James Bond or Doctor Who, with comics the characters have a look and they never seem to change.
Sure for a lark, you may see a new costume on a character, or the character might move to a new city or a new focus for the series may occur, but these usually come and go with a change in writer, artist, or editor on the book in question.
The Crisis stories start off rather tame and then go off into more intense tales as they move forward.
The great majority of the Crisis stories comes from More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
In the Detroit JLA, our new heroes are confronted with a villainous judge known as The Overmaster who gives assorted individuals super powers in order to see exactly how the native species will react. Needless to say Overmaster has frequently destroyed less than satisfactorily performing species.
Giving a chance to give the Detroit JLA to stretch its legs and really break from the previous pattern of Justice League of America stories in which the formula was rather simple.. follow it with me.
- Trouble occurs.
- A Justice Leaguer is a witness or is called in by the local authorities.
- The assessment of the threat is such that the JLA member realizes that he/she/they cannot possibly defeat the menace themselves.
- They reach for the JLA Signal Device.
- The gathered heroes assemble at the location of the incident or their headquarters for a briefing.
- The heroes either then in mass or in teams take on the investigation.
- The heroes are either altogether or individually defeated.
- A key piece of information is discovered and/or backup is called.
- The JLA goes and kicks some ass.
- End scene.
Simple right?
The problem with this plot structure is not only monotony, but it left very little room for characterization or the advancement of the heroes. The main stumbling block to this issue was the fact that life changing
More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
From the cover you can tell things are ugly when heroes are battling a hero. The Martian Manhunter makes his first appearance since JLA #200 only to be able to barely warn the Justice League that the entire Martian fleet is coming to invade Earth in a territory grab set up by one of J’onn’s military bretheren.
The Justice League fights back, but again the big guns are missing. No one can contact Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, or Flash. The remaining Leaguers are horribly outmatched for an army of telepaths who have the same strength levels of Superman and Wonder Woman.
Yes, its a bad day for the JLA.
Martian Manhunter comes through in the end and the JLA defeat the menace, with Martian Manhunter exiled to Earth by his own people to keep the truce.
It is at the end of this story that the only active and present active member of the Justice League of America decides the JLA must change.
Aquaman announces this in the Justice League of America Annual #2
Citing the lack of strength of the current JLA, the League is disbanded and reformed immediately after by those heroes who can make a full time commitment to the Justice League.
Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man, and More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
That title looks pretty ominous doesn’t it? Well, it is.
The Justice League of America as a title had been struggling in sales, with other group books becoming more popular year after year like Marvel’s X-Men franchise and DC’s New Teen Titans and the Legion of Super-Heroes. The JLA formula had pretty much consisted of a formula where a bad thing would happen + one or more members would discover the problem independently + hero(es) realize they need help + call in the JLA + problem solved.
While this formula works for a 30 minute episode of Super Friends, as the comics audience matured, so did their need for more interaction in plots. However the writers of JLA have a unique problem, they cannot really do much to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, etc.., as those heroes are appearing in their own books where they have major changes originate.
This leaves the JLA writer able to change those characters not appearing regularly or the “B characters” Green Arrow, Black Canary, Atom, Hawkman, Elongated Man, Red Tornado, and Zatanna. (Firestorm was still appearing in his own title while he was in JLA).
DC saw what comics readers were attracted to, a group of characters that were more intensely intertwined More >
