Justice League America #64/65

The Revenge of Starbreaker!  At War with Starmaker!

Special Double Entry today.  I didn't like this arc very much, so I am just writing about it once more.  

In #65, Starbreaker looks a little like a cross between a vampire and a elf.  He doesn't quite have fangs, but those eyeteeth look pretty sharp.  The first page really gives the impression that he's about to sink his fangs into Maxima's neck.  That's one problem of reading these so long after release.  It is hard to pinpoint what else might be going on in the pop culture world at the time, and thus might be influencing the comic.  (Ah, for a time before Twilight.)

I am getting a little tired of this book now.  The constant fighting of villains, rather than amongst themselves, makes it a typical comic.  There is a bit of the old give and take between the members, but the story really focuses on the battle(s) with Starbreaker.  StarB is going to suck all the energy out of Almerac, destroying it to gain power.  The arrival of the JLA is going to help him, as he will be able to get more power to destroy the world sooner.  Good job, guys!

Tara is still making goo-goo eyes at Supes.  Bloodwynd is still being mysterious.  Guy is gone, of course.  Rant rant rant, fight fight fight, Almerac is saved.  The only part I liked is that Beetle was able to be the one to actually defeat Starbreaker.  And Booster almost missed the boat back to Earth (after Maxima is exiled).  

I also noticed that a lot of the letters actually include full addresses for people, and they are asking for pen pals.  Now that is a concept that seems to have gone the way of the dodo bird.  Who needs a postal pen pal now, with the number of discussion boards and forums online, as well as email and Twitter and Facebook.  Do kids these days even know what a pen pal is?

Justice League America #63

Well, we find out what is happening on Almerac.  A mysterious messenger arrives to tell Maxima that someone has taken over Almerac.  Well, what did she expect?  Taking off like a hussy to find a baby daddy?  

But first, the League is introduced to the new Headquarters, provided by the UN.  A big, modern, glass building near the UN itself.  Max says that, in exchange for providing security, the UN is leasing the JLA the building and "It's costing us a fortune."  Make a note of that, for later.

Ice, of course, is concerned about what Superman will think.  Ice is very reliant on men.  She doesn't, in this incarnation, appear to think much for herself.  First Guy, now Supes?  Anyway, they are touring the building, when Beetle wonders who is paying for it.  Now Max says that the UN is financing them.  What?  They gave you a beneficial lease rate, and then are paying the rent, too?  This is SO confusing.  

So after this, the Almerac ship crash lands, and Maxima goes off to find it.  She gets the message to return to Almerac, and tells the League she is leaving.  And about this time, Fire finds out she holds nine out of ten places on the worst dressed list!  Yes!  I told you, Bea!  

Anyway, Superman shows up to arrest Maxima, but finds out she is gone.  He demands that they go pull the crashed ship out of the river, and examine it.  Once he finds out that Almerac is in trouble, he wants to go there.  I think that Booster and Beetle have a point.  If the JLA can't even overthrow a ruler in Qurac (or Bialya, for that matter), then why do it on another planet.  But they go anyway.  Guy takes them all off to Almerac.

Maxima attacks the royal castle, where she finds the evil tyrant that has taken over.  Seasoned readers might recognize Starbreaker at this point, but I didn't.  

Apparently, Superman expected as much.  He wants to make a plan to attack, but Guy just wants to go in guns blazing.  So Guy takes off, quitting the League (again).  How will they get home?  Supes says he doesn't expect that to be a problem (they'll all be dead).  And then Starbreaker shows up, holding an unconscious Maxima in his arms.  This could be a problem.

I do like the older Justice League better.  But I will keep going through the Death of Superman, and we'll see how it is.  There is still a bit of the old League here, but it really does focus more on the story and the villain, rather than on the League.  And I liked it better without Superman.  I know most people want the big names (Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman) in the JLA, but not me.  I am a renegade!

Justice League America #62

I had a break for the holiday.  Longer than I anticipated, but I am back now.  I can finally find out what happened in that chess game…

Beetle's first move is to place Superman in the same square as Ice, thus allowing Supes to save her from the raging inferno.  This infuriates the Weapons Master, but it wasn't explicitly against the rules.  Ice is burning up, but there's not much Superman can do.  Ice has quite the crush on Superman.  "Call Me Tora."  "Are you married, Superman?"  I guess this was before the wedding.  

Beetle manages to send Booster and  Maxima to the same place, by placing them on opposite sides of the board.  Maxima is still principally concerned with getting Superman to father her children.  Booster is just being Booster, coming on to Maxima.  I'd rather have Booster than Supes. (but Mark is my first choice, of course.  Hi, Honey!)

Finally, Beetle plays the Guy Gardner piece.  Beetle has noticed that each player has just a few seconds of awareness before being transported, which is just enough for Guy to reestablish his ring connection, and get it back.  They can't quite beat the Weapons Master, but Guy does figure out (with prompting from Beetle) how to find the others.  And the Weapons Master high-tails it back to the yacht where his partner and the Dominator are waiting for the Green Lantern ring.  When the Dominator hears that WM doesn't have the ring, he gets mad, then gets dead.  Yes, WM kills him so he can't report WM's failure and ruin his reputation.  

While this is going on, Bloodwynd is visiting Max and Oberon, to tell them that the rest of the League has been mysteriously transported away, and that a yacht called "Isis" might have something to do with it. Bloodwynd fights Weapons Master to a standstill, but he still gets away.  Eventually, though, all our heroes are rescued and everyone is back in the right dimensions.  

But, who is Bloodwynd and why does he know so much?  What is happening on Almerac?  And will Guy and Tora get back together?  Who knows?  

Justice League America #60

Break Downs, Part 15

This is the last part of the Break Downs storyline (other than an epilogue in the next issue of JLE).  It is the last Giffen and DeMatteis issue in this run, and there will be a new creative team in the next book.  It really did feel like a "goodbye."

Max is still with Wanda, but he feels lost.  He thinks he is responsible for all the bad things that happened while possessed by Dreamslayer.  J'onn wants to leave the Justice League and explore the (relatively recently obtained) facts of his Martian heritage.  Catherine and Sue are concerned about how the Justice League will survive financially.  Blue Jay is still in mourning, as is Ice.  

Some of the heroes are less affected by events than these.  Guy is his same old blustery self.  Beetle is still a little overweight, and sensitive about it.  Fire is still Fire.  

But J'onn has a talk with Max, and convinces him that the League still needs him.  Max meets up with Oberon, and they go back to the League headquarters to, hopefully, fix things up.

I am looking forward to reading the next issues, and to see how the creative team changes the story.  As I am starting to read these back issues, and reading the current story lines, I am getting a feel for the writers and artists that I like.  When I first started reading comics, I didn't pay any attention to the creative team, but now that I am, I can see some differences.  

I also have to say, if I was trying to talk someone into reading comics now, I'd tell them to start with old stories, rather than the New 52.  I guess I am not the target audience now.

Justice League America #59

Break Downs, Part 13

This cover looks like a trip back to the Bwa-ha-ha's!  Things haven't been especially funny lately, so J'onn and Beetle in a big cauldron is amusing.  I think that's Power Girl tied up behind her.  I am not sure how you tie up Metamorpho, though.  Couldn't he just change elements and slip out of the rope? 

In a side note, this issue must mark a point where Mark switched the kind of bags he was using for comics.  Instead of being  taped closed, this one has a line of adhesive all the way across, which is making it difficult to open.  I wonder when he switched back to regular bags?

Not a lot happened in this issue.  At least, compared to the last few issues.  The League did go to KooeyKooeyKooey, where J'onn surrenders to Dreamslayer for the entire JLA.  Apparently he surrenders to save the life of the chief of KooeyKooeyKooey.  This is where I part ways with these superheroes.  Do you really surrender to save one guy, when the lives of so many are at stake.  We'll see how many people may die later, so the chief could live.  Of course, it is possible that J'onn is already being mind-controlled by Dreamslayer using Max's powers.

Batman shows up at the JLA cave, where Sue, Cath, the injured Guy Gardner and Ralph are still present, just in time to receive a message from KooeyKooeyKooey showing all the JLA members there, natively dressed and declaring themselves "The New Extremists."  That can't be good.

And we never got to see the boys in a cannibal's pot.  Lying cover.

Justice League #1

I am a little late posting today.  I actually had a job today!  But I still had time to read Justice League #1.  No, not that JLA #1.

This week, I read two different Justice League #1 comics.  The DCU New 52 version, which came out Wednesday, really was a reboot, no matter what DC says.  The comic introduces the reader to a DCU where Batman and Superman have not yet met; where anything "alien" is immediately suspicious, and anyone smacking of "superhero" is feared.  Comparing this issue to the 1987 Justice League #1 is comparing Christian Slater to Adam West.  

Which did I prefer?  Maybe I have turned into a fan girl, but I really liked the "historical" issue more.  The comic starts with Guy Gardner, sitting alone, practicing in his head the speech he intends to give to take control of the Justice League.  Black Canary is the first to arrive, and what an '80's look she sports!  A headband!  Shoulder pads!  A jump suit!  It's hard to tell, but it looks like she is wearing big, furry boots?  Given a lineup, I never would have picked her out as Black Canary.  Okay, I've had my complaints about skimpy costumes, but this is the burqa of superheroine costumes.  Black Canary is followed by Scott Free (Mr. Miracle) and Oberon (I am not familiar with Oberon, other than from the JLA Retroactive), Captain Marvel, Martian Manhunter, Blue Beetle, Batman and Dr. Fate.  

Everyone reacts pretty much as a constant reader would expect them too...  Batman is calm but in charge.  Guy flies off the handle.  Dr. Fate is mysterious.  Blue Beetle feels underutilized.  

We meet Max Lord, who at this time appears to be a mysterious figure behind the scenes, pulling strings and setting up the Justice League for something, be it good or bad.  And we meet Dr. Light (Kimiyo Hoshi) who received a mysterious invitation to join the Justice League, and is at the UN to give a speech.  Terrorists attack the UN, the newly-formed Justice League is called in by Kimiyo, and they save the day.  

This very nicely sets up the series.  We get an intro to ALL of the members of the new Justice League; we get a (seemingly) one-and-done bad guy; And lots and lots of story.  Compared to the New 52 JLA, we got a novel!

Granted, the art work in the newer story is much better; in general, given the tools and technology one would expect the art to be much better in the newer version.  I really disliked the faces, especially the women, in the older comic.  But I felt that the newer JLA lacked a little heart.  I didn't much care for any of the "heroes" introduced (Batman, Green Lantern, Superman).  I am curious what they are going to do with Vic (Cyborg).  I also wonder how this ties into the end of Flashpoint.  Since Barry and Bruce obviously knew one another, JLA must be happening much earlier in the continuity than the end of Flashpoint.   

And, once again, I was just as fascinated by the ads in the older comic.  Suicide Squad, The Young All-Stars, and the New Flash were all coming out soon.  And if you subscribed to Superman, Adventures of Superman or Wonder Woman, you would get a cloisonne Superman pin!  Subscribe to Wonder Woman and get a copy of Wonder Woman #1, autographed by George Perez!  And the subscription price was $9.00 a year!  Ah, those were the days.  

I am looking forward to continuing this run of the Justice League!  Tomorrow, more on Max Lord.  And maybe, Booster Gold?