Justice League #57

Breakdown, Part 9

"Maxwell Lord is back!  And the Extremists have got him!"  

I have never heard of the Extremists.  They look weird.  So much for the cover.  

We actually start off the issue in space.  I don't think I mentioned it at the time, but Despero was in a recent issue.  I think he wants revenge on the JLA.   Lobo is on the trail, looking for Despero for Manga Khan.  Lobo has started giving monologues like Manga Khan and all those who have attended and/or taken correspondent courses from him.  Poor Lobo.  

Camus (Inspector, not reporter; that's what I get for skipping installments) is trying to get a hold of the JLI to report that some robots (Extremist robots!) have gone missing, and that someone named Mitch Wacky might be in danger.  Should I know that name?  But the party at the cave (for Max coming out of the coma) is too loud and Beetle can't really hear -- or doesn't want to try too hard to hear.  But that's okay, because "The Beefeater" shows up to handle the problem.  Head slap.  Poor Camus.

Max makes it to the party, and we see all kinds of heroes there, as well as two little kids.  I have no idea who those kids are.  Who would bring kids to a superhero party?  Those never end well.  But nothing really happens.  Camus and Beefeater show up and join the party, after Max tells them he'll take care of the Extremists problem.  So, while everyone is having fun, Max takes off for KooeyKooeyKooey for some rest and rehab.

At some point, Camus decides to head to the JLA headquarters in New York to look for Mitch Wacky.  While he and Beefeater are looking, Despero arrives and pretty much destroys the headquarters, and maybe severely injures those two.  

And Max arrives on KooeyKooeyKooey, where Mitch Wacky is being forced to build/repair robots for .... DREAMSLAYER!  WHO HAS TAKEN OVER MAX'S BODY!  

Two big story lines.  What will happen next?  I won't know, as I don't have Breakdowns, Part 8.  

Justice League #56

Breakdown, Part 7

I do think I might be missing some things, not reading the other parts.  I would read them, but the JLE issues are now about 300 miles away in the comic book lounge.  I think I will get them out when I get home.  Maybe it's time to start the JLE from number one, and catch up to this story line.  Especially if the JLA is all changed up.

And right now, it looks like it might be breaking up.  Beetle leaves to try to join the Conglomerate, Fire and Ice (Bea and Tora, now) are off to find modeling careers, Doctor Light never wanted to be in the League anyway...  Everyone has something else to do.  

Except that Beetle fails the physical for the Conglomerate.  Guy is living with General Glory, who is bringing homeless people in to stay.  Fire and Ice are rejected by the first agent they see, and figure out that they really miss the League.  In fact, everyone figures that out. 

J'onn is drawn to the cave the JLA started in.  When he arrives, he finds that Fire and Ice had that same feeling, as did Guy and Ice.  And finally, we see the JLE in the cave.  Everyone wants to reform the JLA.  

There was some good dialog here, but this was the best: 

General Glory:  Doom Patrol?  Sounds like a nasty bunch of villians.

Beetle:  Nah, they're not bad guys, just surrealists.  

Justice League #55

Breakdown, Part 5

First page, I am already lost.  Blue Jay?  Who is that?  It appears as though the Justice League renegades, Beetle, Ralph, Ice and Captain Atom, are in conflict with the Global Guardians in Bialya.  One of the GG is dead.  Beetle seems like a voice of reason, wanting to stop the fight and find out what happened to Mermaid, but Captain Atom doesn't.  

Then, a check in with Queen Bee.  She wonders why the JLA is here now, but assumes the Global Guardians will take care of them.  And in another room, Sumaan is expositing about his role in this whole mess.  He had Jack kill Mermaid, I guess to make the JLA look bad.  He is determined to rule Bialya.

The rest of this issue is just action packed.  The renegades from the Justice League are trying to get away from the Global Guardians without a fight.  The Global Guardians are being mind-controlled by Queen Bee.  The rest of the JLI is coming in, at Queen Bee's request, to remove the renegades, who have uncovered the secret chambers where Queen Bee has her mind controlling equipment.

Suddenly, there is a big explosion, and the hidden complex collapses, with everyone inside.  The Queen is distressed because this will reveal her evil machination, and she moves to get out of the country.  Ice has saved all the JLA inside the complex, and they start tending to the other wounded.  The Global Guardians realize they have been mind-controlled, and that Jack O'Lantern is NOT really Jack O'Lantern.  And, by the way, Kurt Heimlich is a robot?  

Ice seems to get some sort of mental call about her family, and she flies off.  Fire follows.  Sumaan kills Queen Bee.  Wow!  This was some issue!

And in a final note, the letter column was put in the middle of the book, to make room for double-page spreads and a ballot to vote on who should be in the Justice League.  It is quite the list.  There are 40 characters listed, and they don't say how many you should vote for.  Maybe six?  Is that what the League usually has?  And you could have a write in vote.  Hmmm.  G'nort's not on the list.  I know who I'd vote for.  Booster, Beetle, Fire, Ice, Elongated Man and Martian Manhunter.  But Sue Dibny comes with Ralph, right?

Justice League #54

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!  This is a 15-PART!!!! miniseries.  I was just reading on the DC wiki that it also signals a move from a humorous book to a more serious book.  We are changing creative teams.  Boo-hoo, sob, cry.  But this might also explain the cover of issue 54, which looks like Blue Beetle and Ice have thrown away their costumes, and are walking into the night together.  

So, the new JLI leader takes over.  The first page shows Kurt in the office of the Ambassador of Bialya.  From this, I learn that apparently Captain Atom has done something in Bialya in the second part of this story arc.  We then see Kurt calling the JLE embassy and telling Sue that she should pack up Captain Atom's bags, so he'd be kicked to the curb when he got back from Bialya.  Meanwhile, in Bialya, Sumaan Harjavti, the brother of the deposed and murdered Rumaan, is plotting with Jack'o'lantern to take out the Queen Bee.  I am not sure if they are the ones plotting against Max in order to get the Justice League to take out the Queen or not, bu it seems as they are.  And then the plane carrying Captain Atom and Camus (a reporter?) out of Bialya explodes.  Since it is Captain Atom, the only people on that plane that I would be worried about are the pilots.

Kurt is on his way to the JLA headquarters, where everyone is worried he's going to clean house, like he did in London (Ralph and Atom both fired).  In fact, he fires Beetle and Ice.  I think Fire used her wiles to stay on.  Guy might have been fired, but didn't let Kurt get a word in.  Then Kurt brings in the Tasmanian Devil and Doctor Light.  Tasmanian Devil really doesn't like Guy.

And even more story...  Crimson Fox, Ralph, Camus and Captain Atom bring Beetle and Ice into a secret group to get the Queen Bee, and return to Max to power so that they can get rid of Kurt Heimlech.  

Again, I am impressed by how much story is told in one of these issues.  The new JLA would probably have taken 5 issues to this one.  I guess maybe it's a matter of liking the new art so much that one can sacrifice the speed of storytelling?  I don't know, but I like these so much better.

Justice League #53

First Part of "Break Downs." 

And I am noticing that the next issues are number 3 and number 5.  So I guess, once again, I will miss partial issues in a series.  Darn you, DC.  

I had already forgotten that Max was shot at the end of the last issue.  I was looking at this cover and wondering if it was Beetle in the hospital (after getting beat up by Max), but, no, Beetle is there.  I just thought Guy looked so broken up.  Everyone looks very sad.  And the doctor seems to be telling them someone is dead.  

We get a recap at the beginning of the issue.  Max Lord is shot while out with his current girlfriend.  He doesn't really seem to have been shot-shot, though, as there was no noise, and the bullets appeared from nowhere.  We also learn that Max was once married, to the current head of the Conglomerate (which may be the super-group that Booster left to join?).  I think she must have something to do with it!

So while Max is lying in the hospital, the UN is debating on whether to let the JLI keep their charter.  Since Max is dying, who could possibly run the JLI?  Since Max hasn't really been around, and since the JLI really doesn't seem to do much in the way of fighting super-villians, I think anyone could!

The JLI is standing around in the hospital, debating what to do.  Will Max be okay?  Should Guy be there?  (Since Max didn't have a chance to fire him, he hasn't left yet.)  Fire complains that she feels so helpless, not being out looking for the culprit.  Everyone goes in to see Max, who is in critical condition (and in a HUGE bed).  Booster and his boss (Max's ex wife) come in.  So now there are at least 9 people in this room, standing around the bed.  This is one huge hospital room!  And with all these people, Max's current girlfriend is nowhere to be seen.  Hmmmm.

Then, J'onn gets a call that the JLI is needed.  And Fire, who has just been complaining about not doing anything at the hospital, doesn't want to leave.  Argh.  But the whole JLA goes off to fight rescue people in a subway tunnel that collapsed.  

Once the JLA leaves, the JLA arrives.  The Justice League ANTARCTICA!  Well, they aren't JL-Antarctica anymore, they are just a bunch of second-rate villains.  But they should get to visit Max, too.  They like Max. Perhaps they should have come one at a time, as they really scare the guards and staff.  Eventually things work out, and J'onn puts "JL-Ant" in charge of guarding Max.  

At the same time, though, the UN is getting together to completely reform the JLI, under Kurt Heimlich.  I am not sure who this is.  

And, before I forget, there was a brief interlude with Manga Khan in this issue.  To me, it sounded like he might be after OMAC.  Hmmmm.

Justice League #43

I love the cover of this book.  I wish I had JLI playing cards!  It would be pretty cool.  I wonder that Blue Beetle gets to be a Jack, though.  One would think he and Booster would be Jokers.  And speaking of Booster, he isn't even in the League anymore, but he is still appearing in the little DC logo box.  I have noticed it rotates between Beetle and Booster, or Ice and Fire (and sometimes no one at all).  

So, the issue starts with Sonar robbing a bank.  He's finally figured out that having a bunch of money is better than not being a world conqueror.  But he can't catch a break.  The JLA shows up (because Max and J'onn want to see how well the new recruits fit in, and how Bea's powers are doing), and instead of catching Sonar, they create a minor disaster area and manage to burn up all the cash Sonar took.  Sonar gets away with the help of...  Wally Tortolini!  Yes, the intrepid free-lance reporter is back, and figures that helping Sonar might lead to a better story than the JLA one nobody wants. 

So while Beetle is dying of laughter at the idea of the whole JLA being beaten by Sonar, Sonar himself is taking Wally to "The Dark Side," a supervillian hangout where the villians can let down their hair and relax.  

I love the "Big Board" that tells where people are.  Dead, imprisoned, Insane, crisis of conscience...  and, we see later, in jail.  I guess you might want to know where everyone is.  The JLA should have one of these boards!

Also enjoyable, some of the conversations going on:  "I did too beat Superman! 

Wally and Sonar get into a poker game with some of the other villains, who apparently aren't very good at cards.  Wally wins everyone's super-gadgets.  Oh, nothing bad could result from that...

Justice League #41

This issue opens with Max explaining his power to bend minds to J'onn.  But, he tells J'onn, he's become more ethical and thoughtful since getting this power, and he'll use it wisely.  Except when he makes his chauffeur believe his name is really Rodolpho.  Max is a LIAR!

(And, no, A.H., I don't remember Invasion.  No one does.  And it never really happened, at least according to D.D.  If Invasion didn't happen, then Max could never have killed Beetle, because he wouldn't have had the powers.  Hmmmm.)

Then Max uses his powers to make a girl talk to him.  Yeah, morals.  Of course, he passes out on his way into his apartment with the girl (Wanda) and then has the most vivid dreams about fighting Lord Evil and various other villians, and then learning a lesson about misuse of power.  But I really expected Wanda to be dead in the bedroom when Max walked in.  I guess she still could be.  Or I thought she might have drugged Max.  

This was a really nice one-part story, tying in to the overall idea of Max gaining powers without having to have a lot of other stuff thrown in.  I wonder if they ever used any of Max's dream villians as real ones?  Lord Evil, Masked Robber, or Massivtron?  How come I always think of this stuff when I don't have access to the Internet?  (Okay, as I was posting, I looked up these villians.  Unfortunately, you can't really look up "Masked Robber" since he figures in too many real news stories.  Even "Masked Robber, DC" ends up with countless hits.  Washington DC must have a lot of masked robberies.)

There are TWO different comic strip ads in this book.  I was ready for Part IV of Capri Sun, but not Bonk's Adventures.  I think that must be an ad for a video game.  I don't remember it.

Justice League #40

I am sure the cover is supposed to have us believing that Mr. Miracle is dead.  I even imagine that maybe the JLA thinks he is dead.  However, I don't see Barda in the crowd that is walking away on the front cover!

---->  NO BARDA  ---------------------------------------------------------------------->

We pick up right where the last issue left off.  Despero (love the UN flag cape, by the way) is still on the verge of killing Beetle.  J'onn once again arrives in the knick of time, maybe.  He is telling Despero not to kill beetle, and we see Despero squeeze (out of panel) and blood dripping.  Is the end for Beetle, as well?  Wait!  I suspect that the Martian Manhunter has planted these thoughts in Despero's mind.  Despero thinks he is killing the League, but is not really!  

(Drat, another Capri Sun ad.  I hate comic ads in comics.  They take me out of the story, thinking I should be reading them.   But this is an ongoing one.  From issue to issue...  This was part III.)

Indeed, Fire has died, and I suspect even more that J'onn has planted these thoughts/images in Despero's mind.  Despero thinks a little about his homeworld and his mother.  I need to find an origin story for this.  It sounds interesting.  Finally, Despero destroys earth and himself.  And, no, it was a dream.  J'onn employed the Martian technique of Mayavana, which may only be used once in a Martian's life.  Thank you, deus ex machina. 

Scott's funeral.  Hey, Barda is there.  Booster shows up, but just to recruit Gypsy.  Maybe not.  Beetle hits him.  Everyone is depressed.  Guy is trying to comfort Ice, and is very nice about it.  Could this be the beginning of Ice and Guy as a couple?  And then some stranger shows up at Scott's grave...his brother?   

And there is a JLA recruitment on!  

Justice League #39

We're back to J'onn and Gypsy.  J'onn says Gypsy means more to him than almost anyone else on Earth.  She reminds him of his long-dead wife.  Despero uses those feeling to make J'onn remember the awful times on Mars, when his family died.  It almost kills him, and Despero goes back to tormenting Gypsy.  He is just ready to kill her when Guy shows up!  He kicks Despero "from here to eternity."  But somehow I don't think that is really the case.  

In fact, Despero has landed in Long Island Sound, where Guy and the rest of the League catch up to him.  Despero proceeds to take out virtually all of the League and half of mid-town Manhattan (giving Beetle a nice compliment in the process).  It seems as though Despero has even killed Mr. Miracle.  But, the reader surmises, that wasn't really Mr. Miracle.  It was a robot Mr. Miracle.  That's why he was behaving oddly.  

And then, the ominous proclamation of J'onn:  to get rid of Despero, J'onn will have to DESTROY THE JUSTICE LEAGUE! What is J'onn up to?  I know he has some plan.  I just hope Gypsy doesn't get killed.  Save

Justice League #38

or "What happened to the garbage?"  

That's my title, not Giffen's.  The first five pages of this issue are a copy of the article written for SPY by the reporter who was snatching the JLA trash in previous issues.  And, boy, did he find trash!

He outs Ted as the Blue Beetle (insulting his name at the same time).  He reveals that Oberon is, probably, stealing letters from Barda to Scott.  Poor Guy was probably in a sanatarium for seven years.  He uncovered Fire's identity as Beatriz (from peroxide and green dye bottles!) and nothing on Ice.  And Booster Gold missed out on winning Publisher's Clearinghouse prizes.  

And then we find out that it isn't even printed in the magazine.  The publisher pulls the piece!  Who is responsible?  The "European Distributor," who just happens to be Crimson Fox of Justice League Europe.  Oops.

Then we flash back to the guy I thought looked like a red Martian.  But, in fact, it is actually Despero?  He goes after Steel (not familiar to me Steel...), and when Despero finds him dead, he kills every one else in the lab.  But Despero will find the JLA and KILL THEM (and we see a gas station where gas is $0.91 a gallon.  Remember that?).  

So, Despero is going after old members of the JLA.  Steel first, then Gypsy.  JLA gets an alert when Despero starts taking out Gypsy's whole town, after killing her Mom and Dad.  J'onn makes it just in time to stop Despero from killing Gypsy.  Oh, boy.  Action packed issue!  The writers could really pack story into a single issue back then.  

Sigh....

And a couple comments...  What is wrong with Mr. Miracle?  And is Booster forming another super hero team?  

Justice League #17

When we left off, Queen Bee had just ordered Wandjina to kill Rumaan Harjvati, the despot of  Bialya and declared herself Queen.  So, what happens next?

Queen Bee is holding all the important guests in isolation and the outside world doesn't know what is going on.  (I am really enjoying some of the references, but they'd probably go over the head of a young reader now...Jim Nabors?  Really!)  Captain Atom is upset that Batman got the team into a situation they apparently couldn't handle, but Oberon isn't worried.

Meanwhile, in Bialya, the former Global Guardians are getting a little worried about what the Queen is doing, and Batman has changed his disguise from Bruce Wayne to Max Lord.  But was Max even supposed to be there?  How could this fool anyone?  It seems to me that the Bat is not thinking very hard here.  I agree with Captain Atom.  And why weren't the Bialyans the least bit suspicious about the Legion flight ring they found on Booster?  Didn't they realize then he was a
superhero?

Anyway, eventually Bats, Green Flame, Booster and Beetle all meet up again (no one fully dressed except for Batman...hmmmm, maybe he is thinking), and are trying to escape when they run into Wandjina  and...Captain Atom saves the day.  Not quite sure how he got in there.  But he did.  They want to try to take Queen Bee in, but apparently the Bialyans love her and want her in power, so they have to leave her.

But what about the space-bound JLI members?  They get a couple pages here, too.  Barda manages to rig up a boom tube so their non-hyperspace space ship can follow the cluster ships.  Off they go...

I've been getting weird looks when I read these books in public.  I am incapable of not giggling when reading these.  

Justice League #16

Rumaan Harjati is back in this issue.  Max and Batman decide that the League needs to find out what he is up to, and stop it.  So, Batman and part of the team (the part that is not off following Mr. Miracle trapped on a shopping expedition to the stars) go undercover to find out what is going on in Bialya.

Of course, Batman goes undercover as Bruce Wayne.  But none of the others (Green Flame -- I can't get used to that, Beetle and Booster) know that Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same person.  And they don't even suspect?  These guys are NOT the world's greatest detectives!  So Flame is posing at Bruce's lastest bimbo, and Booster and Beetle are aide-de-camps/assistants.

Now, I am not sure, but does everyone (the world, or just the JLI) know that the Blue Beetle is Ted Kord?  Is Ted Kord head of Kord Industries at this time? Because I would have thought that Ted could get invited to this, too.  Unless Rumaan knows that Ted is the Blue Beetle.  Argh.  No wonder DC wants to start over every now and then.

I am not sure what the deal is with Flame's hair.  It looks like she is wearing a mop for a wig.  I am sure that the JLI could afford better wigs for her!  But we do find out that is actually "Ms. Dacosta" -- so this is actually Fire -- and Bruce knows her secret identity.  If it is actually secret.

(Did you know that Fire served the longest of any JLI member?  I didn't.)

So, we find out that Rumaan is in cahoots with Queen Bee, and several former members of the Global Guardians. (Is this how the Bialyans figured out that Bruce and his bimbo weren't who they seemed to be? Someone recognized Flame!) Rumaan unveils his secret weapon, who is actually the alien superhero Wandjina (who in a previous issue was exposed to a nuclear reactor in Russia, while saving the world).
Queen Bee has Wandjina kill Rumaan and takes over Bialya.

Wow, what an issue.  And this doesn't even include the space chase -- a few pages dedicated to the JLI'ers who are in space to rescue Mr. Miracle.  

Justice League #14

I haven't even started reading this, and I am excited already.  Fire and Ice!  Yes!  

<brief break to read comic>

Wait a minute...is that Fire?  Green Flame -- and she doesn't really look like Beatriz.  Ice Maiden I can accept.  Hmmm...

<Go back to reading...>

Gnort!

<okay, finish the darn comic already...>

Excellent!  We have an invader from space that gives the Earth an ultimatum (and has wisecracking robot sidekicks and lackeys).  We have Blue Beetle, Mr. Miracle and Booster Gold bonding over football (but why isn't Barda in the JLI, too?).  We have Green Flame and Ice Maiden trying to worm their way into the League, and maybe get a paycheck.  And we have Gnort, who might save the world, or something.  

Last issue, I complained about Black Canary being out of the League (because that's what the letter column said), but this week Martian Manhunter just refers to her being out of touch.  Hmmmm.  Guy and Captain Adam made the cover, and were seen standing around, but really didn't have anything to do.  Is the League too big?  I don't think so.  Not everyone has to be be in every issue, do they?  

Overall, I thought this was A GREAT issue, and hope it continues in next month's book.

Justice League #12

So, we can blame Martian Manhunter for the fact that Maxwell Lord lives another day, and eventually kills Ted Kord.  Thanks, J'onn!

Yes, this issue we finally learn the truth about Maxwell Lord and why he got JLI together.  It was a plot hatched by an alien computer that was afraid of death.  The computer coerced Max (it wasn't really too hard) to try to take over the world.  Max, though, had second thoughts after the his "death" at the hands of a Manhunter, and wrecked the computer, killing the sentience.  In doing so, he also destroyed the force that was repairing his body after being shot, and he almost died again.  

I am not sure I would have let Max continue to be involved with the League.  In fact, it seems to me he committed a number of crimes that J'onn should have learned about (hiring the Royal Flush gang and the terrorist gang at the UN), and that should have sent him to jail at the very least.  He certainly wasn't a very nice guy before the computer took charge, either.

I was reading the letter column, and I noticed the DC Statement of Ownership on the last page.. Some interesting information from therein:  

Annual Subscription Price:  $9.00

Print Run:  280,284.  

Sales through dealers, newstands, etc.:  182,550

Subscriptions:  1568

Free Copies:  980

Returned Copies:  89,220

I am going to have to check some more recent issues to see if this information is still published.  It seems very interesting, especially comparing it to current sales figures.  

Justice League International #11

I almost forgot to post my comic today.  It would have been a sad end to my streak of reading one a day.  I did read it, even if I am a little late posting.

Millennium is over (good) and we are back to our normal JLI.  I am relieved, but Maxwell Lord is not.  He wants the more powerful members, not the second-stringers (Blue Beetle, both Captain Atom and Martian Manhunter agree, is the second-stringer he is referring to).  Max is in trouble and needs help.  (I really need to find out what happened in Millennium.  Last time I saw Max, he was bleeding on floor, shot by his assistant.)

Well, the second-stringers do manage to save Max at least once, when weird robots take over his building.  Construct, whom they've faced before (when?), is defeated, and flees to his "Master."  That's when they discover they are really up against Metron.  Now that name is familiar, but I will have to ask Mark or look him up.  He must be from New Gods or something, since Mr. Miracle knows him.  But maybe I'll learn more in tomorrow's exciting edition. 

Hopefully, I won't be posting that at 11 pm!

Justice League International #10

What's with this cover?  None of the people were in my previous JLI! Superman, go away.  Hal Jordan? -- No way, where's my GUY?  Two GLs I don't even recognize.  Hmmmmm.  I guess this Millennium thing is bigger than I thought.

The Millennium story appears to be winding down.  In this issue, Superman, the Hawks, a bunch of Green Lanterns, Fate, Firestorm and Captain Atom have made their way to the planetary home of the Manhunters.  Through a bunch of luck and some subterfuge, they manage to kill (is it kill when it is a robot you are offing?) all the Manhunters and scare off Momma Manhunter.  Of course, she was the only thing holding the planet together, so it pretty much disintegrated when she left.  

Oh, and Gnort was there.  Hal and the other Green Lanterns were desparately trying to avoid him.  I am not quite sure why Gnort made an appearance here, but maybe we'll hear more from him in a future issue?

I really want to get back to the REAL JLI.  According to the letter column, we'll learn Max Lord's story soon. (Cue sinsiter music.)  

We did have a short back up story of Blue Beetle and Mr. Miracle trying to figure out a Manhunter ship, with a guest appearance by Kilowog.  

Justice League International #9

Okay, I am lost.  This issue of JLI was part of the big crossover event called Millennium.  Apparently, a lot of the people are taken over by Mannhunters.  This did remind me of the recent series where a lot of people were taken over by OMACS.  Or by Black Lanterns.  Apparently this is a fairly common plot device in comics.  You’d think the heros would start expecting it by now. 

So our story starts off with the group returning from somewhere. I should have read Millenium #1 first, according to the editor’s note.  J’onn is a little confused by what the Zamorans and Guardians told the group.  Since I don’t know what they were told, I am doubly confused.  And I also wonder why sometimes the flight-enabled heroes ride inside the JLI shuttle, and sometimes they fly.  Depends on how they feel that day?  So anyway, Booster, Guy (still nice Guy) and J’onn are flying outside the shuttle, while inside thre rest of the crew is confronted by Rocket Red, who declares he is a Manhunter (isn’t J’onn “the Martian Manhunter”?  How does that relate to these guys?  Does it at all?).  He asks them to join him, or die.  Meanwhile, he is steering them into Bialyan airspace.

Never fear, though, after a big fight (and some jokes from Batman – I would almost believe this is really Dick Grayson rather than Bruce Wayne), the other Rocket Reds respond to save the day.  But they have flown into Bialya.  What will happen there?  Turns out, not much.  But I am SURE something will be happening here.  Our back story shows the Bialyan “president” trying to arrange for his own super-powered terrorist team. 

Oh, and Max Lord is shot by his assistant, Ms. Wootenhoffer, who is a Manhunter.

I did see an interesting ad in this issue, for 50^th Birthday Superman medallions.  You could get them in bronze, gold-plated bronze, and pure silver ($18.95 for silver).  I was curious, and checked E-Bay.  Not much listed, but a huge price range for a variety of Superman-related coins.  Too bad we didn't invest in these!

Justice League International #8

It's moving day for the JLI!  Issue #8 doesn't really give us any JLI action.  It does supply plenty of JLI banter and shenanigans.  The team has to set up embassies around the world (all in one day?), and conditions aren't always the best.  The New York building is falling apart.  The Soviets don't want Guy, and the women in France shoot down Booster's attempted pick ups.  All-in-all a very tidy issue, and one I enjoyed a lot.  

One thing I noticed, though:  J'onn likes Oreos.  I think in later books, they refer to the cookies by a different name.  I wonder who complained?  Did Oreos not like them using the brand name?  I can hardly imagine that.

I also don't know anything about the Global Guardians mentioned in the book.  I guess they must have had a book of their own at one point.  Apparently, they were the superhero group previously sanctioned  (sort of) by the UN.  With the JLI in, the Global Guardians are out.  I assume that we will see more of them in future issues, as there might be some ill-feelings.

Finally, Millennium is coming.  That must be the big crossover event of 1987/1988.  I wonder if I will understand what is going on.  If not, there is always wikipedia.

One last note, the New 52 version of JLI #1 came out this week, and Mark and I will be talking about it on the podcast this week.  I may express some opinions on it after we tape, but we are trying not to discuss our opinions before then.  I think it should be very interesting...

Justice League #7

It's finally here!  The title changes to Justice League INTERNATIONAL!   Now we're getting to the fun part...

I really enjoyed this extra-long special issue.  We start off in JL headquarters, with poor Guy recovering from his "interaction" with Batman.  Unfortunately, he whacks his head again when he is trying to find his ring, and ends up passed out under a counter.  Poor Guy!  

Meanwhile, back in Bedford Falls (opps, Stone Ridge), the rest of the League starts waking up from the Gray Man debacle to find that Fate has already taken care of the problem.  He could have handled it all along.  Thanks, Fate, really.

We finally get to see Barda (Scott Free's wife), in a way I am not used to at all.  Shorts and bunny slippers?  Gotta love it.  Poor Scott seems a little hen-pecked, though.  It would be a brave man who could be married to Barda.

Hal comes to JL headquarters to talk to Guy.  And they discover Guy's personality has been totally changed by the bonk on the head.  He's a nice, considerate Guy now, leaving everyone bewildered.  How long with this last?

Finally, there is another international (get it?) issue that requires the Justice League, which prompts the UN to approve their charter as an international group.  Except they have to accept two new members -- Rocket Red from the USSR and Captain Atom from the US.  Although why they need more US members is beyond me.. 

So there it is, Justice League International!

Justice League #6

I wonder how many people read (did before or do now) the letter columns?  I know some people must, since they write in.  Back before the Internet, that was the message board for comics.  Now, though, it seems that the letter column might be a bit redundant.  Letters are two months old before they appear, and the same things have been said on the boards the day after the issue came out.  But I do enjoy reading the older letter columns...

"...the verdict is in, and ...almost ALL our readers gave us a thumbs up to the new Justice League..."

Will we be seeing that in a month in the current JLA?  I don't expect so, but it does apply to THIS Justice League, as quoted from the letter column of Justice League #6, 1987.  

So, in this issue, we really start getting a lot of that interplay between the Leaguers that makes me like this run so much; Black Canary getting annoyed because all the men are trying to save or protect her, Batman almost making jokes, Blue Beetle being amazed at Batman.  

The team faces off against the Grey Man, and ends up being transported to ... somewhere ... by Dr. Fate.  Meantime, Guy is still passed out from Batman's punch, Captain Marvel is knocked out from Martian Manhunter's punch, and Max Lord is talking to Hal Jordan about the Justice League.  And what in the world is Hal Jordan wearing!?  I can't believe Hal would ever wear a sweater with the sleeves tied around his neck, even in 1987!  

I do really love this comic.