The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode 59 - Avengers #53 (1968)

The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode Fifty-Nine

Avengers #53 (June, 1968)
"In Battle Joined!"
Writer - Roy Thomas
Pencils - John Buscema
Inks - George Tuska
Letters - Artie Simek
Edits - Stan Lee
Cover Price: 12¢

Not even a two-hour bout of oral surgery could stop your humble host from wrapping up our Magneto arc on time!  Which is to say... I'm a bit more loopy than usual today, gang!

But what a day it is... we're finally getting Round Two of AvX... and a Silver Age Dagwood Sandwich of a story that will likely leave us all scratching our heads!  It's hero vs. hero... villain vs. villain... tweener vs. tweener -- it's a wild ride all the way though!  Either that, or these painkillers I'm taking are some really wicked stuff!

You be the judge!

--

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The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode 055 - Avengers #49 (1968)

The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode Fifty-Five

Avengers #49 (February, 1968)
"Mine is the Power!"
Writer - Roy Thomas
Art - John Buscema
Letters - Artie Simek
Colors - Oh, yew know
Edits - Stan Lee
Cover Price: 12¢

Wrapping up our three-issue stint with Earth's Mightiest to discuss the return of Magneto.  Today, he continues attempting to convince Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch into putting the Brotherhood Band back together... with unexpected results.  He also approaches the United Nations Security Council in hopes of... get this... establishing sovereign nation-hood for Mutants!  Wow, where have we heard THAT before (or since)?

Plus, we wrap up our Roy's Recollections feature from Alter Ego #24 (2003), where our Boy gets rather snippy and also discusses the latter-half of his first go-round with the Muties!

I also kvetch for awhile about variant covers... fun times, indeed!

--

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The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode 053 - Avengers #47 (1967)

The Essential X-Lapsed, Episode Fifty-Three

Avengers #47 (December, 1967)
"Magneto Walks the Earth!"
Writer - Roy Thomas
Pencils - John Buscema
Inks - George Tuska
Letters - L.P. Gregory
Colors - Stan Goldberg (uncredited)
Edits - Stan Lee
Cover Price: 12¢

Shifting gears slightly from our flagship X-Men title, we're beginning our three-part detour into Avengers, where we will bear witness to the return of Magneto!  How did he manage to escape the barren world of The Stranger... and what role did Dane Whitman, the eventual Black Knight play in it?

Also: For Silver-Age Avengers fanatics, Captain America resigns from the team, the Wasp buys an airplane, Herc finds Olympus deserted, and Hawkeye feigns a headache to get out of being intimate with the Black Widow!

All that, plus a reading from Titan Books' Comic Creators on X-Men, featuring an interview with Roy Thomas about his time with the X-Men by Tom DeFalco.

--

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MCP #4 - Wolverine

Marvel Comics Presents #4 (Wolverine)
"Save the Tiger, Part 4 of 10: The Ordeal"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Pencils - John Buscema
Inks - Klaus Janson
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Assistant Edits - Michael Rockwitz
Edits - Terry Kavanagh
Chief - Tom DeFalco

We're back on the Marvel side of the street... with another issue of Marvel Comics Presents!  Let's check in with our leading man...

--

We open with Wolverine waking up... chained and bound.  He is soon joined by Sapphire Styx, that woman who wouldn't stop introducing herself back at the Princess Bar... and who, kinda sucked out his soul with a kiss last chapter.  She's here... well... to pretty much do the same thing again.  It would appear that she's some sort of energy-vampire or something.  She plants one on him, which envelops him in darkness... and leaves him as gentle as a pup.

Enter: Mr. Roche, Razorfist, and some dude whose just really happy to be there.  Roche introduces himself as the "Crimelord" of Madripoor... which is kind of adorable, and he plans to do whatever it takes to pry some information out of our hero.  He wants information on "The Tiger"... and they're going to get it, one way... or another.  He motions to the fella who's just really happy to be there... and it looks like it's about to be torture time!

Back at the Princess Bar, Jess and O'Donnell chat a bit about the curious hairy stranger that popped by earlier.  Jessan doesn't remember him, but notes that he said he knew her in the "old days".  O'Donnell reminds her that she's a different person now.  She acknowledges this fact, and comments that she doesn't even miss the woman she used to be.

From here, we get a page and a half of Wolverine being tortured.  The tormentors finally decide to throw it in for the day, and leave our hero to his lonesome.  It's here that Chris Claremont dutifully reminds us that our main man is packin'... both razor-sharp Adamantium claws... and a Mutant healing factor.  For those keeping score, I think we're now four-for-four on those reminders!  He cuts himself free of his shackles, and after a time, stumbles his way out of wherever the hell he's being held.  Unfortunately for him, he stumbles right into the path of... Razorfist!

Ol' Fist... well, he kicks the weakened Wolvie's ass... stabbing him in the throat... and tossing him into the drink, which rushes right into a waterfall.  Hmm... Roche ain't gonna find out what he wants to know this way, will he?  Whatever the case, Razorfist salutes the assumed dead Wolverine, and laments that they could've been great enemies.  Well, maybe don't flatter yourself too much there, Fist...

--

While I enjoyed this, for what it was... I gotta say that this was probably the weakest chapter of the Wolverine story up to this point.  Doesn't make it bad... just makes it "not as good" as they had been.

It's mostly an expositional episode... but, it's done quite well.  It never feels like we're being lectured... or just having information "dumped" on us.  Right now, as a sister-project here at the site, I'm going through the recent House of X/Powers of X event... and, I wish there were more of this in that... than what we're getting there.  Claremont was able to "show don't tell", or perhaps more accurately "show and tell", whereas today... we're just dolloped scoop after scoop of info-dump.

Even though all we're getting here was information... about Roche, about Jessan... it doesn't ever feel like we're reading a page in a textbook... and for that, I can't not like this for what it is.  That said, there also isn't all that much for me to expound on here... it really is a case of "it is what it is".  A foundational chapter, from which we'll hopefully build on in future installments.

Good... not great.

Tomorrow: Man-Thing!

MCP #3 - Wolverine

Marvel Comics Presents #3 (Wolverine)
"Save the Tiger, Part 3 of 10: The Gals"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Pencils - John Buscema
Inks - Klaus Janson
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Assistant Edits - Michael Rockwitz
Edits - Terry Kavanagh
Chief - Tom DeFalco

Welcome to Week Three!

Once we get through this issue, we'll have the same amount of Marvel Comics Presents under our belts as we have DC's New Talent Showcase.  Hmm... 

So tell me, gang... would you rather we just press on with the MCPs... or maybe flip-flop from this point on?  Does anyone have a preference?  Does anybody even care?  *tap-tap* is this thing on?

Lemme know!

--

We pick up right where we left off... with Wolverine surprised that he'd run into Jessan Hoan.  Whodat?  Well, let's find out.  She is a financial whiz-kid from Singapore, who got caught up with the X-Men during a Reavers attack in the Australian Outback days of the team.  We jump ahead to Roma offering the X-Men the opportunity to pass through the Siege Perilous... which is a pretty big (and nebulous) subject unto itself.  Jessan refused to pass through... and so, Roma offered to just send her back to the moment before she got all entangled with the merry Mutants.  So... while Logan recognizes her... she hasn't the foggiest idea who the weird hairy creep she just met in the street is.  Man, an editorial footnote here might've been of assistance.

Wolverine and Jessan start to rumble... she ain't takin' kindly to him pawing all over her, and so... she takes a page out of the Mr. Fuji playbook, and blinds him with some powder before hip-tossing him into the street, right into the path of an oncoming truck.  This allows Claremont to drop a reference to Wolverine's mutant healing ability... which makes us three-for-three!  The fight s'more, with Jessan giving our hero the slip... and then running him over with a stolen motorcycle!

While our man licks his wounds, he is approached by sweet, sweet Sapphire from the Princess Bar.  Whatta thirsty broad!  She attempts to sweet-talk him, however that doesn't work all that well.  So, instead... she just plants a kiss on him.  This is one whopper of a kiss, from Sapphire "Styx"... as Wolverine is suddenly "consumed... by a sea of shadows".

Logan pushes Sapphire away, and attempts to flee the scene.  Unfortunately for him, he stumbles right into the waiting spikes of... Razorfist!  Wolvie's kayoed... and Sapphire (who is in cahoots with Roche... and prob'ly ol' Fist) looks about ready to strike.

--

Another solid chapter!

I tell ya what... I was not expecting any references to The Siege Perilous.  That seems like one of the more esoteric bits of Claremont's X-Men run... and, it's kind of weird seeing a nod to it here.  I know a lot of folks feel like the X-Men line of books (even back in the late-80's), were daunting to downright overwhelming.  I couldn't imagine what those on the outside might've thought upon seeing the team pass through a giant brooch to begin their new lives!

As a fan of the X-Fam, I loved seeing this reference... though, as mentioned during the synopsis, I feel as though an editorial footnote (or five) might've come in handy for the uninitiated.

Outside of the callback, this is basically a big fight scene.  Wolverine underestimates Jessan, and gets thrown in front of a truck... and run over by a motorcycle for his troubles.  Thankfully he's got that (oft-mentioned) Mutant healing ability!  We also get the "swerve" on sweet, sweet Sapphire.  She of the soul-sucking kiss... or something.  I thought it was weird that Claremont kept making sure to give her a little bit of panel-time over the last couple of chapters... so, it was neat to see it pay off here.

Razorfist... the character we spent half of last chapter building up, gets a panel and a half of play-time... but, I don't really have a problem with that.  I'm sure we'll see plenty more of him during the remaining five chapters.

Overall, I really dug this... and I'm looking forward to more!

Tomorrow: Body Horror!

MCP #2 - Wolverine

Marvel Comics Presents #2 (Wolverine)
"Save the Tiger, Part 2 of 10: The Bad Guy"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Pencils - John Buscema
Inks - Klaus Janson
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Assistant Edits - Michael Rockwitz
Edits - Terry Kavanagh & Michael Higgins
Chief - Tom DeFalco

Hey gang... today we kick off issue #2, which is always a bit of a let-down, from a content-creation point of view.  Gone is the "freshness" and novelty of the project... and now, it's just become "business as usual".  The initial excitement (if there ever was any) sorta wears off... and we go back to being just a repository for future researchers to hopefully happen across when looking for information on these lesser-discussed anthologies.

Well... chin's up folks.  We've got a job to do... and there ain't nobody else out there dumb enough to do it!

--

We open with a bearded fellow informing a group of "young gentlemen" that he is quite disappointed in them.  This man... well, he doesn't bother to introduce himself, but he's referred to as "Mr. Roche".  These "young gentlemen" are comprised of the punks that Wolverine beat the hell out of in our prior chapter.  The geeks make excuses... but, our well-dressed financier isn't havin' any of it.  He decides it's time to introduce them to a... um, less well-dressed individual.  In fact, this guy looks damned goofy.  Ladies and gentlemen... I give to you: Razorfist!

Could this be... could it be we've already found our "Malvolio"?  What ol' Mal was to Action Comics Weekly... could Razorfist be to Marvel Comics Presents???  Ehh, probably not.  Anyhoo, Razorfist makes short work of the punks.  Mr. Roche then gives him his next mission... which is, duh, kill Logan.

Speaking of Wolverine... when last we left him, he had a whole lotta guns pointed at his mug.  That O'Donnell character has taken point on the discussion... and would really like to know how this hirsute stranger knew the late Dave Chapel.  Logan explains that he happened across the fella while on one of his many leisurely treks through the desert... ya know, like ya do.  Chapel was in a bad way... professionally tortured and left to perish.  Before he died, he gave Wolverine a locket to return to Madripoor... and so, that's what he's trying to do.

O'Donnell isn't so sure he's buying this story... and so, Logan more or less dares him to try somethin' funny.  O'Donnell proves that he's no dummy by pocketing his firearm.  This impresses sweet Sapphire, who thirsty broad that she is, introduces herself to Wolverine yet again.  He still isn't terribly interested.  Out the window, our hero notices a familiar figure wearing one'a those Raiden from Mortal Kombat hats.  Could this be one of those guys Shang-Chi fought at the flophouse last issue?  Nah...

Wolverine gives chase... in a scene that reminds us both that he: a) is a mutant with super-keen senses, and b) has unbreakable Adamantium-laced bones.  We might have to start keeping track of how many times we're going to "learn this"... I have a keen interest in that old chestnut that "every comic is somebody's first", so this tickles me... perhaps more than it should.  Anyhoo, Logan catches up to this stranger... and we find out that it's actually Jessica Hoan!  You might be asking, "Who's Jessica Hoan?", to which I'd respond with "How dare you..."  No, actually, I haven't the foggiest myself (maybe she's Tiger Tyger?  Or izzit Tyger Tiger?), but I'm looking forward to finding out more... next time!

--

Chris Claremont has proven to be such a versatile writer during his career... but, I'm honestly a bit surprised (and impressed) at how well he's adapted his style to an eight-page format.  Sure, he did a bunch of weeklies in his time, Captain Britain and what-not... but, man... this had some great flow to it that, sadly, cannot be said for a lot of the stories we got across the street in Action Comics Weekly.  Over at DC Comics, the shift to eight-pagers seemed to be the bane of most writers' existence.  Stories were uneven, weirdly paced, and sometimes just a total mess when it came to the "nuts and bolts" of comic book storytelling!

Mr. Claremont doesn't have that same problem... in fact, he seems to have the ability to tell his same style of story... ya know, very wordy... but still with plenty of action and characterization, in any-size-chunk he chooses!  It's a true testament to his talents!

So, whatta we got here?  Well, we get some information on the punks from the previous chapter, as well as meeting the mastermind and the new "big bad" on the block.  Logan's story at the bar gets picked up perfectly, and we find out a bit about Dave Chapel... and our hero's motivations for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Then, we get a decent enough cliffhanger with the arrival of Jessica Hoan (who I'm like 87% sure is Tiger Tyger/Tyger Tiger... however the hell the name actually goes).  Feels like we're getting actual progression... and we're only 16-pages in.  Really enjoying this.  The art... well, it's the same as last time.  Good stuff, but I really don't care much for this frumpier-faced Logan.  And, Razorfist?  Sweet Lord... that's one dopey-looking character!  Yikes.

Tomorrow: A Muck-Encrusted Mockery... of a Story?  Nah.

MCP #1 - Wolverine

Marvel Comics Presents #1 (Wolverine)
"Save the Tiger, Part 1 of 10: The Good Guy"
Writer - Chris Claremont
Pencils - John Buscema
Inks - Klaus Janson
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Assistant Edits - Michael Rockwitz
Edits - Terry Kavanagh & Michael Higgins
Chief - Tom DeFalco

What fresh hell is this?!

I don't think any of the regular readers were expecting this... heck, even I wasn't really expecting this... but... we're gonna be attempting the "right the ship" here at Chris is on Infinite Earths.  The place has been... kinda directionless of late, and believe it or not, that's weighed on me quite a bit.  I feel pretty guilty for shifting the focus of the site to a primarily audio repository.  I mean, that's not what visitors of this site "signed up for", ya know?

So, how does a guy fix that?  Welp... he might just dig back into an old bag of tricks.  Longtime readers will remember that for the majority of 2019 the focus of this site was a little project called Action Comics Daily.  That was where I looked at every single story from every single issue of Action Comics Weekly... and, there's a wonderful (if I do say so myself) Archives Page featuring the entire deal that you can check out if you are so inclined.  Just click'a the gif'a below:

Action Comics Daily... as uneven (story-qualitywise) a project as that was sort of like being covered in a warm blanket.  It was comfortable... it was mine... it was ours.  It allowed me to still provide daily content, while not spending hours and hours (and hours) writing and formatting every day.

So, how does one follow up a project like that?  Well... maybe we take a trip across the street and see what Marvel was doing right around the same time.  Marvel Comics Presents... was originally intended to be a weekly comic!  Perhaps, since it is an anthology, even an answer to Action Comics Weekly!  Cooler heads eventually prevailed, and instead of hitting shelves every single week... MCP would go bi-weekly.  Well, that's close enough for me!

So folks, friends, wonderful visitors... welcome to Marvel Comics Chrisents (not to be confused with Marvel Comics Croissants... which, might be a decent merch idea!)... I hope we survive the experience!

--

We open with Wolverine looking over the city of Madripoor.  Boy, I remember growing up, anytime I'd see the word "Madripoor" my eyes would glaze over, and anything else in whatever room I was in would suddenly become a lot more interesting to me.  Worth noting, the view here is lovely.  Logan gives us the quick-n-dirty on this little island principality... and we learn that it, like many civilized places on the planet, has what you might consider a "nice area" and a "not so nice area"... thankfully, we're not being all that subtle here, and so they're called Hightown and Lowtown.  You can probably figure out which is which.

Anyhoo, Logan heads into the Princess Bar, as he's looking for a fella named O'Donnell.  Turns out, the Irishman (I'm assuming) is in the middle of getting his butt-kicked by a bunch of street toughs.  We know they're "street toughs" as they all have really bad punk-rock hairdos.  Wolverine interjects, and starts beating up the baddies.

As he rocks their worlds, we get the usual internal monologue regarding his unbreakable Adamantium skeleton and his Mutant Healing Factor... heck, he even shares that he's Canadian!  Remember when comics used to treat each issue like it could be somebody's first?  A lost art, I tells ya.  Wolverine tosses all the punks until just one remains.  The geek grabs a human shield and threatens to blow her brains out if the stranger with the muttonchops takes another step.  Logan's all "go ahead and kill her..." but warns that as soon as the trigger's pulled, he'll be on him like white on rice.  The punk decides that discretion is the better part of valor, and bolts out the joint.

We wrap up with Wolverine greeting Mr. O'Donnell... and meeting Sapphire, the recent human shield, who gives him a peck on the cheek.  Logan explains that he's here to meet Dave Chapel... hmm... do I make the easy jokes about Rick James and cocaine?  Nahhh.  Turns out, Dave Chapel is... dead!  Suddenly, Wolvie's warm reception turns stone cold as all of the bat patrons draw their weapons on our man.

--

Anyone else getting those Action Comics Daily chills?  Just me?  Should I have my temperature taken?

This feels a whole heck of a lot like an opening chapter we would have read back last year in ACW... and, I tell ya what... I really like it.  It feels like a homecoming in a way... though, I am known to over-romanticize things, so your mileage may vary.

Here, Wolverine introduces us to both himself and the city of Madripoor... and does so without it coming across as an expositional dump.  I mean, it's wordy, yes... it is Chris Claremont after all... but, it never feels like a lecture.  Claremont's got this style down to an art form.

We find out he's here to chat up a fella named O'Donnell... about another fella named Dave Chapel.  That's really all we get... but, as an opening chapter in a brand-new title... I kinda feel that's all we need.  We get nice action... Wolverine gets to show his stuff... and talk tough.  What more could I ask for from an eight-pager in an anthology?

The art here is very nice... though, I always found Buscema's Logan as looking a bit too old.  Not in an "Old Man Logan" sort of way... just in the frumpy, "pro-bowler" or "competitive eater" sort of way.  Ya know what I mean?  Hopefully it won't be long until he's under a mask... though, I suppose that'll remain to be seen.  I've actually never read these stories before, so I'll be experiencing them for the first time along with y'all (well, those of you who have also never read these).

Tomorrow: (A not-so-Giant-Size) Man-Thing!

Just Imagine Stan Lee... Secret Files & Origins #1 (2002)

Just Imagine Stan Lee... Secret Files & Origins #1 (March, 2002)
"The Coming Crisis!"
Plot/Profiles - Michael Uslan
Dialogue - Stan Lee & Michael Uslan
Pencils - Dan Jurgens
Inks - Bob Layton
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom McCraw
Separations - Digital Chameleon
Profile Pencils - Joe Kubert, Jim Lee, John Buscema, Dave Gibbons, Kevin Maguire, John Cassaday, Jerry Ordway, John Byrne, Gary Frank, Scott McDaniel, Chris Bachalo & Walt Simonson
Profile Finishes - Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, Karl Story, Sandra Hope, Klaus Janson, Stuart Immonen & Richard Friend
Editors - Mike Carlin & Ivan Cohen
Special Thanks - F.J. DeSanto
Cover Price: $4.95

Still in a Marvel mood, and... lemme ask ya, what's more Marvel than Stan "The Man" Lee?  Just Imagine (dot, dot, dot) was a strange turn of the century project where... well, we could stop imagining what it would've been like if Stan played for the other comic book team.  Results were... um, mixed?  Eh, we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Before we start spoilin' stuff, just wanted to say that we'll get back to JLA/Avengers pretty soon, I really appreciate the feedback received on that piece!

--

We open in the offices of The National Exposer where Maria Mendoza is chatting with her boss Mr. Willard about the current boom in the superhero population and the formation of the Justice League.  I was going to wait to spoil this, but let's just get it out of the way now... Maria Mendoza is really Wonder Woman.  This is a Stan Lee story... with Stan Lee charm, so keep an eye out for those alliterations!  Anyhoo, the boss ain't too sure if the League can be called friend or foe, and would like to interview each member.  Hey, this feels like a Secret Files & Origins comic already!

Maria's all "no biggie" and says she'll arrange everything.  Mr. Willard is incredulous at the idea, but Ms. Mendoza heads outside to "give Green Lantern a ring." (har har).  Mere moments later, Green Lantern has arrived!

... but he's not alone!  Lantern finds himself embroiled in a fight with a giant Medusa in a purple fog (or haze, if you prefer).  She claims to be there doing the bidding of *sigh* [Reverend Dominic] Darrk.  During the display, Maria gives Willard a bit of a quick 'n dirty on Lantern's power-set... causing the boss man to suggest he cook up a giant boxing glove to smack the baddie.  Oof.  Anyhoo, Green Lantern nails the Medusa-headed beast with a blast of green... and she's outski, though not before making a few threats about "the coming crisis" (get used to hearing that).

When the dust, er fog settles, Green Lantern chats up the nosy newsies.  He reveals that his powers are environmental in nature... humans pollute, donchaknow.  We also learn that he is the embodiment of Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life.  He suggests the purple energy is a result of an other-dimensional Deathlord, who will become an ally of Dominic Darrk during... the coming crisis!

He continues, tying together this new batch of superheroes with the Earth's release of a green mist... which could also effect those on neighboring planets, which is, ya know... awfully convenient.  So, here's the deal... Earth, in an attempt at self-preservation, released a green gas with superpower-granting qualities.  Goooo, Planet!  Before Lantern takes his leave he makes it clear that Darrk and his... oy, Church of Eternal Empowerment be exposed.  Is this a sect full of litterbugs and folks who run the faucet the whole time they brush their teeth?  Who knows.

Next up, Maria makes a phone call to Superman's Gir... er, Agent, Lois Lane.  It's not long before the Man of Ste..., yeah, I can't do it... it's not long before he shows up... right through the window... which seems, excessive.  At least it's being played for laughs.  Anyhoo, I oughta mention that he has an S-shaped scar over his left eye... which is, for much of this story colored the same as his hair, making it look less like a scar, and more like one wild lock of hair.

Anyhoo, before they can get down to "business", Superman hears a noise outside... so, he bursts out another window to check it out.  There's a car on fire, which only serves to allow him to do the iconic "holding a car over his head" pose, before chucking the clunker into space.

He then bursts back into the office... breaking a third window, to conclude the interview.  Superman is not opposed to the idea that his powers were brought on by exposure to mist.  They chat about the coming crisis, and the danger of Dominic Darrk.  Willard suggests it's a job for Superman... but Superman corrects him, this is actually a job for mankind as a whole!

We next meet Willard and Mendoza standing on the shoulder of Interstate-10, where they await the arrival of the Flash.  Just as Willard is complaining about her tardiness, she arrives and takes him on a rapid world tour.  While in her arms, he asks about the green mist connection... she ain't buying it.  She believes her powers are the result of something to do with hummingbird DNA.  Okay then.  He then asks if she thinks she's the "weak link" of the JLA... which, is probably a stupid thing to ask, right?  To demonstrate that she's not, she runs really fast... and makes him vomit.  That'll learn 'im!

Next stop... well, it ain't Gotham City... it's Century City, Los Angeles, where we join Batman and his ponytailed detective buddy as they take down a pair of criminals.  Hilariously, this is when Willard and Mendoza wander up.  I mean, dude just finished beating up a few bad guys, and these two just saunter up to ask questions.  

Before we go on, I gotta say... this costume is the pits.  Anyhoo, he ain't keen on giving interviews... but they press him anyway.  They ask about the green mist... and he says (over and over) that he has no superpowers.  Now, we know Batman doesn't have powers, but does that seem like a wise thing to advertise?  I mean, that just seems foolish.  Anyhoo, he splits, Maria makes an Altoids joke... and our POV pair heads back to the office.

Along the way, Willard asks about Wonder Woman.  Maria's all "no prob, Bob" (well, Bill... because his name is totally William Willard) because, as we know... she is Wonder Woman.  And so, she appears before him at the offices, corroborates the story of the green mist... and talks about the coming crisis.

Our adventure ends as she summons the rest of the Justice League for a very DC seance, where they search for allies on another Earth... where they find Robin, Shazam, Aquaman, Catwoman, and Sandman!

--

Well... hmm... I don't wanna say it.  Like, I really don't wanna say it.

Okay, this was... something.  I can't rightly say it was bad, because it wasn't... while at the same time, I can't say it was all that great.  I hated that for an event of this scope and import, we were treating Stan Lee as a novelty act.  Relying too much on tropes, fan-service and corniness rather than actually trying to tell a compelling story in the old Marvel way.  This felt like it should have come with a Stan Lee checklist... 

Now, it's hard to hold this against anyone... because, I think to many, at this point just having Stan write anything for DC Comics was worth the price of admission... I know it was for younger-Chris.  However, with such a "big" project, I feel like more effort should have went into the actual story than "Here are the heroes with alliterative civilian names"... oh yeah, and "Captain Planet Crisis".

I really didn't dig the character designs here either.  I think I'd have preferred just giving Stan Lee an issue of each "big" DC book to write.  Let him craft a nice mainstream story, build a threat, and pay it off.  Either that or (and this would never happen), Just Imagine Stan Lee creating... Spider-Man/X-Men/Fantastic Four/etc. in the DC Universe.  Those would have been interesting... at least in concept.  This endeavor just felt like a let-down... I felt that way in '02, and unfortunately, I still feel that way today.

For this issue in particular... well, it's a Secret Files & Origins... it's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from one of those.  It's a great way to catch us all up on the characters, their origins, motivations, yadda yadda... and solidify our threat leading into the grand finale.  The cover price is a bit excessive (as all SFO's are) but there's still some decent moments here... plus, profiles (see below)!  I'm not sold on the "green mist" concept... I'm not sure the members of the League needed to be tied together so tightly.  It feels like this group is compelled to band together, rather than choosing to, which makes the entire affair seem less genuine.

Dan Jurgens art was what we'd expect... great, clean, superhero action.  My only complaint about the art is in the coloring of Superman's scar... which, is minor.  While I'm not keen on the character designs, Jurgens did a great job making them "work".  It's so weird to consider that these characters were designated their own Earth during Multiversity.  Being a fan of "everything fitting in", I can't say that I'm against that.

Overall... ya know, there is enough novelty value here that I couldn't advise against grabbing Just Imagine...'s, it is Stan Lee writing for the Distinguished Competition, which is... ya know, interesting... wouldn't recommend paying the $5 cover price for the privilege, though (which I did).  Personally, I can't help but be disappointed... not that I expected the story/event to knock my socks off... I just wasn't expecting it to put me to sleep.

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Profiles:

 

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(Certainly Not the) Letters Page:

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