Chris is on Infinite Earths, Episode #7 JSA #55 (February, 2004) "Be Good For Goodness Sake" Writer - Geoff Johns Pencils - Leonard Kirk Inks - Keith Champagne & Wade Von Grawbadger Colors - Hi-Fi Letters - Jared K. Fletcher Associate Editor - Stephen Wacker Editor - Peter Tomasi For Jordan Marquis Cover Price: $2.50 With everything going on in the world and personally... it took me until the 17th of the month to realize we're in July! Well, we have a little tradition at this here site... that I'd hate to let pass us by, perhaps this year more than ever. I tell ya, if there were any year where we (or I) need a little bit of Christmas on Infinite Earths...in July, it's 2020.
JSA #81 (March, 2006) "My Heroes" Writer - Geoff Johns Pencils - Dale Eaglesham Inks - Art Thibert Colors - John Kalisz Letters - Rob Leigh Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards Editor - Stephen Wacker Cover Price: $2.50 Going to take a look at a later issue of JSA today... and that's thanks to reader, Peter Garcia Sanchez... who recently commented on my ancient Angel Love #1 post with:
Now, me... being the foremost fake-ass Angel Love historian on this here internet, sat dumbfounded... shaking my head while staring at this reply. There's just no way this can be real... right? I almost didn't want to believe it because... c'mon, I really should've known this! So... is it true? Have I been living in a fool's paradise? Well, we're just going to have to read on and find out. --
We open at the Dugan home in Nebraska. Stargirl and her mother are watching news reports of some dangerous stuff going on in the world... and Courtney is getting ready to join her teammates in the JSA to deal with some of it. In the basement, Pat Dugan and his son Mike are arguing... about something we'll discuss in just a little bit. Mom rushes off to grab her camera to snap a picture of Courtney before she heads off. Courtney seems embarrassed, but gives a big ol' smile regardless. So, either she's a ham... or just a good daughter.
Back in the basement, Pat Dugan is working on his S.T.R.I.P.E. armor, preparing it for a night out. His son Mike (Courtney's step-brother) is ticked off that he isn't allowed to take up the S.T.R.I.P.E. mantle. Pat tells him 13 is too young... which, ya know... kinda flies in the face of every DC sidekick ever.
We rejoin Courtney as she's flashing back to her youth... her real father... and how her mom and Pat became an item. This scene is also the entire reason we're looking at this issue today! Ya see, Courtney was given a locket with a picture of her biological father... and wondered why he never came to be with her. Courtney's mom, being a single-mother, had to work a couple of jobs to support them... and so, Court was kind of a latch-key kid. Anyhoo, we see her watching various television shows... one of which is ANGEL LOVE!
Courtney recalls one night in particular where her mother came home a bit late... this time, however, she didn't come home alone. Enter: Pat Dugan.
They growed-ups dated for awhile... and Courtney fell back on cliche angsty teen-age behavior to get her mother's attention. This went about as well as it always does. Pat and Mom would be married... and move from Beverly Hills to Nebraska. Upon arrival in their new digs, Courtney discovered Sylvester Pemberton's Cosmic Converter Belt in the moving boxes...
... and would become the all-new Star-Spangled Kid!
Back in the present, the Dugan men continue to argue. Mike asks Pat why he was sent to Military School a couple years prior. Pat cops to just not being able to give him the attention he needed. Mike was acting out and becoming a delinquent... Military School was the only option. Fair enough, right? Well... when Mike came back, he found his dad busy trying to be a father to... another kid (Courtney, natch).
Mike stomps upstairs, and passes Courtney on his way... and tells her that her thighs look fat in her tights. Hey, pal... that's your sister... don't be checkin' out her business! She freaks out (because she's scared she looks fat... not because her brother just checked her out). Pat tells her she looks fine... and the word "fine" is bolded. I'm going to assume that's just for emphasis, and he wasn't stretching out the "i" or anything (fiiiiiiiiine).
Anyhoo, S.T.R.I.P.E. is switched on-line, and the pair'a heroes head out into the fray. As they draw nearer to Philadelphia (the place where the hinky stuff's going down) they hear a terrific BONGG, which knocks them for a loop... and also, temporarily deafens them!
Turns out the "bong" is emanating from the Liberty Bell... and, uh... Liberty Belle!
Ya see, Liberty Belle gets her powers from the ringing of the actual Liberty Bell. Her powers kinda went on the fritz in the nebulous Infinite Crisis-y era... and so, she visited the City of Brotherly Love to give herself a jumpstart. This... didn't work as expected, and now she's kinda stuck on the Bell.
Off to the side, Courtney notices Liberty Belle's daughter, Jesse Chambers (Jesse Quick). She compares their relationship to the one between she and her biological father. While Courtney (claims to) feel nothing but hate for her old man, Jesse still loves her mom. Courtney takes this as evidence that Jesse's a better daughter than she is.
After another tremendous BONNNGG, we shift scenes to Opal City. There's a terrible electrical storm going on, and the Shade is saving some citizens from being crushed by a falling statue. Shade, of course, claims that he's actually just concerned with saving the statue itself. In a nearby apartment building, we see Courtney's biological father watching news of everything going down in Philly. Just as he hears that Stargirl is approaching the Bell... the TV loses reception. Moments later, the building is struck by lightning.
Back in Philly, Stargirl approaches Liberty Belle... and the Liberty Bell. She takes Libby's hand and calms her down... by telling her that she's gotta stick around, if only for her daughter's sake. Daughters need mothers, and all that jazz.
After one final explosion... everything stops. Pat looks on from a distance and wonders aloud where his "daught--" is. Then, from the smoky horizon, two silhouettes form... Stargirl and Liberty Belle emerge, no worse for wear.
Pat pulls Courtney to the side and gives her a halfhearted lecture. Sure, it was a dumb thing to do... but, it's the kinda thing heroes do... and what's more, it worked! They chat some more, with Courtney trying to impart on Pat that he's a good dad, no matter what Mike said earlier.
Then... the Shade arrives on the scene, with bad news. Her father's apartment building wasn't just hit by lightning... it collapsed. Her father... is dead.
Stargirl then does that thing where she pretends not to care... after all, why should she? It isn't long, however, until she breaks down crying. She turns to Pat and asks why she can't not care...
... he replies that it's because she is a wonderful daughter.
-- Well, I'll be a sonuvagun... Angel Love is mentioned here! Huge thanks to Peter for the tip! If there are any other Angel Love mentions/appearances that I don't know of... please let me know! Before we get into the story of the issue... I do wanna say, I really dig the idea of Angel Love being a television show in the DC Universe... I can see it sorta being in the vein of Degrassi Jr. High or something... heck, they deal with some of the same issues! Drug abuse, unplanned pregnancy, estranged families, sick parents... if only Ed Koch was the mayor of Toronto, we'd be pretty close! And since it's really tough to reconcile Angel Love within the wider DC continuity... it having been a TV show might just be the best way to make it "fit". It all happened... it was just on TV. Here's a better look at that panel:
Now the story itself... perhaps a bit heavy-handed... maybe a little melodramatic... but, I gotta say... I loved it! I'm definitely a sucker for this kind of story... and the evolving dynamic between Stargirl and Pat Dugan has always been a great one. I like that they share this closeness, especially in light of their frostier relationship early on. The panel where Pat, without thinking, refers to her as his "daught--" was especially telling. After all they've been through together, there's no doubt that they're "family". The Liberty Belle stuff was really just a means to an end, I feel. Going into the next volume, Jesse would abandon her "Jesse Quick" persona and take up her mother's Liberty Belle mantle... so, this is likely just a faciliatory (that's not a word!) measure to connect this to that. Back to Pat... I guess there's still the question as to whether or not he's a good father (to Mike). That's kind of a toughie, innit? We can tell there's a definite affection there... Pat cares about his son, certainly... buuuuut, he's kinda just in the background, no? It's been awhile since I read this Infinite Crisis era JSA... so, I dunno if this leads anywhere or not. It's Johns, so I assume it does. Speaking of fathers, good and otherwise... Courtney's biological Pop gets popped in that Opal City electrical storm. I think her reaction to this was... the right one. I'd never say that someone should or shouldn't react a certain way... but, this just felt like the right way... for her. The art here was phenomenal... as we've come to expect from Dale Eaglesham. He's definitely up there on my list of top artists. From dynamic action to incredible emotion... just as close to perfect as it gets! Overall... so very happy to have revisited this issue, and even though I only did it to search out the Angel Love mention, I loved the actual story as well. This issue is available digitally. -- Interesting Ads:
JSA #11 (June, 2000) "Split" Writers - David Goyer & Geoff Johns Breakdowns & Inks - Michael Bair Pencils & Inks - Buzz (Aldrin Aw) Letters - Ken Lopez Colors - John Kalisz Separations - Heroic Age Assistant Editor - L.A. Williams Editor - Peter J. Tomasi Cover Price: $2.50 After discussing the first appearance of Hal Jordan yesterday (I know, I know), I had to decide which thread to follow. Do I look at another appearance of Air-Wave/Maser... or do I maybe throw a curve ball and look at another appearance of Roy Harper's band, Great Frog? Well, we're going with the first one... today, anyway. Jumping all the way up to the turn of the century too! --
We open on board a airplane about to make its descent into JFK. It's here that we meet Atom-Smasher's mother, who is heading into the city for a visit... and is currently chatting up a prospective PYT for her boy. Just then, the plane is electronically hijacked by... Kobra! He appears on the in-flight movie monitor and tells them all they're about to crash and die... and, unfortunately, he's not jokin' around.
We shift scenes to D.E.O. big-wig, Mister Bones giving a presentation at the JSA Brownstone. He's informing the Justice Society that Harold Lawrence Jordan has been abducted by Kobra, and locked in a Faraday Cage (which would cancel out Air-Wave's abilities, natch). Kobra is using some stolen S.T.A.R. Labs tech to harness Jordan's abilities... which would give him control over the elecromagnetic spectrum... heck, he might even be able to crash an airplane.
Mister Bones pauses to give his condolences to Atom-Smasher... who, understandably, doesn't seem terribly receptive.
Off to the side, Star-Spangled Kid awkwardly stands in the doorway. She's clearly uncomfortable. When Hawkgirl inquires as to why, Courtney mentions how it was during the days of Infinity, Inc. when Mister Bones' "cyanide touch" killed the original Star-Spangled Kid, Sylvester Pemberton. Wouldn'tcha know it, right at that very moment... Sly saunters in!
The entire Society kinda freaks out... and lemme tell ya, Pemberton isn't exactly comfortable with the sight before him either. Hourman realizes that somebody is mucking with the timestream... causing timelines to converge. It's not Kobra's doing, however... it's Extant!
Who?! Well, we know that guy... it's just a little weird seeing him mentioned again, ain't it? Jay Garrick gives the quick 'n dirty on Extant and all the messing about he did during Zero Hour.
Sand decides that the team needs to split up... one following up on Kobra (who is hankered down on Blackhawk Island), and the other pursuing Extant through the timestream. Boarding Hourman's Timeship will be: Hourman, Hippolyta, Flash, and the Star-Spangled Kids. As soon as they enter the timestream... Extant knows.
Back on dry groundsolid ground Earth, the rest of the JSA is heading to Blackhawk Island in the South Pacific. This lineup includes: Sand, Black Canary, Atom-Smasher, Dr. Mid-Nite, Wildcat... and a new member. Since the electronics are likely to get wonky the closer they get, they are being led in by Jack Knight. Sand claims that this "new member" has already done re-con of the Island.
When they get close enough to Blackhawk, they head underwater so they might get the jump on Kobra's forces... and they do! We get a couple of pages of infiltratin' and punchin' fun, before meeting that new member... Mr. Terrific! After freaking Jack out with his T-Spheres, Terrific shares the schematic for the Island Base. We learn that Holt was the perfect person to perform the re-con, as he cannot be photographed, sensed by infrared, or picked up by audio recorders. That's pretty handy.
The JSA ventures deeper into the base, with Sand phasing directly into the lab where Harold Jordan is being held. A few pumps on the sleep-gun is all it takes to put down all of the Kobra guards.
Instead of looking relieved, Harold begins freaking out... pounding on the Faraday Cage. Sand doesn't realize that one of Kobra's bigger-bads is standing right behind him.
This is Catalyst... former teammate to Harold Jordan during his time as Maser of the Captains of Industry. What a goofy bunch of stuff. Anyhoo, Catalyst causes Sand to seize... and drop to the floor.
Then, Kobra himself monologues for a bit... live on television (thanks to Jordan's powers)! He invites a world-wide audience to watch as be executes the Chairman of the Justice Society... and with a WVVVASSSH, he does just that!
-- I wanna say it was around this time that I started picking this book up. Probably drawn in by some good word of mouth from Wizard Magazine (I think JSA was listed as their "best book" around here)... and, first time going through... I was lost. Not quite "hopelessly" lost, but I didn't know enough to get the most out of what was going on. Making me realize that I really ought to prioritize revisiting some turn-of-the-century DC fare... at the time, I lacked so much of the context to truly appreciate the books of that era. Now, having a "better" grasp on these characters and their histories... I'm actually a bit taken aback by just how great this run is. I mean, sure... it's well-written, and all of the "nuts and bolts" are there... even a newbie (like me, at the time) could pick it up and enjoy it... however... if you were a seasoned DC Comics fan, there's so much more to love. It's crazy that the team that I'd always looked at as being part of "that old DC" that I wanted no part of, has now become the very team that defines DC for me. The legacy... the family... the continuity. The DC Universe just doesn't feel right without them (so, yeah... finish Doomsday Clock already, so maybe we can get them back!). Now, for this issue... it might not be the "Air-Wave tour de force" we (err, I) might've hoped for... but, I can't say that he wasn't treated with respect. That's always been one of the strengths of Geoff Johns, especially when he's writing JSA... taking a wackier character from the Golden/Silver/Bronze Age and doing them a proper service when bringing them back. Not just doing it for the "funny, ha-ha"... but, accentuating their strengths, power-wise or narrative-wise. Infiltrating Blackhawk Island provided a great opportunity to shine a light on Sand's leadership... as well as facilitate Mr. Terrific showin' his stuff. Really well done, feels like a lot of thought went into how to best depict the characters. The timstream stuff... I don't remember where this is going, but I gotta say... happy to see Extant get a moment to shine. He's another one... easy to write off as a "funny, ha-ha" due to the perceptions many have of early-to-mid 1990's comics (that a lot of folks probably haven't even read). Overall, this was a fine fine issue... superb art too! Really enjoyed this revisit (especially with all of the context I'd lacked the first time through). Well worth a read... it's been collected a number of times, and a number of ways... it is also available digitally. -- Letters Page:
JSA #68 (February, 2005) "JSA/JSA, Chapter 1: Making History" Writer - Geoff Johns Penciller - Don Kramer Inker - Keith Champagne Colorist - John Kalisz Letterer - Ken Lopez Associate Editor - Stephen Wacker Editor - Peter Tomasi Cover Price: $2.50 For the first time in a long time I have what a lotta folks call "nightstand reads". It's not often I get to do any reading where I'm not trying to write, script, or speak about it... and, I suppose at the bottom of it, these "nightstand reads" aren't necessarily "without consequence" either. Right now I'm reading the America vs. the Justice Society miniseries from 1985... with half-an-eye toward doing something with it a bit later on. It's a highly recommended little mini... and boy howdy, is it dense! I mean, there are footnotes to the footnotes! In reading that, I recalled a story from JSA that evoked several of the themes from that story, however with a decidedly post-Crisis twist. It's been... almost a decade and a half (yikes) since I last read this, and I was curious how well it aged. --
We open in the wee hours of the morning in Blue Valley, Nebraska where Stargirl has returned home after a long battle with Solomon Grundy. She reflects on her performance as a part of the Justice Society of America before passing out on her bed. We then jump to a quick and dirty retelling of the JSA's "retirement" back in 1951.
The House Un-American Activities Committee presses the heroes to prove that they're "good Americans" by removing their masks. For a response, the get the big "uh-uh". Green Lantern has heard more than enough from the stuffed shirts, and pulls the ol' vanishing act. After the Society vamoosed, one of the politicians smiles, he knows this is all going according to... history?
Back at the Gotham City Brownstone, the Justice Society consider their options. A consensus forms, they still don't wish to unmask... however think it might not be the worst idea to retire none the less... after all, the war is over.
We jump to a week later (in 1951). The newspaper headlines suggest that the Justice Society of America might have ties to the enemy... hmm, they must've gotten a hold of Batman's super-secret diary. Anyhoo, Per Degaton arrives... and is informed that everything is going according to plan... except that "the Hunter" is still on the loose.
Back in the present... it's now morning. Stargirl heads downstairs for some breakfast, and provides any potential new reader with adequate enough backstory on her family. She mentions that her step-father, Pat Dugan was Stripsey, the partner of the original Star-Spangled Kid... and all things considered, she is happy that he (and his son) are now part of her family.
Suddenly... the world goes red, and masked assassins appear. With their first shot, they kill Pat.
Stargirl fires back with her Star-Rod... but it's too late, the assassins have already murdered her mother, step-brother... and little baby sister! The New DC, folks!
Courtney goes like super-nova with the Star-Rod and blows out the side of the house. She pins down an assassin, looking for answers... when she doesn't get any, she kills them all?! She then kneels next to her fallen family... hoping that she'll eventually wake up.
Suddenly, a man arrives... he informs her that time is currently changing, and there is still an opportunity to set things right before it "sticks". Also, the Justice Society never un-retired... so, most of her life to this point never really happened. They hop into his time-sphere.
This fella is, of course, "the Hunter", as in Rip Hunter... Time Master. He informs Courtney that the assassins are a part of a group called the Red Morgue, and they hail from the year 2666. He gives her the skinny on the Time Masters and Linear Men... and mentions that part of their responsibilities is to stop any time travelers from committing "cradle-murders"... which, isn't something I'd necessarily wanna read month after month, but a really cool idea none the less!
He continues, filling her in on how and why the Justice Society will never "re-band" after their retirement... he mentions that they will be found guilty of treason... yeah, they definitely found Batman's super-secret diary, right?
The time-sphere arrives at its destination... the JSA Brownstone back in 1951. There, Courtney is joined by many of the "new generation" of the Justice Society... Mr. Terrific (Michael Holt), Jakeem Thunder, Dr. Mid-Nite, Sand, and... Atom-Smasher. A quick update... Atom-Smasher isn't exactly Courtney's fave fella at the moment... he did just go on a rampage alongside Black Adam. Rip insists that he's necessary for his plans.
Rip then... leaves! He hops back into the time sphere, wishes the Junior Justice League the best... and beats out of dodge. We close out in the shadows... with a woman whispering that she hopes Courtney doesn't mess this up.
-- This definitely gave me pangs of America vs. the Justice Society. I can't say for certain that's where this story is headed... it's been quite a while since I sat down with it. Still really dig how it evokes a similar feeling... really paying tribute to an all-but-forgotten story, or perhaps a never-known one to post-Crisis readers... I can honestly say that I didn't know anything of it back in 2005. At the same time, America vs. the Justice Society isn't required reading to appreciate this "JSA/JSA" arc. It's kind of the best of both worlds. I really dig Johns' Stargirl. She's far less "yass" a character than I fear she would be if she was introduced nowadays. Here, she's a girl who's learning as she goes. She makes mistakes, and learns from them. We don't seem to have the patience for that sort of development anymore. Hell, if you show a certain kind of character to have any kind of weakness at all, the creators are all but chased off social media with digital pitchforks. Even in her internal monologue she mentions how she might've started her "heroes journey" for the wrong reasons, but has come to learn just what it means for her to be a hero. I really dig that. Also, her kinda running down and analyzing the "Junior Justice Society" report card was a sort of "awareness" we don't really get any more. I really like the idea of their being a "second generation" of the Justice Society. It's a concept that can't really be pulled off on many other teams. I mean, there are New Mutants to X-Men... but, they're sort of their own thing. These two generations of JSAers fill the same roster. The juniors learn from the elders... and the whole dynamic feels more like a huge family rather than an organization. I'm not sure if I worded that properly... just one of those "write by feel" moments. There's one problem... if you could call it that... that I have with this issue (and era of DC Comics), it's the hyper-violence. I mean, we get it... the Red Morgue are bad dudes. I don't necessarily need to see them snap a dog's neck and shoot an infant in her highchair to prove it. I hate pinning all of this sort of thing on Didio's arrival... but there is a certain amount of observers logic in that. Many of the books got a fair amount "darker" with his arrival... perhaps just another sign of DC Comics being a bit "behind the times". This darkness and (relative) gore would be right at home in 1995. By 2005, it's both excessive and a bit embarrassing. Overall... had a great time with this issue, and I bet most fans of DC Comics would too! This bugger is available digitally. Also, if you're so inclined, America vs. the Justice Society is too! -- Interesting Ads:
JSA #55 (February, 2004)
