Justice Society of America (vol.3) #3 (April, 2007)
"The Next Age, Part 3"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Dale Eaglesham
Inker - Ruy Jose
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Colors - Jeremy Cox
Assistant Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
You ever notice that Marvel and DC spell "Penciller" differently? DC uses two ells, while Marvel only uses one... "Penciler". Neither of them pass the ol' blogger spellcheck test... but then again neither does "storyline" and a multitude of different actual words.
Seems most online haunts spell it with two ells... but, whattayagonnado?
Anyhoo... Justice Society, let's do it.
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We pick up with Courtney waiting for her new pal Maxine to pick out a costume... not to mention, a code name! This is a scene we've seen time and time again in fiction, just minus the forced comedy... and musical soundtrack. This is actually quite well done, and features a pretty neat discussion on how a pair of teenagers might go about picking out superhero names. Courtney never had to worry, she was the Star-Spangled Kid... though, she does warn Maxine to steer clear of the "Kid" title, lest she wants all the adult heroes to treat her like she's still in diapers. Maxine ultimately settles on Cyclone, after her grandmother (the Golden-Age Red Tornado)'s sidekicks, the Cyclone Kids. She also chooses a costume that is equal parts gaudy and decent.
We shift back to the Heywood family reunion where the Fourth Reich continues to make quite a mess of things. It actually sorta crosses the line to gross here... We see the Nazi speedster, Blitzkrieg run right through a woman and child. I guess they had to do something to remind us we were reading a mid-2000's DC comic. Really unfortunate... totally for shock value, and sorta undermines the tone that has been set up to this point.
Hawkman does his best to hold back the horde, but there's only so much one man can do. Reichsmark the metal man approaches Nathan... and is just about to turn him into a molten man statuette when Nate shoves his cane down the baddie's throat. Reichsmark proceeds to vomit a bit of liquid metal nastiness on Nathan's face. I mean, really now...
Captain Nazi, which isn't a cute name I made up for him... honest, smashes Hawkman with a large Commander Steel statue before withdrawing the Fourth Reich so they might look for other families "to exterminate". As the dust settles, the police and other emergency services arrive... they are shocked by the carnage, not to mention the proliferation of shiny horrifying statues. The EMTs are unsure how they can help Nathan... but Hawkman (fresh off getting crushed) appears, and says he knows just the doc for him.
We pop in on the Wildcat father-and-son reunion. Ted tells Tom about his first son, Jake who was born back in the 1960's... and his tragic end at the hands of the son of Yellow Wasp. Tom kinda steers the discussion here... and uses Jake's death as a justification for why Wildcat wouldn't want to ever be a father again... and gives the ol' "no harm no foul". He tells Ted all he's got to do is wish him well... and forget about him. Ted's hesitant... he's not ready to leave just yet... though, he blames it on still having to finish his beer.
Back at the brownstone, Liberty Belle and Hourman are pawing at one another... which is kinda their gimmick at this point. Damaged Damage is nearby and tells them to "get a room". At this point, Hawkman arrives with Nathan Heywood. Dr. Mid-Nite takes a look... and it turns out, the liquid metal ralf is being absorbed by his skin! Betcha can't guess where this is going!
Green Lantern thinks aloud... the Heywood family are the second to be targeted (after the Thompsons). His little monologue is interrupted by the arrival of... Sand. That is, the former Sandy the Golden Boy, who is now the Sandman. He informs the Society that he's had a nightmare... and they need to hear alllllll about it.
In the meeting room Sandy reveals that not only multi-generational heroes being targeted... it's multi-generational mystery men who symbolize American patriotism! Stands to reason, we've seen Mr. America and his family offed... and Commander Steel's family (mostly) taken out. Sand reveals that two other families had been wiped out (off panel)... old Justice League International member General Glory... and his entire family, and Minute-Man (who I don't recall) and his family all had their throats slit. He tells the team that he's already reached out to Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters to advise them to remain vigilant... however, can think of two other families who might be targeted next... Liberty Belle's and Courtney's stepdad Pat... Stripesy!
The team knows they gotta roll out! I only include this image because I see something funny about Cyclone's eyes... it's almost as though she's looking at the reader incredulously here. Very Jim Halpert from The Office.
From here we get some rapid-fire vignettes... in Philadelphia, Libby Lawrence (the Golden-Age Liberty Belle) is at, the Liberty Bell! In Blue Valley, Pat Dugan is picking his son (I think it's his son) up from school... both find themselves under attack of the Reich. Back at the Brownstone, we learn what Dr. Mid-Nite saw lodged in Mr. America's lung... it's an arrowhead! Also, Wildcat wishes his son well, and prepares to leave.
As Wildcat goes for the door... he gets flattened! In the doorway stands our big bad... Vandal Savage! Tommy says he knows Savage, and refers to him as "that caveman". This appears to vex ol' Vandal... who then proceeds to explain his entire plan to the lad. Not sure why he feels the need to unload, but I guess it must get lonely being an immortal conqueror... so, we'll allow it. He claims to be using the Fourth Reich because they're easy to manipulate... and he's only using them to execute the "scab" members of the Justice Society... he's saving the full-timers for himself. Tommy grows anxious... and claims he doesn't want to fight. Then... something strange happens.
The lights go out, and Vandal attempts to hunt down the boy... however, what he finds might not be exactly what he expected!
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Still having a great time revisiting these old friends. I'm almost surprised how much I'm enjoying this.
Let's get the ugliness out of the way first... the extreme violence early on was a bit much. I remember the various times I returned to reading DC Comics throughout the 2000's... and each time I was more and more put off (and surprised by) the level of violence. The last time I "returned" was after a bout of unemployment... and I was just in time for Brightest Day. In the back of all the books that month was a teaser for the newest volume of Green Arrow... which featured him shooting a man's nose off with an arrow. I think that's when it was clear to me that extreme violence was no longer to underscore a scene... but was just the way things were done now. In rereading these post-Infinite Crisis issues, I guess it had been the way things were done for awhile.
I dunno, I guess my thought process is that you can make something more disturbing and sadistic (if that's what you're going for) without showing any gore at all. Maybe it's just me. Just feels kinda cheap, and below the Justice Society.
For the rest of the issue... loved it! We're getting a lot of great interpersonal stuff here. From Courtney and Maxine's chat in the dressing room, to Liberty Belle and Hourman pawing at one another... and finally, to Wildcat and Son having their moments. All of the scenes worked great for me.
Courtney and Maxine... now, I can't claim to hang around teen-agers... nor can I claim to really ever being one... but this is how I imagine the less annoying ones converse. Granted, this is 2007 and before txt and social media speak took over completely... but, I enjoyed this bit and thought it sounded exactly how it should. So often these "dressing room" scenes feature purposefully horrible (or dated) costumes as early choices for comedic value... I gotta say, I'm glad we sidestepped that meme.
The Cat family dynamic was pretty cool. I'm not sure if it's me projecting or what, but you get the feeling like these two really want to have a family... but are both scared to say it outright. Tommy's been on his own without anyone to really rely on since his mother passed... he probably feels like he doesn't need anybody. And Ted... well, Ted's Ted. He doesn't often let his softer side show... his refusal to leave, because... ya know, he hadn't finished his beer... it like the perfect little bit.
Our big bad is revealed... and it's Vandal Savage. It's been... yeesh, ten years since I last read this, so I don't recall where this is going... but I'm looking forward to it. Still not sure why he felt the need to spill the beans to Tommy... but, I suppose exposition's gotta be delivered somehow... this was good a way as any!
Overall... this is one of my favorite 2000's DC Comics, and I'd recommend it without reservation. Well worth your time!
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DC Nation (for added time-capsule-ness):
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Action Comics #983 (September, 2017)
"Revenge, Part V"
Writer - Dan Jurgens
Artist - Viktor Bogdanovic
Inker - Jonathan Glapion
Colorist - Mike Spicer
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Associate Editor - Paul Kaminski
Editor - Mike Cotton
Group Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
I know I've said this before but I do so miss the days when half the credits in a comic book weren't for variant cover artists and a platoon of editors. Not sure why that annoys me so much...
Back in the day the books felt as though there were a lot of people working on them, so much happened and the books felt substantial... now, it often feels like just the opposite, and yet "editor city".
Keep in mind, I'm not talking about this book in particular... it's just one of the very few 2017 books I look at on the blog from time to time.
Oh well...
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We open at the Fortress of Solitude where Kelex is pleading with Lois and Jon to vacate the premises. His programming clearly states that they must be protected at all costs. This is starting to become trope-y, it seems we traveling down a similar road in every Superman story since Rebirth. Kelex declares the Fortress a War Zone... and we shift scenes to see the face-off. It's the New-Look Superman Revenge Squad on one-side... and all the folks who wear the "S" on the other. Superman asks Cyborg how he'd manage to regress back into his machine-y form... a transformation Henshaw refers to as an improvement and attributes to the Oblivion Stone. Zod uses this opportunity to address his troops telepathically via Blanque.
He then lunges at Superman, smashing him into a wall... and noting the somewhat blank look in his eyes. It doesn't take him but a second to deduce that, at least for the moment, Superman is blind! The rest of the battlers pair off for some one-on-one action. Supergirl takes on Cyborg, which is appropriate considering her opening Rebirth storyarc. Superwoman is paired with the Eradicator, Kenan faces Blanque, and Steel is up against Metallo. Blanque manages to catch Kenan off guard by speaking to him in Mandarin... then he crushes him under a pillar of ice! Meanwhile, Lois and Jon are led to a cute li'l escape craft.
We rejoin Superman and Zod as they continue to pummel one another. This part is super cool... Zod realizes that without his sight, Superman is relying on his other senses... like using his super-hearing to key onto his heartbeat. Knowing how focused Superman is on paying attention aurally... Zod, get this, screams into his ears! Now, that's an awesome idea!
Superman is suddenly swept away... he and the Flash are, what the hell... feeding a gorilla a Snickers bar? Oh, sorry... poorly placed ad, is all (see below). Actually, after Zod lets lose with his a capella stylings, a silence overtakes the Fortress... and in that silence, Zod can hear... Lois and Jon!
He turns to Superman and informs him that he's not allowed to have them. Then, moments later... the escape craft takes off... and Zod blows it out of the sky. Zod is frickin' ruthless here... I think I'm finally starting to "get" him.
With that riff-raff out of the way, Zod returns his focus to seeking out the Phantom Zone projector. He knew Jor-El well enough that he had a pretty good idea where Kal-El might keep something like that... and it turns out, he's right on the money.
Zod and Cyborg squabble a bit... Cyborg thinks it'll be easy to free the prisoners, which only confirms that he's never been to the Phantom Zone before (just you wait, pal). Before Zod can flip the ol' switch, the Superman Forgiveness Squad arrives to shut the proceedings down. Or, ya know... not. Zod zaps them into the Phantom Zone. Whoops.
Then he sends the Eradicator and Cyborg Superman in as well. Ruthless.
The issue wraps with the super-sevensome floating in the ethereal detention of the Phantom Zone. To be continued... probably.
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For what was basically a fight scene, this was really good. Very engaging and delivered a nice cliffhanger. This is still probably my favorite Rebirth title going.
That's not to say I had no problems with it... because there is something that bugs me. There's this over reliance on putting Lois and Jon in danger that really distracts... and almost feels like it steals pages from the story. I mean, sure... it's his wife and kid, and they should have a place in the book... but, every single issue is Superman protecting his family now.
And I'm not a guy who keeps a tally of how often a "damsel" is put in "distress" or anything, it just feels like we're going to the same well too often... and it's always a sleight of hand type of thing. Let's look at the current/recent Superman arcs... in Superman (vol.4) we've got Black Dawn... in it, Lois "loses a leg". Let's face it, we all knew that wasn't going to be real. Here, in Revenge, Lois gets blown up in a cute li'l space craft... does anybody think that's gonna stick? Not that I want some irreparable harm to befall Lois (or Jon) because I don't, but I'd like there to be a story where that is not at least part of the focus.
I remember when DC revived the second volume of the Flash following Infinite Crisis (and Bart's short-lived title). In it, Mark Waid introduced Wally and Linda's twins Jai and Iris... and, ho boy, every damn issue was focused on them. It was distracting... and all I wanted was a straight-up Flash story. Now, I'm feeling similarly with Superman. Not that I dislike Jon (I did dislike Jai and Iris... greatly), but at this point if DC were to give Superboy an ongoing... he'd have one more solo series than the Man of Steel himself... because as it stands, it's as though Superman has zero.
Ahem... back to the issue.
I feel like I'm finally starting to "get" Zod. He comes across as a master tactician and a grade-A bad ass here. It probably helped matters that we didn't get a super-cute "kneel before" meme thrown in here. But, I gotta say, I really enjoyed his depiction here... and him screaming into Superman's ear? Amazing. I can't say for sure that hasn't happened before, but if I'm recalling correctly, this is the first time I've seen (or noticed...) such a thing. It was a really cool move!
The Phantom Zone brings with it it's lofty and terrifyingly cruel reputation here. I was happy to see Zod describe it as a fate worse than death... because, it totally is. Imagine just floating in nothingness, observing life for millions of years... without any hope of the release of death. That's a horrifying thought!
I am intrigued as to where this story is headed... we've got our Superman Forgiveness Squad... and Cyborg and Eradicator in the ethereal hellspace... all seven of them "wear the S", so I gotta assume that might figure into where this story is headed.
Viktor Bogdanovic provides art, and he's pulls it off quite nicely. I enjoy him on New Super-Man, and think he's got a very nice style. Faces do get "blobby" from time to time, but not so much that it distracts.
I will say... I think these Snickers ads are pretty weird. It's kinda shocking that these are being drawn by top artists... they're almost too good, because it does take a minute to realize that what we're reading isn't part of the story. At least it's not as bad as last time where a Superman/Doomsday battle was interrupted by a Superman/Doomsday Snickers ad. Now, that was confusing...
Overall, despite my complaints about Jon and Lois hanging around, which are just my complaints... I don't expect many/any to agree, I'd say this is definitely an issue and arc worth checking out if you haven't already.
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American Honda Presents DC Comics' Supergirl (1984)
"Supergirl"
Story - Joe Orlando, Barry Marx & Robert Loren Fleming
Dialogue - Andy Helfer
Artist - Angelo Torres
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Joe Orlando
Editor - Barry Marx
Special Consultants - Toni Harrington & Rick Smith
Executive Coordinator - Steve Werner
Adviser - Steve Jacobs
Welcome back to the wonderful world of DC Comics PSAs! After a long hunt, I have finally procured the first (of two) Supergirl traffic safety Public Service Announcements... which (counting the three New Teen Titans Drug Awareness mags) puts us at 80% of the mid-80's PSA push.
This might get bumpy, so buckle up! (har har)
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We open in Southern California where Supergirl is attending to the fallout of an Earthquake. The shifting of the Earth has caused the ground to crack and the roads to buckle... including the bridges and overpasses. As luck would have it, a trucker hauling explosives is barreling across the half-bridge, and is about to take a header into the valley below. Like, he seriously speeds up because the Earthquake set his schedule back! Such dedication! Now, if I were back running a trucking company, this is definitely a dude I'd want working for me. Supergirl uses her heat vision to bend the bridge up so she can pluck this fool driver outta the sky. Unfortunately, this whole mess is cutting into her date time with one Steve Gordon.
Back in Chicago, we meet young Mister Gordon who appears to be working at a fast food joint. He and his coworkers are discussing the film Battle for Neptune, which he loved so much he'd seen it twenty times! Their chat is interrupted by da boss man who informs Steve he's got a phone call. It's Supergirl calling to cancel their date. It's funny, she's actually borrowing a police phone to do so... I wonder if they record those calls, because Supergirl just referred to herself as Linda. Hell, there's an officer standing right next to her when she makes the call! Anyhoo, Steve doesn't take the news well, and decides he'll go to the movies anyway... but he'll take Ellen instead. No, no, he's not being unfaithful... at least I hope he's not, Ellen is his younger sister.
Now, this is where things get serious... which is odd to say, considering we just covered an Earthquake... but, for the purposes of what this issue is trying to do... this is where it begins. Steve and Ellen hop into the car, at which time Steve refuses... downright refuses to buckle his seat belt. Ya see, he's such a better driver without it... and yeah, he actually says that. After all, the theater is less than a mile away.
Well, I'm sure we all know where this is headed. Steve and Ellen head down the road to an intersection. As they pull through a man blows a stop light and t-bones them!
A drunken man ambles out of the other car, and looks at the mess he'd made. He sees that the other car had children in it, and wonders if he stole from them long lives... all because of a few drinks. Looks like we're doing double-duty on the public service announcements here. I wonder if he was wearing his seat belt.
We shift to later on at the hospital. Steve is in a coma, though Ellen appears to be fine... despite somehow smashing her head on the steering wheel... at least I think that's what was being depicted. Maybe she was just grimacing, and her spidey-sense was going off, I dunno. Linda has arrived and she is Super-apologetic... if only she hadn't cancelled their date, Steve would be fine. Well, let's not get crazy there Linda, he'd still not be wearing his safety belt.
Knowing that she is powerless against, well... Steve's coma, she takes off for the Fortress of Solitude to hang out among Superman's collection of exotic critters. She hears the creaking of, either the turn of a giant key or the opening of a giant door and knows that her cousin has just arrived. She heads to him with the news that... she is going to quit being Supergirl!
Ya see, if she wasn't so busy Supergirling, she would have been there to go out with seatbeltless Steve. Superman's all "let's not be silly", after all, even Superfolks can't be everywhere at once. He leads her to a device he'd received from some alien race he'd saved... and just like every other device Superman procures, it's shaped like a piece of furniture you have to sit in (or in this case lay on) to make it work. This will allow him to try to communicate with Steve's mind to inform him that Ellen is okay, hoping that this might stir him from the coma. Supergirl thinks it's a smashing idea... with the caveat that she be the one to be hooked up to the machine. Superman begrudgingly agrees.
And so, Supergirl enters the machine and her mental essence is swept away to... like this strange arctic Mad Max world. Okay. We see Steve, who is referred to as Gord-On here, so maybe he's going to join the Legion of Super-Heroes... and he is tasked with driving a car, basically. He hops in, and is joined by... his sister Ellen, who... you guessed it, implores him to buckle his seat belt. He refuses, fearful that he'd be pinned in the car should the Marauders attack. Supergirl's mental essence is in the backseat trying to convince Steve to buckle up, but he cannot hear her.
When they hit the ice, it's only a matter of time before the Marauders attack. Steve, it turns out, isn't a half bad driver. He is able to outmaneuver most of the baddies and even shake a few off. After a breakaway... their vehicle gets t-boned by a raider, and they are pushed into a hole in the ice.
Okay... I know logic really isn't a thing here, but let's give it a try anyway. Here we've got Steve, who has refused to wear his seat belt... submerged in the freezing cold water. Supergirl is able to save him... a rescue which was likely hastened by the fact that... he wasn't wearing his seat belt! Not sure this was the best example of seat belt safety. Back in the "real" world, Steve's coma worsens... and Supergirl thrashes in the device. An observing Superman knows she was unsuccessful.
We hop back into the coma-world, where we enter a jungle and see Steve (Monterey Gordon here) dressed as though he's going on safari. He is tasked with... driving a car (to deliver a letter for a dying man). He hops in his Jeep where he is joined by... his sister Ellen, who (say it with me) pleads with him to wear his seat belt. He again refuses, claiming that it's safer to be thrown free of an accident. Supergirl's mental essence mythbusts that... which appears to be her purpose for these scenes.
After being jumped by a tiger, the Jeep-load finds themselves under attack by some, I dunno, revolutionaries? As Steve drives into a clearing his Jeep gets (say it with me) t-boned! He goes flying... but Supergirl catches him before he becomes an unsightly stain (as opposed to those sightly ones) on a rock. Again in the real world, Steve's coma worsens and Supergirl thrashes... steee-rike two!
We shift again, this time into a potboiler mystery. We meet Steve Gordon, P.I. who is being tasked with... driving a car to bust up a racket downtown. He hops into his ride, where he is... you know. And she... you knows. This time, however, in order to shut the tot up, Steve buckles his seat belt! Third time's the charm!
And you'll never guess what happens next... unless you've been reading along this far. Yep, they get t-boned... however, this time by the grace of seat belts, everybody is safe! Steve finally comes out of his coma. I say finally, but really... this was like a twenty minute coma.
Our story concludes with Steve being wheeled out of the hospital... can't see if the wheelchair has a seat belt, but I'm hopeful that it does. Linda arrives to inform him that she owes him a movie date, and everything is hunky dory.
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Just like the other mid-80's DC Comics PSAs we've read, this wasn't as bad as it could be. That's not to say it was all that great or anything... but I did enjoy it as a heavy-handed weirdo novelty.
This whole issue is predicated on the concept of mythbusting some arguments against the use of seat belts... and looking at it that way, I suppose it's mostly successful. By going into Steve's "head" time after time Supergirl is afforded the opportunity to take one argument at a time and show their folly. Fair enough. The bits to get there were repetitive and... kinda silly, but whattayagonnado? At the end of the day, this is a superhero seat belt PSA.
I thought it was a bit sudden for Linda to claim retirement after some dude she was going to go on a date with got hurt... seemed a bit out of character, but, again... PSA. We've all seen our share of "very special episodes" where established characters act a bit "severe" or "sudden" to facilitate a plot point... so, no harm, no foul.
As hokey and heavy-handed as this was, I think it's the first Andy Helfer script I've ever read... and it's not half bad. I'm used to seeing his name pop up as editor, so I was interested to check out his dialogue-game. Gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised. The art was pretty nice too... this didn't look like a "fill in", which was nice.
Overall... silly as it was, if you're a fan of DC Comics history, and just weird stuff, you're gonna want this in your collection. I know I'm happy to (finally) have it. Four PSAs down... one to find/go!
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Activities and What-Not:
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