Justice League America #70 (1993)

Justice League America #70 (January, 1993)
"Funeral For a Friend/Grieving"
Words/Layouts - Dan Jurgens
Finishes - Rick Burchett
Letterer - Willie Schubert
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Assistant Editor - Ruben Diaz
Editor - Brian Augustyn
Cover Price: $1.25

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

I was wracking my brain trying to think up an appropriate Thanksgiving-themed review... but came up empty.  It doesn't help that my longboxes are still (mostly) in disarray.  For an actual Thanksgiving-themed discussion and review, check out last year's super-fun JSA #54.

So instead, we're going to discuss an issue that always reminds me of Thanksgiving... likely due to when it hit the stands.

I've told this story before, but these Doomsday-era issues of Justice League were my introduction to the team... and boy was I confused.  These didn't feel like the A-List of the DC Universe... and there was a good reason for that.  It was because of these issues that I decided to eventually start collecting the title, and really kicked off my affection for this "other" Universe of comic book heroes.

Let's check in with them during the "mourning after".

If you're interested, Reggie and I discussed this issue during a recent episode of the Cosmic Treadmill... part of our 25th Anniversary Celebration of The Death of Superman.




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We pick up right where we left off following Superman (vol.2) #75.  Ice and Bloodwynd have arrived just moments too late to help their teammate take down Doomsday.  Ice takes Superman's tattered cape off the post it's been swaying on, and lays it over her fallen comrade.

Meanwhile at the hospital, Booster Gold and Maxima have just gotten word of what has just gone down.  As you might imagine, they're pretty torn up over the whole thing.  Their pity party is interrupted, however, by the arrival of Guy Gardner.  We can see that he's pretty messed up himself by the fact that his bowl haircut has a band-aid on it.  He has a few choice words for Maxima about her would-be Super-mate.

Later, Booster heads into Ted Kord's room where he gets even more bad news.  His bosom buddy is in a coma... and the doctors can't promise that he'll ever come out of it.

Booster, Oberon, and Max exit the room and chat in the hallway.  It's here that we learn that the League isn't just down Superman and Beetle... it's also down Booster!  During the Doomsday Massacre, Booster's costume was shredded beyond repair.  Considering all of his powers derive from the costume, it looks like he's outta luck!

Elsewhere, Fire checks in on Ice... and they cry.

Outside, Flash is running through Metropolis on his way to the hospital.  I'm probably going to be saying this a lot but... where were ya a couple hours ago, Wally?  Anyhoo, he notices that all of the flags in the city are at half-mast... which is a great way to show what a huge deal this is to the universe.

Wally arrives at the hospital and chats up Booster for a bit, when suddenly they're joined by... Aquaman!  So Arthur, where were you while Doomsday was tearing up the United States?

As if that isn't enough, Batman and Robin swoop in next... well, Batman does... it looks like Robin's about to take a header into the concrete.

... followed by Hal Jordan and Hawkman...

... then Starfire, Nightwing, Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, Power Girl, and Elongated Man...

... Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Etrigan the freaking Demon!  Seriously now, where were you people a few hours ago???

Anyhoo... the heroes are greeted by Oberon who proceeds to hand out some (highly-collectible) black armbands.

The assembled heroes slip them on in tribute.

Ollie... being Ollie chides Bloodwynd about the League "crashing down".  Wow dude, bodies aren't even cold yet!  Bloodwynd is adamant that the League will live on... and in the background we can see Black Condor flying by... but that's a story for another time.

Ice decides to pay tribute to her fallen hero by creating a giant ice sculpture in his likeness.  Nearby, Guy Gardner looks on... and with a yellow construct snags an armband for himself out of respect for... well, a fella he didn't always get along with... but appreciated none the less.

We wrap up back in Beetle's room, where Booster is er... keeping him company?  He tells his best pal that he doesn't know what he'll do if one day he has to wear an armband with a beetle on it.

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You can almost feel that chill in the air.

I think many of us can kinda relate to having urgency thrust upon us.  Whether it's for a good reason or bad... we've all gotten that phone call... somebody's in the hospital.  Maybe they suffered a fall... maybe their water just broke.  Regardless, an otherwise normal morning becomes something more.

You bundle the kids and rush out the door.  You see your breath as you unlock the car... you breathe in that strange "too early for me" morning air... and you head out.  In such a big rush... just to sit around and wait.  Maybe a few hours later a familiar face arrives with some coffee... or, in the case of the book, black armbands.

Okay, maybe I should cut it out with the (very specific) analogies and just talk about the book.

This issue hit the stands the very same day as Superman #75... and, lemme tell ya... doing it this way was an awesome idea!  Superman #75, despite being a very definitive ending... was still something of a cliffhanger.  I doubt anyone could read that and not ask "Okay... what happens now?"

Thankfully, comics enthusiasts (and their mothers) were able to grab this issue and find out!

The League... and the hero community at large has taken the hardest hit they'll ever take!  Losing someone like Superman really puts into perspective how fragile they all are... and how dangerous the work they do really is.  That's an idea I wish they went a bit deeper into.

Let's talk absentee heroes.  We joked a bit about this during the podcast... but, c'mon... where was everybody while Doomsday was tearing up the United States?!  I'm sure they knew what was going down... did they just have that much faith that Superman would pull through?  Must've, right?  Otherwise, it makes them the worst friends ever.

Even though this is a Funeral For a Friend tie-in, it's still very much a League-centric story... which I definitely appreciate.  We see that they're down three members... Superman's dead, Beetles in a coma, and Booster is depowered.

The team members all deal with the loss in their own way.  I appreciated the brief scene between Fire and Ice.  Ice has fostered a crush on Superman for awhile by now... and while he never reciprocated, he was always kind and respectful.  I'd definitely imagine that out of the Leaguers, this loss would hit Ice worst of all.

Perhaps an even more powerful scene was Guy Gardner snagging an armband.  He and Superman got along like cats and dogs for the most part, however, at the end of the day... they were teammates and shared a begrudging respect for one another.

Overall... a wonderful issue, and well worth your time.  It's a difficult book to recommend, as if you're reading this blog... you've very likely already read this issue.  Even if that's the case, maybe pick it up again... it's been 25 years, right?  A great "bridge" from The Death of Superman and Funeral For a Friend.

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Letters Page:

 

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Teen Titans #17 (1968)

Teen Titans #17 (September-October, 1968)
"Holy Thimbles, it's the Mad Mod"
Script - Bob Haney
Art - Nick Cardy
Editor - Dick Giordano
Cover Price: $0.12

Now there's a groovy cover, no?

Keeping with our impromptu look at odd-ball villains, let's keep the ball rolling by checking in with one of the odd-est.  Or is that Mod-est?

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We open at Buck House (that's Buckingham Palace for all the squares), where Teen Titans Kid Flash, Wonder Girl and Aqualad are present for the Royal Command Performance.  Wow, these kids have met the Queen of England and President John F. Kennedy!  Anyhoo, as the Royal Sceptre makes an appearance the gang wonders what might be keeping Robin.  Um, it goes without saying that the Sceptre gets stolen, right?

Of course it does!  And the fella behind the swipe is none other than... the Mad Mod!  The Titans leap into action... however, come up embarrassingly short.

As the kids are flat on their backs they think back to exactly how they got into this situation.  Earlier in the day, all four Titans were in their "spacious, gracious" hotel suite overlooking London.  There's a knock at the door, and it's their newly laundered and pressed costumes.  Guess the costumes they were already wearing weren't quite up to snuff for hob-nobbin' with the Queen Mother.  This might sound dumb, but trust me when I say... it's integral to the story.

And so, the Titans have themselves a bit of a wardrobe change... not that any of us would have been able to tell had we not seen this scene.  Wally, Garth and Donna (who they refer to as Double-You Gee here, which takes longer to say than just "Wonder Girl") head off to do some dancing at a discotheque while Robin decides to pursue some culture.  While Robin is getting his culture, he accidentally locks himself inside the Tower of London.  Whoops?

Back in the present, Wally is pursuing the Mad Mod...'s van.  Ya know, I'd figure the Mod would have a more fashionable ride.  That's not really important... what is important, however, is that Wally's having one helluva time keeping up!  It's as though he's lost his connection with the speed force!  And so, he heroically steals a motorcycle and continues his pursuit.

He follows the baddies all the way to a pub called The Chalk Charger.  He overhears that the Mod is planning to hold that "ruddy" sceptre for a king's ransom.  I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

Wally also overhears that the sceptre is stashed in a horse's ear.  That'd be around the time my investigation would have hit the wall... but thankfully Kid Flash is a bit more up on all things English.  I'm about to let my lack of culture and worldliness show, but I guess there are giant chalk figures carved into hills over there!  Whodathunkit?  Well, probably most people who aren't me.  Anyhoo, one happens to be a... horse!

And so, Wally heads out toward Westbury, and tries his hunch... and wouldn'tcha know it, he finds the sceptre!  Unfortunately, the Mod and Company arrive just in time to bonk him on the head and steal it right back.

Next, we join Wonder Girl and Aqualaddio in a helicopter over Loch Ness.  I probably don't need to even say what's eventually going to happen here, right?  We'll get there... I promise.  First, however, we need to get Garth in the water.  After seeing a strange craft submerge, our Aqualad dives in to see what's up.  What he finds is... the Mad Mod planting the sceptre in an undersea jug.

Garth grabs it, but doesn't get far before the Mod snags him in a net.  He's then taken to an old tower... where he's hung (by his wrists).  The Mod somehow seems to know that Aqualad can't be out of the water for over an hour.  Not sure why they didn't just, I dunno... kill him?  Guess that's why I'm not a supervillain.  Anyhoo... the Mod leaves, Garth uses his marine-life-communication hoo-doo... and suddenly, say it with me: The Loch Ness Monster!

With Garth saved by the friendly beast, we now join Wonder Chick as she literally watches the Mad Mod place the sceptre under Stonehenge.  She waits for him to leave... then fetches it for herself, though... has one heckuva time hoisting that rock.

Oddly, Donna's feat of strength was witnessed by some local Druid's (?), who mistake her for their Goddess.  They hoist her in the air and begin to chant.  It's this ruckus that grabs the attention of the still-not-yet-fled Mad Mod.

The Mod rushes into the fray... and hits Donna with his, er... thimble fingers (first I saw them, I thought they were salt and pepper shakers!)?!  Having successfully reclaimed the loot, the baddies hop back into the van, and proceed to barrel through the mob of Druids!

The Titans then reconnoiter at a country crossroads to discuss their next move.  They spy a sign posted to a... er, post... advertising the Ungrotty Grotto... which just so happened to be what was written on the side of the Mod's van.  The kids know they're Cornwall-bound!

Along the way... Donna decides to change costumes, because why not?  Hopefully the boys gave her some privacy... though, it is a rather small helicopter.  The boys also change into their spare costumes and realize that... their powers are returning!  Looks like the Mad Mod must've gimmicked their gear! 

We rejoin the Titans (and the Mod) not just in Cornwall... but, haunted Cornwall.  The teens witness the Mod dropping a man attached to a ball and chain into the water.  A repowered Garth dives in to make the save... unfortunately before he can reach the body, a Killer Whale swoops in and gobbles the poor feller up.

Meanwhile, at the Mod Cave... Wally and Donna arrive to face off with the odd villain, who is rather displeased to see that they've regained their powers.  While Kid Flash beats up his goons, the Mod attempts to make an escape.  Wonder Girl gives chase, and winds up taking a rock to the side of her head for her troubles!

As the Mod flees though a maze of grottos, Aqualad finally catches up to the Killer Whale... and forces crushed pepper pods into its blowhole.  I dunno, that seems pretty mean, right?  Anyhoo, turns out (shocker) the body that was dropped was just a dummy.  Inside the dummy, however, is the Royal Sceptre!

We rejoin the Mod in a grotto that is rapidly filling with water.  Seems our fashion maven has forgotten what time the tides roll in.  Luckily, Garth is still in the area... and he swims in for the save.

The Titans return the Sceptre to the Queen before returning to their suite, where they find... Robin.  He reveals he's been locked in the Tower of London for an entire day, wonk wonk wonkkkkkk.

We close out with the Titans debating telling Dick what really happened during the Command Performance.

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So... the Mad Mod, eh?

It's weird... as much as my head is telling me that I didn't really dig this, I can't help but sit here with a dopey smile on my face thinking about it.  This was just so silly... and, ya know... kinda dumb, but it was just what the doctor ordered.

Sometimes we (or at least, I) just need a silly superhero story, where one thing leads neatly to the next, and at the end of the day... everything is a-ok.

The Mod as a villain... well, he's about as effective as his name would suggest.  But he's fun!  This is a character that couldn't work outside of this time period.  We saw him briefly pop up during the relatively-recent Titans Hunt (2015-16) miniseries... and boy howdy, did his Millennial makeover give me the dry-heaves!  Talk about a most punchable face for all the wrong reasons.

I think it was wise taking Robin off the table for this story... it's not like a starched costume would make him less analytical, right?  Then again, he did get himself locked in a dungeon overnight.  Maybe that's what they mean by "tourist trap"?

I'm not completely sold on Bob Haney's "three-act play" format.  Many (perhaps all) of his Titan's stories have three parts... and it gives the issue a sort of disjointed feel.  It facilitates "hopping around" in location, time, and character... but, really takes me out of the story.  We go from a panel with Wally getting bonked on the head immediately to a panel with Aqualad and Wonder Chick in a helicopter over Loch Ness.  It's a bit jarring.  Perhaps if I read more any (non-comic) books, I'd appreciate this a bit more.

Overall, not a bad issue at all and I'd say most comics enthusiasts would definitely get a kick out of it!  I think this is the last we see of the Mod until the mid-1990's too!  This issue has been collected a couple of different ways, including the super-affordable SHOWCASE Presents: Teen Titans, Volume One.  It is also available digitally.

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(A contentious) Letters Page:

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Superman #350 (1980)

Superman #350 (August, 1980)
"Clark Kent's Vanishing Classmates!"
Writer - Gerry Conway
Penciller - Curt Swan
Inker - Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer - Ben Oda
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.40

Over the past couple of days we met a troubled young man called The Crumbler!  I was planning on covering his third (of four) appearance today, however, gentle reader... I didn't know it we could handle it!

Well, actually... his final two appearances are a two-part story, of which I only have one.  No worries though, we'll eventually finish him up, and in so doing, become the internet's primary resource for all things Crumbler!

In the meantime... let's check in on Clark Kent and Lana Lang as they attends their Class Reunion.

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It's the Metropolis University Class Reunion, and right out of the gate Superman's got to save a life.  Old classmate Art Borley's "Welcoming Balloon" looks to have been made with some shoddy craftsmanship.  Superman swoops in, and proves that he's the B.M.O.C. (that's Big Man on Campus, thanks Mr. Editor!) of a school that he, for as far as anyone knows, never attended!

After making the save, Superman pops into a storm drain so he can "Kent down", arriving just in time to catch an old tormentor named Steve Power talking some spoo.  Clark walks Lana away from the blowhard goofball... and so, the doof tries to... German suplex him?!  It doesn't go so well, and Steve-O winds up throwing out his back.

That's not vulgar at all... right?

This, of course, makes Lana suspicious.  Clark is able to side-step her query by claiming to have slid his foot under a big ol' root.  Lana's convinced... but still has her doubts.  Having pulled a fast one, Clark takes the opportunity to wink at nobody in particular.

Later on, the main event of the reunion goes down.  A speech by the honoree... a boring old Professor named Lemuel B. Tolkien.  He starts rambling, and suddenly nine of Clark's classmates... vanish!

Everybody starts freaking out, and Clark needs to figure out a creative way to duck out and "Supe up".  His plan is silly, but simple.  He uses his heat-vision to cut a hole in the stage... then falling through it!  Lana, bless her, thinks it's just a faulty trapdoor the drama club used.

Superman flies out, and does a super-scan of the school.  He spies a heat signature on the left side of the stage (stage left, ee-ven).  He realizes that it belongs to the nine missing alumni.  And so, he heads back into the auditorium... and claps his hands.  Somehow that returns them to the proper "plane of reality".  Everything's cool... for now.

Two weeks later, Lois Lane laments the fact that Clark Kent will be returning to the Daily Planet in a part-time role.  She's worried that their competition will resume.  Her worrying is interrupted by the arrival of her date... Superman!

Lana's annoyed that Superman never looks at her the way he does Lois.  She doesn't allow herself to worry for long though, she's got some work to do.  Turns out ol' Professor Whatshisface is delivering another speech... this time at the Metro Science Center.  He's there to disprove Albert Einstein by showing off his new invention... the Genesis Machine.  Holy smokes... Blast processing!  16-bit graphics!  It totally does what Nintendon't!  Okay, okay, it's just a little black box... which is somehow linked to the minds of the nine students who vanished during the reunion.  Now here's where it gets weird... and dumb.  In Art Borley's office (he was the guy with the hot-air balloon, remember?) a file cabinet vanishes.  At that very moment, a television set appears at the Science Center.  What the huh?

From here, Tolkien keeps making things vanish... and appear in front of him as something else.  This has got to be the stupidest thing ever... like seriously, what is this?

The next thing to vanish?  A forty-story office building.  Something so big that it causes Superman to stop making out with Lois!

... and as usual, Lois is the last to know.

Superman arrives on the scene and removes his cape to use as a sort of trampoline to catch falling office drones.  Among those worker-bees is... Art Borley.

What he doesn't realize is... the eight (non-Art) vanished alumni have converged into this strange energy beast.  We wrap up back at the Science Center, where Old Man Tolkien is concerned that something might be wrong with his dime store Cosmic Cube.

--

Well, that was a weird "milestone" issue, wasn't it?  Hardly even felt like one!  Still fun enough, though!

Clark and Lana attending their class reunion is a decent enough framing device... and facilitates the introduction of Professor Tolkien and his ridiculous black box.

Now, Tolkien's black box.  I felt like I was missing something there... I mean, it affects Clark's classmates... then causes Art's filing cabinet to become a television set?!  So ridiculous.

I think I'd have preferred it if this issue paid was more centered on the class reunion, and maybe left the sci-fi goofiness out.  I think dealing with the characters... seeing how they receive Clark (and vice versa) would have been far more interesting than what we actually get.  But, then again, this was written in a very different time... can't really hold anything against it.

Overall... decent enough story.  I'd say if you're not a Superman competist, you can safely skip it and not miss all that much.

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Letters Page (featuring Mark Lagasse... again!):

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