Global Guardians #6 - Red Winter

For the next few weeks, I'm going to be running through the DCU appearances of the Global Guardians post-Crisis and pre-Flashpoint (or at least all the appearances I have) and try to find out where they are now. Or were, pre-Flashpoint.

Following the last couple of posts about the Global Guardians, it should be clear by now that they were closely linked with the Justice League in its various forms.

Their next appearance came in the Red Winter storyline that ran throughout Justice League Europe #54 - #50 although the Guardians themselves has a relatively small part to play in it.

The story begins with the Rocket Reds, Russia's armoured super group, breaking into a Ukranian military facility and stealing parts of the nuclear weapons stored there before flying off. Unable to directly intervene, the JLE are asked to keep an eye on things before they are approached by representatives of Moldova, the small country formerly ruled by the old Green lantern villain, Sonar.

The League split up with Elongated Man and Sue heading to Moldova as they're both considered heroes in that country. Unknown to them, Sonar works from behind the scenes and attacks Ralph, while also having brainwashed Flash, Dr Light and the Rocket Reds. The JL reserves are called in and head to Russia to try and track down the missing members but are stopped by the Rocket Reds. The reserves, in turn, are helped by the arrival of several members of the Justice Society.

Sonar reveals himself to Sue and agrees to cure him if Sue will leave Ralph and become Sonar's wife. Meanwhile, in Russia, the reserves, the League and the Society are attacked by more Rocket Reds and then the brainwashed Flash before he manages to shake free of Sonar's control and get someone to contact the JLA.

Power Girl meets up with Green Lantern while Elongated Man recovers and escapes only to be confronted by Sue confessing her love for Sonar. The JLA head over to Russia while Sonar gathers together a group of villains and heroes to help him including (finally!) the Global Guardians. Why the Guardians would ally themselves with well-known villains is puzzling to say the least, but there they are including Little Mermaid who, as we all saw, died during the Breakdowns story.

It all comes to a head with the JLA arriving in Russia and everyone having a big fight. The Guardians, it seems have been invited by the Russian government to protect them from the invading League; the Guardians, however, don't realise that the Russian government is under the control of Sonar. Crimson Fox manages to sow some seeds of doubt into the Olympian's mind, so much so that he attacks the other Guardians when she is under threat from them.

Flash arrives and manages to convince the rest of the Guardians that the League is in the right, along the way addressing something that would have confused readers of the Guardians' previous appearances: Little Mermaid is alive again!

With just a throwaway line, her death is retconned.

Elongated Man figures out Sue was tricking Sonar, the various Leagues and Societies head to Modora and kick Sonar's behind before everyone goes home happy except for Aquaman who decides to quit. In his place, though, Tasmanian Devil joins up.

This post is, of necessity, light on the Guardians as they don't have much to do. One thing that has always bugged me about the Red Winter story, though, is the inclusion of the JLA, the League reserves and the Justice Society.

For the JLA's issue 50 a couple of years previously they had their own big storyline where they dealt with the return of a *cough* great *cough* hero, General Glory. Here, in JLE, it's as though the European branch can't celebrate their fiftieth issue without a host of guest stars. You have to wonder whether editorial mandated it, which might explain Elongated Man's comments earlier in the story:

Anyhow, more Global Guardians next week, I promise.