Still Missing, Still Missed

With all the hoo-hah over Superman and Wonder Woman kissing in Justice League #12 this week, DC revealed a top ten list of their favourite super-couples:

There's some obvious ones there - Batman and Catwoman - and some that give me hope for characters we've yet to see in the New 52, specifically Mr Miracle and Big Barda.

But as soon as I read that, one couple instantly sprang to mind and it's a shame not to see them on the list:

You can keep Lois and Clark - Ralph and Sue Dibny were the best couple in the DCU and it'd be nice to have them back.

Who Else Would Wear It?

A good few years ago, before they had their latest falling out, DC and Marvel teamed up and produced a couple of cross-company series and one-shots. Perhaps the best and certainly the longest anticipated was Kurt Busiek and George Perez's JLA/Avengers mini-series.

The story pitted cosmic entities from both universes pitting the heroes against one another before they overcame their differences, teamed up, turned the tables and defeated the bad guys. In the midst of the story, though, they entered a shared reality where both teams had co-existed in their own universes, sharing annual crossovers and adventures which led to this splash page aboard the JLA's satellite:

It's a typical Perez scene, crammed full of lots of characters interacting with each other. Hawkeye and Green Arrow use trick shots to try and best each other; Red Tornado shows Vision and Scarlet Witch pictures of his adopted daughter, Traya; Guy Gardner tries chatting up Moondragon.

Over the years, I've read this series several times but it's only now I've noticed Sue Dibny's T-shirt:

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.

Global Guardians #3 - Our European Cousins

For the next few weeks, I'm going to be running through the DCU appearances of the Global Guardians post-Crisis, pre-Flashpoint (or at least all the appearances I have) and wonder why they never had a title of their own and find out where they are now. Or were, pre-Flashpoint.

After the events shown in last week's instalment, Jack O'Lantern and Owlwoman are seen safely ensconced as part of the Queen Bee's retinue following her usurping of the Bialyan throne. The Justice League, helpless in the face of her overwhelming support from the Bialyan people, leave with their tail between their legs.

Not long after that, Invasion! takes place where various alien races band together with the Dominators to try and take over the Earth. At the end of that, a decision's made to increase the scope of the League's activities and Justice League Europe is created, based in Paris which, you may remember, also houses the Dome, home of the Global Guardians.

Jurgens League #1 - A Spectacular Rebirth

And here we go again, casting our eyes back over an older incarnation of the Justice League, this time from the early 90's when Dan Jurgens was in charge. With that in mind, I had to call this the

JUSTICE LEAGUE SPECTACULAR #1 - written by Dan Jurgens and Gerard Jones with art by Dan Jurgens, Ron Randall, Rick Burchett and Randy Elliott.


JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #61 - #62 - written by Dan Jurgens with art by Dan Jurgens, Rick Burchett and Jackson 'Butch' Guice.

Before we delve into the issues, a quick bit of background as to how we got here. The Giffen / DeMatteis (and Jones) runs on Justice League America and Justice League Europe came to an end with the Breakdowns storyline which saw both branches of the League dissolve after facing various foes. The one-off Justice League Spectacular featured new writers Dan Jurgens, who would take over the American branch, and Gerard Jones who was now writing the European team without Giffen.

Justice League Detroit - No Place Like Home

Over the next few weeks on a Tuesday, I'll be working my way through the Justice League of America titles from 1985 to 1987, trying to work out if the Justice League Detroit era really was as bad as we think it was. Why am I doing this? Why the hell not.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #246 - #250, written by Gerry Conway with art by Luke McDonnell and Bill Wray.

As we come out of the Crisis crossovers seen last week, it's been over a year since the new League was formed. The old guard had handed over to them, they'd started to come together against a powerful old League enemy and had managed to survive the Crisis. True, some readers were still vocal in their dislike but others were supportive.

It seems odd, then, that the first captions of #246 are these:

Conway seems to be admitting the Detroit League are not "the World's Greatest Heroes" and that those old guys might come back; his words could be taken as agreement with those who have been arguing that Vibe, Steel and the others are not worthy to be the JLA. Perhaps after a year of negativity, he's beginning to bow to pressure which might explain the next few issues.

Justice League Detroit - Come Together

Over the next few weeks on a Tuesday, I'll be working my way through the Justice League of America titles from 1985 to 1987, trying to work out if the Justice League Detroit era really was as bad as we think it was. Why am I doing this? Why the hell not.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #241 - 243, written by Gerry Conway with art by George Tuska and Mike Machlan.

This is Slick Jake MacGregor:

He's a prospector in the Canadian Yukon and not a good one, either. A miserable sod who blames everyone in the town of St Jude for his failings, a drunk with a mean heart.

And he's not having a good day:

Justice League Detroit - Rebirth

Over the next few weeks on a Tuesday, I'll be working my way through the Justice League of America titles from 1985 to 1987, trying to work out if the Justice League Detroit era really was as bad as we think it was. Why? Why the hell not.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #233 - #236, Rebirth, Parts 1 to 4, written by Gerry Conway with art by Chuck Patton, Bill Anderson, Mike Machlan and Rick Magyar.

Picture the scene: you're Gerry Conway, you've just relaunched DC Comics' flagship team title in its recent annual and you need a storyline worthy of you're new team, something that will stretch them and prove that they are worthy of being known as the Justice League.

You start your first issue with a one page prologue, showing an ancient disaster, hinting that something or someone was behind the extermination of some of the first complex life forms ever to evolve on Earth billions of years ago. It's not a bad start - a foreshadowing of what's to come.

And then you have your first two-page spread, pages 2 and 3 of issue #233. What are you going to do, how will you introduce your new heroes, the new League?

Justice League Detroit - A New Chapter

The words above come from the end of the review of the first series of Justice League of America in The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide, specifically referring to issues #233 to the final issue #261. That's the era from late 1984 to mid '87 that covered what became known as Justice League Detroit.

I've never hidden my fondness for the Detroit League and with the recent Retroactive posts I've done, coupled with the news about the DC relaunch and both a new Justice League and a Justice League International title, I found myself wondering about that much derided time in the League's history. Has my memory of the stories been clouded by nostalgia or were they a "disaster, creatively" speaking?

Basically, was Justice League Detroit really that bad?

Even though nobody has asked me to, over the next few weeks I'm going to go through the original run of the Detroit League to try and find out.

Retroactive - The 80's Part 3

As DC Comics are celebrating the creators that made an impact in the 70's, 80's and 90's, I thought I'd wander through the same decades and pull out my favourite comic of each year.

Welcome back to the 80's!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #122

You hear that, science? Superman wants you to bring back dinosaurs.

It's Sunday so that means comics!

Who'd Like A Cocktail? #68

Been busy as all heck in work this week so am running well behind on the notes for Blackest Night tie-ins; will get them done as soon as possible, I promise! In the meantime: comics!

• Battlefields: Happy Valley #2 - Garth Ennis continues his war story about a bomber crew and their new pilot but I can't help but think it's all going to end badly.
• Blackest Night: The Flash #2 - a little more emphasis on the Flash this time round rather than the Rogues and I have to wonder whether the new Captain Boomerang can really bring back the old one.
• The Brave And The Bold #31 - another take on the Joker's beginnings, moving away from the "one bad day" to a point where he was apparently always weird. And didn't the Atom think of the irony of walking around the Joker's brains, contemplating on causing a blood clot and killing him? Isn't that basically what his crazy ex-wife Jean Loring did to Sue Dibny?! Pots and kettles, Mr Palmer, pots and kettles!
• Green Lantern Corps #44 - maybe this is why Mogo doesn't socialise!
• Power Girl #8 - so many funny moments in this issue; the "formal evening wear"; "that particular function"; the meal; the "pregno-ray"! Loved the nod to the Adam Hughes women of DC picture as well. Seriously, folks, buy this book - it's one of the best out there at the moment.
• Project Superpowers: Chapter Two #6 - it's all going mental as hero fights hero spurred on by Supremacy infiltrators while the threat of Zeus hangs over them all.
• Starman #81 - nice to see Opal City and the Shade again but, like the other fill in titles, this was all done in one - Black Lantern arrives, battles hero, is defeated.

And what made me smile:

Oh crap - I find myself agreeing with a crazy talking badger scientist. That can't be good . . .