JLA#99: don't bother

[kingandy]

Bah. Just read the last installment of this "Tenth Circle" travesty, and it really is an apallingly transparent launching vehicle for the Doom Patrol. The story ends, and then we follow the DP for two more pages, with no purpose other than to set up a cliffhanger to lead into DP#1. (Which in itself may be ill-concieved. I can see that they're looking to draw readership over from the JLA, but really, how many non-JLA readers are they going to alienate by beginning the new series on a cliffhanger?) I was right, it looks like the Doom Patrol have co-opted Faith - upon emerging from the room marked "Current Writer Not Interested" with Manitou Raven, she elected to go with them to train the new recruits in their abilities. It's sort of nice, as it means she'll at least be written by somebody who's actually interested in developing her rather than saddled with her by the previous creative team, but it made little sense for the DP (rushing off to see the cliffhanger) to tell her to wait in the copter with the other rookies. She's military trained, and above that she's Justice League. Maybe they wanted her to protect the noobs. Oh well.

In fact, throughout, dialogue was again shaky and incomplete and (as near as I can tell) several people exposited things they had no way of knowing. One black guy said "Homes", which I'm pretty sure is poorly-researched street-slang. In Priest books it was always "Holmes", referencing Sherlock, rather than homeboy or whatever. One of them's obviously wrong, and until I see evidence otherwise I'm going to side with the brother (Priest).

Next issue - the big #100 - sees Mahnke and Nguyen return for a special landmark milestone celebratory issue ... in order to launch their own spin-off title, Justice League Elite. Bah. Am becoming extremely jaded with comics industry. If Claremont and Byrne return after #100, I will most certainly cancel my subscription. That'll leave me with Teen Titans, JSA and the Legion. Oh, and Green Lantern ... though, you know, with Kyle on the way out I'm not so sure about that any more.

I think I need more Peter David in my life. Oh look! It's a New Frontier novel, courtesy batelf. Off to read. Laters.

Comments

[wulfboy.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Spinoff launching, JLA to rival X-Men for foolish corona titles?

It's okay to look back. Just don't stare.

[kingandy]

I really do wish them the bestest of luck with that. They gave it a go back in the 90's, with Justice League Task Force, Extreme Justice and Justice Leage Europe/International, but had to pull everything back in the mid ... early ... um ... it was not so long after Underworld Unleashed, which would place it at around ... maybe 98/99? 2000? Anyway. It was mostly due to poor sales, though ironically I think the orbital titles - certainly Task Force, for which sales were fine, according to writer Christopher Priest - were doing better than the core JLA title. Which is a shame, it was a nicely written run by Gerard Jones which shaped a lot of my opinions regarding putting people in boxes and also gave me one of my favourite quotes (see subject).

Although I suppose scoring the spinoff contest depends on whether you count the characters who already had their own titles (Superman, Batman etc) as "JLA Corona" ... they're certainly not spinoffs, like Gambit or Wolverine, but are clearly related.

I just hope they're none of them written by Chris Claremont.

[bacony.livejournal.com]

Green Lantern has not been worth it for ages. It has been good only because it was wish fulfilment with pert asses.

I will not sulk if you drop either or both. JLA sucks the worst of any comic I have ever read right now.

Including the odd ones from the back of Transformers...

[blue-room.livejournal.com]

Mark W: Ah superhero comics, I hear they can be quite good, I've always been spoiled by reading the Authority, The Ultimates and Grant Morrisons X-men run. I read the JLA/Avengers crossover and was left cold, trad men in tights doesn't do anything for me. ho hum.

But has anyone read issue 12 of Global Frequence, it rocketh. They have to try and save the entire world this time from a rogue US death satellite. Art is good and very Global Frequency, you'll understand when you read it...

Do you read Fables, it's got quite good, quietly to its self, this issue was the climax of the invasion of the wooden men (gepetto was capture during the war and has been churning them out for the 'Adversary').

Also Strangehaven, continues to be well strange, it's all about a dead WWII fighter pilot crashlanding near this Twin Peaks of deepest Cheshire and meeting his 80 year olf wife. Very nice but I want more stuff about the mystery, why the main chaacter can't leave 'The Village', who the dead woman in the fish tank is and if Bob really is an Alien or just mad.

It's very good btw.

Hmmm should prbably put this in my own weblog :)

[kingandy]

I think I may have missed GF #12. If I read it (batelf's copy, again), I have forgotten.

I loved JLA/Avengers for the most part, since it managed to remain true to both universes without actually being distracted by homages to the past or whatever.

I have no read any of the others, sorry...

[blue-room.livejournal.com]

Mark W: GF 12 I think came out yesterday. So it's not too late young padawan :)

[ed-fortune.livejournal.com]

I've virtual;ly given up on buying indivual comics, and I now get the collected books.

Runaway's, Marvel's new 'teen titan' thang, is quite good, by the way. Oh, and DC have signed a deal with 2000AD. It's seems Tharg has to produce numerous collected works for DC, in exchange, DC distribute the 2000AD Anthology across the USA.

[arwel.livejournal.com]

Does anyone remember the short lived DC version of Judge Dredd they released in the early 90s? I'm sure it wasn't a dream.

[kingandy]

Hmm ... I know there was a Dredd/Batman crossover or two, but I don't think DC ever actually owned the character.

Oh, wait, let's see what Google says...

Toonopedia:

DC Comics licensed the character in 1994, and published American-made Dredd stories for the next two years, while at the same time running a reprint series. In oneshots and mini-series coming out between 1991 and '99, Dredd has done crossovers with Batman. He's also crossed over with DC's Lobo (1995) and Dark Horse Comics' licensed version of 20th Century Fox's Predator (1997).

So, yeah.

[kingandy]

Heh, those links don't work because they're relative. They work on the linked Toonopedia page though.