I've had dreams like this, except the JLAers were happy.The Story: "T.O.Morrow Kills the Justice League--Today!" by Gardner Fox, Dick Dillin, and Sid Greene. Part Two of yesterday's JLA/JSA team-up, it opens with some of the JLA's spouses(Jean Loring, Hawkgirl, Mera, etc.) showing up and planting big wet ones on their partners, which renders the heroes immobile!
Turns out they were anti-matter duplicates made by Morrow in an attempt to get to the other members, where Morrows uses his futuristic abilities to make elements of the JLA Souvenir Room come alive and attack them!
Eventually, its Red Tornado who finds a way to defeat T.O.Morrow, just as his supercomputer predicted might happen!
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman
Notable Moments: In an attempt to rescue the immobile JLAers, Red Tornado calls on the real better halves, figuring a real kiss would undo what the anti-matter kiss did:
...lordy, what a weird panel. Wonder Woman looks totally bored, Red Tornado staring, and the odd, fan-fic-esque feeling you get watching Jean Loring kiss a tiny Ray. *shudder*The bigger news is that this is Gardner Fox's last issue as writer of the Justice League. Obviously, change was in the air, since longtime artist Mike Sekowsky left just two issues earlier.
As good and enjoyable as it was, Fox's "Monster of the Month" style, filled with mostly interchangable heroes, was starting to look old hat in the age of Marvel and it's very specifically characterized heroes. And we'd see that in the JLA, but soon!
Ahh, you know, I've always heard of this two-parter, but it's cool to actually see a more in-depth review of it! I wish I had the archive with this in it, as I'd really like to read it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the "characterization" of the DC heroes was, from what I hear, unfortunately a quirk-ization.
Ah, another one of my all-time favorite issues. It had SO much going for it---and was another one of my earliest back issues. I'm a sucker for issues with most/all of the members; even if the story is kind of stupid, it gets high points from me. And Dick Dillin really did a terrific job on all the characters. Sid Greene inked him well, IMO. Was it because Red Tornado was created by Gardner Fox in this story that Len Wein decided that he (Red) deserved to be in the JLA? I wonder....
ReplyDeleteIf only Reddy could have been dropped somewhere a little farther down the line, he would get to see a little thing called "bonkers," compliments or sweet Jean, and he wouldn't be worrying about that crazy little thing called love.
ReplyDeleteHe'd be making sure to stay as far the hell away from it as he could.
Fun issue though, I thought. One that will always stand out in my mind, if for nothing else then for Ray's little tomb space there. As a kid I always feared the Atom would soon get the shaft because they had to do separate work to make smaller versions of things for him and such.
What a silly kid.
Of course he'd get the shaft for other b.s.
I was wondering about Starro in this issue. Was he like in one panel or one page or what. I am really interested in Starro and can't find any information.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Werehawk--I don't believe Starro in this issue at all!
ReplyDeleteOriginally, I saw Starro listed on comicvine, then I saw this http://www.flickr.com/photos/25613538@N00/1114346037/
ReplyDeleteand from the synopsis I read somewhere it said TO Morrow activated a bunch of JLA weapons/villains. But it must not have been significant I guess. Thanks.