Justice League of America #233 - Dec. 1984

Meet the new Justice League!

The Story: "Rebirth: One--"Gang War" by JGerry Conway, Chuck Patton, and Bill Anderson. We open with Vibe, newest member of the new Justice League, about to do something we've never seen a JLAer do before--breakdance!

As Vibe busts a move (several, actually) on the streets of Detroit, he draws a crowd, including two of his fellow JLAers in plainclothes--Zatanna, and Mari McCabe, aka Vixen.

Zatanna remarks how none of the team's former members would ever be caught doing something like this, and marvels at the changes that have taken place.

Their reverie is broken by members of a street gang, led a crowbar-wielding named, well, Crowbar. He smashes a mailbox to get Vibe's attention (hey, that's a Federal crime!), but Vibe tries to calm him down instead of starting a fight.

But when another member of the gang pulls a knife on an old lady, Zatanna and Vixen show up to shut it down. Vibe tries to warn them off, but gets drawn in to the fight when a gun is pulled:

That ends the fight, but Vibe is mad at his teammates, castigating them for getting involved where they don't belong. As the debate rages on, the mysterious girl known as Gypsy watches from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, at the JLA's new HQ, Aquaman, Manhunter, and Dale Gunn are testing Steel to see what the limits of his powers are. When Steel almost collapses under a huge weight he's trying to keep aloft, Aquaman criticizes him for failing. Steel is ashamed, but Dale Gunn tells him off:

Later, Zatanna and Vixen inform the rest of the League about the coming gang war, and then we see that happen, between two gangs--the El Lobos (led by Vibe's big brother) and the Skulls (led by the aforementioned Enemy of the Post Office, Crowbar).

Vibe is caught in the middle, and tries to stop both sides, but gets stabbed in the back for his efforts!

The Justice League arrives, quickly ending the fight. The final blow is dealt to Crowbar's head, delivered by Gypsy, who just as quickly disappears.

Vibe's brother Armando is none too pleased the JLA has gotten involved, and tells them to shove off. Aquaman realizes, while they did save lives, this is somewhat of a battle that isn't their business.

Later, we see Crowbar in his prison cell, when a mysterious ball of energy enters, calling itself The Overmaster. It flashes a light, andd, in an instant, Crowbar is gone. To be continued!

Roll Call: Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man, Zatanna, Vixen, Steel, Vibe

Notable Moments: Patton and Anderson make a nice art team; it kind of seemed like DC was trying out all different kinds of inkers to pair up with Patton. Too bad this and the next were Anderson's only issues.

For the first time in many years, the JLA Mail Room header is changed, reflecting things both and old new:

...cute.

This is obsessive (although isn't this whole blog?), but I'm not listing Gypsy yet as an official member. While she appears on the cover, on the mail room header, and in every issue, she doesn't officially join up until #236.

Fun Fact: Blogger's spell check does not recognize the word "breakdance."