Justice League Adventures #2 Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES #2

http://comics.toonzone.net/jla/covers/t-02.jpg (http://comics.toonzone.net/jla/covers/02.jpg)

Written by Paul Storrie; art by Craig Rousseau and Wayne Faucher; cover by John Delaney

In stores December 12. A DC FULL COVERAGE! entry-point issue! The comic based on the brand new Cartoon Network show continues as the Justice League must find a way to defeat a strange magical cult that is targeting the treasures of museums around the world. To succeed, the League needs the Martian Manhunter, but is he too torn by his feelings of alienation from his new teammates to help?

Comments?

[Supermon]

Ku, better? No way!

Rousseau's art is way more loyal to the series and just looks better in my opinion. I thought the art was perfect and I put in my vote to make Rousseau the full time penciller.

As for the story, I was not at all impressed. Just another evil magic versus Superheros story to add to the worthless stack.

Some boring woman with a mask finds all this secret power by studying about the Gods. Whatever.
There are also quite a few plot holes as the story skips between the different members of the League.

Aside from the art the best part of the issue comes on the letters page when the editor mentions that in an upcoming issue they are going to, "throw dozens of super-villans at the League in one big adventure." Sounds cool. Better than aliens and magic crud anyway.

[Trent Lane]

Another great story from Storrie! It's cool that it showed J'onn as sort of the leader, seeing as he's the one who brought them together in "Secret Origins", very nice continuity fit there. The art was as always awesome whn done by Rousseau. And this was way better than any of the magic stories that have graced the pages of Superman Adventures, so congrats on another hit, Paul!

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Superman
As for the story, I was not at all impressed. Just another evil magic versus Superheros story to add to the worthless stack.

Some boring woman with a mask finds all this secret power by studying about the Gods. Whatever.
There are also quite a few plot holes as the story skips between the different members of the League.

Supes,

Sorry that the story didn't work for you.

If you'd care to elaborate, what are the "plot holes" you mention?

PDS


Originally posted by flhero311
Another great story from Storrie! It's cool that it showed J'onn as sort of the leader, seeing as he's the one who brought them together in "Secret Origins", very nice continuity fit there. The art was as always awesome whn done by Rousseau. And this was way better than any of the magic stories that have graced the pages of Superman Adventures, so congrats on another hit, Paul!

Thanks, FL.

One of the things that the regular JLA book has brought out over the years is that J'onn, while perhaps not the leader of the League, is definitely its heart and core. I think that the Cartoon Network show has stuck to that idea and I tried to bring it out here.

PDS

[Trent Lane]

It was very well done. J'onn's now one of my favorite characters, so it was cool to see him step up and get the League to stop their petty arguments. And the line on the last page "Thanks for bringing us, J'onn. I think we might be enjoying this as much as the kids... Even Batman." very cool...

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by flhero311
It was very well done. J'onn's now one of my favorite characters, so it was cool to see him step up and get the League to stop their petty arguments. And the line on the last page "Thanks for bringing us, J'onn. I think we might be enjoying this as much as the kids... Even Batman." very cool...

FL,

Did you happen to read the recent DCU Martian Manhunter series? I thought that John Ostrander did some really interesting stuff there, fleshing out the concept of what Martian society is like and just how alien J'onn is in some respects.

PDS

[John Delaney]

I just finished reading Justice League Adventures#2 and I gotta say I thought it was great! Paul Storrie did an excellent job on the script, I especially liked how the story jumped from location to location like a movie(or an animated episode, if you will). Paul really let the reader "discover" the villian the way the heroes did. I also loved the J'onn J'onzz reflection in the glass when John Jones was looking in on the kids & Craig Rousseau's drawing of the Flash taking off his boots made me laugh out loud. I was proud indeed to have my cover on such an entertaining issue.
Way to go guys!

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by John Delaney
I just finished reading Justice League Adventures#2 and I gotta say I thought it was great! Paul Storrie did an excellent job on the script, I especially liked how the story jumped from location to location like a movie(or an animated episode, if you will). Paul really let the reader "discover" the villian the way the heroes did. I also loved the J'onn J'onzz reflection in the glass when John Jones was looking in on the kids & Craig Rousseau's drawing of the Flash taking off his boots made me laugh out loud. I was proud indeed to have my cover on such an entertaining issue.
Way to go guys!

Thanks for the kind words, John!

Let me tell you, I was pretty darn pleased to have such a cool cover on my issue of JL Adv. Very nice work indeed. Between you and Darwyn Cooke I've had great luck with my cover artists for the Animated Series books I've written.

I have to agree with your comments about Craig's work. He really did another terrific job bringing my script to life.

PDS

[John Delaney]

Originally posted by PDStorrie


Thanks for the kind words, John!

Let me tell you, I was pretty darn pleased to have such a cool cover on my issue of JL Adv. Very nice work indeed. Between you and Darwyn Cooke I've had great luck with my cover artists for the Animated Series books I've written.

I have to agree with your comments about Craig's work. He really did another terrific job bringing my script to life.

PDS
Hey Paul
T'warn't nuthin, you guys deserve it. By the way to be mentioned in the same senrence with the uber-talented Darwyn Cooke is high praise indeed. I sincerly thank you & hope you and I can work on something in the future.
Cheers!

[Trent Lane]

Originally posted by PDStorrie


FL,

Did you happen to read the recent DCU Martian Manhunter series? I thought that John Ostrander did some really interesting stuff there, fleshing out the concept of what Martian society is like and just how alien J'onn is in some respects.

PDS

I'll have to keep an eye out for that, sounds intresting. And BTW, it's cool to see TWO guys involved with this issue on this thread, that's pretty awesome. John, you're doing issue #3, right?....

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by John Delaney

Hey Paul
T'warn't nuthin, you guys deserve it. By the way to be mentioned in the same senrence with the uber-talented Darwyn Cooke is high praise indeed. I sincerly thank you & hope you and I can work on something in the future.
Cheers!

I look forward to it!

PDS


Originally posted by flhero311


I'll have to keep an eye out for that, sounds intresting. And BTW, it's cool to see TWO guys involved with this issue on this thread, that's pretty awesome. John, you're doing issue #3, right?....

FL,

Sadly, Martian Manhunter only lasted 36 issues. All were written by John (or should that be J'onn) Ostrander and most were illustrated by the hyper-talented Tom Mandrake. The last was drawn by my good pal and soon-to-be collaborator (on Lone Star's Night & Day) Jamal Igle. Good stuff. Check out the back issue bins!

PDS

[Joker85]

Wow! It's great to have you on the boards Storrie!! I loved issue 2. It was definitely an improvement over the first. Plus, aside from Batman, J'onn is my favorite character and I was glad to see the comic focused on him. I didn't know he had a series in mainstream! I would love to find backissues of this!! You said there were only 36 issues?

[Bird Boy]

this is out already?!?!? I just found issue #1 today! Geesh...now I gotta hunt this one down!!

(don't worry..once I get the comic, I'll edit this message w/ my 'review' .. :) )

-BB

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Joker85
Wow! It's great to have you on the boards Storrie!! I loved issue 2. It was definitely an improvement over the first. Plus, aside from Batman, J'onn is my favorite character and I was glad to see the comic focused on him. I didn't know he had a series in mainstream! I would love to find backissues of this!! You said there were only 36 issues?

Joker,

Glad you enjoyed JL Adv. #2.

Yup, 36 issues of Martian Manhunter. That's three years worth, which is a pretty respectable run. It just wrapped up a few months ago, so you should be able to find back issues without too much trouble.

PDS


Originally posted by Bird_Boy
this is out already?!?!? I just found issue #1 today! Geesh...now I gotta hunt this one down!!

(don't worry..once I get the comic, I'll edit this message w/ my 'review' .. :) )

-BB

BB,

Well, I tried to warn you guys that it was coming up! Good luck tracking it down. Look forward to your comments once you do.

PDS

[John Delaney]

Originally posted by flhero311


I'll have to keep an eye out for that, sounds intresting. And BTW, it's cool to see TWO guys involved with this issue on this thread, that's pretty awesome. John, you're doing issue #3, right?....
Hey flhero!
You bet! #3 is pencilled by me(both cover and interior) and inked by Randy Elliot. It was written by Fabian Nicieza, great guy and great writer. This was a very cool story to work on I hope you and everyone enjoy it as much as I did working on it. Big fights! Big action! I went for a real widescreen look to try and capture the letterbox feel of the show. I hope everyone will let me know what they think. January 9th is the day!
P.S. I also have an issue of FUTURAMA( #7) I did for Bongo comics coming out in January, check it out!

[The Flash]

Shameless plug!! :D Just kiddin, John. It's great to see you two guys here! ;)

[John Delaney]

Originally posted by The Flash
Shameless plug!! :D Just kiddin, John. It's great to see you two guys here! ;)
Hey Flash
No you're right, it was shameless but hey a guy has got to get the word out one way or another! :D I think these forums are so great that way, it gives those of us working in the industry a direct line to what those who are reading the books are thinking, and that can never be a bad thing.
Cheers Mr.West!

[The Flash]

I understand. It was my way of saying welcome to the boards. http://community.sierra.com/Images/emoticons/wavey.gif ........and you're right, they do rock! :)

[Maxie Zeus]

Sigh.

Must get out of this two-bit burg and into Syracuse while this absurdly snow-free weather lasts. Otherwise I'll never find a copy.

:mad:

[Samhaine]

I just finished reading it, and while I enjoyed it, I'm thinking it may need to go the route of the show: cut out 1 or two of the characters to give a better focus on the characters that are in the book.

The art was great. I can't say anything bad about it. The depiction of MM and Batman were great, and Supes was really good too!

I thought the story worked. Although, I felt that the two panels of the team bickering with each other was out of place. It just didn't feel natural, especially the way that they "sounded" to me. Surely, Batman and GL wouldn't start whining like that. And Batman out in the daylight, visiting the hospital, also didn't feel right.

Other than those minor gripes, I really like how MM was played. I like that he made up John Jones here, how he was doing a little detective work on his own here. Made for some great scenes.

Oh, Bird_boy and anyone else looking for the MM mainstream comic: it was 36 issues, plus a 0 issue and a 1,000,000 issue. Just so you know. The few issues I picked up (money was never loose enough for this, expect in the 50% bin) were really good. Especially #24, an issue based during the JLI years (and pertaining to J'onn's Oreo addiction). It was too funny!

[Clayface]

bloodone pretty much summed up everything I wanted to say about this issue. A few minor gripes including the bickering between the team members and Batman out in the daytime like that, but overall a much better issue than #1.

[Trent Lane]

Originally posted by John Delaney

Hey flhero!
You bet! #3 is pencilled by me(both cover and interior) and inked by Randy Elliot. It was written by Fabian Nicieza, great guy and great writer. This was a very cool story to work on I hope you and everyone enjoy it as much as I did working on it. Big fights! Big action! I went for a real widescreen look to try and capture the letterbox feel of the show. I hope everyone will let me know what they think. January 9th is the day!
P.S. I also have an issue of FUTURAMA( #7) I did for Bongo comics coming out in January, check it out!

I'm looking forward to issue 3 as well, I really liked the work you did on the ADCU series, that was some really underated stuff. I didn't start picking them up from the begining, but issue 12's cover got me hooked....

[Supermon]

Originally posted by PDStorrie


Supes,

Sorry that the story didn't work for you.

If you'd care to elaborate, what are the "plot holes" you mention?

PDS

P

Taking another look at it, the term "plot holes" isn't really the right way to put what I was saying.

One example of something I didn't get occurs near the beginning of the ish, when one second these sorceress women are so dangerous but the next, Mr. No-powers, Batman just walks up and takes their sticks away. I just didn't buy that.

Overall this run of the mill magic story was much better than #1s run of the mill alien story. I hate to put down Ty the Guy, but wow that blew.

I do have a question for you Mr. Storrie.
Do you guys, as writers, have a lot of rules and standards that you have to stay within on your stories since most of the episodes have yet to air????

Oh, and thanks a lot for letting GL create that chainsaw and that cage! The show is still yet to give us anything but shields and laser beams so that was awesome.

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by bloodone
I just finished reading it, and while I enjoyed it, I'm thinking it may need to go the route of the show: cut out 1 or two of the characters to give a better focus on the characters that are in the book.

The art was great. I can't say anything bad about it. The depiction of MM and Batman were great, and Supes was really good too!

I thought the story worked. Although, I felt that the two panels of the team bickering with each other was out of place. It just didn't feel natural, especially the way that they "sounded" to me. Surely, Batman and GL wouldn't start whining like that. And Batman out in the daylight, visiting the hospital, also didn't feel right.

Other than those minor gripes, I really like how MM was played. I like that he made up John Jones here, how he was doing a little detective work on his own here. Made for some great scenes.

Oh, Bird_boy and anyone else looking for the MM mainstream comic: it was 36 issues, plus a 0 issue and a 1,000,000 issue. Just so you know. The few issues I picked up (money was never loose enough for this, expect in the 50% bin) were really good. Especially #24, an issue based during the JLI years (and pertaining to J'onn's Oreo addiction). It was too funny!

Bloodone,

Thanks for providing the additional info on the Martian Manhunter series. I'd forgotten about the 0 and 1,000,000 issues.

I can certainly understand the gripes you mention but I think that the bickering works in the context of the way the show portrays the relationships withing the League. Likewise with Batman and GL -- they certainly seem willing to lecture their teammates (and make sarcastic remarks) in the show itself. Like the end of Secret Origins where Batman says, "I'll be around when you need help. And you WILL need help."


As for Batman being out and about in the daytime, that seems to be something that happens in the various cartoon shows more often than it does in the regular DCU these days.

Not saying your gripes aren't valid, just that those bits didn't happen without my giving them some thought.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed the issue despite the gripes.

PDS


Originally posted by Clayface
bloodone pretty much summed up everything I wanted to say about this issue. A few minor gripes including the bickering between the team members and Batman out in the daytime like that, but overall a much better issue than #1.

Clayface,

Glad you were able to enjoy it despite the gripes.

PDS


Originally posted by Superman


P

Taking another look at it, the term "plot holes" isn't really the right way to put what I was saying.

One example of something I didn't get occurs near the beginning of the ish, when one second these sorceress women are so dangerous but the next, Mr. No-powers, Batman just walks up and takes their sticks away. I just didn't buy that.

Overall this run of the mill magic story was much better than #1s run of the mill alien story. I hate to put down Ty the Guy, but wow that blew.

I do have a question for you Mr. Storrie.
Do you guys, as writers, have a lot of rules and standards that you have to stay within on your stories since most of the episodes have yet to air????

Oh, and thanks a lot for letting GL create that chainsaw and that cage! The show is still yet to give us anything but shields and laser beams so that was awesome.

Supes,

I guess I can see what you're saying, although the point you mentioned was addressed somewhat in the story itself. As was pointed out, the acolytes weren't all that powerful except for their staffs and the spells. Essentially, Batman, being Batman, was able to outfight them and snatch away the staffs.

As for "rules and standards" we're pretty much allowed to do whatever the editor(s) let us. I expect Dan and Steve are a bit more plugged in to what's happening with the show so they can keep us from covering the same ground.

Credit where credit is due -- I think that the chainsaw was entirely Craig. If I remember the script correctly, I just suggested a beam or blade slicing through the staff. The chainsaw was a cool surprise for me too!

PDS

[Apache Chief]

So very cool to have a comics writer on the boards!

1) Are we ever going to see these guys in their civilian guises? Are Clark, Bruce, Wally or whoever ever going to make an apperance?

2) How does GL's charge work? Does he have to charge it every 24 hours? What if he goes a day without using the ring? Does it still need recharging? Does the lantern utself ever need recharging?

3) An episode or an issue that takes place in Gotham City would be great! Maybe there could be a break-out at Arkham, and things are such a mess that Batman calls in the League.

[James Harvey]

My only complaint about the issue was the cover. The fact that they took out that awesome sphere with the JL logo, and put in a really bad "natural" JL logo just didn't mesh with me. I can say I enjoyed the issue as well as the art. The coloring is still on the iffy side for me, as well.

[Figaro]

First off, I LOVE John's cover. Second, it's another great Paul Storrie/Craig Rousseau collaboration. Rousseau's Martian Manhunter is SWEET. I love the Green Lantern "SUBMIT" panel. And the final page with MM--especially the very last panel--is very touching.

By thy side,

Figaro




And now for something TOTALLY off-topic...

I also got PLANET OF THE APES #4 today, which I also loved. It has art by Sanford Greene and Pop Mhan. I know that Greene is a fellow resident of Columbia, SC ( :D :D :D :D :D ) but this is the first work of his I've ever seen. Anyone know what other published work--if any--he's done? Thanks.

[John Delaney]

Originally posted by The Flash
I understand. It was my way of saying welcome to the boards. http://community.sierra.com/Images/emoticons/wavey.gif ........and you're right, they do rock! :)
Thanks Flash! It's great to be here.

[Brian Cruz]

Originally posted by John Delaney
The original cover had the earth where the JL sphere was(actually if you look really closely at the sphere you'll see my original earth drawing shrunken down and orbiting the sphere.) then DC wanted to use the design in the "all covers" so the sphere was popped in there for the solicitors magazine until we could put in the northern lights effect.

That's very interesting. Is there any way we can see your original pencils for this cover?

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Apache Chief
So very cool to have a comics writer on the boards!

1) Are we ever going to see these guys in their civilian guises? Are Clark, Bruce, Wally or whoever ever going to make an apperance?

2) How does GL's charge work? Does he have to charge it every 24 hours? What if he goes a day without using the ring? Does it still need recharging? Does the lantern utself ever need recharging?

3) An episode or an issue that takes place in Gotham City would be great! Maybe there could be a break-out at Arkham, and things are such a mess that Batman calls in the League.

AC,

Glad to be here. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to shed much light on the topics you're interested in.

1) From what little I know about it, the show will be focusing mostly on the heroic identities of the characters rather than the civilian. Wouldn't be surprised if they slip in a story every now and then, though. As for the comic, that's going to be up to each individual writer (since JL Adv. will have rotating creative teams).

2) According to the info I've got, GL's ring must be recharged every 24 hours. As to whether the power battery ever needs recharging or the finer points of how the charge gets used up, that's a "wait and see." Probably something that will come up in the show or, perhaps, in the book at a later date.

3) I agree that an episode taking place in Gotham would be pretty darn interesting.

PDS


Originally posted by Figaro
First off, I LOVE John's cover. Second, it's another great Paul Storrie/Craig Rousseau collaboration. Rousseau's Martian Manhunter is SWEET. I love the Green Lantern "SUBMIT" panel. And the final page with MM--especially the very last panel--is very touching.

By thy side,

Figaro

Glad you liked JL Adv. #2! Thanks for the kind words.

PDS

[James Harvey]

Originally posted by John Delaney

Hey Dick,
Sorry you didn't like the replacement logo on the cover but it was done so that the cover would work with DC's "all cover" month. It's supposed to incorporate the logos into the design ( ala Will Eisner's Spirit) so that was done to look like the auroa borealis. Interesting to note is that cover has actually gone through three changes. The original cover had the earth where the JL sphere was(actually if you look really closely at the sphere you'll see my original earth drawing shrunken down and orbiting the sphere.) then DC wanted to use the design in the "all covers" so the sphere was popped in there for the solicitors magazine until we could put in the northern lights effect. I must admit when I saw the sphere I thought it looked pretty cool too, but I think DC thought it was too much of an actual logo. Whew! that's a lot of explanation, but I hope it helps.
Cheers
JD

Thanks for the explaination, John. It just sorta looks...well...MORE like an official logo. Then again, it's likely very hard to incorpoarate a name like that into the picture. B:GA did is cleverly and Superman Avdentures was so-so successful.

[Maxie Zeus]

I found it here in town. At a really good comics store I had totally overlooked. :D

OK.

The hard part of writing for the JL, clearly, is giving 7 heroes something to do. The animated episodes we've seen solve the problem by constructing a huge, fairly complicated crisis that takes their combined efforts to resolve. The downside is that the actions of the JL can seem ill-coordinated when they're all in one place and don't instantly win: they are all taken out by the same weapons, or one of the team members inconveniently forgets to use his special ability.

Storrie cleverly tries the opposite tack, splitting the team up and sending them around to fight individual small battles. It's an ingenious solution, and he shows equal ingenuity in devising a special problem to handicap or obstruct each of the heroes--I especially like Flash's problem with friction. It is also fitting that Batman should be the one to see that the snakegal's power was in their staffs. The other JLers, having superpowers, are tempted to fight bad magic with magic of their own. But Bats knows a gizmo when he sees it and he knows how to handle it: take it away.

Unfortunately, Storrie's solution gives rise to another problem: taking time to resolve each individual fight sequence leaves little time to create or resolve an interesting plot. So, basically, the snakegals stage a heist and the JL stops them. It's more of an anecdote than a story.

That's not to say it isn't good. It is very good. I was with the story--solidly--through page 19, feeling like I was watching a great first act to a larger story. It was so good I was primed for a dazzling twist at the climax: a cliffhanger, perhaps, or a surprise ending, or a brilliant escape by the cult leader. (In fact, that argument on p. 20 broke out so suddenly that I was sure it was an illusion or mindtrick played by her to disguise her escape.) So for GL to simply throw a bubble around her was more than a bit anticlimactic.

As for the bookends, at the pediatric ward: By themselves they are very well done and highly effective. But perhaps I'm dense: I don't see what they have to do with the story they surround. Change the details about why the kids are in the hospital, and I think they could bookend any JL adventure. Maybe Storrie's subtle ingenuity in Batman Beyond's "Family Day" spoiled me; I would have expected greater integration of those scenes into the surrounding narrative.

I don't want to end on a down note. It really did suck me in, and I was very impressed at how much nuance it worked into the story without slowing things down.

Artwork: I'm no connoisseur, but I think Rousseau's work is just dandy.

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Maxie Zeus
I found it here in town. At a really good comics store I had totally overlooked. :D

OK.

The hard part of writing for the JL, clearly, is giving 7 heroes something to do. The animated episodes we've seen solve the problem by constructing a huge, fairly complicated crisis that takes their combined efforts to resolve. The downside is that the actions of the JL can seem ill-coordinated when they're all in one place and don't instantly win: they are all taken out by the same weapons, or one of the team members inconveniently forgets to use his special ability.

Storrie cleverly tries the opposite tack, splitting the team up and sending them around to fight individual small battles. It's an ingenious solution, and he shows equal ingenuity in devising a special problem to handicap or obstruct each of the heroes--I especially like Flash's problem with friction. It is also fitting that Batman should be the one to see that the snakegal's power was in their staffs. The other JLers, having superpowers, are tempted to fight bad magic with magic of their own. But Bats knows a gizmo when he sees it and he knows how to handle it: take it away.

Unfortunately, Storrie's solution gives rise to another problem: taking time to resolve each individual fight sequence leaves little time to create or resolve an interesting plot. So, basically, the snakegals stage a heist and the JL stops them. It's more of an anecdote than a story.

That's not to say it isn't good. It is very good. I was with the story--solidly--through page 19, feeling like I was watching a great first act to a larger story. It was so good I was primed for a dazzling twist at the climax: a cliffhanger, perhaps, or a surprise ending, or a brilliant escape by the cult leader. (In fact, that argument on p. 20 broke out so suddenly that I was sure it was an illusion or mindtrick played by her to disguise her escape.) So for GL to simply throw a bubble around her was more than a bit anticlimactic.

As for the bookends, at the pediatric ward: By themselves they are very well done and highly effective. But perhaps I'm dense: I don't see what they have to do with the story they surround. Change the details about why the kids are in the hospital, and I think they could bookend any JL adventure. Maybe Storrie's subtle ingenuity in Batman Beyond's "Family Day" spoiled me; I would have expected greater integration of those scenes into the surrounding narrative.

I don't want to end on a down note. It really did suck me in, and I was very impressed at how much nuance it worked into the story without slowing things down.

Artwork: I'm no connoisseur, but I think Rousseau's work is just dandy.

Maxie,

Wow. Thanks for the lengthy analysis.

I wish I could take credit for the "Split the JLA up and send them off to deal with smaller battles" formula but it's really a tried and true tool used by a whole lot of talented JLA writers in the past. Sounds like I (mostly) made it work here, so I guess I can take credit for that.

Those special problems I cooked up were also supposed to be indicative of the Cult of Tiamat doing their homework. They were pretty much prepped for whichever Justice Leaguers they ran up against.

Sorry to hear that the conclusion didn't work as well for you. There is a drawback to having a cast of seven when dealing with a "done in one" story in terms of space.

In regard to the Serpent Queen's being so easily dealt with by GL, I guess I didn't make it clear enough that her being immobilized hindered her spellcasting ability.

Regarding the bookends and how they connect with the story itself, all I can say is they were both my way of showing facets of J'onn.

Wish that this one had worked as well for you as "Family Day" but not every story is going to strike a chord with every reader. Hopefully you still enjoyed "More Human Than Human" enough to give my next outing a try.

PDS

[Maxie Zeus]

Originally posted by PDStorrie
Wish that this one had worked as well for you as "Family Day" but not every story is going to strike a chord with every reader. Hopefully you still enjoyed "More Human Than Human" enough to give my next outing a try.

Well, if "Family Day" was a home run I'd still call "More Human Than Human" a triple. :)

Oh, yeah, I'll be all over what you write next. Keep us posted!

[DisneyBoy]

First let me say how cool it is to have Mr. Delaney and Mr. Storrie visiting us regularly! Now as for issue number two:

Artwork first:
I liked it. I must say that I'm not a fan of Rousseau's often inconsistant, overly-angular style, but I guess Return of the Joker and "Family Day", both Batman Beyond stories, have warmed me to it, which is quite a feat since I detested his work in Gotham Adventures. I especially enjoyed the appearance of the leader of the Snake women. Very mysterious, though I can't shake the feeling that this group has something to do with the Amazons. I hope they reappear and are further explored/explained in the years to come, which brings me to the story:
Mr. Storrie's tale did split the group up, making the events which took place more easy to handle and less complicated to follow. Though the developments were easier to follow and much less predictable than issue one, I still found myself a little unenthused. How is it that every story told on the show and in the comics can be so monumental as to require the League to fight off baddies? I foresee that these battles will soon grow old. A possible solution may be to involve only certain members of the league at a time (a la "In Brightest Day" episodes), though fans will no doubt complain about the lack of their favorite hero. I, personally, would like to see in Justice League Adventures stories which developp the group interaction rather than their butt-kicking abilities. Perhaps a future story could simply invovle the heroes resting in the watchtower, reflecting on some of their first individual adventures. It would be very interesting to see how the world first reacted to the newer heroes, like GL, Hawkgirl or Flash, when they first arrived/appeared on Earth.

More than anything, I hope this series is able to make bigger moves than it's predecessors, in terms of show/comic continuity. It would be great to see parts of Hawkgirl's past be explored in these pages once they have actually been agreed upon between the show's writers and the comic's writers. Perhaps once a continuous creative team is decided upon, more long-term storylines and interweaving plots between the show and book will come into play.

Personally, I think the best team would (no joke) consist of Storrie and Delaney, who have both proven themselves to be proficient in this medium. I pray Aluir Amancio drops by from time to time, only after he visits Gotham Adventures, of course!

Just please don't subject us to too much of Ku's work!

[Livewire]

Magic and Rousseau's art.Not really a selling point. And I must admit I liked Ku's art better(though it seems I'm in the minority.)

[Arachkid]

I'm not going to say much about Justice League Adventures, since there's already been some in-depth analyses of the book, but I've enjoyed the first couple issues a lot.

The art and writing have been an especially pleasant surprise considering the downhill slide the Batman and Superman books have been on, and I'm looking forward to the next issues with anticipation.

The stories and splitting of the team into smaller units have been good, since I haven't been overly impressed by the way the show is handling the team dynamics and recycling old comic stories.

It's also nice to see Superman inked and colored properly again, but that's a different matter entirely! ;)

Don't go changing for anybody, Mr. D! I personally dig your take on the animated style, and enjoy seeing different variations on it. I specifically bought all the "How to Draw" Batman/Superman/DC Superheroes books because they had different artists' takes versions of the style, I am still trying to find all the issues of ADCU!

I'm looking froward to #3 even more now, just to see what magic your pencil has wrought. :)

(Hey, that wasn't too much fanboy butt-kissing, was it? :D )

As the young hipsters on Batman Beyond would say, "SCHWAY!" Thanks for sharing, Brian! :D

And thanks for the heads-up on the BB drawing book, Mr. D, I'll make sure to pick it up! :)

[Clayface]

I actually like the black and white version better than the color version - too bad they just didn't keep it that way!

[Maxie Zeus]

Ooooo! I like that!

[John Delaney]

Originally posted by Dick Grayson
That is nice looking! I'd like to post that in the newspage soon - because it looks really, really nice. I must admit. I'll be honest, Mr. Delaney, I'm not a real big fan of yours, but I know what I like...and this I like...
Hi Dick
Thanks a lot, it's especially nice to hear a compliment from someone who is not a real fan. Hopefully I'll be able to win you over on #3, please be sure to let me know.
Thanks2
John

[James Harvey]

I'm hoping issue #3 will be good. I finally saw a color version of the cover and it looks very nice. The B & W doesn't do the cover justice. It's amazing how color can enhance the picture.

Well...back to issue #2...:)

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Maxie Zeus


Well, if "Family Day" was a home run I'd still call "More Human Than Human" a triple. :)

Oh, yeah, I'll be all over what you write next. Keep us posted!

Maxie,

Whew. I was beginning to think I'd only managed an "on base" bunt!

Next up, near as I can tell, will be my Gotham Girls mini-series featuring the Animated Series versions of Batgirl, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Det. Renee Montoya. It was inspired by the DC Online webtoon of the same name. No release date as yet. That I'll keep you posted on!

PDS

[James Harvey]

I'd say you did a good job. What I usually forget when reading this series is that the show was't on the air when you wrote it. You gotta give the creative crews credit in situaitons like this! I'd say a 3 base hit, a 2 base hit at the least.

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Dick Grayson
I'd say you did a good job. What I usually forget when reading this series is that the show was't on the air when you wrote it. You gotta give the creative crews credit in situaitons like this! I'd say a 3 base hit, a 2 base hit at the least.

James,

It was an interesting experience to say the least. Normally (for me, at least) in a situation like this you've had a chance to see a few eps to use as a touchstone for what you're writing. While I was provided with some interesting reference prior to writing the issue it's not quite the same as having heard and seen episodes.

PDS

[Trent Lane]

That'd be awesome if you were allowed to do that, JD! The poll thing especially, getting to vote for a character drawn by you would be really cool.... speaking of the ADCU book, do you know of any stories that were being thrown around, if any, before the book got cancelled? I always wondered what other tales could have been read and seen....

[James Harvey]

I split the Justice League Adventures #2 Talkback into two becuase we were getting way off topic with the John Delaney discussions. I decided to split it into a seperate Delaney thread. Let the discussions continue...

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Dick Grayson
I split the Justice League Adventures #2 Talkback into two becuase we were getting way off topic with the John Delaney discussions. I decided to split it into a seperate Delaney thread. Let the discussions continue...

Hopefully they will!

Has everyone weighed in on JLAdv. #2 yet?

PDS

[John Delaney]

Originally posted by Dick Grayson
I split the Justice League Adventures #2 Talkback into two becuase we were getting way off topic with the John Delaney discussions. I decided to split it into a seperate Delaney thread. Let the discussions continue...
Good call Dick, sorry about sending things off direction.

[James Harvey]

Don't worry about it, John. I think it's really cool how you're really involved with the fans - something that some creators aren't. I'll let ya go easy this time. :)

[Bird Boy]

all, right, I finally got this issue...lol.

And I must say, it rocked. I liked it better than the first issue.....great work Storrie!

I wish I could say more, but my mom's eggin' me off the PC.. :)

-BB

[James Harvey]

Hmmm..how could y'all compare issue #1 to issue #2 - in terms of artwork and storyline?

[Bird Boy]

Issue #1 and #2's storylines and artwork..hmmm...

Well, I liked #2's plot better, mainly cuz I never thought the whole Alien-Invaders thing was present in Batman's world (aside form superman). In issue 2, it had a mystical thing to it (ala, Ra's Al Ghul).

As far as artwork goes....I'd say they were on par w/ each other....everyonce and awhile in #2 Batman would look weird..but over-all, I like #2 better than #1...

Cover-wise though... #1 wins..maybe if they had kept the Justice League "Orb" thingy that was originally on #2..

-BB

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Bird_Boy
all, right, I finally got this issue...lol.

And I must say, it rocked. I liked it better than the first issue.....great work Storrie!

I wish I could say more, but my mom's eggin' me off the PC.. :)

-BB

BB,

Glad you were finally able to track it down! Thanks for the kind words.

PDS

[James Harvey]

Anyword on if you'll be doing another story? And any cool newsworthy updates on GOTHAM GIRLS?

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Dick Grayson
Anyword on if you'll be doing another story? And any cool newsworthy updates on GOTHAM GIRLS?

James,

Sadly, not much news on either front just now. I am keeping pretty busy, though. I'll be sure to share more news as it becomes available.

Happy New Year!
PDS

[James Harvey]

Well - I can't wait to hear more on the project. Has your work on Justice League Adventures #2 been well received on the official DC Boards?

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Dick Grayson
Well - I can't wait to hear more on the project. Has your work on Justice League Adventures #2 been well received on the official DC Boards?

James,

I'm really looking forward to having Gotham Girls hit the stands!

Reactions have been mixed to JLAdv. #2, on the official DC boards and elsewhere. Some have really liked it. Others not so much.

I don't know if the underlying theme of isolation (echoed in the Serpent Queen and in J'onn's decision to act alone, without informing the League) came through as clearly as I'd hoped. Some of my more vocal detractors feel the middle doesn't connect at all to the bookends.

PDS

[Salvor]

Aargh my local comic store still doesn't have it... and may not get it at all! If they ever receive it, I'll get round to commenting upon your story, M.... Storrie. (sorry, no pun intended! :))

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Salvor
Aargh my local comic store still doesn't have it... and may not get it at all! If they ever receive it, I'll get round to commenting upon your story, M.... Storrie. (sorry, no pun intended! :))

Salvor,

Sorry to hear you haven't been able to lay hands on a copy. Any idea why your local retailer didn't get any copies? It seems like a book most shops would carry.

PDS

[Bird Boy]

Originally posted by PDStorrie


Salvor,

Sorry to hear you haven't been able to lay hands on a copy. Any idea why your local retailer didn't get any copies? It seems like a book most shops would carry.

PDS

Probably same reason my local comic book retailer doesn't (I had to go a long distance a cool comic book store that had it)...there just isn't much demand for animated comics around the area...

but..that's just a guess..

-BB

[PDStorrie]

Originally posted by Bird_Boy


Probably same reason my local comic book retailer doesn't (I had to go a long distance a cool comic book store that had it)...there just isn't much demand for animated comics around the area...

but..that's just a guess..-BB

BB,

There is that, I guess. Just seems like there would be *some* demand if not major.

PDS