Emerald Archer
10-06-2002, 10:29 PM
JLA # 72. A review with spoilers
All images are Copyright (C) DC Comics 2002.
Official Spoiler Space to follow……………
Hey, I’ve been working on a new song, and I thought I’d share a little of it with you………….
Please feel free to hum along at home…………….
Oh, and the tune that we are using is the Theme to Gilligan’s Island………………….
Here we go…………………….
“Sit right down, and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip………
That started from Atlantis in the middle of the Atlantic………….
Then we skip a few lines, I’m still working on, but then we get………….
Superman and Batman, too will do their very best
To get the others back to home with the help of Tempest.
Ok, ok It needs work, but please feel free to add to it………..somehow the Theme just seems to fit.
And now back to the show………….
Do you realize that we are halfway through the Obsidian Age story line? Seems incredible. Why does it seem incredible you ask? Because 4 issues into it and we are no closer to getting real answers as to what is going on than we were back in issue 70. But more on that later……………
http://www.dcdirect.net/images/jla72.jpg
Where oh where has Batman gone...........
The first thing you will notice about 72 is the great cover art. It really is a stunner. We have the big three in place, Supes, Bats and WW. They are gazing upon the image of Aquaman that has appeared in a fountain of water. Nice cover, very eye catching. Only it has a few problems. Batman’s appearance here never happens in the story. Granted, since when have covers been faithful to the contents of the book. But the way Batman is being handled in the Obsidian Age even number books is a major problem in my eyes. So far ever since the team has made it back to ancient Atlantis, Bruce has been flat on his back on the verge of death. You begin to get the sense that Batman has no useful part to play in this story. I think the reason for this is that this tale has a mythic feel to it. Bat’s isn’t about myth. Of all the heroes in the JLA he’s the one that gets his hands dirty every day of the week. And outside of an intellect that is unmatched by anyone else of the team, he has no special abilities. Batman does not function well in story lines that involve the blatant display of power. His is a by far a more subtle approach. So far one gets the feeling that Bat’s is just along for the ride, and really serves no purpose in the story. I have no doubt that by the time issue 75 comes around we’ll have a great Bat’s moment, but is sure isn’t in this issue. Bottom line is that so far Batman could have phoned in this appearance. His participation is a waste in the even numbered issues so far. It is far more interesting to note that Bruce is playing a much bigger role, in absentia, in the odd numbered books.
Another little observation about the cover. Can we get someone to stop illustrating Wonder Woman with a thrust out lantern jaw? And I realize that WW’s proportions bear little semblance to actual female proportions, but it’s getting a little out of hand on the cover of 72.
So we’ve had the soup course for out meal, time for the main dish. As our friend Emeril would say, let’s kick it up a notch. BAM!
Our tale opens with an invocation over seven glasses of a very red wine. Just in case you missed it in issue 70, Kelly is once again making a point of the fact that there are 7 “heroic” defenders in Atlantis, the exact same number of JLA’ers. The invocation is being spoken by “Rama Khan”, the leader of this group. He is speaking to the six others of a prophecy that he had in a dream. It is a prophecy about a seven headed hydra that is coming to destroy the paradise that is Atlantis. This monster, according to the vision, must be destroyed. He then says “Ride the wind tomorrow. Find the metal mountain with its serpent’s heart. Lie in wait, and when they reveal their black hearts…Stab at them with the righteous fury of the earth. The Destroyers are here, in Atlantis. The prophecy has come true. The future belongs to the destroyers…or it belongs to the League.” To which 5 of the other 6 present hoist their goblets of wine and consummate the toast. It is during the exchange that we learn that Rama Kahn has spent years assembling this “League” of seven. Again the number seven presents itself. There are seven members of the Atlantean League; there are seven members of the Justice League. It’s fairly obvious at this point that the prophecy that Khan spoke of could just as easily apply to his group as to the Time Traveling JLA.
No one in the cadre of the Atlantean League seems to pick up on this, except Manitou. He does not raise his wine for the toast. Indeed he is deeply troubled by what is going on here. Gamemnae, the powerful female sorceress, and the true power behind this group notices. She asks him why he does not toast to their success. Manitou tries to evade the real reason that he won’t He says that the wine is only a symbol. He does not mean to offend the others, but neither does he need to prove himself to them. And he tells them that. But Gamemnae will not let it go at that. She knows that Manitou has had visions in the past, visions of what the future holds for them. She wants to know if he has seen something in the future that worries him, something that the others need to know. He tells her that he has seen nothing, indeed, since his return from the future, where he fought the JLA the first time; he has been unable to tear a hole in the temporal fabric and get a glimpse of what is yet to come. But that is not why he didn't drink. He did not drink because the wine in the goblets was as red as blood………….
It is obvious that Manitou senses more than he is letting on. And perhaps he has also understood that the prophecy that Khan has spoken of is a double edged sword. Because, this League is also composed of seven. The others in the group seem to be so blinded by the perceived righteousness of their cause that they fail to see that the vision that Khan had could apply to them as well as their opposite number.
But the discussion between Gamemnae and Manitou is interrupted by the entrance of a messenger, warning the Lady Gamemnae that something is happening at the reflection pool.
Scene change and a most impressive scene it is. Suddenly we are thrust to page 4 of our story and we come face to face with Aquaman. Except this is not Arthur Curry as we remember him. This Aquaman is composed entirely of water. And it is obvious that he is in torment. His mouth is a rictus of anguish; his eyes seem to be pleading for release. We pull back from the scene to see that we are at the reflection pool that was spoken of just a few moments ago. Besides Aquaman, Plas, J’onn and Wonder Woman are present. The sudden appearance of Aquaman has even left Plastic Man speechless. Well at least for a second. Because Plas does manage to come up with perhaps the funniest line I have read in months in any title.
The 3 heroes had gone to the pool because it had been under heavy guard. They found it rather unusual that military forces would be used to guard a pool, I mean in most cases lifeguards are employed. Using his telepathy J’onn determines that it is indeed Aquaman’s mind that is bound to the water, but it is very faint. Indeed it is so faint that J’onn cannot reach out to what left of King of Atlantis’s mind. Wonder Woman reaches her hand out and caresses the watery image of Arthur. It’s a nice piece of continuity because Joe Kelly at one point had been setting the ground work in place for some sort of intense personal relationship to develop between the two of them. It would make sense; both Diana and Arthur are “royalty”. They both from places that the average person would consider mythical, and they both, at some point, have been ostracized by their own kind.
Diana asks J’onn if there is a way to free the imprisoned hero. J’onn says that at present they can’t. While he knows what is binding Arthur to the water he has no idea how to countermand what is doing it. Just as an editorial aside. OK J’onn what is binding Arthur to the water? Feel like sharing a little information with the reader? The answer to that would be a no. A lot of that seems to happen in this issue. You get glimmers that something is happening here, but no one goes out of their way to really shed any light on it. J’onn also indicates that he has never felt a will power like Arthur’s. It is only through the intense force of his personality that he has been able to reveal himself. But his mind is a jumble; he is indeed the subject of intense and debilitating pain. Only one coherent thought is running through that pain……..”Find my people and free them.” But suddenly Aquaman’s will is not enough and he collapses back into the pool. Leaving J’onn to say to Diana that Arthur’s people are still in the ocean.
For just a second take a look at the last panel on page 5. Artwork in a story can do 3 things for it. It can either:
1) Add to the flow of the story improving even a poor story to enjoyable status.
2) It can detract from a story, if the art work is bad enough it can ruin a good story.
3) It’s just there, doesn’t help or hurt the flow of the tale.
For the most part JLA artwork as of late has been in category 3. Every now and then you get a few panels that are type 1. But the last panel on this page is, at least to me, a type 2. Both Wonder Woman and the Martian Manhunter look wrong.
http://www.dcdirect.net/images/jla%2072%20panel%20shot.jpg
J'onn is starting to hit the Oreo's again, and Diana needs to get a new conditioning shampoo.
Indeed, J’onn looks likes he’s been hitting the Oreos again. If any of you have ever seen the aborted TV Pilot that was done for the Justice League back in the late 90’s, you’ll recall that The Martian Manhunter was played by David Ogden Steirs, the actor who played Major Charles Emerson Winchester on M.A.S.H. To say that J’onn had put on a few was an understatement. We'll as of now the Martian Manhunter in that Pilot and the one being drawn for JLA as starting to resemble each other.
Also of a troubling nature is the constantly horrid way Wonder Woman is depicted in JLA. Lets see, on page 5 alone we have the panel were WW is caressing Aquaman’s face, and for some unknown reason here eyes are rolled up into here eyelids so all we get is the whites of her eyes, and in the last panel on the page she looks like someone flattened her face, and just for good measure they decided to give her hair that never washed look again. Now back to our regularly scheduled review.
Diana makes a promise to the essence of Aquaman that they will free his people. The problem with that is that they have to find his people first. Plastic Man suddenly alerts the other 2 to the approach of the authorities. I have a major problem here with a piece of dialog. To alert MM and WW that trouble is coming Plas says “It’s closing time at the pool, kids. I hear “Aqua-Pigs a-comin”. The use on the term pig as a derogatory remark in regards to law enforcement is just unacceptable. If it was a “villain” using the term then I’d give it a pass, but Plas is not a “villain”, he is a hero. Granted, he and the authorities of this time and place are on opposite sides of this issue, but they are just doing their job. Plas’s problem shouldn’t be with the grunts that are being sent to subdue the 3 heroes. His problem is with the seven members of the “Atlantean League” that are puling the strings here. I think after the events of September 11, the use of the term pig for any authority figure, especially law enforcement is a pretty unfortunate use of language.
Also for the first time in a long while the sight gag humor with Plastic Man goes too far. The Atlantean troops are approaching the 3 members of the JLA by the pool, and they are letting arrows fly. It seems that several of them pierce Plastic Man. It’s really hard to figure out what is going on in that particular panel, perhaps he is encasing the arrows in his own body. But it is obvious that one of the arrows flies in one of his ears and out the other. It’s at this point you have to begin to wonder exactly what kind of control PM has over his body. I mean, there is a brain in residence between those two ears. For PM to do what that panel suggests means that he has to be able to stretch every minor structure in his ear out of the way of the arrow and then he moves his brain out of the way. That pushes the willing suspension of disbelief beyond the pale.
Something else seems to be getting lost here as well. The readers seem to be getting left more and more in the dark as the story progresses. At one point on page 5 J’onn says, “We cannot risk confrontation at this time. I have not yet processed the telepathic recoil from my contact…”. What is that all about? So J’onn has a telepathic hangover from his contact with Aquaman. I understand that. But what has that got to do with his ability to face the opposing forces that are approaching him? Has he been left in such a weakened state that he can’t do anything? Seems that Wonder Woman has the same question, because as the battle heats up she inquires to the Manhunter if he would be able to “process” now? J’onn gives the simple answer of no, but that what he will do is direct the pain that he has absorbed from his contact with Aquaman back towards the approaching Atlantean forces, allowing them to process the pain for him. This immediately renders the approaching “Aqua-Pigs” insentient. We also get a hint that something else is going on here, because while the Atlantean guards are rolling around the ground in agony, there are numerous flies, yes flies, as in the insect. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me, in a few pages it becomes obvious that something else is going on with these little bugs.
Cut scene, back to the cave where the JLA has set up camp. Present are the other 3 members of the team. Flash, Green Lantern and the obviously debilitated Batman. Kyle is relating to Wally that he has some major misgivings about this mission. He tells Wally that he will stay behind and watch over Bruce until he is better, that Flash should go with the strike team that is going to assault the forces of Atlantis. Indeed Kyle comes right out and tells Wally that he shouldn’t be trusted to see this mission through. Once again Wally doesn’t listen to him. Enough is enough. Kyle is coming straight out and telling his teammate that he can’t be trusted in this situation. And yet again he is being ignored. You have to feel for Kyle. First in his own magazine he just basically invalidated his claim to be Green Lantern, and then here his concerns are being shoved aside because no one wants to listen to him. If it was Hal Jordan in this position, telling Barry Allen that their was a problem with his head and that he didn’t think he could be trusted to see the mission through to the end, you have to believe that Barry would be listening to what Hal was saying instead of brushing it aside as some sort of a case of the jitters.
Wally tells Kyle that he has to see it through. This is a big gun situation, and they need Kyle’s fire power, especially since this is an underwater mission and GL will suffer much less “shrinkage” than Wally would. Wally really needs to wonder how effective Kyle is going to be if he has such doubt about what is going on. Kyle does indicate to the Flash that he somehow feels that the salvation of this mission depends on his abilities as GL but that he has no idea what he is suppose to do.
While this exchange is going on, in the foreground is Batman flat on his back in a construct device created by GL to keep Bruce’s temperature under control. As I said earlier, Batman could have just phoned this one in. Instead of Joe Kelly finding some way to integrate Bat’s successfully into this story he basically has incapacitated him for 2 issues. Yes, Batman is way overmatched by what is going on in this story, but so far the League as portrayed in issue 70 and 72 needs someone with an analytical mind to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It is becoming more and more self evident that while the JLA has a good number of “Big Guns” it is pretty weak in the thinking department.
But wait the Dark Knight stirs. He has over heard the conversation between Flash and GL and wants to offer advice to Greenie. He tries to tell Kyle that as heroes they face Death every day. Bruce tries to tell Kyle that death has no power over you, as long as you leave a positive legacy behind, as long as you do your job. Bruce tells Kyle that Bat’s dad saved over 4,000 people in his career as a doctor, with his bare hands and his mind, that death was never far from him. Indeed death was his constant companion, but he did his job anyhow, because it WAS his job. But Bruce’s insightful comments are cut short, Flash insists that GL use the ring created construct to cool Bat’s down, and with good reason, his temperature is 107. Kyle hesitates, he wants to hear more of what Bruce has to say, he NEEDS to hear more. But he also realizes that Bruce is going to die if he doesn’t cool him off. It’s too bad that Batman’s role in the story is reduced to giving fever induced pep talks. But make no mistake about it, it is a very effective message that he delivers. And it does seem that Kyle has heard the words and understands them.
We get to revisit the annoying narrative device that was used in issue 70, the “Obsidian Tome”, the book that chronicles the history of the Obsidian Age. In this case however it is put to very good use. Because we learn some very important plot points from it this time. First, we learn that the Lady Gamemnae has decreed that Atlantis must never be allowed to sink beneath the waves again. This decision has been approved by the Council of Atlantis unanimously. This entails the creation of defenses, both physical and mystical that will prevent it from ever happening again. But the tome also points out that their was a major concern as to where the work force would come from that would be employed to make this wish a reality. Again the book points out that the Lady Gamemnae found a suitable group of workers to perform the task.
And now comes the major revelation of this issue. We have been wondering where the people of the Atlantis from the future are? They have been in plain sight all along. They are the slave force that is being used to rebuild Atlantis in the imagine that Lady Gamemnae and her forces see fit. The JLA use J’onn to infiltrate the slave force and find out where the Atlantean Queen is. But the JLA also realizes that they can’t do anything about this situation, at least not yet. They have to be very careful of the timeline. It is more than possible that anything they do may forever change the future of Atlantis. They must tread very carefully here. Using a combination of powers the current days JLA’ers sneak into the center of the slave compound. I know they are trying to use stealth, but somehow I think the green glowing Manta Rays that Green Lantern uses to hind the identities of Himself, Superman and Wonder Woman would attract some attention. The first person they meet at the compound of the slaves is……..Lori Lemaris?!?!?!?! A much older Lori Lemaris. It seems that the modern days Atlantean’s have been trapped in the past for 15 years. She takes them into the inner sanctum of the Queen.
While this is going on Khan and Lady Gamemnae are having a discussion about just how trustworthy Manitou is. Gamemnae senses that something happened to Manitou in the future that may have tainted him, that he may be holding something back. Khan dismisses her concerns. He is more fixated on why the intruders were at the Reflecting Pool. Why were they called there? Gamemnae tells Khan that those are questions that only the interlopers could answer and not to concern himself with them. But she does ask him about the recent visions that he has had visions of betrayal. He corrects her; they were not visions but only dreams. Dreams have no power over them; they are just empty vapors and are of no concern. But even Khan has his doubts, because he asks Gamemnae to reaffirm him belief that Manitou is a good man. They embrace at this point. But while they embrace Gamemnae’s hand lashes out behind the back of Khan and grabs several Flies that are in that air and crushes them.
As the 2 leaders of the Atlantean group re having their discourse, 3 others of the team are on a mission, Manitou, the Gollum like creature, and Sela. They are deep in a jungle forest preparing to attack something. Sela asks Manitou what he just heard. E denies hearing anything. Sela calls him on it, telling him that he stopped breathing for just a second, a sure sigh that he heard something. He congratulates her on being so perceptive. But all he heard was A FLY. Gollum proceeds to tell Manitou that some believe that Flies are earthly prisons for fallen Angels. That they are spies for Satan. That the buzzing that a fly makes is actually the whispering of Satan. As this goes one we get a close up of the ear of Manitou. A small amount if blood is trickling out, and along with the blood, a FLY! At the same time, we see what it is that they are hunting, for in a clearing ahead stands the Flash.
Back to the slave compound where the other members of the JLA are meeting with the Atlantean Queen. It is the lovely Mera. Older, by 15 years, but still as lovely as when we first encountered her many years ago. She relates to the group the story of how they got here and what happened to the modern age Atlanteans. The disaster started when Aquaman was trying to find a place that the people of Atlantis could regroup in time of disaster. Because all Atlanteans hold their history very close to them, he consulted the ancient history of Atlantis, and found reference to a golden age. And age of wonder, where all the people of Atlantis were united, where strangers were welcomed, where the people of the current age of Atlantis could retreat to in time of disaster. Arthur planned “meticulously” as to how, when and where they would appear. How to contain the effect on history the sudden appearance of all these modern Atlanteans would cause. When Aquaman fell during the “Our Words at War” saga, Tempest unleashed the spell that sent the population of the land back in time. But the Atlantis they appeared in was nothing like the Atlantis portrayed in the ancient history texts. First this Atlantis was above water. Her subjects, indeed the Queen herself, could not survive in this land. The histories of Atlantis had been altered, on purpose. They were filled with lies. At once Arthur tired to take control of the situation. He was drawn to the “witch” Gamemnae. Mera seems to feel that he was attracted to her because they both shared blond hair, and at one time Blonds were outcasts in Atlantis. Aquaman and Gamemnae walked away, arm in arm, to discuss what was to become of his people. But Mera did hear Gamemnae tell the King that no harm would come to his people. That was the last time she saw her King, her love. The modern age Atlanteans were enslaved by their ancestors. And as Mera says, “Gamemnae. She took my Husband from me…Our King, and our country. She betrayed not only my Atlanteans…But all Atlanteans…When she gave them the sky.”
Mera demands justice from the Justice League. Superman promises them that justice will be served this day. Wonder Woman in particular is ready to go out and destroy those that have enslaved their fellow men. But it is obvious that Green Lantern is sensing that something very bad is about to happen.
Within seconds the League moves into action. In a scene very evocative of a scene from Kingdom Come they come smashing up out of the Earth and confront Gamemnae. Superman in particular is ready to take them all out alone if he has to. He is seeking Justice. The wonderful entrance lasts for about 10 seconds. Suddenly a torrent of green energy is unleashed against our heroes by the Atlantean “hero” named Whaler. He stops our league dead in their tracks. A battle royal ensues. Superman tells the League to keep the fight over water to minimize the damage to the city!!!! J’onn warms them that these Atlanteans have no compunction about killing the JLA. That seems to suit Wonder Woman just fine, since she seems ready to take a few of them out herself.
The battle is suddenly halted by a thin, weak voice. A Voice telling the Justice League of America to stop, that they can’t go on. They have to get out of there, to run. It is the battered and destroyed body of the Flash. A Flash very much from Kyle’s premonitions. A Flash that has lost both of his legs………………………
And we are clear…………..
First let me say that 72 was an improvement over 70. The final scene of the near death Wally West is pretty disturbing; he looks a lot like his Uncle Barry just before he died. But I have some concerns about this issue as well.
First, if you recall, I felt that issue 70 attempted to squeeze too much into to little a space. Well 72 feels like they tried to stretch too little materiel to cover the 32 pages. I think some of the action in 70 could have been shifted here and some of the slack from 72 taken out. The story never drags, but some pages just feel like they’ve been used for filler.
The other problem is that the “Atlantean Seven” really have become a faceless group. We really know nothing about them, where they come from, and what their powers are. It seems that the League has the same lack of knowledge that we do. At anytime did anyone consider sending in a scout force to reconnoiter the group from Atlantis? Well if Bat’s was among the living I’m sure he would have pointed that out to Superman. Once again Superman thinks that the use of over whelming force will take care of any problem. Someday I hope he learns that it won’t always work that way. Because at least here in JLA his misguided efforts at leading the group have pretty much cost Wally his life. Couple that with the fact the no one will listen to what Kyle is trying to tell them. Is this a team or a bunch of seven individuals who get together just occasionally to tell war stories? Granted, Kyle may still be the junior member of the group, but how long has he been a GL for now? Listen, for 3 issues now he has been trying to tell you of impending disaster. Well, you should have listened, because it looks like it may be a little late now to ask him about those visions of his.
I’m just going to say it again, Why is Batman even here?
Another problem has to do with continuity, and the bigger issue of the DC Universe. Anyone remember a little dust up called the Crisis on Infinite Earths? The idea was to stream line the DC Universe, which had over 50 years become pretty convoluted. To be honest I was never a big fan of what the Crisis did. I felt that we lost too many Golden Age characters and to many interesting past stories. But that was only my opinion. Without a doubt the initial Crisis caused more problems than it solved. That’s why we got other multi-issue, multi-title panning epics like Millennium and Zero Hour. But at this point you have to ask why did DC even bother? I must have missed Lori Lemaris reentering the Superman continuity. It might seem like a minor thing, but it was characters like Lori that forced DC to do the Crisis. If any of you read JSA, watch closely what is going to happen to Power Girl. They are dropping some not so subtle hints about her as well. What if DC had a Crisis, and 20 years later nobody cared?
Speaking of subtle, something that no one will accuse Joe Kelly of being, yes we get the symbolism about the seven members of the JLA and the Atlantean Seven. Please do not belabor it any more. And the whole fly thing, yup we got that too.
Now could someone work on the art work in this book? I say it every month. Wonder Woman looks like crap. Diana is supposed to be gorgeous, half the time she looks like she’s on steroids, and every time her hair looks like a rats nest.
The issue is an improvement over issue 70, but it still is lagging behind what I considered to be the bore compelling odd numbered issues. While I agree that the rebirth of such a central character as Aquaman deserves a big build up, the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the stories detracts a little from it. Also as I said in the review it’s interesting to note that Batman’s presence is having more of an impact in the odd numbered issues where he isn’t even present, as opposed to the even numbered ones where he is.
Finally, is anyone going to miss the letters pages as much as I am? I understand that in an age of instant communication the letters pages were a little antiquated, but they at least showed that the people at the books were reading their mail.
So 4 issues down and 3 to go. They better start cracking, because there are a lot of unanswered questions.
All images are Copyright (C) DC Comics 2002.
Official Spoiler Space to follow……………
Hey, I’ve been working on a new song, and I thought I’d share a little of it with you………….
Please feel free to hum along at home…………….
Oh, and the tune that we are using is the Theme to Gilligan’s Island………………….
Here we go…………………….
“Sit right down, and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip………
That started from Atlantis in the middle of the Atlantic………….
Then we skip a few lines, I’m still working on, but then we get………….
Superman and Batman, too will do their very best
To get the others back to home with the help of Tempest.
Ok, ok It needs work, but please feel free to add to it………..somehow the Theme just seems to fit.
And now back to the show………….
Do you realize that we are halfway through the Obsidian Age story line? Seems incredible. Why does it seem incredible you ask? Because 4 issues into it and we are no closer to getting real answers as to what is going on than we were back in issue 70. But more on that later……………
http://www.dcdirect.net/images/jla72.jpg
Where oh where has Batman gone...........
The first thing you will notice about 72 is the great cover art. It really is a stunner. We have the big three in place, Supes, Bats and WW. They are gazing upon the image of Aquaman that has appeared in a fountain of water. Nice cover, very eye catching. Only it has a few problems. Batman’s appearance here never happens in the story. Granted, since when have covers been faithful to the contents of the book. But the way Batman is being handled in the Obsidian Age even number books is a major problem in my eyes. So far ever since the team has made it back to ancient Atlantis, Bruce has been flat on his back on the verge of death. You begin to get the sense that Batman has no useful part to play in this story. I think the reason for this is that this tale has a mythic feel to it. Bat’s isn’t about myth. Of all the heroes in the JLA he’s the one that gets his hands dirty every day of the week. And outside of an intellect that is unmatched by anyone else of the team, he has no special abilities. Batman does not function well in story lines that involve the blatant display of power. His is a by far a more subtle approach. So far one gets the feeling that Bat’s is just along for the ride, and really serves no purpose in the story. I have no doubt that by the time issue 75 comes around we’ll have a great Bat’s moment, but is sure isn’t in this issue. Bottom line is that so far Batman could have phoned in this appearance. His participation is a waste in the even numbered issues so far. It is far more interesting to note that Bruce is playing a much bigger role, in absentia, in the odd numbered books.
Another little observation about the cover. Can we get someone to stop illustrating Wonder Woman with a thrust out lantern jaw? And I realize that WW’s proportions bear little semblance to actual female proportions, but it’s getting a little out of hand on the cover of 72.
So we’ve had the soup course for out meal, time for the main dish. As our friend Emeril would say, let’s kick it up a notch. BAM!
Our tale opens with an invocation over seven glasses of a very red wine. Just in case you missed it in issue 70, Kelly is once again making a point of the fact that there are 7 “heroic” defenders in Atlantis, the exact same number of JLA’ers. The invocation is being spoken by “Rama Khan”, the leader of this group. He is speaking to the six others of a prophecy that he had in a dream. It is a prophecy about a seven headed hydra that is coming to destroy the paradise that is Atlantis. This monster, according to the vision, must be destroyed. He then says “Ride the wind tomorrow. Find the metal mountain with its serpent’s heart. Lie in wait, and when they reveal their black hearts…Stab at them with the righteous fury of the earth. The Destroyers are here, in Atlantis. The prophecy has come true. The future belongs to the destroyers…or it belongs to the League.” To which 5 of the other 6 present hoist their goblets of wine and consummate the toast. It is during the exchange that we learn that Rama Kahn has spent years assembling this “League” of seven. Again the number seven presents itself. There are seven members of the Atlantean League; there are seven members of the Justice League. It’s fairly obvious at this point that the prophecy that Khan spoke of could just as easily apply to his group as to the Time Traveling JLA.
No one in the cadre of the Atlantean League seems to pick up on this, except Manitou. He does not raise his wine for the toast. Indeed he is deeply troubled by what is going on here. Gamemnae, the powerful female sorceress, and the true power behind this group notices. She asks him why he does not toast to their success. Manitou tries to evade the real reason that he won’t He says that the wine is only a symbol. He does not mean to offend the others, but neither does he need to prove himself to them. And he tells them that. But Gamemnae will not let it go at that. She knows that Manitou has had visions in the past, visions of what the future holds for them. She wants to know if he has seen something in the future that worries him, something that the others need to know. He tells her that he has seen nothing, indeed, since his return from the future, where he fought the JLA the first time; he has been unable to tear a hole in the temporal fabric and get a glimpse of what is yet to come. But that is not why he didn't drink. He did not drink because the wine in the goblets was as red as blood………….
It is obvious that Manitou senses more than he is letting on. And perhaps he has also understood that the prophecy that Khan has spoken of is a double edged sword. Because, this League is also composed of seven. The others in the group seem to be so blinded by the perceived righteousness of their cause that they fail to see that the vision that Khan had could apply to them as well as their opposite number.
But the discussion between Gamemnae and Manitou is interrupted by the entrance of a messenger, warning the Lady Gamemnae that something is happening at the reflection pool.
Scene change and a most impressive scene it is. Suddenly we are thrust to page 4 of our story and we come face to face with Aquaman. Except this is not Arthur Curry as we remember him. This Aquaman is composed entirely of water. And it is obvious that he is in torment. His mouth is a rictus of anguish; his eyes seem to be pleading for release. We pull back from the scene to see that we are at the reflection pool that was spoken of just a few moments ago. Besides Aquaman, Plas, J’onn and Wonder Woman are present. The sudden appearance of Aquaman has even left Plastic Man speechless. Well at least for a second. Because Plas does manage to come up with perhaps the funniest line I have read in months in any title.
The 3 heroes had gone to the pool because it had been under heavy guard. They found it rather unusual that military forces would be used to guard a pool, I mean in most cases lifeguards are employed. Using his telepathy J’onn determines that it is indeed Aquaman’s mind that is bound to the water, but it is very faint. Indeed it is so faint that J’onn cannot reach out to what left of King of Atlantis’s mind. Wonder Woman reaches her hand out and caresses the watery image of Arthur. It’s a nice piece of continuity because Joe Kelly at one point had been setting the ground work in place for some sort of intense personal relationship to develop between the two of them. It would make sense; both Diana and Arthur are “royalty”. They both from places that the average person would consider mythical, and they both, at some point, have been ostracized by their own kind.
Diana asks J’onn if there is a way to free the imprisoned hero. J’onn says that at present they can’t. While he knows what is binding Arthur to the water he has no idea how to countermand what is doing it. Just as an editorial aside. OK J’onn what is binding Arthur to the water? Feel like sharing a little information with the reader? The answer to that would be a no. A lot of that seems to happen in this issue. You get glimmers that something is happening here, but no one goes out of their way to really shed any light on it. J’onn also indicates that he has never felt a will power like Arthur’s. It is only through the intense force of his personality that he has been able to reveal himself. But his mind is a jumble; he is indeed the subject of intense and debilitating pain. Only one coherent thought is running through that pain……..”Find my people and free them.” But suddenly Aquaman’s will is not enough and he collapses back into the pool. Leaving J’onn to say to Diana that Arthur’s people are still in the ocean.
For just a second take a look at the last panel on page 5. Artwork in a story can do 3 things for it. It can either:
1) Add to the flow of the story improving even a poor story to enjoyable status.
2) It can detract from a story, if the art work is bad enough it can ruin a good story.
3) It’s just there, doesn’t help or hurt the flow of the tale.
For the most part JLA artwork as of late has been in category 3. Every now and then you get a few panels that are type 1. But the last panel on this page is, at least to me, a type 2. Both Wonder Woman and the Martian Manhunter look wrong.
http://www.dcdirect.net/images/jla%2072%20panel%20shot.jpg
J'onn is starting to hit the Oreo's again, and Diana needs to get a new conditioning shampoo.
Indeed, J’onn looks likes he’s been hitting the Oreos again. If any of you have ever seen the aborted TV Pilot that was done for the Justice League back in the late 90’s, you’ll recall that The Martian Manhunter was played by David Ogden Steirs, the actor who played Major Charles Emerson Winchester on M.A.S.H. To say that J’onn had put on a few was an understatement. We'll as of now the Martian Manhunter in that Pilot and the one being drawn for JLA as starting to resemble each other.
Also of a troubling nature is the constantly horrid way Wonder Woman is depicted in JLA. Lets see, on page 5 alone we have the panel were WW is caressing Aquaman’s face, and for some unknown reason here eyes are rolled up into here eyelids so all we get is the whites of her eyes, and in the last panel on the page she looks like someone flattened her face, and just for good measure they decided to give her hair that never washed look again. Now back to our regularly scheduled review.
Diana makes a promise to the essence of Aquaman that they will free his people. The problem with that is that they have to find his people first. Plastic Man suddenly alerts the other 2 to the approach of the authorities. I have a major problem here with a piece of dialog. To alert MM and WW that trouble is coming Plas says “It’s closing time at the pool, kids. I hear “Aqua-Pigs a-comin”. The use on the term pig as a derogatory remark in regards to law enforcement is just unacceptable. If it was a “villain” using the term then I’d give it a pass, but Plas is not a “villain”, he is a hero. Granted, he and the authorities of this time and place are on opposite sides of this issue, but they are just doing their job. Plas’s problem shouldn’t be with the grunts that are being sent to subdue the 3 heroes. His problem is with the seven members of the “Atlantean League” that are puling the strings here. I think after the events of September 11, the use of the term pig for any authority figure, especially law enforcement is a pretty unfortunate use of language.
Also for the first time in a long while the sight gag humor with Plastic Man goes too far. The Atlantean troops are approaching the 3 members of the JLA by the pool, and they are letting arrows fly. It seems that several of them pierce Plastic Man. It’s really hard to figure out what is going on in that particular panel, perhaps he is encasing the arrows in his own body. But it is obvious that one of the arrows flies in one of his ears and out the other. It’s at this point you have to begin to wonder exactly what kind of control PM has over his body. I mean, there is a brain in residence between those two ears. For PM to do what that panel suggests means that he has to be able to stretch every minor structure in his ear out of the way of the arrow and then he moves his brain out of the way. That pushes the willing suspension of disbelief beyond the pale.
Something else seems to be getting lost here as well. The readers seem to be getting left more and more in the dark as the story progresses. At one point on page 5 J’onn says, “We cannot risk confrontation at this time. I have not yet processed the telepathic recoil from my contact…”. What is that all about? So J’onn has a telepathic hangover from his contact with Aquaman. I understand that. But what has that got to do with his ability to face the opposing forces that are approaching him? Has he been left in such a weakened state that he can’t do anything? Seems that Wonder Woman has the same question, because as the battle heats up she inquires to the Manhunter if he would be able to “process” now? J’onn gives the simple answer of no, but that what he will do is direct the pain that he has absorbed from his contact with Aquaman back towards the approaching Atlantean forces, allowing them to process the pain for him. This immediately renders the approaching “Aqua-Pigs” insentient. We also get a hint that something else is going on here, because while the Atlantean guards are rolling around the ground in agony, there are numerous flies, yes flies, as in the insect. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me, in a few pages it becomes obvious that something else is going on with these little bugs.
Cut scene, back to the cave where the JLA has set up camp. Present are the other 3 members of the team. Flash, Green Lantern and the obviously debilitated Batman. Kyle is relating to Wally that he has some major misgivings about this mission. He tells Wally that he will stay behind and watch over Bruce until he is better, that Flash should go with the strike team that is going to assault the forces of Atlantis. Indeed Kyle comes right out and tells Wally that he shouldn’t be trusted to see this mission through. Once again Wally doesn’t listen to him. Enough is enough. Kyle is coming straight out and telling his teammate that he can’t be trusted in this situation. And yet again he is being ignored. You have to feel for Kyle. First in his own magazine he just basically invalidated his claim to be Green Lantern, and then here his concerns are being shoved aside because no one wants to listen to him. If it was Hal Jordan in this position, telling Barry Allen that their was a problem with his head and that he didn’t think he could be trusted to see the mission through to the end, you have to believe that Barry would be listening to what Hal was saying instead of brushing it aside as some sort of a case of the jitters.
Wally tells Kyle that he has to see it through. This is a big gun situation, and they need Kyle’s fire power, especially since this is an underwater mission and GL will suffer much less “shrinkage” than Wally would. Wally really needs to wonder how effective Kyle is going to be if he has such doubt about what is going on. Kyle does indicate to the Flash that he somehow feels that the salvation of this mission depends on his abilities as GL but that he has no idea what he is suppose to do.
While this exchange is going on, in the foreground is Batman flat on his back in a construct device created by GL to keep Bruce’s temperature under control. As I said earlier, Batman could have just phoned this one in. Instead of Joe Kelly finding some way to integrate Bat’s successfully into this story he basically has incapacitated him for 2 issues. Yes, Batman is way overmatched by what is going on in this story, but so far the League as portrayed in issue 70 and 72 needs someone with an analytical mind to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It is becoming more and more self evident that while the JLA has a good number of “Big Guns” it is pretty weak in the thinking department.
But wait the Dark Knight stirs. He has over heard the conversation between Flash and GL and wants to offer advice to Greenie. He tries to tell Kyle that as heroes they face Death every day. Bruce tries to tell Kyle that death has no power over you, as long as you leave a positive legacy behind, as long as you do your job. Bruce tells Kyle that Bat’s dad saved over 4,000 people in his career as a doctor, with his bare hands and his mind, that death was never far from him. Indeed death was his constant companion, but he did his job anyhow, because it WAS his job. But Bruce’s insightful comments are cut short, Flash insists that GL use the ring created construct to cool Bat’s down, and with good reason, his temperature is 107. Kyle hesitates, he wants to hear more of what Bruce has to say, he NEEDS to hear more. But he also realizes that Bruce is going to die if he doesn’t cool him off. It’s too bad that Batman’s role in the story is reduced to giving fever induced pep talks. But make no mistake about it, it is a very effective message that he delivers. And it does seem that Kyle has heard the words and understands them.
We get to revisit the annoying narrative device that was used in issue 70, the “Obsidian Tome”, the book that chronicles the history of the Obsidian Age. In this case however it is put to very good use. Because we learn some very important plot points from it this time. First, we learn that the Lady Gamemnae has decreed that Atlantis must never be allowed to sink beneath the waves again. This decision has been approved by the Council of Atlantis unanimously. This entails the creation of defenses, both physical and mystical that will prevent it from ever happening again. But the tome also points out that their was a major concern as to where the work force would come from that would be employed to make this wish a reality. Again the book points out that the Lady Gamemnae found a suitable group of workers to perform the task.
And now comes the major revelation of this issue. We have been wondering where the people of the Atlantis from the future are? They have been in plain sight all along. They are the slave force that is being used to rebuild Atlantis in the imagine that Lady Gamemnae and her forces see fit. The JLA use J’onn to infiltrate the slave force and find out where the Atlantean Queen is. But the JLA also realizes that they can’t do anything about this situation, at least not yet. They have to be very careful of the timeline. It is more than possible that anything they do may forever change the future of Atlantis. They must tread very carefully here. Using a combination of powers the current days JLA’ers sneak into the center of the slave compound. I know they are trying to use stealth, but somehow I think the green glowing Manta Rays that Green Lantern uses to hind the identities of Himself, Superman and Wonder Woman would attract some attention. The first person they meet at the compound of the slaves is……..Lori Lemaris?!?!?!?! A much older Lori Lemaris. It seems that the modern days Atlantean’s have been trapped in the past for 15 years. She takes them into the inner sanctum of the Queen.
While this is going on Khan and Lady Gamemnae are having a discussion about just how trustworthy Manitou is. Gamemnae senses that something happened to Manitou in the future that may have tainted him, that he may be holding something back. Khan dismisses her concerns. He is more fixated on why the intruders were at the Reflecting Pool. Why were they called there? Gamemnae tells Khan that those are questions that only the interlopers could answer and not to concern himself with them. But she does ask him about the recent visions that he has had visions of betrayal. He corrects her; they were not visions but only dreams. Dreams have no power over them; they are just empty vapors and are of no concern. But even Khan has his doubts, because he asks Gamemnae to reaffirm him belief that Manitou is a good man. They embrace at this point. But while they embrace Gamemnae’s hand lashes out behind the back of Khan and grabs several Flies that are in that air and crushes them.
As the 2 leaders of the Atlantean group re having their discourse, 3 others of the team are on a mission, Manitou, the Gollum like creature, and Sela. They are deep in a jungle forest preparing to attack something. Sela asks Manitou what he just heard. E denies hearing anything. Sela calls him on it, telling him that he stopped breathing for just a second, a sure sigh that he heard something. He congratulates her on being so perceptive. But all he heard was A FLY. Gollum proceeds to tell Manitou that some believe that Flies are earthly prisons for fallen Angels. That they are spies for Satan. That the buzzing that a fly makes is actually the whispering of Satan. As this goes one we get a close up of the ear of Manitou. A small amount if blood is trickling out, and along with the blood, a FLY! At the same time, we see what it is that they are hunting, for in a clearing ahead stands the Flash.
Back to the slave compound where the other members of the JLA are meeting with the Atlantean Queen. It is the lovely Mera. Older, by 15 years, but still as lovely as when we first encountered her many years ago. She relates to the group the story of how they got here and what happened to the modern age Atlanteans. The disaster started when Aquaman was trying to find a place that the people of Atlantis could regroup in time of disaster. Because all Atlanteans hold their history very close to them, he consulted the ancient history of Atlantis, and found reference to a golden age. And age of wonder, where all the people of Atlantis were united, where strangers were welcomed, where the people of the current age of Atlantis could retreat to in time of disaster. Arthur planned “meticulously” as to how, when and where they would appear. How to contain the effect on history the sudden appearance of all these modern Atlanteans would cause. When Aquaman fell during the “Our Words at War” saga, Tempest unleashed the spell that sent the population of the land back in time. But the Atlantis they appeared in was nothing like the Atlantis portrayed in the ancient history texts. First this Atlantis was above water. Her subjects, indeed the Queen herself, could not survive in this land. The histories of Atlantis had been altered, on purpose. They were filled with lies. At once Arthur tired to take control of the situation. He was drawn to the “witch” Gamemnae. Mera seems to feel that he was attracted to her because they both shared blond hair, and at one time Blonds were outcasts in Atlantis. Aquaman and Gamemnae walked away, arm in arm, to discuss what was to become of his people. But Mera did hear Gamemnae tell the King that no harm would come to his people. That was the last time she saw her King, her love. The modern age Atlanteans were enslaved by their ancestors. And as Mera says, “Gamemnae. She took my Husband from me…Our King, and our country. She betrayed not only my Atlanteans…But all Atlanteans…When she gave them the sky.”
Mera demands justice from the Justice League. Superman promises them that justice will be served this day. Wonder Woman in particular is ready to go out and destroy those that have enslaved their fellow men. But it is obvious that Green Lantern is sensing that something very bad is about to happen.
Within seconds the League moves into action. In a scene very evocative of a scene from Kingdom Come they come smashing up out of the Earth and confront Gamemnae. Superman in particular is ready to take them all out alone if he has to. He is seeking Justice. The wonderful entrance lasts for about 10 seconds. Suddenly a torrent of green energy is unleashed against our heroes by the Atlantean “hero” named Whaler. He stops our league dead in their tracks. A battle royal ensues. Superman tells the League to keep the fight over water to minimize the damage to the city!!!! J’onn warms them that these Atlanteans have no compunction about killing the JLA. That seems to suit Wonder Woman just fine, since she seems ready to take a few of them out herself.
The battle is suddenly halted by a thin, weak voice. A Voice telling the Justice League of America to stop, that they can’t go on. They have to get out of there, to run. It is the battered and destroyed body of the Flash. A Flash very much from Kyle’s premonitions. A Flash that has lost both of his legs………………………
And we are clear…………..
First let me say that 72 was an improvement over 70. The final scene of the near death Wally West is pretty disturbing; he looks a lot like his Uncle Barry just before he died. But I have some concerns about this issue as well.
First, if you recall, I felt that issue 70 attempted to squeeze too much into to little a space. Well 72 feels like they tried to stretch too little materiel to cover the 32 pages. I think some of the action in 70 could have been shifted here and some of the slack from 72 taken out. The story never drags, but some pages just feel like they’ve been used for filler.
The other problem is that the “Atlantean Seven” really have become a faceless group. We really know nothing about them, where they come from, and what their powers are. It seems that the League has the same lack of knowledge that we do. At anytime did anyone consider sending in a scout force to reconnoiter the group from Atlantis? Well if Bat’s was among the living I’m sure he would have pointed that out to Superman. Once again Superman thinks that the use of over whelming force will take care of any problem. Someday I hope he learns that it won’t always work that way. Because at least here in JLA his misguided efforts at leading the group have pretty much cost Wally his life. Couple that with the fact the no one will listen to what Kyle is trying to tell them. Is this a team or a bunch of seven individuals who get together just occasionally to tell war stories? Granted, Kyle may still be the junior member of the group, but how long has he been a GL for now? Listen, for 3 issues now he has been trying to tell you of impending disaster. Well, you should have listened, because it looks like it may be a little late now to ask him about those visions of his.
I’m just going to say it again, Why is Batman even here?
Another problem has to do with continuity, and the bigger issue of the DC Universe. Anyone remember a little dust up called the Crisis on Infinite Earths? The idea was to stream line the DC Universe, which had over 50 years become pretty convoluted. To be honest I was never a big fan of what the Crisis did. I felt that we lost too many Golden Age characters and to many interesting past stories. But that was only my opinion. Without a doubt the initial Crisis caused more problems than it solved. That’s why we got other multi-issue, multi-title panning epics like Millennium and Zero Hour. But at this point you have to ask why did DC even bother? I must have missed Lori Lemaris reentering the Superman continuity. It might seem like a minor thing, but it was characters like Lori that forced DC to do the Crisis. If any of you read JSA, watch closely what is going to happen to Power Girl. They are dropping some not so subtle hints about her as well. What if DC had a Crisis, and 20 years later nobody cared?
Speaking of subtle, something that no one will accuse Joe Kelly of being, yes we get the symbolism about the seven members of the JLA and the Atlantean Seven. Please do not belabor it any more. And the whole fly thing, yup we got that too.
Now could someone work on the art work in this book? I say it every month. Wonder Woman looks like crap. Diana is supposed to be gorgeous, half the time she looks like she’s on steroids, and every time her hair looks like a rats nest.
The issue is an improvement over issue 70, but it still is lagging behind what I considered to be the bore compelling odd numbered issues. While I agree that the rebirth of such a central character as Aquaman deserves a big build up, the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the stories detracts a little from it. Also as I said in the review it’s interesting to note that Batman’s presence is having more of an impact in the odd numbered issues where he isn’t even present, as opposed to the even numbered ones where he is.
Finally, is anyone going to miss the letters pages as much as I am? I understand that in an age of instant communication the letters pages were a little antiquated, but they at least showed that the people at the books were reading their mail.
So 4 issues down and 3 to go. They better start cracking, because there are a lot of unanswered questions.