Justice League Adventures #19 Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES #19

http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/t-19-art.jpg (http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/19-art.jpg) http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/t-19.jpg (http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/19.jpg)

http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/t-19-page1.jpg (http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/19-page1.jpg) http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/t-19-page2.jpg (http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/19-page2.jpg) http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/t-19-page3.jpg (http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/19-page3.jpg) http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/t-19-page4.jpg (http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/jl/comic/19/19-page4.jpg)

Written by Michael Bernard; art by John Delaney and Rick Burchett; cover by Tim Levins and Burchett

Green Lantern takes center stage in a story that finds a young child in control of the most powerful weapon in the universe as he tries to find out “What's in a Hero.” Written by Michael Bernard, writer for the Noggin Network show Sponk! and MTV's Say What? Karaoke.

Comments?

[DisneyBoy]

Nifty cover by Levins, more plot-oriented story, Delaney pencils and Burchett inks. Sounds...dare I say it....perfect?

[Joker85]

*snort*
Remember the Golden Rule DB, never judge a book by it's cover...or its synopsis. ;) But, I do like the cover.

[DisneyBoy]

sorry sir...

.....

....could....


....could I pl....


...pl...please have some...



....



...preview pages....


Preview Pages! Preview Pages!

Never Before Has a boy wanted Preview Pages!

-True, true Joker85...but I need to be positive with this title...

[John Delaney]

Hi Kats

Well as Jim Harvey has said issue # 19 is out with pencils by yours truly. I'm very much looking forward to everyomne's thoughts on this issue. I thought Michael Bernard created a very insightful and thoughtful script and of course there is also the amazing inks of Rick Burchett!!!

I await your insights
Cheers
John

[Jor-El]

The book was good enough that you should just go buy it. You don't need preview pages if you're going to get it anyway.

[DisneyBoy]

Since my comic shop is rather far away, and time these days is precious, I hardly ever have time to do there. Besides I always have JLA on my pull list, but for some reason it always arrives a month late, so I always enjoy getting to see the preview pages online.

Actually, my shop missed the Aluir Amancio issue! All that I've seen of it was what was posted online. Thank you whoever you were :) God bless preview pages :)

In the meantime, what was it like working with Rich, John? Do you guys ever meet or does everything happen via mail?

[Dan Slott]

Hey! Just got done reading the new Justice League Adventures.
Right off the bat: GREAT COVER! Very iconic and cool! Also great to see a "solo" Justice Leaguer story! Sure, the other members pop in here and there (Flash, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter) but this story is REALLY about John Stewart-- not Green Lantern-- John Stewart! And that's refreshing!
Michael Bernard does a great job making me care about John as a hero-- not a SUPERhero-- but a REAL hero! John D. and Rick do a fantastic job on the art. And, I think this is best coloring job I've seen John Kalisz do to date on JL Adv.!
It's all good!
(Special kudos to John D. for his inventive page layouts. Especially Pages 9, the doulbe splash on 10 and 11, and the lantern symbol layout on Page 13!)

ttyl
Dan

[John Delaney]

In the meantime, what was it like working with Rich, John? Do you guys ever meet or does everything happen via mail?

Hi DB
I did meet Rick Burchett in San Diego a few years back. We had dinner together with a bunch of writers artists and editors. Great fun all around and Rick is a great guy.
I 've been a huge fan of his work for years and had always wanted to work with him so I was very pleased to get the opportunity and even more pleased by the results. The guy rocks!!
Hope you get a chance to read this story, I think you'll like it.


Hey Dan Slott
Thanks for all the comments, I got a chance to read Batman Adventures#1 and I thought your story was brilliantly told!! I remember from my days on Adventures in the DC Universe how tough it is to tell a short story and still be able to invoke emotion from the reader, you my friend, excelled in both with this story. I LOVED Batman's last line. Spot on characterization.
Well Done! I can't wait to read issue #2

Cheers
John

[James Harvey]

Wow. I can't believe that barely anyone has commented on this issue yet. As usual, my longer review will come later, but for now, I'll just offer some breif thoughts on the issue.

Given the large role he plays in the series, the Green Lantern would really be the last person who should be given his own issue, especially with some of the other under-developed characters. But here...it really works. There's no way it could've worked with any other character. Here, we see a new side to Green Lantarn, that of trust. I know, I know, we see him trust his teammates every issue/episode, but here he trusts a kid with the greatest power, and it's amazing. The creators of this issue obviously care about the characters, becuase it shows.

And John? Your art on this issue and just amazing, perhaps the best on the series so far. It's up there with issue #16, but I'm not sure if it's better than that issue. I'll need to reread it a couple more times before I can give my final judgement in my longer, tedious reviews.

Come on folks - this is a great issue! Discuss!

[Bird Boy]

They're a week late but there they are..preview pages in all their glory.

Comments on the issue!:

Story-I've never been a fan of simple, one-shot stories (will we ever have a 2-3 issue story arc in JLA? That'd be cool..), but this one played out rather well. Sort of cheesy, but it gave you a nice warm feeling right there.

Art-To me, art makes a story. I can barely read the Batman Murderer/Fugitive line because of the horrible renditions of the bat-crew. However, there's only been a few JLA issues I've really disliked the art on, and this was one of them. I mean the way GL was drawn..just horrible. You really dropped the ball on this issue, John. Pure crap. :bosko:

Yes that was a blatant lie. I loved the art--completely on-model, crisp, beautiful art. And the coloring was great as well.

As you can undoubtedly tell I don't, nor do I seem to have the patience, to write out big long reviews. I'll leave that to Jim. ;) But, I did really really enjoy this issue, and while it's not the best, it was definitely a cool issue.

-BB

[Spawn]

As with most of the issues in JLA, I can't help but feel it was a "filler" issue. Most of these issues never hold anything after you read them. It seems to be the same thing lately: You close the issue, say something along the lines of "good read", "cool", or whatnot, but after you file it away with the rest of your comics, you don't have a desire to go back to read it for a long time.

The story, upon reflecting it more, just didn't grip me as much as those two Chronos issues. But as a small-time GL fan, it was fun to read, as I stated before. I liked how it showed that he didn't need a ring to do what needed to be done--teamwork can accomplish it all, and in the end, the kid got inspired to do community service. Not bad, but I'd like to see a semi-adult stories in this series...something that makes you think after you read it.

I will say that the pencils (I believe you did them, Mr. Delaney?) and coloring were very sharp and beautifully done in this issue.

Overall: *** 1/2 stars. The story was cool, the art was better.

http://board.spawn.com/ubb/graemlins/spawnorb.gif

Oh and Bird Boy, nice avatar.

[DisneyBoy]

As with most of the issues in JLA, I can't help but feel it was a "filler" issue. Most of these issues never hold anything after you read them. It seems to be the same thing lately: You close the issue, say something along the lines of "good read", "cool", or whatnot, but after you file it away with the rest of your comics, you don't have a desire to go back to read it for a long time.

Very well put. That's often how I feel about the series, too.

Anyway, I wanted to post and say a big "THANKS!!!" to however scanned those preview pages, and send a high-five along to Johnnie D, Rickie B and Colorist X (Don't know you're name) for what looks to be an awesome issue! I love the deep, shaturated colors, and *crisp* (oh so crisp!) figures and panels!!! John, I've found that your lines have been a bit too sketchy in past issues (which I probably already pointed out) so whether it was Rick's inks or you're pencils, many thanks for working that out! And that shot with both the inside and outside of the apartment - beautiful use of perspective!!! Oddly enough, I really enjoy the civilian stories, especially in terms of the Justice League, since there's such a tendancy to do the over-the-top alien takeovers. Looking forward to this one...


....say, when's the next issue with Aluir coming out?

[James Harvey]

First off, my apologies to John Delaney, Rick Burchett, and Micheal Bernard, whom I'm writing this review for, for taking so long to do this. I've been ill, which I'll explain later, for the past little while and have only now starting to slowly recover. First off, I'll be shocked if this review makes any sense. Secondly, please excuse any keyboard typos.

When a child questions Green Lantern, his ring, and what it means to be hero, we're treated to a rather touching tale of what it really means to be a hero. Bernard presents us with an enjoyable and rather moving tale on what really drives Green Lantern, and how that inspires one little boy.

Yeah, it sounds sappy and plays out like a bad after school special? No - not at all. It's a great look at Green Lantern. While he may have gotten some great face time in the Justice League series, his character hasn't been as developed as it could be. Bernard steps in here and gives us a nice study of him. I love how Bernard opens the issue, with Green Lantern facing off against this new character and intercuts it with Charlie. It's a nice contrast between the two characters, and also gives us the heads up that these two will obviously cross paths.

When they do, it's in a rather smashing way! Green Lantern, and the villian, slamming into their apartment, and Charlie's mom is injured. Charlie's reaction towards the hero and his mom's condition rings true, with his frustration coming through. His comment on killing seems to be something that little kids bring up alot. I overhear kids saying, as they thumb through comics, "why doesn't he just kill him?" Green Lantern's response is perfect. A hero isn't killing, it's helping.

The two page spread, done beautifully by Delany and Burchett, give us a great insight into what heroes really are, and it begins to open Charlie's eyes. Afterwards, when Green Lantern gives Charlie the ring to prove that a hero can be anyone, even someone without powers, the point is driven home. Bernard presents us with a fun, inspirational tale, that anyone can make a difference.

As much as I enjoyed this issue, it just seemed like a filler story, though. I understand that the Justice League Adventures series sort of has it's hands tied and can't really do the big, powerful tales that it's capable of. Still, the comic has been able to pull off some big tales, tales that have had a big affect on the characters. But here, it just seems like a filler story. It can be summed up as simply "Green Lantern helps some kid" and that's it. While a nice story, it doesn't have the right impact on the continuity of the series.

The artwork on the issue is stunning. The pencil work by Delanely is heavily enriched by the superb inking of Burchett. This is one beautiful looking story. Every panel pops, and the artwork is just near flawless. From the opening splash page with the heroic looking Green Lantern, to even the small panels showing people helping each other, Delaney and Burchett do a tremendous job with the artwork.

The artwork matches the story perfectly, too. Granted, anyone could've done the artwork for this issue, but the Delaney/Burchett art makes it hard to imagine anyone else doing so. Here's hoping that Delaney gets alot more stories for this title in the near future. And, if he's not too busy on Batman Adventures, maybe Burchett can give a hand, as well.

One of my major complaints of this series is the coloring. Issue after issue I find it to be a bland, washed out mess. But here, it actually looks good. Maybe Kalisz is listening to all my complaining, but the coloring is actually nice here. The coloring is bright, of course, but it fits the tone of the story perfectly. It actually helps the story along, instea dof hindering it, as it has done so many times before. Not the best coloring job, I can only imagine Lee Loughridge on this title, but one that does service to the story.

And the lettering...I love the lettering by Bill Oakley on this series. I'm exciting that he's aboard this series and he never fails to dissapoint. Great work, Bill.

Overall, an enjoyable, if forgettable, installment of Justice League Adventures. I'd love to see this series take a few chances with the characters and the potential it has. Hopefully we'll get to see that in upcoming issues. A fun Green Lantern spotlight tale featuring some spectacular artwork by Delaney and Burchett.

Alright, Jason Hall! A review for your issue of Justice League Adventures is on the way! I'll have it up soon.