COMIC BOOK NIRVANA--GRANT MORRISON'S JLA: The new JLA has created quite a bit of excitement in the world
of comic's fandom. Many folks seem thrilled with the return of the major heroes of the DC universe to the JLA line-up. Granted, it is
fun to see all the heavy hitters side by side, but that's not where the magic in this book is to be found; the magic is in the creative team,
especially in Grant Morrison, the man in the driver's seat, yeah, driver's seat (a Sniff 'n The Tears reference--we aim for a wide audience
on T&G's Home Page). For those of us who have longed for greatness in the Justice League, the answer has come in the form of
Morrison who promises to take the team to new heights. For some perspective, place the same line-up in the hands of Gerry Conway (who
killed this book under its true name) or Paul Kupperberg (who killed Supergirl's last shot at a regular book prior to the arrival of the Peter
David era), and you would have a much different book (much more mediocre, to be specific) than the marvelous JLA epic you should now
have in your hot little hands.
Morrison's gift is not so much in making up new stuff for these guys to do; let's be honest, how much new stuff is there for these guys to do?
His gift lies in his ability to do the old stuff well. What we are seeing in the JLA is execution. Let me point out a couple of places in JLA #3,
where we can see Morrison's prodigious talents at work. The first example is a four-page sequence involving the Flash. Here Morrison works
familiar territory in presenting the ongoing struggle Wally West faces in the self-imposed pressure of living up to the legacy of his mentor, Barry
Allen. Familiar territory, yes, but worked to perfection. At the top of page six, we have Wally reflecting back on the days when he worked with
Barry Allen, remembering that as they went about their business Barry would often thow out "tidbits of useless information. He called them his
'Flash Facts.'" Over the course of next page and a half, we see Wally in action with the villain Zum, and at the same time we see Wally able to
put to use one of those tidbits of useless information just as his mentor would have done. Wally not only triumphs in his fight with Zum, but also
experiences a personal triumph in being able to fit the bits and pieces of the past into the very meaningful context of the present. "Wonder how
fast he's travelling," wonders Wally. "At least seven miles per second. That's escape velocity by the way. Flash Fact." That's excellent writing
by the way. Comics Fact.
Example two; Batman is the last best hope of the team to avoid defeat. Again, nothing really new here, except it's not just a novelty or an escape
hatch, it's a terrific part of the story which not only moves the story along, but gives insight into the way Batman is perceived by the enemy,
("Don't be ridiculous. What can a pathetic, fragile creature like Batman do to us?" -- Protex, p.15) and by his allies (the weakened Superman's
mumbled warning to Protex on p. 21 that Batman is "(t)he most dangerous man on earth."). Good interweaving of story and character development.
Good, good storytelling.
The golden age of the Justice League is now. Here's hoping for a long and glorious ride by Morrison and company.
AWESOME COVER: Best cover of the year to date goes to Adventures in the DC Universe #1. All those
heroes standing around is fine, but the real winner here is that Adventure logo--PERFECT. Here's the deal: there
ought to be a normal DC universe title doing these kinds of stories. I like the cartoony artwork here, but a more
traditional look with the same type stories would also be a winner. There ought to be a World's Finest comic that's not
some squarebound, $5.00 Pretentious Format deal with wannabe fancy-schmancy artwork comic. A World's Finest that's just a regular,
old monthly title with a decent creative team. (By this, I mean Joey Cavalieri would not be the writer; he might be the editor,
but not the writer.). Anyway, in the stop-complaining-about-what-I-don't-have-and-enjoy-what-I-do-category, great cover. Really.
INSIDES NOT SO HOT: The flipside of the wonderful cover is the pretty average story inside of Adventures in the DC
Universe. It's a servicable story, not bad by any stretch, but nothing special either. For a compare/contrast with the raves for
Morrison's JLA above, the difference here is that you have the usual stuff done predictably in ADCU #1. Apparently, the DC Overpower
game is so complicated that it is easier for a supervillain who wants to learn the prowess of the heroes to cook up a scheme to have
villains fight heroes and gather information about them with a specially designed diagnostic program than to buy a pack of cards.
"I have gained knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses--thanks to the data recorders built into these belts and my battlesuit!"
No way. Who would have guessed? While I'm on this particular little rant, let me make one little quibble with the aforementioned
perfect cover. Just exactly what is the deal with Aquaman's eyes?
CROSSOVER IMPACT DIMINISHED: This is a bit behind the times, but let me share a quick note with Marvel and DC. No more
fiascos like All Access, please. DC and Marvel are falling into the same trap as Major League Baseball. Gosh, if people like the
World Series they'll just love interleague play, right? Well...NO! The special thing about the World Series is that the only time
the two leagues see each other (with the exception of the All-Star Game) is in the Fall Classic. Now that they'll be meeting each
other during the regular season, a bit of the mystique is taken away. In the same way, it seems like there was a time when these
Marvel/DC things were kind of special, and people got excited about them. Well, All Access could not have been any more mediocre
and is a great step on the way towards future crossovers being greeted with a big ol' yawn.
TALK TO US FOLKS!: We watch the counter turn so we know you're out there . . . while you're here, click on the e-mail addresses,
and let us know what you've got to say about the wide and wonderful world o' comics.
GEORGE'S PAST CUP O' COFFEE
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