Random Happenstance

JLI: The 'I' is for 'Interview'

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Old comics here!

Continued from last week's comic.




I haven't decided if I'm gonna keep this one going or not, but next week a new comic.

I think Mark Millar and Grant Morrisson were going to tackle the issue a little in Aztek, but what would the interview process be like when you've got thirty or forty people in masks show up? What kind of references would they have? Press clippings? Arrest records? A signed note from Batman? Would the interviewers insist on knowing the interviewee's secret identity? Should they? Should an interviewee give up that information?

Two other examples spring to mind, although I don't have either in hand: one was from an old Avengers issue and the security check for prospective member Rage. He's lead to a secure room, where a videotaped message from Tony Stark (!) plays, explaining how it will do a one-time check and give a yes or no answer on whether he's eligible or not, then erase the search's tracks and records. (Ah, I wish I had that one: it's a clever answer to some of the logistical questions that a bunch of masked yahoos would generate, and Tony is friendly and not at all dickish.)

The other one was from a What The--!? spoof of Avengers/JLI, featuring Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, among others, having tryouts. J'onn tries to suggest maybe reconsidering "Mr. Mann's" application, "You know, someone with powers?" Beetle shoots that down, that the League is about hanging out, and at the time, yeah, pretty much. Still, it's not unreasonable to think a lot of the interview would be interpersonal: sure, you could get a batch of uber-powerful members, but who wants to be on a team with Geo-Force or Captain Atom? (Disclaimer: Cap was cool in Justice League Europe, but everyone else writes him as a complete tool.)