Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Blue Beetle swiping from Nite Owl, the snake eats its own tail...


Even though I've read a few of the old Steve Ditko Blue Beetle stories, I can't remember if he ever had a winter outfit like Watchmen's Nite Owl. Seems like Ted would, right, but if so he may not have kept it in the Bug: you can see him freezing with the rest of the team in Russia in Justice League #3...

This issue also gives Booster Gold his new, and terrible, armor; his new, and terrible, bionic arm; and the new, and terrible, reveal that Booster had previously always known what would happen to him. It's yet another addition to the character to make him seem like a colossal dick: point-shaving in games he played, being unable or unwilling to stop Sue Dibney or Ted Kord's murders but knowing his own history, and committing fraud more than once to look like a hero. (I always get the feeling, as far as Justice League goes, some writers really like Booster, and some really don't...) Ted comes off pretty well in this one, but Booster had been having a hard time of it for a while already.


Also this issue: the Overmaster...sits! The League-Busters attack, including our old pals Ultraa and Peacekeeper! Or a Peacekeeper, anyway, but Captain Atom kicks their asses pretty handily. Ice goes bad (maybe) and takes over Overmaster's henchmen team, the Cadre! And Wonder Woman appears to be at odds with Captain Atom over the League's plan of attack against Overmaster; but Atom's plan seems to be go in guns blazing, while Diana's oddly reeks of appeasement. Still, this is part four of however many, so who knows.

From Justice League America #90, "Judgment Day, part four: The Shadow of Death" Written by Dan Vado (with co-plotting by Gerry Jones and Mark Waid) pencils by Marc Campos, inks by Ken Branch.

1 comment:

SallyP said...

Good GOD, but this was a particularly awful time period for the JLI. The art was dreadful, everything was EXTREME, and the plots didn't make a whole lot of sense either.

Did I mention the art?