Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash have been captured by a rogue Russian general and his keyboard-playing newly-minted super-villain brother, the Maestro. Who could save them now? Maybe Aquaman, Zatanna, the Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man--and their new Justice League of America! From 1985, Justice League of America #238, "Savage Symphony" Written by Gerry Conway, pencils by Chuck Patton, inks by Mike Machlan.
The new JLA fly into Russia to save them, with Steel and Vixen musing over the commentary from when they came onto the team: "'How can four second-stringers and three neophytes hope to replace even one Superman?" (An interesting criticism, since it would be several years before Supes would be a major part of the League again.) Vixen notes some people are just afraid of change. After Zatanna and the Manhunter get them past the Russian jets, Gypsy suggests a sneak-attack: coming in from the frozen river. It works fairly well, until the Maestro's synthezier plays up some sonic-created robots and turns the tide. The new JLA could be just as doomed as the old one, until a deaf Russian dissident sacrifices his life to smash the synthezier. Gypsy uses her power in an unexpected way on the general, making him think he was high above a canyon and about to fall to his death.
As the team wraps up, Superman approaches Aquaman to discuss the League headquarters, since I think the satellite was being phased out at this time. This is a pretty traditional 'changing of the guard' kind of story, but it almost feels like the new guys still weren't given enough to do. In fact, there's a far bit of space devoted to Vixen: her paying perhaps too much attention to J'onn, her upcoming bad guy/boomerang enthusiast General Maksai, and how Zatanna just doesn't like her.
And not just because it was JL Detroit that saved them, but the fact that Superman, Flash and WW got captured and almost killed(?) by a typically, generic, evil Russian general and a "super-villain" version of the keyboardist from A Flock of Seagulls.
ReplyDeleteNow THAT's got to sting!
Quick question Goo, out of these three replacement JLA teams, which would you yourself declare the worst?:
JL Detroit, The JL post-Superman's death in '92, or the '94-'95 Gerald Jones/Zero Hour-era JLA?
I've never understood the Justice League Detroit hate. They may not have been the best JLA but they did well with their missions for the most part and had a unique voice. Other than Steel, the new characters were pretty interesting. And there's no shame in getting caught by a new version of one of the JLA's oldest enemies.
ReplyDeleteJohn Ostrander, I think, did a couple good JL Detroit stories in JLA: Incarnations, and the CW has run a helluva lot further with those characters than I would've ever bet on.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't reading JL books any of those times, now that I think of it. The post-Superman's death roster, with rebooted Black Condor, and maybe-Bloodwynd, and Agent Liberty for five minutes...that seems pretty dire. (I'm not even sure those three were on at the same time, but yeah.)
They were, and yeah, definitely one of the worst incarnations of the JL even though I enjoyed how Jurgens wrote and drew them.
ReplyDeleteI was always rather fond of the Setroit League, simply Because it didn't have the "Big Three".
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