80-Page Thursdays: Justice League Quarterly #15!

These 80-Page Thursday posts are sometimes the shortest to write; probably because a lot of time they aren't very good. We'll have another 80-pager or two before the end of the year, but this might be the last for a bit: from 1994, Justice League Quarterly #15, featuring stories by Michael Jan Friedman, Steven Seagle, Charles Moore, and more; and art by Mike Mayhew, Mark Tenney, Michael Oeming, and more.

So, we mentioned the Praxis serial that had run for several issues, and this issue featured the conclusion. It'd be the last time we see him, too. There's a very slight connection to old Justice League of America stories: the serial killer Praxis is tracking, 'the magician," is trying to get more power from Ghast, of Abnegazar, Rath and. We also have some JLE guest-stars, including grey-templed Hal, some version of Bloodwynd, and slacker Wally; this was the post Giffen/DeMatteis era, when the League's defining characteristic was none of them got along, or really wanted to be there.

Also this issue: skipable Jack O'Lantern and Tasmanian Devil stories, and a Ray story with early Michael Oeming art. The last one's okay, but not worth tracking this down for.
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"Revenge."

Another downer ending! Is Pool's space trip headed for a bad end?...like it's been going gangbusters so far.

Ooh, and Praxis rings, or the Praxis effect, named after the exploding moon in Star Trek VI! It's an almost common effect in explosions now, the ring made by a shockwave; and also one we have absolutely no way of demonstrating, sorry.

Ugh, I was ahead for a bit, but falling behind now. Hopefully I can get back on schedule this weekend!
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80-Page Thursday: Justice League Quarterly #11!

Recently, I found another JLQ issue I hadn't read before: Justice League Quarterly #11, with stories by William Messner-Loebs, Michael Jan Friedman, and Pat McGreal and Dave Rawson; and art by Mike Wieringo, Lee Moder, Dave Cockrum, and Mike Mayhew.

In the lead story, a Middle-Eastern emir enlists the female Leaguers--Wonder Woman, Power Girl, Crimson Fox, Dr. Light, and Ice--to serve as bodyguards to his wife after a superpowered assassination attempt. There's more to it, but the emir is such a sexist bastard it's continually surprising that even Wonder Woman has any patience with him. The ladies get to know each other with a slumber party--it's pretty tame, so don't get your hopes up, pervs--and although the curveballs in the plot feel like they come out of nowhere; Wieringo's art looks like early Adam Hughes here. (Looking it up, this issue was from 1993, possibly just before or around the time Wieringo took over Flash.)

The rest of the issue is a Martian Manhunter story, where a reporter friend of J'onn's exploits racial tension for ratings; and the first part of a Praxis story. It looks so 90's, but who knows if I'll ever get to finish it: JLQ #13 has the third Praxis chapter, but also has a Joseph Michael Linsner cover, and I've only seen it as fairly expensive.
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80-Page Thursdays: Justice League Quarterly #1!

It's been six months since our last 80-page Thursday--a whole month of Sundays, as Ben Grimm might've said. Today we've got a recent pick-up, that I'm pretty sure I've had at some point; that I've read but still have trouble remembering. Well, maybe this'll help! From 1990, Justice League Quarterly #1, "Corporate Maneuvers (and Leveraged Buyouts)" Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, pencils by Keith Giffen (layouts) and Chris Sprouse, inks by Bruce Patterson.

Maxwell Lord (long before his heel-turn) has noticed, in the course of observing former JLI member Booster Gold, that public relations "hard case" Claire Montgomery has approached several unknown or obscure superhero types: Gypsy, Vibe's brother Reverb, the recently introduced super-boy scout Maxi-Man, and others. (Including Praxis, who would get a serial in later issues; he amusingly doesn't show up on film...which makes him an odd choice for this particular team.) She's putting together a corporate-sponsored super-hero team; and unlike some previous attempt at that sort of thing, this Conglomerate is sponsored by multiple corporations, including LexCorp, Ferris Air, S.T.A.R. Labs, Stagg Chemicals...and some others I don't recognize. And at least two of those are evil, but okay. They make their first appearance stopping a rogue telekinetic from destroying a chemical plant of one of their sponsors; not realizing he may have been experimented upon there.

Somewhat surprisingly, Booster is the largest gloryhound of the group, but largely plays it straight; and even he gets fed up with being trotted out at parties and ad campaigns. After a coup in a South American country to put a ruler more amenable to corporate interests in power, and a standoff against the JLI; Booster is hoping for a mission he can be proud of, which turns out to be cleaning up a sponsor's oil spill; and he goes off on them to the press. The team's corporate liaison, to in turn 'clean up' after them, turns to longtime Green Lantern bad guy, Hector Hammond, to set up an unfortunate "accident."

There are a few interesting character bits in here, but maybe not enough: on the cover, Gypsy is giving J'onn an epic "Yes, dad" eyeroll; but I don't think they actually interact in the issue! But we know the Conglomerate wouldn't stick around long--at least, not with this lineup. And everyone involved seems really (perhaps willfully) naïve in thinking they can sell out to the man and still do good. (Perhaps slightly less so than it would in the Marvel Universe, where something like this would've been sponsored by Roxxon, Oscorp, Trask Industries...)
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80-Page Thursday: Justice League Quarterly #12!

We may be coming up on the end of 80-Page Thursdays, I'm afraid. Partially because I'm just about out...and moreover, I'm pretty much out of the good ones. Even allowing for recent pickups, I mean. From 1993, Justice League Quarterly #12, featuring stories from Mark Waid, Kim Fryer, and Michael Jan Friedman; and art from Dan Rodriguez, Mike Wieringo, and Mike Mayhew. (I know, you see Waid and Wieringo and think it'll be great, but they aren't together on this one!)

JLQ had been trying and trying to make the corporate mercenary JLA-alternative the Conglomerate happen since its first issue. This may have been the book's last go at it, and could Mark Waid make a silk purse out of that sow's ear? Oh, no...nooooo. But, he had to work with Templar, Reverb (Vibe's brother, not dead up to the reboot!) and Nuklon; so you can't really hold that against him. Jesse Quick's there too, a character I've always sort've liked even though she never broke big. Waid even threw in the 90's revamped Amazo, another valiant attempt that would not stick at all.

There's early Mike Wieringo art for "On the Road," a slight team-up with Ice and the heroic Dr. Light on vacation; then another chapter of that Praxis serial that I still haven't finished.

This isn't the last 80-Page Thursday yet...but I feel like I'm going to be scrambling next week.
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Gah, fooled again!

This is at least the second time I've been fooled by the Mike Mignola cover for Justice League Quarterly #14. For one thing, of course there's no interior art by Mignola in there; for another, the cover copy promises "Reunion!" but the characters really hadn't met before.

The bulk of this issue is wrapping up plotlines from DC's attempted relaunch of Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt. Oddly, the wikipedia entry mentions the character is owned by the estate of his creator, Pete Morisi, since his death in 2003. It makes me wonder if, say, the Question and Blue Beetle, would revert to Steve Ditko's estate; and this discussion is sadly more interesting than the issues of DC's Thunderbolt relaunch that I've read. Or this one.

Captain Atom is again in his default role as government tool--not quite tool, really, but still taking orders from the man. Here, Blue Beetle is goofy and useless, Nightshade...does something. Ugh. Throw in a new Judomaster; and all this issue does is make you again realize how Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's made a silk purse out of a sow's ear when they rejiggered these characters for Watchmen.


From "Havoc Unleashed!" Written by Paul Kupperberg, pencils by Michael Collins, inks by Eduardo Barreto. Per the GCD Indexer Notes: "Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Nightshade, Judomaster, Thunderbolt and Sarge Steel were all characters created by Charlton Publications and purchased by DC. The only other Charlton character owned by DC not shown here is the Question." That's not quite true: you forget Peacemaker, which is a little surprising, even if he was probably dead at the time, Kupperberg wrote his limited series. (There is a slight nod in the dialog to Peacemaker; it's a little too cute.) Looking that up, I realized on the two posts I did on Peacemaker, I started typing his name as 'Peacekeeper' halfway though; and I don't think anyone noticed, which tells you all you need to know about that.

Maybe I'd be a little easier on this issue if they had thrown in the Question; it probably couldn't have hurt...wait, I've seen L.A.W., so nevermind.

The rest of this issue is uniformly pretty bad: a Crimson Fox story, a Jack O'Lantern tale--the Global Guardian Irishman, not the guy that occasionally gives Spider-Man the hassle--and a Praxis story. Why there's a story here about a Klingon moon here, I don't know.
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When a Klingon says "Four thousand," they just mean "a lot," or "scads."

It wouldn't really be fair to characterize all Klingons as congenital liars, but they do have a tendency to blow up stories in the retelling, and to believe their own hype. Like today's book! From 2009, Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: Klingons, written by Keith R.A. DeCandido, art and color by J.K. Woodward.

This issue follows one of the three Klingon captains from the original series: Kang. (At first glance, I thought Koloth and Kor were in the framing sequences as well, but nope, just Kang!) After the events of "Day of the Dove," Kang sadly informs his crew that thanks to the Organians forcing the issue, the Federation and the Klingons were negotiating peace. As his men complain about not getting to kill all humans, Kang tells of his first dealing with humans...by proxy. When the Federation makes a Klingon-conquered world a protectorate, a young Kang is part of a crew sent to retake their conquest. Unfortunately, the alien Fortrans have upgraded with Federation-made phasers and tractor beams, and destroy a Klingon satellite and capture a ship and crew.

Caged, Kang's captain, Kraviq, counsels patience. Wait for an opportunity, which Kraviq takes when he was removed for questioning. Killing his guards, Kraviq escapes and makes a weapon, and according to Kang, kills four thousand Fortrans in a single night; holding out long enough for Klingon reinforcements to arrive. The Federation claims to have known nothing of the Fortrans' intentions or of arming them; but Kang calls that a load.

Some years later, Kang is home after a mission, and his somewhat estranged wife asks him about it. After the destruction of the energy-producing moon Praxis, many Klingon houses went broke, causing economic strife throughout the Empire. The Enterprise-B is running relief supplies, but the planet Qadyaq refuses any aid. Kang and Captain Harriman visit the planet, since Kang knows the ruling family had sold off its farming and mining equipment, but it appears to be doing all right for itself. An aide to the governor lets Kang in on the secret: piracy. By ripping off other Klingon planets, Qadyaq was able to prosper. Kang reports to his superiors, but the aide takes matters into his own hands, slitting the throats of all four thousand and fourteen Klingons on planet, before killing himself. Kang sees the aide's actions as honorable; his wife, not so much.

Years after that, Kang is caring for a dying Klingon woman, the wife of the Albino; who was responsible for the deaths of Kang, Koloth, and Kor's sons. (Setting this episode right before the Deep Space Nine episode "Blood Oath" and it really is a crime that it took that long to get Kang, Koloth, and Kor into the same episode!) She asks him the origin of his favored phrase, "four thousand throats may be cut in a single night by a running man." Kang tells her of the impenetrable fortress of Goqlath Castle, defended by four thousand Klingons who didn't believe in the ways of Kahless. Finally, a young warrior uses the path of stealth and guile, to sneak in and kill the all the defenders in a single night. The woman dies in her sleep, but still gives Kang the information he needed.

It's a tough call, if Kang is full of crap, or just believes the legends. Or at the very least, believes in the value of the legends. And if a thousand slit throats makes for a good story, hell, four thousand's better. I'd have to say it's up to the reader if Kang's a reliable narrator or not. Maybe the moral is, "One Klingon in four thousand, can take four thousand Klingons."
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80-Page Thursdays: Justice League Quarterly #13!

I may have overpaid for this issue last weekend, but at least I didn't pay internet prices.

From 1993, Justice League Quarterly #13, featuring stories by Kevin Dooley, Paul Kupperberg, and Michael Jan Friedman; with art by Greg LaRocque, Mike Collins, and Mike Mayhew. And a cover by Joseph Michael Linsner that I think is responsible for most of the price.

This issue features the return of old-time JLA stooge, Ultraa, revived here as an alien warlord intent on mating with Maxima. She was also an alien warlord, and had come to earth herself intent on mating with Superman. When that didn't work out, she started after the obvious second pick, Batman Captain Atom. I never really thought of Cap as a romantic lead, but he had been married prior to getting his powers and being launched into the future (from the sixties) and had dated Nightshade and Plastique. (In fact, I thought he married her, but it didn't work out.) At any rate, Cap isn't sure how he feels about Maxima, or being used to continue some alien warlord bloodline; and even Maxima seems to be having doubts when Ultraa shows up to prove himself to her. Ultraa wants to fight Superman, until he hears about Captain Atom, and the ensuing battle goes back and forth several times, as Cap won't kill Ultraa, even though he's rrrrrreally asking for it. Ultraa's even more punchable than usual here...

Also this issue: another chapter of the Praxis serial, and a Power Girl story, set when her origin was retconned so she wasn't from Krypton, she was the granddaughter of Arion the Immortal. That retcon didn't do either character any favors, and I have the feeling DC knew Power Girl had fans, but had no idea what to do with her.
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