Who bought it?
How'd ya like it.
I usually buy JLA Anyway, but the Claremont and Byrne news elicited mixed reactions from me. On one hand, they did a great X-Men run... 30 years ago. On the other hand, both have done books I hate with a passion in the past 10 years (Claremont's ruination of the Fantastic Four, Byrne's turning Igor into a Skrull in Hulk: Chapter One). Plus, Byrne's artwork has been... well, less than shpadoinkle the past 10 years, since he's been doing his own inks and all.
However, JLA #94 Was good. The book wasn't padded. There were fuckin' 6-9 panels per page, with words in most of 'em. Of course, that's because DC Supposedly asked Byrne to pad the book for a trade, and Byrne Being Byrne, went the opposite direction. And, Byrne's art is damn near beautiful. If Byrne always had Jerry Ordway ink his pencils, he'd be one of the greats again.
Story-wise, it makes sense so far. I'm not posting any spoilers (I'll leave that for y'all), but it seems like it's gonna be an interesting arc.
Call it DC Using cheap promotional tactics to spike sales if you want, but this is the first time I've really looked forward to JLA since... well, it's been a while. Maybe the old guys still can cut it.
Shouldn't Ordway get most of the credit if Bryne's art is great again?
I always prefer Jerry to John anywho.
The art looked like Ordway added his own style on top of Byrne's. I'm not complaining, but it definitely was noticeable. Personally, I still prefer Austin's inks. Overall, though, the art was pretty solid.
Storywise, I ran hot and cold. Good, not great, work by Claremont. Interesting use of Flash and Superman. But the possible main villain? Not impressed...didn't like his look or his dialogue. Hopefully s/he's either a red herring or an emissary for a greater evil. We'll see...
3 Stars outta 5.
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Joe Mama said:
The art looked like Ordway added his own style on top of Byrne's. I'm not complaining, but it definitely was noticeable. Personally, I still prefer Austin's inks. Overall, though, the art was pretty solid.
3 Stars outta 5.
There was definite Byrne style in it. The faces, mostly. But everything Byrne's been doing wrong the past 10 years was... blunted. So, yeah, Ordway's probably the main reason Byrne's art is looking so damned good after 10 years of mediocrity.
Haven't read it yet, but personally I think anything would be better than that last arc written by Denny O'neill. Feh! Phooey! Ick! Stupid old bastard, why won't he die?!?
It came out today? Fuck.
I'm mainly interested in this because of who Byrne's bringing back.
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TK-069 said:
Shouldn't Ordway get most of the credit if Bryne's art is great again?
I always prefer Jerry to John anywho.
Not really..go check out the black & white art posted on his website. That shit is beautiful.
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King Snarf said:
Haven't read it yet, but personally I think anything would be better than that last arc written by Denny O'neill. Feh! Phooey! Ick! Stupid old bastard, why won't he die?!?
Denny O'Neil.
If it wasn't for that "Stupid Old Bastard," Batman might have been canceled in 1969. There certainly wouldn't have been a "Dark Knight," "Killing Joke," "Batman Year One" or any of the other classic books that came out in the 80s since they were all based, to one degree or another, on O'Neil's version of Batman...which still stands as the definitive one.
In fact, that "stupid old bastard" was Frank Miller's editor on Daredevil, essentially teaching Miller everything he knew about "grim and gritty."
That "stupid old bastard" wrote some the most enduring stories in comics form of the last forty years: "No Hope in Crime Alley," "the Jokers's Five Way Revenge," "the Batman Nobody Knows," "Daughter of the Demon," "Green Lantern/Green Arrow."
Maybe he's not on the top of his game anymore, but the man played the game longer, and better, than nearly anyone else in the mainstream comics field.
Show some respect.
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the G-man said:
In fact, that "stupid old bastard" was Frank Miller's editor on Daredevil, essentially teaching Miller everything he knew about "grim and gritty."
That certainly doesn't stop Denny from badmouthing Frank whenever he gets the chance.
Good, he deserves it as much as O'Neill does by your standards. Everything post sin-city has been pure shit.
Whenever I see ordway draw a woman theyre done all fugly. His Wonder Woman looks damned hideous.
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Joe Mama said:
The art looked like Ordway added his own style on top of Byrne's. I'm not complaining, but it definitely was noticeable. Personally, I still prefer Austin's inks. Overall, though, the art was pretty solid.
Storywise, I ran hot and cold. Good, not great, work by Claremont. Interesting use of Flash and Superman. But the possible main villain? Not impressed...didn't like his look or his dialogue. Hopefully s/he's either a red herring or an emissary for a greater evil. We'll see...
3 Stars outta 5.
Sums up my feelings exactly.......but I liked it more than I disliked it........my only complaint was the villain.........but they did take out Supes so that says something.
Okay, I got it, and loved it. I'll start with the story, which ain't bad. I can't believe the League is getting taken down so quickly, with Manitou, Faith, and Superman in trouble. It's really nice seeing the thought balloons back in JLA, I've missed them. Now the art. How about that cover?! Superman on the cover has to be all Ordway there. Man is it refreshing to see his art. I checked out the interiors online before the issue came out. I was hoping Byrne's art wouldn't look like his art on Lab Rats (I shouldn't have bought that shit) or Generations. All of his characters in the former and the latter look like they're going to die of starvation. Thank God JLA 94 doesn't look like that. My one problem with the issue, and other recent issues of JLA, is the logo on the cover. It's weak! Where did the 3-D logo go? Having just the letters there doesn't do much on the Grab-Me meter.
Bought it over the weekend. The only real redeeming quality to it is that it's the beginning introduction to the new Doom Patrol. Otherwise...the art was decent, nothing to set the world alight.
But Claremont...god, his purple prose is just awful.
I'm gonna hate him on UXM.
Jim
The fact that this was Claremont and Byrne doing this story is significant, but for all the wrong reasons.
Back in the 1970s, these guys were considered groundbreaking. They brought dynamic art, innovative story-telling and rich characterization to team books (such as JLA) that had previously been known for nothing so much as rote plots and cookie cutter personalities.
Now, they're doing the same kind of lame, throwaway, plot that we used to get in the "Justice League of America" nearly every month in the 1970s (and what drove us to give up on the book for comics like "X-men" in the first place): One or more members of the team is/was captured/mind controlled by some no-name villain and its up to the remainder of the team (whose personalities seem interchangeable) to come to the rescue. And Byrne's art, while still ahead of the hen scratchings that he's fostered upon us lately, was pedestrian and stiff.
Not only aren't these guys innovators any more, but they are ripping off the very type of comic book that we used to buy their work to avoid. And they aren't putting a unique or modern spin on it, either (the way that Moore does with his ABC comics, for example).
It's almost as if the Beatles were all alive, and reunited to do nothing except cover the old Frankie Avalon and Fabian tunes they forced off the charts back in 64.
"One or more members of the team is/was captured/mind controlled by some no-name villain and its up to the remainder of the team (whose personalities seem interchangeable) to come to the rescue."
And the remainder of the team will HAVE to help from this "secret" group of heroes, one of whom is just demanding to get out and get some action. This secret group, after helping to save the day, will bring in some of the teens kidnapped by the Bad Guy to form yet another super-hero group, just in time for New Super Hero Group (which in this case happens to be FORMER SUPER HERO GROUP) to debut in its own #1.
Am I jaded and cynical at age 39? Yeah, I guess so, but it'd be fucking nice if these former LEGENDS could actually come up with a story that was interesting even if it does involve classic Super Hero Elements.
Jim
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Jim Jackson said:
it'd be fucking nice if these former LEGENDS could actually come up with a story that was interesting even if it does involve classic Super Hero Elements.
Exactly. It's one thing to take the "old school" or "silver age" stuff and do something new and interesting with it. It's quite another to just rip it off, turn in a mediocre story and try to call it "nostalgia."
JLA #100
Written by Joe Kelly; art and cover by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen
This landmark extra-sized 100th issue features the long-awaited return of one of the toughest and most raw super-groups in the DCU: The Elite! The JLA is torn apart when Vera Black makes her debut as leader of the Elite, with intentions to clear her family name and show the JLA "how things should be done!" The shockwaves from this issue changes the JLA as we know it — dividing its ranks and setting the stage for July's debut of the exciting new maxiseries JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE!
DC UNIVERSE | 48pg. | Color | $3.50
On Sale June 30th, 2004
This is what I thought everything was leading up to, that is why I was a little suprised about the Doom Patrol (mostly cuz I don't know who they are).
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Glacier16 said:
This landmark extra-sized 100th issue features the long-awaited return of one of the toughest and most raw super-groups in the DCU: The Elite!
Damn.
The first appearance of "the Elite" was brilliant. And it should have been a one-shot.
It perfectly demonstrated how Superman could be a "bad ass" and still a "big blue boy scout" all at once, and it was also a great take-off on books like "The Authority.
But, like too many things in comics, they can't let a good one shot stay a one shot and have to do a sequel that completely undermines the good of the original story.
Weren't The Elite an Authority parody? Manchester Black for Jack Hawksmoor etc.?
"Justice League Elite" just sounds.... wanky.
Are DC trying to recapture some of the Authority fevour by using this team in a title? They must surely know the only reason that issue of Superman was popular was because it had Supes really stretching himself against Authority doppelgangers, when The Authority was one of Wildstorm's best selling books.
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the G-man said:
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King Snarf said:
Haven't read it yet, but personally I think anything would be better than that last arc written by Denny O'neill. Feh! Phooey! Ick! Stupid old bastard, why won't he die?!?
Denny O'Neil.
If it wasn't for that "Stupid Old Bastard," Batman might have been canceled in 1969. There certainly wouldn't have been a "Dark Knight," "Killing Joke," "Batman Year One" or any of the other classic books that came out in the 80s since they were all based, to one degree or another, on O'Neil's version of Batman...which still stands as the definitive one.
In fact, that "stupid old bastard" was Frank Miller's editor on Daredevil, essentially teaching Miller everything he knew about "grim and gritty."
That "stupid old bastard" wrote some the most enduring stories in comics form of the last forty years: "No Hope in Crime Alley," "the Jokers's Five Way Revenge," "the Batman Nobody Knows," "Daughter of the Demon," "Green Lantern/Green Arrow."
Maybe he's not on the top of his game anymore, but the man played the game longer, and better, than nearly anyone else in the mainstream comics field.
Show some respect.
I agree completely with the G-Man on this one! Comics owe a great deal to Denny O'Neil for all of the reasons already stated. Snarfie-wash your dirty mouth out w/ soap and then go crawl to Denny O'Neil and beg his forgiveness! Hopefully he won't won't drop dead on top of you though it certainly would be poetic justice. I can hear him yelling, "Take that! Damn punk kid!" on his way out... 
The most amazing thing about this book was the fact that they actually got these egos (excluding Ordway) to work together!
Bit of a spoiler follows...
Have to agree w/ the G-Man again but I've read this comic before when the X-Men went up against Dracula in their comic many moons ago and I might be wrong here but wasn't that a Claremont and/or Claremont/Byrne production as well? I did somewhat enjoy the story but I'm hesitant to give it a full thumbs up. Let's see how it plays out and hope it's worth the price of admission.
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LLance said:
I've read this comic before when the X-Men went up against Dracula in their comic many moons ago and I might be wrong here but wasn't that a Claremont and/or Claremont/Byrne production as well?
Nope. Claremont and Sinkeiwicz
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the G-man said:
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LLance said:
I've read this comic before when the X-Men went up against Dracula in their comic many moons ago and I might be wrong here but wasn't that a Claremont and/or Claremont/Byrne production as well?
Nope. Claremont and Sinkeiwicz
I thought it was a bit after Byrne took off. I'm an old man with shitty memory and 4 decades of comics running together in my head so please forgive me. Doesn't that story remind you of the current JLA offering?
To be frank, Claremont hasn't told an original story in years.
Basically, he's been rehashing "Dark Phoenix," "the first Wolverine Mini-series" and "Days of Future Past" nonstop for twenty five years.
Oh, and the movie "Alien," of course.
I finally got it. It was good. I hoped it would be a lot better.
It's everything everyone else already said. It's cliche, it's wordy, its a bit too much Ordway and not enough Byrne.
It seems like Superman is the weak link in the JLA, doesn't it? How many fucking times has he been mind controlled??? Now, just to make sure we haven't missed it, he's mind controlled and bitten by a vampire. EVERYONE GOT THAT NOW, KIDS? Superman is vulnerable to mind control and magic/mystical beings! Jeez, in every issue! Every single DCU villain knows how to stop the big idiot now.