Justice League America #63-65 (June-August 1992)
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Justice League America #63-65 (June-August 1992)
Superman and the Justice League go on a galactic road trip! Good news: Guy Gardner decides to bail (both the trip and team) halfway through. Bad news: he was their ride home. Anyway, the group's destination is planet Almerac, Maxima's world, which has been conquered by an old JLA villain called Starbreaker – a “space vampire" who literally breaks stars by smashing planets into them, then feeds off the resulting energy. Superman had helped the old League fight him (as mentioned in Action Comics $6,50), so as soon as he sees him, he's like "Oh shit, that guy!" Starbreaker easily defeats the whole team, steals their powers, and throws Superman into the planet's exploding crust.
Luckily, Superman manages to survive by, you know, being Superman.
While Superman, Maxima and Bloodwynd use their respective powers to prevent the planet from exploding, the other Leaguers figure out how to siphon away Starbreaker's energy through Booster Gold's power-absorbing suit. Since Starbreaker was energy, all that's left of him by the end is his empty pajamas.
So, Maxima's planet is saved… but her people decide to kick her out for abandoning them to chase Kryptonian booty around the galaxy, thus allowing another planet-destroying maniac to invade them. At least they give her a ship so she and her friends can go back to Earth. The point being: the League (and Superman) are now stuck with Maxima for the time being.
Romance-Watch:
There's a moving scene where post-exile Maxima is comforted by Booster, of all people. I was gonna say this foreshadows the future romance between the two, but I looked it up and apparently that only happened in the fan fiction I wrote in my mind.
Also, the reason Guy quits the team is that he's angry about everyone always siding with Superman… but especially his beloved Ice, whose super-crush continues growing in intensity.
This ties in with a storyline from the Green Lantern series, though the timeline is kinda wonky: on the GL issue that came out on the same month as JLA #63, Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner have a fistfight to decide who will get to be Green Lantern of Earth. Yep, that sounds exactly like something two mentally balanced, non-psychopathic superheroes would do.
Nope, nothing ominous about Jordan's behavior here. Anyway, Guy loses the fight (and his Green Lantern ring) at the end of that story… but that doesn't mean the League will be free from him for too long, so the Superman/Ice/Gardner love triangle will continue.
Who The Heck Is Bloodwynd-Watch:
Don Sparrow says: "In these issues, Bloodwynd knows… almost telepathically… that Fire is updating her costume, later contacts Starbreaker through his mind, and finally makes everyone ‘see' a Guardian, which they ‘illusion' powers. The implication is clear: Bloodwynd is Dr. Strange."
More from Don and more kick-ass art from these issues after the jump!
Art-Watch (by donsparrow):
This run of JLA isn’t remembered too fondly by most comic historians, and on one level, I can understand that–it’s not quite as funny as the Giffen and DeMatteis days–even though it’s similar in lineup and tone. And it’s also not as focused or as formidably staffed as the Gerry Conway "satellite” era, so it’s in a strange middle ground. But as an accent to the other Superman books, I love it–it’s a breezy, quick read, with lots of action, and just enough humour to set it apart from the rest of the Superman titles.
Seemingly in an effort to defy the criticism of the Justice League at the time, Dan Jurgens bolsters the book with a cosmic level threat–Starbreaker, borrowing from his recent "Panic in the Skies" storyline, we first hear of Starbreaker’s appearance through his conquering of Maxima’s Almerac, and almost touchingly, the league accompanies her (even if it’s so Superman can arrest her afterwards). Lots to like here. It’s always fun to see hideouts and headquarters, and the League's new digs at the United Nations building in New York is very well designed–and typically wasteful of the UN.
Speaking of new accoutrements, Fire gets a new costume (after a pretty funny joke about both her and Red Tornado’s costumes being considered the worst in the DCU). It’s about as dated as the Adam Hughes version she’s trading in (and reminds me of a fire version of Aquaman’s short-lived water camouflage look) and doesn’t last much beyond Jurgens’ run. I do like her more streamlined, voluminous straight hair, though. The curly perm was showing its’ age, though I suspect the change might come from a desire to stop having to draw all those individual curls.
Plenty of great art throughout these issues, as well. The solidly built Superman daintily holding Maxima’s arrest warrant is a pretty good visual summary of the character–powerful enough to level mountains, but gentle enough not to crinkle a page (since he’s serving the paper to a Queen, the raised pinky is also appropriate).
The splash reveal of Starbreaker on the final page of 63 is a jaw dropper for sure, and manages to make his uniform look regal and exotic rather than, well,stupid.
Superman crawling to his feet on page 5 of issue 64 is a powerful image–it’s not often we see the big guy so cowed (and his hair looks cool). Seeing Queen Maxima stoned by her own people is pretty heartbreaking (and you really get an idea why she had to go off-planet to find a male suitor, but I digress) and it’s hard to see her so battered in the opening splash of issue 65.
Beetle’s plan to defeat Starbreaker, while lethally harsh is pretty genius, and I like that his scientific tinkering background is the key to victory. Superman coming out of the bedrock is a great image on page 15 of JLA #65 (even if there’s some foreshortening issues in the face) and it’s always interesting to see his uniform altered–is this one burnt, or just covered in ash and soot?
Lastly, the scenes of Maxima mourning the loss of her title once again humanize an otherwise pretty steely character. Maxima joining the league full-time also showcases another thing the JLA of this era has going for it–I can’t think of a more gender-balanced lineup in the League’s history.
STRAY OBSERVATIONS:
Ted’s new Beetle looks way, way more like a frog than a Beetle.
Guy is a great foil for Superman throughout these issues, calling him a principal and an umpire of different occasions. As always, I dig Jurgens’ unflinchingly square approach to Superman.
Before the big reveal at the end of issue 63, I wonder if we were maybe meant to think they were fighting Sinestro. [Max: Completely different character designs, Don. Starbreaker is a lanky, evil, purple dude. Sinestro is a lanky, evil, purple dude… with a mustache.]
The glimpse at the satellite era JLA on page 5 of issue 64 is a nice recap, and hints at Jurgens’ interest in this particular lineup in future.
The intruder getting past the new HQ defenses is meant to be a surprise, but it’s clearly Gambit.
I figured out who Jurgens’ ice was reminding me of–Chrissy Snow from Three’s Company! Which is actually quite appropriate.
So, Superman’s cool with the fact that Booster and Beetle murdered Starbreaker? [Max: I expected at least a "Oh, you two scamps."]
Is Maxima the long lost daughter of the King and Queen from Frozen? [Max: I'm pretty sure that would make her Ice's relative.]
