Justice League America #70 (January 1993)
Justice League America #70 (January 1993)
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND, BONUS CHAPTER! The Justice League mourns the death of their most famous member, as well as the fact that thousands of kids probably unsubscribed from their series starting with this issue – which is too bad, because this is genuinely an amazing comic.
We start with another view of the post-Superman #75 disaster, with the dead Superman and Doomsday laying on the street as everyone else looks bummed. (This was a great month for comic book rubble.)
A guilt-stricken Ice gives a speech about how brave Superman was for facing Doomsday alone while she and the other JLosers couldn't do anything, then promptly faints (hence her unconscious state in Adventures #498). Meanwhile, we learn that Blue Beetle is in a coma from the beating Doomsday gave him last issue – Booster Gold and Maxima are with him at the hospital when they find out about Supes' death through the news. Guy Gardner shows up too, and reacts to the tragedy in typically Gardneresque fashion: by hitting on Maxima.
Booster breaks up the fight, and they all (including the comatose Beetle) go back to the JLA headquarters. This is where the issue gets really interesting, as other DC superheroes begin showing up one by one to pay their respects for Superman, because they weren't sure where else to do it. (It's not like he spent 99% of his career operating in the same city or anything.) The various heroes talk about what a swell dude Superman was, as they help the surviving Leaguers deal with the fact that they totally dropped the ball on this one.
Even Batman has nice things to say:
Oberon, the League's sexy dwarf secretary, then hands out S-shield armbands (the same ones that came with Superman #75 and no doubt got children across America bullied in school) so all the superheroes can show their support. Gardner watches the scene from a roof, and as Ice delivers a more hopeful speech than the one she gave at the beginning of the issue, Guy's heart grows three sizes and he nabs one of the memorial armbands.
The issue ends with Booster at Beetle's bedside, saying he doesn't know what he'd do if he had to wear an armband with a little bug in it. Don't worry, Booster. No one would make Blue Beetle armbands, even if he died.
Plotline-Watch:
The heroes present are: Flash (Wally West, who naturally arrives first), Aquaman, Batman and Robin (Tim Drake), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Early ‘90s Hawkman, Starfire and Nightwing from the New Titans, Elongated Man, Power Girl, Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and Flash (Jay Garrick, slower in his old age) from the JSA, Wonder Woman, Black Canary and a grumpy Green Arrow. Black Condor watches from afar but doesn't join the party, because he's far too cool for this sort of thing.
The most bizarre guest star is The Demon, who actually fought Superman a few months earlier (during his Trump-esque presidential campaign). Also, he's a demon. Don Sparrow says: "Who invited the Demon? And I kinda love that everyone just ignores his stupid non-sequitur about Doomsday. It’s almost like he’s not there at all."
Jokes aside, that last moment with Booster always gets me, especially the revelation that he was actually talking about Beetle when he said he felt guilty. This really feels like the final nail on the coffin of the wacky Justice League International days. I hate it when they take fun-loving characters and pile miseries on them to make them"darker", but Jurgens had been slowly building up to this moment, so it feels totally earned.
Fire comforting Ice is another nice moment that resonates with anyone familiar with the history of this book. It's so emotional, in fact, that you almost don't notice 50% of Fire's boobs are visible in those panels.
Hey, look on the corner of the first image in this post – is that a young Matthew "Not Waverider" Ryder with his parents? We know that disasters tended to break out in Metropolis whenever they took him out. This could be a teaser for a pretty cool story coming soon…
I've already shown way too much art from this issue, and that's Don Sparrow's job. Click through for more, including yet another piece of original art from Don!
Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):
One of the best issues of the (now-over) Superman era of the Justice League begins with a pretty affecting cover. We get our third variation on Blue Beetle upside-down pose, as well as Guy Gardner, Maxima and Bloodwynd all coming to terms with how badly they fared in the battle against Doomsday. But front and centre is Ice, whose devastation over Superman is palpable here, and throughout the issue.
As we get into the book, the pages seem to continue the devastated tone of those last few pages of Superman #75–many of the scenes depicted are silent, or near silent, and even features a double-page spread on pages 2-3, similar to the full page spreads of the previous issue. Sadness abounds throughout the issue, as we get to see all the favourite heroes of the DC universe with painfully raised eyebrows of sorrow. It’s actually pretty effective, and certainly a counterpoint to the grim & gritty comics of this same era, where a character was very unlikely to express emotion visually, unless that emotion was expressed through gritted teeth. I have a couple favourite moments from this comic, and one surprised me, re-reading it, which was the fact that it’s Ice, and not Lois Lane or anyone else, who lays Superman’s cape over his body.
It’s a pretty significant action, and shows the level of real affection Ice has for Superman. My other favourite scene comics later into the story, when Guy Gardner, having offended his teammates earlier in the story with his uncaring attitude toward Superman’s sacrifice, reverses himself and “out of respect” for Superman being the only man tough enough to stop Doomsday, wears Oberon’s mourning armband. This is the scene that I chose to redraw as our PANEL OF THE WEEK!
In addition to being the best written comic of Jurgens’ JLA run, it’s also possibly the best drawn. In typical Jurgens fashion, each character has a different body type and facial expressions, and he does a lot of little things I appreciate, as an art nerd. One thing that really stood out to me is the delicate way he draws Wonder Woman throughout. Taking a page from Brian Bolland, who I think was doing covers on Wonder Woman by this time, Jurgens’ Diana has a uniform that is stiff, like armour, and therefore separates slightly from her body as she moves. This is evident in a couple panels (this first one, below, is just such a gorgeous drawing, worthy of the prettiest gal in the DC universe, this side of Lois Lane anyway) and it’s great.
Lastly, the scene with Booster and Beetle is a nice, small counterpoint to the grandeur of Ice’s statue, and the wide open space outside. Even if I remember resenting Booster’s implication “sure, it’s a drag that Superman died and all–but if Beetle died, then I’d really be sad.”
STRAY OBSERVATIONS:
Whups, colouring error on page 3, where Doomsday is suddenly back in his green containment suit. [Max: Maybe he's been on the ground for so long that he grew moss?]
Hey, Bloodwynd–I’m sure Ice appreciates the catch as she faints, but watch the hands, fella! [Max: By the way, I agree that the art in this issue is amazing, with one exception – what the heck am I looking at on the second panel here? Did Superman suddenly grow out Liefeld pecs after dying?]
Booster Gold ignoring the severity of Blue Beetle’s condition is an interesting character moment. I get that he doesn’t take much seriously in life, but hearing “brain swelling, deep coma, kidney shut-down” is certainly going to keep Beetle down for more than the couple of weeks Booster expects. Maybe it’s a future thing again, where medical science is more advanced than in 1993?
I remember being struck by the fact that Flash gets essentially two whole pages to himself, and was sure this was setting the table for him joining in the next few issues (Nope). The whole bit about Flash creating a vortex of garbage is interesting, but kinda went nowhere. [Max: I feel like Jurgens was showing off what he could do with the character… and it DOES look awesome. It's probably not a coincidence that the first non-Superman superhero comic I bought (soon after this) was a Flash issue.]
Aquaman does not have a future as a bereavement counselor. "You’re sad about Superman? Your grief is NOTHING compared to having lost a son. Which I did.“
I was really pleased that Batman regretted not being around to help Superman is his fight against Doomsday, and also his explanation to Booster that if he had been, he wouldn’t have fared any better than Booster and the rest. That went a long way for me, as a kid still angry that Superman was dead.
The segues are a bit bumpy in this issue, though with this many characters, it does help to identify them by name, even if it’s a bit on the nose at times. Surely Flash has seen Batman and Robin thousands of times. Yet he feels compelled to squeal "Batman and Robin!” at their approach. Ditto Robin on the next page, “I bet Green Lantern will agree with that! Here he comes. Let’s ask him if he agrees. I bet he will.”
Robin: “Maybe whoever knew him best should speak.” Oberon: "No, me first.“
Darn it, Robin, time and place!