JLA Year One #12

Justice For All


Storytellers: Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, Barry Kitson
Inker: Michael Bair
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Separations: Heroic Age
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Barry Kitson
Cover Date: December 1998

Chaos reigns in the Daily Planet newsroom as the staff try to keep up with the reports of the Apellaxian invasion. Suddenly, the wall turns to glass, and Alan Scott gathers the staff up in a green bubble. With the civilians clear, the fightback starts, as Hal Jordan and Human Bomb destroy two Apellaxians. In Washington, Black Canary and Starman help the Blackhawks to plant a symbolic American flag. In the oceans, things are not looking good for Aquaman and the Sea Devils, until Animal Man arrives to help with his animal powers. With the assistance of the Challengers of the Unknown and Cave Carson, several Apellaxians are defeated. In the skies, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Black Condor, Shining Knight and Martain Manhunter hold their ground, although Condor's recollection of how he was captured in his private life visibly disturbs J'onn.


At Stonehenge, Kalar rallies his soldiers before flying away. As his lieutenants discuss their plans, Vandal Savage appears and destroys them with the machine from last issue. Impressed with its power, Savage realises that he has the means to destroy both the Apellaxians and the Justice League.


In St. Louis, Flash, Superman and Atom destroy several diamond-based Apellaxians, although the strain of forcing diamond apart from between the molecules renders Atom uncoscious. In Paris, the Global Guardians fight on, but their leader, Dr Mist, realises that they need more powerful help - the Spectre. The Spectre has formed a truce with Wotan to fight the invaders, but Wotan takes the first opportunity to attempt to destroy the Spectre, but is imprisoned for his treachery.


The Flash returns to Central City, where Black Canary attempts to explain the kiss to him. Flash is not interested, as he hears Iris Allen searching for her husband. Changing back to Barry, the couple reunite. Returning to Canary, she explains that she won't turn out like her mother, she won't turn anyone into a cheater. As Flash races away, Canary is menaced by an Apellaxian, but is saved by Green Arrow and Speedy. As they fight on, Green Arrow attempts to get a date out of Canary. The fight conitinues at the Great Wall of China, where the Doom Patrol attempt to hold the line.

In the cave headquarters of the Justice League, Snapper Carr watches reports of the fights, realising that despite their victories, the sheer force of numbers of Apellaxians mean that the League will eventually lose. Simon enters, woozy and unsure, and informs Snapper of Vandal Savage's ownership of the machine. Snapper calls out for Martian Manhunter, asking for a meeting of the League. A short time later, Carr tells them all of what has happened, but before they can act, Savage appears, ready to attack. The League quickly subdue him, but immediately realise that they have only captured Clayface, posing as Savage. Through Clayface, Savage presents the League with a conundrum - they can use the machine to defeat the entire Apellaxian force in one move, broadcasting a lethal telepathic signal, but they would have to discard their morals in order to save the Earth.

As the barriers holding the defeated Apellaxians at bay weaken and require more and more support to maintain, Martian Manhunter activates the machine, using his own telepathic powers to weaken the broadcast so it merely incapacitates the aliens. Seeing J'onn's torment, Aquaman lends his support, followed by the rest of the League. With the Apellaxians incapacitated, Dr Fate opens a portal to another part of space, and the invading force is repelled. As Kalar attempts to resist, Snapper gets revenge for his uncle by whacking him with a sturdy piece of wood.


In the aftermath, the League forgives J'onn for the files he kept. Hawkman pledges the support of the Justice Society to the League if ever needed, and Superman leaves with a promise to aid whenever he can. Clark Kent writes up the story, introducing the Justice League to the world. Later on, the League votes on wether to admit Green Arrow to their ranks, whilst wondering who their mystery financier is. In an office block, Oliver Queen is revealed to be bankrolling the League. He reaches for his costume and bow.

Wow, what a rushed synopsis. I certainly learned the difference today between a comic about Superman and a comic which happens to have Superman in its pages. In the past two issues, Waid uses Superman as one of many heroes who are first captured by and later fight back against the invading Apellaxian forces. Superman's iconic nature is only really exploited in the first page of issue 11, where we are confronted with a battered and bruised Man of Steel. Otherwise, there is no real distinction between Superman and any of the many other heroes featured within. If you remove Superman from this book, then the story still holds up.

Looking at this from a non-Superman-obsessed point of view, we can see that this is a massive, sprawling fight. There are so many moments featuring guest-characters mixing it up with the League to fight the Apellaxians, almost too many, that the general thrust of the plot kind of gets lost underneath it all. Certainly the Martian Manhunter keeping files on everyone plot point does not end strongly here. There's a nice moment where Black Condor's recollection of his kidnap sparks a feeling of guilt, but the payoff is a bit muted, as he strains his mind a bit, gets some help, and is instantly forgiven. Waid would return to the suggestion that a distrustful Leaguer keeping files on his team-mates would eventually backfire two years later in Tower of Babel, and the idea would again be revisited in the runup to Infinite Crisis, especially in the OMAC Project miniseries.

I wish I had the time to grab and read the TPB of this maxiseries, as I'm sure I'm missing more than I'm gaining from these last two issues. But here is a promise to all the readers (both of them!) - unless it's an important issue or cornerstone to the main plotlines, if Superman is just guest-starring in a book without taking a major role, I'll be recapping and reviewing a lot more briefly to allow us to focus on the good stuff. My heart's just not been in this one, no matter how many times I've listened to 99 Red Balloons in both English and German.

And talking of the good stuff... we must be about due for a trip on a yacht courtesy of Lex Luthor, surely?

Next on World of Superman: Suicide at Christmas - we have jumping from the roof of the Daily Planet, and blowing yourself to smithereens. It must be the 1997 DCU Holiday Bash! Meh, guess we'll have to cancel those yachting tickets...

JLA Year One #11

Stalag Earth


Storytellers: Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, Barry Kitson
Inker: Michael Bair
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Separations: Heroic Age
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Artist: Barry Kitson
Cover Date: November 1998

In a series of attacks, the Apellaxians start their invasion of Earth by neutralising numerous super-heroes. Superman is severely beaten, the Atom is captured whilst exiting a phone line, Blue Beetle is ambushed in a tomb. The Metal Mens' responsometers are disabled, whilst Batman is captured in the Batcave. Hawkman, Johnny Quick and Doctor Midnight are all ambushed. All the defeated heroes are brought to the disused Blackhawk Island.

In Metropolis, the newly-formed JLA attempt to hold their ground against the invaders. Aquaman quizzes Snapper Carr about his Uncle Simon's involvement in the invasion, but quickly discovers that although the JLA defeated 7 Apellaians when they first formed, they are now up against a force of 7000. Green Lantern realises that the battle has been raging for so long that his ring is about to run out of power. Martian Manhunter telepathically directs the Flash to Coast City to retrieve the power battery, and Lantern is able to recharge. Despite this minor victory, the JLA realises that Metropolis is lost, and moves on to help out the next city.


In Gotham City, the entity inhabiting Simon Carr's body moves on to a more powerful, electrical form. Carr is left alone and confused, clutching a device that can destroy the Apallaxian consciousness. He is accosted by Vandal Savage, formerly an Apallazian ally and now their target.


In Midway City, the JLA fight their ground again. The heat of the battle causes Black Canary to kiss the Flash. Realising that they need help, Flash has a brainwave - the JLA need to access Martian Manhunter's files on other superheroes to summon help. However, when they reach Jonn's hideout, they find that his files are gone. Aquaman receives a message from the fish, who inform him of the heroes trapped on Blackhawk Island. As the heroes realise that they have been outmaneuvred, a group of Apellaxians prepare to ambush them. They attack, and quickly subdue the JLA.


On Blackhawk Island, the trapped heroes are dismayed to see the JLA arrive in chains. Suddenly, the JLA break free and attack their captors - they were only pretending to be defeated to be brought to the heroes. Mounting an assault on the armory, the heroes re-arm themselves. Led by the JLA, they prepare to take back their planet.

In the first of what will be a fairly regular occurence for this blog, we jump in head-first into a limited series already in progress, with little knowledge of the events that have led us to this point. I read JLA: Year One for the first and only time in late 2002, when I found a pretty battered copy of the trade paperback in the library adjacent to my student accomodation. I remember several pages being loose, and being pretty convinced that I was missing a couple. I enjoyed the book, but knew at the time that I had too little an understanding of the DCU, and that a lot of the series was going over my head. One day, I vowed, I would return and conquer the knowledge held within.

And I never did, until now.

So, what do I know about this series? Well, I remember some stuff with the Doom Patrol, that isn't really relevant to this issue. There was some stuff involving Green Arrow and him not being on the team, which iosn't really relevant to this issue. They fought some aliens, which is relevant, but is handily recapped by Aquaman. In fact, the only major plot point for this issue that doesn't come with a handy jumping-on-board point is the duplicity of Simon Carr, and the nature of the being that has inhabited him. Is he/it an Apellaxian, or something more?

There's some really fun moments here. I love the teamwork shown in the defence of Metropolis, where Martian Manhunter and Flash team up to save Green Lantern's backside. The Black Canary snogging the Flash moment is good, but is taken to a whole new level when he completely ignores her and has a brainwave that could save the Earth from invasion. And I just love the complete Silver Age moment where the JLA pretend to be unconscious to be taken to the captive heroes before turning the tables. It's a moment that if handled poorly can look cheesy and silly, but here works as a great moment of assertion for the League in front of their peers. It's no wonder that veterans of the JSA, the Doom Patrol, and the newer, more powerful heroes like Superman are ready to follow the Flash's lead at the end of the issue.

Unfortunately, from a Superman point of view there's not much to say - he gets beaten up at the start of the issue, and is ready to fight back at the end. This version of him meeting the JLA differs from the Man of Steel Annual in that this version of the JLA is less dependant on him to save the day, most likely as Superman here is a guest star in their book, rather than the League being a star in his book.

Oh, and I just love this cover. Seeing Batman, Superman, and the heavy hitters of the JSA all so helpless is very striking. And I love the defeatist pose of the first Green Lantern.

Next on World of Superman: The JLA vs the Apellaxians for the freedom of the Earth!

The Kents #5

Brother vs Brother Part 1


Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Tim Truman
Inker: Michael Bair
Letters: Oakley/NJQ (Bill Oakley)
Colors: Carla Feeny
Color Separations: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Timothy Truman
Cover Date: December 1997
Release Date: 08/10/1997

The issue opens with the shooting of Nate, as seen from Jeb's point of view. As he rides off, something makes him look back, and he sees Joshua Freeman break cover to tend to Nate. The look Josh gives Nate chills the younger brother.


Abraham Lincoln is elected President, and over the next few months the tensions escalate further. Quantrill is arrested near Lawrence in early 1961, but is taken to a more friendly town to await bail. Jeb arrives to post the bail, chased by a posse from Lawrence, but he and Quantrill escape.


In June 1961, John Glenowen leaves his daughter to look after Josh, and joins the Union forces. He has a chance meeting with Nate, who has been looking for his brother, and who has joined up along with Wild Bill Hickok. The Union forces engage the Confederates, with the Kent brothers on opposing sides. In the confusion of the conflict, Jeb shoots out Nate's horse and wounds John Glenowen, before recognising his brother. When Nate recognises Jeb, he fires wildly at him until John is able to calm him down. Nate takes John to get medical attention, vowing to kill his brother on their next meeting.

With this issue the Civil War finally erupts, after 4 and a bit issues of tensions rising and events escalating. The War in this story serves to highlight the differences between Jeb and Nate. In this issue, they only meet on the battlefield where their allegiances and beliefs push them into conflict with each other, an outcome that Jeb clearly doesn't want as evidenced by his actions in greeting his brother, who he last saw dying after he shot him.

This issue feels more focused than most of the first four. It centers on two scenes - the post-shooting of Nate, and the battle at the end. The transition from Bleeding Kansas to the Civil War is covered in one smooth passage, with a brief Jeb scene to prevent there from being 8 pages of pure exposition. The central scenes we do have show us that Jeb has remorse for his actions, even if he doesn't have a fully formed sense of self-preservation to stop him from breaking cover to greet the man he shot a year previously. Jeb is by no means redeemed  in this issue, but his character grows beyond the impulsive teenager rebelling against his family that had driven his actions in the last two issues. Conversely, Nate is shown to us as the revenge-driven hardened veteran, with no room in his heart for his brother, a less likeable character than the Nate we have seen previously. Starting this arc with the brother so opposed not only from each other but from their previous depictions sheds new light on where events have taken them, and shows us that Ostrander is looking for new ways to present Nate and Jeb.

The Geeky Bits:

Estimated Diamond Pre-Orders: 27,332 (-2383)
Diamond Sales Chart Position: 106 (-11)
Best-Selling Comic Of The Month: Uncanny X-Men #350

The Kents #4

Bleeding Kansas Part 4


Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Tim Truman
Inker: Michael Bair
Letters: Oakley/NJQ (Bill Oakley)
Colours: Carla Feeny
Colour Separations: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Timothy Truman
Cover Date: November 1997
Release Date: 03/09/1997

Stung by the words of Jeb, Nate decides to reach out and get to know the people he is fighting for. He seeks out a family of freed slaves, the Freemans, who make their living as farmers. Despite some initial tensions on the part of Tobias and Sarah Freeman, they bond when Jeb asks for Tobias to teach him how to tend the land.


Later that year, elections are once again held. Although there is no direct conflict this time, ballot-stuffing is rife. Governor Walker disqualifies many candidates, including Sherriff, and is himself relieved of his position by President Buchanan.


Tensions are relieved somewhat in the spring of 1858, when gold is discovered at Pike's Peak, sparking the Colorado Gold Rush. Nate and Jeb's relationship continues to deteriorate. An argument over Mary Glenowen, who Wild Bill Hickok is starting to lose his affections for, leads to Nate hitting his brother, and Jeb pulling a gun, promising to lose it next time.


Nate continues to ride with Quantrill and his men, who now include Luther. The group have started killing Free State supporters in acts of guerilla warfare. but Jeb abstains from firing his gun. Wild Bill breaks up with Mary over issues of her half-Indian heritage, and rides off. As Nate comforts Mary, he confesses his love for her. She cannot reciprocate his feelings so soon, and the two part.


Over the next year, tensions start to rise again, spurred on by John Brown's actions, stealing slaves from Missourian farms and delivering them to freedom. He is eventually caught after a period of hiding, and hung.


The summer of 1860 sees a drought blight Kansas, causing further hardship. One day, while Nate is teaching the Freemans' son, Josh, to read, Quantrill and his gang, including Jeb, ride up to forcibly enslave the family. When Nate defends the Freemans, Jeb shoots him in the back. The Tobias and Sarah Freeman are dragged away. Josh saves Nate, bringing him to Mary Glenowen, who helps him recover. Part of the recovery process involves being covered with an Iroquois healing blanket, which bears a symbol of healing, a familiar 'S' shield.


At the end of 1960, having fully healed, Nate rides off to free Tobias and Sarah, and to have his revenge on Jeb.

There's no avoiding it, so let's deal with the elephant in the room - the 'S' shield. Such an obvious link to Superman, far more blatant than Luther-as-bad-guy connection, stands out like a sore thumb.The design just doesn't work. The bright red, blue, and yellow, jump off the page at the reader, further sticking out as we have never seen these particular colours before. They seem to be from a completely different colour palette to those used so far in this series. About the only good thing to remark about the appearance of the logo is that it never really pops up again - thankfully, Jeb doesn't fashion it into a cloak and fight for freedom under it. Although the Superman logo is worked into the cover of each issue, it has always been in a more subdued manner, feeling as if it belongs to the image. Here, it's an unwelcome intrusion that brings the reader out of the story crafted by Ostrander.

This issue feels a bit rushed. The story needs to end with the Civil War about to erupt, and thus this issue covers over three years of plot. It's also the most focused of the issues - the detours into historical background are limited to two single pages, allowing the narrative more room to focus on the Kent brothers. Despite his inaction during the murder of the Free Men, Jeb finishes the issue firmly painted as a villain, shooting his brother in the back and throwing his lot in fully with Quantrill. Jeb will inhabit this role for most of the rest of the series, losing some of the layered detail of character that he was portrayed with during the first few issues.

Overall, this first arc in The Kents has been a success, despite having to work against a specific era of American history that is perhaps less well-known that the Civil War era that dominates the next arc.

The Geeky Bits:

Estimated Diamond Pre-Orders: 29,715 (-3,805)
Diamond Sales Chart Position: 91 (-6)
Best-Selling Comic Of The Month: Uncanny X-Men #349

The Kents #3

First of all, an apology for the delay in this review. I've been away training for my new job at a location that takes three times longer to get to than my home location, which has reduced my free time considerably. I've actually completed this review a couple of times over, but the blogsite has crashed and deleted all my writings, which has been frustrating. Normal service shall resume! And on with the show!

Bleeding Kansas, Part 3


Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Tim Truman
Inks: Michael Bair
Letters: Oakley/N.J.Q. (Bill Oakley)
Colors: Carla Feeny
Color Seperations: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Timothy Truman
Cover Date: October 1997
Release Date: 06/08/1997

As Nate rides from Washington to Lawrence to help the town survive the siege, fallout from President Pierce's refusal to consider Kansas' statehood hits the Senate, with Senator Sumner brutally beaten for denouncing the 'crime against Kansas'. Meanwhile, Lawrence surrenders to the Missourians, believing that no help will be forthcoming from the Washington party. Despite the surrender, Sherriff Woods and Luther's men ransack the town, arresting key opponents and torching buildings. Deciding to deal with his issues over being left behind, Jeb, in disguise, incites a mob to attack and destroy the family printing press.


Two days after the surrender and sacking of Lawrence, Nate arrives home, and is distraught at the destruction of the family press. Jeb has fled town, and has taken up with Lily Beaumont, the daughter of a pro-slaver. That night, John Brown and his gang confront and kill Lily's father, with Lily and Jeb watching from cover. Jeb returns to Lawrence with news of the Pottawatomie Massacre comitted by Brown. During a confrontation with Nate, Jeb expresses solidarity with the Missourians, and the two part company again.


By late September 1856, things have got worse in Lawrence, with key community leaders arrested and the new pro-slavery Governor Woodson inviting the Missourians to 'restore order'. Lawrence has become better defended, and Nate renews his acquaintance with Bill Hickok, who has taken up with the half-Indian Mary Glenowen and her Welsh father, John. Nate visits the Glenowens and falls in love with Mary, but hides his feelings out of respect for Bill. In the meantime, Jeb has taken up with bad company, and helps lead some abolitionists into an ambush where they are killed by William Clarke Quantrill, who recruits Jeb to his posse.

If you boil this series down, stripping away the historical research and cameos from historical figures, what The Kents is about is the two different paths taken by the Kent brothers. As the American Civil War (Apologies to the American readers, but here in England we had our own Civil War 200 years earlier. Not only did we get to commit regicide, but the Civil War was so popular it came back a few years later for a sequel.) becomes the focus of the series, these paths and conflicts are made more explicit and sit at the front of the series, but what is impressive here is the way that Ostrander refuses to portray Jeb as the 'bad' brother.

Although Jeb's actions are hardly noble, they are born from a desire to find his own place in the world, one that distinguishes him from his brother. His desire to be his own man is shown through his actions and inactions, although his choices of when to act and when not to send him down a different path. He chooses to be a part of the looting of Lawrence, destroying his father's press, and again chooses to be a part of Quantrill's murderous actions at the end of the issue. He is presented with the opportunity to take a stand when Beaumont Sr is killed, but chooses to an observer and not a participant.

As the brothers drift further apart, and as history takes its course, the impending Civil War propels this issue forward. The young Government of America descends into chaos, with attacks on senators who stand up for Kansas, and in Kansas itself the two opposing factions turn to guerilla-style tactics to further their cause. The two brothers are inextricably caught up in this, and their paths, while still fluid here, will be well and truly set by the end of the next issue.

The Geeky Bits:

Estimated Diamond Pre-Orders: 33,519 (-4,802)
Diamond Sales Chart Position: 85 (-16)
Best-Selling Comic Of The Month: Spawn #65

The Kents #1

Bleeding Kansas Part 1

Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Timothy Truman

Inks: Michael Bair
Letters: Bill Oakley
Colors: Carla Feeny
Colour Separations: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Peter J. Tomasi
Cover Art: Timothy Truman
Cover Date: August 1997
Release Date: 04/06/1987

In present-day Smallville, Pa Kent uncovers a buried trunk containing letters and heirlooms from his ancestors. As he investigates the finds, he writes a series of letters to Clark informing him of the story of Kents as he uncovers it...

Silas Kent, patriarch of the Kent family in Boston, Massachusetts, is an abolitionist and active in the underground railroad, supported by his sons Nathanial and Jebediah. He relocates himself and his sons to Kansas, intending to send for the rest of his family once he and a group of like-minded people have founded a society there. He takes his printing press with him. Upon arrival, the group is confronted by Luther Reid and his band of pro-slavery Missourians. Although conflict is avoided on their first meeting, the threat of reprisals casts a shadow over their endeavours.

In August 1854, the town of Lawrence is founded, and the Kents make their home there. In November of that year, elections are rigged and disrupted by the Missourians in an attempt to deprive the abolitionists of representation, and tensions rise again when in the Spring of 1855, Luther and his enlarged posse attempt to disrupt elections with a cannon. Silas is instrumental in seeing Luther off, but this, along with the anti-slavery printing from his press, make him a target.

In reaction to the impending pro-slavery legislation, Silas republishes the US constitution on the front page of his local paper, stirring up anti-slavery protests. One night, he is shot in the back and killed. Nate and Jeb confront Luther, who denies having Silas killed. Luther then enlists the help of a Southern sheriff to help destroy the Kents and Lawrence.

John Ostrander's sprawling 12-issue epic The Kents is brave project. It's a Western comic, published in an age where true Westerns have fallen out of favour, despite, as pointed out by Ostrander in his editorial contained at the back of the issue, the themes of a Western being found throughout fiction. It is also a serious historical comic, rooted firmly (as suggested by the title) in the Bleeding Kansas era of American history.

The book is permeated by cameos of real historical figures. In the first issue alone, Harriet Tubman, Charles Robinson and John Brown appear. Unlike in later issues, where the plot turns Bill Hickok into a major supporting character, these cameos feel natural and unobtrusive, serving to ground the series further in the real life events that occurred.

If this first issue has a flaw, it is that the main characters of the series, brothers Nate and Jeb, receive little page time. There is a lovely scene set during the emigration, where Jeb's curiosity, intelligence, and desire to understand further the events that have uprooted his life come across as positive character traits, despite the journey that these traits would lead him down throughout the series. And although I like pitting a character named Luther against the Kents, the appearance by John Henry Lane (despite the wonderful naming coincidence) feels like over egging the naming pudding, inviting more comparisons with the traditional Superman status quo than are intended by the series.

The art is beautiful. Everyone in the series feels real, from the interpretations of the real-life figures down the more caricatured designs such as Luther. The threats of weapons, such as the numerous guns levelled at Luther throughout the issue, are powerfully conveyed without ever assigning a morality to them - the guns, no matter who wields them, are presented as deadly tools and nothing more.

Ignore the 'S' shield on the cover - other than the names, this is a gripping stand-alone historical Western saga.

The Geeky Bits:

Estimated Diamond Preorders:  46,470.
Diamond Sales Chart Position: 47
Best-selling Comic Of The Month: Uncanny X-Men #346