2018 Houston Comicpalooza JLA JAM Batman segment by Eva “Rexevabonita” Bonita

Batman was always going to bug me, because I'm way past any great appreciation of the character, and every major comic artist has been asked to draw the Dark Knight a dozen times. I didn't want to bore them, or see a version of the character that could be found many times over on Comic Art Fans or wherever. I had really liked Eva Bonita's color work on my Miss Martian commission, and super-heroes seemed pretty far afield from her usual manga work, so I figured to offer her a second piece to work on. As you can see, she went with a more Detective Comics #27 O.G. take on the character, which was an interesting choice, satisfying my hope of something more one-of-a-kind than your typical Caped Crusader commish!

2018 Houston Comicpalooza JLA JAM Segments

• Superman by Sanford Greene
• Wonder Woman by Paul Pope

Batman Annual #23 & Aquaman Annual #5 (September, 1999)

Batman explained in Martian Manhunter Annual #2, "To review: Solovar, leader of Gorilla City, announces his intentions to open relations with humanity, and for Gorilla City to join the United Nations. Solovar is assassinated by a terrorist group of "human supremacists" later revealed as a front for the extremist political faction known as Simian Scartlet. Gorilla City asks the JLA to act as diplomatic intermediaries, who are ambushed and transformed into gorillas by exotic technology. The change shifts the JLA members' loyalties to Gorilla City, until [Martian Manhunter] telepathically restore their original thought patterns. Prince Regent Ulgo declares war on humanity, with the intention of transforming all humans into gorillas; subsequently, a covert gorilla agent known as Grimm forms an alliance with organized crime in Bludhaven-- for the purpose of smuggling troops and weaponry into the United States."

Batman teamed with Nightwing and Oracle to pursue the case, while other super intelligent gorillas that questioned Grimm's loyalties tailed him, and local mob boss Roland Desmond hired Lady Vic to help him pursue other intentions toward Grimm-- likely involving his massive simian heart. The matter resolved with Grimm's cargo ship sunk and ther gorilla in Blockbuster's clutches, in a story by Chuck Dixon, Graham Nolan, & Mark Pennington.

Batman continued, "Meanwhile, Atlantis is attacked by the gorilla sub The Kong under Admiral Trafalgo-- in an attempt to steal a mystic crystal called The Eye of Poseidon to power their morphic resonance array." The Martian Manhunter had determined this through a mental scan, and sent "Aqua-Ape" to rout the gorilla forces. Several of the Sea-Monkey King's confidants, like Tempest and Vulko, where transformed into gorillas loyal to Trafalgo, forcing The Prime Ape of the Seven Seas into combat. Unaffected heroines Mera and Dolphin helped steer Tempest and occasionally Aquaman back toward the side of humanity. Eventually, Aquaman overloaded the Eye of Poseidon, not only restoring the Atlanteans' humanity, but even causing members of the ape forces to go human. The Kong retreated, but Aquaman pursued, in a story by John Ostrander, Mark Bright, & Dick Giordano. Batman quotes written by Len Kaminski.

JLApe: Gorilla Warfare

JLA Annual #3 @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

Wonder Woman Annual #8 @ Diana Prince

2021 “Justice League Extreme #1” Aquaman & Batman fanfic commission art by Brad Green

Sometime around or between the replacements of Superman and Batman, I did my own takes on new costumes for the iconic heroes. I still like mine better than what DC went with, probably because I borrowed heavily from the Dave Cockrum aesthetic, and he's one of the all-time great designers. In truth though, I think DC intentionally chose less appealing looks, with the full intention of hoping readers would prefer the return of the classics. I felt this was especially true for the Azrael-Batman hybrid, or "AzBats" as he was mockingly dubbed by the fan community of the time. While I thought he was okay from the waist down, the rest is a travesty built only for foil stamped gimmick covers. Brad Green was doing the Lord's work in rendering this overwrought abomination, but based on this being a Batman, another artist would have likely made him more prominent. Either a man after my own heart or simply bearing the common sense to downplay this beast, I'm grateful Green consigned all those scallops and points to the off-sides.

Aquaman is another one whose incarnation I debated on. The Sea King wasn't so much replaced as transformed in the '90s, so plugging in Tempest or some such wouldn't have been an accurate reflection of the era. I also considered "Artie Joe," the so-called "Sword of Atlantis," but he wasn't extreme enough and arrived well into the 21st century. For the longest time, I assumed that I'd just deploy Commander Murk, another of Geoff Johns' meta characters, who was bestowed many of the PAD-period Aquaman's affectations. Still, he was New 52, unknown to any but the most devoted Aquaman fans, and didn't particularly resemble anything seen sculpted into a Total Justice action figure. For years, I'd held on to a potential story element dating back to "Time & Tide," where an Eskimo demoness who hated Aquaman would drive one of his successors so mad, they would literally eat their own hand (like piranhas had done to Arthur Curry in the '90s.) His half-Eskimo son Koryak would have been more logical in that role than Artie Joe. Since there was no 52 or Sword in my fake continuity, Koryak need not have been killed off by the Spectre, and Artie Joe wouldn't even exist. Now that Aquman is best known to general audiences as Jason Momoa, and is back sporting a beard, it was weirdly appropriate to have the overtly non-white Koryak, clean shaven, with the defining hook-hand & gray armor of the "Golden Mullet" years. Brad Green does an excellent job of reflecting Koryak's heritage and simmering bearing in my single favorite figure of the piece.

“Justice League Extreme #1” by Brad Green

• Comic Art Commissions.com
• Comic Art Fans
• Deviant Art
• Bloodwynd @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Artemis @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• Justice League Extreme @ DC Bloodlines

DC Comics 1993 Editorial Presentation: Justice League International

Hey look at that super-team with Elongated Man on it! Why, there's Green Lantern Hal Jordan and the Wally West Flash and Power Girl and... Metamorpho and... that Asian lady who was a heroic Dr. Light before DC decided it didn't have enough sodomy in its comics and... really? Tasmanian Devil? At least it's not... oh. Crimson Fox is here. She was on that TV show about the insurance agency that didn't even finish its first season. Sigh. Look, I already featured Gypsy & Martian Manhunter on my main blog, plus I linked out to pieces featuring Aquaman and Batman, so this one just kind of helps me complete the set, y'know? It's a little seen promo piece by... hmm... people? Credits were hard to come by. Sorry.

DC Comics 1993 Editorial Presentation

• Overview @ DC Bloodlines
• The Atom @ Power of the Atom
• Justice League Task Force @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Justice League America @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• The Killing Machine @ ...nurgh...

2014 "Fan-Casting DC's JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT" by Ryan Daly

Ryan "Count Drunkula" Daly of the Black Canary blog Flowers & Fishnets has played casting director for a Warner Brothers Justice League film, including the Motor City members! If you hit his Aquaman role sheet, you'll find Alexander Skarsgård as his Sea King. I previously went with the late Paul Walker, but truthfully feel we need to both start over again. Skarsgård would be spot on for Namor, which is the problem. I strongly agree with his Mera, though, and have suggested her myself in the past. I'm also excited by his excellent suggestion of Giancarlo Esposito for J'onn J'onzz.

Justice League Satellite & Detroit was the go-to point for our team. In Daly's selections, he demonstrated an appreciation of the cast of Game of Thrones, including Emilia Clarke as Zatanna. I may be tainted by her royal countenance on that show, but Zee seems more like a cute neighbor than a queen in waiting, which is why I offered Zooey Deschanel.

The Vixen was the single most challenging and longest delayed casting pick I've ever attempted. Tika Sumpter was on my short list, so I approve of Daly going that way. I ultimately went with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, but continue to second guess the selection.

Gael Garcia Bernel is one of the most famous Latin actors in the movie industry, and one of my girlfriend's personal favorites. Vibe is frankly beneath him, but perhaps not Jake T. Austin. I wasn't too picky about emo bohunk Steel, so Jack Reynor is as good as Robbie Amell, and more age appropriate.

Will Forte as Elongated Man? Sure, Whatever. I haven't gotten around to him myself. Much as I like his missus, I think Daly overshot for Sue Dibney. Nina Dobrev is probably too big for Gypsy as well, but I'd be happy with her, though I prefer Raquel Castro. The villainy of Despero, Amazo, Ivo and more are also represented, so go fish in the links below!

Count Drunkula Casting Department

• Superman Family
• Superman Supporting Cast
• Superman Foes 1
• Superman Foes 2
• Batman Family
• Batman Supporting Cast
• Batman Foes 1
• Batman Foes 2
• Batman Foes 3
• Wonder Woman
• Flash Friends
• Flash Rogues 1
• Flash Rogues 2
• Doom Patrol
• Firestorm Fans
• Firestorm Fiends
• Green Lantern Core
• Green Lantern Corps
• Green Lantern Cretins
• Green Lantern Corpses
• Green Arrow
• Hawkman & the Atom
• Martian Manhunter
• Shazam!
• Teen Titans
• Young Justice
• Titan Terrors
• JLA villains
• JSA 1
• JSA 2
• JSA 3

Justice #12 (August, 2007)

Bio Booster Armor Batman got the captured Lex Luthor to admit that he had agreed to work with Brainiac because the alien was going to take the "lazy... sick... undisciplined... lowest common denominator" of humanity who wanted a "free lunch" off in the seven cities governed by legionnaires of doom away to outer space, leaving Luthor to shape an Earth made up solely of rugged exceptionalists unencumbered by the non-producers; basically outing him as the third Koch brother. Batman pointed out to one of the smartest men ever that Brainiac was always going to nuke whatever was left on Earth when he was done with it. Whatever your politics, shrill is shrill. Batman also threatened to murder Luthor if he didn't cooperate, with Lex even saying "You don't have to tell me, Grodd. I know he's not bluffing. Ross and company had an odd fixation on a brutal Batman unseen in popular media, even more incongruent within the context of a "mature" take on the Super Friends. Superman would truly turn a blind eye to that?



In Scarecrow's city, Zatanna teleported the Marvel Family to Toyman's city so that they could evacuate the children, which I thought was Superman's job, but he instead smashed into Scarecrow's city after beating the Toyman, so he could work longer, so he could earn more, so he could do more coke. Superman was needed there to... hear from Red Tornado that Brainiac had switched his consciousness to a robot body in another city, and from Zatanna that Black Manta had teleported away, so that he could deduce that Arthur Junior was now with Black Manta. Gee, Aquaman could never have put that together on his own. Oh, and he ordered all the super-heroes to keep evacuating Brainiac's cities, because dur.

Elongated Man was part of Supergirl's strike team against Poison Ivy's city, which also included Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Metamorpho. The Maid of Might had a "toad struck by lightning" level dumb exchange before knocking out Ivy so easily you'd wonder why the whole scene wasn't brushed off as a single captioned panel.



Aquaman alone went to Black Manta's city, because drama. Manta threatened to murder Arthur Junior most heinously, so Aquaman surrendered to a beating at the hands of Black's blacks. The Sea King had learned that Brainiac had given Manta the ability to "enslave" his African-American men through technology in his costume, which Aquaman wrecked. The men were no longer agreeable toward very late term abortions and/or being subjugated by one of their own, but they were all for unsubtle sub-text wherein they're emancipated by a white authority figure. Then the blond-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian royalty dressed in golden armor beat Manta like a... like a, um... red-headed step-president of the United States with a much disputed birth record? "I live beneath the sea. I rule and live in a kingdom surrounded by pressures beyond any human ability to measure. What chance did you ever have against me?" Yeah Aquaman, let's have a monologue about your innate superiority to Black. No mixed signals there.



After having helped the Manhunter and Grodd halt a global nuclear strike, Lex Luthor teleported himself to Brainiac's current location, where he revealed that he had always known the android would betray him. "You're an alien... Partner? As if such a thing were possible between us. I wanted you to know, when mankind does not die this day, that it was because of me." Luthor halted Brainiac's body hopping, preventing him from collecting his "heir" from Manta, and instead forced him to flee to his orbiting spaceship. "Get the hell off my planet!" Zatanna and her crew arrived in time to recapture Luthor and continue their pursuit of Brainic. Unfortunately, the Coluan's ship was miniaturized, stranding Zatanna in the vacuum of space. Superman froze the tiny ship in place with super breath (isn't space already pretty cold, and I guess the moisture was pure super spit?) then wrapped Zee in his cape to protect her from reentry and flew down to Earth. Zee still required CPR, administered across a 12-panel grid page. Zee finally coughed and said "Sknaht... I mean... thanks."

The Riddler was sent back to Arkham Asylum, where he was taunted by the similarly returned Joker. Aquaman kicked it with his reunited and fully restored family in Atlantis. Elongated Man proved his worth by serving duties usually reserved for inanimate objects by assisting in the loading and unloading of passengers from the cities of evil. Zatanna was neither barefoot nor pregnant, so she was unseen and unheard until the next time the League needed a magical teleport tube or a damsel in distress. Batman brooded. Our two year, twelve issue, international nightmare was over. "Chapter Twelve" was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite.

Continue the story through these character-specific posts:

• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• The Atom & Red Tornado @ Power of the Atom
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• Coda @ DC Bloodlines

Justice #11 (June, 2007)

The Joker continued to blow up parts of the synthetic cities. "It's my party now! But don't act surprised I showed up. You should have expected me to crash. You really should. You're a regular Brainiac." Meanwhile, as villains from the Legion of Doom were teleporting to other cities, Poison Ivy asked Brainiac sarcastically if everything was still going according to his plan. "Yes."

At the big battle between the Super Friends and the Legion of Doom, Action Stealth Armor Batman™ (from Mattel®) fired real working phosphorous projectile pellets at Solomon Grundy. Meanwhile, Green Lantern John Stewart destroyed the nanite worms that were mind-controlling errbody while simultaneously liberating the non-powered supporting casts previously held hostage by teen super-heroes. This allowed the reunion of Batman Family members Batgirl, Robin and Commissioner Gordon. Zatanna had nothing but her white cloak and the company of Captain Marvel, who would oddly start wearing a white cloak himself in mainstream comics around this time. Conquering, err, saboteurs Black Canary and Green Arrow helped support a clearly weary Elongated Man as Sue Dibny and Martian Manhunter looked on. Plastic Man even gave Ralph a pat on the back, a too subtle not-quite-pay-off for the page devoted to Ralph giving Plas grief issues ago. Aqualad lingered alone from a remove. Zatanna teleported all the civilians to the Fortress of Solitude while the heroes prepared to deal with the escaped bad guys.



Aquaman followed Brainiac and son to Toyman's city, and despite a considerable lead, the Justice League caught up with him inside five panels. They would be needed, as thousands of Brainiac and Arthur Junior robot duplicates swarmed the streets. Beyond the dumbfounding specificity, there's a stupefying two-page spread of the heroes destroying all the robots savagely, relying on Superman's x-ray vision to determine that none of them were the real deal. But say, the Ductile Detective and the Pliable Paladin had a friendly team-up in the midst of it!

Zatanna contacted Superman. "I know if anyone can hear me, it's you. Brainiac- the signal I've been following for him, it's gone. And I can't find a trace of Aquaman's son in the city anymore, either. There are people here, children we need to save in addition to Aquaman's son." Superman stayed in Toyman's domain, while Zatanna magicked other heroes to Scarecrow's bleak Transylvanian-style fake city. The citizens of that plane were mind-controlled and sent against the heroes. "You only need to ask yourself how you are going to save them. How will you fight back when your every defensive blow will crush a soul. Break an arm? Make a cripple? We are legion! Green Lantern then showed up to fix that, then Scarecrow unleashed fear gas to make folks kill one another. Why Lantern didn't just fix that too, I assure you I don't know.

"Chapter Eleven" was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite. Zatanna is little seen, but she seems to have the extraordinary power to fix continuity errors through patches in the script whenever needed. Since when does Zee track electronic signals and act as a message relay center? Yeesh!

Continue the story through these character-specific posts:

• The Atom, Hawkman, Hawkgirl & Red Tornado @ PotA
• Wonder Woman & Wonder Girl @ Diana Prince
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Green Lantern, the Doom Patrol, & more @ DC Bloodlines

Justice #10 (April, 2007)

Previously in Justice

Black Manta was at a formal celebration taking place at a veritable Hall of Doom in one the the super-villains' cities, as was Brainiac. Arthur Curry Junior apparently had the perfect mind to be wired up by the Coluan and serve as vanguard to a replacement race for Brainiac's home world. "Yes, Arthur. Your father is coming for you. Of course, you'll be more my son by then, won't you? First of my people, the new Coluans." Sure enough, Aquaman in his protective armor and fellow heroes burst onto the scene. The Superman villain Parasite leapt at him, threatening to steal the Sea King's powers and then go after his wife. "Wrong thing to say, Parasite. Way wrong thing to say. You're not touching anyone." Without hesitation, Aquaman speared the creep through the chest with his trident, then slammed his body hard enough against the ground to shatter the floor. Manta came at him next firing eyebeams, so Aquaman harpooned his helmet. "You will never come between me and my son again, Manta!" Unfortunately, these distractions allowed Brainiac to escape with Aquacyborgbaby to another city via transport tube. "NOOOO!!"



Meanwhile, Batman knocked Riddler and Poison Ivy around in his "Beyond" looking red and black armor. Martian Manhunter preoccupied himself with Gorilla Grodd and Giganta. Zatanna secretly teleported Green Arrow and Black Canary to a sewer, then returned to the battle before she could be missed. Members of the Metal Men pretended to act as protective armor for the two missing heroes, while in fact working independently to conceal their absence. Still, the ruse was eventually detected, and Clayface dispatched to stop the duo. In a moment the creators failed to establish beforehand, Elongated Man (wearing a sort of Shadow Thief/ninja alternate costume) turned out to have been pretending to be Ollie's "shadow" in near light-less tunnel. "I want to see Plastic Man do this." Elongated Man encapsulated Clayface, who continued to writhe and press within. The Emerald Archer thought to himself "Ralph's wife isn't even one of those that were taken. He's here for us... Some look at Ralph as a joke. Next time anyone says anything about him, I'll tell them of this moment..." Elongated Man cried that Clayface was chewing on his insides, and that there was only so much pain and stress he could take. Ollie called out, "You're a helluva Leaguer, Ralph." Queen went on to locate the kidnapped supporting casts of the various heroes, and smuggled a power ring to John Stewart...



"Chapter Ten" was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite. I'm guessing Ross and company thought they'd crafted the Elongated Man redemptive moment that would be praised by Wizard Magazine for years to come. Instead, it established that he was still motivated by his ego to go up against a second rate Batman villain and whine about it all being too much for him within the span of a few panels. Plastic Man gets a lot more done in subsequent issues, a reminder of what Ralph tried to keep from getting accomplished because of his stupid pride, and then throws a spotlight at his minimal competence for unflattering measure. They had better luck inspiring Geoff Johns' very popular "Have Trident, Will Skewer" take on Aquaman, but despite this being out of continuity, the guys he stabbed regenerate like video game players without a scratch on them in later issues. The Aqualobotomy subplot dragged on unbelievably, but "a Brainiac ate my baby" does its best to match it for incredulity. Mad props for giving Aquaman his big moment in the series while wearing a lame all-green armor that renders him virtually unrecognizable, by the way.

Continue the story through these character-specific posts:

• The Atom, Hawkman and Hawkgirl @ PotA
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Wonder Woman & Wonder Girl @ Diana Prince
• Flash, Doom Patrol, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary & more @ DC Bloodlines

Justice Volume Two (2007)

Sue Dibny gently held her husband's arm and hand as Ralph placed a call to a mutual friend. "Look, Iris, it's me, okay? I know I'm just a JLA second-stringer and I'm lucky when I get called to tutor the Teen Titans. But I'm feeling kind of like an outsider here. Where's Barry?" The Flash had been missing for hours, and none of the rest of the League was returning the Elongated Man's calls. "Well, Batman never answers my calls, but..." Ralph had at least placed calls through to Rex and Zatanna...

Aquaman lay still and bloodied on an operating table. Lex Luthor wondered if he was dead, like most of the rest of the Justice League. "Does it matter," answered Brainiac. The Coluan knew Luthor was plotting against him, and said so, but everyone still had their roles to play. Brainiac had a handful of black marble "cities" whose time would soon come...

The Batman had his cave invaded by Captain Marvel and Superman, and when he protested, was decked and tied up with his butler. There were, of course, extenuating circumstances...

Dr. Jonathan Crane used a special solution to allow the blind to see in an impoverished land. Super-villains in civilian guise continued these miraculous acts around the world, while the media (including Vicki Vale) wondered what had become of the status quo enforcing super-heroes who had gone missing. The Joker, left out of the fun, continued his inquiries.



The Martian Manhunter helped Hawkman and Hawkgirl find Toyman in Metropolis.

Batman was bound in his newly amazonian Batcave by Poison Ivy, when he was appropriately rescued by Wonder Woman. However, the Dark Knight was being mind controlled, and return the favor with an electrocution attempt. The Lasso of Truth restored the Caped Crusader's psyche, and he made short work of Ivy. Super-Gorilla Grodd, speaking through the still-bound Alfred Pennyworth, cursed the stupid human animals. "I'm going to kill you. I'm going to dance on your bones. I will feast on your flesh. You have no idea what's coming."

"Shut up, Alfred. Are you okay, Wonder Woman? I'm so sorry." The Amazing Amazon was feeling raw, but Poison Ivy and Batman each had to be secured. "Your lasso is the only thing that's keeping whatever's inside me from controlling me... I need to be free to make sure whatever did this to me pays for it."

Elongated Man called in Green Lantern John Stewart from off screen.

Zatanna was quite busy this issue, despite not actually appearing. She was just in time to magic what was left of Red Tornado off the soon-to-explode League Satellite and send him to Doc Magnus for repairs. Aquaman's location was still locked in the android's head. Zee also guided John Stewart to Ferris Aircraft in Coast City to aid his search for Green Lantern.



The Martian Manhunter fretted as he made his way to the location Red Tornado had determined was Aquaman's last whereabouts. Using J'Onzz as a magical anchor, Zatanna materialized at his location. She remained hopeful against J'Onn's crestfallen pessimism, and was horrified at the state in which they found the Sea King's body. "What have they done to him, J'Onn? What have they done to his brain?"

Batman, still held in check by the Lasso of Truth, flew to the Fortress of Solitude with Wonder Woman. They were forced to wait outside until Superman arrived to lift his massive key.

Outside Atlantis, Aqualad fled the eye lasers of the Black Manta.

As other heroes arrived at the Fortress of Solitude, Batman apologized to Red Tornado for the damage he had wrought. Superman arrived to let everyone inside.

"People of magic should never be required to wait," griped Zatanna to Martian Manhunter at the headquarters of the Doom Patrol. She was concerned that Caulder couldn't "do more than he was able to do for Cliff Steele." Robotman took offense to that remark, while the Chief explained that there was nothing that needed to be done for Aquaman. While Caulder and J'Onzz compared notes on why Arthur had been assaulted in this manner, Zee thought, "The hole doesn't seem so large anymore. Did you replace some of the tissue?" Caulder assured her he had done nothing. Instead of offering a proper answer, the Chief directed his staff to place Aquaman in a healing tank he'd prepared. Zee asked Cliff "Is Niles always like this?" Robotman responded, "What, having three different conversations at once? Yeah, pretty much."



As part amphibian, Aquaman could regenerate the portion of his brain that had been removed. "He really is a man of untapped potential. Extraordinary." While Beast Boy covertly brushed against Zee's legs in cat form, the Sea King was revived with a name on his lips. "Mera...?"

Aqualad made his way to the royal palace to warn Mera about Black Manta, or so it seemed. Instead, Garth punched the queen out cold, then took her infant son from her arms. Clearly under someone's mental thrall, Aqualad fled the city to deliver Arthur Jr. to his father's greatest enemy. "I can't tell you how happy this is going to make Brainiac."

Still under the influence of the Lasso of Truth, Batman explained to Superman that there was little difference in their methods, only their effectiveness. Since Superman makes a point of letting everyone know how omnipotent he is, nobody in Metropolis wants to commit a crime based on the assumption the Man of Tomorrow knows all. The Dark Knight tried to make a parallel to the League's false assumption of safety, but Kal-El blew him off to chill out in space. Once there, he recognized the handiwork of Brainiac in the black sphere cities.

The Flash delivered Captain Cold to the Fortress of Solitude for questioning. While the rogue sat in a Plastic Man chair, sweating under a light, Batman threatened the icy villain with his own pistol. When Batman extorted information out of Cold at the potential expense of his larcenous digits, the lasso made clear it was no bluff.



Elongated Man bounced into a meeting elsewhere in the fortress to announce Batman's findings, as well as to enlarge an eye to inspect one of Brainiac's mind-controlling worm creatures under study. "Hmmm. Carter found this? Leave it to a bird to find a worm. And can someone tell me why I wasn't attacked? What's wrong with me? I have a lot of power. I'm formidable."

In a conference hall, Batman explained that the Legion of Doom had suffered reoccurring nightmares abut the world coming to an end despite (or perhaps partially because of) the Justice League's best efforts. "And so, our enemies have formed an alliance to either stop the coming end of life, or prepare a remnant of humanity to survive it." This involved killing off the heroes, seizing power, and "healing" people through the mind-controlling worms.

Zatanna materialized at the fortress, with Martian Manhunter, the Doom Patrol, and the revived Aquaman in tow. The Sea King immediately chastised the heroes for hiding in the fortress...

The Joker, pretending to be some sort of Amish preacherman, managed to score a ride to one of the black sphere floating cities.



Elongated Man decided to confront Plastic Man about his non-League presence. Eel retorted, "...Another one of those talks, is it? I'm sorry you're not the only stretchy guy... I wasn't attacked either. Maybe none of us are important. Feel better now?" Plastic Man kept trying to chill Ralph out, but Elongated Man kept insisting that the League didn't need this particular two of a kind. Eel rightly refused to leave, pointing out the similarities between Captain Marvel and Superman. Ralph insisted on being a jerk, while Plas thought maybe Elongated Man could take the form of "something the League actually needs one of these days."

Mera had Lord Yuko govern Atlantis while she searched for her missing son, beginning at the Fortress of Solitude. Elongated Man helped Mera inside, where she was reunited with her husband. Learning about the kidnapping, Superman wondered which other loved ones of the super-heroes were in danger.



Zatanna had asked the Phantom Stranger to find the missing Green Lantern Hal Jordan, and both returned from the furthest reaches of uncharted space. Zee thanked the Stranger for his aid. "It was a privilege, my dear. Perhaps now he really will be the greatest Green Lantern of them all one day." The Emerald Gladiator used his power ring to extract all the worms from Batman's body.

Aquaman stated his pleasure about everyone else being all right, but worried about his kid being in the hands of the enemy. "J'Onn told me that he had learned that Brainiac cut me open in an attempt to discover a means to control Grodd." The Sea King was furious with the Coluan and his war on all life. "He's a machine. Only a machine. And maybe that's for the best. Because I'm going to kill him."

Meanwhile, Aqualad had joined other mind-controlled teen heroes in kidnapping the supporting casts of heroes that matter (i.e. not the Martian Manhunter.)

"Justice, Vol. 2," collecting issues #5-8 of the 2005 mini-series, was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite.

Justice Volume One (2006)

The Earth was in its final minutes when the Sea King threw his hands up, ordering a crowd of frightened people back. Just as the planet's cities had burned, its oceans boiled away, leaving nothing but a burial mound for sea life the world over. Batman guided children down into his network of underground caves, hoping to escape their inescapable ends. "We all fall down. Ashes. Ashes."

Black Manta sat up in bed, sweating, cupping his face and neck. "Not again." The nightmare kept coming, and his fellow villains in the Legion of Doom shared it.

King Arthur's wife and infant son slept more peacefully, in the serene depths of their Atlantean palace. After his mother died, Aquaman promised his father he would use his powers to defend the world above and below the ocean. "I have to remind myself why I have to be anything other than a husband and father." The Sea King was restless, and explained to his queen Mera that he sensed something amiss in his domain. After playing with Aquababy for a moment, the hero excused himself to pursue his grim intuition. "If there is anything in this life I would choose again, Mera, it's you. When I need a reason to return to Atlantis, I think of you and Arthur."



Astride a giant seahorse, Aquaman surveyed his kingdom and beyond, coming upon a massive ebony dome. Suddenly, Black Manta and his men were attacking, firing lasers and clutching at limbs. Ultimately, the troop proved ineffectual, but a host of sharks ignored Aquaman's commands and set upon him. Manta taunted his foe as Arthur succumbed, then saw Aquaman into the dome. Lex Luthor shared Manta's nightmare, and as their common foe lay unconscious in the Hall of Doom, they plotted with their compatriots to save the world from the super friends...

The Riddler, garbed in a goofy-collared trench coat with an even more ridiculous interior illumination, was directing his gang on a heist. In an inspired move, the crooks had broken into Wayne industries to use its singularly powerful computer network to hack the Bat-computer. The security system detected Bruce Wayne himself rushing toward their control center, but it was in fact the Batman who would send them scurrying.



As the Batmobile pursued the Riddler’s vehicle, the Dark Knight received word from Red Tornado that Aquaman was missing. The android detailed, “Mera is accustomed to the dangers her husband faces. He’s gone missing before. But that does not make this easier.” Batman replied, “Of course not. No one wants to consider losing a part of the family. Arthur’s a friend, of course. I’ll do whatever I can.” The Caped Crusader suggested that the Martian Manhunter investigate, since the Riddler had gotten away with the identities of the Justice League and the schematics of their satellite. “I’ll devote myself to finding Aquaman once I’ve retrieved what the Riddler stole. This won’t take long.”

A grappling hook snared the van the Riddler’s crew was riding in. The Dark Knight pounced on the overturned vehicle, striking at the goons while the Riddler himself ran to “The Batcave.” Rather than the Caped Crusader’s secret headquarters, this was a Batman-themed bar in Gotham. The Riddler doubled back on Batman and swung with his question mark cane, but the blow was absorbed by way of armored gauntlet. Riddler’s men caught up with the pair and swarmed Batman, but batfan club kids pulled the goons off. The Riddler opened his coat to reveal blinding green light and a mix of holographic and material question mark throwing blades. Edward Nigma escaped, but by compulsion, left a clue behind.



Meanwhile, potions administered by Dr. Jonathan Crane allowed the infirm to walk again, Pamela Isley produced fruitful trees in the desert, and the media ate it all up.

The Dark Knight Detective used Riddler’s clue to track and capture Nigma in a local graveyard. Nigma began choking, but managed to recover, wondering “…what’s… wrong with me?” Delivered to Arkham Asylum, Nigma was harassed by the Joker, who was intrigued by tales of the apocalyptic dreams he’d been missing out on. “I deserve to be part of this…”

Batman couldn’t let go of the night’s case back at the real Batcave. “Why a cemetery?”

Aquaman awoke to find himself strapped to a gurney, an overhead light shining in his eyes. Lacking real peripheral vision, the Sea King was startled when an albino monkey landed on his chest, an electronic box wired into its skull. A voice explained that the monkey was less a pet, and more of a broken toy. Brainiac enjoyed his grisly little experiments, and as he approached Aquaman in his blood splattered surgeon’s uniform and bone cutting tools, the alien fiend expressed his desire to “get inside your head.”



Aquaman remained bound on an operating room table. Brainiac thought Aquaman was an enviably remarkable being, even by the standards of the Justice League, but the Sea King wouldn’t stop pestering him with questions. “Don’t interrupt me. It’s not befitting someone of your mental sophistication.” Brainiac felt there were two ways to deal with his envy: acceptance, or merely taking what he wanted.

Martian Manhunter had been assigned to find Aquaman, as he had remained missing for weeks. The search would not fare well, thanks to Gorilla Grodd.

Aquaman threatened that he would get free, while Brainiac expressed his disgust for humanity and its predisposition toward violence. The Coluan menace explained that we were born from chaos, but still longed for design-- for order. “That’s where I come in. The truth is that I’m only bringing you the very thing you’ve wanted.” Scalpel in hand, he continued, “Come now, Aquaman. Have an open mind.”



Edward Nigma was still an inmate at Arkham Asylum, constantly badgered by the Joker to be allowed into his scheme. From out of a purple haze, Lex Luthor materialized, the Riddler’s hat and coat in hand. Luthor was a bit put out by Riddler’s tipping his hand to Batman, but Nigma was unrepentantly his own man, which Lex could respect. “We all gloat in our own ways.” The Riddler told the Joker his goodbye as he vanished with Luthor, but the Clown Prince wasn’t prepared to give up that easily.

Aquaman was a major part of Brainiac’s plan. One continued his telepathic outreach while the other made his deadly incision. “You have no idea who it is who just killed you. You’re my hero, Aquaman. You really are.” Off the coast of Argentina, sea life formed crosshairs to direct the JLA Satellite to Aquaman’s location, but it would only do good if there was anyone left to look. Using Riddler’s stolen data and Gorilla Grodd’s telepathy, the Legion of Doom were striking out at the League. At that moment, the Scarecrow plotted outside the apartment of Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance, while ever more heroes were placed in crosshairs of their own…

"Justice, Vol. 1," collecting the first four issues of the 2005 mini-series, was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite.

Detroit Doody #1

By the time I dropped all the X-Men titles in the early '90s, I'd already moved on to collecting mostly DC Comics. 1993 was a year bursting with major events, and the glory of the Chromium Age at its height fired up my own paltry imagination. "Reign of the Supermen!" was either on the way or progressing, so I figured Batman would have at least one new costume coming out of "Knightfall." I decided to try out some ideas, none of the ones seen here remotely good, all of them embarrassing, and I should frankly be ashamed for wasting your time. However, this is the internet, so what else were you expecting?

Pooping on the DCU

• Hawkman @ Power of the Atom
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Nightwing @ DC Bloodlines
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman

Aquaman #16 (March, 2013)

After the U.S.S. Mabus fired on Atlantis, Ocean Master declared war against the surface world. The Justice League fared poorly in their initial confrontation with him, as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were sentenced to death in the Trench. Meanwhile, Cyborg underwent voluntary surgery to replace his lungs in order to carry the fight under the sea. Silas Stone initiated the procedure, though his associate T.O. Morrow argued "We wouldn't have to subject your son to this horrific operation if you'd just agreed to letting me activate the android... the Tornado could--" Thomas was cut off as Cyborg's idling mind went to work on the mystery of the missile strike.

With the League overwhelmed, reserve heroes were called in by Cyborg to stymie the Atlantean offensive, including The Vixen, Firestorm, Black Lightning, Black Canary, Element Woman, Hawkman and a concealed Tiny Titan. The heroes were not used to one another though, which caused problems. Mari demanded "Watch where your (sic) flying Firestorm! We need to get better organized, Black Canary. Where's Batman? ...All I can smell is seawater." The reservists were then knocked out by an explosion.

Cyborg received his upgrade and joined Aquaman and Mera in rescuing the DC Trinity. Victor Stone also had a lead on who was behind the Mabus attack... Aquaman's old advisor Vulko!

"Throne of Atlantis, Chapter Four" was by Geoff Johns, Paul Pelletier, and Sean Parsons.

2012 Justice League International art by Yıldıray Çınar

Click To Enlarge

"As Firestorm #9 will feature Justice League International, I drew this piece to warm up for the characters before I started drawing the issue. I added the greytones in photoshop directly on pencils."

The team looks great, although I do wish the Vixen had gotten a more prominent spot. New 52 Batman is right up there. Also featured: August General, Rocket Red, Fire, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Godiva and Ice.

Yildiray Cinar

• 2012 Art Gallery: Yildiray Cinar @ The Aquaman Shrine
• Hawkman Sketch @ Being Carter Hall
• 2009 Orion color commission @ DC Bloodlines
• 2012 Wonder Woman angry art @ Diana Prince
• Jason Rusch’s first costume @ Firestorm Fan
• Early Firestorm Try-out @ Firestorm Fan
• Guy Gardner @ Green Lantern Butt's FOREVER!
• 2012 J'onn J'onzz sketch @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

2011 DCnU JLI art by TJ Frias

Click To Enlarge

"Here's another sketch based on DC's relaunch, Justice League International featuring Batman, Booster Gold, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, August General in Iron, Fire, Ice, Vixen and Rocket Red. There's of course a mystery female member who's been pulled from DC's promo art. This is, of course, a tribute to Kevin Maguire, one of the dudes that truly gave life to the JLI.

Initial thoughts about the relaunch: JL and the subsequent JLI by Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire was my favorite Justice League run. It was eventually taken over by Dan Jurgens (I believe on art chores and maybe writing), and he is now penning this. It was a let-down then and I'm afraid it may be again. As far as costuming goes, I didn't think Booster needed a change. Vixen's could be better. I don't know what Fire's non-flaming look looks like. I'll refrain from commenting on the roster till I read some more."

2010 Trends International Justice League Detroit Stickers

Once again, courtesy of The Irredeemable Shag comes a set of swingin' stickers featuring the Motor City's finest metahuman organization!



First up, we have Zatanna. Like most of the characters on these stickers, she's drawn by Ed Benes. He drew the last run of Justice League of America with an iconic line-up, plus he has a modern style appealing to the layperson. If these are anything like the Sandylion Sticker Bits, they're geared for non-nerdy establishments like Hobby Lobby, and probably targeting consumers of both genders. Where Benes draws a lot of criticism for his sexually provocative depictions of women, this was comparatively mild. Still, I'm pretty sure a mom in the greeting card isle would think twice before letting her kid play with a busty broad in fishnets.



That said, I think it's really awesome that the manufacturers sought out a gender balance by including lesser known heroines. This is even more true for one of color like the Vixen, and I'd venture that she's the most dynamically posed of a static lot.



Finally, there's the Batman, breaking ranks through being drawn by a different artist. Benes handled the Dark Knight during his JLofA run, so the snub wasn't necessary. That said, the Batman figures move, and they've got that on-model quality of José Luis García-López that hits geeks of my generation in the sweet spot.

Later today, you can check out other Detroit members and friends at the following spotlight blogs...

• The Nuclear Man @ Firestorm Fan
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince
• Green Lantern @ The Indigo Tribe

Justice League: Cry for Justice (2009-2010)

Following Final Crisis, Green Lantern Hal Jordan made a big show of quitting the Justice League to form a more proactive super-team. Self interest was probably also a factor, given the recent killings of Martian Manhunter and Batman. Green Arrow was the first to join his friend. Vixen and Zatanna seemed to sit out most of
the discussion, although Mari did say, "Hal, Ollie, this is crazy."

A number of super-heroes joined in Green Lantern's crusade, which uncovered a vast super-villain conspiracy spearheaded by Prometheus. This group consisted of the Atom (Ray Palmer,) Supergirl, and Captain Marvel (Freddy Freeman.) Lantern's League eventually returned to the Justice League Satellite, where the mainstay team stood as Vixen, Zatanna, Black Canary, Red Arrow, the Flash, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Red Tornado, Firestorm and Plastic Man. Roy and Dinah were of different minds of whether to extend aid to the rogue faction. Ultimately, the needs of the innocent outweighed inter-company strife, with Vixen observing of Prometheus "We have to find him and learn his plans. Well, we have been getting reports. Established villains appearing in cities that they're unfamiliar to-- and unfamiliar to the heroes fighting them."

Zatanna wondered if new Batman Dick Grayson had learned anything, and other avenues were pursued. In a blatant bit of foreshadowing, Red Arrow announced that he needed to disappear to Star City for a moment. Zee protested, "Roy Harper, if you hadn't noticed, we're in the middle of something already." Single dad Roy needed to tuck in his daughter Lian for the night.



A third group of heroes showed up, including Donna Troy, Congorilla, Animal Man, Starman Mikaal Tomas, and Starfire. Vixen felt, "Buddy, this isn't the best time. Donna and Kory, it's great to see you, but-- we have a situation." More than she knew, since "Captain Marvel" turned out to be Prometheus in disguise, who maimed Red Arrow and began picking off heroes one by one. "Zatanna: Magic via oral incantation-- solution-- render inaudible." Prometheus shot Zee in the throat with an unknown small caliber projectile, then listened to his helmet offer more vulnerabilities to exploit. Most of the heroes were out of commission in minutes.

The Vixen leapt on Prometheus' back with a growl. The villain threw her off, then broke her left leg with Hawkman's mace. "Funny... never met you... but never liked you!" Prometheus' rampage continued until he was finally downed by Donna Troy in a moment of savagery for which there was no calculated avoidance. Unfortunately, Prometheus' plan was to shunt all the major fictional metropolises on Earth irretrievably to randomly selected dimensions, and he used this as a bargaining tool to demand his release. An example was made of Star City, which didn't teleport, but was shaken to pieces. Little Lian Harper died in the quake.

Vixen manned the teleporter while other heroes tried to find a solution or offer aid. Zatanna must have been seriously injured, as she disappeared for the rest of the series. Mari was disgusted by the extortion, and protested the final decision, but ultimately Prometheus was released. However, Green Arrow secretly tracked him down and drove an arrow through his head to avenge his ward, granddaughter, and city.

“Cry For Justice” was by James Robinson, Mauro Cascioli, Scott Clark and Ibraim Roberson with David Beaty.

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Patrick Scherberger

Click To Expand & Enlarge


Patrick Scherberger is one of the most notable artists to flash up Marvel Comics' all-ages superhero titles, which might explain his anachronistic JLA. Superman, Batman, the Barry Flash, and Wonder Woman (that we can see of her) are on model, but then Hal Jordan shows up in his rookie Green Lantern costume. There's an otherwise classic Aquaman with a bushy beard, and then Brightest Day Martian Manhunter. It's anarchy, but forgivable because it looks so nice.

Hero Fund JLA 100 Project

• Victor Castro & Mark McKenna @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Joseph Michael Linsner @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• José Luis García-López @ Power of the Atom
• Patrick Scherberger @ Justice League Detroit

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.


ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

Justice League #1 (October, 2011)

Five years ago DCnÜ.
A newfangled Parademon wanted to plant a bomb in Gotham City.
Batman followed.
Gotham City PD pursued both, guns blazing from helicopters.
Green Lantern hit Parademon with a fire truck construct.
Green Lantern surprised to learn Batman in real.
Cops shot at them both. People fear and hate super-humans.
Parademon escaped. Heroes pursued.
"Gotham's mine. Coast City's yours."
"No, this entire space sector is mine... unauthorized extraterrestrial presence in Gotham."
"Hold on a second... You're not just some guy in a Bat costume, are you? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!"
Green Lantern was really cocky and arrogant.
Batman stole his power ring. Stupid Hal Jordan.
Parademon planted a Mother Box, then self-destructed for Darkseid.
Batman took Mother Box.
Maybe that publicly known alien guy Superman in Metropolis knew something?
Evidence Superman just finished a fight of his own.
Batman recognized potential threat of Superman. Green Lantern didn't.
Green Lantern beat up by Superman at super-speed.
Superman looked at Batman. "I don't handle easy. So... what can you do?"
High school football player Victor Stone had a train of scouts ready to offer him a scholarship. Just wanted absentee father to love him. Too busy with science work involving super-humans. Sad Vic.

"Justice League: Part One" was by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. As evidenced by the story title, more thought and originality was put into Johns' spelling of first name "Jeff" than into this story. It's basically a fifth of the plot points of Legends #1 with a fifth of the characters but five times the crosshatching and cover price. My go-to complaint about Star Wars: The Phantom Menace has been that if you asked any random person with a basic knowledge of the franchise to imagine their own Episode I, it would have been a more entertaining movie than what was produced. Ditto.

DCnÜ Year's Wildstormin' Eve

• Captain Atom: Armageddon #9 (August, 2006) @ Power of the Atom
• Demon Knights #2 (December, 2011) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• DC/WS DreamWar #6 (November, 2008) @ DC Bloodlines

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #51 (June, 2007)

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern Hal Jordan and the Flash attended the underwater funeral of the original Aquaman. I suppose the Martian Manhunter's absence could be chalked up to his being a coneheaded jerk at the time, but it was still unseemly for Wally West to be around and J'Onn absent. The Dweller's body was committed to a mausoleum, though Mera hoped that he might yet cheat death in some way, as he had done in times past. As for Atlantis, Wonder Woman suggested that some magic users like Zatanna or the Shadowpact might be of assistance. Begging Tempest's pardon, Mera was sick of sorcery, and Atlantis needed to make its own way.

Topo had read on Super Ultra Mega that Garth was supposed to be an energetic, happy-go-lucky guy. Clearly, the fishy internet was not to be trusted, since my recollection of Garth has been a whiny bitch since Tula died in the mid-80s, and the disappearance of his family in the One Year Later period just made him more of a tool than usual. Superman shook Arthur Joesph's hand and felt he would do fine as the new Aquaman, while Topo was ecstatic over his proximity to Superman, Batman and especially Wonder Woman. "Leaping ling cod, I was actually close enough to reach out and touch Wonder Woman's divine, magical... LASSO! ...and did you see? She was wearing the bracelets, too!" Arthur remarked, "Jeez, you really are a fanboy, aren't you?"

Issitoq the Narwhal had been expected back in Dyss after his triumph against Orin, but was instead found sulking in the Norwegian Basin of the Arctic Ocean by Pardoner. The narwhal now understood his victim really had recognized him, and was upset at having missed the chance to learn his true identity. Issitoq smashed the ground and threatened Pardoner with a boulder, until he was placed in a submissive trance state. The "fierce young corpse-whale" was his proudest creation, so Pardoner intended for him to "visit the soothing darkness for a while to have your thoughts improved" through "therapy."



Lorena, the Aquagirl of Sub Diego, visited the tomb of her former flame Koryak, son of Orin. Lorena mourned the relationship that could have been, but didn't like coming off like a soap star. She told Arthur Junior, "I'm not going to be friends with you, by the way. Then you won't die. I'm learning, see?"

Cal Durham had spent months swimming with his party to return Garth home and seek resources for his own people. He was dismayed that Atlantis had fallen so low as to be of little help, and planned to return home. Garth intended to go back with Cal, since there was nothing keeping him in Atlantis, and his only lead to his condition and family was his being found in Sub Diego's proximity. Mera felt abandoned by them both, and Topo began shouting, "What is wrong with you people? Swimming? Swimming?! To the Pacific Ocean? Is this some drawn-out practical joke on me, or are you all really crazy? What about the hatches?" The rageboy nerd had everyone's attention, to the point that he inked himself again over causing insult during "a meeting of the Atlantean Sovereign Council."

When Topo finally recovered, he explained that the Deep Church had found a way to access preexisting teleportational wormholes at points all over the sea. The hatches were locked by "a believer's code implanted from the Deep Church in Dyss," but Dr. Arkelon had invented a hack for the apostates in Neos. Mera enlisted Arthur as Topo's personal guard, since this news could be hugely beneficial, with the initial test run being a return to Sub Diego. Losing Cal, Lorena, and Garth seemed much less important under the circumstances, especially the former Tempest, whom she felt was crippled in ways beyond the physical.



At a hatch, Topo focused mentally to gain access, but the door opened to a Punishment Shoal vastly more dangerous than the one previously faced. "That's... that's Baron Gorgos! Flipping flounders, we're doomed!" Tempest was able to fend off Benthocto, an anthropomorphic octopus. Aquaman took on the brawny Leatherback. Gorgos himself threatened to eat Topo, so Aquaman had to change dancing partners. The Baron was a sadomasochist, taking pleasure in both the searing pain delivered by his head tentacles, and his own agony at having some ripped out by Arthur. King Shark happened along to devour a fourth, unnamed shoal heavyweight. The group then fled into the hatch, turning up in a volcanic region near Sub Diego. Garth immediately started criticizing King Shark as a "murderous monstrosity," driving him off, and leaving Arthur to argue his virtues against the unrepentant Tempest. Regardless of the trouble, Lorena and Cal were just happy to be a day out from home, rather than two months.

Back on the Arctic island of Ymirsheim, Captain Jimmy Lockhart, Elsa Magnusson, and the Sea Devil leader Dane Dorrance continued down a mysterious staircase leading them below sea level. The group had second thoughts about continuing, but when they doubled back, found a doorway had sealed behind them. Trapped, the group's surrender was demanded by more members of the Deep Church.

Cal Durham was uneasy at the silence as his group approached the remnant portion of Sub Diego that he had governed. A large sign had been posted, alerting citizens to the curfew invoked by their new leader, Black Manta.



"The Once and Future Sea King" was by Tad Williams, Shawn McManus, and Walden Wong. As a welcome change from the Busiek issues, even in a relatively talky issue, there is tons of stuff going on to keep up interest. The massive losses in Atlantis were finally being addressed on a personal level, favorite supporting characters from the Sub Diego issues and more classic runs were being restored. The situation in Atlantis was finally acknowledged at all by the JLA. The Deep Church seems interesting and offers a host of new villains created specifically for Arthur Joseph, instead of his constantly running into Orin's tired old foes calling him out as inferior (while backing up the claim.) Topo is fun when he's not obnoxious, and I really appreciated Williams' ability to juggle a lot of very different personalities. My only complaints in the script are that even in the face of teased sparks with Arthur Joseph, Mera comes off as an old maid, and it's a might too convenient that the Deep Church were suddenly everywhere at one.

Shawn McManus' art took more getting used to, especially since his style had grown so cartoony that he often more resembled Bob Fingerman than his own past super-hero work. The main negative effect is that the violence of the book has no weight, because you expect anyone that matters to bounce right back, like a Looney Tune. On the other hand, it fits the book's quirk vibe, and McManus does a fine job of juggling a suddenly huge cast. Coupled with the coloring of Dan Brown, you can tell everyone is underwater, but it's a far more vibrant and varied place than it had been in the early going of Sword of Atlantis. Both writing and art embrace the inherent ridiculousness of fishy fantasy, for the first time allowing Aquaman to laugh with the comedic potential, rather than just being the butt of jokes.

Brave New World

• The Trials of Shazam! in DCU: Brave New World #1 (August, 2006) @ DC Bloodlines
• Wonder Woman #7 (Early June, 2007) @ Diana Prince
• Martian Manhunter #7 (April, 2007) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Breach #7 (September, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
• The All New Atom #8 (April, 2007) @ The Mighty Mite

2010 Detective Comics #380 Twin Pocket Folder Style #3008DC

I wasn't a big fan of Wall*Mart just from a customer experience standpoint, and after seeing The High Cost of a Low Price, I feel really sleazy when I cave and shop there. Still, they're usually open 24 hours a day, and have a grocery store, so I try to stay alert for blog chum when I do find myself there. I scored a nice batch of DC folders on my last visit, and at just fifty cents a pop, I decided to pick up some that I passed on the first time for variety's sake.

Irv Novick's 1968 Batman and Robin cover is probably the best crop job I've seen on one of these folders yet. The enormous twelve cent cover price and Comics Code Authority seal are cut out of the top right corner and filled in with solid black (along with a small crease in the curtain.) You lose an inch or so of costume at the bottom and a trim at the top, but the changes are so minor I didn't even bother posting the cover here for comparison. In fact, the claustrophobic framing and vastly superior printing on the folder make me like this presentation of the art better. That said, this is the oldest cover I've encounter in this series by far, and part of the appeal is its randomness and dubious appeal to the younger demographic. Even the mystery girl is only, from what I gathered at GCD, Ginny Jenkins (better known as "WHO?")



I recycled this back cover scan from a previous post.The Innovative Designs logo is a dark purple on the actual folder, and the interior pockets are simply black. I'm really glad the company decided to jazz up the look with their 2011 offerings.

Folders & Fodder

• 2010 Wonder Woman Twin Pocket Folder Style #1490DC @ Diana Prince
• 2010 DC Originals Men's Sleep Pant RN# 82457 @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• 2011 Justice League of America #212 Twin Pocket Folder Style #1490DC @ Power of the Atom