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August 20, 2003

They’re at it again
Posted by Teresa at 12:59 PM *

Just in case you haven’t heard, Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire are doing Justice League again. Technically, it’s a six-part miniseries called Formerly Known As The Justice League; effectively, it’s the same old soap opera, picking up with the same characters after a years-long hiatus.

As usual, it starts with Max Lord. He has this dumb idea he wants to sell to the Justice League alums, a cut-rate “superheroes for the people” business startup, and it’s going over better than any reasonable metahuman has a right to expect. The Dibneys are bored out of their minds. L-Ron’s working at a fast food joint, while Beatriz is selling naughty pictures of herself from her website. Beetle always was easy to talk into doing things against his better judgement. Same goes for Captain Atom—and he’s bored, too. Booster has a positive appetite for folly, especially if Beetle’s involved. And if Billy Batson isn’t interested in joining the reconstituted group, his sister Mary is.

It would be superfluous to observe that trouble ensues.

Comments on They're at it again:
#1 ::: Seth ::: (view all by) ::: August 20, 2003, 02:46 PM:

If you like Formerly Known... (and gosh, why wouldn't you?), you can already look forward to next summer's sequel, I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League.

Seriously. That's what they're going to call it. Unless the Fox News lawyers catch wind of it, I suppose.

#2 ::: John ::: (view all by) ::: August 20, 2003, 03:58 PM:

I loved the original run back in the 1980's. I read the first issue but haven't read the others. I'd like to give it a few more issues to see how it pans out. I miss the Guy Gardner Green Lantern though, wavering personality types and all.

#3 ::: Glenn Hauman ::: (view all by) ::: August 20, 2003, 04:13 PM:

So when are you coming to lunch to pick up the second issue I've been keeping for you, lazy bones?

#4 ::: Lis ::: (view all by) ::: August 20, 2003, 07:49 PM:

It would be superfluous to observe that trouble ensues.

It would be equally superfluous to point out that issue fun was really, really funny.

#5 ::: Greg Morrow ::: (view all by) ::: August 21, 2003, 11:26 AM:

I love Maguire & Rubinstein's art, of course, but my opinion of the writing is much the same as it was in the day: They're not as funny as they think they are, and it's better when they do story and let the funny come rather than do funny.

I was also fairly unimpressed with 1602 and Supreme Power, so probably it's just that I'm a cranky old bugger.

#6 ::: Tuxedo Slack ::: (view all by) ::: August 21, 2003, 02:39 PM:

I miss the Guy Gardner Green Lantern though, wavering personality types and all.

You and Paul Riddell both. He recently reposted an old Healing Power of Obnoxiousness piece, one of several in which he says point-blank that your favorite Guy was the only ring-slinger ever worth the ink it takes to draw him. (And now he'll probably embugger me with a bowling trophy for tooting his horn.)

#7 ::: Glenn Hauman ::: (view all by) ::: August 21, 2003, 03:25 PM:

Guy returns in the second mini-series. Happy now?

#8 ::: Elayne Riggs ::: (view all by) ::: August 21, 2003, 05:22 PM:

I don't know what scares me more, this or just finding out that Elmo has a blog. :)

Seriously, the two issues I've read so far seem like a lot of fun, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

#9 ::: Greg Delaney ::: (view all by) ::: August 23, 2003, 03:50 AM:

This series is more fun than I've had with a comic in years. Not only is the dialogue hilarious, but it it has a rythm and pacing that makes you think that if you actually heard it performed out loud, it would work even better than on the printed page. When was the last time that happened? And the artwork on the facial expressions and body language is truly priceless.

The only thing that has come close to this lately is the recent JLA: Welcome to the Working Week one shot written by Payton Oswalt. It came and went in a flash, but it's worth tracking down.

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