The Last Bwahaha

[arbre_rieur]

This week's RETRO-ACTIVE: JUSTICE LEAGUE is the 90s issue. Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire all reunite for one last tale of Justice League International. And it really will be their very last one; Giffen and DeMatteis have mentioned in interview that even if they're offered a chance to do another in the future, they'll turn it down. They feel that they've said all they want to say with these characters.

After winning a piece of Apokolips medical tech in a poker match, the supervillain Big Sir (who would in later days become a member of Justice League Antarctica) accidentally infects himself with parademon DNA, transforming into a rampaging giant-sized monster.


















On a completely unrelated note, I'm vacationing in China these days, where apparently you can't access imageshack pictures or their website. Can anyone recommend some way to get around this that an idiot layman like myself would be able to implement?

Comments

[aaron_bourque]

. . .

Ted Kord's first name is Edward goddammit.

[golden_orange]

Not according to Wikipedia it's not. Unless I'm missing something...

[fleur_de_liz]

No it's not. It's always been Theodore. The one time it was Edward was one issue of Birds of Prey, and everyone pretty much ignores that.

[aaron_bourque]

It's always been Theodore.

Not really. It's always been "Ted."

[perletwo]

I freakin' LOVE that cat.

Goodbye, sweet puddytat about to be rebooted out of existence.....

[minyandu]

www.proxyie.cn

Choose the 19 server. It should work. If not, try some others.

[arbre_rieur]

Thanks! My ability to read Chinese isn't great, but the layout there's user-friendly enough that I can get by.

[tacitoz]

I will now proudly announce that I did NOTHING in my holidays, but I did it extremely well. Thank you, Ted Kord!

[wizardru]

Wow. LIke a warm, well-worn fuzzy sweater. So comfortable.


I understand their decision...but MAN. This is great. It's like a masters class in comedy. Snappy writing, great characterization and artwork that truly sells it. Macguire's facial work and body language are critical to a lot of the comedy, here.

[don1138]

Amen about Macguire. He was pretty darn good back in the day (though some of his choices of composition and expression were a bit… in-development, shall we say), but after 20 years, he has mastered his style, and this ish was a bittersweet delight.

The final splash of the JLI flying up, up and away from us, off into the sunset made me realize how much I'll miss these particular comic-book friends of so many years, now that the end is here.

[thandrak]

I'm pretty sure Theodore is a girl.

[thehefner]

This issue was more sad than enjoyable on a number of levels. Even at its best, it felt like they were going through the motions, telling a new, fun fluff story with frequent nods to the original run, and then boom, it's over. No big finale, so grand goodbye, just an abrupt ending followed by a sudden page of them all flying off into the sunset.

Funny thing is, the reprint story included in the Retroactive issue--the epilogue of Breakdowns, which was the first time that Giffen and DeMatteis left, and were reunited with Maguire--felt like a far more satisfying and powerful farewell. As did, it occurs to me, the ending of I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League, which showed Beetle and Max laughing together as best friends, and the line "And they all lived BWA-HA-HA-Happily Ever After!" That was powerful on a couple levels, both ironic and sincerely.

I can only guess that, after writing not one but two strong farewells, they just didn't care to do it yet another time. No, wait... they did THREE! Their recent run on Booster Gold, remember? Jesus, that might have been the most powerful of all, the one that spoke most from their hearts, because the constant theme was of how you couldn't go home again, that Booster (and persumably Giffen and DeMatteis) were older and have moved on, and while they loved the wacky days with Ted, those days were gone. Their Booster run was the finest, most heartfelt eulogy for the JLI out there, and it should have been recognized as such.

But this? Yeah, it was fun. It was nice. But far as I could see, they'd already said goodbye three times, and the third was as final as it got. So when I read this, all I could feel was just... sad, y'know?

[darkknightjrk]

"Even at its best, it felt like they were going through the motions, telling a new, fun fluff story with frequent nods to the original run, and then boom, it's over."

I think it can be said for a lot of the last stories of the creative team. I think the book was at it's best around the first half or so, when it was more of an action/drama/comedy. The more it became a straight-up comedy, the more annoying it got and the less it felt like a legit "Justice League." I can see why they might want to kinda reboot that whole idea a bit because of the latter half.

[richardak]

I actually liked that this wasn't another farewell story. As you say, they've already done that. This felt more like it could have been a filler story that could have been slipped in almost anywhere within JLI continuity, but that's what makes it work. It was just a funny, charming story about the characters I liked that entertained me while I read it. I felt like I got my money's worth on this.

[pyynk]

Their recent run on Booster Gold, remember? Jesus, that might have been the most powerful of all, the one that spoke most from their hearts, because the constant theme was of how you couldn't go home again, that Booster (and presumably Giffen and DeMatteis) were older and have moved on, and while they loved the wacky days with Ted, those days were gone. Their Booster run was the finest, most heartfelt eulogy for the JLI out there, and it should have been recognized as such.

Thank you.

I know there were some complaints that this was territory that had already been gone over by Jurgens, but in my opinion while Jurgens created Booster he didn't create the friendship between Booster and Blue Beetle.

[thehefner]

People were seriously complaining that? Especially in comparison to the heartfelt, meta, painfully personal story that Giffen and DeMatteis delivered, even in the face of crossoveritis (where they have to suck it up and accept that DC wants Max to be evil, always)? Jesus. Jurgens is a superhero writer first and foremost, but Giffen and DeMatteis wrote them as FRIENDS, and they did it better than any other writers. Ugh.

[pyynk]

Yep. Sad truth of it. I honestly wish they had let Giffen and DeMatteis put up the chairs and turn out the lights on Booster after their last issue.

[pyrotwilight]

So...huh. Does that mean Theodore is Stinky?

[rdfox]

Given that Stinky has two eyes, I doubt it.

[glprime]

I really love when owners are oblivious to their animal's aggressive behavior outside their attention (whether that was or wasn't true in this ish).

Why?

My roommate swore up and down that his eldest cat "couldn't possibly" be attacking me for no good reason (it literally followed me everywhere I walked with its head, then ran across the entire place to swipe at my legs; when I offered my arm to nuzzle and make friends the first few months, he latched on with all claws and bit into me, still have photos of the bloody mess).

Various "experts" also said "cats just don't attack people for no reason; you must be doing something."

Eventually, we got another roommate who was deathly allergic if bit or scratched by a cat, and when he also said he was being stalked and nearly attacked, the pet was given to a shelter, but then released into a wildlife preserve. Why?

The cat was actually half-feral species. It was rated "very hostile and territorial." This was known by 1) a common blood test and 2) just being in the same room with it for 15 minutes.

Needless to say, I consider my roommate as more than a little self-assured of his own knowledge of animals. His other cat's a real sweetie, though (still should be declawed, but whatever).

[zenbro]

A friend's daughter once adopted a barn kitten which allegedly could do no wrong, but I was deeply suspicious. I'm a cat person and I've known many kittens and cats - but this spiteful little creature had almost dark blue, unusually coarse fur and hissed and clawed (with unusually sharp claws for a kitten) at EVERYONE except my daughter's friend, who it had obviously imprinted on. Despite our gentle persuasions, we couldn't convince her that this evil furball would be happier in a preserve. I wonder what happened to it.

[insectposse]

"still should be declawed"

No. Awful practice.

[blackruzsa]

I love how funny but useless commentary is being said by people popping up cartoon style from the bottom and side of the panel.

[silverzeo]

As Ambush Bug made an appearance and broe continuity for this series?

[goblinthebamf]

wibbly.

[eyz]

Awwww, those priceless faces!!
The humor! The tone!
BWAHAHA!

And Ted even gets the last word! (on these scans at least)

I miss THAT JLI! >__