Sherman’s March of the Penguins: JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA ANTARCTICA ANNUAL #4 (JLI 52)

[tcampbell1000]

This 56-page annual came out alongside the 52-page JLE annual, while JLA and JLE continued their monthly schedule. A new Justice League Quarterly super-sized comic was in the scripting stages. Giffen and Dematteis were writing all of the above. And the premise of this comic is… “Ha ha, wouldn’t it be ridiculous if the Justice League brand were OVEREXTENDED?”




Visiting Multi-Man at his job as an old lady's butler, the others soon ruin that gig for him, and the reunited Injustice League attempts its "final, magnificent" heist. Then they run into terrorists who are robbing the place first. They fight the terrorists and win, giving them a taste of feeling like the good guys that lingers in their throats. In the Major’s case, it’s a feeling he’s tasted before (JLA #35)…



And so:



Max asks the Major to step out while he and J’Onn discuss the matter.






Oberon. Buddy. You have some fine qualities, and Bea perceives them. Good for you. But you are also short, balding, and in your late fifties. Do not take this opportunity for granted. Others like it are not forthcoming.

The other JLI members are convinced this is a disaster in the making. Serious Leaguers grump about that, while the office cutups--Elongated Man and Blue Beetle--are giggling at the prospect of Leaguers who command even less respect than they do. But G'Nort stumbles upon a real disaster area, and even he can tell this is a lead worth pursuing.






While the Skier and Sir are learning of the penguins first-hand, the others are learning through a videotape G'Nort retrieved.



Captain Atom learns about them through another source, and Max sends members of both teams to Antarctica. "With any luck," Max says, "you'll be in and out before they even know what's happening."





The "real" Justice Leaguers join the party.




The Leaguers see the facility begin to shake, and on the shuttle, Elongated Man wonders what's going down. Blue Beetle replies, "I'll tell you what's going down, Ralph..."






One could argue in defense of the JLAnt, a little. Sure, destroying your headquarters immediately looks bad, but they engaged a threat and neutralized it at risk to their own lives. And they might've done it without destroying the complex if the other teams had bothered to give them a heads-up before comms went down. Sure, it was a ridiculous-looking threat, but that part sure wasn't THEIR fault. They didn't just will those killer penguins into existence by being nearby and stupid!

Still, Max's concept for the team wasn't a new League division that turned out slightly more competent than expected. It was to keep troublesome people out of trouble by giving them busywork. The piranha-penguin incident has shown the folly of that idea. And the JLAnt didn't do SO well that one would expect great things from their members afterward. A memo from Max to all JLI staff reads: “Re: Justice Antarctica. NEVER MIND.”



If the JLAnt had held on just a little longer, they could have been Leaguers in good standing just in time for Despero to murder them all.

Thursday: Despero trades in his Chesspero “checkmate” for some Excesspero “unchecked hate.”

Comments

[iamrman]

Justice League Antarctica mist have been pretty bad id the JLI feel ashamed of it.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Pity, I was really rooting for them.