JLE/Scavengers Crossover: JUSTICE LEAGUE EUROPE #15-16 (JLI 54)

[tcampbell1000]

Keith Giffen, Gerard Jones, and Bart Sears do this whole storyline. Warning for OTT violence and nuclear apocalypse. Which, okay, is another kind of OTT violence.

The Silver Sorceress and Bluejay have blamed their world’s destruction on nuclear weapons. They neglected to mention the gang of badass villains who set those weapons off.

Five of those villains are still hanging around their dead world. When they lose their last living human prisoner, they’re on the verge of turning on each other. Lucky for them, that’s when the Silver Sorceress stumbles back into town. From her comings and goings, they know she’s found a new world for them to conquer.

The Extremists are based on top-tier Marvel villains…Dr. Doom, Magneto, Dr. Octopus, Sabertooth, and Dormammu, a group that never assembled in Marvel Comics but would’ve been all but unbeatable if it did. (Page borrowed from Justice League Quarterly #3, which lays out their deal in a more succinct way than this story does.)



Their personalities don’t map too closely to their counterparts: all you really need to know about them is that they’re all sadistic horrorshows, Lord Havok’s nominally in charge, and Tracer’s kind of a goober. (If you don't know who the "Blue Beetle" is in your super-group, it's you.)



Meanwhile, Bluejay has made it to the JLI embassy in Russia as of the end of last issue…



But his escape is compromised by the conflicting loyalties of the embassy staff. Rosa and Dana Rubikskova can’t believe the conditions he’s endured, and Rosa alerts the Justice League before their boss, Boris Dmitravich Razumihin, can stop her. About fifteen minutes later, Metamorpho interrupts a heated discussion between Boris and Dana. Boris: “Don’t let this glasnost business go to your head! We still need state security, and this is it!”



After a couple of scene transitions…







Cap is getting anxious about how long it’s taking Rex to complete a simple mission.




In #16, Captain Atom makes one of his best calls as leader, realizing that their charging in through the transport tubes is just what the Extremists want. So they fly in by shuttle. This means the Rocket Reds engage the Extremists first, and WOW, does it not go well for them:



The Reds do accomplish one thing without knowing it: they distract the Extremists from pulling feathers off Bluejay’s wings long enough for him to escape.




Oh, poor Rosa. Or…Dana? I feel I should know which one is dead and which is in mourning, but this is the last we’ll see of either. Since Rosa already got a couple of speaking roles, I’m going with “poor Dana.”



Bart Sears did a great job with the Extremists’ designs. They look one part ridiculous and three parts terrifying, as they should. On the other hand, Power Girl’s new costume is…well, it’s very yellow. Next time she fights Guy Gardner, she’s set.






The Leaguers fall unconscious at Dreamslayer's single gesture. If you're wondering why Dreamslayer, the most powerful Extremist by far, hasn't wrested control from Lord Havok yet, read on. To their delight, the Extremists discover that this world has nukes just like theirs.




Monday: Justice League Europe comes close to destroying the Earth until the Extremists save it at the last second. You might think I've gotten those team names switched, but no.

Comments

[mazway_75]

Bart Sears can be a rough artist sometimes. But man did he make the Extremists look bad-ass and backed by the writing selling them as truly terrifying. The way they relish taking out the Reds and fighting the heroes, it's a major shift from the Injustice League. Such a great arc.