Oracle's Tenure with the JLA, Part 2: Introductions

[glprime]

Continuing on from Part 1...

(Sorry for the Spine Smooshing)



So, the NEW League, flush with several NEW recruits, is giving a publicity-driven tour of their NEW moonbase and roster to the press. Get how everything's NEW? Well unfortunately, a NEW Marty Stu villain Prometheus is undercover as prize-winner hero Retro to attack and dismantle the League. He's doing well so far, even managing to take out the BatGod before gut-checking GL and Flash (who he beats by largely bluffing).

Bats wakes up and rallies the group by revealing his ace-in-the-hole, Miss Voice with An Internet Connection.



Aaaand that's it. That's all she does during the entire Prometheus debacle. Yep. Really glad you chose to expose her for that.

Stowaway thief Catwoman (disguised as reporter "Cat" Grant... get it?) grows a brain and just whips him in the nuts, while everyone else stands around listening to his blusterous threats to civilians. Oracle now gets to project her ultra-sweet hologram over the League's round table.



Note: the job is PR management after having their asses handed to them by a Batman-wannabe.

In the next case, the League is dealing with members disappearing alongside a statistically improbable series of disasters and crime sprees.



This would be the first of another JLA theme: J'onn and Oracle mind-meld. Also, notice those totally cool floating flat-screens in the Monitor Room? Never a technology offered to Oracle. Hmmm.



The League's tussling erupts into the White House where they discover the president to be... Julian September?



Seems Julian spent more time studying quantum physics than watching old episodes of The Twilight Zone. Messing with the laws of probability isn't usually a good idea.



I have no idea why Barbara's decided to go brunette for awhile. Apparently Howard Porter thinks she doesn't get enough sun to be a redhead. And must also be trying contact lenses. And collagen injections.

Despite shutting down the machine, Batman is quickly blinked away from the scene, leaving the League without the person who had been working the mystery behind the degenerating state of reality. But Oracle can step in with her years of training and act as his Watson, right? Nope.


Looks like Superman: True Brit could become canon!



So Barbara is understandably stymied by Bruce Wayne having his parents back and not being a total nutjob that crushes all independence and demeans every attempt at self-empowerment uses his incredible focus and drive to fight crime.



Oooh, burn, J'onn. "Men are from Mars..." indeed.



Well, Oracle at least doesn't stand in their way, but how can they understand anything subatomic without- ...oooooh.

So yeah, the Atom pops in, shrinks them all down, and helps them repair seven particles that September had split to power his quantum probability engine or something. This includes the wonderful lampshading of the ridiculousness of Atom's powers: Kyle (an artist and hero with light-based powers) wonders how they can see if they're currently smaller than photons? "You're not, your brain's just compensating with familiar senses. It's best not to think about it." But how could they even have corporeal bodies if they're smaller than-? *SHHH!*

Later, after everything is restored (and Batman wonders why he was transported from D.C. to Gotham unexpectedly), J'onn proves he's not a total dick and goes to apologize to Oracle in person.



It's strange, because Barbara's actually very particular about non-Bat Family intruding on her lair, but then J'onn is the badass wise uncle of superherodom. And he probably brought Choco cookies.



Yes, yes, "his parents are *zzzzzz*..." And apparently Oracle, one of the greatest technophiles in the ENTIRE DCU (behind Ted Kord, of course) "has no interest in being half-robot." Really? 'Cuz being a cyborg is considered fuckin' awesome by about 90% of all geeks.

Anyways, Oracle becomes known to the League as an asset, and will regularly be on call to act as Switchboard Operator and Reference Department. Whoopie.

While Oracle gets to be a total wimp here, it gets even worse next time, when she helps the League goes up against the Ultramarine Corps and the most powerful Amazo android EVAH! (who is actually totally lame and stupidly programmed).



14 pages, 2 from JLA #17 (art by Arnie Jorgensen), 5 from JLA #18 and 7 from JLA #19 (written by Mark Waid)

Comments

[mad]

Or the writers were just crap at showcasing her talents. Reading how she was used in Birds of Prey, it's insulting to see what Morrison did with her here.

I think I'd have to agree. In Final Crisis, when Barbara realized the anti-life equation was infecting the Internet, her solution was "PULL ALL THE PLUGS!" That was Morrison writing as well.

At least half the published issues don't even feature her, and most of the time she's just a disembodied voice throwing out plot relevant details (meaning it could be anyone's dialogue).

I haven't read the bulk of Morrison's run, though it's possible that as with any big team book, not all members get featured all the time. That said, I do think Babs should be a mainstay of the JLA, and it's a shame she's not used more.

[thebigapricot]

Given the fucked up mess the JLA has been over the past few years I am almost thankful she wasn't more involved. And I'm not sure I'd want her near it now with Robinson writing it.

[mad]

That is a very good point.

[zordboy]

Soooooooooo motto.

[zordboy]

"I haven't read the bulk of Morrison's run, though it's possible that as with any big team book, not all members get featured all the time."

This is it.

And again, Morrison's JLA mostly dealt with "It's the end of the Universe!" Ergo, you'd be more likely to need Superman and Green Lantern and Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter, than, say, the excellent programmer.

The fact that Oracle's role was "insulting" seems pointlessly melodramatic to me. Is it insulting that Alfred doesn't appear in every Batman story, or that Superman doesn't need to talk to Jimmy in every issue? Oracle just wasn't needed in every single story, so she wasn't there.

[mad]

Oracle just wasn't needed in every single story, so she wasn't there.

That is entirely possible and certainly valid. However, it's really egregious to compare Oracle to Jimmy Olsen or Alfred (as awesome as Alfred is) when it comes to superhero stuff.

As Oracle is also a strategist, detective/investigator, co-odinator and leader (and if she has to, she's still a decent fighter at close range). The OP's complaint that the JLA writers didn't realize her full value and potential in this role is perfectly valid IMO.

Oracle is not just a telephone operator, computer programmer, or info-gofer.

[zordboy]

"The OP's complaint that the JLA writers didn't realize her full value and potential in this role is perfectly valid IMO."

Yeah, but it's a complaint you could make about the entire cast. Which I think lessens it considerably.

[mad]

Or maybe makes the case against the writer overall stronger. =P

I do see your point, though.