JLA: Classified #12 - New Maps of Hell, Part 3

[dc2houseofmystery]

The Justice League has assembled on the Watchtower, and they're putting their heads together to solve the mystery of the strange suicides, massive explosions, and other disparate weirdness surrounding the black and green glowing tablets that have been found at ground zero of each crazy event.





One thing I enjoy about this story is that there's no hierarchical nonsense about who should be giving orders. No chairperson. They're all equals. No second guessing, no doubt. They just do what needs to be done, without the interpersonal drama that bogs down some interpretations of the characters.





I've skipped a chunk of flashbacks to Mars' past, but I think the art conveys what's been said. This has happened before. It happened on Mars. Millions died. And now it's happening again on Earth. But why?





Ugh, just hold me. I've skipped some panels to get where we needed to be, but there's such grandeur with this team. I wish Aquaman were here, because he completes this era for me, and while it would have made sense for the time, I'm glad Plastic Man doesn't make an appearance. His addition to the team in Joe Kelly's run was fantastic ("Trial By Fire" is my second favourite JLA story, and I might get round to posting that at some point) but Eel in the hands of Warren Ellis? That might have brought out his worst tendencies for comedy-during-drama.




"I'm the President."

...I just got horrible present day shivers.

President Lex wasn't really followed through on in a satisfying way, was it? I think it's because the main architect behind the change, Jeph Loeb, was taken off the Superman books. He was the "head writer" of the Super-books around the time, and was given Superman / Batman to wrap up the President Lex strands (because Infinite Crisis was coming...). I think the creation of that book was meant as a "promotion", because Superman / Batman was an Event Book for nearly two years, but being given that little corner without it meaning anything else makes it seem less important. 

Remember when Superman / Batman was the next big thing?

I think there was a pre-Bendis Superman story where they married Obama-mocking-Trump with Clark-mocking-Luthor as the impetus behind Luthor becoming President again? I think it might have been a Max Landis story, but I can't remember if it was considered canon or not. Is Lex the President again in DC continuity? 

ANYWAY. Something terrible happens in Las Vegas. The Flash is sent on ahead. There's a cool transition with the Flash moving faster than a thought, so he gets there between a line of dialogue. So good. Buy! This! Book!



The team arrive, they have to figure something out, and similar to my early comment with the lack of chairperson, decisions are made and orders given-- and everything is accepted because these people are equals. And I love it.



The team are united and face down the threat humanity faces. It's awesome.

To Be Continued.

Comments

[repto]

I just shrug and go along with it--at some point you just have to ignore the whole shared universe concept in order to make a story work. I mean, the Flash could literally round up every villain of Batman's in less time than it takes me to type this sentence, but we just pretend that every hero stays in their own city and fights their own little battles.

(Also, "Force of July" is a fantastic name and I love it.)

[mazway_75]

TV Tropes has a page for that: "Superman Stays Out of Gotham."

I do remember Kurt Busiek lampshading that in "Astro City" where Samaritan and Winged Victory are on their first date, she mentions a baddie called Golden Boy who preys on women and he muses on how each hero "sort of has guys we all think of as their villain. Shouldn't it be we all go after the same guys?"

[zachbeacon]

I was thinking more along the lines of "Reed Richards Is Useless".

Even putting aside the people who can fly and throw cars, most superhero universes have people with access to crazy tech and knowledge but yet the lives of the average citizen is unchanged.

(Maybe its because the Four from Planetary are a-holes. Maybe you swapped out Steve Jobs for Tony Stark and people have slightly better phones. Maybe the energy companies are paying Reed Richards NOT to move forward with his alternative energy plans)

Unless the person involved is a superhero, I can't apply superhero logic to their actions in most superhero stories. I have to pretend they would act as they would in the real world.

In 1999 I naively believed that the US government wouldn't abandon one of its major cities after a natural disaster. In 2020 I know better.

[mazway_75]

In 1999 I naively believed that the US government wouldn't abandon one of its major cities after a natural disaster. In 2020 I know better.

Oh I remember how for six years fans slammed NML as so horrible and terrible and "right, a major city and urban center left to rot like that and the rest of the nation barely caring."

Then Katrina hit New Orleans.....