Justice League Unlimited #37 (11/07)

HARD SPIRITS
Written by Matt Wayne
Pencilled by Min S. Ru
Inked by Jeff Albrecht Lettered by Mike Sellers
Colored by Heroic Age Edited by Rachael Gluckstern



Tattooed convicts run screaming about the yard of Blackgate Prison. From out of the night sky, a green-gloved hand grasps two of the prisoners before swinging back its ghostly arm toward a guard tower. It topples with a mighty crack, as beams erupt from ghostly eyes and ignite bonfires. Superman, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman fly in overhead, survelling the damage caused by the spiritual manifestation of the Christian God's wrath given ethereal form.

"Sometimes I wonder if the Spectre's really on our side."
"Jim Corrigan is his earthly vessel. Where is he?"
"First things first. We have to stop the big ghost--or it's Pandora's Box all over again!"

The Spectre too is a fisher of men, or rather felons he turns into fish, then snares on the hook. "Thus the spirit of vengeance exacts payment for his crimes!"

Wonder Woman jams both her feet into the back of the Spectre. "They are paying for their crimes." Martian Manhunter seizes a plainly stunned spirit by the collar, then tosses him toward the Man of Steel's left cross. "Enough, Spectre. I may have a glass jaw when it comes to magic-- but I can't just let you go off on these men!" The Spectre was inspired by Superman's words, but not so much their substance as the turn of phrase. "You, who defend the wicked... will share their fate! The spirit first converts the Kryptonian into Man of Glass, then shatters his face with a right cross of his own. Both his cohorts cry, "Superman!" Manhunter grabs the wraith from behind, locking his arms around his head. Diana draws back for a blow, demanding, "Where's Corrigan, and how do we put you both in your body?"

With a grin, Spectre asks, "You want enlightenment?" Both heroes begin melting away in the presence of merciless retribution. "Diana! I can't change shape!"
"He's *NGGH* turning us into candles..."
Especially ironic in the case of J'Onn J'Onzz, all that remains of the two heroes is a pair of lit sticks: one green, one gold surrounded by red.

Cue Title Sequence and commercial break. A mother mutters about this all being a bit gruesome for youngsters, and turns the channel to Disney. Her brother complains about Vanessa Hudgens not being nearly as interesting with her clothes on. He also pedantically notes that he'd seen that episode of JLU already, and found it to be more premise than story. He began to drone on about the implications of Rama Kushna's ability to empower a vaguely Hindu spirit to possess a clearly Christian spirit, but mom was sick of listening, and switched the channel back. By this point, Deadman had relinquished control of the Spectre back to Jim Corrigan, who undid all the wrongs committed under the influence of Tala (as revealed in an obtrusive cameo by Dr. Fate.)