Steel: Returned from his adventure at the end of time to learn grandpa had evicted him and his teammates from the Bunker. Slapped an armored Dale Gunn around before reaching his still bedridden kin. Commander Steel apologized for his great many wrongs, and explained his tossed the League out to get a fresh start elsewhere. Hugs. Said goodbye to Vibe's sister. Moved to New York. Got a job as a gym instructor.
Dale Gunn: Threw "fight" with Steel, but still stayed behind in Detroit to look after Hank Sr.
Vibe: Goodbye to family. Beat up rival gangs with powers one more time. Moved. Spilled chocolate shake on self as non-comic anti-relief. Jobless and essentially homeless.
Elongated Man & Sue Dibney: Stuck living in Westchester while housesitting for vacationing friends.
Zatanna: Flirted with Dale one last time. Chatted with J'Onn on the flight. Moved back into her sublet earlier, unaware of the ashen fate of her leasee.
Vixen: Explained on the flight to New York how her years of modeling were just a facade before realizing her true purpose through the Tantu Totem. Showed off her lavish apartment, and took in a roommate.
Gypsy: Talked Vixen into letting her move in.
Martian Manhunter: This being a Conway tale, even the heart & soul of the JLA questioned the League's future after leaving the Bunker and relocating to New York. Showed his sense of humor by boarding his team on a commercial flight in full costume. Chatted with Zee...
"I was not aware you gave credence to dreams, Zatanna."
"Mystics live part of their lives in dreams, J'Onn. The dreamworld is a pathway to past and future."
"On Mars we had few mystics. We put our faith in science... a faith that was our undoing, in the end."
Later explained to his charges that jobs were now in order. "When I first came to Earth years ago, I took a job as a police detective in Metropolis. With my Martian powers, I was quite successful. It is a small matter to recreate the credentials I used then..." Perhaps, but the elapsed time made "John Jones" retirement age, so that he was forced to take up with Burt Biloxi's Special Investigations, a low rent operation.
The Creators: The aforementioned Conway shot past character development into full-bore British soap opera tedium. Luke McDonnell sells the "realism" in a way Chuck Patton couldn't possibly. Bill Wray should have continued inking him for the rest of his career.
Most Embarrassing Vibe Quote of the Issue: "Hank... mi hermano... you feelin' all right? Your abuelo, he didn't jump on you?"
All I am going to say is that the JLA is not the Avengers. I don't want to read the JLA for "realism."
ReplyDeleteAlso: Can you imagine Steel as your PE coach? I know PE coaches are all a little wacked in the head, but nothing like that.
I haven't read the issues beyond this point in probably 5-7 years, but it is altogether possible this was the last mention of Steel's job. If it does come again, the duration will be measured in panels, not pages. When your new direction takes a new direction, especially by fleeing to the too familiar New York, trouble is brewing behind the scenes.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with your take on Avengers vs. JLA. I did really enjoy the entirely different (from Marvel, not Conway) take on "realism" in the Giffen/DeMatteis JLI material, evenn if the argument could be made that wasn't the "JLA" either...