Rereading Justice League Annual #1: 1987 - Martian Manhunter vs. Everybody

This 1987 issue had a $1.75 US cover price. Notably the lower left corner features a Watchmen comic advert.  I see a fine copy online going for 20 bucks. My copy is unbagged and a little worse for wear. 

This is the only Justice League annual of the time period. Later annuals have the Justice League International title. The cover and interiors are provided by Bill Willingham, a name I don't really remember from anywhere (see below). Writing chores done by

J.M. DeMatteis

and Keith Giffen, names I do know. There's a bunch of inkers involved, a different one for each segment/team-up. 

The inside title is "Germ Warfare."

When I popped open the box I saw this right away at the front of the line, but I knew I hadn't looked at it in years. But I instantly recalled the coolness of Manhunter having to deal with the entire league attacking to kill, including Batman. 

The synopsis according to the DC fandom page: 

"In the South Pacific, several employees of Kord Industries arrive via helicopter to a compound that the company bought recently for an undisclosed purpose. They enter the structure and a silent, pale-skinned woman with red eyes follows behind them. They turn around and make eye contact and then immediately fly away in their helicopter."

After the intro scene we observe the control room of Justice League HQ. Are they on a satellite at this point in time? They never mention it or show the exterior. Part of the control room  wall is natural looking stone, so that may indicate its on Earth. Anyway, the entire team seems present. Batman, Guy Gardner in his big ol' Mega City One boots and Moe Howard haircut, Fate, Mister Miracle, Blue Beetle, Black Canary, Booster Gold, and J'onn J'onzz. Some are at a table playing Poker. This was the Jokey McJokerson Justice League period leading into the relentless hyuk hyuks of Justice League International, a comic I collected for a year or so back then. And the biggest attempt at chuckles always featured Batman acting as a daddy figure to the smarmy and/or angry and assholish Gardner.

Seems The Dark Knight, who you would think usually have better things to do, wants guy to leave his winning poker session to do his scheduled monitor duty. Did I mention the entire League was present? In the control room? And they all seem to be just milling around. Personally I'd just get a responsible person to do the important job and continue to just tolerate Guy for his heavy hitter status, but that's just me. 

Hey wait. Didn't the Super Friends in the 70's have an automated computerized alert system? Maybe it's on the fritz. So anyway, it takes Dr. Fate creeping over to loom over and menace The Green Lantern to get him to smarten up and do his job. Note: there is a Justice League issue of the period where a similar situation has Guy taking off his ring to have a fisty dustup with Bats, and for a split second I thought this was that, but no. I'll maybe get around to that issue, but for now Guy sits down to earn his Chicken Tendies...

Guy has barely sat down when he sees a report pop up regarding "diverse population groups acting as if influenced by a single will..."  and its happening all over the world.

Batman then questions if this is league business. Really? Possible mind control world wide isn't league worthy? I'm not really sure I'm all in on a Batman who hangs around the HQ busting slacker's chops for their work ethic, and hemming and hawing what is clearly a global danger. Is he just constipated or something? Well, more concerned voices prevail.

The team splits up in two's; Booster and Canary; Guy and Batman; Beetle and Miracle; and Manhunter and Fate. Dr. Fate teleports each group to their international locals.  Interesting about Beetle and Booster. Soon in JL comics they would constantly get paired up to squeeze every last drop of Hope/Crosby goodness out of their patter.

Booster Gold and Black Canary are in Paris, and Boost wastes no time making with the "smooth moves," being in Gay Pareee with a beautiful blond in his arms (his words). This seems to cast a palor over the entire encounter. I guess by Boosters future world the #metoo movement has been long forgotten. Did Trump win a second (or longer) term?  They manage to continue the awkward exchange as they deal with zombified nurses and patients at a hospital taken over by the mind virus, and are fairly quickly "converted," their eyes getting all dark and spooky. Their word balloons as well. We all know what jagged balloons mean, right? Scary voice. 

Batman and Green Lantern drop in on a Tokyo research facility, still arguing. Bats is telling Guy to behave, and the Lantern doesn't want to be treated like a kid anymore. "I want respect, damn it!" Batman lets him know, just like your booze swilling dad, or high school coach (also swilling booze) that if you want respect you need to earn it. At the facility the female Dr. Light and a crowd of fellow zombies waste no time trying to indoctrinate the bickering couple. Guys makes a very scary ogre on a tank shape thingy, but its all over fast. Batman gets taken over by a kiss from Light, very poison Ivy-like.

Miracle and Beetle arrive at Kord America in the Beetle-mobile or whatever its call. Even though his usual Buddy Booster Gold is not present, Beetle tries to hit the goofy banter notes and Mister Miracle is up for the challenge. Two things stand out in the first couple pages. First the Beetle Plane goes into a very cool rooftop landing pose, its front legs reaching out to soften impact. On the next page there is a single panel showing a crowd of zombies pushing Miracle off the edge. Then several panels show the process of his fall, then him pulling out his flight disks, attaching them to his feet, then rising back up. Beetle shouts "Miracle!" and as he floats up triumphantly "that's my name."  This is all very cool, and one of the best moments out of all the first encounters. The duo escape, but you can't escape the virus. They are infected. Hey dudes, when facing a virus you need the mask over your mouth.

Manhunter and Dr. Fate are in a park is Sydney, and its chock full of the infected. Fate lets J'onn know he's safe cuz he's a Martian (not one of those HG Wells Martians who are super-susceptible to viruses) and that nothing can harm Fate. After saying the humble brag, he is immediately taken over by the virus, but not before tossing his Magic helmet away. Manhunter books out of their and back to the HQ (shown to be a rocky hill, so now I know its no satellite). He realizes he is now the only free will on the planet. Only one thing to do; don the helmet of Dr. Fate. The yellow helm really clashes with the greens and blues of J'onn, but it does lay some knowledge on him. The virus is a sentient cell, created in a lab, that takes over the human form on a cellular level. "Human fools!" 

Carrying the helmet Manhunter zooms to Gentech, the birthplace of the virus. Here he is confronted by the zombie Justice League, and this issues showpiece begins. Miracle hits him with a "maggot bomb" or something and flies towards the Martian. J'onn yanks him off his flight disks, and changes shape to elude the bomb trap while touting out about his amazing abilities the virus now faces. He has superman level strength. He can change shape at will, read minds, turn invisible.  He blows the Beetle Plane away with super-breath, He throws Guy Gardner into orbit. The League just cannot handle this mighty Mary Sue. So the virus gathers up the zombie citizens into a three story blob of bodies to attack. It looks bad, but J'onn knows what to do. He sticks the Fate helmet on one of the blob heads. Dr. Fate now controls the virus, but what to do with it? His solution is simple and brutal; Martian Manhunter can trap it within his alien cells. It is done, and the day is won. The League thanks him for his sacrifice, all except Guy that is. "don't come too close, it may be catching. Hyuk hyuk."

Art: it's not bad at all. Willingham does a decent amount of detail on background stuff, be it city, mountain, or jungle. The crowd of inkers involved (why was this?) sort of changes each segment up. There are moments were the casual reader might think different pencillers were involved (see personal notes below).

Writing: S'all good, man. Though in later life I'm torn on all this joking around in the League comics. Its like every character wants to be Downey's Tony Stark. But the story is solid. World-wide crisis? Check. The team breaking up into smaller groups for better character development? Check. How the hell do we beat this? Check. Its basic stuff with a few very cool moments. Miracles self-save in a fall; Manhunter's dealing with a hostile League and not breaking a sweat (the presence of Superman would have changed that up, but then again he would probably have been immune). I was not a Manhunter fan growing up, but I got to like him here. The rumor I heard years ago was that Superman writers back in the day kept adding powers to him, and editorial gave them Manhunter to lay abilities on so they would leave Supes alone.  Not sure if that's true, but I hope it is. 

Stand out iconic moment: I remembered this comic because of the cool fight against his buddies with J'onn crowing about his bitchin' powers. But the truly iconic moment of this ish has to be J'onn wearing the Fate helmet. 

Overall grade: 4 out of 5 Forbush Mans. Very enjoyable and fairly memorable comic. The main turnoffs are Booster and Canary's tiring "war of the sexes" banter, and Batman himself. I hate that he stands around bitching at Guy. Not just here, but later in Justice League International he does it some more. C'mon. 

Personal note: In googling Willingham, I see that he hasn't done a lot of comics I know, but he did a lot of work on 70's Dungeons and Dragons items of my childhood. He did art in some of my favorite D&D adventure modules, including Against the Giants and Isle of Dread. Very cool.

Cheers,

Mac

An Origin

Greeting people of Earth! Always on the lookout for new podcasts to listen to at work and the gym and such, I recently discovered some comic book related ones (my favorite previous pods include The Adam Carolla podcast, How did this get Made, You Must Remember This, and Gilbert's Amazing Colossal Podcast) most notably Back to the Bins and The Quarter Bin podcast with Professor Allan. On these shows the knowledgeable and often very funny hosts discuss comics I grew up with (mostly 70's and 80's stuff). In the early 2000's I sold half my collection on Ebay (many bought by a college library back east), but I still held on to several long boxes.

When I was around 7 it all started when my folks brought me a pile of old comics they got at a swap meet, and at that point it was game on. My collection, some bought off the rack new comics, but mostly garnered second hand at swap meets, yard sales, and local shops, grew (mostly Marvels) exponentially until around 1994 or so when the cover prices were getting redick. Though I got my hands on the occasional newish comic (almost never near full price) most of my new comics knowledge came from the trades, and from bi-weekly browsing sessions at Hi Di Ho comics in Santa Monica. I'd smoke a joint in the car or on the beach then head in to read until I got worried I'd get dirty looks. Though that was unlikely. Hi Di Ho, a world famous shop, was started years before by a guy who was on my dad's local pub dart team.

Those boxes were mostly a burden, especially the other year when I moved from Southern California to The northwest. Still, every few years I crack off a top and take a brief peek at my old faves. Recently those comic book podcasts have inspired me to spend some weekend afternoon time with a bloody mary or vodka tonic and those old comics. So what the heck, why not write about them? I had a tabletop gaming blog some years ago, so I'm not a total noob. Or am I?

As an adult I never had any serious comic book fan friends. Oh, some had a little knowledge, but I tended to be alone in my love. I didn't go to conventions or otherwise hang out with comic nuts, so my love of comics was mostly a solo affair. That I think is a main reason I want to do this blog. I love to talk comics. I just never get to. Well, here is my chance.

Anyway, for this blog I plan to just put a long box on the couch and pull out a somewhat random comic to discuss. Marvel, DC, Flash in the Pan company, or whatever. I hope you can read along but if not, hey, I'm reading it for you.

I hope to read your comments.

Cheers

Kevin Mac