This 1988 issue has a $1.50 cover price. I see a fine copy going for just under 15 bucks on Ebay. Mine was never bagged and a little worse for wear. At this time I went through a Justice League phase for some reason despite being a Marvel dude, so I probably bought it off the rack. A buck fifty was still reasonable for a comic book. This was still during my active comic buying years. The cover sure could have drawn me in.
The story title on the cover is "Private Lives" but inside it's "Hit or miss."
I didn't really intend to do the next JL annual after my previous post, but I'm operating out of the same long box and there it was next to JL annual #1. So what the heck. I grew up a Marvel guy, but I have plenty of DC's. This was the first annual to bear the "International" addition, and this was the period of big chuckles in JLA/JLI. Not just from the Martin and Lewisesque team of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, but everybody seems to want in on the yucks with only Batman serving as straight man. Just like the previous annual this ish is brought to you by J.M. DeMatteis
and Keith Giffen joined by Bill Willingham on art. In my last post I got the revelation that Bill had done some of my favorite old school Dungeons and Dragons artwork. I love some of what he does here, and hate some of the other stuff, but I'll get into that.
I really need to start out saying that for me the Joker sucks in this. I mean really suuuuucks. I'm not sure what they were going for, or if this was how the guy was portrayed in the 80's before Tim Burtons Batman. It's hard to pin down. He's kind of a mildly gay, cross dressing goofy neighbor in spiked heels from a sitcom type of character. His humor is more lame than funny. If you consider the Joker being a fan of Peoples Court ("I looooove Judge Wapner!!") and Entertainment Tonight, and going through a McDonalds drive-thru and ordering a "malt" and several burgers spot on as far as his antics go, then I may be way off here. But in all his incarnations this is the least menacing. What you find within is nothing like the fierce, grinning monster we got in the 70's, poisoning the masses with toxic fish, though the cover seems to get what we want out of him. Oh sure, he kills a couple guys, mainly lacky's helping him in his task, but its almost a throwaway. I mean yeah, its fairly insane, but nothing Lex Luthor or Vandal Savage wouldn't do if a henchman annoyed them. Hey, the Joker kills people. But still there is no real menace. Maybe he's going through a muscle relaxer addiction at the time? Valium maybe?
So in a nutshell the Joker teams up with some Colonel from that South American country DC used a lot for stuff. If the colonel lends Joker some goons he'll assassinate the Justice League.
The League is shown in pairs as was the trend at the time, going about various schemes with the main theme being Scott Free and Big Barda are having a BBQ that afternoon so everybody runs their errands before the party. Green Flame and Ice Maiden go on a model audtion. Booster and Beetle take on a repo job (in their civilian identies) that turns out to be about a super tank that was stolen. Martian Manhunter
and who I think is Rocket Red, in civilian garb, walk around Brighton Beach and end up in a Russian Restaurant. 
Joker tools around in a limo and makes his assassination attempts here and there. Not his usual crazy, high body count schemes, but just using a sniper rifle and such like a common hitman. He takes a shot at the girls, but Flame drops her purse and in bending down gets missed by the bullet. Ha ha. He tries to get the drop on J'onn and Red, but the restaurant is now a raucous, table dancing vodka party so he stomps away in a huff. Haha. Really, the Joker shown on the cover would have relished a chance at such a kill count, but no. He just get annoyed and kills another henchman.
Beetle and Booster manage to repo the big tank, and decide to pick up Green Flame and Ice Maiden with it and drive it to the party.
At the Miracle House, Barda works in the kitchen, her running joke being the mystery of weenies. No really, she ponders the imponderable of hot dogs while Scott and Guy Gardner, rendered retarded I think by a punch from Batman in a previous issue, try to assemble and start a grill. You heard that right. Scott Free, supra genius and able to break down and rebuild a mother box in minutes, is having trouble getting his Weber up and running. I have to say that Big Barda, artistically, is a stand out here. As a Marvel guy I was mostly familiar with the big DC guys like Superman, Bats, and Wonder Woman. Mister Miracle was one of thos things I knew a little about but never read much on. Barda was just this big, maybe a little fat, armored warrior to me. But here she looks great in a really small, tight bikini. She's tall and curvy, but pretty much in proportion. I have a few problems with how some are rendered in his issue, but Barda looks amazing in every panel. I became a fan here. I looked up "Big Barda bikini" and got a ton of images showing here in a state of undress with a wide variety of body types, from thin to full on fat. I guess she is one of those characters artists take a lot of license with.
So our story comes all together when the party starts and all are in attendance. The writers take their usual stabs at humor that mostly falls flat, like Oberron getting hit in the head by a football, or Manhunter rejecting hot dogs and asking for Twinkies. In a nutshell Joker shows up, steals the tank, attacks, and Manhunter and Barda destroy it no sweat. Joker crawls out crying "I wanna go back to Arkham!"
Here's the shittiest part, the lame punchline of the issue. Batman comes rolling in with the Batmobile(a compact version, actually), sees the carnage in the street, and does a 180 and peels out with a "I'm not in the mood" statement or whatever. Joker sees him and give chase "save my knight in not so shining armor!"
Yeah, its that bad. But icing on the cake has Flame baffled that Bats doesn't want a "weenie." Flame would say "hot dog" but I guess its maybe a regional thing? Naw. that line was clearly meant for Barda who isn't even in the panel.
Justice League annual #1, from my last post, was by the same creative crew and it stood mile above this mess. I actually really like seeing heroes in normal situations going about their lives. A backyard BBQ with any superheroes sounds great to me. But man, some good writing and dialogue helps with that. Otherwise it can be total crap, such as this. I mean, if you injected a character more know for impishness here, like maybe Penguin or Mr. Mxysptlik(sp) or something it would have worked better. Turning Joker into an incompetent failure just boggles my mind.
I mean, how about this. Just have Joker in the shadows as the team goes about their private moments. Then have the party attack be a nadir moment for Barda and Scot, their peaceful and serene suburban life violated. Things are going great, the party is all fun, then Joker shows up and blows up the house, maybe killing somebody like Oberon. Maybe cripple Ice Maiden. Batman shows up and takes him away and Joker laughs and says "now that was a party to remember!" We would still be talking about this issue. But no, this was clearly the years of a Hyuckle Macyuk Justice League. You know, like what they did with Snyders JL movie when he left.
Stand out iconic moment: Joker going into full crybaby mode at the end and mincing off towards the retreating Batmobile. Its cringy to the max. Joker should be getting dragged off bloody and laughing his head off.
Overall grade: 2 out of 5 Forbush Mans. I think that this was just one of those great ideas spoiled by the execution.
Cheers,
Kevin Mac
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