Mild Mannered Reviews - JLA Comics

JLA #62

JLA #62

Scheduled to arrive in stores: January 30, 2002

Cover date: March 2002

Writer: Joe Kelly
Penciller: Doug Mahnke
Inker: Tom Nguyen

"Golden Perfect" (Part 1)

Reviewed by: John-Paul Zito (ZitoMan11@aol.com)



Somewhere in Delhi native women cower in a back room of an Amazon safe hold. Two Amazon warriors rush to the defense of these women but are quickly dealt with by a living rock creature at the command of a foreign army general.

Meanwhile in the training facility on at the Watchtower J'onn' and Diana engage in some "therapy". Using her golden lasso of truth Diana attempts to help J'onn' deal with his loneliness and guilt over accidentally releasing the white Martians recently. Afterwards they retreat to Diana's quarters and Diana admits she has felt the pain of loneliness too now that her mother is dead. As J'onn' exits Diana becomes aware of Plastic Man's hidden presence and dismisses him with a blow to his ego.

Suddenly Diana is called to the infirmary as her two agents from Delhi arrive with rock and dirt bonded to their flesh. They've brought with them a panicked woman, named Aliani, who speaks a language that the watchtower cannot translate. With a little help from Kyle's ring the JLA are able to find out that Diana's amazon sisters were injured while trying to return the woman's son to her. Apparently he has been kidnaped by her nations leader, the Rama Khan of Jarhanpur.

The JLA quickly assembled and they debate weather this situation requires their intervention. Despite the teams reservations they follow Diana to Jarhanpur expecting to find a totalitarian hell hole but instead arrive in paradise. They are immediately greeted by the Rama Khan, who arrives by erupting from within the earth on a spire of glass and decoration, it is obvious he wields great power. He instructs his army to make accommodations for the JLA and no sooner does he snap his fingers then the worlds mightiest heroes are experiencing the lavish dressings of this hidden culture.

Diana is not content to remain biting her tongue and accuses the Rama Khan of kidnapping Aliani's child. Rama Khan explains that Jarhanpur is a very special place. It would seem that every few generations the land choses a new Rama Khan to be its representative and honor the land. As long as the people do their part there will be no war, no hunger, no drought, ect... Rama Khan goes on to explain that Aliani is actually an outlaw because she tried to kidnap her son, without her son to serve as the new Rama Khan Jarhanpur would be cast into darkness and fall apart.

J'onn' scans the populace and the Rama Khan and it would appear he's telling the truth. Diana, unsatisfied with her teammate's attitudes, calls for a conference. In the blink of an eye the JLA exists within J'onn's mind. Diana chastises her teammates for their apparent lack of concern. Superman suggests that maybe her fervor is related to the loss of her [Diana's] own mother. Before she can respond the JLA are forced out of J'onn's mind and teleported just outside Jarhanpur.

Stumbling to recover from the mental jolt the JLA are caught off guard by the Rama Khan who arrives through the land and respectfully asks that they leave. When Diana refuses Rama Khan unleashes the power of the land on her and her team mates. Diana rushes for Khan, who has become 50 some odd feet tall, and attempts to discover the truth from him with the help of her lasso. When her lasso reveals that Khan is telling the truth Diana doesn't know what to do. She is left in shock. Before she can recover Khan pounds her into the ground placing her in a catatonic state and breaking her lasso.

To Be Continued...

4Story - 4: A great set up with some interesting conundrums. Is this a political or super villain matter? Are the laws of nature to be held above the laws of maternal instinct? Who is breaking the law: Rama Khan or Alinani?

Plastic Man sneaking into Diana's bed room was fun, and to be honest so was most of the book. My only complaint is Joe Kelly's lack of narrative boxes. The story opens in Delhi, but we don't know that until page seven or eight. The story would have been a five if for the inclusion of "Somewhere outside Delhi" in the first panel. Without it, the first two pages are confusing.

4Art - 4: Solid art and beautiful detail in all of the Jarhanpur's buildings. Mahnke's usual high impact action oriented art comes through beautifully. The gripe is, in some panels Wonder Woman is looking gorgeous, in the next one she resembles my Aunt Tittsy who happens to be 4 foot tall and 80 years old.

5Cover Art - 5: Awesome cover, a few of my friends who don't read DC picked up the book for the first time ever this month. They're hardcore Marvel boys, but I guess there's something about Wonder Woman all tied up that just makes you wanna read.



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Mild Mannered Reviews

2002

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

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