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Mild Mannered Reviews - JLA Comics

JLA: Classified #4

JLA: Classified #4

Scheduled to arrive in stores: February 16, 2005

Cover date: April 2005

Writter: Keith Griffen & J.M. DeMatteis
Penciller: Kevin Maguire
Inker: Joe Rubinstein

"I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League"

John-Paul Zito Reviewed by: John-Paul Zito

Click to enlarge


The Super Buddies, former Justice Leaguers for hire, are getting a new neighbor down the way in their strip mall headquarters. Sue Dibny recognizes the proprietor of this new drinking establishment as a former super villain named Black Guard, but his friends call him "Dick."

No one cares about Sue's discovery of this villain in their midst. Max Lord thinks she's over reacting but Sue is very vehiment in her desire to see one of her hero pals march right down the strip mall and punch Dick in the face. Everyone in the office; Booster Gold, Blue Beetle and even her husband Elongated Man think she's acting irrational.

Meanwhile Mary Marvel and Fire are apartment hunting. Mary is buzzed on a dozen coffees and Fire is slowly learning to regret her choice in roommates.

Back at the team's headquarters Sue is missing. Elongated Man can't make sense of her odd behavior he comes to the conclusion she must be pregnant and rushes to her side. When he finds her she has to be pulled off of Dick in the parking lot. She's broken his nose as a warning to keep out of trouble. Dick is obviously upset but quickly quelled when it's explained to him, much to Sue's shock, that Sue is pregnant and her hormones are making her act strangely.

Once back inside the Super Buddies' office Sue vehemently denies being with child but by this point no one is listening to anyone else, most people in the room are talking just to talk. In the middle of all this confusion Dick enters, he's come to make sure there are no hard feelings and find out how Sue recognized him. Although his villainy days are behind him he's still curious. When she shows him the Internet database where she looked him up he asks her if they would have anything on his "partner" a fellow ex-hero. Before he can reveal that heroes name he arrives in the doorway: Guy Gardner.

To Be Continued...

5Story - 5: My summary does this issue no justice (no pun intended). The conversations are written with perfect timing that is aided by excellent lettering by Bob Lappan. One bubble just flows into the next.

This is the only kind of comedy that works in comics, the character driven kind. Funny looking space apes with their fingers in their noses isn't laugh out loud funny, it's mildly amusing. Seeing Booster Gold act like Booster Gold has chuckle or hardy laugh potential.

Aside from the funny I'm sure the most talked about aspect of this book will be the Pre-Idenity Crisis continuity. I say don't give it a second thought. Sue Dibny is funny, her death is not, what's it matter what time it happened and what multi-verse pocket universe it takes place in.

5Art - 5: The facial expressions are a big part of the funny. The facial expressions clarify quite well the tone in which each line is said aloud. I liked the slight modernization's of Booster and Blue Beetle's costumes. Simple updates nothing over the top.

5Cover Art - 5: I used to read Justice League Europe back in the day and the things that stick out most in my mind about those issues are the covers. They were always eye-catching and interesting, a very effective tease. In fact I'm sure the reason I first picked up JLE would be the covers.

This is a great JLE cover; it's drawn just as well on better paper stock. It's perfect.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2005

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

January 2005

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