Monday, September 6, 2021

THE BIG LEAGUES

Justice League Infinity #3 hits the shops tomorrow—and our story kicks into high gear with the introduction of Earth-D's Justice Alliance and a shocking turn of events involving Wonder Woman. You can read a short preview below.

Join me, James Tucker, Ethen Beavers and Nick Fil
ardi, as our return to the Justice League Unlimited universe continues! 






23 comments:

  1. Is that the Justice League from the Legends of t4he DC Universe CRISIS on Infinite Earths special?

    Classic and underrated story. That is a deep cut Dematteis.



    Jack

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    1. Yes, that is indeed who it is. Late 90s, multicultural League. Really ahead of its time.

      Keep in mind that this isn't literally that League. This is the version of the Justice Alliance that exists in the JLUniverse, which means we're free to adapt and make changes, just as they would on the TV show.

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    2. I know that it can't be them Dematteis. they died at the end of the issue.

      Multi-cultural League? I always called them the Wholesome League, because of the silver age , justice League as a club feel. Also, Robin was literally Batman's son, and had a sister. I don;t know why that seems silver age to me...or why it stood out... but it does.

      I suppose it is a credit to Mr. Wolfman to have great stories still not be listed among his best.

      Believe it or not, that special was eventually got me to read the actual event.

      And to tie it back around to that podcast you did, the GL of that world was from Brazil.

      Would that make him the first Hispanic Green Lantern? Kyle was created first, but it was not revealed his father was Mexican American for another few years.

      Jack

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    3. I would think it does make him the first verified Hispanic GL.

      And, yes, Marv is an incredible talent. When you look at all the characters and concepts contribute to comics in his career...well, it's just extraordinary.

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    4. "characters and concepts HE CONTRIBUTED..." I hate typos!

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    5. Speaking of Green LAnterns...

      You have written a lot of them, Hal, Guy, Kyle, G'Nort, and now John.

      I have a question about them I was hoping you could answer. I am sure you get this all the time, but...

      If Grouch Marx from his days in the studio system got a power ring, a green translucent cigar is a give, but would he still have greasepaint for the mustache and eyebrows, or would they be ring projections?


      Thank you for your time.



      Jack

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    6. Greasepaint! He wouldn't want a green mustache!

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    7. Well, you are the expert, so I will believe you.

      However, I just thought since it WAS for comedy, and in black and white it would all loook the same...doesn't matter/

      But, would that make Harpo the Flash? Chico, Hawkman?



      Jack


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    8. These are the profound questions that great minds will be pondering for centuries.

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    9. Speaking of Marv Wolfman, it is strange how remembered/unremembered his success are.

      I always heard that Tomb of Dracula was a HUGE book at the time. One of Marvel's biggest sellers in the 70s.

      I was not there, so I can't confirm, but it did at least the cover boasted being the highest selling horror comic.

      Yet, everything but Blade was forgotten. Don't get me wrong, Blade is great, but so is Rachael Van Helsing, Quincy Harker, Frank Drake, and my favorite Hannibal King.

      It really was rich characterization. I remember a book about Marvel I read pointed out the strength. That the characters felt like real humans who wanted real lives, but Drac got in the way.

      Almost like a comic proto-Stephen King. Maybe something about the 70s created that.

      Though he was the first creator to have his work kturned into a Japanese Anime.

      Then there was Teen Titans. The only DC book that came close to competing with Marvel's Juggernaut , the X-Men (no pun intended).

      He even got to spearhead the reshaping of DC Comics with CRISIS.

      And that became what he is most known for these days, CRISIS. And I like the series, but I don't think it is the best show off of his talents.

      The CRISIS one hot we were just talking about does that far better. It is almost like the Justice League cartoon, with NOT the Justice Society.

      In both stories, the characters are kind of hokey, and you might not want to read them month to month, but you like them. They are likable characters.

      In Wolfman's version, they feel like people with complete lives. Thus, when the HAVE to die, and we all know they are going to die, it feels not like shock value, but a tragedy.

      Sorry for the nonsense. just wanted to get some Wolfman raise out...Keep you humble.


      Jack

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    10. I was just thinking about TOD today. It really was a brilliant, groundbreaking book and I have to pick up the collections and reread it.

      Marv deserves all the praise in the world and then some. He's one of the most important comics creators of the 70s and 80s.

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    11. The whole thing with the 70s is weird. It is both remembered, and goes down the memory hole with comics.

      Even before those movies you love so much, any people thought of Starlin's Cosmic stories to be...basically just Infinity Gauntlet and the sequels. Not us cosmic-heads, but definitely to the general comic buying audience.

      Tomb of Dracula was a pretty well-selling book, but long ago it became just the place Blade first appeared in may people's head-minds.

      Don't get me wrong, Blade is a great chacter, but teh series did more than spawn him. Also...people who wrote him since Wolfman...he is British.

      I only notice this because I am a big fan of the 70s stuff... whether you like it or not.

      But Tomb of Dracula really deserves more love. It really is a paper thin premise. Dracula. How many issues can you really have with people fighting Dracula, before folks get bored?

      Well, apparently at least 70, if you are Marv Wolfman.
      And don;t forget...Dematteis... after that they restarted it so he could get he Black and White treatment, and do even more stuff.

      Then he left, and it did not do so well.

      Don't forget, that to readers of a certain age, Wolfman's Tales from the New Teen Titans is like their X-Men. Only book they had that rivaled them for sale, or so the legend goes.

      However, the longest running story in the series, comes from Wolfman's Tomb of Dracula run.

      Both Dracula and Trigon were confused to be Satan by a group of cultists, who had them impregnate a woman, and then the child (in very different ways, admittedly) fought them.

      Perhaps no Tomb of Dracula, no WOlfman Teen Titans, which would mean no Wolfman CRISIS,Or maybe ANY CRISIS), which might mean no JLI.

      So, I hope you remember that.

      Also, while I do enjoy his Teen Titans when I read them, I would be lying if I said I enjoyed them as much as his Tomb of Dracula.

      Jack

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    12. I agree, Jack. The TITANS material was terrific, but TOD was in a class by itself.

      Guess I'll HAVE to reread it now!

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    13. f you really wanted to make an event out of it, you could also reread Gerber's Man-Thing and Tales of the Zombie, Moench's Frankenstein, maybe even some Werewolf by NIght.

      You can even come up with some kind of monster book pitch... that Marvel can refuse based on the grounds they are not really doing monsters right now, and even if they were it would not be characters like Dracula that they cannot copyright for a movie.

      You know, write any purchases off on your taxes.

      or you could do a limited podcast were you talk about the long forgotten monster fad in comics.

      It is weird. They were so popular in the 70s, but have never really been able to make a comeback...except briefly, when dressed up as a superhero book, or as a special Halloween event.

      There is your next mark, Dematteis, a look kinto why comics used to have a more diverse array of genres in mainstream books, but why it has become hard to return to.
      Master of Kung-Fu was a spy book... and am I the only one who recently learned they pronounced Shang Chi wrong all this time?... but in ever since has usually been more superhero like.

      Even Vertigo, which started out as mainstream DC books were pushed into an imprint. It was certainly good in the long run, but signaled the end of non-superhero DC Universe books for the most part (there are some notable exceptions).

      Also, was it TOD that opened up your obsession with vampire in comics? Blood. Greenberg. The Spectre story. The Spider-Man team-up issue with Dracula. The JlAmerica/JLE crossover. I, Vampire. That issue of Spectacular Spider-man were Pete, MJ, Harry, and Liz spent 20 pages discussing a new vampire flick.




      JAck


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    14. No, TOD (much as I loved it) really didn't inspire my vampire stories. GREENBERG started life as a short story, then a screenplay, before I transitioned it to comics, and the inspiration was more Stephen King and Woody Allen.

      When I started at DC, I broke in on the "anthology" titles, all of which were supernatural in nature, so I HAD to write vampire stories. I discovered then that I have an affinity for supernatural/horror tales. I...VAMPRE came about because Len Wein, who was editing HOUSE OF MYSTERY, wanted a new ongoing series for the book and gave me the title.

      I thought that SPEC. SPIDEY issue was killed before it went to the printer. How did you find out about it?

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  2. Hey,. Dematteis!

    I bought, read and enjoyed the new issue of Justice League Infinity. Deal with It!


    Jack

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    1. Though, I can't help but once again notice, the comic ended.

      Infinity my eye!

      One day somebody not as "down with it" as me will notice, and the better Business Bureau will be called/

      Jack

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    2. The trick is to read each issue over and over and over and over and...

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  3. I knew it. It was announced today that teh mini series "Ben Reilly Spider-Man" by G.N. Demarcus was coming out.


    I knew that [Redacted} was going to be something relate to Ben.


    JAck

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  4. And I hear Demarcus is having a great time working on it, too!

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    1. More than when he wrote his autobiographical comic, "Bronx Naps"?

      Jack

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    2. I hear the sequel, STATEN ISLAND SNOOZES, is pretty good, too!

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