Earlier in this year-long (plus) series about rebellion, revolution and jus' plain defiance, I've posted several panels from issues of Grant Morrison's JLA, which is one of my absolute fav'rites and which I consider to be just about the quintessential example of "the" perfect comic book. (Give or take Morrison not being able to use Hawkman.) I've especially pointed you to moments of EXTREME! Defiance in JLA #41: Aztek makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Earth, and Zauriel rallies the hosts of Heaven (all right, I admit it, Hawkman couldn'ta done that). Yes, I particularly love Marvel Two-in-One Annual #7, and to be sure Legion of Super-Heroes #294 has so much defying in it I had to do multiple posts about it, but even though it's a double issue, I think JLA #41 pound for pound has a measurably greater hero-per-defiance ratio than any comic book published. You know it's true, because I went to my local deli and tied up their precision scales for about half an hour weighing comic books. Which is why my copy of JLA #41 smells like pastrami now, and you know what? That only makes it better.
Panels from JLA #41 (May 2000), script by Grant Morrison, pencils by Howard Porter, inks by Drew Geraci, colors by Pat Garrahy, color separations by Heroic Age, letters by Ken Lopez
Well, that's exciting: Wonder Woman is leading a group of superheroes to fight against the cosmic menace of Mageddon, the menace so powerful it didn't even need to add an "Ar" to the beginning of its name. So how many heroes you got backing you up there, Wondy? A dozen? A baker's dozen? A little bull's dozen? (18.)
Nope. How about...
EVERYBODY.
We do mean EVERYBODY, not just heroes. There's pretty much super-powered humans from all over earth here! And if'n you look closely, I you can even see me, punching out a mini-Mageddon! Hurt my hoof a little but Wonder Woman gave it a kiss afterwards to make it all better, so it was all worth it.
I promised you, the last time I talked about JLA #41, that I was holding the "big one" in reserve from that issue. Here it is.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQenrY-T9_-EUVG2XBTW-ZiSnvw_V3JFU-8tiFlhrdgKCUBaE56ekbiILucymY9gA-xa4zdGy_z1Njojw78Z-YnlUiN4PIRRurK7GzqoEg3B-PmXl2RJaS1ZaVKVCEHP-m-WVr2xjqailLu1jlzylysiBGc3sVXLXNMFDzAURyrHhKBfcqyO4/s1600/button-libertybellmarch.jpg" "It's...")
4 comments:
What about Showcase #100?
I love all these posts, Bully, but I gotta tell ya, these computer-colored comics are not great examples of good panel-to-panel flow. The coloring has nothing to do with it, of course, but that's just an easy reference. The F.F. story, the Legion story, the JLA story are all slick and pretty, but it takes a lot of work on my part to figure out what exactly is happening on these pages. Yes, I'm an old guy. How could you tell?
When youn said 'the big one', I was somehow expecting Superman's fight with Asmodel in JLA#7.
That's a great one, Dean, and I didn't think of it right off. I may still use it at one point..!
And WardHill Terry: I don't necessarily agree with you on computer coloring on modern comics. I think it works very well with a skill artist and colorist, and while I wouldn't want to go back to the days of four-color process, I agree there's a lot to be done in this field. I see decent linework that works in a lot of comics in panel-to-panel flow that can be highlighted or enhanced by modern coloring, but it's true that's not always the case. Some are much better than others.
You'll also unfortunately see more of the bright recoloring on older comics than original here, mostly because a large portion of my reference collection is indeed from today's digital reprints. I agree there's a right way to do it and a wrong way (that republished edition of Tales of Asgard about ten years ago? Yick!) but as more and more backlist becomes available through Marvel Unlimited, Comixology, and other outlets, that's often what I'll show here. That isn't exactly what you asked, but it's been on my mind enough recently to want to mention it!
Thanks so much for your thoughts!
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