365 Days of Defiance, Day 210: Oh the humanitree

I try not to normally reprint...(counting carefully)...a full four pages from a single comic book in this feature, but the build-up and the pay-off are just so good I couldn't edit it down without feeling like I was doing injustice to the pacing. Okay, Star-Lord is facing off against ultravillain and glamour ab model Black Swan, armed with nothing more than his wits, his sarcasm, and...is that a toothpick?





Panels from Secret Wars (2015 series) #7 (January 2016), script by Jonathan Hickman, pencils and inks by Esad Ribic, colors by Ive Svorcina, letters by Clayton Cowles

365 Days of Defiance, Day 209: I don't know about you, but I cannot wait for the Black Panther movie

Panels from Doomwar #2 (May 2010), script by Jonathan Maberry, pencils by Scot Eaton, inks by Andy Lanning and Robert Campanella, colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu, letters by Cory Petit

365 Days of Defiance, Day 208: When you think the final nail is in, think again, don't be surprised: I will still rise

Panels from Batman (2016 series) #22 (Early July 2017), co-plot and script by Joshua Williamson, co-plot by Tom King, pencils and inks by Jason Fabok, colors by Brad Anderson, letters by Deron Bennett

365 Days of Defiance, Day 207: Worst therapy session ever

Panels from Wolverine (1988 series) #50 (January 1992); script by Larry Hama; pencils by Marc Silvestri; inks by Dan Green, Hilary Barta, and Tom Palmer; colors by Steve Buccellato; letters by Pat Brosseau

365 Days of Defiance, Day 206: You give love a bad name

Panels from X-Men Annual (2007 series) #1 (March 2007), script by Mike Carey, pencils by Mark Brooks, inks by Jaime Mendoza and Victor Olzaba, colors by John Rouch and Chris Sotomayor, letters by Cory Petit

365 Days of Defiance, Day 205: And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. — Dylan Thomas

"You get what anybody gets — you get a lifetime." — Death
"Not Lex Luthor. — Lex Luthor




Panels from Action Comics #894 (December 2010), script by Paul Cornell, Death's dialogue by Neil Gaiman, pencils and inks by Pete Woods, colors by Brad Anderson, letters by Rob Leigh

365 Days of Defiance, Day 204: Starfish don't want heroes with good taste, starfish want heroes who taste good

Panels from JLA Secret Files [and Origins] #1 (September 1997), script by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, pencils by Howard Porter, inks by John Dell, colors by John Kalisz, letters by Ken Lopez

365 Days of Defiance, Day 203: These colors don't run

Panels from Captain America Annual 2001 (November 2001), script by Dan Jurgens, pencils by Ignacio Calero, inks by Marco Galli, colors by Chris Sotomayor, letters by Chris Eliopoulos

365 Days of Defiance, Day 202: Well, I'll Be Super-Amalgamated

If there's one lesson you should know, even in a universe smushed together from two not-that-different realities, it's don't get in between a mother and her child. Also: don't try to lecture her in the middle of it.



Panels from Bullets and Bracelets #1 (Amalgam Comics, April 1996), script by John Ostrander, pencils by Gary Frank, inks by Cam Smith, colors by John Kalisz, letters by Richard Starkings

365 Days of Defiance, Day 201: All This and Earth, Three

Meanwhile on Earth-3 (or -2, depending on how Grant Morrison is countin'), the JLA has trapped their evil counterparts and are stirring up the population of a world where evil reigns and the top rulers of our country are corrupt and using their government positions for their own gainAHEM anyway Wonder Woman is rallying the rebellious spirit of the people to rise up against their oppressors because they have nothing to lose but the giant Green Lantern force field chains around their moon (trust me, it all makes sense in context)...



Panels from JLA: Earth-2 graphic novel (December 1999), script by Grant Morrison, pencils and inks by Frank Quitely, colors by Laura Depuy, color separations by WildStormFX, letters by Kenny Lopez
Of course, by the end of the story everything (give or take a national monument that needs to be super-repaired) is back to normal. Did the Justice League actually do any good, the conclusion asks. Well, now is the time to...heh heh heh...reflect.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 200: Now Ear This

Yes, Moptop Maniaks, you can be defiant just by playing a Beatles song! Exhibit A.

Exhibit B:



Panels from The Brave and the Bold (1955 series) #60 (June-July 1965), script by Bob Haney (who else?!?), pencils and inks by Bruno Premiani, letters by Stan Starkman

365 Days of Defiance, Day 199: IT'S COBBLESTONIN' TIME!

Panels from Secret Wars (2015 series) #6 (December 2015), script by Jonathan Hickman, pencils and inks by Esad Ribic, colors by Ive Svorcina, letters by Chris Eliopoulis

365 Days of Defiance, Day 198: Tonight we're gonna rebel like it's 2099

Panels from Black Panther 2099 #1 (November 2004), script by Robert Kirkman, pencils and inks by Kyle Hotz, colors by Jos&233; Villarrubia, letters by Dave Sharpe
And just what do the Powers that Be Doom think about this?

365 Days of Defiance, Day 197: We'll let blood build a bridge over mountains draped in stars

I'm a sucker for stories of defiance that feature heroes struggling against impossible feats of strength or will. Like giant Spectre holding two Earths apart and keeping them from merging.


Panels from Justice League of America (1960 series) #46 (August 1966), script by Gardner Fox, pencils by Mike Sekowsky, inks by Sid Greene, letters by Gaspar Saladino
Of course, a crisis on Earths One and Two is best served by a team-up, like this giant hero joining forces with a tiny hero! (No, not me, I'm sorry.) Suddenly, it's Atom Ant! i mean, the Atom. Altho' why don't those new DC/Hanna-Barbera team up Ray Palmer with his Formicidae Earth-=HB equivalent? Because reasons, I assume.


Panels from Justice League of America (1960 series) #47 (September 1966), script by Gardner Fox, pencils by Mike Sekowsky, inks by Sid Greene, letters by Gaspar Saladino
Spectre will willingly "sacrifice his existence" (and I think we all know how painful that can be) in order to save the twin Earths. Oh no! But then who will turn criminals against humanity into trees and chainsaw them into logs, or into candles to be burned on the Spectre's birthday cake? Anyway, Dr. Palmer ain't havin' none of that. Our favorite Tiny Titan Little Leaguer has applied The Patch to the Spectre's upper arm, which will reduce his cravings for nicotine at the same time it allows the Ghostly Guardian to shrink down to the size of a tiny pet store turtle!


Then, they blow up the Spectre. Boom! [SPOILER WARNING: he gets better.]


Earths-1 and 2 are saved, and even better: I have no idea how they did that. But good job at cosmic defyin', Mister The Spectre!

365 Days of Defiance, Day 196: No, Mister Bond, I expect you to defy

Panels from Licence to Kill graphic novel (Eclipse, June 1989); script by Richard Ashford; breakdowns by Mike Grell; finishes by Chuck Austen, Tom Yeates, and Stan Woch; colors by Sam Parsons, Sally Parsons, Mel Johnson, and Reuben Rude; letters by Wayne Truman

365 Days of Defiance, Day 195 and Today in Comics History, July 14, 1941: Cheese-Eating Resistance Guerillas

from "The True Story of Jean Hopper, V-Agent 13" in V...- Comics #1 (Fox, January 1942), pencils and inks by John Owen

365 Days of Defiance, Day 194: What's left in your arms when the static clears?

Tomorrow Woman! She's the woman of tomorrow...today! As featured in a comic book of yesterday.


Panels from JLA #5 (May 1997), script by Grant Morrison, pencils by Howard Porter, inks by John Dell, colors by Pat Garrahy, color separations by Heroic Age, letters by Ken Lopez
She's the first new recruit to the all-new, all-iconic Justice League, which only goes to prove: you didn't have to be on Super Friends to join the JLA. What her teammates don't know and we, the omniscient, all-powerful, and devilishly handsome audience know, is that Tomorrow Woman is a robot. An evil robot created and programmed by T. O. Morrow and Professor Ivo, charter members of the League of Evil Scientists Whose Names End in the Syllable "Oh"! She's been designed to betray and destroy the JLA from within their creamy, nougaty center.


But — you guessed it — Tomorrow Woman the robot is more human than some humans, partly because she's been programmed to evolve by proud father T.O. Morrow, but also because she's been hanging around with Superman and Wonder Woman and Green Lantern and all those other good guys and with all that goodness and heroism, it just plain rubs off on her. Meanwhile, on the island of Doctor Morrow, he's kind of proud of his surrogate daughter.


The moment of truth: a tense mission where, as it does in all issues of Grant Morrison's JLA, the fate of the earth rests upon the actions of the Justice League. So this would be a dandy time for her to do the big splodey-thing and kill off the JLA, the greatest heroes of this world! And Wally West.


Of course, as happens in stories like this, Tomorrow Woman sacrifices herself to save humanity (and Wally), and despite the failure to destroy the JLA, T.O. Morrow is actually kind of happy to see her evolve. Happier=, certainly, than when Batman bursts into their HQ and beats him and Ivo to a pulp, but allow the poor guy a moment of triumph as we shed a non-snythitic tear for Tomorrow Woman, the greatest Justice Leaguer we never remember.


NEVER FORGET TOMORROW WOMAN. Also, never forget, so that we might never repeat, Electric Blue Superman.


Thus finishes the finest JLA robot-becomes-human story, made even finer by the fact it doesn't contain Red Tornado.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 193: And now the shock surprise ending of Secret Empire

Panels from The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (March 2015 series) #5 (July 2015), squript by Ryan North, pencils and inks by Erica Henderson, colors by Rico Renzi and Erica Henderson, letters by Clayton Cowles

365 Days of Defiance, Day 192: Hey OMAC, who's your favorite '80s singing duo?

Panels from OMAC (1974 series) #3 (January-February 1975), script and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks and letters by D. Bruce Berry, colors by Jerry Serpe

365 Days of Defiance, Day 191: Wonder Woman jumps kicks the shark

Panels from Wonder Woman (1942 series) #156 (August 1965), script by Robert Kanigher, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Gaspar Saladino