TEAMWORK
JUSTICE LEAGUE SPECTACULAR
 Published: 25th February 1992 Cover Date: April 1992 Cover Artists: Dan Jurgens Writer: Dan Jurgens Penciler: Dan Jurgens / Ron Randall Inker: Rick Burchett / Randy Elliott Colourist: Gene D’Angelo Letterer: Bob Pinaha Editors: Brian Augustyn |
Introduction
This is the real start of the post-Giffin / DeMatteis JLA/JLE run, and yet it doesn’t as this is a completely disposable issue that you don’t need to read if you’re just following the issues (that as is the fashion of the time continuing the numbering).
Stuff happens but nothing that can’t be discovered in the issues themselves. I guess I’m not really selling this well, and to spoil things it’s not bad, just forgettable.
Synopsis
Back from their own mini Ralph and Sue are visiting a theme park in Florida, obviously not that one but it is full of cuddle animal mascots. Though obviously not that different as we visit the, copyright free, Alice in Wonderland Land. In a suitable synergy, the park is being attacked by the Royal Flush gang, our antagonists of the comic. Ralph is no match for the entire gang and is quickly taken down, with Sue taken among a host of hostages.
Meanwhile, we quickly find out that the gang was set on the park by Maxwell Lord to try and get the band back together, which makes the fact that the last time we meet the Royal Flush gang was when Booster Gold got on the JLI by defeating them very suspicious…
Talking of Booster finds Beetle in his ship, having a tense moment where they cover that Booster left Beetle the League to join his own team, though obviously, we won’t mention how they’ve patched things up at least twice since the end of Breakdowns. Fire and Ice break up their literal fight just in time for the Expositional New Network to explain the attack on the theme park and the taking down of Ralph.
Meanwhile, Bruce looks up Clark in Metropolis, this is world-hopping era Batman after all, to tell Supes that he really should join the Justice League again. Obviously, Batman would totally join, and ghost, the League again but he’s busy being a loner with his (less) massive Bat Family and his other super teams! And because this is the origin of the new team Supes goes straight to the park to sort out the Royal Flush Gang.
Because we’re still halfway through the issue Supes is taken down by a spooky ray from a giant playing card because the gang totally sticks to the theme, The shadowy mysterious evil backer, and their sexy lady in exercise gear, are revealed (to a point, shadowy obs).
At the Theme Park the rest of the team, shows up, the two partners Fire & Ice and Booster & Beetle, Metamorpho and, finally, Power Girl who are definitely any sort of couple and alas finally Guy Gardner. Most of them get soundly trounced by the extended Royal Flush Gang (they have minions) with Booster and Pee Gee taking the unconscious heroes away to regroup. We also find out that Supes is attached to an evil device to drain his powers or something like that.
In trouble they decide to call on the help of some more heroes, Hal Jordan Green who scoops up, one of the Crimson Fox sisters (back in Paris for now). The Flash and in a two-for-one Aquaman and Doctor Light (the Hoshi one, not the evil one). It’s not exactly the most organic putting together a team that you get,,,
This combined team together with a freed Supes and Ralph get to finally start to take down the Royal Flush gang, with Pee Gee finally getting a chance to go to town on these chumps! Negative points for her being catty, again, to Crimson Fox for helping, but not to Aquaman for doing the same thing. Though he’s a little stoic throughout the fight!
We then get a few cameos of subplot people that we’ll get later, including an alien Dominator on the shadowy villain’s side, Maxwell being Maxwell and the infamous Bloodwynd who we’ll get to eventually! Then a few pages of all the dis[erate heroes deciding that they really should make a new Justice League, With two teams just like the last version of the League!
Final Thoughts
This is a very workmanlike issue, putting all the pieces into place to reform the Leagues. Something that if not obvious they really didn’t have to do, they didn’t need to break everyone up, again, so they could put them back together with just three new members who just happen to be classic Justice League members (Superman, Green Lantern and Aquaman).
It’s not terrible, just meh!