After something so vague and bleak like Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, it is comforting to return to the colour and warmth of the DC Animated Universe. As the end of its first year approached in March 1998, it had been twelve months since the Justice League went head-to-head with Cipher and his strategic brilliance. With a knack for surprises and shapeshifting, Cipher has been the overarching villain of the title thus far – he even bumped into Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, and the Question! It’s in the twelfth issue of Adventures in the DC Universe where that great confrontation occurs – the ultimate duel between the heroes and this cunning foe. However, with the title now firmly established, writer Steve Vance is freer to experiment and explore – what we get here are some of the most creative team-ups and imaginative of tales!
Adventures in the DC Universe 10-14 was – as ever – written by Steve Vance with art by John Delaney and Ron Boyd. For some reason, the backup stories are no longer a constant feature – the first three of these five issues don’t include any additional stories, but the final two do.
ISSUE TEN --- The Blobs
With such an expansive and never-ending DC Universe to explore, why just focus on the present? For Adventures in the DC Universe 10, Steve Vance takes us to the 30th century and the world of the Legion of Super-Heroes! This futuristic and diverse team barely featured in the later Justice League Unlimited series, but for this tenth issue, they take the spotlight – and there are a lot of them! During the story, we are met with no less than twenty Legionnaires. Naturally, we have the classic stars like Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl, but there are some new renditions of some familiar faces, such as Live-Wire – once known as Lightning Lad. Unsurprisingly with such a colossal cast, Vance pens an energetic tale whereby the Legionnaires are caught in a desperate fight with a bizarre space organism which views the heroes are antibodies to be eradicated. While much of the space-duelling is typical, the moments of dialogue and the focus on characters and relationships is what makes Adventures in the DC Universe 10 shine. Cleverly, Vance makes Ferro – once Ferro Lad – into the main protagonist. A newbie on the team, he knows very little about the history of the Legion; this world is all new to him. We learn the history of the team and uncover the good and bad qualities in most of the team’s personalities through him. There are some highly memorable features. The sarcastic negativity of Brainiac-5 is entertaining, while the tragic anger of Gates (a post Zero Hour Legionaire) adds a mixture of hilarity and sombreness to the tale. Happily, Ferro gets his chance in the spotlight after rescuing the Legion’s base from near-destruction by the hands of an unimpressive terrorist. Meanwhile, the seemingly predictable tale of the space organism grows into something more shocking when it’s revealed that Sensor (another 1990s creation) – a Legionnaire ill from a previous mission – is unintentionally planting their mental images into the minds of the heroes and causing all the trouble. Upon realising that, the heroes can conquer the threat easily. Although learning more about the likes of Sensor may have been desirable, with such strong writing and entertaining dialogue, Vance writes a perfect introductory tale to the cosmic world of everyone’s favourite 30th century heroes.
ISSUE ELEVEN --- No Exit
Adventures in the DC Universe – in-keeping with the wonderful old traditions of comic books – always believed that the purpose of the cover was to hook and entice readers (a far-cry from the state of modern comics). The cover to the title’s eleventh issue certainly does that, with Wonder Woman clutching the ring of Green Lantern and that piercing green light creating a feel of drama. Adventures in the DC Universe 11 begins as a seemingly normal team-up between Kyle Rayner’s Green Lantern and Wonder Woman. They save the day by rescuing a busload of innocents from a gun-wielding mad-man, but the joyous and positive mood of Green Lantern is destroyed when the gunman inadvertently injures himself and the hero overhears some bothersome teenagers badmouthing his powers. Kyle Rayner heads home feeling negative and worn out. However, it’s those sensations of negativity that literally warp the hero out of reality! Yes, Green Lantern is gone! Wonder Woman follows a trail to locate him with the help of Etrigan the Demon. It’s revealed that Kyle Rayner has become a prisoner of Toxxis, a demonic force who feeds on helplessness. Kyle is just one of hundreds of souls trapped in Toxxis’s evil realm, a kind of Orwellian nightmare. It’s the type of place where every evil cliché is on show. While some might despair or tut at this, Vance writes a very clever concept with the correct protagonist in mind. Remember – Green Lantern’s ring only works when its holder has the courage and willpower to fight for good. Courage and willpower don’t exist in Toxxis’s realm; this is a unique challenge for Green Lantern. In the event, Wonder Woman enters the realm with surprising ease. She – also with unbelievable ease – returns hope and courage to Green Lantern. It is enough for Toxxis to banish the two heroes from his world, but that evil realm continues to exist. Perhaps future writers can return us here; it’s refreshing to see Green Lantern fight arguably the biggest challenge in his life. Vance goes right to the core about what it means to be a hero – it means not just fighting for what is right, but inspiring people with hope. On that note, this team-up between Wonder Woman and Green Lantern is an inspirational and enjoyable tale - it’s just a shame we didn’t see more of the Demon!
ISSUE TWELVE --- Cipher Rules!
With its cover mentioning Cipher and displaying the Justice League deep in trouble, Adventures in the DC Universe 12 clearly has the feel of an ultimate confrontation. If you have been following this run from the start (if you haven’t, then what is wrong with you?) then you’ll instantly notice that this issue will be of high drama and shocks. Vance thrusts us into the action – first the air traffic control system crashes and Superman must rescue helpless civilians from midair death, and then nuclear missiles are fired from beneath the ocean. The heroes split ways to deal with a crisis that could fundamentally shift the history of the world.
With the fast pacing, the seriousness of Batman ordering the heroes on how to dismantle the missiles, to the humour of the Flash and Green Lantern, reading these opening pages is identical to the thrill viewers would later enjoy with the animated series. It’s quickly revealed that all of these incidents have been caused by Cipher and his impressive hacking skills. He threatens more destruction – unless the Justice League surrender to him! One such advocate of this idea is Winston McKinney, the media mogul who Cipher has had a history of threatening. Heroes being heroes, the league surrender to Cipher and are locked away. Now, Cipher is obviously a cunning and intelligent foe. With a deep loathing of superheroes, he has studied these heroes and their weaknesses. It is therefore confusing when the heroes are seen to be held hostage in simply locked rooms. Sure, some of the rooms are resistant to the powers of the heroes locked inside, but it only takes a matter of panels before the Flash breaks free and Cipher is forced to retreat. Although the heroes escape with ridiculous ease, the ending to this year-long saga more than makes up for it. Cipher seemingly escapes in his rocket, but Superman makes quick work of bringing him back down to Earth. Upon opening the rocket, Cipher appears to be Winston McKinney! That makes sense – given how the heroes have interfered with his malicious and illegal practices. All of a sudden, the carpet is pulled from under our feet again! Winston McKinney is a decoy – the real Cipher is Gadsden Graves, McKinney’s bullied assistant from the earlier issues! This revelation comes out of the blue, but it’s surprise is welcome. He created Cipher as a device not simply to kill super-heroes, but to ruin McKinney’s financial empire. He stole McKinney’s money to fund Cipher. I guess Cipher is the winner after all. Adventures in the DC Universe 12 has some brilliant twists and turns. With a fantastic ending and energetic pacing, helping to replicate the rush and thrills of the animated screen, this is a satisfying end to the story of Cipher!
ISSUE THIRTEEN --- Sometime in New York City
For some reason – perhaps to entice more irksome young teenager readers – Impulse didn’t remain simply in the Adventures in the DC Universe annual. He is the star of Adventures in the DC Universe 13, and while to readers during the 1990s he was arguably one of at least two Flashes, it feels as if this title overstocked on Flash tales. Nevertheless, this tale revolves around Bart Allen’s love of a rock band – coincidentally consisting of three stereotypically irritating young men and a middle-aged manager. Steve Vance creates a cast of characters who are far from endearing. However, this issue is definitely saved by its plotting. The band believe that their manager is mixed up with the mob and is using their money to pay off gambling debts. This mysterious detail expands into a story of murder – and then shapeshifting! Impulse is joined by Martian Manhunter as the plot thickens after the band manager is seemingly shot by the mob. Martian Manhunter, with his stern attitude and seriousness, mixed with sprinkles of humour, is the perfect foil for a scatterbrain child like Impulse. Martian Manhunter does his best to teach this whippersnapper how to become a detective; he grounds Impulse and makes him into a weightier figure. In the end, Martian Manhunter is crucial to the story’s conclusion. It’s revealed that the band manager wasn’t actually the target. Instead, it was another accomplice of the band who appeared earlier in the tale and was desperate to manage them and take their money (but the mob went after him because he double-crossed them). The story goes from tiresome dialogue and grating characters to a deep detective plot, even if Martian Manhunter’s revelation that he acted as the band manager’s body double so he could fake taking the bullet feels slightly too clean and Scooby Doo-like. Nevertheless, the clash of characters makes it a good read.
THE BACKUP --- In The Kingdom of the Blind
It’s good to see the return of the backup tale. Although we have enjoyed such thrilling full-length stories, the backups were a grand method of exploring the worlds of minor or forgotten faces in the expanded DC Universe. The backup in Adventures in the DC Universe 14 brings floods of memories of a previous run I have reviewed on this blog. Featuring Green Arrow’s Connor Hawke as the star, Vance pens a gritty urban plot whereby the young hero is – after being captured by the mob – released as a hostage by a mobster’s daughter who enjoys the power to make people blind. While this seems like a typical DC story with a gimmick – it’s a hero fighting the mob, with a bizarre super-power involved – Vance uses these few pages to display what kind of character Connor Hawke is. Recognising the good in the mobster’s daughter, Green Arrow – once the blindness ceases – returns to the scene of the crime to defeat the mob. He has one chance to defeat the mobster’s daughter as she attempts to escape with the loot, but his deep emotions, a hesitance to kill, and blind love (pun absolutely intended) means that he lets her escape free. Although Delaney and Boyd provide artwork incredibly reminiscent of the era of Chuck Dixon, Vance’s characterisation of Connor feels too similar to the personality of Oliver Queen. Perhaps this is for the best; although Connor Hawke was a fine Green Arrow, he certainly lacked the colour and spirit of his fatherly predecessor.
ISSUE FOURTEEN --- Not Always To The Swift
I can’t help but groan upon discovering another story with the Flash. Adventures in the DC Universe 14 features a well-trodden idea in DC Comics – what if Superman and the Flash had a race? Who would win? Steve Vance attempts to answer that question with the Flash – Wally West – and Superboy. This is the same Superboy from the title’s first annual, therefore meaning we have an arrogant soul to deal with. Wally West wants to get away from it all for a while as he heads to Hawaii. Meanwhile, local hero Superboy is not happy with this. He takes this as a challenge against his powers and reputation.
He therefore annoys the Flash enough to force him into a race to discover who is the fastest of the two. Despite Vance’s best efforts at confrontational humour between the two immature heroes, the issue is drily predictable. Sure, there is some tension and comedy once the race begins, and the Flash makes easy work of Superboy. However, readers can instantly tell that the race will have no winner – it’s impossible for a writer to crown one as better than the other. Instead, the race is paused as the heroes have to deal with an active volcano. In the end, both heroes pass the finish line at the same time, but through working together, they have become trusted allies. It’s all fairly typical writing really. It may contain some good moments, but it’s one of the more forgettable issues of the title.
THE BACKUP --- Bats!
This is a classic adventure in the DC Animated Universe. Although there is no Batman to marvel at, nor a Gotham City to explore, there is Nightwing hunting down the criminals of Bludhaven. The creative team brilliantly capture the darkness of a crime-ridden city, just as we saw on screen thanks to Bruce Timm and Paul Dini in the early-1990s. Nightwing makes for a formidable star, especially when the point of intrigue is the villain! It appears that the foe is none other than the Dark Knight himself. He has been hunting down criminals darted across Bludhaven and has been unleashing something far more brutal than justice. This is a Dark Knight fuelled by revenge, evil, and a lust for blood. Nightwing gets to the bottom of this mystery, only to discover – to no shock whatsoever – that this isn’t actually Batman. The villain is a rogue police officer whose mission is to reign death upon those who have wronged him in the past. Again, we return to that common theme – what does it mean to be a hero. This is a question which this foe constantly asks, believing himself to be a hero standing up for good. Nightwing reminds him that heroes need the values and morals which criminals – like him – disregard too easily. Nightwing – and heroism – are the victors in a fast-paced and entertaining little adventure.
As ever, Jon Delaney and Ron Boyd bring life and animated energy to Steve Vance’s writing. They do more than simply subscribe and clone the style of Bruce Timm. They add flair and style to these stories through some creative page layouts and panel breakdowns. They provide their own creative takes on characters as yet unseen in the DC Animated Universe. In addition, their artistic style is incredibly diverse; this is a great skill as they can convey such versatile stories. From the bright cosmic world of the Legion to the drama of the Justice League fighting Cipher, and to the dark fights on the blackened streets of Bludhaven, Delaney and Boyd capture every moment with perfection. It’s because of this – a conformity to the style but a recognition of the desire to be free and creative – that the artwork of Delaney and Boyd is highly memorable and thrilling.
VERDICT
Overall, these issues of the Adventures in the DC Universe make for brilliant reading. We are treated to a truly absorbing tale featuring the Legion, and the most creative of stories featuring Green Lantern and Wonder Woman. The confrontation between the Justice League and Cipher is an excellent ending to a great year-long storyline. While the final two issues may lack the same prestige of the previous three (I am starting to grow bored of Flash stories), they do undeniably feature some great backups. It seems that the title has really hit its stride, and Steve Vance is doing far more than writing conventional and predictable plots. It’s a great shame that we are nearing the end now.
Next Week: Adventures in the DC Universe: Destroy the JLA! (Adventures in the DC Universe 15-19). Written by Steve Vance with art by John Delaney, Ron Boyd, and Steve Cooper.
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