Ice

Justice League: Generation Lost #12

Issue Credits

Writer: Judd Winick
Penciller: Fernando Dagnino
Inker: Raul Fernandez
Colourist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editor: Rex Ogle and Brian Cunningham

Cover Artist: Cliff Chiang

Variant Cover Colourist: Hi-Fi
Variant Cover Artist: Kevin Maguire

Quotes

Ice [in tears]: I come from very bad people… and one good man. And I killed him. I forgot that. But now… I remember.

Synopsis "The Cold Truth"

Previously: The JLI have been forced into reforming by their villainous ex-leader Maxwell Lord. They have discovered a series of robotics laboratories while investigating Max’s plans and have split into two groups to investigate them. Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and Booster Gold are investigating a laboratory in Chicago while Fire, Ice, and Rocket Red investigate a facility in China. Fire and co. find that the Chinese laboratory is guarded by the delusional Metal Men and they have to defend themselves. Their onslaught it so great that it causes Ice to transform into something new.

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Justice League: Generation Lost #11

Issue Credits

Writer: Judd Winick
Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Matt Ryan
Colourist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editor: Rex Ogle and Brian Cunningham

Cover Artist: Cliff Chiang

Variant Cover Colourist: Hi-Fi
Variant Cover Artist: Kevin Maguire

Quotes

Maxwell Lord: My, look at those levels spike, somebody’s happy and I live to make people happy.

Professor Ivo: They’re not actually people.

Maxwell Lord: And they’re not actually happy. So no need to split hairs.

Synopsis "Heavy Metal Poisoning"

Maxwell Lord, the ex-head of the Justice League and Checkmate, has ostracised his former JLI colleagues and has manipulated them into reforming as a team. They are attempting to prove their innocence and to discover Max’s secret plans. Stolen intel from Checkmate has revealed a series of hidden robotics laboratories created by Max’s agents. The heroes have split into groups to investigate the first two laboratories.

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Ice fever

On their blog DC’s Brian Cunningham (editor of Justice League: Generation Lost) has shared a page of Aaron Lopersti’s pencils from Justice League: Generation Lost #12 showing a rather spiky Ice (above). Cunningham comments:

For those of us that read the Super Friends series in the 1970s where Ice was originally introduced as Ice Maiden, we all know how absurd her origin was. With Gen Lost #12, writer Judd Winick provides Ice with a credible and tragic origin that does not negate what we already know. And the consequences of this new origin are pretty explosive, as Aaron Lopresti’s amazing art shows.

It’s a dramatic new look – if it indeed is permanent. Which leads Troy Brownfield on Blog@Newsarama to quibble about the use of the name Ice Maiden insisting that it’s actually an earlier character whio appeared in the Super Friends comic book and then he takes issue with the similarity to the Water Blast Iceman action figure. He’s not entirely wrong on either account, but his central thesis is against the darkening of such likeable character and I entirely agree with him there.

However, Ice’s back story and character have been played with before – it’s what led to her getting killed in the first place. The Overmaster came along bolstered her power making her more regal and detached. She rebelled against him and was killed. Ice then resurrected before Blackest Night, but its that fear of dying again that’s pushing her character development in Generation Lost. Alan Kistler does a sterling job setting everybody by right by running through Ice’s many looks and permutations.

What I find interesting is the note about “how absurd her origin” is in Cunningham’s quote. It’s not any more absurd that a society of immortal Amazons sending an bathing-suit wearing ambassador to “Man’s World” or a Norse god being punished by being cast out of Asgard as a crippled mortal doctor. There is an implicit absurdity in superhero comics – it’s part of the fun – but, it undermines the internal integrity and logic of the stories if you try to fight it too much.

Justice League: Generation Lost #5

Issue Credits

Plotter: Judd Winick and Keith Giffen
Scripter: Judd Winick
Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Matt Ryan
Colourist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Swands
Editor: Rex Ogle and Michael Siglain

Cover Artist: Tony Harris
Cover Colourist: J.D. Mettler

Variant Cover Colourist: Hi-Fi
Variant Cover Artist: Kevin Maguire

Quotes:

Fire: “Don’t ‘thank’ the psychopathic madman.”

Maxwell Lord: “I’ve got to tell you, kid, to most people, this would sound like eighty-five tons of of steaming b.s. But, me, I’m different. Ol’ Max Lord smells b.s., he grabs some hip waders and a shovel sees how to get get to work.”

Synopsis "The Gang's All Here"

The former members of the Justice League International – Captain Atom, Booster Gold, Fire and Ice – are the only people alive who remember that Maxwell Lord (the League’s old director) ever existed. Their friends believe they are going insane and their employers have dismissed them. The only people who believe with them are Jamie Reyes (the new Blue Beetle) and Gavril Ivanovich (a renegade from the Rocket Red Brigade). Both of the new comers appears to have been brought to them by chance, but Booster is suspicious and believes that Max is behind his as well. Max is eavesdropping on Boosters accusation and radios him to ask “Okay, Booster… what would you like to know?”

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JLA Solicitations for October 2010

DC Comics has just announced the Brightest Day solicitations for comics, including JLA and Generation Lost, shipping October 2010. Justice League emerges from the post-Dark Things wrap-up and hits the big Fifty – an extra-sized issue with a two-variant covers. Even the normal cover appears to be a bit special – a gate fold cover by Ethan Van Sciver (I assume the preview image is part of that). There is also a 75th anniversary (DC’s own anniversary that is) cover by Jim Lee. It wasn’t included in the solicitations, but the 75th Anniversary covers have been recreations of classic covers done by modern artists.

Updated a few hours later to add the JLA/The-99 crossover, the cover had been trailed last week, and is description was included in the full solicitations.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #50
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by MARK BAGLEY with POW RODRIX & ROB HUNTER & NORM RAPMUND
Gatefold cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
1:75 “DC 75th Anniversary” Variant cover by JIM LEE
1:10 Variant cover by MARK BAGLEY
Jade is plagued by the remanants of the Black Lantern, and Dr. Impossible and his group’s machinations unleash the Crime Syndicate upon the JLA’s Earth as BRIGHTEST DAY continues shining! What are their true plans? And can the World’s Greatest Heroes handle these evil incarnations – or is the entire Multiverse doomed?
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale OCTOBER 20 • 56 pg, FC, $4.99 US

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #11-12
Written by JUDD WINICK
Issue #11 art by AARON LOPRESTI
Issue #12 art by FERNANDO DAGNINO
Covers by CLIFF CHIANG
1:10 Variant covers by KEVIN MAGUIRE
DC’s biweekly JUSTICE LEAGUE event continues! In issue #11, Max Lord’s trail has gone cold, forcing the JLI to split up and follow new leads. While Booster Gold, Blue Beetle and Captain Atom stumble across a secret cell of OMAC experiments, Fire, Ice and Rocket Red are forced into battle against the Metal Men. But what happens when Ice is pushed too far?
In issue #12, Ice has had enough and unleashes all of her inner fury, not only against the Metal Men, but against her teammates, as well! It’s Fire versus Ice in the ultimate elemental showdown!
Retailers please note: These issues will ship with two covers each. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
Issue #11 on sale OCTOBER 13
Issue #12 on sale OCTOBER 27
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

JLA/THE 99 #1
Written by STUART MOORE & FABIAN NICIEZA
Art by TOM DERENICK & DREW GERACI
Cover by FELIPE MASSAFERA
A threat from beyond the stars brings the World’s Greatest Heroes together with the World’s Newest Heroes to stop a globe-spanning invasion of Earth in this 6-issue miniseries! DC Comics’ JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA joins forces with Teshkeel Comics’ THE 99 to create an unstoppable army of super-powered beings the likes of which the world – and comic shops – have never seen before!
On sale OCTOBER 27 • 1 of 6 • 32 pg, FC $3.99 US

Justice League: Generation Lost #3

Issue Credits

Scripter: Judd Winick
Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciller: Fernando Dagnino
Inker: Bit and Raul Fernandez
Colourist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Assistant Editor: Rex Ogle
Editor: Michael Siglain

Cover Artist: Tony Harris
Cover Colourist: J.D. Mettler

Variant Cover Colourist: Hi-Fi
Variant Cover Artist: Kevin Maguire

Synopsis "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue"

Previously: Maxwell Lord has managed to hypnotize the world into thinking that he never existed. However, four of his former friends – Captain Atom, Booster Gold, Ice, and Fire – were immune to his power. He is now working from the shadows to discredit and humiliate them so nobody else will believe their stories.

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Justice League: Generation Lost #2

Issue Credits

Scripter: Judd Winick
Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciller: Joe Bennett
Inker: Jack Jadson
Colourist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Patrick Brosseau
Assistant Editor: Rex Ogle
Editor: Michael Siglain

Cover Artist: Tony Harris
Cover Colourist: J.D. Mettler

Variant Cover Colourist: Hi-Fi
Variant Cover Artist: Kevin Maguire

Synopsis "Max'ed Out"

Previously in Justice League: Generation Lost #1: The discovery that Maxwell Lord, the rogue ex-director of Checkmate and the Justice League International, is still alive has spawned a worldwide manhunt involving the Justice League, Checkmate, the UN, and the entire intelligence community. Booster Gold deduced that Lord had returned to the JLI’s New York Embassy. Max ambushed Booster and left him unconscious while he prepared to broadcast a massive telepathic suggestion to the entire world. Captain Atom, Fire, Ice, and Skeets answered Booster’s distress call, but they arrived just as Max was making his broadcast. It overwhelmed them and left them unconscious while Max escaped. Superman answered their signal, but he told them that he’d never heard of a person called Maxwell Lord.

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Justice League: Generation Lost #1

Issue Credits

Plotter: Judd Winick and Keith Giffen
Scripter: Judd Winick
Breakdowns: Keith Giffen
Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Matt Ryan
Colourist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Assistant Editor: Rex Ogle
Editor: Michael Siglain

Cover Artist: Tony Harris
Cover Colourist: J.D. Mettler

Variant Cover Colourist: Hi-Fi
Variant Cover Artist: Kevin Maguire

Synopsis "Gone, But Not Forgotten"

Previously in Blackest Night #8: The appearance of the White Lantern and the defeat of Nekron heralded the resurrection of twelve seemingly random villains and heroes. One of those twelve was the former-Checkmate and JLI executive Maxwell Lord. He used his telepathic power to cloud Guy Gardner’s memory and slipped away before anybody else noticed his return.

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Adam Hughes’s Sketches for Fire’s costume

Adam Hughes’s preliminary design sketches (A and B) for Fire’s 1990s costume have been shared online by their owner Mike Frigon. Note the reference to Keith Giffen wanting a “Madonna look.”

Beatriz DaCosta, Fire (previously the Green Fury/Flame), was introduced in the comic book that accompanied the Super Friends cartoon. She was a Brazilian superhero who had the ability to breathe green fire and, while she was never seen in the cartoon, she was patterned after international/ethnic heroes like Samurai or Black Vulcan. Fire and her best friend Ice (Tora) were brought into the Justice League during the Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis era.

The Invasion crossover was used to change her into Human Torch like living flame. At the same time JLA artist Adam Hughes updated Fire and Ice’s costumes. Fire’s original Super Friends costume was a full body yellow/green leotard, but when she came into the DCU she acquired a rather less conservative costume that was split down to her naval. Hughes updated that costume for a Madonna/Rock inspired ensemble. Since the end of the JLI era Fire has reverted to hero spy roots and has joined the Checkmate organisation as Black King’s Knight.