Great Moments in Fanboy Hyperbole

So I've been rereading the infamous issues of Justice League of America in which the traditional League disbanded and Aquaman set up a new, less powerful League in its place. His rationale was dedication: Too many original Leaguers were on other missions when they were needed by the JLA, so he only took on people who could devote themselves entirely to the group. (This echoes the authorial complaint the the JLA is tough to write because of all the coordination between the characters' solo books. "Dedicated" Leaguers = No Solo Books.) Because of the location of this group's initial headquarters, this group is known as the Justice League Detroit.

Anyway, I've discovered that the book, while flawed, isn't the stinkfest it's often remembered as. Unlike the by-the-book issues of JLA before it, it actually feels like it's trying something new. It's as concerned with characterization as it is action, even if the characterization isn't particularly deep. There's down-time; we get to see the Martian Manhunter learn to make chili. That has to count for something.

And as an added bonus, there is simply some great hyperbole in the letters columns, as old-school JLA fans fired off frothing complaints. My favorite comes from Michael Pickens of Utica, Ohio, writing to JLA editor Alan Gold in the lettercol of issue #239:

"Congratulations, Mr. Gold. By allowing this drastic turn-around, you've committed the most irresponsible error in judgment since Judas Iscariot."

Perhaps not unsurprisingly, a few issues later, someone says that Aquaman is "worse than Hitler." Think I'm kidding? Tell it to Mark Ryan of St. Louis, Missouri (issue #243).

Rob