JSA Classified - 17

[Count Vertigo]

Has anyone read this? I think this could be the beginning of a great set. I wasn't too thrilled with the pencilling, coloring was spot on as was the inking. It's really interesting how there is a connection between Venom and the Miraclo formula.

[Jack Zodiac]

I've decided to start picking up this book irregularly due to the suckitude of the previous storyline. I picked this one up, though, and it was pretty entertaining. Bane's a horribly underused character, especially in his current capacity as a relunctant champion and not a drug-addled madman. And a connection between Miraclo and Venom is pretty interesting. Love the art, too.

[Josh S]

Thumbed through it, but the art didn't really grab me and it looked to be heavy on the humor, so I put it back until I could get some opinions. And just so we don't get alot of "God forbid a comic should make you laugh" comments, I love humor in comics but too often it's just not funny to me.

[Ryan K]

I thought this was pretty decent. The bane/Hourman connection is pretty interesting so far.

Compared to the last arc, its Shakespeare.

[Thondred]

Thought this was a great issue. Loved the artwork of McDaniels, as I usually do. I too think that Bane is severely underutilized. Nor do I care for the anti-hero version of him that DC has been trying to pull off for the past couple of years. I'm hoping that he gets a new version of Venom out of this, one that makes him superstrong without the deadly addiction that the one he currently has does. Bane could be a very powerful, and great villain, if only someone would use him that way. Think about it, this is someone that actually managed to one-up Batman, and has the skill and strength to beat him physically as well. Theres not too many that have that claim to fame.

[Shellhead]

The artwork was nothing special, but this story is interesting, and the Venom-Miraclo connection is clever. I wouldn't previously have thought that Bane and Hourman are in the same league in terms of power, but that is largely the fault of the radically high and low end performances by Hourman. At his best, Hourman is a slightly less powerful Superman except that he can't fly. At his worst, Hourman has been shown as a street-level character with super-strength.

[Cayman]

It was a pretty good issue. The Hourmen are some of my favorite DC characters.

[handOFfate]

Is it just me or does Hourman have some of the most inconsistent powers in the DC Universe? His strength seems to vary from Luke Cage-level to about Wonder Woman-level depending on the situation. It's like the writers can't make up their mind.
I like the reluctant hero Bane, but he should be very reluctant. I'm talking similar to Marv from Sin City. That kind of attitude would also keep him at odds with Batman without actually being a villain.

[Count Vertigo]

I've always wondered about his power as well sometimes. I guess maybe adrenaline (-e?) could play a factor? I agree with your thoughts on Bane. With the proper writer, he could be the perfect anti-hero like Black Adam right before he reformed.

[Bloody Thumb]

The way this story read, it worried me a little bit about the future of the Bane Character. It almost felt like they are planning on moveing him out of the Anti Hero role, and maybe makeing him more of a villian again. I hope they don't do that, it will ruin all of the character development from Gotham Knights and other places.


Plus the whole story about him getting readdicted to the New Venom just sounded off and slightly out of character. Some thing just didn't feel good about it. Maybe he's lieing, or it was bad story telling. I hope for A.


Other then that, i like the Hourmen, so i enjoyed the issue. Interesting Idea tieing the Miraclo to Venom. It was a nice way to pull bane into the full DC universe instead of just a smaller character in the Batverse. You'd think some one able to do what he did would have a much larger global prescence.

[Tequilamokinbrd]

For someone who skipped it, spoilers please? Specifically, how exactly did they connect Venom to Miraclo? Did they actually say something along the lines of them using the same chemicals? Or do you guys just mean thematically in terms of putting Bane and Hourman at odds with one another?

[Jack Zodiac]

Now, the new Venom, uses some of the properties of Miraclo. A scientist who worked at Bannerman Chemicals, the company Rex Tyler originally created Miraclo at, is the one who modified the newer, more potent, more addictive Venom.

[Damo]

Thumbed through it, but the art didn't really grab me and it looked to be heavy on the humor, so I put it back until I could get some opinions. And just so we don't get alot of "God forbid a comic should make you laugh" comments, I love humor in comics but too often it's just not funny to me.

If we're talking about the same issue... not much in the way of humor, I thought. A little bit just to show us what the characters are doing before Trouble arrives, but not much I thought.

And to answer the question:

One of Hourman's coworkers stole his data when he discovered Miraclo, then sold the data to the Santa Prisca govt. (or druglords, which is the same thing there), allowing them to create Venom.

And now that coworker helped them create a new version.

[Sizzle]

I rather enjoyed this issue. I don't read JSA books, but I picked this one up because I was curious to see what's been going on with Bane.

I've always been a fan on McDaniels, at least on Nightwing, Batman, and Robin.

I would like to see Bane a villian again, I think the problem is having motivations for him. One would think with all that's gone on in Gotham Knights and Robin that he no longer feels like he has to prove his innocense for his father's crimes. His only purpose at this point seems to be to clean up those who prey on Santa Prisca.

One thing I thought was either a giveaway or writing was Bane busted through the wall of old Hourman's house but insisted later he was there to talk. Odd.

[brundlefly]

I like the reluctant hero Bane, but he should be very reluctant. I'm talking similar to Marv from Sin City. That kind of attitude would also keep him at odds with Batman without actually being a villain.

True, I would like to see that kind of grey-area take on Bane; deadly and ruthless enough to keep Batman on edge, but his motives or goals sometimes synching up with Bruce's own. As Count Vertigo posted, Black Reign-era Black Adam is a good example.

I posted about this issue earlier in the Infinite Crisis HC thread, since the HC has retroactively inserted a corny bit of dialogue for Bane that seems at odds with his characterization & situation here. I thought Bedard had a great handle on Bane's character and a good grasp of the Tylers and that he came up with an effective workaround in this issue for why Bane was mainlinging Venom and brawling with heroes again in IC. My only complaint was that McDaniel's artwork on second read is a little too exaggerated in some places. But that's just my opinion and it's a minor gripe.