InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "LUNCH ME"

neuhallidae (neuhallidae) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-10-23 12:03:00

Entry tags:

char: fury/lyta trevor-hall, char: silver scarab/dr. fate/hector hall, char: spectre, creator: don kramer, creator: keith champagne, group: justice society of america, publisher: dc comics, series: halls of fate, title: justice society of america

The Halls of Fate, Part Five
(Fewer scans equals less worktime, ahahaha.)

In our last chapter, we had a rescue mission and a history lesson. This time, we get a chapter so brief that it's practically a footnote, a metaphysical entity gone batshit insane, and the first casualties of the upcoming Infinite Crisis. Seven scans from JSA #74-80.

We begin with a scene of marital cuteness getting rudely interrupted because, outside of this book, the host-less Spectre has lost his damn marbles. The newly Eclipso'd Jean Loring has convinced him that all magic breaks God's laws, and therefore, all magic and its users must be destroyed.

Spectre tosses them into some dimension of Hell and goes after Black Adam. Meanwhile, the chaos the Spectre is causing allows Mordru to escape, and he attacks Shazam before going off to get revenge on the JSA. At the same time, Jakeem Thunder seems to have gone round the bend and become evil (he's actually possessed) and other magical forces are going completely haywire. The JSA goes looking for Doctor Fate to find out what the hell is going on, only to find the empty helmet and cape.

And back in the Hell dimension...

(There's some clothing screw up in this page, but it's been about four issues since we last saw the pair, so I'll forgive it. It'll be fixed in the next issue anyway.)

The JSA members who went to find Fate manage to get help anyway, as Nabu possesses the vestments so they'll have someone who can put down Mordru while the others work to stop Jakeem (and Thunderbolt, whom he still controls). While that's going on, Hector has his own problems to deal with, especially since he can no longer call on any magic.

The JSA successfully break Jakeem free, and Nabu weakens Mordru enough that Thunderbolt can banish him. But in all the chaos, a couple of people have been forgotten.

And thus pass Hector and Lyta Hall.

Epilogue: At the end of the fight with Mordru, Wildcat makes mention of needing to find out what happened to Hector, since they have no idea where he and Lyta went. Nabu says he'll handle it, but first there are bigger matters at hand that he has to deal with. Nabu himself is later killed by the Spectre during Infinite Crisis, ending what's called the Ninth Age of Magic, so as far as I know(feel free to correct me), the JSA never learns what happened to Hector and Lyta.

~Fin.

(Post a new comment)

	wonderwhatif 2009-10-23 08:49 pm UTC (link)
	Um...okay, ow. That's rough. (Reply to this)

	interrobamf 2009-10-23 09:32 pm UTC (link)
	Probably one of the most anticlimactic endings to a storyarc ever. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	jlbarnett 2009-10-23 10:33 pm UTC (link)
	they'd ruined any chance for any drama. (Reply to this) (Parent)

jaybee3
2009-10-23 10:42 pm UTC (link)

Truth, especially considering that it was the rebirth of Hector/Dr.Fate that started this run of the JSA in the first place and for which Wesley Dodds gave his life.

And of course, the JSA have not mentioned Hec and Lyta since. Hawkman/Carter has not mentioned losing his son again. It's like they didn't exist (except the Earth-2 version we saw). The fact that Dove gave birth to the Fate baby that became Hector (after being raped by Hawk/Monarch - something never brought up in Blackest Night: Titan) was also never brought up again. And in the end we get a new Dr. Fate - who just happens to be another Kent Nelson (how original). Might as well have de-aged the original Kent and Inza and brought them back out of the amulet.

Really, when JSA (i.e. Johns) was good - it was really good. But there were just too many plot threads started that went nowhere or were just forgotten - like this.

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neuhallidae
2009-10-23 10:48 pm UTC (link)

It felt like the writer looked at the back issues, correctly assumed "Oh, well, they hardly did jack that makes sense with these two after they showed up, nobody'll mind if they go," and decided to have them be the Spectre's first big casualties over this magic thing. I liked the fact that Daniel came for his parents, and that's about it. Everything else about this ending ended up falling flat. And motto about the dangling plot threads. I don't have enough fingers to count all the ways that the ball got dropped on this concept.

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jaybee3
2009-10-23 10:56 pm UTC (link)

Yes, the last few images of Daniel (even if he doesn't admit to be Daniel any more) opening the door for his parents to join him forever were the only parts I liked. In a GOOD story that would have made a very emotional ending. But by this part I don't think anyone was paying attention. -

And it's funny you mention the writer looking back and thinking "they hardly did jack they made sense with these two" was the same writer who brought them back and put Lyta/Hector together again i.e. Geoff Johns. It's like he didn't like how his own story turned out and wanted to just start all over again and wipe the slate clean.

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	neuhallidae 2009-10-23 11:00 pm UTC (link)
	Whether Johns planned it in advance or not, the writer for the death scene was Keith Champagne. Johns ended his run with...77, I think, and they actually died in 80. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	jaybee3 2009-10-23 11:32 pm UTC (link)
	Really. Well Keith is pretty close to Geoff isn't he? He did some of the JSA art previous to this. Have to believe, Johns was almost certainly in the loop on this though. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	neuhallidae 2009-10-23 11:34 pm UTC (link)
	You're probably right, since I think this whole arc (not the entire Fate thing, the JSA part of Spectre going batshit thing) was likely planned out from the start. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	volksjager 2009-10-23 11:31 pm UTC (link)
	I agree with you the book is just a mess now I thought BW might spend a few issues housecleaning, alas no... (Reply to this) (Parent)

	kingrockwell 2009-10-23 10:14 pm UTC (link)
	It's really weird how he's shown next to her in one panel and then collapses with her nowhere to be seen. (Reply to this)

yaseen101
2009-10-24 04:52 am UTC (link)

*cries manly tears*

I liked those two dammit! And their history isn't as convulsed as people seem to make it out to be. Unlike the X-Men stuff all you need to know is just the basics and you are better off. Also I hate it when heroes die so unceremoniously, a heroes death should grand, a culmination of all their hard work, sacrifices and effort and a sense finality to it not lying dead in the snow with nobody giving a crap to what happened to them.

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	kd_the_movie 2009-10-24 10:31 am UTC (link)
	Perfectly good waste of two good characters. God I hate the new Dr. Fate just for not being Hector (and for being a new Kent Nelson, who as another poster put it, is SOOOO original). (Reply to this)

shadowcatphaser
2009-10-24 02:57 pm UTC (link)

As I understand it, Hector and Lyta had to be killed off hastily and in an afterthoughty fashion because the Vertigo office was kicking up a stink about the use of those characters. (Especially Lyta).

It was the the same kind of petty bullshit office politics that screwed up the Giffin/Bierbaum Legion. (The Superman office said they couldn't use Superboy or any of his elements, never mind that the Legion *is* historically a Superman Family element, so removing all traces of Superboy/man was nigh on impossible. Evidently the people in charge of the Super-office were as ignorant of comics history as they were petty..ha.)

The Vertigo Office has had foot stomping Viola Elizabeth Bott style tantrums every time any DCU writer has dared to use Lyta apparantly. It's complete nonsense, because Lyta was a DCU character long before Neil Gaiman used her in Sandman. (And you can argue that the Vertigo Lyta and the DCU one are two different characters from different Earths anyway.)

As one of the few people who could be described as a fan of this character, it really bugs me that she hardly ever gets used because of these stupid office politics.

It'll probably be something like 20 years or something ridiculous until we see her again. (until the current Vertigo office people are retired or gone or whatever)

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	jaybee3 2009-10-24 05:54 pm UTC (link)
	Well Lyta (and Hector) were in the last Earth-2 JSA storyline so if they ever do explore the "new" Earth-2 I don't see how they can avoid Fury and the Silver Scarab. Infinity Inc. predates their use by Vertigo by quite a bit. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	volksjager 2009-10-25 03:40 am UTC (link)
	Am I missing something ??? I ust do see how/why the Vertigo folks would have this kind of pull. (Reply to this) (Parent)

yaseen101
2009-10-26 05:34 pm UTC (link)

BULLSHIT! (note: I'm screaming at the offices not you) That's the stupidest idea I have ever heard of! Lyta and Hector are two great characters that deserve their own chance in the DCU proper UNDER A GOOD WRITER! CHARACTERS ARE CREATIONS THAT'S MEANT TO BE USED AND TOLD STORIES WITH , They are not meant to be hung up on walls with everyone making goo-goo eyes at! Fine, there are characters with which they can be applied to like the Watchmen and Sandman but Hector and Lyta are two good characters with an interesting history that is not as convulsed as people seem to make it out to be. They were characters brimming with potential! GYAH! I have never been so angry over fictional characters before, I need to write a fic to make me happy again.

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