Pretty, Fizzy Paradise

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Wednesday, September 13, 2006

A Favorite Sequence from JSA 79:







Now this isn't the entire sequence of course, but it's the best part, IMO.

Especially as it really highlights how utterly useful and underestimatable Sand is. When he doesn't have "chairman" attached to his name, he goes about almost entirely unnoticed. When he does, the attention he gets is more based on that title than on him. (People like being able to shoot the JSA chairman on camera...)

That may be Nabu getting Mordru angry enough to ignore what's going on, but as we see with Johnny Sorrow, that trick is really much more Sand's style. Nabu gets Mordru to forget what exactly his captive is and set him free. That's just awesome really.

Not to mention there's something innately satisfying about watching a giant sand monster smash Mordru, as he's a character I get immense joy out of hating. And that it's all a decoy so Sand can set the others free (not shown), even better.

I always liked this issue for the teamwork displayed in both the fifth dimension and this storyarc. I was a tad irritated that the following issue focused so solely on Thunderbolt and Nabu.

Still as dissatisfied as I was with the ending, nothing beats the satisfaction from that third panel above. :-)

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posted by kalinara @ 7:46 AM  

9 Comments:

  • At September 13, 2006 9:49 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    To quote Keanu..."WHOA". Have to agree that is pretty @#%$ing Awesome Kalinara!:-)

     

  • At September 13, 2006 9:59 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    It's especially satisfying to view that panel in light of Mordru's traditional "weakness" (at least from his Legion appearances), namely being buried underground. Sand's association with the earth (and the deep reaches of the underground) should rightly strike terror into Mordru. I can't remember if this story touched on that at all, but it would have been nice "extra touch" if it did.

     

  • At September 13, 2006 10:18 AM, Blogger CalvinPitt said…

    Tsk, tsk Mordru. Proof that just because you're an incredibly powerful sorcerer, doesn't mean you're intelligent.

    And giant sand-monster Sand smashing Mordru is, indeed, very groovy.

     

  • At September 13, 2006 11:16 AM, Blogger Flidget Jerome said…

    I love when Sand smashes things with things, either directly or with, say, the Rock of Eternity.

    That said that boy really needs to use his shape-shifting powers more. They only ever go in to play when he's backed into a corner like this and that, plus the way he ignores his prophetic abilities, ain't good.

     

  • At September 13, 2006 11:43 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Yeah, I was impressed by this scene, too. I always liked Mordu as a villain.

    Now, I say, BRING BACK AMETHYST, PRINCESS OF GEMWORLD! That's another battle I'd like to see!

     

  • At September 13, 2006 5:53 PM, Blogger Brandon Bragg said…

    That was one of the most awesome panels from that story. It's cool when Sand "hulks out" and we get to see the monster form. I have a feeling we'll be seeing less of this with his new costume design.

    A friend used to refer to the JSA as the "JSE" because so many of the characters seemed to have ties to Egypt. Hawkman,Hawkgirl Dr. Fate, Black Adam, Captain Marvel. Were there any others? Sand rounds off that team perfectly.

     

  • At September 14, 2006 12:02 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Is it just me, or does it look like Sand is grinning in that panel when Mordru grabs Doc Fate's helmet? I'd like to think he is, as if he's saying "yeah, that's right, get angry at the disembodied voice and completely ignore that guy who's about to pound you into the ground. Dumbass."

    Sand: smirking happily shortly before beating the tar out of you.

     

  • At September 14, 2006 1:13 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Love that scene. I remember that Mordu had once tormented Sand by turning him into a big monster ... This scene seems like an ironic payback by Sand.
    I think Mordu in JSA was depicted one of the most despicable villains ... so it made me happy whenever he got his crap beaten out!

    mm

     

  • At September 14, 2006 8:30 AM, Blogger kalinara said…

    green: Hee. Isn't it?

    mark: Yep. And as noted in mm's comment, there's a nice bit of getting one's own back in there as well.

    I don't think it's been touched on actually, but it does add a nice undercurrent.

    calvin: Yep. Dumbass. :-)

    flidget: I'd definitely like to see him play more with the shapeshifting. Or go into a bit on why he doesn't. I mean, thinking about the ways he tends to get taken out by villains, getting forcibly scattered into a sandstorm or having his nature otherwise used agaist him...there could be some unpleasant associations or something.

    It'd be cool to see them deal with that stuff more.

    Of course, come to think about it, this thing isn't actually Sand. It's a decoy...

    loren: I'd heard rumors about Amethyst showing up at some point! Here's hoping!

    brandon: I think you'e probably right. The new costume has a very "bound-up" feel.

    I'm not sure any of the others have strong ties to Egypt, except maybe Jay who ended up there, but it's still pretty interesting. :-)

    crowded: Probably is. Sand's a bit of a smartass sometimes. :-)

    mm: Oh yeah, definitely! It was so satisfying to watch them beat him down. Then they went into the issue long Nabu fight though, which was infinitely less interesting to me.

     

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