All-humor episode! Bass and Siskoid start off by reevaluating the Blasters Special, then head to Justice League International #24, where Justice League Europe gets its real start, and an old Invasion enemy provides a quick “last scare”!
Listen to Episode 37 below (the usual filthy filthy language warnings may apply), or subscribe to First Strike: The Invasion! Podcast on iTunes!
Relevant images and further credits at: First Strike ep.37 Supplemental
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I’m glad you guys made the Guardians connection obvious, because I kept thinking “This sounds a LOT like Guardians”.
I don’t have Blasters #1 in my collection. One of my comic-reading buddies had it, and I read his, but that’s been 30 years ago. If I see it in the dollar bin, I’ll give it another shot, despite the presence of Snapper. This honestly sounds like the best use of the character, outside of the Hourman series. But I wasn’t aware his HANDS WERE CUT OFF? Jeez!!! Was that a fan suggestion from young Geoff Johns? 😉
JLI #24: I loved Hawkman going off on the group in this issue. There was a part of me that agreed with him! Although I enjoyed the JLI and it’s humor (usually), the diehard DC fanboy in me was almost as frustrated as Katar at times. How cool would it have been if he left in a huff, but Shayera refused to go with him and stayed?
Joe Rubenstein’s heavy inking style gives a Tom Palmer-on-Neal Adams quality to Maguire’s work. I don’t prefer it over the other inkers he had on the title, but it does add an extra level of depth to the already gorgeous art.
Fun episode! Hate to see this end, but really excited for the sequel series!
Chris
I hereby decree that the “Rozaaakis” sound effect be used at every opportunity.
You’ve never been so Wright.
Did I just hear Bass endorse having a Thanagarian on a team?
Great episode, guys. I saw the Blasters one-shot only once in my life – at my supermarket. I was tempted to buy it but its heftier cover price quickly changed my mind. Thanks for covering it. I always wondered what happened with those guys. Not often, but occasionally.
But they have to be tons better than the New Guardians, right? I mean, not every team can have a Gloss or Jet or that one girl who’s a giant head in the sky.
I love any membership drive issue of JLI/JLA/JL. This one was a particular favorite because very little actually happens, yet it’s so rich in character interaction.
I’ll second Cfrank’s comments on the art in this issue. That one panel close-up of a pouting Beatriz was breathtaking. Maguire’s a damn genius.
Keep the good work, guys. Looking forward to the next iteration of this podcast. And I love seeing Bass change his ways.
I happened across the BLASTERS special at a drug store soon after it came out and 12 year old me loved it. 42 year old me still loves it. I have never wavered in this. The jokes are funny and I like the characters. I never had a hate on for Snapper Carr so seeing him here was fine by me. I especially liked the Hulk joke that I would only truly get years later when I realized who Peter David was.
(Fun aside; in 1995 I had a copy of David’s Hulk novel WHAT SAVAGE BEAST in my backseat and a friend of mine from high school saw it and said, “Hey! That’s Peter David! He’s a Star Trek writer!” I told her that he was also a comics writer and it seemed to blow her mind for a minute.)
Anyway, I don’t have any brilliant insight into this book. I just like it and hate that it keeps getting ragged on.
Finally, a man with sense!
When it first came out Blasters special struck me as way too try-hard and riffing straight out of Hitchhikers Guide seemed creatively bankrupt. It was a book that I passed on to someone else at the first opportunity. A few years ago I came across it in a dollar bin and picked it up thinking it would be worth a revisit and re-evaluation. NOPE!!!
I love that the Invasion has such a long tail compared to other events and look forward to your last few episodes.
As for your next event show, congratulations. Wouldn’t be my first subject matter pick for quality or fun, but it does give you a lot of variety. I would pick DC One Million if it was my show (that’s not actually true as on my show I picked every DC event).
I still have my original copy of Blasters, and can’t remember when I last read it, which I can’t justify because I’m a big Peter David fan. You guys completely swayed me to give it a re-read. Dang, was it fun! I don’t know why I was such a stick-in-the-mud, because the humor was spot on for me. Maybe it was an “everything and the kitchen sink” situation. Breaking the fourth wall, and jokes, and sci-fi references, etc. Maybe I just expected its tone to be closer to Invasion! itself. I dunno, younger me was stupid.
Of course, there are nits to pick. Invasion! killed Felicity, a white-fur-and-maned alien catgirl. This book introduces Churljenkins, a green-fur-pink-maned alien catgirl. Um… not really cleaning house there.
The Omega Men “heroically” have stolen her ship and left her tied up in it? Ew. But in fairness, maybe more backstory would explain this better?
Not one, but two “gags” with naked women. Younger me didn’t care, I admit it. Now, sheesh.
And I really can’t see anyone defending the team’s name “Blasters”. The marketing department was asleep that day.
But for long-time Peter David readers, there’s Easter eggs of HIS storytelling. Moshe’s mom is reminiscent of Cissie (Arrowette) King’s mom in Young Justice. This crazy ensemble is so similar to PAD’s X-Factor run. And “Plaht Device”? He used that exact gag in Captain Marvel 23-24 from 2001. “Hey, no knows gonna remember, so shine it, I’ll do it again.”
Sheesh, why the heck do I have so much to say about Blasters in an episode with JLI #24 in it? Sorry guys, I’m getting to it.
You covered it quite well, and I’ll spare you my dissertation on it. The JLI BWAH-HAH-HAH podcast will be covering it soon enough. (You’re welcome, Shag.)
But. Siskoid. Bass. I was going to let it go, but just can’t. You spent a good 5 minutes talking about Max Lord, when do we learn he’s a metahuman, his pushing power, all that. It’s covered in the FIRST HALF OF THIS ISSUE! The entire first story has Max confronting Evil Puter, demanding it say if it knew he was a meta, and the first time Max used his power to get Beetle to rescue him, complete with bloody nose! It was RIGHT. THERE! AUGH!
Ok. I feel better. I’m sorry. It’s out of my system now. Moving on.
I’ll get to the Summer Sampler eventually, but I’m ready for Zero Hour Strikes. Very happy I’ll still get to hear you gentlemen every month.
Yes, I realized the next day. Needless to say, Max Lord’s adventure will be covered in the next episode.
Max will appreciate that I’m sure.
Ok this will seem like I’m picking on you, but really not. This just tickled me. Via Freudian slip, Major Force was instead called Major Victory. Since MV’s team was the Force of July, I thought of the suggestion in the BATO letter column for a Canadian superteam, the Fist of July! (So sorry, I couldn’t resist. )
Anything from BATO comes from a poison well.
Peter David mentioned in one of his old “But I Digress…” columns that he deliberately filled Blasters with cliches and groaners because he thought it would be fun. See also his brief run on She-Hulk.
Yeah, I’ve been searching for my “But I Digress” collection until it struck me to look online. PAD has posted that column:
https://www.peterdavid.net/2009/05/02/return-of-the-blasters/
Oddly, a few years later, an editor at Marvel would run Star Blast crossover event hoping to shake a cosmic team of Starblasters out of it.
Another exceptional episode of one of my favorite podcasts! Of course I loved the JLI coverage (you had me at “Hello”). Interesting that Bass considered Firestorm a good candidate for the team at this time. I never thought of the “Blank Slate” Firestorm as a team player, but perhaps he would have benefited from being on a team. Will have to ponder that concept.
And for the big shocker, “Blasters”. Seriously, you made me rethink my position on “Blasters”?!?? And you made a little bit of sense!?!? Can’t believe this happened.
Here you go, Siskoid might enjoy my commentary on Blasters from 7 years ago. It even includes a scan from the Mayfair WHO’S WHO!
http://firestormfan.com/2011/09/15/the-completists-burden/
Looking forward to the next episode already!