From: hunter@cse.uta.edu (David Hunter)
Subject: Re: Welcome to the Machine...Justice, that is...
Organization: Computer Science Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 02:38:28 GMT

In article <1992Dec10.024757.9661@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> dvandom@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dave Van Domelen) writes:
>I nearly fell over (and actually would have had room to, thanks to recent 
>remodeling) at the store when I saw Justice Machine on the racks today.

I've been wiating for this to appear ever since I saw a
house ad for it in one of Millenium's other books a long time ago.

>     Here's the scoop: Mark Ellis, the guy who wrote the LS and 1-4 of the 
>series at Innovation, then was booted and went to Millenium, got the rights to 
>Justice Machine outright when Innov's lease ran out.

He says in the text page that Gustovich sold all rights to the
characters to Millenium.  That's sad ... 

>Talisman - Gone.  No, we don't find out how or why, that's left for future 
>issues.

This is a MAJOR dissapointment to me so they had better have a real
good reason for getting rid of him.  Talisman was my favorite JMer!

>Titan - Captain Endorsements nowadays.  He's also got that "Tough" image.  

Yeah, where did this come from?  Who is this guy?  I feel like I don't
know him.  He's not Jem as far as I'm concerned.
 
>Challenger - Wears a powerful battlesuit capable of particle beams and a Wave 
>Motion Cannon [...]

Well, begin a gageteer was always part of Challenger's character but
it wasn't the only thing.  I hope Ellis doesn't take the battlesuit
thing too far ... although it looks like he already has.

>Diviner - Gee, did she used to be able to control machinery?

No.

>YouthQuake - Went on tour with "some stupid symphony orchestra" and effectively
>has abandoned Blazer.

I don't see the reason Ellis felt is necessary to pull this one, either.

>Blazer - Her kid is fine, 3.5 months old (contradicting the editorial blurb 
>about this being a year later), but she's embittered about YQ leaving.  She 
>seems to have taken to drinking and wearing trashy outfits.

Again, this is totally unlike Blazer's character.  Don't we have enough
embittered, hard-boiled, superheroes out there?  Why change Blazer,
who I always enjoyed for her freshness, into one of these types?

>Demon - Still has his fingers, never had anythink to do with any Yakuza dude, 
>seems to have inherited Talisman's role as Group Asshole.

The only character Ellis seems to have gotten right.

>Chain - New member, has a TK chainsaw.  Snore.

Worse than "snore" -- stupid!  A TK chainsaw?!  It would be funny
if the writer weren't actually serous about it!

>Ms. Liberty - Works for Zarren now as part of Department Z (bet ya thot I'd say
rse
>Z-Team, eh?) as its leader Directress.  The JM doesn't recognize her.  Geez.

Yeah.  

>Free Force - Okay, the energy dude isn't around, but my guess is that the 
>winged guy and strongman of Dept Z are the ones from the Free Force.  They keep
>talking as if they know the Machine, and Demon comments on some familiarity.

I agree with you that these guys are from Free Force.  We'll probably
find out that some sort of memory alteration has been done to the
JMers ... probably something associated with the alternation of the
Georwellian time-line.

>Overall, the writing is pretty good,

Ok, I have to agree that the scripting is pretty good, but as you can
gather from my previous comments I'm pissed at Ellis's handeling of
the JM characters.  

> the art is okay,

It's adequate.  I don't know enough about the technical side of the
business to pin it down exactly, but something about the coloring
and/or printing of all the Millenium comics is hard on my eyes.

>     Dave Van Domelen, WHAT DID THEY DO WITH TALISMAN??? WAAAAAAHHHH!!!!

And why did they do it?

David Hunter
hunter@cse.uta.edu