#inza nelson

[dcdreamblog]

A bit of an odd question but who was/is the best dancer in the JSA? The one mystery man who was only killed on the dancefloor?

Now this is a FUN question, though honestly one that would be hard to answer. I'll just keep it to the membership of the core, Golden Age JSA for simplicity's sake.

Let's check things off as we go.

Dr. Fate, Dr. Midnite and The Sandman: Were all noted as being incredibly mousy and introverted.

Charles McNider (Midnite): Was a lifelong bachelor who was always more concerned with his various intellectual pursuits. He didn't drink and his natural position at any function was in the corner, feeding our d'oeuvres to his owl.

Kent Nelson (Fate): Equally so, being a book learned archeologist whose wife was more likely to share a night at the library than the dance floor. At any social function, Kent and Inza Nelson truly only had attention for one another. You'd leave them alone at a candle lit dinner table and come back to find them sharing the light over some dusty scroll.

Wesley Dodds (Sandman): Was noted as being instantly eclipsed in any social or hosting capacity by his companion Dian Belmont. His teammates were often known to comment that the Dodds with and without his mask seemed like two entirely different people. Jay Garrick is once noted as saying that an unmasked Dodds "struck me most as a clerk, juxtaposed against Belmont's gothic elegance."

Starman: Would usually have been noted in a similar category to those above. UNTIL his marriage to Adele Drew. Drew was noted by a contemporary Daily Planet reporter as "Homely in appearance but of excellent humor and infectious energy" making her the perfect fit for the often melancholy intellectual she married. (That is NOT how anyone who knew her would describe her. Hippolyta once said Adele Knight was "Gorgeous of spirit and overflowing with love") While they DID dance, Knight was noted as being VERY unskilled, mostly floating along on his wife's ever present enthusiasm.

Green Lantern: Was an interesting conversationalist, and often popular at social functions, noted as having a voice for speeches. However his heavy build and more serious air kept him from being much of a dancer. (The only evidence I can find of him ever dancing is from memoirs about the reception of his wedding to his second Wife Molly Mayne (AKA Harlequin) which speaks more to the outsized effect she's had on him than anything.)

Wildcat: Any boxing historian can tell you that Ted Grant was not a sportsman known for his footwork. I read one account that described his style as "pouncing on the other guy and giving better than he got". Those more familiar with the sport can comment there. He was however known as a boisterous presence, especially when drinking.

Atom: Al Pratt was a man with a lot of good qualities. He had a lion's heart, he was loyal to a fault and he was tougher than a team of oxen. He was also 5 foot nothing and could be described as having two left feet if you cloned him and taped them together. His wife Mary wasn't known to be much better. Their "dancing" mostly included the two stepping on each other's toes, apologizing at the same time, and giggling about it.

The Spectre: ...let's be serious here.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl: Were just a TAD too self serious to be "cutting a rug" among the styles of the time. They were noted as accomplished classical dancers, the kind of couple that could draw eyes when something fancy was playing. As noted with the Nelsons above, though. It was often said that the two only ever had eyes for one another. It was running joke that the Hawks would always be the last to leave any function because they were slow dancing in each other's eyes 3 hours after the band had gone home.

Wonder Woman: Is a literal Queen. Not exactly the kind to be circling the floor at a cocktail party.

Hourman: For a born scientist, Rex Tyler was also known as particularly energetic especially in the aftermath of a battle. His wife, Wendi, being a stage actress was also trained as a dancer. Due to Rex's general lack of grace and Wendi's spontaneous, laughter prone personality however, their dancing was usually described along the lines of swinging each other around until they fell into a heap. Dr Midnite once said "It was common knowledge that any party where the Tylers only destroyed a single digit number of chairs was a sign of good fortune."

Johnny Thunder: DID dance. That does not, however, mean that he COULD dance. As the youngest and "hippest" of the JSA's number, he was always stumbling his way through the steps of this or that new dance craze that was sweeping the teenage population. He always seemed to be having fun, even if the flying debris of hands and feet made his space on any dance floor a rather wide berth.

Black Canary: I cannot describe to you the amount of a sexpot this woman was for her time. Like. Wavy hair over one eye, netted stocking, slit up both thighs, low cut, smoky eye shadow, wolf whistle, eye popping, hummina hummina AWOOGA sexy. Every single time the original Black Canary walked in the room, every monocle hit the floor and a bunch of upper class ladies discovered what lesbianism felt like. The woman could dance, and she could make the whole room WATCH her dance. But let's be clear in that no one was watching her "dance". You get me?

Mr Terrific: I mean obviously. There was not a single goddamn skill that one could quantify that Terry Sloane did not possess. All the big, fancy dance steps that people take classes for he could do inside, outside and backward inside an afternoon. Among his medals and accolades are evidently national ribbons in Salsa, Waltz AND Flamenco. He's Mr. Terrific. He could dance.

But then there's the actual ANSWER to the question.

The Flash: Jay and Joan Garrick were gaga for each other. Happily, loudly, publically, head over heels in love. The kind of love that starts a clan (which they eventually did, neither here nor there). The JSA is an organization RIFE with all time great love stories. But Jay and Joan Garrick were not a love story, they were the kind of light up the room, keep the conversation going, huddle the whole gang around the fireplace talking about nothing until sun up kind of couple. Socially, the entire JSA revolved around them.

And they danced. Boy did they DANCE. The kind of dancing that only a midwestern couple like that CAN do. The kind that got everybody up on their feet and clapping with the steps. The kind where a sweep of her simple dress somehow made her look like a twin city princess. The kind where a simple flourish and a dip made Jay seem like the most romantic leading man of all time. They danced because their happiness was infectious, and every time they did, a simple benefit party became a barn burner.

(A picture, originally secret. From Jay Garrick's bachelor party. June, 1947. For those of you wondering. That makes this June their 77th)

[trucywright]

A random assortment of DC Halloween icons.

Top row, JSA: Jade, Cyclone, Liberty Belle

2nd row, magic: Xanadu, Amethyst, Heather After

3rd row, Titans: Miss Martian, Duela Dent, Stitch

4th row, random: Gotham Girl, Bleez, Lia Nelson/Lightray

5th row, JSA-adjacent: Judy Garrick, Salem the Witch Girl, Inza Nelson

Feel free to use. Credit appreciated but not required.

[webshootersandwingdings]

DC Comics Presents (1978) #23

[evilhorse]

If there is something to be done darling, Fate will attend to it…

(All-Star Comics #71)

[splooosh]

Inza

Vince Giarrano

[aboutzatanna]

can we get a summary of Zatanna’s interactions with Swamp Thing? And/or Madame Xanadu?

(Sorry it took a while to answer to this. Not being able to answer this has been bugging me for a while)

Outside of JLD, the most notable interactions I can think are:

-For Swamp Thing:

Although her Dad died as a guest star in a Swamp Thing, Zatanna and Swamp Thing never really interacted in that specific arc.

There was a Swamp Thing mini series in 2011 by Len Wein (Swamp Thing's other Dad) and artist Kelly Jones (perfect fit for the title) which revolved around Swamp Thing/Alec Holland looking for a cure for his condition with his friend, Matt Cable which leads the two of them to Zatanna's place.

Continuity wise, it a bit of a mess. What with Matthew Cable being...well....alive...human and...not one one of Morpheus's crows. Plus references to Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run but ST is a human turned to swamp creature instead of a swamp creature who thought it was human. That said, Alec Holland was brought back to life thanks to the events of Brightest Day so that's not as egregious as Matthew Cable.

Zatanna is the magician who gets the biggest focus. Her characterization is the same as her preNu52, same goes for Phantom Stranger and Etrigan. But this mini fits neither the Pre Nu52 continuity nor the Post Nu52 continuity. I think it can be enjoyed and read on it's own. It's just stuck in a weird middle ground continuity wise because it was published in a time when nobody at DC was sure if the Nu52 was a full, clean slate reboot or partial reboot and no one could decided what should remain in continuity and what shouldn't.

-For Madame Xanadu:

The first major story to have Zatanna and Xanadu interact with each other was Spectre Vol 2 #7-8 titled 'Pieces of Zatanna'. It's a rare body horror story involving Zatanna where she finds her limbs and other parts of her body disappearing and returning but she knows they are not her original limbs.

So Zatanna quickly runs to Madame Xanadu for help. Although this is the first time readers see Zatanna and Xanadu interact, the two are already aware of each other.

The story is meant to resolve loose ends from Zatanna's final appearance in Justice League of America Vol 1 #257 as well as give Zatanna some closure for her fathers death in Swamp Thing #50.

Zatanna later appeared in Spectre Vol 2 #11, this time, of all things, the limo driver who chaueffer's Xanadu, Bronze Tiger and June Moon to a meeting arranged by the Spectre involving all the magical beings so they can discuss their roles in the human world. Not sure why Zee couldn't have just teleported them there, but then again, maybe they just wanted to enjoy a nice drive and limo is implied to be Zatanna's.

Years later, in Madame Xanadu's own series Madame Xanadu #9 we learn that Xanadu and John Zatara had dated in the past which goes a long way towards explaining how Zatanna knows her.

In Spectre Vol 3, around #16, there was a story arc where an Eclipso possessed Spectre went on a rampage. Zatanna appeared in the story arc but didn't get to interact with Xanadu as she was recruited to by Phantom Stranger to be on his team alongside Etrigan and the Inza Nelson Doctor Fate. Xanadu made her own team with Father Creamer and Ramban. Notably it's Xanadu's team that ends up succeeding at stopping the Spectre's rampage but cutting to the heart of the issue and confronting Corrigan's spiritual crisis directly.

Aside from that, Xanadu and Zatanna often appear together in ensembles during events like Obsidian Age and Day of Vengeance but they are not always notable.

I always thought that Xanadu could be a cool step mom figure for Zee since the latter operates in a male dominated world.

I haven't read Bendis Justice League in full yet but around the time the JLD back up feature was getting cancelled we did get to see Zatanna and Xanadu team up to fight a possessed Black Adam in Justice League Vol 4 #73:

[momachan]

"Michael... But I'm no innocent! In my hubris, I drove an innocent man-- Michael Landau-- to hang himself in his cell. In my grief and rage, I destroyed an entire country! I killed innocent beings! What sins did the children commit who died that day?! How am I better than those I was sent to judge?!.. I have failed to understand. Amy tried to teach me and I wouldn't hear. Without mercy, there is no justice-- only vengeance. I must confront evil and understand better the darkness, the evil, within my own soul."

The Spectre (1992-1998) Vol. 2: Wrath Of God. "Final Judgements."

*This comic is a work of fiction. If you need help please call your local crisis lifeline. They will give you free and confidential support. Remember: Your life matters.

[somewherefornow]

KENT NELSON & INZA NELSON in DOCTOR FATE (1988)

[cgbcomics]

[sebeth]

Dr. Fate

[ufonaut]

I was cursed by the witches of Limbo Town when I left. Anyone gets too close to me, they get hurt. Doctor Fate was in the middle of trying to free me from my curse. And now he's dead.

Justice Society of America (2022) #6

(Geoff Johns, Marco Santucci)

[macoygreco]

The Fangs of Fear, Part Two

Following a mysterious murder in Park City, The Black Canary is in over her head, facing occult forces beyond her expertise. Her only ally: Doctor Fate, who’s recently abandoned the helmet of Nabu, and the power that comes with it. Will our superheroes be able to overcome the supernatural? Or will they fall to… The Fangs of Fear!

Part Two, Written and Lettered by myself, with Art and Sound Effects by @punktmmaing. Special thanks to Cass (@cassiecomics on twitter) for reading over the script!

Also available on:

My Twitter (@dinahspolly)

Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ec7D903Bd5dgiyvH2KZfRtjoSAA34xAZ/view?usp=drivesdk

Read Our Frightening First Installment Here: https://www.tumblr.com/macoygreco/701693258885201920/written-by-me-macoygreco-and-drawn-by?source=share

#black canary #doctor fate #dc comics #comics #superheroes #horror #vampires #pulp #justice society of america #jsa #dc #fancomic #comic books #mini comic #art #Apophis #Egypt #vampire fangs #fangs of fear #justice society: world war ii #stargirl #carmilla #dracula daily #action #adventure #magic #occult #spooky #Dinah Drake Kent Nelson

[trucywright]

Can you imagine how fun it would be to have Khalid (the actual Helmet of Fate user), Kent (grumpy old mentor figure), Inza (chaos helmet variant), Salem (chaos child), and Stitch (fun chaos child) all in one comic? Please I need a family sitcom with them.

[cantsayidont]

July 1987. They can't all be winners: The success of the Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis JUSTICE LEAGUE spawned a variety of spinoffs, some of which worked better than others. Some, like this four-issue DR. FATE miniseries in 1987, were so odd as to defy easy analysis. The mini begins with Nabu, the bodiless, immortal entity who gives Dr. Fate his power, learning that his fellow Lords of Order have decided to abandon the mortal plane to the forces of Chaos, as the body of Fate's human host, Kent Nelson, whom Nabu has kept ageless for almost 50 years, begins to fail. Unwilling to admit defeat or relinquish control, Nabu attempts to groom a new host: a 10-year-old boy named Eric Strauss, magically aged to adulthood and caught between Nabu's manipulations and the sanity-destroying threat of Typhon, a Lord of Chaos who has taken control of Arkham Asylum. However, Nabu hasn't figured on Eric's attachment to his stepmother Linda, who has a role in the destiny of Dr. Fate that neither Nabu nor Typhon has anticipated.

This is primarily a supernatural horror story, and a surreal and sometimes disturbing one — it's not always clear what you're looking at, and there's enough gore, grue, and body horror that you're probably better off not asking! How much of the action is real or hallucinatory is often left ambiguous, including a pointless appearance by Fate's now-former Justice League comrades in #3. The plot, which builds on ideas from an earlier Dr. Fate backup series in THE FLASH in 1982 (which Giffen pencilled, although it was written by Marty Pasko and Steve Gerber), is also disturbing in another way: It hinges on the fact that Linda Strauss is in love with her stepson, and is destined to mystically join with him to form a new, bi-gender Dr. Fate — which might have been a cooler idea if not for the age-gap incest overtones.

Astonishingly, given all that, the miniseries was successful enough to spawn an ongoing series, written for its first two years by DeMatteis with irritatingly cutesy art by Shawn McManus, that played these elements for schticky comedy rather than cosmic horror, infused with a heavy dose of DeMatteis's woolliest mysticism. A subsequent change of direction by William Messner-Loebs (returning Kent and Inza Nelson) was less divisive, but also less interesting, and the book struggled along for another year and a half before expiring. DC had been trying to make Dr. Fate a headliner for a surprisingly long time — even including him in the last round of Super Powers action figures in 1984 — but the ongoing series ended up basically wrecking the character's commercial prospects for a good while, prompting the otherwise inexplicable Jared Stevens big-gold-knife era of the 1990s.

[evilhorse]

Why, gentle Inza—do you doubt Fate?

(All-Star Comics #70)

[splooosh]

Inza

Peter Gross