WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! NOW THAT'S A SPICY MEATBALL!
Title: Perchance...
Release Date: January 2004
Writer: Joe KellyPenciller: Chris CrossInker: Tom NguyenJLA Members: Wonder Woman,
Batman,
The Martian Manhunter,
Manitou Raven,
Faith,
Major Disaster, and
Green Lantern (
John Stewart).
Guest Stars: Dawn.
Bad Guys: The Steel Fang and
the Joker.
Cameos: Alfred Pennyworth,
Hermes, and
Hippolyta.
So what happens?Our focus is on Batman and Wonder Woman, as they try to resolve their feelings for each other, stemming from their
kiss all the way back in
JLA #74. Can a man love an
Amazon who dresses like a hooker? Can a woman love a man who likes to wear
black latex?
So we start out in Gotham City, where Wondy helps Bats take down a new and fairly inept
supervillain named the Steel Fang, a guy who wears a
cybernetic spider-suit. They try to talk about the status or non-status of their
relationship, but are hampered a bit by the fact that supervillains like to make rude
catcalls at superheroes when they talk about their relationships.
After a trip back up to the Watchtower (which is getting
another remodeling job, thanks to superhero architect Green Lantern), Manitou Raven and Dawn declare their undying
devotion to each other, Major Disaster and Faith flirt coyly, and Wondy decides to have a session inside J'onn's "
Transconsciousness Articulator" -- the dream machine that Superman took for a ride back in
JLA #83 -- so she can sort out her true feelings for Batman.
Most of the rest of the comic is a series of
dream sequences where Wonder Woman imagines what life with Batman would be like. In one, she and Bats have been married for years, but she's
immortal, and he's an old man, waiting to die. In another, she becomes a violent,
obsessed, vengeful crimefighter to emulate him. In another, she's a
fish out of water in his world of shallow, high-society rich folks. In another, he's a fish out of water in her world of mythological gods and monsters. In another, the Joker has just killed Bats, and she kills Joker in return. In another, she's helped him escape his dark,
grim attitude, and Gotham City has been transformed into a crime-free, sunlit,
optimistic city, but she and Bruce are unable to have children together.
And in the end, Wondy and Bats decide not to date.
Cool Moments!I've said before how much I enjoy Chris Cross' art, haven't I? The dude's just great with action, his
facial expressions are wonderful, and he draws an absolutely outstanding Wonder Woman; the
dialogue in this issue is outstanding, and some of the dream sequences are solid winners.
Uncool Moments!It's a bit hard to keep track of all those
dream sequences, coming and going so fast you can barely register some of them.
Cool Quotes! Batman to Wonder Woman, after defeating the Steel Fang: "Don't you want to have '
The Talk'? Just to be sure?"
Wonder Woman: "You do."
Batman: "You don't?"
Wonder Woman: "I didn't say that..."
Steel Fang, tied up and dangling from a bridge: "For cryin' out loud, will you two
get a room already? I'm freezing my palpi off up here!"
Batman: "Excuse me."
Wonder Woman: "Be gentle."
Steel Fang, as Bats starts toward him ominously: "You heard me! Load Batboy-Toy into the Invisible Party Plane and -- What is that?!? Don't you come near me with that!!! AAAAAAAAAH!"
Wonder Woman, discussing relationships with Faith: "I've met
Aphrodite. It sort of tarnished the romantic ideal."
Faith: "Oh, so no one, then? I mean... not even
Superman?"
Wonder Woman: "
HA! Oh, I'm sorry... heh... I'm sorry, Faith. No... Superman and I are very, very good friends, and that's all."
Faith: "Heard it before?"
Wonder Woman: "More times than you can imagine."
Final Grade: B
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