Issue(s): Wonder Man #19
Title: "The Crazy 8!"
Credits:
Gerard Jones - Writer
Jeff Johnson - Penciler
Dan Panosian - Inker
Fabian Nicieza - Editor

Review/plot:
This is a special sideways issue, or what you kids might call "widescreen".

Wonder Man himself is barely in it; he's off performing in his role as Macbeth, which we saw him get offered in the last arc. The directors, thinking he's just a dumb superhero, explain the role of Macbeth to him, telling him that Macbeth was "a guy who gets on the wrong path through ambition... and finds himself transformed by the violence he used and haunted by the dead. Now he knows he's gotta get off the train or ride it to his doom". Wonder Man sees a lot of parallels with his own life.

But the majority of the issue focuses on the supporting cast characters that have gotten powers as a result of being exposed to Wonder Man's ionic energy. They've gotten themselves super-hero costumes and we can call them the Crazy 8.

The idea is that with Wonder Man gone, they have to send a message to the criminals of the city of Los Angeles and assure the frightened populace in the wake of the "Armed Response" attacks organized by Lotus Newmark. And get on TV. They search an Armed Response base, looking for something incriminating, and manage to film them admitting that the gangs they're fighting are fake. But then they're discovered.

They still manage to get the tape to a news station.

The resulting exposure ends Armed Response, but Lotus arranges for Splice (who she's apparently sleeping with) to go after them.

In the absence of Wonder Man and the focus on the goofy Crazy 8 characters, this issue is closer to the tone of the original issues in this series before Wondy got all angsty. Even the Wonder Man scene is nice, showing Wonder Man getting to act in a serious role like he's wanted to and even impressing the directors (and the general populace when a recording of his performance is circulated). It's a nice break from the darkness. It's still not, you know, great, or anything, and it's weird to have to take a break from your main character to get a fun story, but it's a nice change of pace.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• The Crazy 8 characters were exposed to Wonder Man's ionic energy in Wonder Man #11.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A