A few weeks ago, while discussing my favorite page of Justice League International #14, I said that Steve Leialoha's loose style was a bad match for Keith Giffen's layouts. I've been looking at a lot of Giffen's layout art since his recent passing, and I've changed my mind. I now think the problem with Leialoha's art in JLI #14 and #15 is that Leialoha's finishes are probably too loyal to Giffen's layout style.

In any event, the art in Justice League International #15, while still not up to the standard set by regular series artist Kevin Maguire, is at least more consistent from panel to panel and page to page than the previous issue managed.

Thanks to J.M. DeMatteis's dialogue, there are several pages competing to be my favorite of the issue, including Booster Gold flying into action in page 10, Booster Gold saving the day on page 15, and Batman's punchline on page 22. But since this will always be the first meeting between Blue and Gold and Fire and Ice, page 6 steals the show:

I can't say the four of them really get along any better these days, but they'll always be family.

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If you've ever read Captain Atom #16, you can probably guess my favorite page, but here, I'll save you the trouble of guessing:

Booster Gold busting through trees like a super man! Blue Beetle swooping out of the sky to rescue a buxom damsel from drowning like some kind of dark knight! And in place of a Wonder Woman, we get a Mister Miracle! It's like a Justice League International roll-call.

Can't you just imagine this animated and set to the Superfriends theme with Ted Knight calling out their names? I sure can.

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In addition to the issue's cover, Booster Gold appears on only one page in 1988's Martian Manhunter #2, which, by no coincidence, is my favorite page in the issue.

As unusual as it is, Mark Badger's art is a actually a pretty good match for J.M. DeMatteis' story about a rogue telepathic Martian god torturing the Justice League International. I'm not saying it's to my personal tastes, mind you, just that it is fitting.

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The art of Justice League International #14 almost feels like it was a rush job, and perhaps it was. Regular series penciller and master of facial expressions Kevin Maguire took (or was given) a vacation, and Steve Leialoha's very loose style is a poor substitute for this issue that heavily features character moments. The layouts, as usual, are by Keith Giffen, so part of the problem here could be that Leialoha wasn't a great match for Giffen's distinctive style of closeups. (It gets a little better in the next issue, as we'll soon see.)

Which is not to say that JLI #14 isn't worth our time. For one thing, this is the issue that sees Green Flame and Ice Maiden officially join the team. (They'll not become Fire and Ice until issue #19.)

For another, there's football!

If there's anything better than superheroes and football, I don't know what it is.

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As I promised last week, Suicide Squad #13 has Booster Gold's biggest on-panel presence in months as the Justice League International goes toe-to-toe with a badly overmatched Suicide Squad, as you can already see on page 3:

After weeks on the sideline, Booster Gold comes off as something of a beast in this issue as literally no one on the Suicide Squad's roster can touch him (thanks to his force field). For what it's worth, Booster Gold is ultimately paired off against Javelin because somebody's gotta fight him (that's how these sorts of stories work). Were they paired just because they dress alike?

If you're a fan of the Green Lantern/Booster Gold running gag introduced in the 2004 Justice League Unlimited episode "The Greatest Story Never Told," you'll appreciate that Javelin debuted as a Green Lantern villain (in 1984's Green Lantern #173) who gave the Lantern considerably more trouble than he gives Booster Gold here.

Fip whang whiii, indeed.

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