Justice League tv pilot continued...

Who says Ray and J'Onn never hung out?!

I was going to post something else today, but all of this Martian Manhunter business, and the lack of interaction between himself and the Atom got me thinking about the pilot.
This pilot. And what could have been.

I had posted a photo I had from this gem a few months ago, which can be found here free of charge.
And here's another beauty (although it came without the helpful arrows and names which I've included for your ease). Would you just look at them.
Obviously a great deal of work was put into crafting the perfect, versatile Atom costume in case it ever became the Justice League of American Gladiators.

As I type this on going tribute to the cold-war friendship that has gone on between The Atom and The Martian Manhunter in an attempt to not only save one (and one who's not far behind I'm sure) and urge those in power to develop a kinship between these two, I must admit... this pilot and any evidence of it probably doesn't help.
But look at them (not a photo I own, courtesy of BeyondHollywood.com).

They're destined for greatness together.

Michael Netzer Atom and The Martian Manhunter sketch #2: We will not go quietly into the night...

Michael Netzer is at it again! Amidst the maddening Martian manslaughter attempts, Mike has managed to give birth to two beautiful works of Atom & J’Onzz camaraderie.

If you’ve been here before (or there, or elsewhere) you know at this point in time Mr. Netzer has launched a worldwide plea to stop the eradication of The Martian Manhunter, offering up his comics wizardry services which the character is in dire need of. You can get yourself up to speed, lend your voice, and keep up to date at his site, here.

The first of the Atom/JJ sketches that Michael whipped up for me, featuring Ryan Choi possibly leading the duo hot on the trail of someone/something, can be seen here.

After commenting that it was in fact the first Ryan Choi sketch I had received, Michael went ahead… and did a Ray Palmer sketch… within the same setting!

Ray is at the feet of The Martian Manhunter while Ryan rides the brow helm. Could it be foreshadowing?

Is Ray to step to the side while Ryan (whose book sales do not exactly justify it) comes to the forefront as resident Atom? If we listen carefully, will we be able to hear the tiny shouts of the world’s smallest superhero as he’s thrust into the Petri dish of comics’ oblivion?

Or will he just meet the same end that is threatening J’Onn J’Onzz and that Aquaman with the shoulder pads?

Ryan has been offered a permanent chair in the Justice League by none other than Wonder Woman, so there could possibly be something there.

I've made my Ray Palmer bed and by God I will lie in it!

Regardless of what happens, Ray looks awesome here, dishing the upward sass at the two preoccupied heroes. This is just another outstanding piece of artwork from a severely talented man. One whom should be re-routing a certain green, bald man-hunter’s life.

Maybe JJ, Arthur, and Ray can form their own squad in their own comic.

They’ll be known as:

M.A.M.L.S.S.

(Multiverse, air, micro-worlds, land, sea, space)

(it’s a work in progress)

Perhaps the first page will read:

"We will not go quietly into the night... we will not vanish without a fight!

We're going to live on!

We're going to survive!”

Four minutes prior to typing this, I would have bet you my house that I’d be the last person on Earth (this one or any other) to quote Independence Day.

Damn me.

Too bad for you.

The Martian march towards death row...

This was initially going to be me posting a sketch Mike Netzer did for me, but I feel a rant coming on, so I didn't want to clog the two together. Therefore, without further adieu... I believe we've got a double posting.

With the potential execution of the Manhunter from Mars for a quick buck, Michael Netzer has launched a massive plea on his website, asking people to sign up and speak their minds against a character who's been around long enough for any comics fan to know him, but isn't so plastered on every piece of merchandise to cause an epidemic if they kill him.
I know there's been rumblings that such a plea and petition can lead to the exact opposite effect J'Onn J'Onzz enthusiasts are going for, and sure... they could be right.
If DC is so eager to do this, reaction of this magnitude spells $$$. For a limited time only, of course.

I've also heard around the horn that the worst part of this or any telegraphed execution is the prior knowledge of it. And that's very true. Instead of just picking up a comic book, getting to a point in it and seeing your hero/favorite character/guy you know getting his ticket punched, which should be an emotional experience on many levels (of course you could always just tell yourself that somewhere in an undetermined future... he'll/she'll be back), you see what you've expected for quite some time. "Look at that. They sure did kill em."

So there you go. Now everyone knows, so there's no point. Pull a humdinger of a move and have him save the world!

I've mentioned it before, and I'll say it here... I'm not against characters getting theirs and moving on to that happy fun afterlife. If they want, I'll provide a detailed list of characters that have far exceeded their usefulness, and were begging to expire long ago.

I've a problem with the potential expiration of JJ because of why I think it'll be done. Which I've already stated, is because they don't have the comics balls to take out a seriously heavy hitter. And why would they, right?
It's slated for moderate shock value of a familiar enough face. He's got some screen and toy time with the JLU, he's been out there meeting and greeting so he's a prime candidate.
But not too much.

And if this can happen to J'Onzz, what the hell will happen to my Ray!!! He's already been gone for years. Gonna crank him up a few notches then take him out too?
I had a suspicion that Choi was a test, thrown out there to see who bit and how many, soze they can throw Ray Ray in as a bonus kill.

"See the Manhunter from Mars die horrifically! w/bonus Atom death included"

Ah well. Those that are about to die, I salute you.

For some real Martian Manhunter madcappery and fun times, I'd suggest you visit Frank Lee Delano's Idol-Head of Diabolu site, a daily dedication to that bald, green dude.

JLA Pocket heroes: Day 2 - Martian Manhunter with JLA Conference Table and Chairs

There was quite a bit of time between my purchase of the JLA box set and this beauty, because I just didn't know about it. The fact that I hornswaggled it for a cool buck makes the victory a sweet one that'll rot my teeth for years to come.

So that's where's the Manhunter form Mars went! I was going to say it would be mental not to include the charter members of the Justice League in either one of these sets.

Oh wait, aquaman is...
I think that...
It's rubbish is what it is.

But, he's got a seat at the table, and that's pretty cool. 8 chairs to go around, and each chair has the logo of the hero it's meant for.

You've got J'onn, Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Green Arrow, and of course, never one to be left off of anything... The Atom.

You might ask, where in the mighty hell do Batman and Superman sit? Well, not at this table. How this came to be I'll never know. Is it possible the powers that be figured those two had been on enough and it was time to slap the logo's of some of the other schmucks on something?

It's just a very cool little piece (actually, it's much bigger than I had expected it to be. It certainly won't fit in any pocket of mine).
I don't even mind that Ray's chair is the same size as the rest of the lot (although with them throwing in "bonus" Atom stuff, I would have guessed The Batman would get his normal chair, and they'd shove in a lil Atom seat as a "bonus" for lucky folks!). I don't mind that if you try to sit any of these members in their respective seats, you must do so with their legs straight out. And if Ray is in attendance, he'll be so standing up in his chair.

To recap, I was and am very happy that Ray got to be a part of this JLA set. I look forward to that happening more AND more down the line.