Released in late 2007, over 6 years after Hitman concluded, this was a two-issue mini-series about a heretofore untold adventure Tommy Monaghan had with the Morrison-era JLA. Clark Kent, claiming to tell a story Superman can't, reveals a time where Monaghan saved the Justice League. By killing a bunch of people.
While this conversation is taking place some undetermined time after the end of Tommy's book, the incident had to take place after Hitman #34, as Peter Kirby was prompted to go digging after heading to Noonan's for research on a story and seeing the autographed magazine cover Superman gave Tommy at the conclusion of that issue. Beyond that, it has to take place before issue #42 because of the presence of Ringo Chen. My guess is it happens shortly after issue 34, because the story after that was when Tommy learns about his parents and goes to Ireland, which put him in a real funk for awhile, not in evidence here. Plus, the space shuttle disaster that troubled Superman to the point he and Tommy talked is still fresh in his mind, so it's probably close to that.
Anyway. The League encounter a problem related to the same aliens from Bloodlines, and need the assistance (or blood) of one of the survivors. Batman fetches Tommy, intending to haul him off to jail after all this. Plus, as Flash and Green Lantern opine, all the other actual Bloodlines heroes are lame. Like, really lame.
The aliens have figured out how to grant superpowers without losing control of the people, and one switches off the JLA's powers until they can take them as hosts. Which, as mentioned above, leads to Tommy killing a bunch of possessed astronauts to save the JLA from being nuked by terrified world governments. Because it's Ennis writing superheroes, so they're not going to be too competent.
Green Lantern's there mostly to be the butt of jokes, after his less-than-dignified team-up with Tommy, and Ennis completely misses the mark on Wonder Woman, which does not surprise me in the slightest. The idea she would be so reductive as to dismiss Tommy as an assassin, nothing more, or tell Superman his empathy with Tommy doesn't reflect well on him, just seems bizarre to me. Unless Ennis was working off the Frank Miller model, which seems entirely likely.
I did laugh when, after Batman's chewed out GL for working with Tommy - and stated he's disgracing that ring, like Hal Jordan didn't try to erase the entire universe at one point, or John Stewart didn't get a fucking planet blown up - Superman shows up and shakes Tommy's hand, and we get a tiny panel of Kyle smirking at Batman. Plus the bit where, having learned Tommy's a hired killer, Superman asks what he was doing on that rooftop. Cue panel of Tommy standing there looking stupid while Batman holds up his guns in the background.
McCrea's very good at that sort of quiet humor, or offbeat stuff. The remaining Leaguers preparing for an assault, while Tommy's behind them, casually whistling as he picks up his guns. Tommy's repulsed look when he overhears Natt the Hat's dirty talk with his girlfriend, who suffered an unfortunate accident at the Injun Peak Research facility. McCrea's work is rougher than it was on Hitman. The shadows aren't as smooth or as solid, his linework is busier and thinner. It looks like he did this on a tighter deadline, but it might just be the direction his style was moving.
Superman and Tommy do have a chat late in the proceedings, because that's really what this story is about, Superman trying to understand Tommy. He seems lost at the notion Tommy could say all the things he did on that rooftop, believe in what Superman tries to stand for, yet still be a killer. Why is Superman, who believes Lex Luthor has the capacity for good, confused at something like that?
So maybe the point is that's not the kind of story superheroes are built for. Ennis tap dances around it in the first issue, when GL gets queasy about Tommy shooting pieces off the aliens - aka, torture - to get information. Then goes head-on in the conclusion, when Clark and Peter Kirby discuss Tommy's decision to kill a bunch of possessed astronauts to save the JLA in comparison to Truman dropping A-bombs on Japan, and how that's not a decision Superman is equipped to make.
Of course, it's all filtered through Ennis, so when GL discusses torture, he describes how soldiers will use it just to learn the time of day and everyone's OK with that, but the heroes get squeamish if they even hurt someone too much. I'm not sure everyone is as hunky-dory with torture as all that, but this was published in 2007, when 24 was still big on TV. People sure loved watching Jack Bauer do illegal crap to save the President, so maybe I'm not assessing it fairly.
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