Justice League Task Force Vol 1 7



''' Valley of the Daals! '''


 * "A leader cannot lead if he appears ludicrous to those who would follow him."
 * --Martian Manhunter

Summary
Volume: 1 Issue: 7 Month: December Year: 1993

Credits
Head Writer: Peter David Cover Artists: Sal Velluto and Jeff Albrecht Pencilers: Sal Velluto Inkers: Jeff Albrecht Colourists: Glenn Whitmore Editors: Ruben Diaz and Brian Augustyn

Synopsis
Cast of Characters:
 * Justice League
 * Dolphin
 * Gypsy
 * Martian Manhunter
 * Maxima
 * Vixen
 * Wonder Woman (Diana)


 * Hannibal Martin
 * Henry R. Haggard
 * Her-Who-Must-Be-Served
 * Luta

First Appearances: Henry R. Haggard (a government agent); Her-Who-Must-Be-Served (an African Amazon); Luta (an African Amazon) Final Appearances: No final appearances

Synopsis: An American agent named Henry R. Haggard secures a supply of a deadly virus called the McGuffin Virus. His British colleague betrays him however, and abandons him in the jungles of Africa after stealing the virus. Haggard discovers a strange Amazonian civilization populated by green-skinned barbarian women who take him prisoner.

Meanwhile at Task Force headquarters, Dolphin, Gypsy, Maxima, Vixen and Wonder Woman are watching An Affair to Remember. Gypsy, Maxima and Vixen find the film ludicrous and offensive, while Wonder Woman and Dolphin are moved to tears by its sentimentality.

Martian Manhunter interrupts the evening to tell them of Haggard's disappearance. He also shows them video footage with the Amazon women (known as Daals) demanding a negotiation for his release. However, they will only negotiate with female ambassadors. Reluctantly, Martian Manhunter is forced to take on a feminine form in order to lead the rescue operation. In a bout of light-hearted humor, his teammates begin calling him "Joan Jonnz".

They fly to the Daal village and fight through a violent terrain filled with aggressive animals and sea life. Eventually they find the Daal village and meet the queen, Her-Who-Must-Be-Served. The leader takes a sudden interest in Martian Manhunter (while still in his female form) and declares that "she" shall be her mate.

Trivia

 * The title for this issue is taken from the 1966 Jacqueline Susann novel, Valley of the Dolls.


 * Reference is made to Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burroughs is a novelist famous for creating jungle adventure/fantasy stories including characters such as Tarzan, and John Carter - Warlord of Mars.


 * Henry R. Haggard is named for writer H. Rider Haggard, a novelist who (like Burroughs) is noted for his adventure stories which primarily took place within jungle settings. The leader of the Daals Her-Who-Must-Be-Served is named for the Haggard character Ayesha, who is also known by the pseudonym She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.


 * The McGuffin Virus is actually a play on words. A McGuffin is also a literary term used to describe a plot device that motivates the characters and advances the story, but has little other relevance to the story itself.


 * An Affair to Remember is the name of an actual 1957 romance movie starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. At the time of publishing, the film enjoyed renewed popularity due to its inclusion in the 1993 romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle.

Recommended Readings

 * Justice League International (Volume 1)
 * Justice League Europe

Related Articles

 * Justice League Task Force cover art gallery
 * Justice League Task Force members
 * Dolphin appearances list
 * Gypsy appearances list
 * Martian Manhunter appearances list
 * Maxima appearances list
 * Vixen appearances list
 * Wonder Woman appearances list