After Crisis on Infinite Earths concluded in 1986, it was clear that the new era of DC Comics was going to be different. With the Multiverse gone, and new characters from Charlton Comics now in DC’s mainstream, the whole universe was going to be revamped. The years before hadn’t exactly been kind. Justice League of America (vol 1), that title which united some of the greatest superheroes in the world together, had radically changed with issue 233. Gone were Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the others as the main cast. Instead, four new heroes took the spotlight: Vibe, Vixen, Gypsy, and Steel. In short, these rather lamentable heroes did not and could never compare to the titans of before. The JLA moved to Detroit and the team faded into irrelevance. But after Crisis, things changed. J.M. DeMatteis effectively killed off most of the team in Justice League of America (vol 1) 258-261, an excellent story which proved to be the final instalment in the original JLA title. But with the Legends miniseries, a new group of heroes united to take out Darkseid in his invasion of Earth. A new league was beginning. It was time for the Justice League to go international…
Justice League (vol 1) 1-6 was published from May to October 1987, with an Annual released the same year. Justice League International (vol 1) 7, which really is the same comic but with a different title, was released in November 1987. All stories were written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis. The main artists are Kevin Maguire, Terry
Austin, and Al Gordon. I’ve read these stories in their original issues.
Born Again --- Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Kevin Maguire and Terry Austin
With the old league defeated in Legends, the final issue of that story unites Superman, Batman, Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Beast Boy, the Flash, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, Blue Beetle, and Doctor Fate to take on Glorious Godfrey of the New Gods in
his plan to invade Earth. I reviewed Legends a long time ago, but it serves well in bridging the gap between one era and another. Justice League International, or just Justice League as its known as for the first six issues, is a very different type of comic book. Compared to the runs of Gardner Fox, Dennis O’Neil, Len Wein, or Gerry Conway, the work of Giffen and DeMatteis strikes a different tone. The first page of issue one introduces us to, I guess, the anti-hero. Guy Gardner sits alone in the Justice League headquarters, absorbed by much of his ego and brash attitude. One by one, the heroes of the new league arrive, from Black Canary, Mister Miracle (and his dwarf friend Oberon), Captain Marvel, Martian Manhunter, and Blue Beetle. That’s pretty much the team, but the genius of Giffen and DeMatteis is that they don’t really work as one. Everybody hates Guy Gardner, who is a bully with a slight charm. Humour is a large quality in all the characters here, with the exception of Martian Manhunter who has had the pleasure of effectively burying Justice League Detroit and its failed members. And oh yeah, there is Batman too. He dominates the room and is the only man who can quiet down Guy. Some great drama is coming there. Giffen and DeMatteis introduce us to the new league hectically, but it is more than a study of several characters. At the United Nations headquarters, Dr Kimiyo Hoshi, who became a heroic Doctor Light in Crisis on Infinite Earths, is taken hostage by terrorists who threaten UN’s security council with a bomb. Their goals are somewhat vague, but Hoshi manages to contact Batman with a device she has mysteriously been given. The league, somewhat clumsily, arrive in time to rescue the trapped hostages. Giffen and DeMatteis conclude the story with a surprisingly dark moment as, with all the attention towards him gone, the lead terrorist kills himself in humiliation. You see, this is why Giffen and DeMatteis’s Justice League International works. It may feature a mixture of famous and obscure cast members like Justice League Detroit, but the characters are written interestingly and with diverse qualities. They are memorable. As for the story, there may be humour, but the threats faced by the league are depressingly real. For instance, a bomb threat at the UN building is a genuine realistic threat and the solution to the story is grim. Giffen and DeMatteis strike a balance with the first issue. There is certainly great humour and brilliant character studies here, but the plots are engaging and serious enough to pull a reader further into the story.
Story: 9.5/10
Art: 8.5/10
Make War No War/Meltdown --- Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon
Although Justice League (vol 1) 2 begins exactly where the first issue left off, Giffen and DeMatteis develop a two-part story which throws us deeper in the territory of Justice League International. As Batman questions Dr Hoshi over how she obtained the signal device, journalist Jack Ryder heads to the screen to criticise the Justice League for their actions, believing them to be fishy. We’ll be seeing more of him soon. Meanwhile, someone out there is taking credit for the league’s heroism, and it isn’t any of them. Enter Maxwell Lord, a PR guy with a love of money and fame. Giffen and DeMatteis write him as an apparent villain in the background who has plans for the league. As for the main plot of issue two and three, Giffen and DeMatteis supply something which haunted much of America and indeed the world during the eighties. In Bialya, a country in the Middle East led by crackpot dictator Rumaan Harjavti, a group of heroes consisting of the Silver Sorceress, Wandjina, and Blue Jay invade with the aim to destroy the world’s nuclear weapons. They do so in Bialya, but Harjavti, with his charming tongue, believes he can use the heroes for his own purposes. The threat of nuclear oblivion was large in the late Cold War days, and Giffen and DeMatteis explore the Cold War through slightly more humorous means. For instance, Harjavti is definitely suspicious, but his humour makes him unstable as he is clearly written as a dangerous dictator with little power. Naturally, the Justice League hear about the Bialya developments, and they head there. Silver Sorceress, Wandjina, and Blue Jay would actually be incredibly dull characters if their goal was as simplistic as it appears, but Giffen and DeMatteis provide some excellent backstory. It turns out that the three heroes came from a world like Earth, but it was destroyed by nuclear weapons. It becomes very personal and deep as Giffen and DeMatteis make it harder to dislike these so-called villains. When some of the league fail to defeat them and they head back to Harjavti, who tells him that Russia is home to much of the world’s nuclear weapons, you almost don’t want to stop them…
This narrative of moral confusion only becomes stronger in Justice League (vol 1) 3. While Silver Sorceress, Wandjina, and Blue Jay head to the Soviet Union, the Justice League continue their squabbles. It becomes clear that the tension within the league is a problem, but not a bad one for us readers. The arguments between Guy Gardner and Batman are hugely entertaining as the other heroes can only stare in fear. But as these are characters we care about, the arguments work. However, tension rises even further when Blue Beetle’s Bug ship enters Soviet airspace in order to follow the three anti-nuclear heroes. To understand the world of Justice League International is to understand the world of the late 1980s. Although the Cold War is nearly over, tension between America and Russia is enormous. Although Soviet leader Gorbachev may support western cooperation and peace, much of the Soviet Union does not. Giffen and DeMatteis create this Cold War-style world with the Rocket Reds, Russian super soldiers who pledge to defend the Motherland. In effect, Giffen and DeMatteis make this story into a three-way war, with the American Justice League, Russia, and the outer-world heroes fighting to defend themselves and the world from nuclear death.
There are no villains here, only heroes with different ways of achieving their goals. The only true evil here is Bialya’s dictator, but he falls into irrelevance as the Soviet Union distances themselves from crackpot communist states. Either way, the Justice League accidentally get into a fight with the Rocket Reds, but the two sides end up uniting with Silver Sorceress, Wandjina, and Blue Jay to rescue a Russian power plant from meltdown. With that, the crisis may be over, but the power of Russia overwhelms the Justice League. They are forced to leave while Silver Sorceress and Blue Jay stay behind as prisoners, but Wandjina doesn’t because he has the great excuse of being dead after saving the world from nuclear destruction. Overall, Giffen and DeMatteis continue their humour as ever, but the story is deeply powerful and thought-provoking. As I said, there’s no clear hero or villain here. Silver Sorceress, Wandjina, and Blue Jay are given intriguing backgrounds and all three sides of the story have something interesting to cover. In short, it’s fast paced and proves that Justice League could successfully adapt to the times.
Story: 10/10
Art: 8.5/10
Winning Hand --- Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon
Unlike the previous tales, Justice League (vol 1) 4 is, in terms of plot, very shallow. But it is important. Giffen and DeMatteis leave the third issue with Maxwell Lord finally presenting himself to the Justice League, with a new hero to join their ranks: Booster Gold. Compared to many of the other heroes in the run, Booster Gold is effectively brand new. He was created by Dan Jurgens in 1986, just one year before his debut in Justice League International. He even first appeared in his own title! So, surely, he must be a great addition to the team. At first, that isn’t the case. After Batman and the rest of the league attack Maxwell Lord for influencing the league for his own sake, Booster Gold senses that he isn’t really wanted and he walks outside on his own, thinking of his past in the 25th century and wondering whether he’ll ever strike it lucky in the 20th. Suddenly however, his time to shine strikes as the Royal Flush Gang break into the Justice League headquarters and Booster defeats them all with some help by Batman, Guy, and the rest of the team. In short, it all goes splendidly for Maxwell Lord as the league warms to Booster Gold and accepts him as a member. Unless you’re blind, this story is clearly very suspicious. It’s all very co-incidental. Maxwell Lord arrives with Booster just as some villains show up. Giffen and DeMatteis write Maxwell brilliantly in these early issues; he is unlikable but charming and you want to know more. As for Booster Gold himself, he isn’t anything impressive, but he appears to be another interesting personality to join a slightly overcrowded Justice League International.
Story: 8.5/10
Art: 8.5/10
Germ Warfare --- Written by J.M DeMatteis and Keith Giffen with art by Bill Willingham, Robert Campanella, Dick Giordano, Dennis Janke, Bruce D. Paterson, P. Craig Russell, and Bill Wray
Despite only having four issues, Justice League (vol 1) was given its first annual in
September 1987. Like some of the other annuals in the late eighties, it isn’t hugely important in the title’s overall story, but as it’s the Justice League, I guess it deserves one. Also, it’s worth noting that this annual features J.M. DeMatteis as the main writer, not Keith Giffen. Forty pages in length, it focuses on workers from Kord Industries (the company owned by Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle) as they arrive at a mysterious complex on an island, but something is up. They find a possessed, red-eyed girl who passes on a mysterious zombie-like virus to the workers. The pandemic begins. Half-way-across the world however, it’s another argument in the Justice League headquarters between, you guessed it, Batman and Guy. While this Annual isn’t integral to the mainstream issues, Giffen and DeMatteis are clearly building up to some kind of confrontation between the two characters which, I’m sure, will be one of the greatest battles in DC’s history. Anyhow, the Justice League receive a notification about the virus and, for much of the story, Giffen and DeMatteis take a slightly pedestrian direction. In a very 1960s move, all the heroes split into teams to investigate the infected, but all bar one succumbs to the virus. Martian Manhunter, the only non-human in the league, is immune and it is down to him to fight back. Making Martian Manhunter the main focus is a good move. Giffen and DeMatteis write him as something of a tortured soul. Clearly, he feels some guilt and anger about what happened to Justice League Detroit (after all, two of its members were killed under his watch), but as a Martian, his way of life and thinking is very different. Here, he uses Doctor Fate’s helmet to analyse the virus, discovering that it is simply an accidental creation that goes from person-to-person. Things do get rather silly when the contaminated people become one solid lump of giant monster to crush Martian Manhunter, but the story ends when the hero is forced to absorb the virus into his cell structure. With that, the contaminated are free, and the virus lies ineffective in Martian Manhunter’s DNA. Will it ever haunt Martian Manhunter in the future? No one knows. DeMatteis and Giffen write Martian Manhunter classically as a selfless character and he is clearly the star of the show. None of the other characters, with the exception of Batman and Guy earlier on, feature as much as Martian Manhunter here. Perhaps there was room for a sequel here, but since that opportunity never seemed to have been taken, it does make Germ Warfare a good but if somewhat forgettable tale. It may sag a bit in the middle, but it has a strong start and a thunderous conclusion.
Bill Willingham provides the pencils here over Giffen’s layouts and, for the most part, it looks pretty standard. The action looks fine, and the storytelling is done somewhat effectively. However, one of the standouts from Willingham’s art is the visual appearance he gives to the possessed. Their eyes are jet black, only brightened by two small red dots. It makes the villainous virus appear much more threatening and a creepy element is clearly on display. With multiple inkers present, P. Craig Russell and Bill Wray perform this haunting gesture very well, but the whole concept is lost by the end as the possessed just look like their bewildered selves. I have no clue why this story required so many inkers, but some such as Dick Giordano do the job better than others like Dennis Janke. Either way, the story isn’t transformed in any revolutionary way by the inks, and overall, it’s solid art.
Story: 8/10
Art: 8/10
Gray Life Gray Dreams/Massacre in Grey/Justice League… International --- Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon
Admittedly, one of the big problems of the early Justice League International era is that there are too many cast members. Most of these heroes have something to offer, but there is little space for them all to have their shining moments. Fortunately, Giffen and DeMatteis provide a three-parter that primarily features Doctor Fate. At the start of Justice League (vol 1) 1, he concurs that he really doesn’t fit in with the league, but fate has guided him there. Why? Well, enter the Gray Man. He appeared briefly in a previous issue, where Doctor Fate warned him mysteriously about the future. In short, he has been hired by the Lords of Order, a similar lot to those who use Doctor Fate’s powers, to retrieve dream energy from the dead. However, the Gray Man has become a villain because he is stealing it from the living. Doctor Fate defeats him at the very start, but the Gray Man fights against his masters and ends up having the power to duplicate himself. It’s all very vague and even at the start, the Gray Man is a confusing foe. These scenes pale in comparison however to what could be the most famous moment from Justice League International. The Batman/Guy Gardner feud has gone on for long enough. Giffen and DeMatteis virtually explore all the possible drama and arguments the two characters could have, and they provide an explosive conclusion: Batman takes out Guy with one punch to the face. This moment not only displays Kevin Maguire’s effective storytelling, but the reactions of different characters make it even better. For instance, Blue Beetle is almost on the ground in (continued)
hysterics, while Black Canary is depressed that she missed the whole speed of the event. Unfortunately, it’s probably the only memorable scene from Justice League (vol 1) 5 (excluding an interesting monologue with Captain Marvel’s childish thoughts on his teammates), apart from the ending of course. Doctor Fate, in a moment of desperation, orders the league to help him defeat the Gray Man in Stone Ridge, a surreal hellhole manipulated by the villain’s insanity. But what makes it better is the return of a familiar face…
Jack Ryder appears several times throughout, depicted by Giffen and DeMatteis as a journalist even more extreme than originally intended by creator Steve Ditko. He sums up the isolationist Republican wing of US politics, but his alter-ego is far more exciting. His appearance as the Creeper throughout Justice League (vol 1) 6 is charming, but admittedly somewhat pointless and lacking. He simply guides the heroes towards the Gray Man, while much of the issue is taken up by a battle between Captain Marvel (possessed by the Gray Man) and Martian Manhunter. The other heroes may shake things up for the plot’s variety, but they don’t really have much power here as Doctor Fate sends himself and the Gray Man to another dimension to conclude their duel. This issue is fairly uneventful really, aside from a meeting between Hal Jordan and Maxwell Lord over the Justice League’s future, but much of this continues in the following issue.
With Captain Marvel no longer under the Gray Man’s control, the story from the previous few issues ends far too quickly with Justice League International (vol 1) 7. Yes, this is when the title changes as the league fully adopts their international brief. But in just the first half-a-dozen pages, the Gray Man is defeated and sent back to prison, with Doctor Fate and the others returned home. This definitely should have occurred in the previous issue, and it would have ended the Gray Man story effectively. Here, it just feels like a rushed addition which isn’t handled too well. Overall though, although the Gray Man may have prided himself on being grey and boring, much of the story he appears in is the same. It may be helped by the lack of wordy dialogue by either Giffen or DeMatteis, but the Gray Man story is far too mystical for my liking. Luckily, the meat of this double-length special is far more enjoyable. As the Creeper goes back to his day job, the Justice League return home and Martian Manhunter isn’t happy to find Maxwell Lord waiting for him. Justice League International (vol 1) 7 can be considered the midway point of Justice League International’s first main storyline. Maxwell has ensured that the Justice League are now chartered by the United Nations, and Oberon, Mister Miracle’s trusted pal, is fully supportive. Martian Manhunter and Oberon are two of the best characters here. The former is worried about Maxwell because, unlike most of the other characters, he cares about the league fundamentally. He’s the only character to have starred in every incarnation of the Justice League up until that point, and he is still shattered by what happened in the final issues of Justice League Detroit’s rocky era. Meanwhile, Giffen and DeMatteis write Oberon as more than just Mister Miracle’s buddy. He has a real sense of care and honour, but he is also feisty and funny. He can be a very diverse character throughout the run, and he is memorable because, in effect, he looks after everyone. Perhaps most strikingly of all, this issue fundamentally changes a character almost beyond recognition. Whether it be his being punched in the face by Batman, or being bitten by a mouse, or just getting a good old-fashioned telling-off by Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner is no longer a jackass. Instead, he is kind and caring, almost as if he is on Valium. This gentler Green Lantern is a change and an hilarious one, but you just know that one day, the bastard will return. Anyway, the main plot of this issue is that (continued)
President Ronald Reagan, despite not being in full charge of his facilities, doesn’t know if a UN-charted Justice League is a good idea or not. So, to prove him wrong, the Justice League basically defeat an alien attack on Earth. When reading this, I thought that this whole premise should have been a big deal. The heroes fly into space to defeat this machine-like nemesis, but it’s all over in a matter of ten pages or so. However, Giffen and DeMatteis utterly fail to be subtle in their suggestion that the invasion was a fake. It seems awfully suspicious that the attack is recorded by the so-called “aliens” and transmitted back down to Earth, while Maxwell Lord stands there pleased with himself. In short, it is a clear manipulation and Giffen and DeMatteis perhaps could have disguised that slightly. Hell, Booster Gold’s joining the league was better covered up than this. However, it’s too early to delve into the secret plans of Maxwell Lord. That comes later. For now, the Justice League is successful, and the UN give them official status. Giffen and DeMatteis make some last-minute changes to the cast as Captain Marvel and Doctor Fate (predictably) leave, and Captain Atom and one of the Rocket Reds join what is now known as Justice League International. Martian Manhunter also becomes the official head instead of Batman. But with that, Maxwell Lord’s PR plan works. While it may be some time before readers fully realise Maxwell’s aims and plans for the league, right now, the Justice League is at its most impressive it has been for years…
Story: 7.5/10
Art: 8.5/10
Certainly, Kevin Maguire was the face of Justice League International’s visuals. He pencils about the first thirty or so issues of the Giffen/DeMatteis run and his art works because it is human and heroic at the same time. He can convey both the scenes of comedy and light-heartedness and the action scenes. He possesses a great balance as his art is generally attractive, impressive, and personable. It may, like many other JLA art, have its bland qualities as it appears quite uniform on occasions, but Maguire definitely deserves to stand up there with Dick Dillin, George Perez, and Jim Lee. It’s a shame that Terry Austin only inks the first issue. He provides pencils with a distinctive and professional look, but that is certainly not to say that Al Gordon is no good. Although blander, his finishes correspond well to Maguire’s tone and overall, they make a great team and define the early days of Justice League International.
VERDICT
Overall, Justice League International: Born Again is a terrific start for Giffen and DeMatteis’s ground-breaking JLI. Justice League (vol 1) 1 is a brilliant introduction that establishes both the comedy and drama of the run, while issues two and three supply a flawless story which proves the Justice League can be relevant. The introduction of Booster Gold is a good read, and the Annual is a fun and occasionally emotional story that, unfortunately, has little impact on future stories. As for the final three issues, the path to the seventh issue’s conclusion may be rocky and slightly convoluted, but Giffen and DeMatteis ensure that the story is never dull, and the humour is never absent. Overall, a fantastic start.
Stories: 9/10
Art: 8.5/10
Next Week: Justice League International: Who is Maxwell Lord (Justice League International (vol 1) 8-13, Suicide Squad (vol 1) 13). Written by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and John Ostrander with art by Kevin Maguire, Al Gordon, Luke McDonnell, and Bob Lewis.
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