After seven issues of the relaunched title, a new era for the Justice League had truly begun. Now chartered by the United Nations, the Justice League has become international. Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis transformed an innocent and broadly outdated team known as the Justice League of America into a worldwide group that had to cope with the troubles of the last years of the Cold War. However, the second half of Justice League International’s first year took a rather different course. With new life breathed into the league, DC see it is as entirely natural that the team should be thrown into another crossover event. This time, the big event was Millennium, a large crossover featuring all-out war between the Guardians of Oa and the villainous Manhunters. And then DC lodge another crossover into the works as the new Justice League are forced to meet the new Suicide Squad. Trust me, that is more interesting than Millennium. However, certainly more intriguing than anything else here is the answer to Justice League International’s original question: Who is Maxwell Lord?
Justice League International (vol 1) 8-13 was published from December 1987 to May 1988, with Suicide Squad (vol 1) 13 released in May. All the stories were written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, with art by Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon. Of course, that does not apply to Suicide Squad (vol 1), which was written by John Ostrander with Luke McDonnell and Bob Lewis providing the art. I’ve read these stories in their
original issues, with the exception of the JLI/SS crossover, which was published in Suicide Squad: The Nightshade Odyssey.
Moving Day --- Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon
So, as the Justice League becomes a global entity, it’s time to move out from that dusty cave in America. Historically, bases for the Justice League have always been superbly
imposing and heroic, or just plain awful. As good as the Gardner Fox/Mike Sekowsky run was, a cave in Happy Harbour just didn’t cut it. However, the Satellite above Earth certainly did, and it remained the JLA’s headquarters for well over a decade. For Justice League International, Giffen and DeMatteis have changed some things. As a worldwide force, the JLI have several bases all over the world. This new embassy is in Paris, beginning the Europe faction of the JLI. As you’d expect, Justice League International (vol 1) 8 is an entertaining and comedic travesty. Giffen and DeMatteis capture every character here as moving into the Paris embassy proves to be, well, tricky to say the least. It begins to go wrong when Martian Manhunter falls through the floorboards, and Captain Atom accidently destroys the league’s security system. From there, the JLI find it difficult to set up camp in Russia because of the anti-Russian stance previously held staunchly by Guy Gardner. Of course, that was before his whole personality changed, but nobody with a right mind would think that Guy’s head would remain in the clouds for long. Aside from all the ironic humour, which clearly works well here, undoubtedly the best scenes in Moving Day are the ones featuring Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. These two characters form a very close friendship that lasts for the whole run. They love each other, they hate each other, they laugh at each other. Giffen and DeMatteis write them as if they are real people. For instance, Ted Kord laughs as Booster Gold tries to chat up a woman in the street but ends up failing horrifically. And then of course, that same woman, named Catherine Cobert, is appointed the league’s Paris envoy. Classic situational writing. Although superheroes, Booster and Beetle don’t take their roles very seriously, but the are definitely the most human characters you can find in Justice League International. The Justice League may make their mistakes, but most of the time, they end victorious. Unfortunately, that really doesn’t happen here. Just as things look good, Blue Beetle’s Bug ship crashes straight into the building, rendering every event of this story entirely pointless. However, this doesn’t fuel any anger for me. Giffen and DeMatteis may write a story which, in effect, begins as it ends, but they journey is brilliant as we are supplied with excellent characters, dialogue, and events which really make Justice League International (vol 1) 8 stand out…
Also, on a quick side note, the end of Justice League International (vol 1) 8 featured a short back-up story which, down the road, proves to be important. As the JLI now enjoy the UN’s endorsement, their old superhero group, the Global Guardians, is thrown out into the wilderness. Their leader, Jack-O-Lantern, is far from pleased, but his teammates Doctor Mist and Belphegor believes that it is time to move on. Jack-O-Lantern believes otherwise. The story is only six pages, and Jack-O-Lantern appears once more in the following issue.
Story: 10/10
Art: 8.5/10
Seeing Red/Soul of the Machine (Millennium Weeks 1 & 5) --- --- Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon
After Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC went, to put it mildly, crossover mad. First it was Legends, that post-Crisis tale which united a new Justice League to take on Darkseid and his evil forces. That miniseries, just six-issues in length, crossed over with about twenty other titles, some of them multiple times such as the final issues of Justice League of America (vol 1). Hell, DC even launched a Cosmic Boy miniseries to tie into it. In 1988, things didn’t look much different. Enter Millennium, an eight-issue series penned by Steve Englehart which, in short, entailed an intergalactic war between good and evil. In this case, the evil was the Manhunters, basically glorified evil androids. Every week, titles would crossover with the event and most of them are just laboured and, in the grand schemes of the individual titles, pointless. Fortunately, Giffen and DeMatteis make the most of Justice League International (vol 1) 9 and 10. There really isn’t much plot here at all. With the Justice League informed by the Guardians of Oa about the oncoming Manhunter danger, it is revealed that new member Rocket Red is a Manhunter. He just reveals it to the team explicitly, trying to peacefully convert them to the Manhunter cause. Perhaps this moment would have made more sense if Rocket Red had had enough time to immerse himself with the rest of the team. Since his character is far from strong or developed yet, this revelation just doesn’t have much punch to it. However, it makes an excuse for a fight as the league take out the Manhunter with the help of another Rocket Red. That’s really it for the main story, but Giffen and DeMatteis supply some excellent background story as Maxwell Lord continues to spy on the League. However, he is nearly killed by a Manhunter, who in turn is murdered by a mysterious robot. Really, this is the only piece of Justice League International plot worth ingesting here. Overall, the first JLI crossover with Millennium is helped by the fact that it takes place at the very start of the overall story (meaning there is little excess baggage), but it is a quick read with little impression.
As for the Jack-O-Lantern back-up, he simply spends six pages roaming around Bialya, speaking to crackpot dictator Rumaan Harjavti, who tries to hire the hero for his anti-UN alliance. His plan fails and Jack-O-Lantern is left to roam around the world looking for a purpose. These Jack-O-Lantern tales are somewhat random and forgettable, but I suppose they add something to the ever-changing world of JLI.
The moment you open the first page to Justice League International (vol 1) 10, you will be instantly confused. It features virtually all non-JLI heroes floating in space. Okay, there are regulars here, like Martian Manhunter and Captain Atom, but Giffen and DeMatteis provide no explanation to how Superman, Hal Jordan, or Hawkman arrived. This takes place in Millennium week 5, but the story is written as if you should be aware of every single development in every other title. Therefore, the problem instantly is that you don’t know what is going on, and it heavily dampens any potential enjoyability. Regardless, we are fortunate that most of the issue is just the heroes fighting against Manhunters on a space station. The characters may be, on the whole, boring. However, there is one notable addition here that just makes everything worthwhile. Enter Gnort, a dog-like Green Lantern with little intelligence and a rather irritating character. Every hero pretty much dislikes him as he proves, (continued)
on the whole, useless. However, I have to say that his humour is funny and he is a very typical Keith Giffen character. He could easily be a regular feature for Justice League International, but perhaps that would become awfully tired incredibly quickly. But one of the reasons I think he is a good character is because he is memorable. Most of the Green Lantern Corps is utterly dull. Most of the members just don’t stick in my head and even dominant heroes such as Hal Jordan come across as extremely boring. Gnort may be an irritant, but he is a memorable one. Either way, that pretty much concludes Justice League International (vol 1) 10. The space station explodes, and the Manhunter crisis doesn’t appear over. In short, both of these issues are not made for fans who just want to read Justice League International. Sure, Giffen and DeMatteis try their best with humour and the introduction of characters such as Gnort, but when the main cast of the second half is boringly tedious and the story is similar, there really isn’t any point.
To replace the extremely short-lived Jack-O-Lantern tales, Giffen writes and pencils a short story about Blue Beetle and Mister Miracle attempting to deactivate a Manhunter bomb. Of course, there is a comedic twist, and the writing is on point. Why couldn’t this be the main feature instead of a confusing mess with irrelevant characters?
Story: 4/10
Art: 8/10
Constructions/Who is Maxwell Lord? --- Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon
This is truly what we’ve all been waiting for. Maxwell Lord has been the most mysterious and intriguing character in Giffen and DeMatteis’s run. His aims are secretive, and his ego dominating. His intent appears to be self-absorption, but not necessarily evil. With Justice League International (vol 1) 11, the secret finally comes out. After the Millennium crisis, Maxwell (somehow completely recovered from his injuries in the last story) invites Martian Manhunter and Captain Atom to his office, but the businessman’s gleam is instantly destroyed when he realises that Superman and Hal Jordan (both of whom helped the league in the previous issue) won’t be joining JLI. It turns out that Maxwell is assembling this new Justice League because, in his mind, someone is out to get him. Although not much is given away, it’s clear that in previous issues that Maxwell’s every move is being monitored by strange technological force of sort. The rest of the league make their way to Maxwell’s office, a
sequence which is brimming with entertaining character as, by this point, every hero has had their moments. Even the new Rocket Red, Dmitri, may be brand new, but his joyous personality (with a taste for confusing American heroes with his falsified view of their culture) adds much diversity and interest into the team which hasn’t been seen ever before. Either way, the league themselves become a target when missiles are launched at their ship and Batman takes control by forcing Blue Beetle to crash his ship into Maxwell’s office. There, the whole group learn of Maxwell Lord’s belief that he is being watched, which Batman believes is just paranoia. However, the Dark Knight’s hunch is wrong as the JLI are confronted by the Construct, a giant robot with advanced technological powers with destruction as its prime goal. It fought against the Justice League of America once before. But this time, the Construct has a master, the same eyes who have been watching Maxwell all of this time. The league follows the Construct to its enslaved master: Metron of the New Gods!
After a shocking cliff-hanger, Justice League International (vol 1) 12 is where we get some answers. Were it not for Mister Miracle’s presence, Metron would have obliterated the league. However, Metron is just as powerless here as a mysterious sentiment machine has taken control of his retrieval unit and the Construct. As Metron destroys his retrieval unit and his purpose in the story is complete, the sentient force needs a new home, and it turns to its most famous victim: Maxwell Lord. This computer has been manipulating Maxwell Lord for years and, characteristically, it all began when he first manipulated it for his own financial gain. Wanting to take over a rich company in his youth, Maxwell got to know the company’s president and set himself up as the successor to the empire’s fortune. However, he grew tired and planned to kill the president in one of their weekend hiking trips. However, Maxwell didn’t have the stomach for murder. Instead, he discovered this sentient computer in a cavern, and it transformed him into a calculating figure with mysterious intent. This new Maxwell Lord let the company president die, he took over the presidency, and from there, created a new Justice League for world domination. This explanation, while longwinded and often too complex for its own good, does justice to the secretive events of previous issues. Moments such as Booster Gold’s joining the league, and the weird, recorded alien invasion in Justice League International (vol 1) 7, have all been part of the computer’s plan. Maxwell Lord was simply a catalyst for its plan to use the league to dominate the world. In remembering what happened, Maxwell’s rage takes over and he smashes the computer to pieces. In just one panel, Giffen and DeMatteis conclude a story that lasted twelve issues. It may have become slightly complex in its latter scenes, but the final moment proves that Maxwell Lord is a changing hero. With the computer destroyed, it’s constant control and safeguarding of Maxwell is gone. Therefore, his injuries from the Manhunter several issues ago return. His bleeding leads him to hospital, where Oberon, always the one who trusted him the most, believes that one day Maxwell will be an asset to Justice League International. Overall, this concludes JLI’s first main storyline pretty well. Maxwell Lord is a well-developed focus here as Giffen and DeMatteis write one of their most serious, yet enjoyable stories so far. That said, I do think it slogs in the middle as all the stuff with Metron is, in the grand scheme of things, pretty pointless. However, I guess it makes for an effective cliff-hanger.
Story: 7.5/10
Art: 8.5/10
Collison Course/Battle Lines --- Written by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and John Ostrander with art by Kevin Maguire, Al Gordon, Luke McDonnell, and Bob Lewis
With the Maxwell Lord storyline finally complete, Giffen and DeMatteis team up with writer John Ostrander of Suicide Squad to write a two-part crossover in which the two teams meet. For starters, why did this story happen? Most obviously, it was probably for sales returns. While Justice League International was certainly a DC top seller, Suicide Squad was relatively new and it needed as much exposure as it could get (and deservedly too, it’s a great title). Both Justice League International and Suicide Squad were, however, quite similar at times. Both titles were fuelled by character and relationships, while they both also took advantage of the current affairs of the late eighties. The main story of this crossover focuses on Nemesis, a Suicide Squad member who has been locked in a Soviet Union prison. Upon hearing about this, Rick Flagg of Suicide Squad tells his teammates (Bronze Tiger, Vixen, Javelin, Captain Boomerang, Nightshade, Deadshot, and Duchess) that they must rescue Nemesis, but their boss Amanda Waller is very sceptical. On the other side however, things aren’t very different. Batman wants to rescue Nemesis because they were allies in the past (The Brave and the Bold), but the other heroes are worried because of potential Russian interference. However, with Maxwell Lord recovering in hospital, the Justice League International decide to break into Nemesis’s prison. But so do the Suicide Squad. The first part, written by Giffen and DeMatteis for Justice League International (vol 1) 13, ends with both teams confronting one another in jail. In the background, Giffen and DeMatteis write a great feud between Waller and Maxwell, which is somehow highly mysterious yet hilarious as the two despise one another, but they both suddenly realise that their own teams have messed this mission up.
Suicide Squad (vol 1) 13 is really a pretty plotless issue. The league and the squad confront one another only to learn that they are both present for the same reason, but Ostrander writes some brilliant character moments here. For instance, Vixen reunites with Martian Manhunter in an emotional scene which really deserves a story of its own, with the two Justice League Detroit heroes rekindling their friendship. Elsewhere, Captain Boomerang tries to fight Guy Gardner, but he is not at all aware of the Green Lantern’s character change. But most importantly, the focus is on Batman and Rick Flagg. As the two main characters of their respective teams, they argue about Nemesis’s fate, and it breaks out into a fight. As if in unison, all the characters fight one another but quickly stop when they realise how pointless it is. As for Batman and Flagg, that fight continues and abruptly ends when the Dark Knight knocks Flagg unconscious. In the end, Nemesis is taken prisoner by Justice League International, but Amanda Waller is happy as her Suicide Squad is kept a secret. Maxwell Lord is far from pleased however, mainly because the league didn’t want to do a press conference. The real kicker of this story which really stands out is Batman’s departure from the league. This moment was always going to come, at least since Justice League International (vol 1) 7 when the team received UN-backing. He operates in the dark, and this story showcases his anger at the JLI’s careful strategies and attitudes. Ostrander may not capture Batman is in the same light as Giffen and DeMatteis (the Dark Knight is too rash in his dialogue here), but his leaving stands out as a hugely memorable moment. Other than that, all writers perfectly write President Ronald (continued)
Reagan here as a man not in charge of his facilities (very reflective of reality), although I think that Nemesis really should have featured more here. I mean, the story is all about him. However, Giffen, DeMatteis, and Ostrander write an effective and enjoyable tale that may be shallow in terms of plot, but the sense of character and emotion is wonderful.
Story: 8.5/10
Art: 7/10
Like before, the art of Justice League International is pencilled by Kevin Maguire with Al Gordon providing the inks. Without trying to repeat myself in too much detail, Maguire manages to capture every mood and element of Giffen and DeMatteis’s writing, and he visually defines the characters and whole team of JLI. Maguire provides some brilliant covers, most notably Justice League International (vol 1) 12 featuring Maxwell Lord as part-human and part-android. Even the Millennium stories, which are far from my favourites, look stunning as Maguire puts in so much effort. As an inker, Gordon isn’t bad at all, just perhaps a little bland when compared to someone like Terry Austin. As for Suicide Squad however, the art there is very different. Luke McDonnell’s pencils are, to put it bluntly, boring and strangely defined. The layouts are exciting enough, but the finished pencils look underdeveloped and unfinished. Bob Lewis certainly adds very little to the inks as it appears that some details have been left out or just simply added in too quickly. It’s a shame that Suicide Squad (vol 1) was not blessed with great artists, as John Ostrander provides some good scripts for the title. However, if you want a title to be both exciting and visually memorable, McDonnell isn’t the best choice.
VERDICT
Overall, Justice League International: Who is Maxwell Lord? concludes the first storyline of JLI well. Moving Day is a flawlessly entertaining story with great character, but the Millennium stories are a bit of a let-down. Giffen and DeMatteis try their best, but it doesn’t hide the fact that Millennium is a dud idea. The conclusion of Maxwell Lord’s storyline is enjoyable enough as Giffen and DeMatteis understand his character well, but it can be too complex at times. Lastly, the Suicide Squad crossover is good fun, even if it does lack a coherent plot. But with Batman gone from the league and Maxwell Lord seemingly cured, what is next for Justice League International?
Stories: 7.5/10
Art: 8/10
Next Week: Batman: Venom (Legends of the Dark Knight (vol 1) 16-20). Written by Dennis O’Neil with art by Trevor Von Eeden, Russell Braun, and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez,
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