For many issues, Justice League International presented two teams united by their failure, silliness, but also their courage. For all of their flaws, Justice League America and Justice League Europe were united teams. However, readers would have noticed that Giffen and DeMatteis have been moving the American team away from that. One of the great friendships of the run, between Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, collapsed when the former left the league. It was always going to lead to a major story – most likely a split in the league. Finally, as the run begins to near its end, Giffen and DeMatteis presents the league with their first true competition – enter the Conglomerate, led by Booster Gold…
While Justice League America 41-45 was published from August to December 1990, Justice League Europe 20-22 was released from November 1990 to January 1991. Meanwhile, Justice League Quarterly 1, an eighty-page giant, was published for Winter 1990. All stories were written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis (with Gerard Jones) with various artists. I’ve read all of these stories in their original issues.
Maximum Force --- Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Mike McKone and Bruce D. Patterson
Ever since the Meta-Gene saga that was created as a result of the Invasion miniseries
in the late-1980s, anybody in the world could be a superhero. As if by random, citizens were given random powers while a fraction of those who already were gifted had their strange skills taken from them. Maxwell Lord is one of the lucky ones. It was revealed in a previous issue that Maxwell was affected by the bomb, and he now has powers of mind-control. Justice League America 41 explores this in quite a jovial way, and that’s good. The previous story, featuring Despero, was pretty bleak. And since Maxwell Lord is a funny, if secretly sinister, character, Giffen and DeMatteis write some authentic humour. In short, in a long sequence which is revealed at the end to be a dream, Maxwell Lord becomes a superhero named Maximum Force. This dream begins when a tired Maxwell begins to theorise about the possible uses of his powers, and throughout he saves people by using his mind-control to force villains into killing themselves. The moral here is that while heroes may use their powers for good, there can often be a negative factor that accompanies them. For instance, not only does Maximum Force kill people (which is frowned upon by the JLI), he has no regard for innocents as many of them are killed by debris and villains thrown from heights onto packed cities. In the end, both Maxwell and I are glad the story is a dream. It would be really embarrassing and a step-too far if Maxwell literally became a superhero for good. As it is currently, Maxwell works as an organised egotist who cannot control his own team well, let alone the thoughts of others. Overall, it’s a nice entertaining one-off, but perhaps it contains some potential for darker stories in the future.
Mike McKone and Bruce D. Patterson shine here simply for making Maximum Force appear as a naff 1950s superhero with a tight costume. They capture the silly mood of the story well and that even continues into the final pages when the mood becomes grim and subdued. The rest is pretty standard.
Story: 9.5/10
Art: 8/10
Solicitations/If You Play Your Cards Right/Pastiche --- Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Mike McKone, Jose Marzan. Jr, and Adam Hughes
After a light-hearted one-off, Justice League America 42-44 are connected as one story, particularly the latter two.
If I were to ignore the moments of laughter and humour, I would describe JLA 42 as unnecessary. The usual members of Justice League America go about the world trying to recruit new members, but to no success. By this point, because of how inadequate the team are and how threatening their foes can be, it’s no secret that JLI isn’t a great team to be in. However, as I said, the humour works brilliantly here as characters such as Starman and Hawk and Dove (and more) shine as the league fails to enlist their help. However, Giffen and DeMatteis end things impressively when Orion and Lightray – two hefty Fourth World heroes – enter and join the team. While I’ve never been a fan of godly or overly powerful heroes joining the league, this does make things more exciting as it feels like the team is going to enter new and more threatening territory.
Justice League America 43 is where a story begins to formulate. With two new overpowered members, the JLA head out on patrol and prevent Atom villain Sonar from robbing a bank. However, Sonar escapes when he shatters every inch of glass on the block, before running into a nervous and suspicious character named Wally. He’s the guy whose been, for the last couple of issues, going through the JLA’s rubbish bins to find information about the team. Things then devolve into something of an unrealistic mess when Wally is introduced to a secret bar filled with supervillains. Instead of beating up and killing Wally as an innocent intruder in their lair, he challenges the villains to a game of cards – if he loses, he will give them the information he has about the JLA, but if he wins, he’ll keep the information and take all the weapons belonging to the villains. Of course, he wins, and the JLA have a new
foe in Wally.
What is the point of all of this, you may ask? Believe it or not, it’s about supervillains and morality.
With every villainous weapon in his power, Wally goes on a rampage in Justice League America 44. He destroys most of the city, which begins a revolution in the supervillain community as they all head out on the streets. The JLA is put on red alert and sent to the scene. However, the revolution quickly transforms into a revolt against Wally, attacking him for using their weapons for such disastrous purposes. The villains – Sonar being one of them despite the revelation that it isn’t really the real Sonar (this isn’t mentioned again) – tell Wally that there is a sense of honour as a villain and Wally has gone too far. I don’t quite get this idea that supervillains respect the rules. Hello! They are supervillains! Destroying things, killing people and stealing items is who they are. I just find it bizarre that Wally is portrayed as worse than they are. That said, Wally seriously lacks a goal throughout this whole story. Okay, he has been collecting information about the JLI, but for what purpose? Was this always his goal? Little is said in this regard and when the story ends, with the JLA arriving to arrest all the villains and not Wally, who they don’t realise is behind everything, Wally decides to give up all of his information to Martian Manhunter before going into hiding. I suppose for the JLI this story hits home just how ineffective and clumsy they are at disguising their own identities and what they get up to. However, it doesn’t really work when the story is as shallow and pointless as it is. Perhaps there is something in this story, but with a character like Wally who is just as exciting as cardboard and a bizarre moral message in the concluding issue, I don’t really know what the purpose of the plot is. It does have a good and funny start, but when things get serious, the story becomes clumsy and unbelievable.
There’s not really much to say about the art with these three issues. Mike McKone and Adam Hughes both produce decent art that tells a fairly silly story well, but it’s never impressive nor that memorable.
Story: 6.5/10
Art: 7/10
Rue Britannia --- Written by Gerard Jones and Keith Giffen with art by Marshall Rogers and Bob Smith
If I had to describe Rue Britannia in just one word, it would be cringe. While American comics often exude very simplistic and stereotypical depictions of English superheroes, Justice League Europe 20 takes the first prize. But it is on purpose. In London, an old Englishman named Michael searches quickly through storage boxes and finds the costume of the Beefeater. According to Michael, who is frankly insane and deluded but in quite an amusing way, the Beefeater was a hero back in the day who fought fascism alongside Captain Glory. The only problem is that Captain Glory was only a comic book, and the Beefeater was a creation of Michael’s crazed drunk father. However, Michael doesn’t care, and he storms to the JLI Embassy in Paris to join the European league – he is angry that the team lack any European members, which is a fair point. Either way, the cover of JLE 20 (with Michael as the Beefeater standing as a giant crushing Paris below his feet) makes the Beefeater more sinister than he really is. While the whole JLE is outside sunbathing and courting the press, the Beefeater breaks into the Embassy and, upon triggering a security device accidently, blows up the entire building. That is really about it for this story. In the end, the JLE move their primary base to London. Therefore, I guess the whole point of this story was to move the JLE from France to the UK. If that was the case, Giffen and Jones certainly picked the most elaborate and entertaining way of completing that goal. And, as a result, the Beefeater tale may feature an over-the-top and basic foe, but it is filled with moments of humour and slapstick comedy – which does go overboard sometimes.
When I think of Marshall Rogers, whom I consider a top-tier artist of comic books, Justice League Europe is never a title I remember him working on. Most fans – like myself – recall his brilliant art in Detective Comics during the late-1970s when working with writer Steve Englehart. Here, of course, the humour is different. Those Batman tales were darker – JLE just isn’t. However, perhaps with some help from Bob Smith’s basic inks, the silly mood of this story remains, but Rogers’s storytelling is just as effective as always and even the most mundane and pointless of moments are drawn with interest and drama.
Story: 9/10
Art: 9/10
Corporate Manoeuvres (and Leveraged Buyouts) --- Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Giffen, Chris Sprouse, and Bruce D. Patterson
I’ll never know why DC decided to launch Justice League Quarterly. The JLI were
already lucky when they were given two titles each with their own annuals. But after a one-off special issue, DC went a step-further and introduced a Quarterly title. While this title later became something of a dumping ground for one-off inventory stories written and drawn by creators few would have heard of, the first three Quarterlies are the only ones worth looking at. That’s partly because they are the only three written by Giffen and DeMatteis, but also because they cease to be important to the main story of the run. But Justice League Quarterly 1 is certainly the most important of them all. There has been much mystery surrounding Booster Gold and his new team, but this story introduces them as the Conglomerate, a new team funded by businesspeople consisting of… some rather edgy heroes with dated one-worded names. Really, they have the same problem which the Global Guardians had – strong in numbers but lacking in personality. It is worth noting however that the team led by Booster does featuring Gypsy and Reverb, the brother of Vibe (an awful Justice League Detroit member). Already, despite some of the lacking characters, there is potential here. Giffen and DeMatteis appear to set up some interesting possible drama as already you are looking forward to the confrontation between Gypsy and Martian Manhunter, a friendship which was explored greatly in the Despero story from Justice League America 38-40. Plus, the family member of a murdered JLA hero (Vibe) has some potential too. From there, the story progresses as you’d expect really. Disaster strikes at an oil plant belonging to a millionaire – one who just so happens to fund the Conglomerate – and it is those heroes who appear and save the day. Tension arises when the Justice League arrives, and while there is some interesting dialogue between the two teams, it never really goes far enough. For example, there isn’t that scene which many would look forward to where Martian Manhunter confronts Gypsy for joining the new team. Bearing in mind that the two heroes were very close and treated each other like family, a moment like that would have ben great. Instead, Booster Gold shows off and angers Blue Beetle. For a story that is on the way to being 100 pages, Justice League International’s first Quarterly issue is paced surprisingly well as there is much plot to make things interesting. For instance, the American government uses the Conglomerate as a private army to invade a terrorist nation in the Middle East. While this idea was most likely influenced by the Gulf War taking place during the time of this issue’s publication, GIffen and DeMatteis are clearly interested in American values as a story device. As it becomes clear that the Conglomerate are simply tools of the US government, the Justice League stands on a different value of American freedom and internationalism. In short, the Conglomerate are gullible and full of dazed heroes who care only about their reputations, while the JLI is genuine. While some drama between the two teams emerges as the story progresses, there is never a fight between the two sides. Whether that is good or bad isn’t clear, but, as you’d expect, both teams unite in the end to tackle one villain they have in common. It turns out that the oil baron who funds the Conglomerate is working on a plan of world domination for his business, explaining why he sent the Conglomerate into Middle Eastern countries for their oil. However, the businessman has a super intelligent accomplice in all of this – Hector Hammond, a big-headed Green Lantern villain. He is just helping as an excuse to defeat the heroes, but the revelation that he is the main foe is surprising and works well. In the end, the teams predictably work together and decide to work together in the future. Justice League Quarterly 1 has a strong plot and there is enough of it to fill 72 pages. It never feels like a drag. It’s exciting and interesting in its ideas, but there is so much more potential here. For instance, the relationships between characters may be good here, but it could have been developed further. There is a slightly random and incoherent backstory about Reverb and his anger against oil companies for his family, but this isn’t covered nearly enough. Overall, though, the first quarterly is hugely memorable and a favourite of mine, despite its flaws.
Fortunately for such a lengthy story, Justice League Quarterly 1 is consistent in its art style. Chris Sprouse provides most of the pencils and his plain style looks appealing. It can be a bit bland in terms of storytelling and drama, but it can work very well at times. Bruce D. Patterson’s inks aren’t bad.
Story: 9/10
Art: 6.5/10
Blood, Sweat, and Tabloids --- Written by Gerard Jones and Keith Giffen with art by Marshall Rogers and Joe Rubinstein
To put it nicely, Justice League Europe 21 is pointless. After the previous issue, the Paris embassy was destroyed the European team moved to London. Barring some relatively interesting subplots and moments in the story which are quite funny, this story just conveys the JLE’s first day in London. They explore the city, the shops, and so forth. This idea wouldn’t have been so bad if there was a genuine or constant threat throughout. A villain would have been nice. As it currently stands, JLE 21 is a bunch of random scenes connected only by the geography of where they take place. Sure, every hero gets their moment on stage and, sure, it can be entertaining. However, it must be one of the run’s most forgettable stories. It isn’t even bad, just boring and uneventful with little keeping it together. So, to put it harshly, Justice League Europe 21 is a waste of an issue.
Despite a duff story, Rogers does well with the art, and it all looks very good, but I have to say that Rubinstein’s inks do look awfully thin and too defined for a subtle artist like Rogers. Either way, it serves its purpose and looks decent.
Story: 4/10
Art: 7.5/10
A Date with Destiny Part Two --- Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Adam Hughes, Russell Braun, Jose Marzan. Jr, Malcolm Jones III
Justice League America 45 is a strange one. It’s a sequel to a story that was published some time before this in Justice League America 28, when Ice finally gave into Guy
Gardner’s unexplainable charm and decided to go on a date with him. It put it simply, it was a disaster. Guy was too rude, Ice expected too much, Fire was too protective of her friend, and Blue Beetle and friends didn’t take it seriously. Here, Giffen and DeMatteis write a sequel that, as a whole, basically re-treads the same old ground. Guy, in one of his calmer moods, convinces Ice to date him once again, but this time he allows her to pick the places they go. For the rest of the issue, Guy resists breaking out into boredom as Ice takes him to pantomime shows and light-hearted plays that embarrass the alpha-male Green Lantern. However, Giffen and DeMatteis raise things to the next level as Blue Beetle and chums get involved with one of the plays and effectively use it to embarrass Guy by presenting the audience with a fat blow-up of the hero. Guy loses it, and everything’s back to square one. While this issue does feel awfully similar to the first story featuring these two together, there is a real sense of engagement from our side. Beforehand, we didn’t want Ice to get with Guy because he was rude and nasty. Here, he is still the same, but he is trying hard to please her (perhaps for his own benefit) to the point where you want both of them to succeed. Also, what makes Justice League America 45 interesting is that it is bookended by two scenes featuring Oberon, who is thinking of quitting the league and the disaster of the story tips him over the edge to early retirement to look after Mister Miracle. The opening and concluding pages are quite sad because Oberon has been with the team since the start, and his apparent departure spells the end of an era. Without him, Maxwell Lord is hopeless, and so is the JLI. Overall, Justice League America 45 is another jovial story (perhaps one too many) that does move the Guy/Ice relationship a bit further, but it doesn’t offer much new.
Hughes does a good job of making the story supplied by the writers funny and interesting, especially towards the end when Guy Gardner enters an insane and furious frenzy.
Story: 8/10
Art: 8/10
Catnap --- Written by Gerard Jones and Keith Giffen with art by Marshall Rogers and Jose Marzan. Jr
The return of the cat! And it’s about time too. Power Girl’s flea-ridden and disgusting cat has made several appearances in the previous issues, but only in the background. But with Justice League Europe 22, it is the star character. One day, Power Girl’s cat goes walkies and ends up being taken hostage by two angry young men who the cat scratched and attacked for no reason.
The JLE then spend their time trying to raise awareness about the missing cat as Power Girl asks for help and from the league – most of whom couldn’t care less. At first, this trivial story appears entertaining, but it develops into something far deeper when several men in black suits and dark glasses appear and locate the cat and take it for themselves. Then, at a secret laboratory, the men in suits install a camera in the cat’s remaining eye and send it back to the JLE Embassy. While the story does have a good ending as the cat returns home, Jones and Giffen leave numerous hints about a future danger looming over the team. Who are these suited villains? And why do they want to spy on the league. Justice League Europe 22 may look like a silly issue from the outside, but when examined deeper, something else is going on.
Rogers does well again here. His sense of storytelling is strong, and he tells this silly story well.
Story: 8.5/10
Art: 9/10
VERDICT
Overall, this is another strong set of JLI stories. Maximum Force is an endearing and entertaining one-off, while the three-parter that follows has its moments, but it won’t be remembered too fondly for its clumsy writing. Rue Britannia is a memorable singular story, while Justice League Quarterly 1 is a genuinely good story with a length and engaging plot. Meanwhile, JLE 21 (the team’s introduction to London) is pointless, Ice’s second date with Guy is entertaining if unoriginal, and Catnap is a good laugh. However, all of these stories have the same recurring problem. Ignoring JLQ 1, the overall silly and jovial tone gets too much and becomes too dominant. Giffen and DeMatteis proved that they can write excellent dark stories, and while humour is important, there isn’t much of a balance here. Justice League International may always be one of my favourite runs in comic book history, but if the tone continues to be this one-sided and exaggerated, then perhaps pulling the plug wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
Stories: 8.5/10
Art: 7/10
Next Week: Justice League International: Glorybound (Justice League America 46-52, Annual 5, Justice League Quarterly 2). Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Giffen, Linda Medley, Jose Marzan. Jr, John Beatty, Paris Cullins, Dave Elliot, Joe Rubinstein, Trevor Von Eeden, Steve Carr, Chris Sprouse, Darick Robertson, Marshall Rogers, Kevin Maguire, Dan Jurgens, Joe Phillips, Ty Templeton, Bruce D. Patterson, Tom Artis, Randy Elliot, Buzz, and Malcolm Jones III.
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