After a successful miniseries in Formerly Known as the Justice League, it was perhaps inevitable that the Super Buddies – formerly known as Justice League International – would return to the pages once more. After all, writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis left quite a bit of mystery in the six-issue reunion. You may have noticed that some characters were strangely missing – not even mentioned in some instances. But fear not, this is where the final insert in this lengthy run comes in. For those characters who didn’t appear in the first miniseries, their time has come.
Unlike Formerly Known as the Justice League (a separate six-issue miniseries), I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League was published in six issues of another title. Issues four to nine of JLA Classified (think of the title like a Legends of the Dark Knight for the Justice League) were written by Giffen and DeMatteis, with art once again by Kevin Maguire and Joe Rubinstein. I’ve read this miniseries in its trade paperback form.
I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League begins as if it is a direct continuation of the previous miniseries. In effect, the first issue here is the seventh of Formerly Known as the Justice League. We’re thrown straight into things as the Super Buddies – still living on that dilapidated street in a rough neighbourhood – become the victim of loud construction work. You can tell things are good when the world’s once most powerful team of superheroes are annoyed mainly by noise. Giffen and DeMatteis reintroduce us to the usual cast again, and while this story is clearly a follow-up to the previous miniseries, it does feel like some time has passed. For instance, Blue Beetle now has a much darker costume. However, the story feels like it could have taken place just a day after the final issue of Formerly Known as The Justice League. Either way, it’s clear that – at this point – we are meant to know who characters like Sue Dibny, Elongated Man, L-Ron, Booster Gold, Fire, Mary Marvel, and of course Maxwell Lord are. And that does wonders for this story. If you thought that Formerly Known as The Justice League lacked a plot, then this story will blow you out of the water. At first, a plot does seem to formulate. The construction work is being done to a new restaurant opening next door, which has been founded by a villain named Blackguard. Heard of him? No? Join the club! No other hero has heard of him – he was a vague Booster Gold villain from the 1980s. But that isn’t the surprise. What’s more of a shock is that Blackguard has opened this new establishment – named The Dark Side – with no one other than Guy Gardner. Yep, he’s back…
With Guy’s return, more humour is added to the second part. It’s great to see such a malicious yet lovable hero back, especially since his anger has not been diminished. While he should naturally leave an impression on the league at all times, I think Giffen and DeMatteis go a bit too far with him this time. Why do I say that? Mainly because there’s a scene where he sexually assaults Mary Marvel. Yup. Not only does this feel out of place but morally it is just too much. Sexual assault is bad enough, but since Mary Marvel is still a child despite the maturing effects of her superpowers, this is even more sick. I dislike this because of how terribly it clashes with the tone. This should be a light-hearted story. Yes, there should be moments of seriousness, but this is way too severe. Guy may apologise, but it doesn’t make sense for the two characters to get on afterwards – which is what happens. Along with the expected drama of such an event, this is all that really happens in the second part.
Part three is the zenith of the story – where I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League really begins. In an attempt to escape from the drama, Booster Gold escapes from the noise to find an old magical relic belonging to Doctor Fate. Being the clumsy fool he is, Booster manages to transport himself and the rest of the league (excepting Sue Dibny and Maxwell Lord) to Hell. Finally, a threat! This story takes up the third and fourth issues of the run, but there really isn’t much happening. The heroes are captured by Etrigan the Demon, who entraps them in Hell as they are forced to feed fast food to the dead. What fuels this part of the story is – as usual – character. Guy really spices events up and makes readers realise just how much he was needed in the previous miniseries. There, it was good, but it felt a little placid. With Guy, there’s some great arguments and it’s great to see the heroes work together as they try to find a way out of Hell. However, what makes the Hell segment of this story great is the return of Ice, one of the main characters from the original run. For those (like me) who didn’t know, Ice was killed in the final issues of Justice League International (vol 2) in 1994. Since nobody really mentioned Ice in the story, it’s a shock just to discover that she actually is dead. But if you knew that, this revelation is still just as powerful.
Part four may be the last issue in Hell, but that pales in comparison to the drama of Ice’s return. Since Giffen and DeMatteis really understand these characters, we’re treated to most likely my favourite aspect of this story – the relationship between Fire and Guy Gardner, and how their lives were changed by Ice. You have to remember that Fire was Ice’s best friend, while Guy was her boyfriend. Despite their mutual love, Fire and Guy loathe each other and that is no different here. However, when the heroes prepare to leave Hell after The Demon banishes them for causing havoc, Ice cannot leave the afterlife with them. Throughout, Fire and Guy try to communicate with a silent and robot-like Ice, but the more she fails to respond, the more emotional the characters become. The culminates in Fire and Guy uniting in grief as the clutch onto one another in tears, realising that they will never see their best friend again.
This just shows how great Giffen and DeMatteis are with character development. We’re shown the wide qualities of different characters in moments of drama, and in the end, we’re shown one last time that the Super Buddies is the same old family of characters they always have been. That’s really the best that comes out the middle of I Can’t Believe It's Not the Justice League. The rest feels very directionless. Oh, and yeah, even Giffen and DeMatteis grow tired of the Demon’s perpetual rhyming as they give it up halfway through the story. How can you blame them!
With only two issues left, it still feels like an overall plot is missing. Therefore, Giffen and DeMatteis surprise readers with an alternative reality. Seemingly arriving home, the heroes find themselves in a huge city. However, it quickly dawns on them that things are different – especially when a giant-sized G’Nort nearly tramples them to death! Yes, this world is prey to G’Nort. Although the confused heroes try to intervene, they are met with an alternate Marvel Family consisting of an evil Mary Marvel and Black Adam. However, what’s more interesting is the inclusion of an alternative Super Buddies team which resides in a dank night club featuring depressed and insane version of the characters we know and love. Ice is also present, but it does feel like we’re rereading old ground and there’s not exactly much new going on. This is most likely because it’s revealed that the device the heroes are trapped in feeds on dreams, explaining how both this version of Hell and this alternative reality is relevant to our heroes. However, the ending to this section is strong, I think. In the end, the heroes realise that they cannot do anything to save this world, nor should they try. They realise that it is beyond their duty to rescue an alternative timeline that they are aware of. In short, the Super Buddies aren’t the same gods which the JLA are, but perhaps that is why they are better. In the end, the heroes are transported home when Doctor Fate arrives to rescue them from his strange device which trapped them in Hell in the first place. Their accidental mishap took them on a long and emotional journey, and it was one that displayed the Super Buddies at their emotional best. As for the plot, where is it? Once again, this feels like a fragment of an ongoing series, and not a sequel to a miniseries. This really should have been Super Buddies 7-12 – that would have explained the lack of a strong structure which every good miniseries requires to function. As I said, there is lots of emotion here and there are certainly some great moments (and a few questionable ones), but it feels like the writers are indecisive about what plot they want to go with. It feels like the whole Blackguard story is just forgotten, while the Hell story is drowned in a far better story featuring Ice. Meanwhile, the alternative reality may be interesting, but once again it doesn’t feel like it goes far enough. Like Formerly Known as the Justice League, Giffen and DeMatteis’s sense of character and dialogue is fantastic, but the plotting feels lazy and often depends on a tired gag.
As before, Kevin Maguire and Joe Rubinstein energise this mixed story and provide it with an identifiable image. Scenes are often memorable because of the artwork, which is both colourful and dramatic. This is Maguire in his prime and with a fantastic inker, I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League certainly looks beautiful.
VERDICT
Overall, I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League is very similar to the previous miniseries. Unsurprisingly, Giffen and DeMatteis capture the characters flawlessly and the relationships between heroes here is great. Guy Gardner and Fire concerning Ice is a true highlight, and I think it’s good that other characters are given more room in the spotlight who didn’t get much of a look-in in Formerly Known as the Justice League. However – like its predecessor – the plotting is where things really fall down, and it appears that three decent stories aren’t given room to breathe. I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League works as a celebration of character, relationships, and emotion, but that’s about it.
Story: 6.5/10
Art: 10/10
Finally, it’s over. Justice League International by Giffen and DeMatteis may be one of my favourite runs of all time, but Christ does it go on. When it began in 1987 and launched with only one title, JLI felt like an energetic and surprising departure after more than 25 years of DC’s establishment heroes enjoying a place in the most famous team of superheroes in the world. But above all, JLI worked because it was different. Giffen and DeMatteis made it more about character and it transformed characters like Blue Beetle and Booster Gold from minor characters into great heroes. Not only were they in a team with old established characters like Martian Manhunter, Batman, and Guy Gardner, but new ones like Fire, Ice, and Captain Glory all added something different to the run. The same goes for Maxwell Lord, Oberon, and L-Ron. Overall, it’s greatest aspect was that it was about a family who loved each other, hated each other, and saved world with each other. Things may have got confusing when the title split into two, but that didn’t stop Giffen, DeMatteis and Gerard Jones from writing some genuine Justice League classics. The Despero story will always remain a favourite of mine, while the Kooey Kooey Kooey story is a hugely entertaining tale. To their credit, the writers had the skill to write both incredibly funny stories and hugely dark ones. But in the end, the big problem has to be the run’s length. Anything over 100 issues is probably too much – unless the creative team can assure constant creative rejuvenation (which Marv Wolfman did with his lengthy New Teen Titans run from 1980 to 1996). Things become slightly samey and often boring towards the end. Sure, it doesn’t feel like it overstays its welcome for too long as the Breakdowns story provides a strong ending. JLI is no exclusive victim to this, but in the end, what once made it fresh made it stale. So, why does it remain one of my favourite runs? In short, it had the remarkable talent to make you laugh, cry, love, and hate. It absorbed readers emotionally, just as all great comic books should…
Next Week: Batman: Choices (Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special 1). Written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale.
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