Justice League International (JLI) is a fictional
DC comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
superhero team that succeeded the original
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The team enjoyed several comic books runs, the first being written by
Keith Giffen
Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their '' Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo.
Biography ...
and
J. M. DeMatteis
John Marc DeMatteis (; born December 15, 1953) is an American writer of comic books, television and novels.
Biography
Early career
J. M. DeMatteis's earliest aspirations were to be a rock musician and comic book artist. He began playing in ban ...
, with art by
Kevin Maguire, created in 1987. Due to editorial conflicts, the team's new makeup was based largely on newer characters, such as
Booster Gold
Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in ''Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has been a member of the Justice League.
...
, and recent acquisitions from other comic book companies, such as
The Blue Beetle.
In 2010 and 2011, the team experienced a resurgence as part of the ''
Blackest Night
"Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Nig ...
'' and ''
New 52
The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new series ...
'' comic runs.
Publication history
Following the events of the company-wide crossovers ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...
'' and ''
Legends
A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief.
Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to:
Narrative
* Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth
* A fictitious identity used in espionage
Books, co ...
'', Justice League of America writer J. M. DeMatteis was paired with writer Keith Giffen and artist Kevin Maguire on a new
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
series. However, at the time, most of the core Justice League characters were unavailable.
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
was limited to
John Byrne's
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
,
George Pérez
George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (co ...
was
relaunching Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
and
Mike Baron
Mike Baron (born July 1, 1949) is an American comic book writer. He is the creator of ''Badger'' and the co-creator of ''Nexus'' with Steve Rude.
Biography
Mike Baron entered the comics industry with an illustrated text piece in ''Weird Trips ...
was
launching the
Wally West
Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. ...
version of the
Flash
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional aliases
* Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed:
** Flash (Barry Allen)
** Flash (Jay Garrick)
** Wally West, the first Kid ...
.
As a result, the initial team consisted of:
*
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
: Series editor
Denny O'Neil
Dennis Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retir ...
, taking pity on the new creative team, allowed Batman to be used in the series.
*
Black Canary
The Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics: Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. The original version was created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and ...
: Dinah Lance was written as a strong feminist and often clashed with chauvinist Guy Gardner.
* The
Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes who appear in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the ri ...
: A recent acquisition from
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...
.
*
Captain Marvel: No longer a separate personality, this version focuses on his alter ego's naiveté.
*
Doctor Fate (Linda Strauss): The inclusion of Dr. Fate coincided with a
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
written by DeMatteis and Giffen.
*
Doctor Light: First appearing in ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', Kimiyo Hoshi briefly joins the League.
*
Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to:
* Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut
* Guy Gardner (character)
Guy Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic ...
: Editor Andy Helfer suggested using Guy Gardner over the more well-known
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in '' ...
.
*
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
: The only connection to the previous iteration of the Justice League. He soon develops a love for
Oreo
Oreo () (stylized as OREO) is a brand of sandwich cookie consisting of two biscuits or cookie pieces with a sweet creme filling. It was introduced by Nabisco on March 6, 1912, and through a series of corporate acquisitions, mergers and split ...
cookies.
*
Mister Miracle
Mister Miracle (Scott Free) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Mister Miracle'' #1 (April 1971) and was created by Jack Kirby.
Publication history
Mister Miracle debuted in ...
: The world's greatest
escape artist
Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps. Escapologists (also classified as escape artists) escape from handcuffs, straitjackets, cages, coffins, steel boxes, barrels, bags, burning buildings, fish-tanks, and oth ...
. His wife,
Big Barda
Big Barda is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in ''Mister Miracle'' #4 (October 1971), and was created by Jack Kirby. Jack Kirby based Barda's physical appearance on Lainie Kazan, who had re ...
, and friend,
Oberon
Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairi ...
, are also associated with the League.
The resulting comedic tone was Giffen's idea, introducing new characterizations to old characters:
Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to:
* Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut
* Guy Gardner (character)
Guy Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic ...
was now a loutish hothead,
Booster Gold
Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in ''Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has been a member of the Justice League.
...
was greedier and more inept than he had been in
Dan Jurgens
Dan Jurgens (; born June 27, 1959) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw and Booster Gold. Jurgens ...
' series and Captain Marvel displayed a childlike personality.
When Black Canary resigns,
Green Flame
Fire (Beatriz da Costa) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
Michelle Hurd played Fire in the 1997 pilot film ''Justice League of America (film), Justice League of America''. Natalie Morales (actress), Nat ...
and
Ice Maiden (both from the
Global Guardians
The Global Guardians is a team of DC Comics superheroes whose members hail from countries around the world. The concept originated in the ''Super Friends'' Saturday morning cartoon, which aired after the comics stories in ''Super Friends'' #7- ...
) join.
They eventually change their names to ''Fire'' and ''Ice'' and become long standing members within the team.
The series was nominated as "Best New Series" in 1988 by the
Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...
s, but lost to
Paul Chadwick's ''
Concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
''. It also featured
Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes (born May 5, 1967) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known to American comic book readers for his renderings of pinup-style female characters, and his cover work on titles such as ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Catwoman''. H ...
' first work for a major comic book publisher.
They fight the
Champions of Angor
The Champions of Angor (also known as the Justifiers, the Assemblers and the Meta Militia) are a fictional team of superheroes in the DC universe. They were created by Mike Friedrich and Dick Dillin in ''Justice League Comics'' #87 in February 1 ...
, other-dimensional superheroes intent on destroying all nuclear weapons. Bialya's
dictator
A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...
Rumaan Harjavti takes advantage of the Champions to eliminate his rivals. In
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, the League fights the
Rocket Red Brigade, until
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
allows them to help. Wandjina sacrifices himself to stop a
nuclear meltdown
A nuclear meltdown (core meltdown, core melt accident, meltdown or partial core melt) is a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating. The term ''nuclear meltdown'' is not officially defined by the Internation ...
and the League are sent home by international law. Millionaire
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in '' Justice League'' #1 (May 1987) and was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire. Maxwell Lord was ...
takes an interest in the team, breaching their security and suggesting
Booster Gold
Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in ''Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has been a member of the Justice League.
...
as a new member.
Booster proves himself in combat against the
Royal Flush Gang
The Royal Flush Gang is a group of supervillains appearing in DC Comics. The group, which debuted in ''Justice League of America'' #43 (March 1966), use a playing card theme. Their code names are based on the cards needed to form a royal flush in ...
and Lord declares himself their press liaison. The Martian Manhunter saves the world when they battle against a conscious psychic plague and he consumes it. Gardner challenges Batman to a fight over leadership, but Batman knocks him out in one punch. Doctor Fate is captured by the Gray Man, a rogue servant to the Lords of Order. Teaming up with the
Creeper, they release Fate and stop the Gray Man from taking over the world.
Earth is attacked by a mysterious satellite and the League travels into space. Miracle recognizes it as a modified New Genesis device and neutralizes it. They return home as heroes. Maxwell Lord introduces a proposal to get United Nations funding and they are given sponsorship in exchange for government regulation. This plan allows them to act as an independent
city-state
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
with worldwide embassies. Captain Atom and Rocket Red #7 are added to the team by the United States and Russia, respectively. Captain Marvel and Doctor Fate quit the team for personal reasons; Batman steps down as leader, appointing the Martian Manhunter to replace him. They are reintroduced to the world as Justice League International. Despite a series of embarrassing accidents, they successfully move in to embassies around the world. This includes
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
With issue #7, the series was renamed ''Justice League International'' to reflect the team's new international status. The name change spawned the term "JLI", which is used when referring to this period in Justice League history. The series was again renamed following the launch of ''
Justice League Europe
''Justice League Europe'' (''JLE'') is a comic book series published by DC Comics that was a spin-off of the comic book '' Justice League America'' (which was then named ''Justice League International'' (vol. 1) for issues #7 to #25).
''Justice ...
'' in 1989. The series was known as ''Justice League America'' until its cancellation in 1996.
"Justice League: Breakdowns"
"Breakdowns" was a 16-issue crossover between the ''Justice League America'' (#53–60) and ''Justice League Europe'' (#29–36) titles, changing the tone of both series from a humorous one to a more serious one and introducing new creative teams to both series. The major events that occurred were the following:
*
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in '' Justice League'' #1 (May 1987) and was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire. Maxwell Lord was ...
is initially in a
coma
A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...
from a failed assassination attempt. He is later possessed by JLE foe
Dreamslayer
Dreamslayer is a fictional character, a powerful DC Comics supervillain and part of the evil gang called Extremists. Like the other Extremists, he is an homage to a Marvel Comics character, in this case Dormammu. He first appeared in ''Justice Le ...
of the
Extremists
Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied shar ...
. Following the end of the "Breakdowns" saga, Maxwell Lord has no more mental powers, apparently drained completely when possessed by Dreamslayer.
* The
Queen Bee
A queen bee is typically an adult, mated female (gyne) that lives in a colony or hive of honey bees. With fully developed reproductive organs, the queen is usually the mother of most, if not all, of the bees in the beehive. Queens are developed ...
, ruler of the country Bialya, is killed in a
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
led by Sumaan Harjavti, the twin brother of the original dictator, Rumaan.
*
Despero
Despero () is a supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in ''Justice League of America'' #1 (October 1960) and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky.
Debuting in the Silver Age of Comi ...
awakens and escapes Manga Khan's starship to wreak havoc on New York City, seeking vengeance against the Justice League. A force of the Justice League's best (the Martian Manhunter, Power Girl, Fire,
Rocket Red
Rocket Red (russian: Ракетно-Красный, Raketno-Krasnyy) is a fictional character and comic book superhero from the DC Comics universe. Created by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton, he first appeared in ''Green Lantern Corps '' #208 (Janu ...
, Metamorpho, the Flash, Guy Gardner, Major Disaster), along with the Conglomerate (led by Booster Gold) and
Lobo, were unable to stop him. Ultimately, it was
Kilowog and L-Ron who subdued Despero by transferring L-Ron's consciousness into the cybernetic control collar that remained around Despero's neck.
* While possessing Maxwell Lord's body, Dreamslayer kidnaps and later murders Mitch Wacky on the island of KooeyKooeyKooey, where the Blue Beetle and Booster Gold previously attempted to open a resort called "Club JLI". Using Lord's persona, Dreamslayer lures a large portion of the Justice League to the island and takes mental control of them, making them the "new Extremists".
* The
Silver Sorceress, one of the former
Champions of Angor
The Champions of Angor (also known as the Justifiers, the Assemblers and the Meta Militia) are a fictional team of superheroes in the DC universe. They were created by Mike Friedrich and Dick Dillin in ''Justice League Comics'' #87 in February 1 ...
and a Justice League member, dies defeating Dreamslayer. Her gravesite is on the island of KooeyKooeyKooey.
* The
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
withdraws its support from the Justice League and it disbands. The Martian Manhunter seemingly takes a leave of absence, although he later re-emerges under the persona of
Bloodwynd
Bloodwynd is a fictional necromancer published by DC Comics. He first appears in '' Justice League America'' #61 (April 1992) and was created by Dan Jurgens.
Fictional character biography
Bloodwynd is the descendant of a group of African-America ...
.
Expansion
The ''Justice League'' titles continued to expand into the early to mid-1990s. Titles included: ''Justice League America'', ''
Justice League Europe
''Justice League Europe'' (''JLE'') is a comic book series published by DC Comics that was a spin-off of the comic book '' Justice League America'' (which was then named ''Justice League International'' (vol. 1) for issues #7 to #25).
''Justice ...
'', ''
Justice League Task Force'', ''
Extreme Justice
Extreme Justice is a monthly Justice League spin-off title in the DC Comics universe. It replaced the cancelled ''Justice League International'' (formerly ''Justice League Europe'') and ran for nineteen issues from 1994 to 1996.
Overview
Several ...
'' and ''Justice League Quarterly''. ''Justice League Europe'' was later retitled to become the second volume of ''Justice League International''.
In the latter part of the series, more recognizable characters, including
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
,
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
,
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
and Aquaman, joined, followed by lesser known characters such as
Bloodwynd
Bloodwynd is a fictional necromancer published by DC Comics. He first appears in '' Justice League America'' #61 (April 1992) and was created by Dan Jurgens.
Fictional character biography
Bloodwynd is the descendant of a group of African-America ...
,
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
,
Maxima,
Nuklon,
Obsidian
Obsidian () is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock.
Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements s ...
, the
Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil (''Sarcophilus harrisii'') (palawa kani: purinina) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. Until recently, it was only found on the island state of Tasmania, but it has been reintroduced to New South Wales in ...
and
Triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
. Longtime JLI-era characters such as
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a superhero appearing in American comic books, first in the 1960s by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. Captain Atom has existed in three basic incarnations.
Publication history
Captain Atom was crea ...
, Martian Manhunter and
Power Girl
Power Girl, also known as Kara Zor-L and Karen Starr, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, making her first appearance in ''All_Star_Comics#1976_revival_series, All Star Comics'' #58 (January/February 1976). Power Girl ...
were revised and revamped.
By 1996, with the commercial success of the series fading, each of the titles was eventually cancelled.
Miniseries
In 2003, Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire reunited for the six-issue miniseries ''Formerly Known as the Justice League''. This depicted Maxwell Lord trying to get the gang back together as ''The
Super Buddies'' – a hero-for-hire group that operated out of a strip mall. 2005 saw a second storyline, ''I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League'', by the same creative team published in the pages of ''
JLA Classified
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...
''. This tale told a story of the characters attempt to rescue
Ice
Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...
from
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
.
Return
Following ''
Blackest Night
"Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Nig ...
'', DC launched two alternating 24-issue bi-weekly comic book
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
, ''
Brightest Day
''Brightest Day'' is a 2010–11 crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of a year-long comic book maxiseries that began in April 2010, and a number of tie-in books. The story is a direct follow-up to the ''Blackest Night'' storyli ...
'' and ''
Justice League: Generation Lost'', written by
Keith Giffen
Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their '' Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo.
Biography ...
and
Judd Winick
Judd Winick (born February 12, 1970) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer and screenwriter, as well as a former reality television personality. He first gained fame for his stint on MTV's ''The Real World: San Francisco'' in 1994, before f ...
. This second series features Captain Atom, Booster Gold, the new
Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes who appear in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the ri ...
Jaime Reyes, Fire, Ice and a new Rocket Red (by the name of Gavril Ivanovich) and essentially saw the return of Justice League International, as explained by Giffen:
Over the course of the series, Power Girl and Batman joined the group as well, with Wonder Woman appearing in the book's final three issues. The title was heavily tied to Winick's run on ''Power Girl'', which had the title character dealing with villains connected to Maxwell Lord's plans in ''Generation Lost'', and eventually had her rejoin Justice League International after a crossover between the two titles. The title also indirectly tied into ''Odyssey'', a storyline published in ''Wonder Woman'' that saw the title character being removed from history with her existence forgotten by most of her fellow heroes. This formed the basis of the book's finale, with the members of the Justice League International racing to track down Wonder Woman before Lord could find her and kill her. Plot threads from ''
Kingdom Come'' and ''
The OMAC Project
''The OMAC Project'' is a six-issue American comic book limited series written by Greg Rucka with art by Jesus Saiz and published by DC Comics in 2005.
Overview
The book is one of four miniseries leading up to DC Comics' ''Infinite Crisis'' ev ...
'' also appeared.
''Generation Lost'' ended with a teaser that a new ''Justice League International'' series from
The New 52
The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...
would be coming in a few months (with Booster Gold as leader).
''The New 52''
As part of DC's 2011 ''
New 52
The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new series ...
'' relaunch of all of its monthly books, ''Justice League International'' was relaunched in September 2011, after the conclusion of the ''
Flashpoint'' storyline, written by
Dan Jurgens
Dan Jurgens (; born June 27, 1959) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw and Booster Gold. Jurgens ...
and drawn by
Aaron Lopresti
Aaron Lopresti (born January 7, 1964) is an American comic book artist who has worked for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, CrossGen Comics and Image Comics.
Early life
Aaron Lopresti was born January 7, 1964''Comics Buyer's Guide'' ...
.
This version of Justice League International is formed by
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
director Andre Briggs as a UN-controlled counterpart to the original Justice League and is based out of the
Hall of Justice. The founding members of the team consist of Booster Gold, Fire, Ice, Rocket Red (Gavril Ivanovich), Green Lantern (Guy Gardner),
Vixen
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
,
August General in Iron and
Godiva
Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly reme ...
, who are recruited to the team due to having their identities publicly known. Batman is denied membership due to having a secret identity, but is allowed to accompany the group as part of an effort to foster good relations between the JLI and the original Justice League. The team goes on to defeat the Signal Men and the alien conqueror Peraxxus.
During a press conference outside the Hall of Justice, Rocket Red is killed when a bomb explodes, while Fire, Ice and Vixen are hospitalized and become comatose. This leads Booster Gold to recruit
Batwing,
OMAC and
Firehawk to the team.
DC canceled ''Justice League International'' in 2012, concluding with issue #12 and ''Justice League International Annual'' (vol. 2) #1 in August.
Writers
* Keith Giffen: ''Justice League'' / ''Justice League International'' / ''Justice League America'' #1–60, ''Justice League'' / ''Justice League International'' / ''Justice League America Annual'' #1–5, ''Justice League International Special'' #1
* J.M. DeMatteis: ''Justice League'' / ''Justice League International'' / ''Justice League America'' #1–60, ''Justice League'' / ''Justice League International'' / ''Justice League America Annual'' #1–5
* Dan Jurgens: ''Justice League America'' #61–77, ''Justice League Spectacular'' #1, ''Justice League International'' (vol. 3) #1–12
* Dan Vado: ''Justice League America'' #78–91, ''Annual'' #8
* Christopher Priest: ''Justice League America'' #92, ''Annual'' #10, ''Justice League International'' (vol. 2) #68
* Gerard Jones: ''Justice League America'' #0, 93–113, ''Annual'' #9, ''Justice League Europe'' / ''Justice League International'' (vol. 2) #37–67, ''Annual'' #4–5, ''Justice League Spectacular'' #1
Collected editions
In 1989, the first seven issues of the original ''Justice League International'' series were collected in a
trade paperback called ''Justice League: A New Beginning'' () and issues #8–12 and ''Justice League America Annual'' #1 in the follow-up ''Justice League International: The Secret Gospel of Maxwell Lord'' in 1992 ().
In 2008, DC began to collect the early years of the ''JLI'' as individual volumes, initially as hardcovers and later on as trade paperbacks; starting with ''Volume 5'' the books were released solely as trade paperbacks:
* ''Justice League International Volume 1'' (collects ''Justice League'' #1-6 and ''Justice League International'' #7, 192 pages, hardcover, March 2008,
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
, ,
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and co ...
, ; softcover, DC Comics, March 2009, Titan Books, May 2009, )
* ''Justice League International Volume 2'' (collects ''Justice League International'' #8–13, ''Justice League Annual'' #1 and ''Suicide Squad'' #13, 192 pages, hardcover, DC Comics, August 2008, , Titan Books, September 2008, ; softcover, DC Comics, July 2009, )
* ''Justice League International Volume 3'' (collects ''Justice League International'' #14–22, 224 pages, hardcover, DC Comics, November 2008, , Titan Books, January 2009, ; softcover, DC Comics, November 2009, )
* ''Justice League International Volume 4'' (collects ''Justice League International'' #23–25 and ''Justice League America'' #26–30, 192 pages, hardcover, DC Comics, March 2009, , Titan Books, May 2009, ; softcover, DC Comics, March 2010)
* ''Justice League International Volume 5'' (collects ''Justice League International Annual'' #2–3 and ''Justice League Europe'' #1–6, 240 pages, softcover, DC Comics, January 2011, )
* ''Justice League International Volume 6'' (collects ''Justice League America'' #31–35 and ''Justice League Europe'' #7–11, 240 pages, softcover, DC Comics, May 2011, )
* ''Superman & Justice League America Vol. 1'' (collects ''Justice League America'' #60–68 and ''Justice League Spectacular'' #1, 240 pages, March 2016 )
* ''Superman & Justice League America Vol. 2'' (collects ''Justice League America'' #69–77, ''Annual'' #7, 200 pages, September 2016, )
* ''Wonder Woman & Justice League America'' (collects ''Justice League America'' #78–93, ''Annual'' #8, TBA pages, March 2017, )
* ''Formerly Known as the Justice League'' (collects #1–6)
* ''I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League'' (collects ''JLA: Classified'' #4–9)
* ''Justice League: Generation Lost Vol. 1'' (collects ''Justice League: Generation Lost'' #1–12)
* ''Justice League: Generation Lost Vol. 2'' (collects ''Justice League: Generation Lost'' #13–24)
* ''Justice League International Vol. 1: The Signal Masters'' (collects ''Justice League International'' (vol. 3) #1–6)
* ''Justice League International Vol. 2: Breakdown'' (collects ''Justice League International'' (vol. 3) #7–12, ''Annual'' (vol. 2) #1 and ''The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men'' #9)
In other media
Justice League International appears in ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold''. Introduced in the episode "Darkseid Descending!", this version of the team is assembled by
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
, Aquaman, and the
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
to combat Darkseid following an unspecified incident that led to the
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
's disbandment, initially consists of them, the Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Blue Beetle,
Booster Gold
Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in ''Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has been a member of the Justice League.
...
,
Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to:
* Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut
* Guy Gardner (character)
Guy Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic ...
, Fire (comics), Fire, and Ice (character), Ice,
Who's News , ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ returns tonight, prepares for the coming of Justice League International
and are based in the Justice League Satellite. In subsequent episodes, Rip Hunter, Dick Grayson, Robin, Wally West, Kid Flash, Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
, Plastic Man, the Green Arrow, Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a superhero appearing in American comic books, first in the 1960s by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. Captain Atom has existed in three basic incarnations.
Publication history
Captain Atom was crea ...
, Captain Marvel, and Rocket Red
Rocket Red (russian: Ракетно-Красный, Raketno-Krasnyy) is a fictional character and comic book superhero from the DC Comics universe. Created by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton, he first appeared in ''Green Lantern Corps '' #208 (Janu ...
have joined the team.
Reception
Martin A. Stever reviewed ''Justice League International'' ''The Space Gamer, Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer'' No. 83. Stever commented that "thanks to clever characterization and wit, this creative team makes team moving day as exciting and as much fun as a brush with Armageddon".
See also
* List of Justice League members
References
External links
* DCDatabase:Justice League International, Justice League International at the DC Comics Database
Justice League International
at the DCU Guide
*
{{Justice League
Justice League, International, Justice League
Comics by Dan Jurgens
Comics by J. M. DeMatteis
Comics by Keith Giffen
Defunct American comics
it:Justice League International