''Justice League Europe'' (''JLE'') is a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series published by

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 the ...

that was a

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

of the comic book ''

Justice League America Justice League International (JLI) is a fictional DC comics superhero team that succeeded the original Justice League from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The team enjoyed several comic books runs, the first being written by Keith Giffen and ...

'' (which was then named '' Justice League International'' (vol. 1) for issues #7 to #25). ''Justice League Europe'' was published for 68 issues (plus five ''Annual''s) from 1989 to 1994. Starting with issue #51 the title was renamed ''Justice League International'' (vol. 2). Like ''Justice League America'', the series featured

tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scot ...

humor but was a much more action-centric series than ''Justice League America''. The action-themed nature of the series was most overt with the series' most famous arc "The Extremists". The arc featured the JLE fighting The Extremists, a cadre of psychopathic villains patterned after Marvel Comics villains

Doctor Doom Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fict ...

, Magneto,

Doctor Octopus Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''Th ...

, Sabretooth and Dormammu. The team was originally headquartered in

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. Si ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

but later moved to an abandoned castle in Great Britain.

History

The Old World Team

After the membership of the Justice League had grown to an unwieldy number of characters, DC split it into two teams. The original Justice League Europe consists of: *

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 ...

(field commander) *

Elongated Man Elongated Man (Randolph "Ralph" Dibny) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Flash (comics), The Flash'' #112 (February 25, 1960). The character made his live-action debut in the The Fl ...

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'' #58 (January/February 1976). Power Girl is the cousin of the superhero Supe ...

* Flash (

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. ...

) * Rocket Red *

Animal Man Animal Man (Bernhard "Buddy" Baker) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily "borrow" th ...

* Metamorpho * Catherine Cobert (bureau chief) *

Sue Dibny Susan Dibny (née Dearbon) is a fictional character from DC Comics associated with the Elongated Man. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in ''Flash'' vol. 1 #119 (March 1961). In 2004, she became a flashpoi ...

(information manager, later bureau chief) Later members of the original team include: *

Crimson Fox Crimson Fox is a codename for two fictional characters, both superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Publication history The first two holders of the Crimson Fox moniker first appeared in ''Justice League Europe ...

(joined issue #10) *

Blue Jay The blue jay (''Cyanocitta cristata'') is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to eastern North America. It lives in most of the eastern and central United States; some eastern populations may be migratory. Resident populations are ...

(joined issue #19) *

Silver Sorceress The Silver Sorceress is a DC Comics character and member of the Champions of Angor with the alter ego of Laura Cynthia Neilsen. She first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #87, (February 1971), and is an homage to the Scarlet Witch. As he ...

(joined issue #19)

Justice League: Breakdowns

"Breakdowns" was a 15-issue crossover between the ''Justice League America'' and ''Justice League Europe'' titles, revising the organization. Maxwell Lord is initially in a coma from a failed assassination attempt. He is later possessed by JLE foe Dreamslayer of the Extremists. Following the end of the Breakdowns saga, he has no more mental powers, apparently drained completely when possessed by Dreamslayer. The Queen Bee, ruler of the country Bialya, is killed in a coup d'état led by Sumaan Harjavti, the twin brother of the original dictator ruler, Rumaan. Despero 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 (Martian Manhunter, Power Girl, Fire, Rocket Red, Metamorpho, Flash, Guy Gardner, Major Disaster) 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 his neck. While possessing Maxwell Lord's body, Dreamslayer kidnaps and later murders Mitch Wacky on the island of

Kooey Kooey Kooey Justice League International (JLI) is a fictional DC comics superhero team that succeeded the original Justice League from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The team enjoyed several comic books runs, the first being written by Keith Giffen and ...

, where 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 ...

and

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. ...

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

, one of the former Champions of Angor and Justice League member, dies defeating Dreamslayer. Her gravesite is on the island of KooeyKooeyKooey. The U.N. withdraws its support from the Justice League and it disbands. 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" ...

seemingly takes a leave of absence, although 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-American ...

. Also, the Breakdowns storyline reorganized the JLE. The team relocated to London and several characters left or were replaced. The new lineup starting in issue #37, led by

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, ...

(

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 ''Sh ...

) consisted of: *Flash (Wally West) *

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a ...

* Dr. Light *

(and Sue)

Expansion

The release of ''Justice League Spectacular'' launched the revised Justice League titles with new writers and artists. The ''Justice League'' titles expanded to four by June 1993: ''Justice League America'' (formerly ''Justice League International''), ''Justice League Europe'' (retitled as the second volume of ''Justice League International''), ''Justice League Quarterly'', and '' Justice League Task Force''. In late 1994 ''Justice League International'' and ''Justice League Quarterly'' were cancelled and replaced by a new monthly title in January 1995, ''

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 ...

''. With new writers and artists in the various titles coming and going, there was little consistency in continuity and quality. The more powerful and recognizable characters such as Superman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), and Batman came and went out of the various Justice League titles, replaced by new or lesser known characters such as

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 popul ...

, Maxima, Nuklon,

Obsidian Obsidian () is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava 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 such as silicon ...

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 ...

and Triumph. Longtime JLI-era characters such as

and

were revised and revamped repeatedly, with mixed reviews by the readers. In the summer of 1996, with sales fading, all three remaining monthly series were cancelled and replaced by ''JLA''.

Doomsday Clock

In the '' Watchmen'' sequel ''

Doomsday Clock The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the members of the ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists''. Maintained since 1947, the clock is a metaphor for threats to humanity ...

'', the world starts a metahuman arms race in light of "The Superman Theory" as France has the Justice League Europe. It is mentioned that its members are Crimson Fox, Fleur-de-Lis, Hunchback, Musketeer, Nightrunner, and Thief of Arts.''Doomsday Clock'' #5 (May 2018). DC Comics.

Recurring characters

* Power Girl's cat *

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 the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

* Inspector Camus * Mitch Wacky * Beefeater * Duke Donald * Godfrey (also known as Gaius) * Erewhon * Lionheart * Seneca *

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He wa ...

After ''Justice League Europe''

La Fraternité de Justice et Liberté

Some time after the cancellation of the series, it was revealed in an issue of '' Starman'' that Justice League Europe was being reformed (as La Fraternité de Justice et Liberté). The new team consisted of

, Amazing-Man, Blue Devil,

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

, and

Icemaiden Sigrid Nansen is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics, first appearing in ''Super Friends'' #9 (Dec 1977). Originally the first character to use the name Icemaiden, they replaced the hero known as Ice for a time. They are ...

. Icemaiden turned out to be Nash, daughter of The Mist who destroyed the team forever when she murdered Crimson Fox, Blue Devil, and Amazing Man (Blue Devil was later restored to life by

Sebastian Faust Sebastian Faust (known as simply Faust) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, created by Mike Barr and Paul Pelletier. He was introduced in the 1993 '' Outsiders'' comic book series and is loosely base ...

). It was revealed that Mist covertly contacted Icemaiden and informed her of a supposed threat facing her homeland of Norway, and she must defeat the threat without informing anyone until afterwards. Icemaiden left during the middle of the night, and Mist replaced her within the JLE by the next morning. The JLE did not know that Mist replaced Icemaiden until Mist began her attacks against them. Mist informed Crimson Fox that the threat she informed Icemaiden about was not real, and that she had sent Icemaiden on an ultimately fruitless search so that she could disguise herself as Icemaiden and replace her on the team. *

(Constance D'Aramis) *

(Ronnie Raymond) * Blue Devil *

(never actually appeared) * Amazing-Man (Will Everett III)

''JLA Showcase'' #1

In 1999 Greg Weisman wrote a story for

' ''JLA Showcase'' #1, cover-dated February 2000. The one-shot consists of various Justice League stories; Weisman's was set during the time of the Justice League Europe and titled "Flashback Of Notre Dame". The story has Captain Atom, the JLE and Bette Sans Souci/

Plastique Plastic explosive is a soft and hand-moldable solid form of explosive material. Within the field of explosives engineering, plastic explosives are also known as putty explosives or blastics. Plastic explosives are especially suited for explo ...

meeting a group of gargoyles at Notre Dame Cathedral. After the usual misunderstanding/battle, the JLE help the gargoyles return to their home island of

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song "Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a m ...

. *

* Flash *

Kilowog Kilowog is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is a member of the Green Lantern Corps. The character appeared in the 2011 ''Green Lantern'' film with his voice provided by actor Michael Clarke Dunca ...

* Metamorpho *

''Formerly Known as the Justice League'' / ''I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League''

Several members of this incarnation of the Justice League later formed the

Super Buddies Super Buddies are a team of comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe who appear in the six-issue ''Formerly Known as the Justice League'' miniseries in 2003, and its 2005 sequel, ''I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League'' (published ...

, whose humorous adventures were featured in the

mini-series 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 ...

''Formerly Known as the Justice League'' and later again in the title ''JLA: Classified'' with a story called ''I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League''.

Writers

* Keith Giffen: #1-35, ''Annual'' #1 * J.M. DeMatteis: #1-9, 13, ''Annual'' #1 * William Messner-Loebs: #10-13 * Gerard Jones: #14-50, ''Annual'' #2-3

In other media

* In a parody of the ''

Super Friends ''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...

'', the sketch "That's What Superfriends Are For" on '' Mad'' features the founding team of Justice League Europe (minus Rocket Red and Metamorpho). * In the show '' Powerless'', Beatriz Bonilla, a.k.a. ''

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...

'', tells Emily that she was accepted by the group; while Emily is happy for her, she tells her the group is not in the top five of Justice Leagues.

References

External links

{{Justice League 1989 comics debuts Comics by J. M. DeMatteis Comics by Keith Giffen

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Comics spin-offs