JediKermit's Full Review: Keith Giffen and J. M. Dematteis - Justice League ...
By the early 1980's, the Justice League of America had been around for more than two decades, and had gone through several incarnations. The most recent one had been headquartered in a bunker in Detroit, and had only Aquaman as a powerhouse, and had D-listers Vibe, Steel, Vixen and Gypsy as cannon fodder. It didn't end well. Editors pulled together writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, and put them together with artist Kevin Maguire. When they did that, somehow magic happened, and the Justice League International was born. It was a different team of superheroes, a different approach to crimefighting, but more importantly, in an era that was defined as "grim and gritty," it was funny.
The new roster of superheroes included well-known heroes Batman, Black Canary, and Martian Manhunter, who had all served in previous versions of the League. They were joined by:
Captain Marvel -- a new acquisition by DC Comics, the character had been around since the 1940's. Boy Billy Batson shouts "Shazam!" and becomes the world's mightiest mortal--Marvel is nearly an equal to Superman in terms of strength, but has a naivete and lack of experience that makes him second guess himself.
Guy Gardner -- a new Green Lantern, he's arrogant,violent, and has a ridiculous bowl cut. He thinks he should lead every team, and every woman should fall at his feet. Much of the comedy in the book comes from Gardner's stupidity.
Doctor Fate -- a mystic under a gold helmet, he's not much of a team player, but comes in handy when magical forces attack the League.
Blue Beetle -- billionaire inventor Ted Kord is a second generation superhero, and the character was another new acquisition for DC Comics, this time from Charlton Comics. This makes Beetle a newcomer, and the Justice League is his chance to prove himself. This book made him a favorite character, and his comedy chops show themselves early on.
Mr. Miracle -- A master escape artist, he's new to Earth from Apokolips, the homeworld of Darkseid. He escaped that hellish world and wants to make sure Earth doesn't suffer the same fate. He's also got a dwarf sidekick, Oberon, who convinced Miracle it would be good for his carnie career to get a stint in the Justice League.
This first volume in the Justice League International collection is the first six issues of the book, first published in 1987. The book chronicles how this Justice League came together, the transition of leadership from Batman to Martian Manhunter, and the shift from being Justice League of America to Justice League International. This includes the mysterious behind-the-scenes manipulations of Maxwell Lord, a billionaire industrialist who has bigger plans for the League. It also includes the churning of the roster; in just under 200 pages, we lose and add various members: Doctor Light, Booster Gold, Captain Atom and Rocket Red all come and go for various reasons. It is a League that needs some more female members--I think that's tackled in the next volume.
This is a very funny comic book, which isn't something you can say about most superhero comics. The interplay between the characters is funniest if you know their history, but even then, Mr. Miracle ribbing Batman about how his wife could take out the Joker single-handedly is always nice. The confrontation between Batman and Guy Gardner comes to a head in a classic fight, and the sci-fi and geek references come fast enough that this could be an episode of The Big Bang Theory in print. The comedy comes from the writing, but also the artwork; previous Justice League artists were great at the costumes and set pieces, but the facial expressions were all generic. Artist Kevin Maguire puts as much expression into their faces as real people have, and whether they're laughing out loud, cringing in fear, or scowling in disgust, you know every thought running through their muscle-bound little heads.
There are also some dramatic and even frightening moments--their first battle is against terrorists in the United Nations Building in New York City, and it doesn't end bloodlessly. When it does end, Batman and the League fall under the shadow of recrimination, and that will follow them throughout the book.
There have been many Justice Leagues, and even though this is missing some of my favorite heroes (Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Flash are nowhere to be seen), there are enough powerhouses for this to be a true Justice League. Reading it again for the first time in years, I had forgotten just how fun--and funny--a comic book could be. If you're a fan of DC Comics, Batman, or the Justice League, Justice League International is a sure-fire hit.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.