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Justice League International #1
Justice League International, Vol. 1
In the wake of world crisis, a new generation of the World's Greatest Super-Heroes takes center stage. But it's the most unlikely grouping of heroes you'll ever see! Batman, Blue Beetle, Martian Manhunter, Guy Gardner, Black Canary, Mister Miracle, Dr. Fate, Booster Gold, Doctor Light and the power of Shazam!
Can this ragtag group of work as a functioning unit to stop terrorists at the United Nations, a brigade of Rocket Reds, the Royal Flush Gang, the mysterious Gray Man, and other threats- or will they succumb to in-fighting and bad jokes?
Can this ragtag group of work as a functioning unit to stop terrorists at the United Nations, a brigade of Rocket Reds, the Royal Flush Gang, the mysterious Gray Man, and other threats- or will they succumb to in-fighting and bad jokes?
192 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1987
64 people are currently reading
1935 people want to read
About the author
Keith Giffen
1,931 books216 followersKeith Ian Giffen was an American comic book illustrator and writer. He is possibly best-known for his long runs illustrating, and later writing the Legion of Super-Heroes title in the 1980s and 1990s. He also created the alien mercenary character Lobo (with Roger Slifer), and the irreverent "want-to-be" hero, Ambush Bug. Giffen is known for having an unorthodox writing style, often using characters in ways not seen before. His dialogue is usually characterized by a biting wit that is seen as much less zany than dialogue provided by longtime collaborators DeMatteis and Robert Loren Fleming. That approach has brought him both criticism and admiration, as perhaps best illustrated by the mixed (although commercially successful) response to his work in DC Comics' Justice League International (1987-1992). He also plotted and was breakdown artist for an Aquaman limited series and one-shot special in 1989 with writer Robert Loren Fleming and artist Curt Swan for DC Comics.
Giffen's first published work was "The Sword and The Star", a black-and-white series featured in Marvel Preview, with writer Bill Mantlo. He has worked on titles (owned by several different companies) including Woodgod, All Star Comics, Doctor Fate, Drax the Destroyer, Heckler, Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, Reign of the Zodiac, Suicide Squad, Trencher (to be re-released in a collected edition by Boom! Studios)., T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Vext. He was also responsible for the English adaptation of the Battle Royale and Ikki Tousen manga, as well as creating "I Luv Halloween" for Tokyopop. He also worked for Dark Horse from 1994-95 on their Comics Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes line, as the writer of two short lived series, Division 13 and co-author, with Lovern Kindzierski, of Agents of Law. For Valiant Comics, Giffen wrote XO-Manowar, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Punx and the final issue of Solar, Man of the Atom.
He took a break from the comic industry for several years, working on storyboards for television and film, including shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy.
He is also the lead writer for Marvel Comics's Annihilation event, having written the one-shot prologue, the lead-in stories in Thanos and Drax, the Silver Surfer as well as the main six issues mini-series. He also wrote the Star-Lord mini-series for the follow-up story Annihilation: Conquest. He currently writes Doom Patrol for DC, and is also completing an abandoned Grant Morrison plot in The Authority: the Lost Year for Wildstorm.
Giffen's first published work was "The Sword and The Star", a black-and-white series featured in Marvel Preview, with writer Bill Mantlo. He has worked on titles (owned by several different companies) including Woodgod, All Star Comics, Doctor Fate, Drax the Destroyer, Heckler, Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, Reign of the Zodiac, Suicide Squad, Trencher (to be re-released in a collected edition by Boom! Studios)., T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Vext. He was also responsible for the English adaptation of the Battle Royale and Ikki Tousen manga, as well as creating "I Luv Halloween" for Tokyopop. He also worked for Dark Horse from 1994-95 on their Comics Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes line, as the writer of two short lived series, Division 13 and co-author, with Lovern Kindzierski, of Agents of Law. For Valiant Comics, Giffen wrote XO-Manowar, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Punx and the final issue of Solar, Man of the Atom.
He took a break from the comic industry for several years, working on storyboards for television and film, including shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy.
He is also the lead writer for Marvel Comics's Annihilation event, having written the one-shot prologue, the lead-in stories in Thanos and Drax, the Silver Surfer as well as the main six issues mini-series. He also wrote the Star-Lord mini-series for the follow-up story Annihilation: Conquest. He currently writes Doom Patrol for DC, and is also completing an abandoned Grant Morrison plot in The Authority: the Lost Year for Wildstorm.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
May 28, 2015
4.5 stars
I was a little leery when my friends recommended this to me. Even with all the good reviews.
It's OLD.
And I know how you guys like to give high ratings for stuff that you read and loved when you were kids. You're a bunch of sentimental bastards.
Don't bother denying it...
So.
I open it up...and where were my slick glossy pages?!
It's printed on PAPER!
Yeah, plain paper. That's how freaking old my copy was! Ick.
But, I turned the gross pages anyway. Because I'm a strong woman.
Oh My God! It was so good!
This was what I thought Batman '66 Vol. 1 was going to be like, but wasn't.
*insert large amounts of disappointment here*
JLI was funny! And it's the kind of funny that stands the test of time. This is something that, despite the dated art, can be read and enjoyed even today.
The Guy Gardner/Batman stuff was priceless! Although, every scene with the Dark Knight was hilarious. They managed to lampoon the gritty version of Batman without taking away his cool factor, which was no small feat.
I never would have given this a second look if it hadn't been for the sage advice of my friends here on Goodreads. Ya'll are the best bunch of nerds a girl could ask for!
I was a little leery when my friends recommended this to me. Even with all the good reviews.
It's OLD.
And I know how you guys like to give high ratings for stuff that you read and loved when you were kids. You're a bunch of sentimental bastards.
Don't bother denying it...
So.
I open it up...and where were my slick glossy pages?!
It's printed on PAPER!
Yeah, plain paper. That's how freaking old my copy was! Ick.
But, I turned the gross pages anyway. Because I'm a strong woman.
Oh My God! It was so good!
This was what I thought Batman '66 Vol. 1 was going to be like, but wasn't.
*insert large amounts of disappointment here*
JLI was funny! And it's the kind of funny that stands the test of time. This is something that, despite the dated art, can be read and enjoyed even today.
The Guy Gardner/Batman stuff was priceless! Although, every scene with the Dark Knight was hilarious. They managed to lampoon the gritty version of Batman without taking away his cool factor, which was no small feat.
I never would have given this a second look if it hadn't been for the sage advice of my friends here on Goodreads. Ya'll are the best bunch of nerds a girl could ask for!
June 29, 2018
Have you ever been in that situation where a friend says to you, “Hey, you need to meet my buddy Al—you will love him! He’s hilarious, and I just think you two would really hit it off…you guys have the same sense of humor.” And so your friend invites you out to drinks with Al, and he’s got a big, friendly smile, and you think, “Yeah, I can see why you’d like this guy.” And then, two minutes later, he cracks and off-color joke that’s equal parts funny and offensive, and you’re trying to figure out if the offensive part is being used ironically (in which case you really like him) or sincerely (in which case the jury is most decidedly still out). You hang out with old Al for another couple of hours, and he periodically says something witty or brilliant that has you thinking or laughing, but then he fires off another few clunkers that make you suspect he is, in fact, at least mildly racist (and you’re beginning to wonder if your friend who introduced you to Al thinks you’re also slightly bigoted), and then he sneaks up to the bar and pays that tab when no one’s looking. When it’s time to go, your overall impression of Al is generally favorable—I mean, the guy’s just got one of those smile, after all—but you’re not really sold on him and not entirely sure you want to hang out with him again.
That was me with Justice League International. I’ve heard so many good things about this run over the years, and, on its surface, it’s right in my wheelhouse—a superhero book that’s faithful to the tried-and-true tropes of the genre but plays with convention, has a satirical edge, and features a bunch of B-teamers trying to learn how to fill the shoes of the legends who preceded them (with a little help from a very cranky Batman and a highly competent Martian Manhunter*). In reading, it though, I concluded that it’s 1) dated (and a little misogynistic, though perhaps that’s part of the being dated problem); 2) not as funny as it thinks it is; 3) oddly characterized in places (Batman, for example, feels off—it’s not that he’s necessarily badly out of character; it just feels like he’s a square peg forced into a round hole, and not in a way that’s conducive to creating fun dramatic tension…it’s more like that time I tried to make love to a Lego woman, the less about which, the better). Still, it’s got some entertaining moments, the art is generally quality, and you can sense the passion and enthusiasm that went into making this.
So, it was an interesting couple of hours, but I’m not sure I’m in a hurry to set up another outing with the JLI (though I am going to recommend Al for membership).
*Side note: Martian Manhunter really should have chosen a better name; that guy would suck at public relations. I mean, imagine if Kal-El had named himself “Kryptonian Babystealer.” Everyone would hate that guy. I’m going to lobby DC to get Martian Manhunter to call a press conference and announce that, henceforth, he will only answer to “Martian Peoplehelper.” (If we think that’s too soft, I’d be willing to discuss “Martian Badmanhunter” as an alternative.)
That was me with Justice League International. I’ve heard so many good things about this run over the years, and, on its surface, it’s right in my wheelhouse—a superhero book that’s faithful to the tried-and-true tropes of the genre but plays with convention, has a satirical edge, and features a bunch of B-teamers trying to learn how to fill the shoes of the legends who preceded them (with a little help from a very cranky Batman and a highly competent Martian Manhunter*). In reading, it though, I concluded that it’s 1) dated (and a little misogynistic, though perhaps that’s part of the being dated problem); 2) not as funny as it thinks it is; 3) oddly characterized in places (Batman, for example, feels off—it’s not that he’s necessarily badly out of character; it just feels like he’s a square peg forced into a round hole, and not in a way that’s conducive to creating fun dramatic tension…it’s more like that time I tried to make love to a Lego woman, the less about which, the better). Still, it’s got some entertaining moments, the art is generally quality, and you can sense the passion and enthusiasm that went into making this.
So, it was an interesting couple of hours, but I’m not sure I’m in a hurry to set up another outing with the JLI (though I am going to recommend Al for membership).
*Side note: Martian Manhunter really should have chosen a better name; that guy would suck at public relations. I mean, imagine if Kal-El had named himself “Kryptonian Babystealer.” Everyone would hate that guy. I’m going to lobby DC to get Martian Manhunter to call a press conference and announce that, henceforth, he will only answer to “Martian Peoplehelper.” (If we think that’s too soft, I’d be willing to discuss “Martian Badmanhunter” as an alternative.)
February 15, 2016
Launched in 1987, Justice League America (the title actually switched to Justice League International only for #7-25) was DC's inspired early response to the ideological superhero critique of Alan Moore's Watchmen's and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. It is funny when it needs to be, clever when it needs to be, subtle when it needs to be, cheesy when it needs to be - and it casts the members of the Justice League as less than perfect (and in some cases downright obnoxious) anti-heroes who spend more time quarreling and brawling with each other than fighting villains. Keith Giffen (plot and art breakdowns), J.M. DeMatteis (script) and Kevin Maguire (pencils) deliver a very enjoyable package, definitely a highlight of their respective careers and a minor classic of superhero comedy.
August 22, 2019
Vote: 3, 5
I am just too much a newbie reader of DC Universe (besides Batman comics) to fully appreciate this classic (and not liked very much the Grey Man storyline), but the Bats/Guy Gardner argues scenes were just hilarious ones!
No doubt I'm going to rise my vote when I'm going to re-read it sooner of later after upgrading my knowledge about DC characters.
April 11, 2016
The first comic I ever subscribed to was the Justice League of America. Unfortunately for me, it was when the League had a fairly crappy roster including Vibe, Gypsy, Vixen, and Steel. Fortunately, it was cancelled a few issues later and replaced with Justice League International.
JLI made comics fun again. Blue Beetle and Guy Gardner provided the laughs with Batman playing the ultimate straightman for their jokes. And we can't forget about poor hen-pecked Mister Miracle either.
This book collects the formation of the JLI at the hands of Maxwell Lord and goes up until they get the International status and Martian Manhunter becomes the leader. Fun stuff. For a lot of people, the Justice League is the Big Seven. For me, it's the roster the League had at the end of this book.
JLI made comics fun again. Blue Beetle and Guy Gardner provided the laughs with Batman playing the ultimate straightman for their jokes. And we can't forget about poor hen-pecked Mister Miracle either.
This book collects the formation of the JLI at the hands of Maxwell Lord and goes up until they get the International status and Martian Manhunter becomes the leader. Fun stuff. For a lot of people, the Justice League is the Big Seven. For me, it's the roster the League had at the end of this book.
September 12, 2024
I read a few of these when they were initially published so it’s nice to be able to read them in order now. This is a fun, slightly comedic take on the Justice League and still makes for entertaining reading all these years later. The interaction between Guy Gardner and Batman is fantastic.
January 27, 2021
I remember reading a couple of comics from this series when I was a kid, but since I was never much into DC, I never really cared for it, but something about this team, specially the art and the banter between the members have lingered in my memory until this day, and you know what I think it was? The character's expressions and the colorful costume designs, they're all fun and amazing to look at, I never read a single storyline with Guy Gardner and I've always known who he is because of it, same with the Blue Beetle and so on.
Thirty some years later, I decided to grab this up and give it another try, glad I did. I've always enjoyed reading dysfunctional teams with c-grade superheroes, and this one is probably the best in that sub-genre. I wouldn't call it straight up, laugh out loud humor like some of the reviews I've read, but its certainly a hell lot of fun to read.
Thirty some years later, I decided to grab this up and give it another try, glad I did. I've always enjoyed reading dysfunctional teams with c-grade superheroes, and this one is probably the best in that sub-genre. I wouldn't call it straight up, laugh out loud humor like some of the reviews I've read, but its certainly a hell lot of fun to read.
July 7, 2016
Crack up. Guy Gardner is everything that is good about Green Lantern.
June 20, 2022
This was Lolztastic.
After Crisis in 1986 they jump started JLA once more. They needed the Justice League but didn't have direction. In come Justice league International, which is basically a sitcom with superheroes in it.
You take some old members like Manhunter and Canary, bring in some newer members like Guy and Shazam, and have a tough and gruff leader like Batman and hilarity is bound to happen.
A lot of the time this is just people in the league arguing how to take on a mission and it's perfection. Finally, this feels like people having to work in the same space but also not loving each other yet they work well together. It's funny as hell, the characters all are unique, and the banter is AMAZING.
There's some good stories here too. Talking about political affairs of going into a country not ours, to Dr. Fate dealing with "The Gray Man" and just Guy being a complete and utter tool but making amazing storylines because of it. Also, see Max Lord here, trying to be "good" is awesome.
So far...I'm LOVING this. 4.5 out of 5.
After Crisis in 1986 they jump started JLA once more. They needed the Justice League but didn't have direction. In come Justice league International, which is basically a sitcom with superheroes in it.
You take some old members like Manhunter and Canary, bring in some newer members like Guy and Shazam, and have a tough and gruff leader like Batman and hilarity is bound to happen.
A lot of the time this is just people in the league arguing how to take on a mission and it's perfection. Finally, this feels like people having to work in the same space but also not loving each other yet they work well together. It's funny as hell, the characters all are unique, and the banter is AMAZING.
There's some good stories here too. Talking about political affairs of going into a country not ours, to Dr. Fate dealing with "The Gray Man" and just Guy being a complete and utter tool but making amazing storylines because of it. Also, see Max Lord here, trying to be "good" is awesome.
So far...I'm LOVING this. 4.5 out of 5.
June 23, 2014
I think I collected this when it first came out, and even then I enjoyed the hell out of this zany over-the-top combination of fun writing and exaggerated acting in the art.
Guy Gardner and Maxwell Lord make an immediate, attention-getting impression. As does Black Canary's 80's hair and jumpsuit.
And the team dynamic - the dysfunction and infighting - works here. They're not at each others' throats because they don't understand each other - these guys are familiar enough with each other that they just don't *like* someone else on the team, and their specific dysfunctions are both bizarre and real.
Like, for me every time my team at work - or a project team pulled together - settled in, I end up taking a serious dislike to someone. Not because I don't know where they're coming from, but because they almost deliberately rub me the wrong way. (And to be fair, I probably get up in their grill way too obviously as well, so much as I think I'm being subtle and sly about it).
Guy Gardner dislikes everyone that isn't Ronald Reagan, Batman's a bat-dick to everyone around him, and the rest of the team has to dance or blow off steam around these two. It's a good dynamic for tension, not necessarily for the teamwork.
The team of Giffen & DeMatteis does a pretty good job with the writing - when it's funny it's at least fun, and when it goes serious it (generally) works. (Except for that nuclear disarmament storyline - felt too preachy and oh-so-expository, as if they didn't take enough time to figure out how to tell the origin in a way that wasn't talking to themselves.)
The art is fun, clean, action-y. I read some interviews with Maguire and he thinks his art at this start of the JL run wasn't great, but it works pretty well for me, and I can only notice the most trivial mistakes or oddities that fall at his feet. (The more obvious screwups are in the colouring department - which is typical of the older comics - someone mistakes an arm for someone else's, or doesn't realise that a character in the background is someone else with a very different colour scheme.)
The run up to their "International" status seems pretty predictable now, but I'm not sure if that's hindsight, or advancements in storytelling craft, or the fact that I read this as a kid. It's fun and should add some extra punch to the team dynamic (not to mention one character's radical transformation near the end of this book - holy moley).
Guy Gardner and Maxwell Lord make an immediate, attention-getting impression. As does Black Canary's 80's hair and jumpsuit.
And the team dynamic - the dysfunction and infighting - works here. They're not at each others' throats because they don't understand each other - these guys are familiar enough with each other that they just don't *like* someone else on the team, and their specific dysfunctions are both bizarre and real.
Like, for me every time my team at work - or a project team pulled together - settled in, I end up taking a serious dislike to someone. Not because I don't know where they're coming from, but because they almost deliberately rub me the wrong way. (And to be fair, I probably get up in their grill way too obviously as well, so much as I think I'm being subtle and sly about it).
Guy Gardner dislikes everyone that isn't Ronald Reagan, Batman's a bat-dick to everyone around him, and the rest of the team has to dance or blow off steam around these two. It's a good dynamic for tension, not necessarily for the teamwork.
The team of Giffen & DeMatteis does a pretty good job with the writing - when it's funny it's at least fun, and when it goes serious it (generally) works. (Except for that nuclear disarmament storyline - felt too preachy and oh-so-expository, as if they didn't take enough time to figure out how to tell the origin in a way that wasn't talking to themselves.)
The art is fun, clean, action-y. I read some interviews with Maguire and he thinks his art at this start of the JL run wasn't great, but it works pretty well for me, and I can only notice the most trivial mistakes or oddities that fall at his feet. (The more obvious screwups are in the colouring department - which is typical of the older comics - someone mistakes an arm for someone else's, or doesn't realise that a character in the background is someone else with a very different colour scheme.)
The run up to their "International" status seems pretty predictable now, but I'm not sure if that's hindsight, or advancements in storytelling craft, or the fact that I read this as a kid. It's fun and should add some extra punch to the team dynamic (not to mention one character's radical transformation near the end of this book - holy moley).
November 24, 2017
This wasn't my favorite, but it's solid for what it is: an 80s alternative Justice League. I just think I'm not a huge JL fan.
All right, so what's the deal? Dr. Light II receives an alert disc (like those Olive Garden alert discs) from "someone," we don't know who, then it's revealed later but the mystery doesn't really matter. Booster Gold joins the team. The Champions of Angor, these aliens whose planet was destroyed by nuclear war, are trying to rid the world of nuclear warheads. Then there's the subplot of Gray Man, who has escaped from the Lords of Order and is trying to "destroy the world." And the JLI is involved in all of the above with a dizzying amount of in-fighting and "witty" banter. So overall a decent blend of Cold War fear, corny jokes and petty arguments in the JLI, some humor (because Guy Gardner is so idiotic), and some 80s comic mysticism.
September 24, 2012
This my first go at reading these 80s JLI issues, and I really enjoyed it. There's a great mix of characters here, most of whom I already knew fairly well and liked. And Guy Gardner, who I think I know fairly well and could do with rather less of. Having read everything surrounding Infinite Crisis, it's really hard not to read the most sinister possible motivations for everything Maxwell Lord does, but I'm trying. There's a comedic tone to the whole thing, while having serious conflicts. It's the comedy that will keep me reading, because it's well done and in character (we all know Batman makes a great straight man) .
August 21, 2019
Joyous entertainment supreme! The banter pops, the plot sizzles and the artwork is expressive. It works now and it works as nostalgia.
September 24, 2019
"I want to know how long you're gonna keep talking, Bats. I don't think I can stay awake much longer."
"Be a good boy now, Guy--or I'm going to have to keep you after class. You wouldn't like that. Believe me."
(1) Batman putting Guy Gardner in his place like a boss, that's just priceless!!!
(2) It really comes as a surprise, but the sense of humor and the stupid jokes in the story actually are...kinda good?
(3) Guy Gardner is such a jerk to everyone that it's simply hilarious! Watching him and Batman pulling each other's leg is so much fun!
(4) Plus the Green Lanterns are still afraid of the yellow color! Yahhoo!
(5) It's interesting to go back to a time when the coloring of comic still only contents solid colors and black lines for shadow instead of layers of colors and different shades!
(6) But then all of a sudden, Guy Gardner is nice to everyone! OMG the world is surely going to end!!!
(7) Everyone seemingly wants to get rid of Guy but on the other hand, they always think "We wouldn't be that lucky." Hahah!
(8) I kinda like how the tension between USA and USSR is also mentioned.
(9) I rarely used "like a boss" on Batman, but in this volume, he does act like a boss and a leader. XD
*jumps to read the next book*
Other book reviews:
Batman and Robin by Peter Tomasi & Patrick Gleason Omnibus https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review: Red Hood: Outlaw vol. 1 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review: Batman: Battle For the Cowl: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review: Batman: Life After Death: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review: Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book Review: Batman: The Long Halloween https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review: The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told Vol. 1 (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
Review: Batman: A Death in the Family https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 28, 2022
So I went into this volume thinking that maybe I will hate most of the 80s DC Comics after my recent troubles reading Batman: The Dark Knight Detective. I was not surprised that I immediately hated Guy Gardener. A couple pages in and he’s already sexually harassing Black Canary and just being an overall douche. I was pleasantly surprised when Batman walked in and, with Daddy energy, completely told them what was up and didn’t take no for an answer.
I have read Guy Gardener before in the lead up to the new Justice League in the Legends event. Hated him. So annoying. So I definitely appreciated Batman putting him in his place. Before that point I wasn’t sure if I could continue this series if I had to listening to that whining haircut. I seriously have to question why Guy is even in the JL. Nobody likes him and thinks he’s a child. They constantly make comments about him being kicked out permanently. He’s not a team player, so what’s he trying to achieve? Wouldn’t he do better as a villain? Would the Suicide Squad take him?
I have read Guy Gardener before in the lead up to the new Justice League in the Legends event. Hated him. So annoying. So I definitely appreciated Batman putting him in his place. Before that point I wasn’t sure if I could continue this series if I had to listening to that whining haircut. I seriously have to question why Guy is even in the JL. Nobody likes him and thinks he’s a child. They constantly make comments about him being kicked out permanently. He’s not a team player, so what’s he trying to achieve? Wouldn’t he do better as a villain? Would the Suicide Squad take him?
September 24, 2017
Batman and Martian Manhunter form a team of B list superheroes consisting of Dr. Fate, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Shazam, Booster Gold, Mr. Miracle and the ever so douchey Guy Gardner Green Lantern. This book has amazing art, maybe some of the best 80's DC has to offer. There was also a lot of good humor in action in this book. It is so painfully cheesy and 80s and parts of it fall under the so bad it's good banner, it's a really fun read and maybe the best Justice League series.
November 28, 2025
I find myself re-reading this graphic novel frequently. Still one of my all-time favorites. The interactions w/Guy Gardner & Batman - Epic.
December 18, 2020
Mdsss liguinha eu te amooo
Como n tinha conhecido antess, um grupo com integrantes improváveis e que está dando muito certo personagem que já gosto como a canário, o guy que está um macho escroto que na fase atual n é mais tantoo ahahah mas puor que gosto que a galera n deixa passar e participação de personagens que conheci na fase tom king com o batman como o gladiador dourado além do senhor milagree nossa isso parece um quadrinho atual de como é gostoso e fluido n tem uma carga pesada de quadrinho clássico. Mas meus amigos que CLÁSSICO.
Como n tinha conhecido antess, um grupo com integrantes improváveis e que está dando muito certo personagem que já gosto como a canário, o guy que está um macho escroto que na fase atual n é mais tantoo ahahah mas puor que gosto que a galera n deixa passar e participação de personagens que conheci na fase tom king com o batman como o gladiador dourado além do senhor milagree nossa isso parece um quadrinho atual de como é gostoso e fluido n tem uma carga pesada de quadrinho clássico. Mas meus amigos que CLÁSSICO.
March 21, 2023
Although the team consists mostly of B-list superheroes, Keith Giffen and J. M DeMatteis have really made it work with the vibrant characters, their humorous interactions and the overall group dynamic.
Loved Kevin Maguire's artwork here as well. He really brought the characters to life, by giving them vivid and lively expressions.
Loved Kevin Maguire's artwork here as well. He really brought the characters to life, by giving them vivid and lively expressions.
May 3, 2020
So good. So fun. Some of the best 'acting' via facial expressions ever in comics. A masterpiece of a series.
June 5, 2016
Not as consistently funny as I'd expected. The whole plot line with the Gray Man and Doctor Fate really slowed the book's pace - not least because it was boring! I'm glad Doctor Fate's left the team by the book's end.
You can tell the series hadn't hit its stride yet. Still, this book remains a classic and should be read at least once by comic book fans, though I much preferred Justice League International, Vol. 3.
You can tell the series hadn't hit its stride yet. Still, this book remains a classic and should be read at least once by comic book fans, though I much preferred Justice League International, Vol. 3.
December 1, 2016
I read this when I was younger and it sparked my love for all things JL.
August 29, 2018
Fazia tempo que eu não relia a Liga da Justiça Internacional e, dessa vez eu tenho que ficar com os saudosistas quando dizem que os autores já não caracterizam os personagens mais tão bem como antigamente. Vejam as expressões que Kevin Maguire desenha nos seus personagens, cada uma tão peculiar e tão própria de cada um. A mesma coisa os integrantes da Liga, cada um deles tem a própria voz. Sabemos exatamente quem eles são, não usam dos diálogos pasteurizados e de qualquer reação que os personagens têm nas revistas atuais, como se quem eles fossem não importasse. Fora isso, o trio Giffen, DeMatteis e Maguire conseguem provocar várias gargalhadas. Além disso, é legal perceber como essa HQ é fruto da época e como ela gira em torno de Guerras Frias e crises em usinas e mísseis nucleares. Claro, muito mais que qualquer enredo, o melhor de tudo neste trabalho é a dinâmica entre os personagens e como trabalham a relação entre Batman, Guy Gardner e o Shazam!, que fazem a gente até conseguir torcer para o Batman. Mas não simpatizar. As pessoas torcem pelo Batman, mas simpatizar com a morcega é bem difícil. E isso foi tudo que li da LJI até hoje (fora os seus retornos nos anos 2000). A Eaglemoss prometeu o próximo encadernado da equipe logo em seguida e é claro que vou querer ler.
March 17, 2025
It's beautifully illustrated. There are great character dynamics which create funny interactions.
However, it kind of overstayed its welcome. I get that Dematteis and Giffen wanted to tell a complete story in one volume, but it could have been an issue or two shorter.
As for the story, it's not really a through line plot, but rather just a bunch of short stories that are connective, and in each one they fight someone else.
It gets tiring after a while, because as I mentioned before, it felt longer than it needed to be. I also didn't really like that the new League needed to be approved by the government.
Overall, it's a mixed bag. You either love it or you don't, I happen to be in the middle. There are some good moments, and the main reason to read it is for the character dynamics.
6.5/10
However, it kind of overstayed its welcome. I get that Dematteis and Giffen wanted to tell a complete story in one volume, but it could have been an issue or two shorter.
As for the story, it's not really a through line plot, but rather just a bunch of short stories that are connective, and in each one they fight someone else.
It gets tiring after a while, because as I mentioned before, it felt longer than it needed to be. I also didn't really like that the new League needed to be approved by the government.
Overall, it's a mixed bag. You either love it or you don't, I happen to be in the middle. There are some good moments, and the main reason to read it is for the character dynamics.
6.5/10
February 24, 2024
First, it has to be said that Guy Gardener is not just terrible, he’s also a sexual predator. His first interaction with Black Canary makes The Boys way too on the nose.
The Gray man story was my favorite, and look for Blue Beetle throwing out the Star Trek jokes (generic as they may be) in multiple issues.
The Gray man story was my favorite, and look for Blue Beetle throwing out the Star Trek jokes (generic as they may be) in multiple issues.
July 11, 2025
“You’ve gotta admit…pretty funny.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Me neither.”
Precisely the tonic I both hoped and wanted it to be. And this reread gets a slight boost (heh) in that, I didn’t know they didn’t have any control over the team! That seems like one of those comic kismet moments that just makes this run and I’m really happy I know that now.
But truly madly deeply, some of my favorite comics ever written. By some of my favorite creatives ever, starring all my favorite DC Blorbos, it’s just a can’t-miss book for me then and now.
And beyond just how funny and pretty it is, I had truly forgotten just how OUT THERE this first arc is. Super Steve Gerber Defenders stuff just starring the friggen BATMAN and then it just barely resolves as the Max Lord of it all becomes the real story.
Cannot WAIT to get deeper into it.
“One punch, ONE PUNCH!”
“I don’t think so.”
“Me neither.”
Precisely the tonic I both hoped and wanted it to be. And this reread gets a slight boost (heh) in that, I didn’t know they didn’t have any control over the team! That seems like one of those comic kismet moments that just makes this run and I’m really happy I know that now.
But truly madly deeply, some of my favorite comics ever written. By some of my favorite creatives ever, starring all my favorite DC Blorbos, it’s just a can’t-miss book for me then and now.
And beyond just how funny and pretty it is, I had truly forgotten just how OUT THERE this first arc is. Super Steve Gerber Defenders stuff just starring the friggen BATMAN and then it just barely resolves as the Max Lord of it all becomes the real story.
Cannot WAIT to get deeper into it.
“One punch, ONE PUNCH!”
July 29, 2025
Y si, Giffen, Dematteis y Maguire son definitivamente los culpables de mi liga favorita. Humor, personalidad, y los rostros más expresivos del mundo. Que diversión, una historieta que te malcría, personajes que están absolutamente vivos, de las mejores encarnaciones que se pueden leer de cada uno de ellos. Una de las mejores puertas de entradas al cómic de superhéroes en general.
November 23, 2020
Bom demais!
March 7, 2008
Strangely enough, not all comics became serious after the early-'80's industry decry that the medium was no longer for kids. Why it took this long for the comics bankers to realize that this wouldn't kill them financially (to make this declaration, that is) is anyone's guess, but the immediate result, sadly, was that everything became far too serious and "gritty," almost overnight. Batman because more maudlin. The mutations became a metaphor for AIDS. And big-name characters were dying every other month. It was a tough time for anyone involved.
Fortunately, there was Keith Giffen. When the "revived" Justice League (which included street urchins and break dancing kids in an attempt to make things more "hip") was canceled as part of the Legends crossover series, Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis were given the Justice League property to do with as they saw fit, so long as it tied in as many second-tier characters as they could fit (led by, or assisted by, at least one A-Lister), AND so long as sales could warrant continuation.
For the next four-plus years Giffen & DeMatteis delivered one of the funniest, most ridiculous, and occasionally dada comics to ever come out of a mainstream company. Visual gags, straight up comedy, Monty Python references, nothing was off limits. Only in this title was Batman ever allowed to crack wise, or smile at another characters misfortune. Only here were you allowed to write a vampire story while all the guys are ogling the "new" female Dr. Fate. And, of course, the metatextual elements were a nice touch. (In issue 50, Guy Gardner goes to the DC Offices to meet the writers and artists that work on the book, in an effort to get a friend of his a job. He later has to save all of them from an attacking monster, while the writers are making fun of the monster's dialog and motive.)
Justice League had always been a solid book for DC, allowing the small-frys a chance to shine as brightly as the Big Boys, and maybe even prove themselves enough to get their own books. And this version was no exception. (Not too much later some of the Leaguers started their own book, Justice League Europe, and spin-offs helped keep DC solvent in the mid-'90's.) But never had the sense of humor of Ambush Bug been combined with a major property like this, and it may never happen again, either. Humor books are a decent commodity, but rarely are they on-going at a mainstream publisher. Fortunately for us, we have this reprint to remind us of a time when you could accidentally get peanut butter in your chocolate, and everyone was happy.
Fortunately, there was Keith Giffen. When the "revived" Justice League (which included street urchins and break dancing kids in an attempt to make things more "hip") was canceled as part of the Legends crossover series, Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis were given the Justice League property to do with as they saw fit, so long as it tied in as many second-tier characters as they could fit (led by, or assisted by, at least one A-Lister), AND so long as sales could warrant continuation.
For the next four-plus years Giffen & DeMatteis delivered one of the funniest, most ridiculous, and occasionally dada comics to ever come out of a mainstream company. Visual gags, straight up comedy, Monty Python references, nothing was off limits. Only in this title was Batman ever allowed to crack wise, or smile at another characters misfortune. Only here were you allowed to write a vampire story while all the guys are ogling the "new" female Dr. Fate. And, of course, the metatextual elements were a nice touch. (In issue 50, Guy Gardner goes to the DC Offices to meet the writers and artists that work on the book, in an effort to get a friend of his a job. He later has to save all of them from an attacking monster, while the writers are making fun of the monster's dialog and motive.)
Justice League had always been a solid book for DC, allowing the small-frys a chance to shine as brightly as the Big Boys, and maybe even prove themselves enough to get their own books. And this version was no exception. (Not too much later some of the Leaguers started their own book, Justice League Europe, and spin-offs helped keep DC solvent in the mid-'90's.) But never had the sense of humor of Ambush Bug been combined with a major property like this, and it may never happen again, either. Humor books are a decent commodity, but rarely are they on-going at a mainstream publisher. Fortunately for us, we have this reprint to remind us of a time when you could accidentally get peanut butter in your chocolate, and everyone was happy.
November 21, 2025
It's not really a five star series, but it always will be for me. I started reading this series when I found an issue at a gas station at 12 years old. I read every issue afterwards until the series ended, and when it did ended comic collecting more or less ended for me. I still read super hero comics now and again, but I'll never be obsessed like I was then. I read lots of other comics back then, but this series was my favorite hands down. It was funny, sometimes a bit too silly, and yet pretty sophisticated for a super hero comic book of the time. I was really invested in the characters and I still am to some degree. If that's not good writing I don't know what is. I actually did read the series long after the Giffen-Dematteis run, the Jurgens run which was pretty good, and everything afterwards which was awful. That's how much I loved the original run, I guess, I kept buying the issues when it was running on fumes.
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