JLA Classified, Vol. 2: I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League

JLA Classified

by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Kevin Maguire

Book by Giffen, Keith, Dematteis, J.M.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Fiction, Humor, Fantasy

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2005

About the author

Keith 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.

Reviews

[Audrey Hacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is definitely a comic I would shove up my ass with no hesitation

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

HEARTS!

Oh man, I LOVE the JLI. Or the super-buddies or whatever they call themselves. If there is ONE thing I owe to scans daily, it's discovering this team. It's absolute cracktastic brilliance.

Let me tell you a story: this morning I went to work really early so I could have breakfast there because I didn't have anything left to eat at home. I was the only one there, and for half an hour, all you could hear was my giggling because I was reading this comic. It's not the most sophisticated humor, sure, but it's so very funny. And it has Booster and Beetle and Guy and Bea (<3 <3 <3) and L-Ron, omg. Wonderful. (And the first volume is going to arrive next week! Thank god!)

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this nearly as well as I'd been liking the earlier JLI collections. The characters are the same, and the sense of humor is similar... For the most part. What knocked this book down a star from a three for me was the tireless repetition of misogynistic jokes that weren't funny the first time. It's one thing to have Guy Gardner as a pig, and it's quite another thing to add Booster to that category (Gladys? Did we really need any of that?) and then ending with the female characters bending over backwards to accomodate their sexism. And this is not the fault of the book, but just try to read the last panel (with Maxwell Lord and Blue Beetle grinning at each other) or virtually any scene with the Dibnys without cringing just a little bit.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS CRAZY! It's a really random plot in my opinion. But I'm not complaining at all! I wouldn't take my word for it though, I'm horribly biased towards Justice League International. I have a soft spot for that wacky team.

Anyway, the team is transported to Hell because of a Booster Gold mistake, and as a result they don't let him forget, even for a second, what he brought them into. Poor Boost!

Very entertaining and laughs in every issue. Recommended. :D

PS I'm considering changing my name to Richard Hertz.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like what I've read of the 1980s Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire Justice League International. I like the sharp dialogue, the quick wit, the outlandish plots, and the incredibly expressive art. And all of those things are very much present in this reunion book. Unfortunately, also present is a discomfiting amount of cruelty and offensiveness that the original book didn't contain, and for that reason I can't rate this book higher.

The JLI characters have always mocked each other. But that loving mocking in this volume has morphed into outright cruelty. And while the old books had their share of offensive jokes, they were usually counterbalanced by the strength of the offended character and/or the punishment of the offensive one.

Here, that's simply not true. Booster Gold and Guy Gardner's rampant misogyny is condemned by other characters, sure, but the jokes are still there to make the readers laugh to begin with. And in the end, those characters get away scot free while the female characters are the ones who suffer. Bea is filled with guilt about being weak enough to turn back to see her friend as they try to escape hell (a weakness that Guy could easily have had instead), and ends the book by asking Booster, who has been nothing but offensive toward her, out on a date. Power Girl, meanwhile, is forced to apologize to Guy Gardner on multiple occasions for the sin of BEING UPSET about his misogyny, and also takes the blame for getting the team sent to hell to begin with (something that was, ultimately, Booster's fault, but of course HE gets to be the hero of the piece). Even Mary Marvel, who is UNDERAGE, apologizes to Guy for attacking him after he gropes her, and while this is in-character for sweet, conscientious Mary, it adds to the overall problematic tone. And then there's the fact that half the book is made up of jokes about how Sue Dibny must be pregnant and hormonal to be upset about anything.

When you add all this to the fact that no one on the team actually seems to like each other, even hidden beneath their jokes, and the fact that the plot is rushed and falls apart completely at the end, you get a disappointing mess from what really should have been a welcome reunion of a great team of creators and characters.

But on the plus side, I did discover a newfound love for Mary Marvel!

[Rizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sequel to "Formerly Known as the Justice League" has all the same things to love. Unfortunately, it also brings back some elements from the original JLI run that really kill the mood. There's so much fun stuff in here, but it's a disappointing final sendoff for the Super Buddies.

The biggest problem in this story comes down to one character: Guy Gardner. No one but Giffen writes Guy as unrepentantly scummy and detestable as he is depicted here. He is constantly sexually harassing his female teammates, bullying his male ones, and always acting in such a way as to maximize the misery of everyone around him, especially the reader. Giffen's Guy has no redeemable qualities whatsoever, and yet every character bends over backwards to forgive him in the end. Why? I get it, he's an asshole. Where's the joke? WHERE'S THE JOKE, GIFFEN? It's really frustrating throughout, and becomes downright insulting when the book expects us to believe Guy Gardner ever truly cared about Tora in the original JLI run. Unfortunately for Giffen, I actually read that run recently, and Guy only ever got attached to Tora because she was naïve enough to believe that Guy had redeemable qualities. What qualities? The world may never know. It's honestly disgusting that Beatriz had to share her moment of mourning over Tora with Guy Gardner, who only ever treater her like shit. And it's embarrassing for Giffen, who just doesn't seem to have a very high opinion of women.

Despite all of that, I actually did enjoy the story for the most part, if you can believe it. There are some genuinely hilarious moments, and even some genuine character development. But Guy Gardner is such a big scar on the whole thing that it really leaves a bad taste in the mouth. I suspect that in 5 years, I'm only going to remember the bad stuff, and I'll wonder why I ever rated this 3 stars.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y'know what I love about this book? Beneath the absolutely hilarity, Giffen and DeMatteis STILL write some great character moments. It was never the jokes that made JLI such a great series (although they helped!). It was those quiet moments in between jokes, such as Fire admitting that she felt for Guy after they'd encountered someone who may or may not have been Ice in a place that may or may not have been hell. It's great to see Beetle and Booster admit how much they care about their friendship and enjoy working together, but only when the other isn't present! It's great to see Guy Gardner say that he cares about the Super-Buddies, even if he doesn't believe it himself. I love that the humor flows so easily from the characters.

The real tragedy of the gutting of these characters by events like Identity Crisis, Countdown, Sacrifice, OMAC and more has nothing to do with the loss of humor from the DCU. It really boils down to the fact that anybody who's bothered to read Giffen and DeMatteis' Justice League series knows that this group of characters has more personality, more heart, more compassion and love and true heroism than any other characters in any super-hero universe. And that's no joke.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a strange book.... Not bad, but off-the-wall bonkers and goofy in a way that wasn't non-canonical like a lot of say, Deadpool for example, but just kind of side-canonical, like Squirrel Girl perhaps? Except with more of a PG-13 (if not sneaking closer to R) rating? This is a hard one to describe. It took me a while to read it because there were better books, but it was so crazy that I also couldn't help coming back to it. Strange in a lot of good ways and strange in a lot of... strange ways. The Guy Gardner fan in me was mostly happy (though he was the most crass I've seen him in a story yet). Really, he felt more like a caricature. Honestly, all of the characters felt like caricatures, but not in a bad way. In a... weird way that was still fun but won't necessarily have me wanting more either? I suppose the best way to describe this book is that it was a nice little departure into Crazyville--but that doesn't man I want to buy myself a vacation home there. Creative and funny, but also awkward and weird. Make of that what you will.

[O · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lost this and then I found it and I read it out. This was pretty funny, not a big dramatic plot, but like it's fun for what it is, a light-hearted and fun little story. I hope not one reading this is expecting some kind of intense thing, because it's basically a break from that. I was impressed that they allowed some character growth in Booster Gold, and I think they meant to keep on pointing it out all the time, because in typical super hero things, you want to see that ... subtly. I like Blue Beetle, like, he's chill, but there's something about Booster Gold and his whole slightly crooked and proud personality which really makes me think he's a great character. Who would admit to such faults? I like that. Power Girl, why do I like PG more than SG? I dunno, I think it's because PG is so angry and she has every right to be, she's pretty aggressive and does whatever, and like no one can blame her, who out there would want to be a clone?

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gods DAMN if this didn’t make my inner teenager all aglow with cackle und furtive shame. Is this book still funny? If I say yes, does that make me a stain on society?

Giffen & DeMatteis & Maguire step right back into the frothy nonsense like this was just the next issues in their infamous run. The heroes are still bickering incessantly, the antagonistic backdrops provide just enough conflict to keep them from tearing each other dead, and there’s a few sparks of actual heroism to keep ya guessing. (Gardner with anything beyond self-indulgent was a shocker)

Wish they’d have had the juice to keep this going. Even if everyone else fell off and we were left with Beetle and Booster roaming the wilds of Earth like the Winchester boys, I’d be there for every episode.

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

just humor.
not my thing

[Tim Pieraccini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every bit as good as their original run - if not, indeed, slightly better. Although I do miss Jon.

[Diago Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book its like the newer version of Justice League and it has alot of action and cool things

[Tim Rooney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than the preceding JLI reunion “Formely Known as” but still not up to the best of the original series.

[Allen Setzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was wonderful seeing these characters back with the creators who made them so great. This makes me want to read the Justice League International series again.

[Dan Prestwich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't even tell you how much I would love it if they brought back the creative team to do one more of these.

B+

[Andy Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable bout of original JL Bwah-ha moments with a shower of fire whiskey running through the multivitamin drink.

It's a double-header. On one hand, you've JLA fun in the classical sense: laugh aloud through new conflicts and character friendships. On the other, there's a sometimes divisive but always righteous political message. The original run followed the Watchmen/Dark Knight pessimism which later subsumed the industry. At the time of the release of this book, DC Continuity put characters at the heart of JLA through brutal murder and rape. This tale is set just before all that, though published at the same time, and contains multiple references to the 'a dolt' superheroes. At times, the anger makes it's way to snarky characters. It's always pushing the walls, motivates the sometimes jarring plot, particularly as JLA was often never about 'anything'. It's all done with love though: sparkling banter, juvenile celebration. Maguire occasionally goes overboard with the cleveage but his character work is clean and consistent and his talent for expressions is priceless.

[Tom Fuchs · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit of a disappointment. All the old trademarks are there and indicate that this is something that I should enjoy, but it just never gels. Their ability to write these characters atrophied with the years, maybe? I still love the detailed expressions on the characters faces, but even that seems to be a little overkill in this volume. Plus the emotional beat in the second-to-last issue is evaporated by immediately having giant rabid dog stampeding through a city to start the next issue. 'Tis a shame.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might just be my bias for Blue Beetle & Booster Gold showing through, but I can't rate this book less than five stars. I just can't.

Of course, having read Booster's more recent novels, I wanted to yell at everyone being mean to him because he goes through a lot of crap later.

Wanting to hug superheroes, that's normal, right?

Was not expecting the feels from Gardner and Fire. Also did not know about Ice. That was upsetting. I probably should stop reading these things out of order.

Super-buddies for life!

[Andy Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think my one problem with this was that I read it right after Formerly Known.. and it proved too much in too short of a time.. I think JLI works best if you space out your readings a bit or else you could get tired of the jokes too soon. Still wonderful and sad at the same time seeing as what they did to everyone right afterwards (technically before thi was published but whatever) with Identity Crisis. But thats DC for you.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is Superheros, the second string and they suffer. Much like the last Superbuddies collection. The story is well written the dialog is snappy. But having even some characters that were not ment to be bufoons act the part is getting old.

While I all for well done comedy, the story told in this collection is one of the reasons I stopped buying comics in the first place. But often at that time the stupid was not so deliberate.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable stuff as always from this team. More so than previous volumes of the JLA / JLE involving this mob, a bit of wider knowledge about the DC Universe and the role of these guys in it is useful, but not necessary.

If you are looking for gritty dark tales of vengeance and redemption look elsewhere. If you want amusing stories with great dialogue and real characters - it is not all just comic dialogues, there is some real poignancy here - try this.

[East Bay J · Rating 3 out of 5]

More zany antics from Giffen and DeMatteis. Man, I could just leave it at that. Some of the characters are gone, others have been introduced, the team ends up in hell or a reasonable facsimile. Still funny, still tons of hilarious faces, the art’s great and the storyline gets downright surreal. Another fun read!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basic Plot: The Super Buddies attempt to open shop, hilarity ensues.

I remember giggling out loud and snorting quite a bit while reading this book. I loved it. Blue Beetle and Booster Gold are a comedy team for the ages.

[Jota Houses · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una secuela de las aventuras de los superheroes antes conocidos como la Liga de la Justicia Internacional. No es tan buena como la anterior pero al menos vuelve Guy Gadner.
La última oportunidad de ver al clásico Blue Beetle antes de que a Maxwell Lord se le vaya la pinza.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

More funny broughten

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a paper-thin plot, but on the other hand Giffen has really cranked up the humor and seems to be back into his old groove. A pity he didn't get to continue.

[Amanda]

I'm not rating this because 1 star is way too generous for this.

[Leelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

FUN READ! I really recommend it.

[alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best ensemble I’ve ever enjoyed in a comic. Convinced me to go back and buy the omnibus