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Justice League International #3
Justice League International, Vol. 3
The world's greatest super-team, the Justice League, are Earth's greatest and last line of defense against all manner of world-threatening villains...assuming they don't wipe each other out first! Find out what happens when Batman, Superman and the rest of the gang face a galactic invasion fleet known as the Cluster, exchange harsh words with crazed bounty hunter Lobo, and track Mister Miracle back to the hell planet that is Apokolips, and then battle yet another invasion fleet...because that's how they roll. Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis' classic run of Justice League stories - ably illustrated by Kevin Maguire - begins, mixing classic JLA action with a liberal dose of humour. Collects #14-22
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
19 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
About the author
Keith Giffen
1,934 books217 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
January 31, 2020
It’s the Justice League played for laughs and anyone (here: Keith Giffen, J. M Dematteis and Kevin Maguire) who can give us that eternal magic moment of Batman punching Guy Gardner in the face is okay in my book.
The shallow skinny:
Miracle Man is kidnapped and Big Barda wants to rescue her man.
Batman goes undercover as Bruce Wayne (!) and (?) to foil some international terror/super villain thing.
The JLI pitch in with the A-listers to stop another invasion of Earth.
Hello, Darkseid, my old friend.
I’ve come to talk to you again.
Bottom Line: Again, this is a lighter approach to super hero mags (that works) that the current DC corporate stooges have lost touch with. That’s sad.
January 31, 2020
There sure were a lot of company wide crossovers back in the day. Invasion interrupts this trade a couple of times and has some impacts on volume 4 too. However, the Invasion crossover with Oberon is one of the best issues of the book. His fight with the mini-Khunds is fantastic. We also get Lord Manga Khan and L-Ron here which can be a bit overbearing especially with G'nort thrown into the mix. Plus, Lobo before he became unbearable. Batman's undercover trip to Bialya is a lot of fun. The book still holds up as a witty, fun romp around the DCU. Does anyone draw better facial expressions than Kevin Maguire?
January 26, 2014
Sometimes the second-tier characters in a comic franchise are so much easier to relate to. I’m using the term “second-tier” somewhat loosely here, since Batman does make the odd appearance. However, the emphasis here is squarely on characters like Mister Miracle, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Captain Atom and The Martian Manhunter. It’s the Justice League, but not as we know it.
This particular series is one I devoured as a teen. In fact, I suppose most of my DC “education” is from here, which is why I still really like the not-so-very-famous characters. Now it would be easy to say that my fondness for these stories is enhanced by nostalgia, but the truth is that they are really good.
I’m not going to argue the merit of each collection as opposed to the other (this is Volume 3), since they’re all awesome… not to mention pretty damn funny!
Recommended to anyone and everyone who likes comics.
June 27, 2022
Another great volume. The laughs keep coming.
The first half is basically Bats, bettle, fire (I think that's her name), and booster have to basically go spy and break into a place. Of course this goes wrong but holy shit is Batman funny as hell here. Then we have Big Barda, Martian Manhunter, and the rest hunting down the evil warlord who stole Mister Miracle. This is a lot of fun watching the two teams get into situations that are both funny and can be serious. Also, Lobo is actually pretty funny this time and I usually hate this guy.
A 4 out of 5.
The first half is basically Bats, bettle, fire (I think that's her name), and booster have to basically go spy and break into a place. Of course this goes wrong but holy shit is Batman funny as hell here. Then we have Big Barda, Martian Manhunter, and the rest hunting down the evil warlord who stole Mister Miracle. This is a lot of fun watching the two teams get into situations that are both funny and can be serious. Also, Lobo is actually pretty funny this time and I usually hate this guy.
A 4 out of 5.
October 16, 2019
(1) Darkseid in his cozy living room.
I'm in!
(2) Guy Gardner is back to be his jackass old self again! You won't believe how relieved I am! Though...poor Ice Maidan...
(3) I'm always happy to see more of Mister Miracle and Big Barda.
(4) Batman/Bruce Wayne is back into the picture, and this secret mission thingy is pretty cool too.
(5) Booster Gold and Blue Beetle are good comedy releases...
I'm in!
(2) Guy Gardner is back to be his jackass old self again! You won't believe how relieved I am! Though...poor Ice Maidan...
(3) I'm always happy to see more of Mister Miracle and Big Barda.
(4) Batman/Bruce Wayne is back into the picture, and this secret mission thingy is pretty cool too.
(5) Booster Gold and Blue Beetle are good comedy releases...
August 20, 2014
If you're like me, you just picked this up on sort of a retro-flavored whim -- not because you give a fig about some weird Justice League incarnation from the 80s, but because this anthology marks the sort-of first appearance of Lobo(!), DC Comics' ultraviolent insterstellar marauder.
I say "sort of" first appearance because Lobo actually got his start in OMEGA MEN, an even older, weirder space-tinged title that has since lost all remnants of whatever connective tissue originally held it to the DC Universe. The Lobo of that series was a bounty hunter on a space bike, but the commonalities ended there -- he dressed in orange and purple tights, spoke with eloquence, and had a roguish sense of honor that put him closer to Han Solo than Glenn Danzig.
It's in these JLI stories that Lobo shows up a few years later -- nastier, grungier, and even starting to drop classic Loboisms like "Feetal's Gizz!" He's still not really Lobo -- it will take a turn in L.E.G.I.O.N. to set him on the path -- but the pieces are being put in place. He's getting darker, scarier, deadlier.
What I didn't expect, though, is what a fun book this is even when Lobo's not around. I don't know much about this corner of DC, but this book can be picked up and read independent of the series it's a part of. The plot concerns an alien race's attempt to bring Earth into system of intergalactic trade against its will, with only the JLI to stop them.
The League, at this point, functions more like a sci-fi Outsiders than it does a team of heavy-hitters. Martian Manhunter is in charge, and Batman checks in every so often to cast judgment, but mostly this is a lot of third-tier goofballs like Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, along with the wonky cast of Jack Kirby's New Gods.
For the unaware, New Gods is sort of like if Marvel's cosmic characters were dropped into a bubble universe on the outskirts of DC -- the tone is all wrong, and DC is already pretty overloaded with characters who can fly across galaxies. New Gods doesn't really make any sense -- which is where Keith Giffen and Co. comes in.
I've never seen Giffen credited as a scripter, but his stories all have a similar irreverence and tone. Here, not only is there the strange mishmash of sci-fi versus capes and tights -- there's also a really well-blended balance of humor and action. JLI reads almost like a parody book, but it absolutely isn't one. Everything is just kind of off, and uniformly so. It's surprising when even a modern comic can make me laugh, not to mention one that's had 30 years for its jokes to go stale. But I was smiling all the way through this book, from the archvillain in love with his own soliloquies to Lobo getting paid in Space Dolphin Chow. And the art is excellent -- fluid and dynamic, with incredibly detailed and evocative facial expressions, and a certain 80s flair.
Like many comics of its time, this is a much denser read than modern superhero books, and with nine issues included, that's a lot of comic for your dollar. I'm not sure I feel any great need to read further volumes of the run, but I'm greatly impressed with this book. Aside from some of its formal affectations, there's nothing dated about it. Plus Lobo! You could do far worse in picking up a random DC collection from the good ol' days.
I say "sort of" first appearance because Lobo actually got his start in OMEGA MEN, an even older, weirder space-tinged title that has since lost all remnants of whatever connective tissue originally held it to the DC Universe. The Lobo of that series was a bounty hunter on a space bike, but the commonalities ended there -- he dressed in orange and purple tights, spoke with eloquence, and had a roguish sense of honor that put him closer to Han Solo than Glenn Danzig.
It's in these JLI stories that Lobo shows up a few years later -- nastier, grungier, and even starting to drop classic Loboisms like "Feetal's Gizz!" He's still not really Lobo -- it will take a turn in L.E.G.I.O.N. to set him on the path -- but the pieces are being put in place. He's getting darker, scarier, deadlier.
What I didn't expect, though, is what a fun book this is even when Lobo's not around. I don't know much about this corner of DC, but this book can be picked up and read independent of the series it's a part of. The plot concerns an alien race's attempt to bring Earth into system of intergalactic trade against its will, with only the JLI to stop them.
The League, at this point, functions more like a sci-fi Outsiders than it does a team of heavy-hitters. Martian Manhunter is in charge, and Batman checks in every so often to cast judgment, but mostly this is a lot of third-tier goofballs like Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, along with the wonky cast of Jack Kirby's New Gods.
For the unaware, New Gods is sort of like if Marvel's cosmic characters were dropped into a bubble universe on the outskirts of DC -- the tone is all wrong, and DC is already pretty overloaded with characters who can fly across galaxies. New Gods doesn't really make any sense -- which is where Keith Giffen and Co. comes in.
I've never seen Giffen credited as a scripter, but his stories all have a similar irreverence and tone. Here, not only is there the strange mishmash of sci-fi versus capes and tights -- there's also a really well-blended balance of humor and action. JLI reads almost like a parody book, but it absolutely isn't one. Everything is just kind of off, and uniformly so. It's surprising when even a modern comic can make me laugh, not to mention one that's had 30 years for its jokes to go stale. But I was smiling all the way through this book, from the archvillain in love with his own soliloquies to Lobo getting paid in Space Dolphin Chow. And the art is excellent -- fluid and dynamic, with incredibly detailed and evocative facial expressions, and a certain 80s flair.
Like many comics of its time, this is a much denser read than modern superhero books, and with nine issues included, that's a lot of comic for your dollar. I'm not sure I feel any great need to read further volumes of the run, but I'm greatly impressed with this book. Aside from some of its formal affectations, there's nothing dated about it. Plus Lobo! You could do far worse in picking up a random DC collection from the good ol' days.
October 22, 2012
There sure were a lot of crossovers when JLI was being published. Two more in this collection, I believe. That aside, this was a very silly book. Lord Manga Khan and his robots, L-Ron and K-Dikk are almost too silly, and will drive some people right around the bend.
September 19, 2023
Justice League International was one of my first grown-up comic book loves, back when I was transitioning away from DuckTales and Uncle Scrooge.
In those days, the problem I kept running into was that I couldn't start at the beginning of any of the well known characters. Superman, Iron Man, Batman, Wonder Woman- all of them had backstories that spanned decades and if they had issues on the stands, they were in the middle of complicated plots involving casts of characters that I didn't know and that the comics never adequately introduced. The only way to read the older material was through back issues, and there were *no* comic book stores in my area and I couldn't afford the collector's market anyway.
Justice League International was the exception. A friend loaned me issues 1-6, and even though JLI was built on top of the older Justice League America foundation, it was enough of a fresh beginning that I was able to get into the story.
It didn't hurt that this incarnation of the Justice League is very kid-friendly. No gore. No profanity. Toned down violence. A consistent humorous delivery that that reminded me of the Three Stooges or Laurel and Hardy.
I stuck with the JLI off and on until about the 8th or 9th grade, which is when, from what I've read, they discontinued the series anyway.
The series holds up pretty well. The plots are standard superhero comic book fare: aliens invade, and the JLI and friends defeat them. Evil nations plot to conquer the world. The JLI stops them. Every now and then there's a side plot focusing on one or two characters that shows their development.
I read volumes 1-4 (issues 1-30) in pretty much one sustained session. I don't recommend doing this. The issues were meant to be read with substantial time between them. If you do what I did, the jokes get old. The slapstick gags grate. And the flimsiness of the continuity is on full display.
Take your time reading, and you'll solve that problem.
Justice League International is an enjoyable series. I recommend reading.
In those days, the problem I kept running into was that I couldn't start at the beginning of any of the well known characters. Superman, Iron Man, Batman, Wonder Woman- all of them had backstories that spanned decades and if they had issues on the stands, they were in the middle of complicated plots involving casts of characters that I didn't know and that the comics never adequately introduced. The only way to read the older material was through back issues, and there were *no* comic book stores in my area and I couldn't afford the collector's market anyway.
Justice League International was the exception. A friend loaned me issues 1-6, and even though JLI was built on top of the older Justice League America foundation, it was enough of a fresh beginning that I was able to get into the story.
It didn't hurt that this incarnation of the Justice League is very kid-friendly. No gore. No profanity. Toned down violence. A consistent humorous delivery that that reminded me of the Three Stooges or Laurel and Hardy.
I stuck with the JLI off and on until about the 8th or 9th grade, which is when, from what I've read, they discontinued the series anyway.
The series holds up pretty well. The plots are standard superhero comic book fare: aliens invade, and the JLI and friends defeat them. Evil nations plot to conquer the world. The JLI stops them. Every now and then there's a side plot focusing on one or two characters that shows their development.
I read volumes 1-4 (issues 1-30) in pretty much one sustained session. I don't recommend doing this. The issues were meant to be read with substantial time between them. If you do what I did, the jokes get old. The slapstick gags grate. And the flimsiness of the continuity is on full display.
Take your time reading, and you'll solve that problem.
Justice League International is an enjoyable series. I recommend reading.
August 2, 2025
“I mean- - We’re the Justice League!”
“You’re kidding! And all this time I thought we were The Outsiders!”
I might have slacked off in my JLI’ing, but this team and their creatives certainly did not as I think this might be the volume that completely solidifies the experience for me.
The art is finally really singing. All the scripts and scenarios are genuinely intriguing or just outright funny. And the team, bolstered the new members Barda and Scott, Fire & Ice, The Hawkpeople, and Lobo (whose original design is still so, so wild to me) we’ve finally gotten to what “my” idea of this team is and was.
And better yet, it’s still just phenomenal comic books. Like I’m engaging with basically every element of it and I can’t think of another Justice League that really does that for me beyond the Grant Morrison, Waid, Kelly run. I’ve got plenty more to go too, that’s even more the treat of it.
If it’s getting this good NOW already, how much better is it gonna get?
“You’re kidding! And all this time I thought we were The Outsiders!”
I might have slacked off in my JLI’ing, but this team and their creatives certainly did not as I think this might be the volume that completely solidifies the experience for me.
The art is finally really singing. All the scripts and scenarios are genuinely intriguing or just outright funny. And the team, bolstered the new members Barda and Scott, Fire & Ice, The Hawkpeople, and Lobo (whose original design is still so, so wild to me) we’ve finally gotten to what “my” idea of this team is and was.
And better yet, it’s still just phenomenal comic books. Like I’m engaging with basically every element of it and I can’t think of another Justice League that really does that for me beyond the Grant Morrison, Waid, Kelly run. I’ve got plenty more to go too, that’s even more the treat of it.
If it’s getting this good NOW already, how much better is it gonna get?
February 16, 2023
I’m of the strong opinion that few things age as harshly as comedy and is also my experience that lauded classic comic runs are usually too much of their time and hard to enjoy if one wasn’t there the first time around.
So image my surprise when these 35 year old stories that get interrupted by not one but two crossovers actually made me laugh out loud several times while also keeping me interested what would happen next.
It’s probably also of note that the politics here are pleasantly progressive.
So image my surprise when these 35 year old stories that get interrupted by not one but two crossovers actually made me laugh out loud several times while also keeping me interested what would happen next.
It’s probably also of note that the politics here are pleasantly progressive.
April 20, 2024
This is such a fun series. I got the entire run and spinoffs on a kindle sale a few months back and I really don’t regret it one bit. This is a great era in DC history. They need to learn how to laugh at themselves again
December 30, 2021
4.5 stars, only cos I want to kick Guy and Carter to stfu. Lord Manga Khan is the perfect villain for these dumbasses, perfect, no notes.
February 6, 2022
Zatím nejlepší volumko s hromadou ujetých záporáků, skvělých hlášek a hlavně neuvěřitelné chemie mezi postavami. Jo tohle bylo fakt skvělý!
November 25, 2019
The League really seems to come together here (ironically) in a pair of storylines which keep them separated for most of the book. But, this is the book where we finally get Booster, Beetle, Fire, and Ice together, forming what's really the core of the JLI league. (And it's, of course, a terrific grouping.)
This volume also pushes forward some of the JLI's best-loved plot lines. For most of the volume we're focused on Manga Khan and L-Ron, and the authors go full bore on the comedy for these characters, which is usually hilarious. Incorporating Omega Men's Lobo (and bringing him to mainstream DC attention) and tying it all in to Mister Miracle's origins in the Fourth World just makes this storyline that much better.
Meanwhile, on Earth, we get a smaller arc set in Bialya, another mainstay of Giffen's League. It's a terrific plotline spotlighting our core quartet and also dramatically advancing the Bialya plotline.
And, we get JLI's first Invasion! crossover, which has an amusing bit with Oberon stuck at home, and a duller bit of the big fight against the aliens. It's a bit surprising that the two Invasion! issues are split between this volume and the next ...
To a large extent, this is JLI settling down for the long-haul. Less innovative? Perhaps. But really figuring out who it is and what stories it wants to tell.
This volume also pushes forward some of the JLI's best-loved plot lines. For most of the volume we're focused on Manga Khan and L-Ron, and the authors go full bore on the comedy for these characters, which is usually hilarious. Incorporating Omega Men's Lobo (and bringing him to mainstream DC attention) and tying it all in to Mister Miracle's origins in the Fourth World just makes this storyline that much better.
Meanwhile, on Earth, we get a smaller arc set in Bialya, another mainstay of Giffen's League. It's a terrific plotline spotlighting our core quartet and also dramatically advancing the Bialya plotline.
And, we get JLI's first Invasion! crossover, which has an amusing bit with Oberon stuck at home, and a duller bit of the big fight against the aliens. It's a bit surprising that the two Invasion! issues are split between this volume and the next ...
To a large extent, this is JLI settling down for the long-haul. Less innovative? Perhaps. But really figuring out who it is and what stories it wants to tell.
February 4, 2014
Still good... but the artwork begins to slip a bit and the writing gets a little less sharp. Of course, a bad comic book with Keith Giffen involved is still better than a number of other choices.
This is about where I stopped collecting Justice League back when I was collecting the actual comic books.
This is about where I stopped collecting Justice League back when I was collecting the actual comic books.
January 10, 2010
Very funny and cracky. I loved this and I was laughing at least half of the time. And I love Booster and Beetle.
November 22, 2014
a perpetual mel brooks show. more weak stories hidden under a deluge of bad jokes and silly personalities. it got old real fast.
June 18, 2023
Soooo fun. Ted Kord Blue Beetle i love you forever
August 2, 2020
The third volume is where I either got tired with the humor, or it went downhill a bit. The overarching plot deals with an alien invasion by cosmic traders called the Cluster which are led by somebody called... Lord Manga. Well, right from the very first scene of the first issue, the amount of gags is overwhelming and the series devolves into your average sitcom. The first mistake they did is making a joke out of all the villains. Once you see that the villain is a joke, you can't take even mildly seriously the adventure part. The only one that escapes the joke treatment is Darkseid, thanks for that at least. The second mistake is the abundance of jokes during the action scenes. Your brain tries to get into the action flow but it is constantly broken up by time freezes accompanied with incessant banter. That destroys the action and you can't have a working adventure without it. Take a look at the following screenshot, for example. They're talking right there in the middle of where they're supposed to run. Sure, you can run and talk, or take cover and talk, but you can't stand and talk, which is how your brain will perceive it. Hopefully, it gets better than this and apparently, there can be too much jokes.
March 5, 2023
This volume collecting Justice League International #14-22 overlaps Justice League International, Book One: Born Again (that ends with a cliffhanger in issue #17). The fate of Mister Miracle is resolved, involving a trip back to Apokolips. With an early appearance by Lobo, the rough-talking interstellar bounty hunter, there's lots of fun and action to fill every issue. The stories get a bit bogged down by having to shoehorn in some action from not one, but two DC-wide crossovers, but Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis manage to keep things light, with humor throughout. Kevin Maguire, assisted by Steve Leialoha (#14, 15) and Ty Templeton (#20, 21), does a great job differentiating the physical personalities of the various characters. This acclaimed series from the late 1980s shows that superhero comics don't need Batman and Superman to be successful.
March 29, 2018
I wish they're done a better job with the printing. For a nifty hardcover, some of the lettering is unclear, or even unfinished, and though I prefer a flat-paper to the current glossy stuff, the pages here are positively brittle.
Still, great stories. Bruce, Ted, Michael and Beatriz going undercover in Bialya is a great arc, balanced nicely by the fun cosmic adventure of J'Onn, G'nort, Red and Barda chasing Scott across the cosmos. Vol. 2's Max Lord stories, issues 11 and 12, are still among the series' highlights for me.
Still, great stories. Bruce, Ted, Michael and Beatriz going undercover in Bialya is a great arc, balanced nicely by the fun cosmic adventure of J'Onn, G'nort, Red and Barda chasing Scott across the cosmos. Vol. 2's Max Lord stories, issues 11 and 12, are still among the series' highlights for me.
May 12, 2018
Not nearly as funny or as memorable as the first two volumes. There's a clear and obvious decline in quality and it hurts the book a lot. The first two volumes felt like they had the right amount of goofiness and humor but with just enough tension and seriousness to keep you invested. This volume goes overboard on the goofiness to the point where you're begging for a serious character to actually come in the volume. There's still some good jokes but it's not nearly as charming as the first two volumes.
October 21, 2025
The star is for the art, which is top tier. Kevin Maguire is a comics legend, and both Steve Leialoha and Ty Templeton admirably fill in for him. The writing is just juvenile. Awful jokes and asides are crammed into nearly every dialog balloon, often sabotaging any momentum the story might be gaining. There are funny comics out there. Unfortunately, this book isn't one of them. I had the sense that the writer was actually some adolescent who was crafting his own lame tribute to the JLI. After reading and hearing about this team book for many years, I was sorely disappointed.
April 22, 2024
Justice League International Vol. 3
Lord Manga Khan makes the Earth an offer it can't refuse: trade its commodities with him or he will take them by force. When Mr. Miracle is kidnapped by Khan and taken to Apokolips to trade with Darkseid for Boom Tube technology, Barca and the JLI mount a rescue mission.
An interesting chapter in the on going Giffen storyline, with a good balance of adventure and humour. The art is simple, but bold and colourful.
Lord Manga Khan makes the Earth an offer it can't refuse: trade its commodities with him or he will take them by force. When Mr. Miracle is kidnapped by Khan and taken to Apokolips to trade with Darkseid for Boom Tube technology, Barca and the JLI mount a rescue mission.
An interesting chapter in the on going Giffen storyline, with a good balance of adventure and humour. The art is simple, but bold and colourful.
February 13, 2019
So...yeah. Finally reading issues that I've never read before. Although the humor is still there, it's taken a turn south. The space odyssey didn't do it for me. Hawkman and Hawkgirl are welcome additions, but is Carter really such a stick in the mud? Barda joining the group is great as is Fire and Ice.
August 12, 2019
Where else would you find Lobo, Guy Gardner and G'nort in the same book? Very few modern comic books these days even come close to the nostalgic style of this book. Would probably be hard to find the original comics anywhere else, so this trade paperback conveniently collects a missing era.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
December 30, 2019
This book only gets better. As the title evolves, Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMattheis found the voice for each of the Justice Leaguers, and the result is fantastic.
This set is quite action packed, but always colored with the playfulness of these wonderful characters, and that doesn’t fade away when the roster starts to change.
This set is quite action packed, but always colored with the playfulness of these wonderful characters, and that doesn’t fade away when the roster starts to change.
September 10, 2023
In this volume, the Justice League International battles Manga Khan, Lobo, before ending up on Apokalips and crossing over with Invasion. Their ranks also rise with Fire & Ice joining, while Hawkman's grimly serious persona contrasts with anybody doing the slightest bit of joking. It's another fantastic story in this brilliant comedic take on the Justice League.
August 31, 2024
This was the best volume of JLI yet. The story isn’t anything to write home about but not only do we get the usual joking around with Booster and Beetle, but with the villain Lorda Manga and his lackey L-Ron. Great dialogue and comedy.
May 27, 2020
The humor and characterizations here were way ahead of their time. This is what the DC movies can't find now. There's love, lust, jealousy and greed. A really fun read.
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