Justice League International

Did You Know?

• Martin A. Stever reviewed Justice League International in Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer No. 83.
• Stever commented that 'thanks to clever characterization and wit, this creative team makes team moving day as exciting and as much fun as a brush with Armageddon'.
• Doctor Fate's inclusion was followed by a miniseries written by DeMatteis and Giffen.

Publication history

Following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths and Legends, J. M. DeMatteis was paired with writer Keith Giffen and artist Kevin Maguire on a new Justice League series. Most core Justice League characters were unavailable at the time: Superman was limited to John Byrne's reboot, George Pérez was relaunching Wonder Woman, and Mike Baron was launching the Wally West version of the Flash. The initial team consisted of Batman, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Captain Marvel, Doctor Fate, Doctor Light, Guy Gardner, Martian Manhunter, and Mister Miracle. Series editor Dennis O'Neil allowed Batman to be used. Editor Andy Helfer suggested using Guy Gardner over Hal Jordan. The comedic tone was Giffen's idea, introducing new characterizations: Guy Gardner became a loutish hothead, Booster Gold was greedier and more inept, and Captain Marvel displayed a childlike personality. When Black Canary resigned, Green Flame and Ice Maiden from the Global Guardians joined, later changing their names to Fire and Ice and becoming long-standing members. The series was nominated as Best New Series in 1988 by the Harvey Awards but lost to Paul Chadwick's Concrete. It also featured Adam Hughes' first work for a major comic book publisher.