The world of comic books is not such a small one, and new titles are trying every month to get a share of the pie. If you can’t make up your mind between Batman, Supes or Wonder Woman, why not get them all? Occasionally, when things get too tough for any one of them to handle, they’ll all team up and form a formidable group known as The "Justice League of America," or JLA, for short. Typically comprised of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg, the full roster is actually pretty large, and some of their best stories involve characters you may never have heard of. If you’ve never read JLA but want to give it a try, you really should start with these:
Death of Superman/World Without Superman/Return of Superman
Superman is an alien from a planet called Krypton that was taken in by a kindly farmer couple when his spaceship crash-landed on Earth. Jonathan and Martha Kent raised him to be a true patriotic American citizen, always looking out for the interests of others. When our yellow Sun began to give him enhanced abilities like flight, super-strength and x-ray vision, he donned a cape and became the definitive superhero synonymous with “Truth, justice, and the American way.”
Oh also, he died once. In the early 90’s they decided to kill him off in a really dramatic way, introducing this creature that would later be called “Doomsday”. In this collection, you can see an interesting look at the early Justice League of America, or as they were known at the time, the Justice League International. I mentioned this series because of the eclectic roster of characters they had at the time: Guy Gardner, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Maxima, Fire, Ice, and Bloodwynd (bonus points if you know who Bloodwynd really is). While none of the JLA characters were explored very heavily in this story arc (with a certain exception to the mystery of Bloodwynd), it was still fun to watch Doomsday deliver a beatdown to what was supposed to be the most powerful group of superhumans at the time. These are worth the read just for the sake of reading one of the most important stories in the DC Universe.
JLA: Identity Crisis
I loved this story because of who’s involved, namely Ralph Dibny - The Elongated Man. It’s not the coolest name in comics, and what’s appealing about Ralph is just that - he’s one of the most identifiable and relatable characters ever created, despite his stretching abilities. In the beginning of the story, you see Ralph telling a teammate about how he met his wife Sue, and him pointing out “It wasn’t just that she saw me, it was that she didn’t see him,” referring to The Flash, who typically got all the attention at Crystal City during the DC Silver Years. The Dibnys were something of an anomaly in the comics - they had a healthy, stable and loving marriage. But what happens when it ends? The pages of this wonderful story explore what happens to the humans behinds the masks when faced with their own mortality and that of those they love. Highly recommended.
JLA: Tower of Babel
You might recall in our post about our favorite villains that
I said mine was Ra’s Al Ghul. This story right here is exactly why. In his latest attempt to take over the world, Ra’s has found a way to bring the League to it’s knees. Systematically, we begin to see diversions and attacks that exploit one JLA’er at a time. One by one, they begin falling. It’s brilliant really, how strategical and well-done these attacks are carried out. They suit Ra’s Al Ghul nearly perfectly. Thing is, he didn’t come up with these plans, someone else did. Who could be responsible for dropping the entire team in such a calculated manner? You'll have to read to find out.
JLA: Final Crisis
This one is last because it’s not for the faint of heart, and diverts from it’s somewhat comfortably realistic landscapes that make up the typical JLA comic into the dimension-hopping mind-warping universes that you’re more likely to find in a Marvel book. That doesn’t mean it’s not a darn good story, though. This very thick read is every bit as epic as it’s size portrays it to be. The story opens with the death an honorary Justice Leaguer who’s on loan from another group called The New Gods: Orion, the son of Darkseid himself. Turns out that Orion was killed by a bullet made of Radion, which is toxic to the New Gods, and this bullet had been fired backwards through time from the future. I told you, this story is not for the faint of heart. It is still a great story that leaves a mark on the entire DC Universe, and worth reading for anyone serious about learning more about the JLA.
These are my favorites, but of course I've not read them all. If you'd like to pitch in, let us know what comics you'd recommend to our readers in the comments.
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