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aion-rsa · 5 years ago

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Best DC Comics to Binge Read on DC Universe

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With an enormous swath of the world involved in varying degrees of social distancing, many of us suddenly find ourselves with a lot of time on our hands. Never fear! There are more options for streaming comics than ever before, and that means we have access to more of comics history, more hidden gems and epochal runs than ever before. But the variety of options to read can be daunting. That’s why we’ve put together a recommendation list of some of our favorite comics binge reads to help you through quarantine.

DC Universe rolled out in 2017 as the first full-service entertainment streaming platform – old shows, old movies, new shows, new movies, and a huge library of comics. And while a lot of the excitement over the platform has been about that original or new shows (justifiably! Harley Quinn and Doom Patrol are amazing!), it also gave us access to a staggering catalog of old comic books.

If you’re coming to a comic streaming service like DC Universe, chances are you don’t need us to recommend the hits. Nobody who watches the CW shows needs to be told that Crisis on Infinite Earths is worth reading. Likewise Batman: Year One, or All-Star Superman or The Great Darkness Saga. We’re going to skip over some of the obvious ones and point you towards hidden gems, stories you might have otherwise skipped over but for a trusted recommendation. We are also looking for monster runs that will keep you occupied – you can read six issues in one sitting. Some of these might take you an entire round of social distancing to finish.

A quick note about the reading guides: Many of them may have their own separate entry under DC Universe’s reading lists – those are helpful, but these are definitive. We will occasionally link to non-Den sources, but if you like what you hear, you should be encouraged to find your own best path. A lot of these stories wend through crossovers that are of varying degrees of relevance to the main books. It’s your call if you want to read the whole thing.

The Death and Return of Superman

The Death of Superman Reading Order

I know I said we wouldn’t talk about obvious must reads, but I feel like The Death of Superman (and it’s aftermath, World Without a Superman, Reign of the Supermen, and Kal-El’s inevitable return) should be on here. They can’t really be recommended enough.

“The ‘90s” are often maligned as a wave of gimmicks and stunts, and killing the most important comic character in the history of superhero books definitely qualifies as a stunt. But what made The Death of Superman stand out (and several other ‘90s DC events, to be honest) is that it was actually very good. This era of Superman comics is actually a hidden gem – Clark is a joy, and all the weirdness and fun of the Superman universe is in full swing, like Cadmus, Mxyzptlk, and a truly bizarre (but surprisingly good) Justice League roster.

Movies

Men of Steel: 11 Actors Who Have Played Superman

By Mike Cecchini

How Brandon Routh Returned as Superman for Crisis on Infinite Earths

By Mike Cecchini

The four writers – Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson, Roger Stern, and Dan Jurgens – move pretty seamlessly between them on the main Superman books, and the art teams (Jon Bogdanove, Jurgens, Butch Guice, and Tom Grummett especially in the Death story) do amazing jobs of telling the story. Don’t be fooled by how gimmicky this feels, The Death and Return of Superman actually lives up to the hype.

Batman & Robin

Batman & Robin #1-17, Annual #1, Batman #17, Batman & Robin #18-32, Robin Rises: Omega, Batman & Robin #33-37, Robin Rises: Alpha #1, Batman & Robin #38-40, Annual #3

The Pete Tomasi/Patrick Gleason run on Batman and Robin never got the love it should have, because it ran parallel to two of the most high-profile Bat-comics of all time in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman, and the back half of Grant Morrison’s story in Batman Incorporated. But in ten years, people are going to be looking back at this as a classic.

Comics

True Detective Creator Outlines What His Version of Batman Would Be Like

By John Saavedra

Movies

The Batman: Release Date, Cast, Villains, and More Details About the DCEU Movie

By Rosie Fletcher and 2 others

This is a controversial claim, but if you read this run, I think it holds up: Pete Tomasi writes the best Damian Wayne. He’s the right mix of arrogant little shit and not-actually-as-competent-as-Batman, and he actually learns lessons in this run that feel earned. He also dies during these stories, and Tomasi gets the chance to explore Bruce’s way of grieving, as well as drop in a series of guest stars that includes the best Two Face story I’ve ever read. Gleason and inker Mick Gray are utterly incredible, and do as much with one sixth-page panels with heavy inks and silhouettes as many art teams do with full page splashes. It’s a great, underrated run that I think you’ll love.

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman (2006) #14-44, one story in #600

Oh my goodness Gail Simone’s Wonder Woman is exactly, precisely what I want out of a Wonder Woman comic. To me, Diana’s comics are an exception in that they should be as focused on how to avoid fighting as they are on the action. This run does that perfectly: she isn’t a belligerent meathead looking to stab everything in sight (but she does spend a little time with a neat Conan analogue, while we’re on the subject). She’s truly an agent of peace who then periodically has to kick some ass.

Movies

Wonder Woman Wasn’t Always Set During World War I

By Kayti Burt

Movies

Wonder Woman 1984: Who Is Maxwell Lord?

By Jim Dandy

The art is really good – Aaron Lopresti and Bernard Chang handle the bulk of it, and the storytelling and pacing are really well handled, but the panel borders stand out as especially interesting and visually entertaining. The guest stars are great – Black Canary brings Diana to Roulette’s fight club for a couple of issues, and there’s a big Power Girl punchup later in the run. This is just excellent, excellent Wonder Woman storytelling.

Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad on Comic Book Herald (end at issue #66)

John Ostrander, Kim Yale, and (mostly) Luke McDonough’s original Suicide Squad is a revelation. The concept is almost overdone at this point, and is a little bit ruined by putting big names like Harley Quinn on the team, but taking a batch of nobody villains and putting them on suicide missions to earn their freedom actually sets serious stakes, and this book does everything it should with those stakes. This is politics and espionage and force projection all wrapped into a story that makes the DC Universe feel more complete.

Movies

Suicide Squad 2 Cast, Release Date, News, Story, and More Details

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

The Many Deaths of The Suicide Squad

By Marc Buxton

Beyond the plotting, though, there are so many great characters that come out of these books. Amanda Waller is one of the single best characters in all of DC Comics, and this is the run that made her the badass who can face down Batman in the shower without flinching. Punch and Jewlee are hilarious running gags. Deadshot gets some incredible work. Hell, even Captain Boomerang gets multiple dimensions added to him (without ever losing his core concept: he’s a giant asshole). I promise you, I’m underselling how good this era of Suicide Squad is.

Legion of Super-Heroes

Legion of Super-Heroes Secret Files & Origins #2; Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #122-125 alternating issues with Legionnaires (1993) #79-81; Legion Lost (2000) #1-12; Legion Worlds (2001) #1-5, The Legion (2001) #1-26, Legion Secret Files & Origins 3003; The Legion #27-33

If you loved Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s Marvel space work, when you read their Legion of Super-Heroes, you’ll be baffled at how Guardians of the Galaxy ended up on the big screen and not this.

The Legion of Super-Heroes is generally regarded as…not the most newbie-friendly superhero team in the world. Fair or not, this run of Legion comics is incredibly accessible and does as good a job integrating them into the larger DC Universe as any I’ve read. It’s also exactly like DnA’s Marvel cosmic work, in that it is wonderful space opera that happens to have superheroes. The first batch of stories deals with a wave of catastrophes hitting the galaxy in quick succession. Legion Lost has a group of Legionnaires get thrown outside of the galaxy as they’re trying to fix one of the first catastrophes. Legion Worlds serves as a series of check-ins with popular Legionnaires left behind in the United Planets and is a really effective way to hook you into the 31st century of the DC Universe.

And finally, The Legion is an outstanding team book following all of those. Legion Lost is an unquestionable highlight; Olivier Coipel’s art is incredible, and the story will make you launch your tablet/phone/computer across the room at a couple of twists. This run is incredible comics.

Justice League International

…you don’t have to read all of this, but if you feel like going for it, do it. You can stop at the red dots, though.

The Bwa-Ha-Ha era is half-superhero comic, half-workplace comedy, the template for greatness to come in Legends of Tomorrow, but a great superhero work in its own right. It’s an era of Justice League that takes itself (and its villains, and its stakes) much less seriously than just about any other era of the last 40 years. If you were raised on the post-Morrison “New Olympus” era of the League, the tone shift might be a little jarring. But that tone shift is part of what makes Keith Giffen, J. M DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire’s run on Justice League special.

There are so many really good characters in this book, but one of the best parts is how much it does for both the League staples like Martian Manhunter and Batman, alongside the…less substantial…characters. Blue and Gold (Beetle and Booster, respectively) got their start here, and that one panel where Batman knocks out Guy Gardner that gets shared around the internet once a year is from this era.

Comics

Justice League Keeps Building the Wider DC Universe

By Mike Cecchini

Comics

New DC Universe Timeline Revealed

By Mike Cecchini

And besides being great comics, this run is also the favorite Justice League of a disproportionate amount of current comics writers, giving it an outsized influence on not just current books, but the rest of pop culture that superheroes have taken over – Wonder Woman 1984 is probably going to owe a HUGE debt to the Max Lord created by Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire.

Deathstroke

Deathstroke: Rebirth #1; Deathstroke (2016) #1-18; Titans (2016) #11; Teen Titans (2016) #8, Deathstroke #19-20, Teen Titans Annual #1, Deathstroke #21-42 (and when they go up, read The Lazarus Contract crossover and through issue #50 of the main series)

Priest’s Deathstroke is the best book that came out of DC Rebirth. Under normal circumstances, Slade Wilson sucks. He too often falls into a murder daddy archetype, a super cool anti-hero who goes big on the violence and the dysfunction as background statuses, and not as relevant parts of his story. Priest turned all that on its head and turned in a 50 issue run (plus a couple of specials, annuals and crossovers) that was about a father who loved his kids and didn’t know how to tell them, who also happened to be a top shelf mercenary and supervillain.

Movies

Deathstroke Solo Movie Details Revealed by Gareth Evans

By Kirsten Howard

Deathstroke: The Most Versatile Villain in the DC Universe

By Marc Buxton

That’s not to say there isn’t some super cool ass-whipping in it. Batman and Damian Wayne are recurring characters, as Priest sets up a mystery that might undo Damian as a character and gives more depth to Deathstroke’s issues with the Teen Titans. There’s an entire arc dedicated to him fighting various aspects of his own personality, personified in other villains from the rest of the DCU.

And it’s all so clearly and aggressively Priest – it has all the same style as his iconic Black Panther run, but with different storytelling to fit Slade’s tale. This is one of my favorite comics from recent years.

Starman

Starman Reading Order on ComicsBackIssues

For about three quarters of my entire life, DC had an absolute stranglehold on legacy in superhero comics. The entire DC Universe was littered with stories about someone new picking up an old cowl and an old title and having to grow into that role, whether it’s Jason Todd as Robin, Wally West as Flash, Dick Grayson as Batman, Kyle Rayner, Connor Hawke, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown. The list is nearly endless. The thing is, it’s a really good story archetype and an excellent use of shared universe superhero trappings to give heft and depth to stories that are otherwise not really allowed growth.

DC’s Stargirl Reveals Justice Society of America and Villains

By Mike Cecchini

Comics

Inside the Return of the Justice Society of America to the DC Universe

By Mike Cecchini

No comics did it better than James Robinson and Tony Harris’ Starman. It tells us the story of Jack Knight, the extremely Gen X son of golden age Starman Ted Knight. Ted is retired and passed his cosmic rod onto his son David, who gets murdered at the end of the first issue. It’s a hit on Ted’s whole family by one of his old villains, and Jack has to take up the rod to survive. Then he gets thrown into the mythology of the DC universe explained through the Starman legacy. It’s beautiful, fun, sad, meaningful, and heartfelt, and I bet you $1 that you cry at least once.

The Question

The Question (1986) #1-15, Detective Comics Annual 1988 , Green Arrow Annual 1988 , The Question Annual #1, The Question #16-24, Annual #2, #25-36

Comics

The Question Bounces Through Time In New DC Series

By Jim Dandy

Everyone jokes about how much of scenic Gotham City is abandoned amusement parks and chemical plants, but Gotham City is a family-friendly resort compared to the Hub City of Dennis O’Neill and Denys Cowan’s The Question. “Atmospheric” doesn’t even begin to describe this run.

It takes The Question, a character created by Steve Ditko, co-opted and pastiched as Rorschach by Alan More and Dave Gibbons in Watchmen, and introduced him to the DC Universe proper by putting Vic Sage through a spiritual ringer. Everything about this book is incredible – Vic is a terrific character; his supporting cast is thoroughly real; the book ties into the greater DC Universe really well (via Richard Dragon, Lady Shiva, and the annual crossover in the middle with Batman and Green Arrow).

But the real star here is Hub City, a love letter that’s also hate mail to mid-80s urban blight as scenery. And Cowan and inker Malcolm Jones III’s art – it’s tremendous.

Orion

Orion (2000) #1-25

I’ve been a fan of Walt Simonson’s Thor since I first read it, because it’s obviously incredible. But I didn’t realize until Thor: Ragnarok and DC Universe came out that Simonson might be the best comic creator to follow up on Jack Kirby’s ideas of all time, and it was Orion that really did it for me.

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Simonson puts Orion, son of Darkseid raised on New Genesis by Highfather as part of the peace treaty between the two factions of New Gods, on his prophesied track to kill Darkseid, and finishes it pretty early on. The fifth issue is just Simonson drawing a huge blowout fight between the two, and it’s predictably gorgeous. But he sticks with the story past that battle and digs deep into Orion’s character, the mythology of the New Gods, and some of Kirby’s best creations (the Newsboy Legion has a running subplot and it’s awesome). It also has backups from some of the biggest superstars in comics (Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons, among others). This is a hefty run of comics, but you won’t be able to put it down.

The post Best DC Comics to Binge Read on DC Universe appeared first on Den of Geek.

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jaysterg5 · 5 years ago

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Scooby Apocalypse #6

Writers - Keith Giffen & J. M. DeMatteis

Art - Howard Porter and Dale Eaglesham

Cover - Howard Porter & HIFI

Velma reminisces about her life and how it lead her to work at the Complex. Her memories reveal some secrets about her past and her connection to the Four!

This was a pretty good issue that finally gets us some backstory to provide drama and reasons why Velma is so distant and distrusting. I felt like this issue was sort of like the flashback sequences in Lost or Orange is the New Black, where we not only get history, but additional character hooks that explain why the character is the way she is today. Now i hope we get an issue like this that will focus on each of the main characters. It helps me differentiate this series from the original cartoon.

There’s also a backup story that looks in on Scrappy Doo and his group of Smart-Dogs. It’s really another character piece that sets him up to be a villain down the line. By the end of the story, he’s actually kind of scary, so I’m dreading him catching up with the Gang.

This is definitely my favorite issue of the series so far, which surprises me since Velma has probably been my least favorite character my whole life.

#scooby apocalypse #scooby doo #velma dinkley #scrappy doo #keith giffen #j. m. dematteis #howard porter #dale eaglesham #hanna barbera #dc comics #comic books #comic review

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jaysterg5 · 5 years ago

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Scooby Apocalypse #4

Writers - Keith Giffen & J. M. DeMatteis

Art - Howard Porter

Cover - Jim Lee & Alex Sinclair

The gang escapes from a vampire-infested gas station, and determine that they need to find the Four - the original creators of the nanite project that may have caused this whole situation. But it seems another group has escaped from the Complex, and they’re looking for Scooby!

Things are starting to shape up a little this issue. The characters determine a vague plan of action and start to move things forward in that direction. There’s still a lot of in-fighting, but everyone spends a good portion of the issue trying to come to terms with one another. It settles things down a bit and gives us tiny little character bits that readers can grab onto. While Shaggy and Scooby keep their obsession with junk food like in the original cartoons, they’re actually much braver here than the cartoon counterparts - particularly Scooby who’s taken on a very guard dog type stance here. I think that Giffen and DeMatteis could be amping up the humor with that, but this is actually a pretty serious book.

WE find that some of the recurring villains will be the rest of the “smart dogs” from the program. They resent Scooby, particularly now that he’s got a group of friends, and want to hunt him down for parts. There’s a feel here that reminds me of the enhanced dogs from the movie Up and their relationship with Dug - the dog ostracized from their group. Interesting inspiration.

I’m beginning to settle in with the series, so we’ll see where it goes over the next several issues.

#scooby apocalypse #scooby doo #shaggy #velma dinkley #daphne blake #fred jones #hanna barbera #keith giffen #j. m. dematteis #howard porter #jim lee #dc comics #comic books #comic review

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jaysterg5 · 5 years ago

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Scooby Apocalypse #3

Writers - Keith Giffen & J. M. DeMatteis

Art - Howard Porter & Dale Eaglesham

Cover - Jim Lee & Alex Sinclair

The gang manages to escape the Complex in a high-tech vehicle called the “Mystery Machine, but what they find in the outside world is no better then inside the lab!

There’s a lot of action and time-jumping in this issue. The time jumps don’t really provide any dramatic tension to the story, they’re really just a gimmick in this issue to change it up from a linear timeline. It’s not super confusing, but the issue starts out in the future without telling us that, and I was convinced I picked up the wrong issue at first because I felt like I’d missed something. It finally jumps back several hours about 5 or 6 pages in, but that was just too long after the previous issue ended on a cliffhanger.

The action is pretty standard stuff, with mostly faceless monsters attacking the group en masse. This gives some of the main characters a chance to moralize a bit and develop anxiety over the threat of death and the idea of having to kill these creatures that were once human. While it’s a normal human reaction, every character except Scooby expresses it and that just takes some of the edge off the emotion for the reader. The characters are quite so much at each other’s throats this issue and have some actual conversation, which is a nice change. I want to like them, but they’ve all been a little grating up til now.

We still have a number of unresolved mysteries with little progress toward developing any sort of solution or finding any answers - or even a way to find answers. I’m interested in the overall story about what’s going on and how the characters are going to get involved in that, so I want to stick around and see where it goes. It’s kind of fun to see the familiar characters in a new way, but we need more story - and I expect more humor from Giffen and DeMatteis than we’re seeing here so far.

Not bad, but I still find I want more out of this book.

#scooby apocalypse #scooby doo #shaggy #fred jones #daphne blake #velma dinkley #hanna barbera #keith giffen #j. m. dematteis #howard porter #dale eaglesham #dc comics #comic books #comic review

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jaysterg5 · 5 years ago

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Scooby Apocalypse #2

Writers - Keith Giffen & J. M. DeMatteis

Art - Howard Porter

Cover - Jim Lee & Alex Sinclair

Scooby and the others find themselves locked in a bunker under the Complex. But when they escape, they find the scientists and staff mutated into hideous monsters! In order to escape, they need to travel through several levels and past dozens of monsters!

This issue really reminded me of the old video game, Half Life. You had demonic, toothy-jawed monsters trying to kill you while investigating and trying to escape a research facility. That game had some really scary sequences! While this comic isn’t all that terrifying, it definitely has that feel to it. It’s very different than the original cartoon series in tone and now in plotline. As a science fiction/adventure story, it’s pretty intense and interesting, but it may be departing too much from the original source material for me.

It seems the basic archetypes of the characters and some of the trappings are all that was kept of the original. Daphne and Velma are very different from the originals - they’re very aggressive, rude, and not very likeable. Scooby and the guys are better and more tolerable, but I’m still having some trouble connecting with them. I keep forgetting that Scooby has little emoticon bubbles floating around him that reflect what he’s feeling, and I often overlook them. I’ve found I miss some humor that way.

I am enjoying Howard Porter’s art, though. The style fits very well and the monsters are varied and fun to look at. It seems there are many varieties and nuances to each one. The main characters are all very well done and have their own unique appearances that make it fun to read this book.

Interesting story, but I’m not sure there’s enough “Scooby Doo” in it.

#scooby apocalypse #scooby doo #shaggy #fred jones #daphne blake #velma dinkley #hanna barbera #keith giffen #j. m. dematteis #howard porter #jim lee #dc comics #comic books #comic review

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dccomicsnews · 8 years ago

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Review: Blue Beetle #8

[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.] Writers: Keith Giffen & J. M. DeMatteis Artist: Scott Kolins Summary The mad wizard Arion has ripped the Blue Beetle Scarab from Jaime Reyes, leaving him as a normal human teenager, much to his mother’s relief. However, this leaves Doctor Fate as the only obstacle keeping Arion from unleashing Hell on Earth. Neither Ted nor Jaime trust Fate,…

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aion-rsa · 8 years ago

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Dark Days Continue, A Titans Romance Blooms in DC Comic’s July Releases

Batman may be at the center of co-writers Scott Snyder, and James Tynion IV’s “Dark Days,” but Gotham City’s protector will have some super-powered help when the DC Comics summer event arrives in July. In “Dark Days: The Casting” #1, the storyline kicks off with Duke, the Dark Knight’s new ally-in-training, and Green Lantern attempting to put the late Hawkman’s warning to good use, thus preventing the end of the DC Universe. Andy Kubert, Jim Lee and John Romita Jr. are among the artists enlisted to kick off the story in this prelude issue.

RELATED: New DC Universe Event Starts with Dark Days, From Snyder, Lee and More

“Art like this demands an epic story,” Snyder has said of the series, which has roots in his and Greg Capullo’s acclaimed “Batman” run. “‘Dark Days’ posits a mystery that traces all the way back to when I started on ‘Batman.’ I’ve hinted at them over the years with Easter eggs and clues. This is a mystery that literally begins at the dawn of man and spans generations of heroes and villains and ultimately leads to huge revelations about the past, present and future of the cosmology of DC. I couldn’t be more excited for ‘Dark Days.’ It’s the prelude to the event we’ve been developing for years.”

And that’s just the start of DC’s big July, as the publisher is poised to continue to develop it’s Rebirth mysteries, while looking ahead to the inevitable clash between the heroes of the DCU and the Watchmen who have been pulling their strings since the New 52 launched in 2011.

The relationship between Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth, the man Batman thought he could trust more than anyone, is in danger. The “American Vampire” team of Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque conclude their “All Star Batman” run with the revelation of a secret that may leave the classic relationship permanently altered.

Tom King and Mikel Janin’s flashback storyline continues, as “Batman #26 and 27 see new chapters in “The War of Jokes and Riddles.”

Throughout the month, DC is celebrating various ongoing series anniversaries with double-sized issues for every title hitting #25 for the month. “Justice League,” “Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps,” “Nightwing” and more will have 40-page issues to promote their twenty-fifth issues.

In “Deathstoke” #21, Christopher Priest and Digenes Neves have constant Teen Titans nemesis Slade Wilson recruit his own team of young heroes. Kid Flash, Power Girl, Rose, Jericho and Terra are all on Team deathstroke, believing the mercenary has turned a corner towards doing good.

“The Flash” #27 is billed as the issue the series “has been building to” for a full year. Josh Williamson and Howard Porter are promising readers “the ultimate showdown” between Barry Allen and his greatest nemesis, Reverse-Flash.

They’ve been teased for months, and in “Harley Quinn” #24, Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and John Timms will finally introduce Harleen Quinzel’s parents to the world.

Wally West believes he’s destined to be with Linda Park, as do his fellow Titans teammates who have come to (more of less) remember their pre-Flashpoint lives. So it’s no surprise that Arsenal doesn’t take things well when he learns that Wally and Donna Troy have begun developing a romantic interest in each other.

Shea Fontana and Mirka Andolfo take over “Wonder Woman” from the current creative team, immediately sending Diana on a multi-issue story arc. “Heart of the Amazon” kicks off in “Wonder Woman” #26 and continues in #27, two weeks later.

RELATED: Greg Rucka Leaving Wonder Woman With Issue #25

The past goes futuristic as the Adam West-era Batman meets the teens from the 30th century in “Batman ’66/Legion of Super-Heroes.” Lee and Mike Allred send Batman to the future, while a group of Legionnaires spend a little time with Robin in the ’60s.

The massively muscled Scrappy-Doo finally catches up to Scooby and the gang in “Scooby Apocalypse” #15. The series’ long-burning sub-plot comes to the foreground in Keith Giffen, J./M. DeMatteis and Dale Eaglesham’s Issue #15.

The post Dark Days Continue, A Titans Romance Blooms in DC Comic’s July Releases appeared first on CBR.

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aion-rsa · 8 years ago

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Justice League International: The 15 Best JLI Books Ever

In 1987, when Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis relaunched the Justice League in the wake of “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” the omens weren’t promising. The team had few big-name characters and was composed primarily of lesser-known heroes. The artist was a young unknown named Kevin Maguire, while the tone of the book was also unusual, a world away from the grimness that had characterized recent hits such as “Watchmen” and “The Dark Knight Returns.”

RELATED: Justice League: Every Comic Book Roster, Ranked

Despite — or perhaps because of — these factors, the book was a tremendous success. The “Justice League International” would go on to become one of the most popular incarnations of the League, spawning a host of spin-offs and miniseries. To mark the 30th anniversary of the team’s debut, we’ve ranked the primary JLI-related (or JLI-adjacent) books released over the years, running the gauntlet from “Bwahaha HA” to “Bwahaha… HUH?”

EXTREME JUSTICE

When “Justice League International” was first released in 1987, part of its appeal was that it didn’t mirror other titles at that time, having its own distinctive tone. Unfortunately, “Extreme Justice” was very much a product of its time. Released in 1994, the premise of the title was that Captain Atom formed his own version of the Justice League after becoming frustrated with the direction of the “official” team. Joining him in this group were JLI mainstays Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, as well as Amazing Man and Maxima. The initial creators on the title were Dan Vado and Marc Campos, after whom the book subsequently went through numerous fill-ins before settling into the creative team of Robert Washington and Tom Morgan.

The number of creators on the book during its brief 19-issue run mirrors a title that never seemed sure how to pitch itself. Blue Beetle was frequently drawn in Spider-Man like poses, Booster Gold was trapped within his armor (complete with iron lung and pacemaker), while Captain Atom struggled with how he wanted the team to operate. In summer 1996, the title was cancelled, paving the way for the next incarnation of the Justice League in Grant Morrison’s “JLA.”

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL (NEW 52)

At the conclusion of DC’S maxi-series, “Justice League: Generation Lost,” readers were teased with the prospect of a new ongoing series for the JLI. What few could have predicted was that, when this series eventually premiered, it would do so as part of DC’S New 52 relaunch. Written by Dan Jurgens and penciled by Aaron Lopresti – both of whom had previously worked on JLI-related books — the series lasted for 12 issues and one annual before its cancellation.

Among the many off-beat launches that characterized the first wave of the New 52, this title was more traditional in its approach. It featured many characters closely linked with the JLI, including Booster Gold, Guy Gardner, Fire, Ice and Rocket Red. Booster was placed in the unfamiliar role of leader, but the team was in the familiar position of underdogs; members constantly having to prove their worth as heroes to a skeptical public. Many of the familiar JLI characters — including Rocket Red, Ice and Fire — were removed from the active roster in the second part of the book, and while there were some decent moments with the new team members, it undeniably affected the momentum of the book, until its cancellation.

JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE

In June 1993, a new Justice League series debuted: “Justice League Task Force.” Led by Martian Manhunter, this team was intended to be more proactive than other incarnations of the League. Operating under a United Nations charter, the concept was that the team would be sent on missions by the JLA. Unfortunately, connectivity between this and the main JLA title was poor, resulting in the minor inconvenience that the JLA never actually sent them anywhere. Christopher Priest, who wrote the book from #21 to #37 (its last issue) has admitted that in this respect, “Justice League Task Force was a book where absolutely nothing happened.”

This lack of missions was perhaps an influence in Mark Waid changing the focus of the book during his run on the title. Working on issues #13 – #20, he transformed the team into a training ground for new heroes. With the Martian Manhunter as the gruff drill sergeant, newer characters such as the Ray and Triumph were focused on. While all of this suggests a title that had little effect on the big picture, “Task Force” did have one significant event for JLI fans: in #14, Ice was killed by the villainous Overmaster.

ELONGATED MAN: EUROPE ‘92

Ralph and Sue Dibny were an important part of the Justice League Europe; more importantly, they were a happily married couple in a genre where the love-lives of superheroes were rarely uncomplicated. When Ralph joined Justice League Europe, Sue went with him and remained supportive, despite Ralph’s tendency to obsess over a mystery to the exclusion of all else. As one of the less well-known team members, Ralph perhaps wasn’t the most obvious candidate for a miniseries. However, the reason his worked so well is that rather than being a generic adventure, it was built around Ralph and Sue’s relationship.

Written by Gerard Jones and featuring wonderfully animated art by Mike Parobeck, the series sees Ralph and Sue travel to the Kingdom of Modora, where they become embroiled in a conflict with Sonar. There’s a tongue-in-cheek vibe to this comic that fits perfectly with Ralph’s powers and his childlike enthusiasm for a mystery. By the end of the series Ralph and Sue are reunited, as they would remain for their subsequent appearances prior to the New 52, both in life and death.

CAPTAIN ATOM

When the large number of Justice League solo books is considered, it’s somewhat surprising to realize that Captain Atom’s solo title, at 57 issues, outlasted the titles of fan favorite characters such as Booster Gold, Blue Beetle and Mister Miracle. Part of the reason may be that Cap’s solo title mostly had a totally different tone to his appearances in the JLI and JLE. In the team books, he was frequently portrayed as a straight-laced, harassed team leader who was often the butt of his comrades’ jokes. In his own book, he was a more serious character, a man out of time who had to find his place in a world that had moved on without him.

Due to an historic charge of treason, Nathaniel Scott was initially blackmailed into acting as a superhero controlled by the military, and as a result secrets and lies dominate the early issues of the book: both the ones that Atom is forced to tell by his handlers and those that he tells to protect himself or others. Longstanding DC writer Cary Bates scripted the majority of the run, with art by Pat Broderick. Bates expertly mixed personal drama with military intrigue and superhero action.

BLUE BEETLE

Like Captain Atom, Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, was a relative newcomer to the DC Universe when he joined the JLI. DC had acquired Charlton’s superhero characters in the mid ‘80s, and used the events of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” to integrate them into the DC Universe. In his 24-issue solo run, between 1986 and 1988, DC readers were introduced to Ted Kord: a brilliant scientist, a heroic superhero and the CEO of Kord Inc. While Ted may be more associated with the get-rich-quick schemes he carried out with Booster Gold, in these early adventures he was a man of means whose intelligence and wealth allowed him to build a variety of crime-fighting equipment.

Len Wein was at the writing helm for the entirety of this series, while Paris Cullins and Ross Andru handled the lion’s share of the art duties. The series saw Ted face a variety of obstacles, including Chronos and Carapax, while teaming up with established heroes such as the Teen Titans. At the end of the series, Kord Industries was destroyed and Ted was free to commit to the JLI full-time, where he would go on to form a firm friendship with Booster Gold.

DR FATE

Doctor Fate’s membership on the JLI was brief. The majority of the character’s development during the JLI era took place outside the team, in a 1987 miniseries by Keith Giffen and J M DeMatteis and in the 41-issue solo title that followed. In this, DeMatteis crafted a provocative read that was a strange but exhilarating mix of ideas and concepts. Profound questions of religion and identity were mixed with potty humor and witty dialogue, while the close bonds between characters grounded tales that were often cosmic in scope.

Like Hawkman, Dr Fate has seen numerous reinventions over the past few decades. Giffen and DeMatteis did a good job of establishing the basic concept in the miniseries, introducing Eric and Linda Strauss, who merged to become Dr Fate. The love between Eric and Linda was integral to their time as Fate and the wider DeMatteis run on the book. DeMatteis has frequently listed this title as one of his favorite works and it’s apparent that he enjoyed the freedom to pursue his muse. In this, he was aided by the expressive yet cartoony art of Shaun McManus, who was able to depict everything from talking dogs to a smiling Darkseid.

MISTER MIRACLE

With Scott Free being an essentially goodhearted character, the tetchiness of his best friend, Oberon, and the warrior instincts of his wife, Barda, have often helped to propel his adventures along. This was certainly the case in the second volume of his solo title, which ran for 28 issues between 1989 and 1991. This series saw Scott, Barda and Oberon retire to the suburbs, as part of an effort to gradually cease their superhero activities. A lot of fun was had in the different ways that the characters adapted to their new circumstances. Barda struggled with becoming a housewife, while Oberon constantly tried to tempt Scott back into costume. For his part, Scott relished the chance to live a normal life, using his skills with technology to open an electronics repair store.

The series was initially launched by J M DeMatteis and Ian Gibson, but their partnership was brief. Joe Phillips took over art chores on #7, with Len Wein and Doug Moench both writing lengthy runs. By the end of the series, Scott had relinquished the mantle of Mister Miracle to Shilo Norman, a fitting end to a series that detailed Scott’s growing frustration with the superhero life.

MARTIAN MANHUNTER

Booster Gold and Blue Beetle may receive much of the attention, but if one character was the heart of the Justice League International era, it was the team’s resident Oreo aficionado, the Martian Manhunter. The first issue of “JLI” saw him scarred by the fate of the team’s last incarnation, but over the course of the run, it was clear that he came to regard the new team as a family (albeit an often exasperating one). In 1988, J M DeMatteis and Mark Badger collaborated on a 4-issue miniseries that explored the Martian Manhunter’s origins, calling into question many of the accepted facts about J’onn J’onzz.

Among the revelations in the series were that he was the last Martian (the others being wiped out by a plague thousands of years ago), that his real form was a more alien-looking cone-headed creature and that his long-standing aversion to fire was psychological in nature. In many cases, when such sweeping changes are made to a character’s background, it comes across as forced or needlessly complicated. This was not the case here, with the changes being well-explained and only adding to J’onn’s appeal as a character.

JUSTICE LEAGUE 3000/3001

The high concept of the Keith Giffen and J M DeMatteis collaboration, “Justice League 3000,” is that Project Cadamus used the genetic material from Earth’s mightiest superheroes to bio-engineer them in the 31st century. Unfortunately, the untested process and the sketchy history of the 21st century meant that the heroes didn’t exactly turn out as expected. Kevin Maguire was originally slated to pencil this book, but was replaced before launch by Howard Porter, with Scott Kolins drawing the latter issues.

The bickering and banter between the team harkens back to the classic JLI run, a link that is made explicit when Booster and Beetle, and then Fire, Ice and Guy Gardner are brought into the book’s cast, with Guy having to deal with the fact that he has been reborn in a woman’s body. While it’s a pleasure to see Giffen and DeMatteis write the JLI characters again and there are some strong character moments for Fire, Ice and Guy, Beetle and Booster feel rather shoe-horned into the plot and abruptly disappear from later issues. Their planned storyline may have been curtailed by the book’s premature cancellation, but it means that JLI fans never saw the full reunion of these characters that they craved.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST

When “Generation Lost” was launched in July 2010, it was something of a mixed blessing for fans of the JLI. On the positive side, it re-united old comrades such as Booster Gold, Ice, Fire, Power Girl and Captain Atom and integrated new versions of characters such as Rocket Red and Blue Beetle. On the negative side, the entire plot of the series revolved around Maxwell Lord and his villainous agenda that had been revealed in “Countdown to Infinite Crisis.” This retcon had upset many fans of the JLI, but the book was able to turn this to its advantage, with Max’s former friends and teammates expressing their confusion, disgust and regret over his actions.

Judd Winick wrote the 24-issue epic, with a plotting assist from Keith Giffen on the first six issues and Aaron Lopresti taking on the majority of art duties. The series isn’t perfect — at times it’s actually rather unfocused — and its great length means that at times it feels like everything but the kitchen sink has been thrown into the mix. On the whole, though, the book was a successful attempt to build on the legacy of the JLI and reintroduce its members.

FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE

In 2003, fans of the JLI era had cause for celebration: the JLI dream-team of Keith Giffen, J M DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire reunited for a six-issue miniseries that combined prominent cast members from “Justice League International” and “Justice League Europe.” The concept of the book is that Maxwell Lord believes there is a place for a superhero team that is accessible for the common man, tackling threats that would be under the radar of the JLA or similar teams. Thus, the “Super Buddies” were formed: a team name that was greeted with horror by every hero other than Mary Marvel, the team’s newest, most innocent member.

During this miniseries, the team fought super-powered Harvard dropouts, Roulette and the forces of Manga Khan. As entertaining as each encounter is (and with Kevin Maguire on pencils it’s no surprise that they’re also beautifully drawn), the greatest joy is in how these characters relate to each other. If anything, the scripts by DeMatteis had become even more verbose since their original run and the dialogue sings, helping elevate this series into something very special indeed.

JUSTICE LEAGUE EUROPE

The success of “Justice League International,” as well as the growing number of characters linked to the team, led to DC launching a companion title in April 1989. “Justice League Europe” saw Captain Atom leading a team that comprised of Flash, Power Girl, Metamorpho, Elongated Man and Rocket Red. Although Wonder Woman and Animal Man were both on the cover of the 1st issue, Buddy Baker departed after the 12th issue, while Wonder Woman never took a full role in the League’s affairs.

Initially written by Keith Giffen and J M DeMatteis, with art by Bart Sears, “JLE” was more action-orientated than its sister title, with intense battles with high stakes. This was balanced by the character-based humor and farcical situations that the JLI titles were known for, with much humor being derived from the team’s fish-out-of-water presence in Europe. Their encounter with the Injustice League at a French class in #6 was an early highlight, while the team’s later adventures in London saw them encounter an eccentric superhero called the Beefeater, who bore more than a passing resemblance to John Cleese.

BOOSTER GOLD (VOL. 1)

Booster Gold’s original series may have only lasted 25 issues, but writer/artist Dan Jurgens ensured that each issue was jam-packed with Boosterific goodness. Booster’s original concept as a superhero out to exploit the commercial potential of his fame was a perfect fit for ‘80s materialistic culture, but Jurgens took care to ensure that Booster always remained a sympathetic character. As the series progressed, readers were given more information on Booster’s origins and life in the 25th century, with this time-displaced status and shaky knowledge of the 20th century often complicating his life.

In one of his earliest writing jobs for DC, Dan Jurgens crafted an incredibly entertaining book that featured characters from across the DC universe. Booster’s residence in Metropolis saw him meet Superman, while his use of a Legion flight ring led to a visit from Brainiac 5 and his teammates. Booster has always been a character far more capable than his reputation might suggest and this series saw the beginning of his evolution from someone who treated super-heroics as a game into someone who understood both the rewards and tragedy it could bring.

BOOSTER GOLD (VOL. 2)

Booster Gold’s starring role in “52” led into his second ongoing series, by the creative team of Geoff Johns, Geoff Katz and Dan Jurgens. Recruited by Rip Hunter, Booster’s new mission was to protect and repair the timeline of the DC Universe, and the book revelled in the storytelling possibilities this provided. Booster tried to protect Barbara Gordon from the Joker, ensured that Hal Jordan became Green Lantern and teamed up with Jonah Hex. The climax of the Johns/Katz run came with “Blue and Gold,” where Booster attempted to prevent Ted Kord’s death, leading to a time-altering adventure that featured a JLI reunion, a scene stealing appearance by Wild Dog and a lump-in-the-throat farewell between Booster and Beetle.

When Dan Jurgens took over as writer and artist, the high quality of the title continued. He developed many of his original plots, including the death of Booster’s sister. The quality of the title was so high that when Keith Giffen and J M DeMatteis became the new writing team with #32, it almost felt like a backward step; the more overt comedy being a change of tone from the mixture of humor and pathos that had preceded it.

I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT THE JUSTICE LEAGUE

The success of the first Super Buddies miniseries meant that Giffen, DeMatteis and Maguire soon returned for a follow-up. Captain Atom was absent from this version, but the introduction of Guy Gardner and Power Girl more than made up for his absence. As usual, Gardener was a social hand grenade, but he also formed the emotional heart of the story as he and Fire have to deal with finding Ice only to lose her all over again.

In comics, as in comedy, timing is everything. Unfortunately for this series, events unfolding elsewhere in the DCU detracted from its undoubted quality. Although the adventure was completed in 2004, it was held back until 2005. This meant that by the time of its release, Sue Dibny had been killed in the pages of “Identity Crisis” and Max Lord was about to kill Blue Beetle in the pages of “Countdown to Infinite Crisis.” These events gave a certain poignancy to the book and it was fitting that Maguire intentionally drew the last panel of the series so that it portrayed a smiling Ted Kord and Max Lord: a better representation of characters that JLI fans had grown to love.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL

What can be said about “Justice League International” that hasn’t already been covered by countless creators, fans and comic bloggers over the years? The 60-issue run by Giffen and DeMatteis saw a succession of great artists attached, including Kevin Maguire, Ty Templeton and Adam Hughes. Crucially, while these three could detail fantastic action scenes, they could also depict the character based moments that the title excelled in.

The quality of the book is sometimes downplayed by those who just focus on the humor and the perception that it was Seinfeld with capes. The humor was important, of course, but it’s more accurate to say that the title was about real people. The betrayal that Beetle felt when Booster quit the team; the unexpected vulnerability of Guy in forming a relationship with Ice; the friendships and rivalries that ebbed and flowed throughout the book’s run: Giffen and DeMatteis were even able to make the demise of the Mister Miracle robot genuinely heartfelt, simply because the loss and sorrow from the other characters was so authentic. The team may have been under-powered in comparison to the Grant Morrison line-up that followed, but they were every bit as deserving of the Justice League title.

What was your favorite character, version or offshoot of the Justice League International? Let us know in the comments!

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