Justice League International #4-7

Justice League International #4-7

Originally released in 1987

Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis

Art by Kevin Maguire

Picking up where issue 3 left off, Maxwell Lord intends to put Booster Gold on the Justice League whether they want him there or not.  He impresses them enough in a battle with the Royal Flush Gang to earn a spot on the team, but it's interesting to see the line-up change in the first few issues, as though the creators were trying to sort out who they wanted or didn't want on here.  Doctor Light leaves the team early on in issue 4, once it's made clear that Maxwell Lord invited her rather than any of the actual members, and Captain Marvel seems to leave in issue 6, realizing that he needs more experience. (though Guy's attitude doesn't help)

Speaking of which, these issues raise the question of why Guy Gardner is on the team to begin with.  Nobody gets along with him, and his mere presence causes several members to leave or strongly consider leaving.  I know that this version of the team expands over time, but if not for that knowledge, I'd assume that eventually, the team would be whittled down to just Batman and Guy, with Batman being too stubborn to quit and not willing to let Guy be in charge of any version of the Justice League, even if that version was a "team" consisting of only Guy Gardner.

However, Batman knocks Guy out for several issues, which allows the rest of the team to go on a mission without him.  A figure who's been cursed (or, from their perspective, blessed) by the Lords of Order, known only as the Gray Man, is on the verge of ending all life on Earth within 52 hours, and Doctor Fate helps the Justice League to track him down.

Issue 7 has the team rebranded into "Justice League International" (before this, the series was called "Justice League"), with Captain Atom and Rocket Red added to the team to encourage the US and Russian governments, respectively, to pass the resolution.  This was part of Maxwell Lord's "master plan", though it's heavily implied that some sort of artificial intelligence is manipulating him into doing this.  Guy Gardner bumps his head while retrieving his ring, causing a major personality shift, though there's no telling how long that will last.

The sense of humour is the highlight here, with the book not taking itself as seriously as the other Justice League titles that I've read.  The ending of issue 7 indicates that Martian Manhunter will play a larger role going forward, which I'm looking forward to; he's a long-standing member of the Justice League, but his lack of solo success means that I know very little about him.

I'm not sure if this line-up will be the team going forward, or if things will continue to change over the next few issues as the creative team seems to try and figure out what works and what doesn't. (despite his presence in the picture, Captain Marvel steps back from full-time membership, though Martian Manhunter tells him that there will always be a place on the League for him, which is a nice touch considering his concerns that he didn't belong on such a high-profile team)  Despite Guy's personality adjustment, I feel like Captain Atom (an extremely patriotic US military man) and Red Rocket (a Soviet superhero) will cause so much conflict that Guy's normal self will seem easy-going by comparison.