Justice League International #8-12

Justice League International #8-12

Originally released in 1987

Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis

Art by Kevin Maguire

The Justice League International line-up seems to have settled for the most part, just in time for them to set up various headquarters around Europe.  These come with their own challenges, however - the New York headquarters is in a state of disrepair (as Mister Miracle finds out the hard way when he tries to land a ship on the roof), while the Russian headquarters is filled with listening devices.

Out of all of the characters, these issues helped me to develop more of an appreciation for Martian Manhunter.  My main exposure to him prior to this was through the Silver Age Justice League comics, where he didn't have a clear voice of his own and was constantly encountering fire, which neutralized his powers, and the DC Animated Universe show Justice League, where I felt like he and Wonder Woman were underused compared to the other founding members.  Here, he gets a chance to show off his leadership skills and deadpan humour.  Combine that with a Suicide Squad issue from the same era showing his empathy, and I can start to see why he's seen as the heart and soul of the Justice League.

Issues 9 and 10 are part of a crossover called "Millennium", where Manhunters (robots who are enemies of Green Lantern, with no relation to Martian Manhunter) have replaced people around the world and are planning to spread their influence across the universe.  Why they plan to do this, I'm not sure, which is the problem with sticking with one series when it takes part across multiple series.  

The Justice League International members interact with the rest of the DC universe, though I'm not sure how fans of some of those characters would look upon their appearances here.  Hawkman comes across as a grumpy old man, complaining about how the Justice League was so much better back in his day.

The roster is still going through some growing pains, though.  Martian Manhunter may be the new leader, but Batman has a tough time with giving up control.  Meanwhile, Black Canary has some issues with being the only woman on the team, though it seems like that will change soon - the former U.N.-sanctioned team, the Global Guardians, is effectively defunct, and two of its members, Fire and Ice, are interested in joining the JLI.

The last two issues wrap up the mystery surrounding Maxwell Lord, explaining who his mysterious benefactor is and why he helped to set up Justice League International in the first place. They help to flesh him out as a character, explaining what he was like in his younger days and how he got to where he is today.  He definitely has a dark side to him, but he has some hope for redemption, so it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

The comedy remains solid, with Blue Beetle and Booster Gold being the highlight. They don't get as much focus in these issues as a result, but there's a funny bit in issue 8 where they try to flirt with local women while they're in Paris and fail miserably. Captain Atom also has some humourous moments, while Rocket Red's attempts at injecting what he thinks are normal American phrases ("good gravy!") into his dialogue are chuckle-worthy.

As I said before, this is probably the most engaged that I've been with a Justice League comic so far. The characters are a nice balance of long-term JL members and unusual picks who bounce off of each other quite well, the plots have me wondering what will happen next, and the series does a good job at juggling a few different tones.