JLA

JLA
Cover for JLA #1. Art by Howard Porter and John Dell.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Superhero
Publication date	January, 1997 – April, 2006
Number of issues	125
Main character(s)	Justice League
Creative team
Creator(s)	Grant Morrison Howard Porter John Dell
Collected editions
New World Order	ISBN 156389369X

JLA was a comic book ongoing series featuring the Justice League published by DC Comics from January 1997 to April 2006.^[1]

Publication history

The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books^[2] by the mid-1990s prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team (all the various branch teams were disbanded) on a single title. A Justice League of America formed in the September 1996 limited series Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare by Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza. In 1997, DC Comics launched a new Justice League series titled JLA, written by Grant Morrison with art by Howard Porter and inker John Dell. Morrison stayed as writer for the series until issue #41, though several issues had fill-in writers. JLA #18-#21 and #34 were written by Mark Waid. Mark Millar, Devin Grayson and Mark Waid, and J.M. DeMatteis wrote issues #27, #32 and #35 respectively.

This series, in an attempt at a "back-to-basics" approach, used as its core the team's original and most famous seven members (or their successors): Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter.^[3] Additionally, the team received a new headquarters, the Watchtower, based on the Moon. Morrison introduced the idea of the JLA allegorically representing a pantheon of gods,^[4] with their different powers and personalities, incorporating such characters as Oracle, Steel, and Plastic Man.

Since this new league included most of DC's most powerful heroes, the focus of the stories changed. The League now dealt only with Earth-shattering, highest-priority threats which could challenge their tremendous combined power. Enemies faced by this new JLA included an invading army of aliens, a malfunctioning war machine from the future, a horde of renegade angels, a newly reformed coalition of villains as a counter-league, mercenaries armed with individualized take-down strategies for each superhero, various cosmic threats, and the enraged spirit of the Earth itself. In addition, because almost all of the members had their own comics, the stories were almost always self-contained, with all chapters occurring within JLA itself and very rarely affecting events outside of that series. Developments from a hero's own title (such as the new costume and electric based powers temporarily adopted by Superman in 1997-1998) were reflected in the League's comic book, however.

Storylines

Despite this, DC did not create continuing spinoff series as it had done before. Instead, a large number of miniseries and one-shots featuring the team were released. One spin-off team, the Justice League Elite was created following the events of JLA #100, but their series was limited to 12 issues, and the team appeared only once after the title ended its allotted run. JLA's popularity was also able to launch the critically acclaimed JSA series, which was relaunched as Justice Society of America to coincide with the new Justice League of America book.

In 2007, a story arc by Geoff Johns and Alan Heinberg called "Crisis of Conscience" (JLA #115-119) depicts the dissolution of the Justice League of America as the breakdown of trust shown in the 2004 limited series Identity Crisis reaches its zenith. At the end of the arc, Superboy-Prime destroys the Justice League Watchtower. JLA, one of several titles to be cancelled at the conclusion of the Infinite Crisis storyline, ended with issue #125.

As depicted in the Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special and the final issue of Infinite Crisis itself, preparations for the defense of Metropolis against an army of organized super-villains required a brief and temporary expansion of the Justice League to its largest roster to date. The main defensive teams of the JLA, JSA, Teen Titans and Outsiders already being occupied elsewhere by the Crisis, it fell on Oracle and the Martian Manhunter to contact and deputize seemingly every active or once active hero in the DC Universe as effective Justice League members to form a last line of defense for the city.

Reception

The new approach worked, and JLA quickly became DC's best-selling title, a position it enjoyed off and on for several years, as reflected in the following advance sales figures for months in which JLA was DC's best-selling title:

Collected editions

JLA was collected in a series of trade paperbacks:

• New World Order (collects JLA #1-4, 1997, ISBN 1-56389-369-X)
• American Dreams (collects JLA #5-9, 1998, ISBN 1-56389-394-0)
• Rock of Ages (collects JLA #10-15, 1998, ISBN 1-56389-416-5)
• Strength in Numbers (collects JLA #16-23 and New Year's Evil: Prometheus #1 and "Heroes" from JLA Secret Files #2, 1998 ISBN 1-56389-435-1)
• Justice for All (collects JLA #24-33, 1999, ISBN 1-56389-511-0)
• World War III (collects JLA #34-41, 2000, ISBN 1-56389-618-4)
• Tower of Babel (collects JLA #42-46, JLA Secret Files # 3, JLA 80 Page Giant #1 ISBN 1-56389-727-X)
• Divided We Fall (collects JLA #47-54 ISBN 1-56389-793-8)
• Terror Incognita (collects JLA #55-60 ISBN 1-56389-936-1)
• Golden Perfect (collects JLA #61-65 ISBN 1-56389-941-8)
• The Obsidian Age (Book 1) (collects JLA #66-71 ISBN 1-56389-991-4)
• The Obsidian Age (Book 2) (collects JLA #72-76 ISBN 1-40120-043-5)
• Rules Of Engagement (collects JLA #77-82 ISBN 1-40120-215-2)
• Trial By Fire (collects JLA #84-89 ISBN 1-40120-242-X)
• The Tenth Circle (collects JLA #94-99 ISBN 1-40120-346-9)
• Pain Of The Gods (collects JLA #101-106 ISBN 1-40120-468-6)
• Syndicate Rules (collects JLA #107-114 and a story from JLA Secret Files 2004 ISBN 1401204775)
• Crisis of Conscience (collects JLA #115-119 ISBN 1401209637)
• World without a Justice League (collects JLA #120-125 ISBN 1401209645)

There is also a Deluxe Edition:

• JLA Deluxe Edition:
  • Volume 1 (collects JLA #1-9 and JLA Secret Files #1, 256 pages, hardcover, September 2008, Titan, ISBN 1-845768-84-1, DC, ISBN 1-4012-1843-1)^[41]
  • Volume 2 (collects JLA #10-17, New Year's Evil: Prometheus and JLA/Wildcats, 320 pages, hardcover, Titan, July 2009, ISBN 1-84856-320-5, DC, June 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2265-X)^[42]

See also

• JLA: Earth 2
• DC One Million
• World War III (comics)

Notes

References

External links

• JLA at Grant Morrison.com