This post covers fewer issues of the two JLI monthlies than normal, because the next post covers all sixteen issues of the Breakdowns crossover in one go, leaving just eight issues of JLA and JLE to cover here. Those are supplemented, though by three issues of Justice League Quarterly, each of which is as long as four regular issues, so it definitely evens out! The JLQ issues are roughly placed by publication order in the omnibus, but I think they read better in the gap after JLA #50 (since General Glory is in most of them) and before JLE #23 (since #23-28 make a continuous run that leads straight into Breakdowns). Note, though, that the main story of JLQ #5 probably takes place significantly earlier based on the status of Guy and Ice's relationship; I'd guess around the time of JLA #38 / JLE #21.
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| from Justice League Quarterly #3 |
plots by Keith Giffen and Marshall Rogers; scripted by Joey Cavalieri, Gerard Jones, Will Jacobs, J. M. DeMatteis, Mark Waid, and Bill Loebs; pencilled by Joe Staton, Mike McKone, Jason Pearson, Darick Robertson, Marshall Rogers, Jan Duursema, Mike Parobeck, and Adam Hughes; inked by Pablo Marcos, Bob Smith, Randy Elliott, John Beatty, P. Craig Russell, Andrew Pepoy, Jan Duursema, Ty Templeton, and Joe Rubinstein; lettered by Albert De Guzman, John Costanza, Bob Pinaha, Bob Lappan, and Tim Harkins; colored by Tom Ziuko, Gene D'Angelo, Tom McCraw, Matt Hollingsworth, and Rick Taylor
This is a set of standalone stories, some of them published a bit later, set in the lull of events prior to Breakdowns. In that sense, it's sort of a last hurrah for the Giffen/DeMatteis status quo, the last time we'll get to spend time with these characters in these configurations. The first story is the second (and final) issue of JLI Special, focusing on the Huntress. I actually read this a long time ago, back when I read through the 1989-90 Huntress ongoing; this serves to cap off that series, which was cancelled. Unfortunately, even though it's branded as a Justice League story and not a Huntress one, it gives no quarter to people who have been reading Justice League but not Huntress; it's filled with characters and situations that I did not know, and I found it largely incomprehensible. But it is nice to see some Joe Staton artwork.
The stories from Justice League Quarterly are hit and miss. The story from JLQ #3 is, like the one from issue #1, a long 72-page story. This one is about the Extremists again; Kilowog and Uncle Wacky, the Walt Disney pastiche who accidentally created the Extremists, travel back into the world that he, Silver Sorceress, and Bluejay came from in an effort to reverse its destruction via time travel... only because they reconfigured Imskian tech, they end up miniaturized. The members of the JLI need to track them down and stop them. It's a good premise, but I found the story meandered a lot; in particular, the bit at the end where everyone ends up in the JLA cave HQ back when Barry Allen was alive feels tacked on. Also this was the first story when I noticed that Mike McKone for some reason draws Guy Gardner with outrageously large boots. (Also, I don't think previous stories depicted Sorceress and Bluejay's world as an alternate Earth, did they?)
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| from Justice League Quarterly #5 |
JLQ #4 features the Injustice League again, but in a story not by Giffen & DeMatteis, and I didn't find it very funny, unfortunately. Its two backup stories are, thankfully better; one advances the Guy/Tora romance, with them having their first kiss, while the other is a series of three-page strips told from the perspective of Power Girl's cat. If you don't like this stuff, you don't like life!
Lastly, JLQ #5 establishes what will be the format of the series going forward: a thirtyish-page main story with three backups (though one of the three backups is set during Breakdowns, and thus positioned later in the omnibus). The main story is okay; Guy is very much negging Ice over her confidence (this must be set earlier than #4), but proves she has enough willpower to operate his power ring and save the day through her compassion. One of the backups is about Ice again, along with Fire, as she deals with an overenthusiastic letter writer. It was fine, and I always love some Jan Duursema art (she was surely born to draw Fire). Originally I was confused why are Fire and Ice living in a rundown apartment building, not the JLI embassy, but eventually I realized it's probably set after Breakdowns, before Justice League Spectacular, when the team has broken up. Lastly, there's a General Glory story told in the style of the Golden Age. Good jokes, sure, but the real selling point is that you know Ty Templeton was born to draw this.
Finally we get back to JLA, with a funny story about J'onn, Kilowog, and G'nort going out for a night on the town. This is the last time we get a standalone comedy story from the classic Giffen/DeMatteis team, and it's a great one to go out on. I love their characterization of the long-suffering J'onn.
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| from Justice League Europe #23 |
plot by Keith Giffen, scripts by Gerard Jones, pencils by Bart Sears, inks by Randy Elliott, letters by Bob Lappan, colors by Gene D'Angelo
These three issues are reprinted in volume 2 of the JLI Omnibus (because of their publication sequence), but they lead straight into issues #26-28 of JLE, which lead straight into Breakdowns, so I think they read better in volume 3. In these, we learn the secret of the Crimson Fox, and then there's a bunch of stuff about giant worms. It's fine, but a bit action-heavy, like a lot of recent JLE stories; I don't feel like the characters pop as much as they should.
"Stars in Your Eyes" / "The Vagabond King" / "The Man Who Wears the Star" / "The Battle of the Century! Decade! Year! Month?", from Justice League Europe #26-28 (May-July 1991) and Justice League America #52 (July 1991), reprinted in Justice League International Omnibus, Volume 3 (2024)
plot and breakdowns by Keith Giffen, dialogue by Gerard Jones and J. M. DeMatteis, pencils by Bart Sears and Trevor von Eeden, inks by Randy Elliott, letters by Bob Lappan, colors by Gene D'Angelo
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| from Justice League Europe #27 |
This is the seventh in a series of posts about Justice League International. The next covers issues #53-60 of JLA and #29-36 of JLE. Previous installments are listed below:
- Justice League #1-6 / Justice League International #7-12 (May 1987–Apr. 1988)
- Justice League International #13-21 (May 1988–Dec. 1988)
- Justice League International #22-25 / Justice League America #26-30 / Justice League Europe #1-6 (Jan. 1989–Sept. 1989)
- Justice League America #31-36 / Justice League Europe #7-12 (Oct. 1989–Mar. 1990)
- Justice League America #37 / Justice League Europe #13-21 (Apr. 1990–Dec. 1990)
- Justice League America #38-50 / Justice League Europe #22 (May 1990–May 1991)
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