Summary
First appearing inThe Brave and the Bold#28, theJustice Leaguecontains some of the most iconic superheroes in the world of DC Comics, from Batman to Superman. Over more than sixty years of their existence as a team, the League has taken on evil gods, galactic tyrants and other-worldly monsters. As one of the first teams in comics, their success helped spur the creation of the likes of The Fantastic Four, X-Men, Avengers and Teen Titans.
The Justice League has been a defining forcethroughout comics, and often serve as the basis of parody and satire comics, likeThe BoysandInvincible. The team ranges from the original core seven A-list heroes to the obscure, and has included the likes of Congorilla, Metamorpho and Aztek in the past. As with any comic book property, there are some things that are sure to rile up readers and cause debate. These opinions can be anything from attempting to establish a definitive run to dismissing aspects of the team and its history.
10"The Best Justice League Run is…"
As is to be expected with any comic book series that has a diverse fan base, the opinions on the best Justice League run or even story ranges across the spectrum. In fact, there’s not even a consensus on the best decade for the team, let alone a specific run. Where some people love more recent runs, such as Dwayne McDuffie or Scott Snyder’s tenure, others look back on the whimsy of the Silver Age with great nostalgia.
While there are strong contenders for the status of “best Justice League story,” such as Darwyn Cooke’sNew Frontieror Mark Waid and Howard Porter’s “Tower of Babel,” it’s impossible to choose one.When it comes to overall creative runs, the taste, age, character preference and more of readers can all lead to vastly different opinions. It’s a question better left unsettled, and any attempt to insist one run as the best will draw the ire of other readers.
9"Hal Jordan is A One-Note Character"
As a result of the popularity of the DCAU’s Justice League line-up, many fans have had their opinions of the DCU shaped through animation. Everything from shipping Batman and Wonder Woman to the idea that Question is an erratic conspiracy theorist stems from external DC media. One of the most lasting effects of the series is the idea that not only doesHal Jordan have no place on the JLAbut that he has no personality. While the series did a fantastic job of elevating John Stewart, there’s no reason for the Silver Age Lantern to lose his appeal.
While it’s certainly fair to argue Hal Jordan is the better solo Lantern and John is a better JLA member, the idea that Hal is a character with no eal dimension or personality simply isn’t true. Throughout his adventures with Green Arrow, Jordan’s personality has actually been fleshed out in great detail, utilizing elements of characters like Captain Kirk and Flash Gordon.DC’s Man Without Fear’s stoicism and bravado shouldn’t be conflated with emptiness. He may not be everyone’s favorite Lantern, but anyone claiming there’s no depth to him need only read Geoff Johns' run on the hero to see the truth.
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8"There Are No Great Justice League Villains"
One of the biggest misconceptions of the Justice League is that while each member’s rogues gallery are great, the actual team’s enemies are underwhelming. Readers will often hone in onforgettable and campy Silver Age foes or done-in-one “big bads” from modern runs who bring a one-dimensional level of characterization, like Perpetua. However, this simply isn’t the case, and JLA fans will be the first to point to foes like Starro, Doctor Destiny, Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor. That said, the team is at its best with a revolving door of both fresh foes and classic enemies of the individual heroes.
It’s worth noting thatsome of the League’s best villainsare actually teams, which house rivals of the heroes who are often chosen for how they match the JLA’s abilities. The obvious example of this is the Legion of Doom, a team that often includes Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Grodd and Brainiac. However, the team’s original villains shouldn’t be discounted, and their Bronze Age rivals were particularly enjoyable. In the Modern Age, the likes of the Hyperclan and General Eiling have given the team some brilliant challenges.
7"Superman Makes The Rest Of the League Redundant"
Talk of Superman’s power levels – especially relative to other heroes – has long been the subject of much debate between readers. While some insist his unrivaled strength has made him less interesting, others point out how it has forced writers to go above and beyond when it comes to his enemies. In fact, from Brainiac and Luthor to Darkseid and Zod, the Man of Steel has some of the most intelligent and tactical villains in comics.
For the writers' part,Superman’s high strength level hasn’t gone ignored, and is the reason so many of the League’s enemies are magic users. Whether it’s Eclipso, who has even possessed Kal-El in the past, or magical monsters like Solomon Grundy, the team always has their work cut out for them. With villains like Doctor Destiny, readers have been shown not all threats are physical, and a psychological threat is actually one of the best ways to bring down the Blue Boy Scout.
6"Martian Manhunter Is Overrated"
Since the Justice League animated series, Martian Manhunter has enjoyed something of a 20th century resurgence, with many only recently recognizing what he brings to the table. Through his telepathic abilities, he can coordinate the team better than anyone else. Through his shape-shifting abilities, he can become anyone he wishes, serving as the ultimate undercover agent. While he is certainly under-utilized when it comes to his own stories, the League is exactly where he belongs, and he’s anything but overrated.
Martian Manhunter is an idea every bit as great as Superman, arguably moresoconsidering that, despite being a shape-shifter, he chooses to live as an alien among humanity. He had his best stories during his time as chair of the League, especially when he and Batman ran the team during the Justice League International run (Keith Giffen, JM DeMatteis & Kevin Maguire).
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5"DC Villains Are More Interesting Than Justice Leaguers"
As strange as it may sound to those who don’t read the comics, the Justice League has a long and interesting history of enlisting villains to their ranks. Most recently, Black Adam joined the team during Brian Michael Bendis' run. Before him, the likes of Lex Luthor, Killer Frost and Captain Cold have all spent time on the team. While this has been an interesting idea to explore, especially with Luthor, many readers have lamented the non-stop trend of villains joining the heroic team..
The Justice League have access to and protect some of the most dangerous weapons, organisms and secrets in the universe.The decision to allow villains accessto the Hall of Justice or Watchtower alone is a dubious one, let alone offering them League membership. Most readers prefer their villains to stay firmly rooted on the side of evil, and don’t want to see the Legion of Doom reduced to a B-tier line-up as all the best foes join the side of good.
4"The Justice League Aren’t Relatable"
In the fun rivalry between Marvel and DC, a common argument levied against the Justice League is that, next to the X-Men or Fantastic Four, they simply aren’t relatable. This is often accompanied by the idea that “DC’s heroes are gods trying to be human and Marvel’s heroes are humans trying to be gods.” In reality, this assertion doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, especially considering the hardships each of the heroes take on in their private lives, from family life to tragic origins.Considering the heartbreaking moments in their history, the heroes' stories are quintessential human experiences– monsters aside.
Delving into the League’s core origin stories shows they are relatable; Superman is a representation of the ultimate refugee story, a good man with a blue-collar job trying to blend in, as is the case for Martian Manhunter; Green Lantern, depending on the person, could be a test pilot (Jordan), a survivor of trauma (Cruz) or a loudmouth Bostonian (Gardner). Likewise, Flash brings an element of comic relief to the story, often speaking to the younger readers. It’s also worth noting that, as a difference within their respective universes, the League stand out for making their Hall of Justice open to the public, and are unusually transparent.
3"Aquaman Is A Joke (And Useless On Land)"
Since his creation, Aquaman has been viewed by the mainstream as the black sheep of the Justice League when it comes to being an interesting standalone hero. Everything fromThe Big Bang TheorytoFamily Guyhas dedicated jokes to the undersea hero’s expense, mocking how his water-based powers make him useless on land. This, however, simply isn’t true and there are decades of great Arthur Curry stories.The character is more than just “a guy who talks to fish,” and carries super strength enough to contend with gods.
The claim that Aquaman is a useless and campy character is particularly ironic considering that Arthur actually became one of DC’s edgier heroes during the 1990s and 2000s. Seeing the hero get a redesign replete with a beard, hook for a hand and rugged look helped redefine his place in the DCU. His ongoing feud with Black Manta, the politics of Atlantis and his tragic family history show he’s more than worth reading up on.
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2"Batman is Out of Place On the Justice League"
When discussing the varying strengths and power levels of the Justice League, it’s hard to deny that Batman stands out for his absence of superpowers. As a result, many people question his existence on the League, often stating he ultimately belongs in Gotham City. While the second part may be true, andeven Bruce prefers operating on his home turf, the fact is he brings a variety of strengths to the team.
Not only has Batman’s funding of the League been indispensable, such as building the Watchtower, but his role as a tactician has been responsible for some of their greatest victories. The team’s clash with the Hyperclan during Grant Morrison and Howard Porter’sJLArun showed how his humanity made it easier for him to go underestimated, allowing him to save the day. Considering the fact his contingency plans almost caused the destruction of the League, his mind alone is enough of an asset to beat the bad guys.
1"The Justice League Represent Authority (Which is Why They Become Fascists)"
As with any superhero team, there’s a sub-set of comic book readers who take after Alan Moore in claiming the notion of the superhero is fundamentally fascist. Whether it’s the dubious claim that they spend all their time beating up the vulnerable or the idea that they don’t aid the poor in any meaningful way, some readers like taking this controversial stance. It largely stems back to the myth that there’s a connection between Nietzsche’s “Übermensch” concept and superheroes, when the latter is simply escapist fantasy. Batman aside, the League rarely imposes their will upon the world, instead turning their attention to the threats humanity isn’t equipped to fight.
In reality, the Justice League spend more of their time battling cosmic tyrants and predatory billionaires than they do fighting mentally disabled villains like Two-Face. While it may make sense in our real world to suggest the team isn’t necessary, in the DCU their abilities have saved the world more times than can be counted.Not only are the League philanthropic, they’re also as anti-fascist as it gets, having traveled to alternate universes to rid their worlds of authoritarian rule. Each of the heroes has a long enough history of confronting prejudice and tyranny to dispel the notion that there’s anything nefarious about their existence.
