Title: Justice League International, issue 8 (2012)
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciler: Aaron Lopresti
It seems to me the real mission statement of the Justice League International is to save every B-list DC superhero from obscurity. That they save lives in the process is an added bonus. Usually, every superhero team contains one or two bizarre, lesser known team members. The Justice League of America had Plastic Man, the classic Teen Titans had Beast Boy, and the New Avengers have Squirrel Girl (yes, there really is a superhero named Squirrel Girl, and she’s actually pretty cool!) The Justice League International are made up almost entirely of lesser known characters. They’re a team of misfits, and I would say their series is one of the most important at DC.
The current lineup of Justice League International contains characters even I haven’t heard of or know next to nothing about, for example a woman with long blonde hair named Godiva (named after a historical woman who was infamous for riding a horse naked) and a guy who looks like a terra cotta warrior statue whose name is–I’m not kidding–August General in Iron.
In this issue, another B-list character joins the fray: Batwing. At DC, I’ll bet Batwing’s position is tenuous; he has his own series, but who can say how long that will last. It’s nice to know there’ll always be a place for him with Justice League International. At the climax, another character shows up, O.M.A.C., who starred in one of the new 52 comics that was already canceled!
I’m glad DC Comics won’t let a character go to waste–they’ll go join the JLI instead!
I’m not complaining! This is a fun, solid comic that’ll please anyone whose been reading comics since the 80s or early 90s. Sooner or later, every character you vaguely remember from back then will show up in the pages here. Thank you Justice League International.
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If you enjoyed this review of Justice League International #8, check out my guide to superhero team books.
