Where to start with the Justice League?

[audiecugi]

As a kid I really loved the Superfriends cartoon show, and now that I'm older I really like the Justice Leauge on the cartoon network. I've never been into comic books/graphic novels but I would like to get into the Justic Leauge stuff, but it seems that there is just so much out there I just don't know where to start. What recomendations do you guys have? Where would you start? Thanks!

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

DC publishes Justice League Adventures, which comes straight from the Justice League TV show. Two digest-sized bound editions collect several issues: Justice League: The Magnificent Seven and Justice League: Friends and Foes. There is no consistent creative team on Justice League Adventures, so the quality of the comic varies greatly from issue to issue. When it's good, it's stupendously good.

If you want the "regular" DC Universe Justice League, the latest incarnation starts with JLA: New World Order. There are 13 or 14 TPBs of JLA to date, spanning several creators. A lot of people seem to stop once Joe Kelly starts writing the title, but I'm not one of them. If you want to start reading current comics, this is where I'd start.

If you're feeling 80's nostalgia or just need a few good belly laughs, I really like Justice League: A New Beginning. It's a more light-hearted look with a gaggle of lesser DC heroes that's quite funny and still pretty groundbreaking, even if some of the references are a bit dated by now.

If you're extremely hard core and have cash to burn, you may want to take a swing at DC's Justice League Archive Editions, which reprint the original 50's stories.

Hope this helps. Have fun!

-- Ed/Ace

[audiecugi]

Thanks Ace! That really gives some good starting points! I've been looking at some other JL sites and they keep mentioning "The Crisis". What is that exactly? Seems like it's a point where they just decided to start over with the whole story.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Thanks Ace! That really gives some good starting points! I've been looking at some other JL sites and they keep mentioning "The Crisis". What is that exactly? Seems like it's a point where they just decided to start over with the whole story.

Whoooo, boy. Click here for all the background and the gory details.

The extremely abbreviated version is that the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (usually shortened to "The Crisis") was an event in the 80's, after which DC restarted their comics to try and make things less confusing and had as much success as the Federal government did with the "Reduction in Paperwork Act."

As far as the modern Justice League goes, I don't think you have to know much more about the Crisis than that. It does not apply at all to the JL Adventures comics.

Forgot one other book that might be of interest, which is JLA: Year One. The "origin story" of the JLA as told in a 12-issue maxi-series. In terms of the DC chronology, JLA Year One comes before "New Beginning" and "JLA New World Order." It's not essential, but I like it and you ought to at least know what it is if you see it in stores.

-- Ed/Ace

[Avery]

One of the best books for the DC universe that exists has GOT to be "Kingdom Come." That's what got me into the JL.

[audiecugi]

Ace, thank you! You have all the cool links!