Written by Gerry Conway
Art by Luke McDonnell; Bill Wray; Gene D’Angelo; & Albert DeGuzman
Cover Art by Luke McDonnell
SUMMARY:
Entitled “The Return of the Justice League of America,” DC Comics released this 48-page milestone for May 1986. The League’s extended roster consists of: Batman; Green Lantern (Hal Jordan); Superman; Vixen; Gypsy; Martian Manhunter (J’onn J’onzz); Elongated Man & Sue Dibny; Vibe; Steel II; Black Canary (Dinah Lance); Green Arrow; & Zatanna Zatara. Hawkman, Hawkwoman, the Atom, & Aquaman make brief cameos. Firestorm’s inexplicable absence isn’t explained.
Mysteriously summoned by a JLA alert, Batman; Superman; Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern; Black Canary; & Green Arrow converge on the team’s former Secret Sanctuary outside Metropolis. They’re the last hope for Justice League Detroit that has been accelerated into severe old age.
The veteran Leaguers must now face off against a telepathic predator known as ‘Junior,’ if there’s any chance of restoring their dying friends to normal. Assuming they survive, the League recruits a new chairperson with ulterior motives. In deep space, one of the League’s oldest foes awaits a vengeful rematch.
Elsewhere, Zatanna Zatara’s search for her missing renter, Sheri Stanley, unknowingly puts the sorceress into contact with the ominous Adam and his cultists.
Notes: Due to recent plot twists in Crisis on Infinite Earths, both Wonder Woman & Barry Allen’s Flash are excluded from this ‘class reunion.’ There’s also a continuity glitch, as Dinah Lance/Black Canary is erroneously referred to as ‘Dinah Drake’ – her late mother’s maiden name.
REVIEW:
Courtesy of writer Gerry Conway and a talented art squad, the Justice League’s landmark 250th issue is a welcome gem. Integrating both of the the team’s 80’s incarnations thus far, Conway’s terrific script (no matter how formulaic) confirms that DC could revive the classic JLA anytime the company chose to. Saving such a high-profile adventure for this occasion makes excellent creative sense.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There’s a two-page “JLA Mail Room” column. Paul Kupperberg’s guest “Meanwhile …” column includes a “DC Checklist” for February 6, 1986.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8½ Stars
