The founding members of the Justice League have reunited, for the first time! Confused? You won’t be in a moment, ’cause your Major Spoilers Retro Review of JLA #1 awaits!

JLA #1

Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciler: Howard Porter
Inker: John Dell
Colorist: Pat Garrahy/Heroic Age
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Editor: Ruben Diaz
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $1.95
Current Near-Mint Pricing: $8.00
Release Date: November 6, 1996

Previously in JLA: The Justice League International era created Justice League embassies around the world, rising from the ashes of the death and destruction that ended the Detroit League. After a few years, though, the JLI splintered, with Extreme Justice and Justice League Task Force going rogue, and the multiple Leagues working independently. Each of those teams fell apart, leaving the world without a League when Doctor Destiny attacked, but Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Martian Manhunter, The Flash, and Green Lantern were able to combine their skills and stop him, leading Superman to declare that there is still a need for the Justice League. That story was told in the pages of Justice League: A Midsummer’s Nightmare, but as this issue opens, we find the President of the United States worrying about his schedule and wishing for a miracle. Moments later, a giant spacecraft blots out the sun…
The beings who exit the ship identify themselves as The Hyperclan, superheroes from another world who were forced to flee when their planet was destroyed by the greed and hubris of its citizens. Having searched the cosmos for thousands of years, they have discovered Earth, and they intend to make the most of it. The very next day, they begin terraforming the Sahara Desert, making a big show of creating lush plant life and moisture where hours before there was only sand. It’s Superman who first questions them, reminding everyone that deserts aren’t something that you can just “fix.”
The general public, however, is 100% supportive of the new team’s “proactive” stance, supporting the new team even when they begin the public execution of super-villains. (Interestingly, the only one identifiable is Judgement, a minor foe of the Justice League America team, if you leave out the cameos of Doctor Doom and Wolverine.) As a major fan of the Morrison/Porter League, I was a little surprised to see how stylized and angular the designs are in this debut issue. The Hyperclan costumes are excellent, that rare case where an in-universe fake super-suit looks as good as the legitimate ones, and it really helps sell the drama. Also helping to make the events of this issue memorable are Grant Morrison’s unique takes on the core seven Justice League members.
DC Comics had been saying that Green Lanterns run on willpower for decades, but it’s this sequence, likening Kyle Rayner to a three-pack-a-day smoker, that really sticks with me and makes that concept feel real and grounded. Morrison’s use of the other Leaguers is equally inspired, showing us a patient Superman, a Flash who is among the most experienced heroes of all and has all the connections, and one of the rare, truly alien takes on Martian Manhunter. It’s the presence of J’onn Jonzz in this issue that points out the first clue as to what’s really happening with the Hyperclan, as the team secretly raises a hidden structure from the ice of the Antarctic… A structure that they call Z’onn Z’orr.
That full reveal is a way down the road, not that it’s not widely known 25 years later. Another thing that’s a way down the road is the reveal of the full roster of original, founding Justice Leaguers, as Aquaman is officially M.I.A. in this first chapter. But after the ‘Clan shoots down the JLA satellite, nearly killing Metamorpho, Nuklon, Obsidian, and Icemaiden, it becomes clear that the new heroes in town aren’t just trying to one-up the JLA. They’re trying to destroy it.

And that’s when Batman arrives.
Howard Porter draws a gangly, Batman reminiscent of Kelley Jones, the then-current cover artists, and it’s… a little disturbing. His appearance here contains a subtle moment, one I missed back in ’97, but Batman is only here because the Hyperclan’s murdery ways have caused super-crime to drop precipitously, with even The Joker going underground to avoid execution. Batman quickly takes point, instructing Superman to scan for 7 Hz microwave transmissions, indicating mind-control technology, which he quickly finds, leading Batman to bluntly state what’s actually happening: An alien invasion by unknown foes of immense power. This, the Bat intones, is war!

JLA #1 was and is a game-changer for the League, coming after a decade of Bwah-Ha-Ha and grimdark nonsense, reimagining the Justice League for the coming millennium with style, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. The coming issues would give us new perspectives on The Injustice League, Darkseid, Plastic Man, and more, as well as repositioning the core seven Justice League members as central figures of a pantheon of godlike beings, a take which is still central to Justice League stories today.

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JLA #1

77%

77%

Back To The Beginning

The Hyperclan Saga opens with a bang, and Morrison, Porter, and company make it clear that this is a League made of sterner stuff. It's the beginning of something incredible, even if this individual chapter wobbles just a bit.

• Writing

  9
• Art

  7
• Coloring

  7
• User Ratings (2 Votes)
  10