Formerly Known as the Justice League

    (DC, 2003-2004)
™ and © DC Comics, Inc.

Formerly Known as The Justice League resurrects the spirit (as well as the creative team) of Justice League, which tickled readers’ funny bones in the late 80s and early 90s by giving readers a blundering and dysfunctional, yet utterly hysterical, team of super–hero underachievers.

In this incarnation, Guy and Ice are nowhere to be found, of course, and Captain Marvel, who was often the butt of jokes, wants nothing to do with the reformation of the team. However, newcomer Mary Marvel should prove a nice addition, and leader Maxwell Lord (along with his robotic sidekick, L-Ron) manages to round up former leaguers Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Fire, Captain Atom, and The Elongated Man. Each obligatory summoning is plenty humorous (Fire has her own pseudo–lascivious website, Captain Atom’s clichéd dialogue and lame costume are mocked), as Giffen and DeMatteis can still belt out the same type of goofy, lighthearted, character–based humor that made Justice League such a rousing good time in the first place. In terms of art, Maguire’s work is as smooth, as polished, as detailed, and as expressive as ever.

The only shortcoming is that these characters are even better when teamed up. Luckily, this is sure to happen in subsequent issues.

— Brett Weiss
Jump to issue:
  • 1
    #1
    Sep 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis  ·  A: Kevin Maguire
    8 copies from $2.00
  • 2
    #2
    Oct 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis  ·  A: Kevin Maguire
    5 copies from $2.00
  • 3
    #3
    Nov 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis  ·  A: Kevin Maguire
    13 copies from $1.04
  • 4
    #4
    Dec 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis  ·  A: Kevin Maguire
    11 copies from $0.96
  • 5
    #5
    Jan 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis  ·  A: Kevin Maguire
    13 copies from $1.00
  • 6
    #6
    Feb 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis  ·  A: Kevin Maguire
    Final issue
    9 copies from $1.50
  • Bk 1-2
    Book #1 - 2nd printing
    Cover: $12.99
    W: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis  ·  A: Kevin Maguire
    Reprints Formerly Known as the Justice League #1-6; ca. 2004
    1 copy for $34.98