Name: JLA
ISBN: 9781401202156

Joe Kelly

Doug Mahnke

Rick Veitch

Tom Nguyen

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash, Green Lantern and the rest of the JLA find themselves caught in a moral dilemma as they intercept the signal of an alien race threatening to invade a neighboring planet.

Rules of Engagement

Grant Morrison

The Justice League of America, including superheroes Batman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter, doubt the good-intentioned motives of the Hyperclan, a mysterious team from space who say they have come to Earth to save mankind from itself.

Sans

I've figured it out. I finally know the key to enjoying Morrison's work. Completely let go of any sense of reality (yes, I do know how that sounds in the context of comic books, just go with me on this) and expect weirdness on a massive scale. Expect the ridiculous, expect over the top and insane. Expect to be left with questions and feeling like you've missed something, an inside joke that careened past your head. You were too busy looking at the right hand that you didn't notice what he did with the left one. 

Of course, there is a very strong possibility that I'm dim when it comes to...well, a lot of things (pretty sure this is a known fact tbh). There are some authors that are on a different level than the one I operate one, both in comics and in literature (can I blame the fact that I have to use the analytical side of my brain all day for my job?). I'm not going to connect to some writers like I do with others. Morrison is not a Tomasi or an Orlando or a Bendis, Hickman, Tynion IV, etc. I won't "get" what everyone is trying to say all the time.

It's also that an author will not always doing the same thing all the time. Morrison created Damian Wayne, one of my favorite characters. I loved the Batman and Son arc, it worked for me. But he also created the New X-Men: Omnibus, filled stories and characters that I had a very difficult time connecting with, and Absolute All-Star Superman, a book that I didn't appreciate until I saw the animated film version of it and found myself frowning over and saying "the book was so much better, it was bigger and crazier and makes you feel so much more".

With this book, the crazy genius of Morrison starts to really shine through for me. I got to read about the JLA fighting a Martian invasion, an android that developed it's own code of ethics, an angelic battle, and a computerized dream sequence of what-if elseworlds. At first, I tried to make sense of it all, to keep it "real" despite Superman's goddamned mullet. When he turned blue and had white energy constantly spilling from his eyes, I realized I just needed to let go and enjoy the crazy train. 

In a sense, I almost feel like reading this made me a better comics reader in general. Not all stories are going to fit in neat little boxes and be full of character development and searing social commentary. While those are important and I love them dearly, I realized maybe they aren't the only reason comic books and graphic novels are so great. Maybe it's that they let you switch off your expectations and take you on wild adventures, tearing through boundaries of the unbelievable while maintaining the fun and near-child-like wonder that sequential art can give the reader. Maybe having someone writing bigger than life characters and stranger than fiction stories that perhaps aren't supposed to make sense is just as important.

So yeah. This wasn't amazing in itself, but it's a big step for me on a personal level and really, what else could you ask for in a book?

Howard Porter

When the Justice League of America sets up headquarters on the moon to protect the Earth, they are surprised to discover the first threat is from another planet.

New World Order

Kireth Sandhu

Solid invasion story. Good questioning of the efforts of superheroes. Nailed the characterisation of pretty much all 7 JLA members. Interesting villain match-ups. Batman is the coolest.

Magnus Dahl

Jamie Mitchell

Written by Joe Kelly; Art and Cover by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen This creative team's first foray into JLA territory is now collected in a trade paperback reprinting JLA #61-65! A foreign mission personally affects Wonder Woman and her actions threaten to unravel all of reality!

Golden Perfect

Branden Harris

Mark Pajarillo

John Dell

The Justice League of America, including superheroes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, face a menace from space that is controlling people through their dreams and battle other enemies.

JLA Rules of Engagement