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A review by crookedtreehouse
Justice League International Vol. 1 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis
3.0
Superhero comedy comics put out by DC or Marvel usually miss the mark for me. They try to be both funny and universe changing and they usually fail at both. I much prefer indie superhero comedies because they don't aren't weighed down by continuity nor do they have to worry about what other writers will do with these characters down the line.
Giffen has mentioned in several interviews that this wasn't originally intended to be a comedy, just have some light moments, and it didn't go full-blown comedy until the issues that make up volumes two and three of Justice League International. This volume is far superior to those.
The comedy? Guy Gardner is a misogynist, insincere, disobedient, petulant jerk. Eh. The idea of this sounds like it would age terribly. But nobody excuses his behavior or even likes him in this book. And he says things that are mean-spirited and condescending but he doesn't say anything Edgy so it reads as a true look at a jerk rather than a writer trying to couch his own bigotry in an anti-hero. Props to [a:JM DeMatteis|51584847|JM DeMatteis|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] for pulling that off.
We also get to see Batman be gritty and bossy in a world that isn't as dark as Gotham. So he comes off as out-of-touch and frustrated, which is a great lens on Batman that makes him seen less as an outsider/object of ridicule, and more of a self-aware fish in shallow water.
The storylines around multiversal nuclear disarmament and a near-God level villain who just wants to die are pretty decent, and wrapped around the humor the stories pop more than your average JLA story. If you enjoy team books with humor, this is probably going to be in your wheelhouse.
Giffen has mentioned in several interviews that this wasn't originally intended to be a comedy, just have some light moments, and it didn't go full-blown comedy until the issues that make up volumes two and three of Justice League International. This volume is far superior to those.
The comedy? Guy Gardner is a misogynist, insincere, disobedient, petulant jerk. Eh. The idea of this sounds like it would age terribly. But nobody excuses his behavior or even likes him in this book. And he says things that are mean-spirited and condescending but he doesn't say anything Edgy so it reads as a true look at a jerk rather than a writer trying to couch his own bigotry in an anti-hero. Props to [a:JM DeMatteis|51584847|JM DeMatteis|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] for pulling that off.
We also get to see Batman be gritty and bossy in a world that isn't as dark as Gotham. So he comes off as out-of-touch and frustrated, which is a great lens on Batman that makes him seen less as an outsider/object of ridicule, and more of a self-aware fish in shallow water.
The storylines around multiversal nuclear disarmament and a near-God level villain who just wants to die are pretty decent, and wrapped around the humor the stories pop more than your average JLA story. If you enjoy team books with humor, this is probably going to be in your wheelhouse.