The Justice
League
The
Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA,
is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by
DC Comics. ), the League originally appeared with a line-up that
included
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and
the Martian Manhunter. However, the team roster has been rotated
throughout the years with characters such as Green Arrow, Atom,
Hawkman, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, Zatanna, Plastic Man, and dozens
of others. The team got its own comic book title in October 1960, when
the first issue was published, and would continue to number 261 in
April 1987, which was the final issue. Throughout the years, various
incarnations or subsections of the team have also operated as Justice
League America, Justice League Europe, Justice League International,
Justice League Task Force, Justice League Elite, and Extreme Justice.
JLA's early success was indirectly responsible for the creation of
the Fantastic Four. In his autobiography Stan Lee relates how, during a
round of golf, DC
publisher Jack Liebowitz mentioned to Marvel-Timely owner Martin
Goodman how well DC's new book (Justice League) was selling.
Later that day Goodman told Lee to come up with a team of superheroes
for Marvel; Lee and Jack Kirby produced the Fantastic Four. The new
animated TV series brought all sorts of new characters. Ignoring the
sidekicks, pets and other extraneous elements of the earlier Super
Friends show, the line-up of this new JLA adaptation was created
with two things in mind: to pay tribute to the original line-up of the
Justice League of America while also reflecting racial and cultural
diversity.
The show has been well received by fans, many comparing it to Batman:
The Animated Series because of its darker tones, complex
writing and storyboarding, and in-depth characterization. The show
holds an 8.8/10 on the Internet Movie Database. In January 2009, IGN
named Justice League as the 20th best animated television
series of all time.
