Let’s not mince words: the Justice League is extremely complicated. This is honestly pretty normal when you’re dealing with DC Comics. The publisher has made rebooting their universe into a spectator sport, with the fans egging them on every time to change this and bring back that, and the publisher obliging. There has been so many different origins of the Justice League that it’s hard to know which is canon (it’s the New 52 Justice League (Vol. 2) #1-6 for now, by the way). Many people like to start at the beginning, but when it comes to the League, there are much better ways to read the team.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Their history is complex, but there are plenty of stories that will get you ready to deal with the various eras of the team. These stories are the ones that capture them at their finest, most understandable moments and are perfect for new readers. These seven stories are fantastic Justice League starter comics, the best place for new fans to learn to love the team.
7) Justice
DC continuity is pretty wonky, and I wouldn’t recommend reading old pre-Crisis DC without starting somewhere easy. If you want something with that Bronze Age flavor with a modern presentation, your best bet is Justice, by Jim Krueger, Alex Ross, and Doug Braithewaite. This 12-issue series takes a team based on the ’70s Satellite League, and pits them against their greatest enemies the Legion of Doom for a battle that will decide the future of the Earth. This book manages to feel classic and modern at the same time, an idealized version of Bronze Age DC that is perfect for newer fans. It’s League action at its finest and you need to know nothing about the character but who they are to get into it.
6) “The Totality”
Justice League (Vol. 4) became the flagship of the DC Universe in 2018, kicking off a run perfect for new fans and “The Totality” is where it all started. This story, by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Jim Cheung, Jorge Jimenez, and Doug Mahnke, sees Lex Luthor bring together a new Legion of Doom when he finds the greatest weapon in the universe: the Totality, forcing the League to battle their greatest foes, beginning a war between the two teams. This story kicked off the run-up to Dark Knights: Death Metal, and it’s an outstanding series for new fans of the team. This first story is amazing, and will hook anyone immediately.
5) “The Tornado’s Path”
“The Tornado’s Path” kicked off Justice League of America (Vol. 2), running through issues #0-7, by Brad Meltzer, Ed Benes, and an army of superstar artists for #0. This story took place in the aftermath of Infinite Crisis, as the Trinity builds a new Justice League just as a mystery pulls together Red Tornado, Vixen, Black Lighting, Black Canary, Hal Jordan, and Roy Harper. What follows is a modern old school Justice League adventure that really gives readers the sense of history and grandeur of the DC Multiverse and the League. It’s an amazing story that will make anyone believe in the team.
4) JLA: The Nail
JLA: The Nail, by Alan Davis, is an Elseworlds story (as will be two more stories on this list), from an Earth where the Kents got a nail in their tire on the day they were supposed to find Kal-El. It opens up in the present with Lex Luthor has just becoming mayor of Metropolis with the Justice League’s popularity at an all-time low. A plan is put into motion, one which will render the planet defenseless, and the League will be tested to past their breaking point. This story is a classic League in a classic DC Universe, and it has some amazing thrills that will keep you reading to end. It’s vastly underrated in the team’s canon and will bring the love of the League into your soul.
3) “New World Order”
In the ’90s, the Justice League wasn’t popular, but all of that changed in 1996. DC had rebooted the team with Justice League: A Midsummer’s Nightmare and soon launched one of the greatest series in its history: JLA. The book’s opening story, “New World Order” by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter, is one of the best Justice League stories ever and the perfect introduction to the League. A new group of heroes shows up to replace the Justice League as the Earth’s protectors, but their dark secret will push the team past their limits. This is sensational widescreen action, a perfect League story that will knock your socks so far, you’ll lose them.
2) The New Frontier
The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke, is one of the greatest DC stories of the ’00s. This six-issue series took readers back to the 1960s for a retro Silver Age story of the beginning of the DC Universe. As a new generation of heroes rises in the post-WWII world, an ancient threat rears its ugly head, creating an enemy that forces these new heroes to unite together to protect their shining new era of heroism. This is a beautiful comic that will have you begging for more. Cooke was one of the greats, mixing the classic and the modern beautifully. This is retro DC in the best possible way and will make you fall in love with the publisher’s classic heroes.
1) Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come is a DC legend, and has been a favorite of generations of readers. Mark Waid and Alex Ross’s four-issue series took place in a dark future, where a disaster caused by the bloodthirsty new breed of heroes draws Superman and his generation out of retirement to reform the Justice League to teach them what being a hero means. However, dark forces are watching and they have their own plan to “save the world”. This is a Superman story, as well as a Justice League story, and it’s one of the greatest things you’ll ever read. If this book doesn’t make you love and understand what the Justice League is, check your pulse.
What’s your favorite starter Justice League story? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Big Finish -
Image Courtesy of TOHO -
Image Courtesy of Prime Video
