Review:
The creative team of Keith Giffen, J. M. Dematteis and Kevin Maguire reunite both with each other and with several of the characters that made their legend a decade and a half earlier. They gained fame and acclaim with their late-80s reboot of the Justice League franchise, taking it international and breathing new life into post-Crisis staid, old DC Comics with their light tone and humor. Fifteen years later they brought us this self-aware and cheeky attempt to recapture the success of what their Justice League run accomplished.
Unfortunately, they missed the mark.
In DC continuity, the United Nations has broken ties with the globe-spanning Justice League offices. Now, some classic members (Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Flash and others) have reconstituted the Justice League of America. Maxwell Lord, though down, is far from out. He gets the band back together. Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Captain Atom and Fire are joined by Elongated Man and Mary Marvel. Cybernetic life-form L-Ron and Green Lantern flop G'nort also grace these pages.
What you will not find anywhere in this collection of the complete 6-issue mini-series is a classic tights-and-capes bad-guys-vs-heroes battle. In fact, the only power-vs-power conflict is a mind-controlled smack-down between Mary Marvel and Captain Atom, and a very brief slap-fight with some Harvard-educated and very erudite and eloquent neighborhood thugs.
Instead, all the tension and conflict is internal - Blue Beetle tires of Booster's idiocy, Fire eyerolls at Mary's wide-eyed naivety. Any external conflict is settled through negotiation, often hilariously so, as when the mighty Manga Khan toys with becoming a BDSM Submissive.
With wry, dialog-driven humor and relational conflict, our writers pack lots of exposition and word bubbles onto these pages, with occasionally tedious results. When it works well, this series is loads of fun. When it falls flat, which it does too frequently, be sure to distract yourself with Maguire's ability to convey emotion through facial nuances and simple lines. Even on the collection's cover, Cap's exasperation, Fire's coquettish come-hither look, Booster's frat-boy smugness and Mary Marvel's youthful innocence shine through.
The Super Buddies era became a point of embarrassment in the intervening decades and is the nadir of Booster Gold's nearly 40 years of existence. In this series, he is a one-dimensional, almost exclusively idiotic and selfish buffoon. His marriage for money to an always off-camera rich old woman especially grates on the nerves. Fans who saw his potential from day one and who were thrilled with his part in the popular Justice League International series, found this a bridge too far.
Yet it is also a vital moment in his history, as Formerly Known as the Justice League kicks off a renaissance in his importance in the DC universe. After some lean years with very few appearances in the late '90s and early 2000s, these appearances lead into Booster's appearances in JLA Classified in 2004-2005 and then into a starring role in the weekly 52 series in 2006-7, before finally returning to a solo series all his own, Booster Gold v2, starting in late 2007.
Still, this series is more miss than hit, and this reviewer gives it 2 capes.
Description:
Max Lord attempts to open a super team for hire, and recruits his old friends from the Justice League! Featuring Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Fire, Mary Marvel and more. Don't miss this reunion of the creative team behind the classic JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire!
Collects: Formerly Known as the Justice League mini-series issues #1-6
Authors: Keith Giffen, J. M. Dematteis
Artists: Kevin Maguire, Joe Rubinstein
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: April 1, 2004
Parental Rating: PG-13
ISBN: 978-1401203054
Pages: 137 pages
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