Thoughts on JLA Detroit & International?

[theboychild]

Thinking of delving into these books. What did you guys think of it? Heard that International had printing issues. Cheers!

[Gurz]

You mean the omnibuses ? I passed on the International because of the printing issues.

[theboychild]

You mean the omnibuses ? I passed on the International because of the printing issues.

Yep! I thought DC had a reprint of these? Was it a printing error on the pages?

[Lee Stone]

JLDetroit starts off good with solid art by Chuck Patton.
But quickly fizzles after Aquaman goes AWOL.
And it picks back up when Batman, J.M. DeMatteis and Luke McDonnell come along. Generally, the Despero story is where it hits its peak.
If you can make it through the middle part, you may enjoy it.
Unfortunately, DC decided to end the series with most of the new characters killed off. Vixen managed to survive and my guess is that McDonnell pushed for her to be in Suicide Squad, which helped her overcome the JLDetroit stigma.
Gypsy stayed in limbo until almost four years later when DeMatteis brought her back in one of the best JLI stories, then she found her way into JL Task Force and back into reader respect.

JLInternational is one of my all-time favorite runs (including JLE and JLIQ). The first two years of JLI is its best, IMHO. And when JLE launched, a lot of the more sreious threat stories went over there and JLI (now titled JLA) became more of a situation comedy with fewer serious moments, but the core team had become more definitive. IIRC, the stories more reminiscent of the first two years would be Teasdale Imperative (which was a crossover with JLE, and the epilogue tackled the idea of someone like Power Girl getting internal injuries with no one able to help because her skin is impenetrable) and the Despero story that brought Gypsy back.
Brakdowns was more serious, but a bit too somber and I didn't care for Wozniak's art.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I would echo Lee Stone's thoughts.

Gerry Conway & Chuck Patton's early stuff with JL Detroit was a fun attempt to replicate the success Wolfman & Perez had with New Teen Titans. However, only the start and the end with J.M. DeMatties & Luke McDonnel are worth reading.

Depending upon your tastes, I think all of the JLI era is worth reading. Some stories are better than others, but it's worth reading through all the peaks and valleys because the characters are so endearing. There's no way to read through JLI without feeling some deep affection for J'Onn, Guy, Ted, Booster, Scott, Barda, Fire & Ice, along with Max & Oberon. They are the closest DC had ever managed to creating a real family feeling in one of their team books. Plus, you've got Maguire, Templeton and Hughes art.

Once General Glory arrives on the scene, you might want to take a break and finish it later. They definitely stayed past their welcome.

[caj]

In hindsight, Detroit probably isn't as bad as I remembered it being. At the time, I was absolutely appalled by it. I still say Vibe and Gypsy were mediocre heroes - maybe due to the writing more than the characters themselves. I never really cared for Gerry Conway's writing in JLofA to begin with, so once most of the heavy hitters were gone, it really no longer appealed to me. I had a subscription so the issues kept coming to my door, but I didn't enjoy it at all. Those who say it peaked with the Despero story are correct. That was the highlight for me as well.

JLI was just amazing. Fun, entertaining, great characters, great art. Personally, I enjoyed JL Europe more because they had some serious villains in between the jokes. For JLA, the casino resort story was the peak for me. I loved Booster and Beetle. Once Booster left for the Conglomerate, I lost interest. The last story arc I loved was once again the Despero storyline from #38-40. However, I'm glad I stayed around through the entire Breakdowns storyline that ended the Giffen/DeMatteiss run.

[theboychild]

I would echo Lee Stone's thoughts.

Gerry Conway & Chuck Patton's early stuff with JL Detroit was a fun attempt to replicate the success Wolfman & Perez had with New Teen Titans. However, only the start and the end with J.M. DeMatties & Luke McDonnel are worth reading.

Depending upon your tastes, I think all of the JLI era is worth reading. Some stories are better than others, but it's worth reading through all the peaks and valleys because the characters are so endearing. There's no way to read through JLI without feeling some deep affection for J'Onn, Guy, Ted, Booster, Scott, Barda, Fire & Ice, along with Max & Oberon. They are the closest DC had ever managed to creating a real family feeling in one of their team books. Plus, you've got Maguire, Templeton and Hughes art.

Once General Glory arrives on the scene, you might want to take a break and finish it later. They definitely stayed past their welcome.

Thanks so much for sharing! I appreciate your thoughts. I decided to read it digitally and will conclude later on. Did you like Infinite Crisis?

[theboychild]

JLDetroit starts off good with solid art by Chuck Patton.
But quickly fizzles after Aquaman goes AWOL.
And it picks back up when Batman, J.M. DeMatteis and Luke McDonnell come along. Generally, the Despero story is where it hits its peak.
If you can make it through the middle part, you may enjoy it.
Unfortunately, DC decided to end the series with most of the new characters killed off. Vixen managed to survive and my guess is that McDonnell pushed for her to be in Suicide Squad, which helped her overcome the JLDetroit stigma.
Gypsy stayed in limbo until almost four years later when DeMatteis brought her back in one of the best JLI stories, then she found her way into JL Task Force and back into reader respect.

JLInternational is one of my all-time favorite runs (including JLE and JLIQ). The first two years of JLI is its best, IMHO. And when JLE launched, a lot of the more sreious threat stories went over there and JLI (now titled JLA) became more of a situation comedy with fewer serious moments, but the core team had become more definitive. IIRC, the stories more reminiscent of the first two years would be Teasdale Imperative (which was a crossover with JLE, and the epilogue tackled the idea of someone like Power Girl getting internal injuries with no one able to help because her skin is impenetrable) and the Despero story that brought Gypsy back.
Brakdowns was more serious, but a bit too somber and I didn't care for Wozniak's art.

Thanks for the thorough insights! I'm still new to JLA and never got into it. I think I enjoyed Batman and Superman as solo characters and developed their own stories over time. I'll probably read JLA digitally and take it from there. Have you read Infinite Crisis or Animal Man? Cheers!