Character name	Zatanna
Converted	y
Publisher	DC Comics/Vertigo
Debut	''Hawkman'' vol. 1 #4 (October–November, 1964)
Creators	Gardner FoxMurphy Anderson
Real name	Zatanna Zatara
Species	''Homo magi''
Homeworld
Alliances	Seven Soldiers of VictoryJustice LeagueSentinels of Magic
Aliases	Primak
Supports
Powers	Skilled and powerful user of magic
Cat	super
Subcat	DC Comics
Hero	y
Sortkey	Zatanna }}

Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in ''Hawkman'' vol. 1 #4 (October–November 1964). The character, both a stage magician and a real magician like her father Giovanni "John" Zatara, is known for her involvement with the Justice League, her retconned childhood association with Batman, and her crossing of the Vertigo line with characters such as romantic partner John Constantine and protegé Timothy Hunter. She was ranked fourth in ''Comics Buyer's Guide's'' "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.

Fictional character biography[link]

Zatanna is the daughter of magician Giovanni Zatara (who appeared in Golden Age comic books) and Sindella, a member of the mystical ''Homo magi'' race. Her younger cousin, the teenager Zachary Zatara, is also a magician in the DCU.

Zatanna makes her living as a stage illusionist prior to discovering her magical abilities while investigating the disappearance of her father. Zatanna's search for her father was the subject of a storyline which was featured in several titles edited by Julius Schwartz and in it, Zatanna interacts with Batman and Robin (in disguise as a witch and under the control of the villain The Outsider), Hawkman and Hawkwoman (''Hawkman'' Vol. 1, #4, Nov. 1964), the Atom (''The Atom''#19, May 1965), Green Lantern (''Green Lantern''Vol. 2, #42, Jan. 1966) and Elongated Man (''Detective Comics'' #355, Sept. 1966). The series culminated in ''Justice League of America'' #51 (Feb. 1967). This Justice League adventure took place during the Batman television craze where Batman was featured prominently on the cover. The premise that the witch in ''Detective'' #336 was Zatanna was perceived by many fans at the time as an attempt to get Batman participating in this issue of ''Justice League of America'' no matter how vague the connection to Zatanna's quest was.

Zatanna assists the Justice League of America on a number of cases before being elected to membership in ''Justice League of America'' #161 (Dec. 1978). During her tenure with the group, her power level diminishes, so that she can only control the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water; this limitation is reversed in ''World's Finest Comics'' #277 (Mar. 1982).

In Neil Gaiman's Books of Magic series Zatanna becomes friends and even temporary guardian to Timothy Hunter, a boy destined to become the greatest wizard in the world, and his girlfriend Molly who at the time was cursed by the Queen of the Fairies and unable to touch anything in the human world including the ground. After a brief stay she sent Molly home and Tim wandered off on his own adventures.

In the 2004 limited series ''Identity Crisis'', Zatanna is a member of the Justice League at the time the villain Dr. Light brutally attacks and rapes the Elongated Man's wife, Sue Dibny. When apprehended, he threatens the JLA members' families. Although Zatanna is prepared to erase Light's memories of the incident (as she had done to other villains with dangerous knowledge to the League), tampering with Light's mind sparks a debate among the League members: should the villain's personality be transformed in order to prevent him from repeating his crime? Zatanna, Hawkman, and The Atom (Ray Palmer) vote for such action, while Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) vote against. The Flash (Barry Allen) breaks the tie. Zatanna mind-wipes Light, and the process results in his intellectual abilities being lowered. In the midst of the process, Batman appears and tries to stop it. Zatanna freezes him, and the members vote unanimously to erase Batman's memories of the incident as well.

Her working relationship to Batman sours after he discovers the alteration to his memory. When Zatanna helps Batman with reconnaissance at one of Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pits, she asks him why he came to her. "I needed someone I could trust," Batman says. "But I had to settle for you." However, after ''Infinite Crisis'', their relationship appears to have warmed; in ''Detective Comics'' #824 he calls her for information on a card-counter involved in scamming the Penguin. He makes no mention of their conflict, and casually calls her by her nickname, "Zee".

Catwoman discovers that Zatanna's mind-wipe of Dr. Light in ''Identity Crisis'' is not an isolated occurrence; Catwoman's journey from villain to hero and her resulting efforts to lead a moral life are retconned as being the result of Zatanna's mental intervention. Catwoman comes to distrust her memories, motives, and the choices she has made since that incident. In retaliation, Catwoman covers Zatanna's mouth with a piece of duct tape and shoves her out a window.

A 2005 four-issue ''Zatanna'' limited series was published as part of Grant Morrison's ''Seven Soldiers of Victory'' event. In it, at a support group for superheroes, she recounts a failed magical ritual to search for her father's tomes, during which one of her past spells summons a shapeshifter named Gwydion, who kills her companions. This trauma, combined with her guilt from her former mind-wipes, robs her of her powers. With the help of her new apprentice, Misty Kilgore, she captures Gwydion to use as her own. She eventually regains her confidence and powers, and uses them to defeat Zor, a rogue Time Tailor who released the Sheeda as a plague to infect and degrade the entire universe. As a reward, the other Time Tailors allow her one last meeting with her father, who reveals that his books were written in her, his "greatest spell and gift to the world." In the final battle against the Sheeda, Zatanna casts a spell to move time and space, retroactively positioning the Seven Soldiers to overthrow the Sheeda.

In ''Detective Comics'' #833 (August 2007), it is stated that Zatanna's father was a friend of Thomas Wayne. Zatara trained Bruce Wayne in the art of escape; and Bruce and Zatanna were childhood friends (although Batman believes that he has never met in her ''Justice League of America'' #51, and her only memory of meeting him is while she was disguised). Bruce helps Zatanna investigate the death of one of her former assistants; all clues point to a performer named Ivar Loxias. However, Loxias is revealed to be the Joker in disguise; he shoots Zatanna in the throat and incapacitates Batman. Zatanna is able to heal herself by writing a curing spell in her own blood, and she is instrumental in foiling the Joker's scheme. Bruce puts Zatanna's betrayal behind him, allowing the two to renew their friendship.

On the "Roll Call" of ''Justice League of America'' #22, Zatanna is listed as a part of the team. Called upon to help with Red Tornado's restoration in his android form, she aids the League when they are attacked by a new, powerful iteration of Amazo. During the battle, Zatanna has her mouth magically removed with her spells, and once again uses her blood to write out spells and restore it. However, she is silenced again after Amazo uses his power ring to create a gag for her mouth that she is unable to remove, rendering her useless for much of the fight. After Wonder Woman throws off Amazo's concentration and causes the gag to vanish, Zatanna defeats Amazo once and for all by using Red Tornado's soul. Following this battle, Zatanna rejoins the team.

Shortly before the mysterious disappearance of Batman and the ''Final Crisis'' events Zatanna is stalked and targeted by Hush, wanting to get his vengeance over Bruce Wayne using the people he loves most: Zatanna herself and Selina Kyle. Zatanna escapes Hush's wrath, and is able to provide help and relief to the wounded Catwoman.

Zatanna later accompanies Firestorm, Black Lightning, and Batman to Metropolis after they come to believe Kimiyo Hoshi has been kidnapped by agents of the covert metahuman team known as the Shadow Cabinet. After a brief conflict, Zatanna and the others are informed by teenaged superheroine Rocket that Kimiyo's perceived abduction was actually a misunderstanding caused by the Shadow Cabinet's mission to seek out her help in dealing with the cosmic vampire known as Starbreaker. With assistance from Hardware and Icon, Zatanna and her comrades are able to defeat Starbreaker in a massive battle in the Himalayas.

In ''Gotham City Sirens'' Zatanna is visited and violently restrained by Poison Ivy, who interacts via a tree and asks her if her encounter with Catwoman changed Selina in any way.

Zatanna takes a leave of absence from the JLA, only to reappear during a battle with Despero. Once Despero is defeated, Zatanna informs the League of the apocalyptic events of the ''Blackest Night'' taking place across the globe. After taking the team to the Hall of Justice to find Firestorm, she is forced to fight the undead form of her father, continually pitting the black magic he wields against her own; it is implied she was successful in banishing the Black Lantern, but was left psychologically crushed from having to kill her father again (in a fashion). In the aftermath of Blackest Night, Kimiyo mentions that Zatanna is one of the members who has left the team.

In May 2010 Zatanna began starring in her own solo series, written by Paul Dini and with art from Stephane Roux. Now no longer an active member of the JLA, Zatanna is asked by officer Dale Colton to help her solve a murder case at a restaurant frequented by mobsters. Zatanna informs Dale that the murderer was a powerful sorcerer known as Brother Night, who rules the supernatural crime scene in San Francisco. After Zatanna shows up at Night's demonic nightclub and threatens him, he responds by calling upon a powerful nightmare demon for help in taking her down, but Zatanna defeats and imprisons the demon to aid her later. A crooked casino owner who had made a deal for eternal youth with the demon of avarice by selling the souls of his brides to the demon- each one is claimed by the demon seconds after they are pronounced man and wife- attempts to use a love potion to win Zatanna's soul for his master, but when her cousin Zachary- who came to find Zatanna after she missed his show- breaks the spell, the xasino owner begs Zatanna to turn him into a soulless lump of gold in order to escape torment in Hell. Aside from Brother Night, Zatanna also faces other threats, such as Oscar Hample, a man who tried to murder her when she was a child and was turned into a puppet by her father. She is also kidnapped by a new villain named Siphon, who tries to steal her abilities. Using Zatanna's cellphone, Power Girl finds her and removes the duct tape form Zatanna's mouth, and together the two heroines defeat Siphon. Zatanna's series ended with issue #16.

The New 52[link]

In this timeline of ''The New 52'', Zatanna was made into one of the main characters in Peter Milligan's ''Justice League Dark'' series. She also sports a new costume, though she still wears her classic magician's outfit during shows. In the first issue, she learns that Superman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg have been defeated by the Enchantress and volunteers her services to the League. Batman offers to help her fight Enchantress, but Zatanna uses her powers to tie him up, reasoning that Batman is too valuable to the world to die in battle.

Relationships[link]

Zatanna has had various romantic relationships with fellow DC characters, including John Constantine (with whom she practiced tantra) and Doctor Thirteen. Zatanna also had a brief flirtational relationship with her fellow Justice Leaguer the Flash (Barry Allen) shortly after the death of his wife Iris.She also (currently) has a strong friendship with Batman due to their shared (retconned) pasts. In ''Detective Comics'' #843 and #844, Zatanna and Bruce briefly discuss the possibility of having a more meaningful relationship. Both later concede that Bruce is too devoted to his cause as Batman to give her the relationship she wishes for, but the pair reaffirm their bond as close friends.Catwoman, however, appears to consider Zatanna a more dangerous contender for Bruce's attentions than Jezebel Jet (his fiancée at the time). A pep talk between the two women confirms how Zatanna really meant, during the fateful discussion with Bruce, to explore the possibility of a true romance, but turned out quietly resigned to the role of best friend and confidante. Claiming to act on Bruce's best interest, she pushes Selina into confessing her feelings to Bruce, thus ''stealing'' him from Jezebel Jet before it's too late. Apparently, such a task does not require verbal incantations, spoken or written, at all, nor is it tied to a specific tarot deck.

The limits of her powers have never been clearly established. She is often depicted working alongside the most powerful magic-users on Earth, including Doctor Fate, Madame Xanadu, and Captain Marvel. She has used her powers to command elemental forces, heal, transmute and transmogrify objects, manipulate minds, and attack her opponents with energy blasts. She has resurrected the city of Metropolis from ruin, merged Aquaman's spirit with the entire ocean in the finale of the "Obsidian Age" story arc, and manipulated time and space. During a portion of her initial tenure with the Justice League, her powers were more limited, consisting in the manipulation of fire, air, water, and earth. Furthermore, her powers seems tied to her self-confidence, as the long series of blunders described in ''Seven Soldiers'' left her both emotionally and psychologically shattered, powerless, until she was able to restore her lost confidence.

Zatanna is a skilled illusionist, showgirl and stage magician even without resorting to her innate magical powers. In fact she considers part of her "training" exercising sleight of hand tricks, and she claims to have invented a variation of the three card shuffle game called the "Zatara shuffle", in which she's so fast and precise that, even without resorting to cheating, only skilled gamblers like Selina Kyle are able to follow the movements of her hands.

Other versions[link]

DC Super Dictionary[link]

The 1978 ''DC Super Dictionary'' invented a character, Conjura, who had the same magic ability as Zatanna, in addition to possessing a time-traveling amulet.

Earth-3[link]

Annataz Arataz, Zatanna's evil Earth-3 counterpart, assists Superman-Prime to detain and torment Mr. Mxyzptlk in ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' #23. The imp refuses to provide Prime with information, and Annataz restores his powers. Reflecting upon her own prior cruel actions, she allows herself to be killed by the enraged villain. Her spells are recited "upside-down", rather than backwards.

Zatanna's evil Antimatter Earth counterpart, who unlike the Earth-3 counterpart is called Zatanna, is briefly mentioned in ''Trinity'' #35, as one of the few survivors of a purge on magic users.

Amalgam Comics[link]

In the Amalgam Comics universe, Zatanna is merged with Scarlet Witch of the Avengers to form a character known as Wanda Zatara, the White Witch.

JLA: Another Nail[link]

She appears in ''JLA: Another Nail'', which shows her teamed-up with Hawkwoman in Midway City. They appear to be close friends. Zatanna seems to have Eurasian features.

Flashpoint[link]

In the alternate timeline of the ''Flashpoint'' event, Zatanna is a member of the Secret Seven and also is a member of a motorcycle gang, her father Zatara was transformed into a motorcycle bike when Zatanna is riding on him.

Collected editions[link]

JLA: Zatanna's Search (Collects ''The Atom'' #19, ''Hawkman'' #4, ''Green Lantern'' #42, ''Detective Comics'' #335 and 355 and ''Justice League of America'' #51)

Zatanna: Everyday Magic (Original graphic novel)

Zatanna: Mistress of Magic (Collects #1-6)

Zatanna: Shades of the Past (Collects #7-16)

In other media[link]

Television[link]

Zatanna first appears in a ''Batman: The Animated Series'' episode "Zatanna" voiced by Julie Brown. She appears as an illusionist with no apparent magic powers. She developed a close relationship with Bruce Wayne (who was using the alias "John Smith") during the years in which Bruce was traveling the globe learning skills that later serve him as Batman. Zatanna later comes to Gotham City with her magic show, but finds herself being framed by a criminal magic debunker named Montague Kane. Her efforts to restore her name and stop the villain put her side-by-side with the Batman. During the course of the episode, Batman reveals his identity as "John Smith" to Zatanna.

Zatanna makes two appearances in the ''Gotham Girls'' flash animation episodes, voiced by Stacie Randall. In "A Little Night Magic", Zatanna walks home on her own after doing a magic show and has some adventures on the way: She turns a robber's gun into a snake, splits a truck in half when it almost runs her over, and turns some street thugs into toads after they take her hat. In "Hold the Tiger", Zatanna stops Catwoman from stealing the Cat's Eye Opals from a jewelry store. Zatanna does not arrest Catwoman but instead asks Catwoman for help in finding her white tiger.

Zatanna made a short appearance in ''Batman Beyond'' episode "Out of the Past" (season three, episode five) in a collection of pictures that Bruce is looking at on his computer of past loves, alongside Lois Lane, Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Barbara Gordon.

Zatanna appears in ''Justice League Unlimited'' episode "This Little Piggy" voiced by Jennifer Hale. She helps Batman search for the villainess Circe (who has turned Wonder Woman into a pig). Zatanna is apparently aware of Batman's true identity since her last appearance ("Bruce! I haven't seen you for so long...") and knows him well enough to perceive his romantic relationship with Wonder Woman. In her ''JLU'' depictions, her spells are often cast backwards, but almost equally often cast without words, and on one occasion, speaking normally. She also appeared in the episode "The Balance" (voiced by an uncredited Juliet Landau) amongst the magic-based superheroes affected by the disturbance in the magical balance. In "Destroyer", Zatanna appears as one of many Justice League Members called to help fight the invading Apokoliptan forces. DCAU writer Paul Dini wrote both of Zatanna's former and latter appearances described above. In 1998, Alan Burnett told ''Wizard Magazine'' "Paul Dini wanted to use Zatanna because he’s secretly in love with her. It’s something we try not to talk about too much."

Two episodes of a Cartoon Monsoon contest entry feature Zatanna as a teenage hero who is a cross between ''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'' and ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. This saw her match wits with Klarion the Witch Boy, and also featured her father (referred to only as "Zatara") as well as the new character of Zatanna's older, non-magic-wielding brother (named "Damon" in the second episode).

Zatanna is a recurring character in the final three seasons of ''Smallville'', portrayed by actress Serinda Swan. The character first appeared late in season eight, in the episode "Hex". She is described as the daughter of the deceased John Zatara, "the world's greatest magician". Zatanna is introduced at the Ace of Clubs, the scene of Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack)'s birthday party. To enliven things, Zatanna uses magic to make characters' inner desires come true — Chloe is physically transformed to resemble her cousin, Lois Lane (Erica Durance), for example, and Clark (Tom Welling) becomes "normal". Zatanna later approaches Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) and offers him a deal: she will grant him a wish if he returns her father's magical book to her. Once she acquires the Book of Zatara from Green Arrow, whom she recognizes as Oliver, she reveals her aim is to use it to resurrect her father. Because Clark is vulnerable to magic, and Oliver lacks the power to stop her, Zatanna has to realize for herself that her father sacrificed himself so she could live. She later goes to Oliver to explain herself, and decides to help him if he encounters any supernatural foes along the way by leaving him her phone number. Swan reprises the role in the ninth season of ''Smallville'' in the episode titled "Warrior". In season ten episodes which feature the government attempting to hunt down the Justice League, Zatanna's picture is shown among their targets. Although not portrayed by Swan, an actor in costume represents Zatanna in the episode "Icarus". In the episode "Fortune", Zatanna is used as a plot device; the episode establishes her as having sent an enchanted bottle of wine to Clark and Lois on the night of their engagement party, which sets the events of that episode in motion.

Zatanna appears in ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' in the teaser of "Chill of the Night!". Jennifer Hale reprises her role of Zatanna from ''Justice League Unlimited''. She and Batman stop Abra Kadabra from robbing a museum exhibit displaying the history of magicians. Though she relies primarily on vocal spells, she is also shown to be able to effectively wield Kadabra's magic wand after he binds her mouth closed and when she tries to remove it she pulls out a stream of handkerchiefs tied to her tongue. Zatanna gets Kadabra's wand and makes the handkerchiefs disappear, then snaps the wand. While Batman holds back the mind control slaves, Zatanna battles Kadabra, and traps him in her hat. She later pulls out a tiny bird cage with Kadabra in it, winning the magic battle. This version of Zatanna wears a slightly modified version of her original outfit, with her trademark fishnets replaced by purple tights.

Zatanna appears in the ''Young Justice'' episode "Humanity", voiced by Lacey Chabert. In this incarnation, she is around 14 years old . Zatara initially brings Zatanna to Mount Justice in Happy Harbor to meet the team, and asks the kids give Zatanna a tour of Mount Justice. They pretend to go along with that request, quickly use Miss Martian's ship to leave the cave and track down Red Tornado. When heading to Yellowstone National Park, Zatanna mentions that her magic is not at the same level as her father. Upon arrival, Aqualad tells Zatanna to stay behind, but ultimately allows her to join them anyway. When fighting Red Tornado, Zatanna tries to use her magic on him only to be knocked out by Red Tornado alongside the team. When Red Volcano activates the volcano, Zatanna uses her magic to give the illusion of Kid Flash multiplies. Zatara was displeased that his daughter went on a mission with the team. It can also be noted that Robin seems to have an interest in her. She briefly appears alongside Red Arrow, Rocket, Garth and Tula in "Failsafe" as part of a training simulation. She returns in the episode "Secrets", where she and Artemis head to Manhattan on Halloween night. They are ambushed and eventually kidnapped by Harm, a psychotic teenager wielding the mystical sword of Beowulf. While Harm interrogates Artemis, the ghost of his murdered sister, Secret, removes the tape from Zatanna's mouth and allows her to rescue Artemis. Together, the three girls defeat Harm and allow Secret's spirit to move on to the afterlife. Afterwards, Zatanna promises to erect a proper grave for Secret, who had previously been buried in Harm's backyard. In episode "Misplaced", Zatanna is with the team when all the adults disappear. She is able to use the same spell that her father used to find Wotan, and the rest of the Injustice League, to locate Klarion the Witch Boy on Roanoke Island. Her powers seem ineffective against Klarion (he refers to them as "baby magic") and as a last ditch effort dons the Helmet of Fate. After Klarion escapes, Nabu refuses to relinquish Zatanna as his host, until her father offers himself as Nabu's host. After making Batman promise to take care of her, Zatara dons the helmet and leaves Zatanna with the rest of the team. She then moves into Mount Justice with Miss Martian and Superboy and joins the team full time. She is shown to be clearly devastated by the loss of her father. In episode "Auld Acquaintance", Zatanna has displayed feelings for Robin.

Zatanna appears in ''Young Justice: Invasion'', which is set five years after the original series. In the series premier, "Happy New Year", she and Rocket are now shown as adult members of the Justice League.

Zatanna appears in ''Mad'' where she tries to appeal to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman about being called "Super Friends".

Film[link]

In 2005 screenwriter Hadley Davis (''Ice Princess'') announced that she had written an action-comedy featuring a teenaged version of Zatanna. Nothing further was ever heard about this project, and it is presumed to have been abandoned.

An alternate version of Zatanna makes a brief cameo appearance in ''Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths'' as a member of the Crime Syndicate of America.

Video games[link]

Zatanna is a playable character in the console videogame ''Justice League Heroes'' voiced by Kari Wahlgren.

Zatanna appears as a non-playable character in ''DC Universe Online'', voiced by Claire Hamilton.

Zatanna will be a playable character in ''Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes''.

References[link]

External links[link]

Zatanna's secret origin on DC Comics.com

Zatanna at the DC Database Project

Category:Comics characters introduced in 1964 Category:1993 comic debuts Category:DC Comics witches Category:DC Comics characters who use magic Category:Fictional American people of Italian descent Category:Fictional stage magicians Category:Magic in comics Category:Vertigo titles Category:Smallville characters Category:Characters created by Gardner Fox

ca:Zatanna es:Zatanna fr:Zatanna it:Zatanna he:זטאנה nl:Zatanna ja:ザターナ pt:Zatanna sc:Zatanna fi:Zatanna tl:Zatanna tr:Zatanna

Italic title	no
Team name	Justice League
Publisher	DC Comics
Debut	''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (February/March 1960)
Creators	Gardner Fox
Base	The Hall and the SatelliteWatchtowerThe RefugeJLI EmbassiesDetroit BunkerSatelliteSecret Sanctuary
Memberlist	List of Justice League members
Cat	teams
Subcat	DC Comics
Hero	y
Sortkey	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.

First appearing in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (February/March 1960), the Justice League originally appeared with the line-up of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman, and the Martian Manhunter. The team roster has been rotated throughout the years with characters such as Green Arrow, Captain Marvel, Black Canary, the Atom, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Plastic Man, Red Tornado, Firestorm, Zatanna, other Green Lanterns, and dozens of others. The team received its own comic book title in October 1960, when the first issue was published, and would continue to #261 in April 1987, which was the final issue. Throughout the years, various incarnations or subsections of the team have operated as Justice League America, Justice League Europe, Justice League International, Justice League Task Force, Justice League Elite, and Extreme Justice.

Various comic book series featuring the Justice League have remained generally popular with fans since inception and in most incarnations, its roster includes DC's most popular characters. The Justice League concept has also been adapted into various other entertainment media, including the classic Saturday morning ''Super Friends'' animated series (1973–1986), an unproduced ''Justice League of America'' live-action series, and most recently the animated series ''Justice League'' (2001–2004) and ''Justice League Unlimited'' (2004–2006). A live-action film was in the works in 2008 before being shelved.

Publication history[link]

Silver and Bronze Age / ''Justice League of America''[link]

Italic title	no
title	Justice League of America
schedule	Monthly
format	Ongoing
publisher	DC Comics
date	October 1960 – April 1987
issues	261
writers	Gardner FoxDennis O'NeillLen WeinSteve Englehart Gerry Conway
pencillers	Mike SekowskyDick DillinGeorge Pérez
inkers	Sid GreeneDick GiordanoFrank McLaughlin
creators	Gardner FoxMike Sekowsky }}

Having successfully reintroduced a number of their Golden Age superhero characters (Flash, Green Lantern, etc.) during the late 1950s, editor Julius Schwartz asked writer Gardner Fox to reintroduce the Justice Society of America. Schwartz, influenced by the popularity of Major League Baseball's National League and American League, decided to change the name of the team from Justice ''Society'' to Justice ''League''. The Justice League of America debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (February–March 1960), and after two further appearances in that title, got their own series which quickly became one of the company's best-selling titles. Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky were the creative team for the title's first eight years. Sekowsky's last issue was #63 (June 1968) and Fox departed with #65 (September 1968). Schwartz was the new title's editor and would oversee it until 1979.

The initial Justice League lineup included seven of the DC superheroes being published regularly at that time:Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman. Superman and Batman barely featured in most of the stories, not even appearing on the cover most of the time. Three of DC's other surviving or revived characters, Green Arrow, the Atom, and Hawkman were added to the roster over the next four years. The title'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 Justice League operated from a secret cave outside of the small town of Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. A teenager named Lucas "Snapper" Carr tagged along on missions, and he became both the team's mascot and an official member. Snapper, noted for speaking in beatnik dialect and snapping his fingers, helped the group defeat the giant space starfish Starro the Conqueror in the team's first appearance. The supervillain Doctor Light first battle the team in issue #12 (June 1962). ''Justice League of America'' #21 and #22 (August–September 1963) saw the first team-up of the Justice League and the Justice Society of America as well as the first use of the term "Crisis" in reference to a crossover between characters. The folowing year's team-up with the Justice Society introduced the threat of the Crime Syndicate of America of Earth-Three. The character Metamorpho was offered membership in the Justice League but declined. Following the departures of Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky, writer Denny O'Neil and artist Dick Dillin became the new creative team. Dillin would draw the title from issue #64 (August 1968) through #183 (October 1980)

O'Neil reshaped the Justice League's membership by removing Wonder Woman in issue #69 and the Martian Manhunter in issue #71. Following the JLA-JSA team-up in issues #73-74 and the death of her husband, the Black Canary decides to move to Earth-One to make a fresh start, where she joins the Justice League. The following issue saw the character develop the superpower known as her "canary cry". In issue #77 (December 1969), Snapper Carr is tricked into betraying the cave headquarters' secret location to the Joker, resulting in his resignation from the team as well.

Satellite years[link]

In need of a new secure headquarters, the Justice League moved into an orbiting satellite headquarters in ''Justice League of America'' #78 (February 1970). The Elongated Man, the Red Tornado, Hawkwoman, Zatanna, and Firestorm joined the team during this period, and Wonder Woman returned.

Len Wein wrote issues #100–114 wherein he and Dillin re-introduced the Seven Soldiers of Victory in issues #100-102 and the Freedom Fighters in issues #107-108. In the fall of 1972, Wein and writers Gerry Conway and Steve Englehart crafted a metafictional unofficial crossover spanning titles from both major comics companies. Each comic featured Englehart, Conway, and Wein, as well as Wein's first wife Glynis, interacting with Marvel or DC characters at the Rutland Halloween Parade in Rutland, Vermont. Beginning in ''Amazing Adventures'' #16 (by Englehart with art by Bob Brown and Frank McLaughlin), the story continued in ''Justice League of America'' #103 (by Wein, Dillin and Dick Giordano), and concluded in ''Thor'' #207 (by Conway and penciler John Buscema). As Englehart explained in 2010, "It certainly seemed like a radical concept and we knew that we had to be subtle (laughs) and each story had to stand on its own, but we really worked it out. It's really worthwhile to read those stories back to back to back — it didn't matter to us that one was at DC and two were at Marvel — I think it was us being creative, thinking what would be really cool to do." Libra, a supervillain created by Wein and Dillin in ''Justice League of America'' #111 (May–June 1974), would play a leading role in Grant Morrison's ''Final Crisis'' storyline in 2008.

Writers Cary Bates and Elliot S. Maggin wrote themselves into the 1975 JLA-JSA crossover in issues #123 and 124 with Bates becoming a supervillain.

Wonder Woman rejoined the team following a major two-year story arc largely written by Martin Pasko. To prove her worthiness to rejoin the JLA, Wonder Woman voluntarily underwent twelve trials analogous to the labors of Hercules, each of which was monitored in secret by a member of the JLA. After the conclusion of the storyline in ''Wonder Woman'' #222, the character's return to the JLA occurred in a two-part story in ''Justice League of America'' #128-129 (March–April 1976).

Steve Englehart wrote the series beginning with issue #139 and provided another unofficial crossover with Marvel Comics in issue #142 by reworking his character Mantis into the DC Universe as a character named "Willow". Englehart left the title with issue #150.

Writer Gerry Conway had a lengthy association with the title as well. His first ''JLA'' story appeared in issue #125 (December 1975) and he became the series' regular writer with issue #151 (February 1978). With a few exceptions, Conway would write the team's adventures until issue #255 (October 1986). Julius Schwartz, who had edited the title since the first issue, left the series as of issue #165 (April 1979). The 1979 crossover with the Justice Society in issues #171 and 172 saw the death of the original Mister Terrific. After Dick Dillin's death, George Pérez, Don Heck, and Rich Buckler would rotate as artist on the title. The double-sized anniversary issue #200 (March 1982) was a "jam" featuring a story written by Conway, a framing sequence drawn by Pérez, and chapters drawn by Pat Broderick, Jim Aparo, Dick Giordano, Gil Kane, Carmine Infantino, Brian Bolland, and Joe Kubert. Bolland's chapter gave the artist his "first stab at drawing Batman." Pérez would leave the title as of issue #200 to concentrate on ''The New Teen Titans'' although he would contribute covers to the ''JLA'' through issue #220 (November 1983). The 1982 team-up with the Justice Society in issues #207-209 crossed over with ''All-Star Squadron'' #14-15.

Detroit[link]

Seeking to capitalize on the popularity of their other team books, which focused upon heroes in their late teens/early 20s, Gerry Conway and artist Chuck Patton revamped the Justice League series. After most of the original heroes failed to arrive in order to help the team fend off an invasion of Martians, Aquaman dissolved the League and reformatted its charter to only allow heroes who would devote their full time to the roster. The new team initially consisted of Aquaman, Zatanna, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man, the Vixen, and a trio of teenage heroes Gypsy, Steel, and Vibe. Aquaman would leave the team after a year and was replaced as leader by the Martian Manhunter. Because of his own edict of only wanting full-time heroes in the League, Aquaman's estranged wife Mera gave him an ultimatum to stay with either the group or with her to salvage their marriage.

Fan response to the series' new direction was largely negative and even the return of Batman to the team in ''Justice League of America'' #250 could not halt the decline of the series. Reader sentiment regarding this incarnation of the Justice League has since been metatextually reflected in the comics themselves. In volume 2 issue #31 (May 2009), Zatanna says, "With our current line-up we couldn't beat Justice League Detroit!" to which Dr. Light responds, "Don't be ridiculous. Everybody can beat Detroit!" The final storyline for the original ''Justice League of America'' series (#258-261) by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Luke McDonnell, culminated a story-arc involving long-time Justice League enemy Professor Ivo's murders of Vibe and Steel and the resignations of Vixen, Gypsy, and the Elongated Man during the events of DC's ''Legends'' mini-series, which saw the team disband.

Modern incarnations[link]

''Justice League International''[link]

The 1986 company-wide crossover "Legends" concluded with the formation of a new Justice League. The new team was dubbed "Justice League" then "Justice League International" (JLI) and was given a mandate with less of an American focus. The new series, written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis with art by Kevin Maguire (and later Adam Hughes), added quirky humor to the team's stories. In this incarnation, the membership consisted partly of heroes from Earths that, prior to their merging in the Crisis on Infinite Earths, were separate. The initial team included Batman, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Captain Marvel, Doctor Light (a new Japanese female character, emerging from the Crisis of Infinite Earths, not the supervillain who had appeared previously), Doctor Fate, Martian Manhunter, Mister Miracle, and Guy Gardner; and soon after inception, added Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire (then known as the Global Guardians' Green Flame), Ice (then known as the Global Guardians' Icemaiden), and two Rocket Reds (one was a Manhunter spy, and one was Dimitri Pushkin). The Giffen/DeMatteis team worked on ''Justice League'' for five years and closed out their run with the "Breakdowns" storyline in 1991 and 1992. The series' humorous tone and high level of characterization proved very popular.

After Giffen and DeMatteis' departure, new writers gave the storylines a more serious tone. Though initially showing enough promise that DC created numerous spin-off titles, in the long run these incarnations of the League proved much less popular than the Giffen/DeMatteis era had. In 1996, the series was canceled, along with spinoffs ''Justice League Europe'', ''Extreme Justice'', and ''Justice League Task Force''.

''JLA''[link]

Italic title	no
title	JLA
schedule	Monthly
format	Ongoing
publisher	DC Comics
date	January 1997 – February 2006
issues	125
writers	Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Denny O'Neil, Chuck Austen, Kurt Busiek, Geoff Johns, Allan Heinberg, Bob Harras
pencillers	Howard PorterBryan HitchDoug Mahnke
inkers	John DellPaul Neary
creators	Grant MorrisonHoward Porter }}

The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team (all the various branch teams were disbanded) on a single title. A Justice League of America formed in the September 1996 limited series ''Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare'' by Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza, which reunited the "Original Seven" of the League for the first time since Crisis on Infinite Earths. In 1997, DC Comics launched a new Justice League series titled ''JLA'', written by Grant Morrison with art by Howard Porter and inker John Dell.

This series, in an attempt at a "back-to-basics" approach, used as its core the team's original seven members (or their successors): Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), and the Martian Manhunter. Additionally, the team received a new headquarters, the "Watchtower", based on the Moon. ''JLA'' quickly became DC's best-selling title, a position it enjoyed off and on for several years.

Morrison introduced the idea of the JLA allegorically representing a pantheon of gods, with their different powers and personalities, incorporating such characters as Zauriel, Big Barda, Orion, Huntress, Barbara Gordon (Oracle), Steel (John Henry Irons), and Plastic Man. He also had temporaries as Aztek, Tomorrow Woman, and Green Arrow (Connor Hawke).

Under Morrison, the series pitted the League against a variety of enemies. These included White Martians, renegade angels, a new incarnation of the Injustice Gang led by Lex Luthor, and the Key. Other foes were the new villain Prometheus, the existing JLA villain Starro the Conqueror, "The Ultra-Marines", and a futuristic Darkseid. Morrison's run culminated in an arc title "World War III" which involves the New Gods preparing the Earth for battle against a creature known as "Maggedon", a super-sentient weapon of mass destruction.

Morrison departed with issue #41, after which the book saw runs by Mark Waid and Joe Kelly. Subsequent to this, the series switched to a series of rotating writers with issue #91 while Kelly (via ''JLA'' #100) was given a the mini-series ''Justice League Elite'', which featured Green Arrow, Flash, and several other characters. The new format saw stories by John Byrne, Chuck Austen, and Kurt Busiek. Geoff Johns and Allan Heinberg would take over the book with #115, which saw a multi-part storyline that dealt with the aftermath of ''Identity Crisis'', and served as a lead-in to the events of "Infinite Crisis", as Superboy-Prime destroyed the Watchtower at the end of issue #119. Bob Harras would ultimately write the book's final storyline (''JLA'' #120-125) as Green Arrow struggled in vain to keep the League afloat.

''52''[link]

In ''52'' Week 24, Firestorm recruits a group to reform the Justice League. It consists of Firehawk, Super-Chief, Bulleteer, and Ambush Bug. They fight a deranged Skeets who takes Super-Chief's powers and kills him as well as numerous people given powers by Lex Luthor's Everyman Project. Afterward, Firestorm breaks up the team.

Also in the series, Luthor's new Infinity, Inc. was informally referred to as a "Justice League" in solicitations and on covers.

''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2)[link]

Italic title	no
title	Justice League of America (vol. 2)
schedule	Monthly
format	Ongoing
publisher	DC Comics
date	August 2006 – August 2011
issues	60 (including #0) as of August 2011
writers	Brad MeltzerDwayne McDuffieLen WeinJames Robinson
pencillers	Ed BenesMark BagleyBrett Booth
creators	Brad MeltzerEd Benes }}

One year after the events of ''Infinite Crisis'', Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman reunite in the Batcave to re-form the League in ''Justice League of America'' #0, the kick-off for a new series by Brad Meltzer and Ed Benes. The series featured a roster which included Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Black Canary, Red Arrow (Green Arrow's former sidekick), Red Tornado, Vixen, Black Lightning, and Hawkgirl. The first arc of the series focused upon Red Tornado and pitted the team against a new intelligent incarnation of Solomon Grundy and the rebuilt Amazo. The new incarnation of the team has two main headquarters, linked by a transporter. The first site is The Hall, which in mainstream DC Universe is a refurnished version of the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron's former headquarters located in Washington, D.C. Black Canary is elected as the first official Chairperson after the fight against Amazo and Solomon Grundy, and led both the Justice League and Justice Society in a complex quest to reunite time-lost members of the pre-Crisis Legion of Super-Heroes, who had been sent back in time to free both Bart Allen and Flash from the other dimensional realm of the Speed Force. Meltzer left the series at the end of issue #12, with one of his subplots (Per Degaton, a pre-nuclear fire mutation version of Despero, and a circa 1948 version of the Ultra-Humanite gathering for an unknown plot) resolved in the pages of ''Booster Gold''.

Dwayne McDuffie took over the writing job with the ''Justice League Anniversary Special'' and the main book with issue #13. Due to DC Comics seeking to launch a spin-off Justice League book led by Hal Jordan, the character was removed from the main League series and replaced by John Stewart. Firestorm also joined the roster, with the series entering into a series of tie-in storylines towards ''Countdown to Final Crisis'', with the arrest of a large number of supervillains (gathered by Lex Luthor and Deathstroke to attack the League on the eve of the wedding of Black Canary and Green Arrow) setting up the ''Salvation Run'' tie-in miniseries. Also, roster members Red Tornado and Geo-Force were written out. McDuffie's initial issues received mixed reviews and experienced minor conroversy due to fan favorite Hal Jordan's removal in favor of Stewart. Jordan ended up being restored to the roster by issue #19 of the series, only to be removed once again by issue #31 once ''Justice League: Cry for Justice'' was completed and ready to be shipped.

Issue #21 saw the return of Libra and the Human Flame, setting up their appearances in ''Final Crisis''. Later issues would resolve issues involving Vixen's power level increase and see the integration of the Milestone Comics characters the Shadow Cabinet and Icon, who fought the Justice League over the remains of the villainous Doctor Light. The group suffered greater losses during ''Final Crisis'' with the deaths of Martian Manhunter and Batman, as well as the resignations of Superman and Wonder Woman, who could no longer devote themselves full-time to the League due to the events of the ''New Krypton'' and ''Rise of the Olympian'' storylines in their respective titles. Hal Jordan would also resign as well, clearing the way for John Stewart's return to the team. Black Canary found herself declaring the League no more, though the group would continue with Canary taking a secondary role in the group. Her last act as leader would be assigning John Stewart and Firestorm the task of hunting down the Human Flame, for his part in the murder of Martian Manhunter, as seen in the ''Final Crisis Aftermath: Run!'' miniseries.

Vixen would take over the team, with Plastic Man rejoining the group. Len Wein wrote a three-part fill-in story for ''Justice League of America'' that ran from #35 to #37. McDuffie was fired from the title before he could return, after discussion postings to the DC Comics message board, detailing behind-the-scenes creative decisions on his run, were republished in the rumor column "Lying In The Gutter". James Robinson was announced as the new ''Justice League of America'' writer.

Wein's fill-in run would be published as ''Justice League: Cry For Justice'' neared its conclusion, as Vixen and Black Canary's group (sans John Stewart) would confront Hal Jordan and Green Arrow's makeshift Justice League group, which had stumbled upon a plot by the villain Prometheus that had resulted in much death and carnage. During the confrontation over Jordan's group using torture to extract information from the villains being blackmailed into carrying out Prometheus' plan, both Roy Harper and Supergirl would discover that one of Jordan's heroes, Captain Marvel Jr., was really Prometheus in disguise. In the ensuing battle, the League would suffer horrible losses: Roy Harper was maimed and his daughter Lian and hundreds of thousands of people in Star City would be killed by a doomsday device Prometheus activated. Vixen would have her leg broken and Plastic Man would have his powers permanently scrambled, making him a slowly disintegrating puddle creature. To save other cities from being destroyed like Star City, the League reluctantly allowed Prometheus to go free. Green Arrow (with help from the Shade) would track down and kill Prometheus.

Following the events of "Blackest Night", Hal Jordan and Donna Troy begin the task of rebuilding the League, with Green Arrow, the Atom, Batman, Mon-El, Donna, Cyborg, Doctor Light, Starfire, Congorilla, and the Guardian.

At the end of issue #43, the majority of the new members leave for various reasons. Mon-El and the Guardian leave after Mon-El returns to the future, Black Canary returns to the Birds of Prey, Starfire leaves to join the R.E.B.E.L.S., Green Lantern leaves to locate the other Lantern Corps Entities, and Green Arrow is forced to leave due to his fugitive status. James Robinson revealed this was due having second thoughts about his decision to use so many characters, and revealed that the team would have a different roster in the coming months. To replace the departed members, Jade and Jesse Quick were added to the team. Cyborg remained with the team in a reduced capacity, and was eventually given his own co-feature storyline for issues 48–50.

DC announced that Saint Walker of the Blue Lantern Corps would be joining the Justice League during a tie-in to the ''Reign of Doomsday'' crossover, but the character did not become a full member due to the cancellation of the title.

The series ended with issue #60 (October 2011), with the title being one of the numerous DC books cancelled after the ''Flashpoint'' crossover. The issue saw Batman disbanding the League due to most of the individual members becoming preoccupied with personal commitments.

The New 52[link]

Italic title	no
title	Justice League
Converted	y
schedule	Monthly
format	Ongoing
publisher	DC Comics
date	August 2011 – present
issues	9
main char team	Justice League
writers	Geoff Johns
pencillers	Jim Lee
inkers	Scott Williams
colorists	Alex Sinclair
creators	Geoff JohnsJim Lee }}

In September 2011, following the conclusion of the ''Flashpoint'' miniseries, all DC titles were canceled and relaunched from issue #1, with DC continuity being rebooted again. ''Justice League of America'' was relaunched as ''Justice League'', written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Jim Lee, and was the first of the new titles released, coming out the same day as the final issue of ''Flashpoint''. The first six issues were set five years in the past and featured a brand new origin for the team, while issue 7 and beyond will take place in the present day.

The starting line-up of the team consists of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman, the Flash (Barry Allen), and Cyborg, while the Atom (Ryan Choi), Hawkman (Carter Hall), Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond), Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Aquaman's wife Mera, Deadman, recently created character Element Woman, and Lady Luck, a revamp of the Golden Age character, are set to join as additional members in the future.

In addition to this series, two other ''Justice League''-related titles were launched during the same month: a new ''Justice League International''; written by Dan Jurgens and drawn by Aaron Lopresti; featuring an initial roster of Batman, Booster Gold, Rocket Red (Gavril Ivanovich), Vixen, Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), Fire, Ice, August General in Iron, and Godiva, and ''Justice League Dark''; written by Peter Milligan and drawn by Mikel Janin; featuring a roster consisting of John Constantine, Shade, the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Zatanna, and the new character Mindwarp.

Various origins of the Justice League[link]

In a story told in flashback in ''Justice League of America'' #9 (February 1962), Earth was infiltrated by the Appelaxians. Competing alien warriors were sent to see who could conquer Earth first to determine who will become the new ruler of their home planet. The aliens' attacks drew the attentions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter. While the superheroes individually defeated most of the invaders, the heroes fell prey to a single competitor's attack; only by working together were they able to defeat the competitor. For many years, the heroes heralded this adventure as the event that prompted them to agree to pool resources when confronted with similar menaces.

In ''Justice League of America'' #144 (July 1977), Green Arrow uncovered inconsistencies in the team's records and extracted admissions from his colleagues that the seven founders had actually formed the League after the Martian Manhunter was rescued from Martian forces by the other six founders, along with several other heroes including Robin, Robotman, Congo Bill/Congorilla, Rex the Wonder Dog, and even Lois Lane. Green Lantern participated in this first adventure solely as Hal Jordan, due to the fact that he had yet to become the costumed hero at that time (the biggest inconsistency Arrow found, as they celebrated the earlier incident's date, while recounting only the later one's events). When the group formalized their agreement, they suppressed news of it because of anti-Martian hysteria. Because the heroes had not revealed their identities to each other at the time, they did not realize that Jordan and Green Lantern were one and the same when he turned up in costume during the event described in #9. While most subsequent accounts of the League have made little mention of this first adventure, the animated ''Justice League'' series adapted this tale as the origin of the Justice League as well.

''Secret Origins'' (vol. 2) #32 (November 1988) updated ''Justice League of America'' #9's origin for post-''Crisis'' continuity. Differences included the inclusion of the original Black Canary as a founding member and the absence of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman. The ''JLA: Year One'' limited series, by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, and Barry Kitson, further expanded upon the ''Secret Origins'' depiction.

In ''Justice League Task Force'' #16 (Sept. 1994), during Zero Hour, an unknown superhuman named Triumph appeared. Triumph was revealed to have been a founding member of the Justice League and was their leader. On his first mission with the fledgling Justice League Triumph seemingly "saved the world" but was teleported into a dimensional limbo that also affected the timestream, resulting in no one having any memory of him.

In ''Infinite Crisis'' #7 (June 2006), the formation of "New Earth" (the new name for the post-''Crisis'' Earth) restored Wonder Woman as a founding member of the Justice League. In Brad Meltzer's ''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #0 (September 2006), it was revealed that Superman and Batman were again founding members as well. ''52'' #51 (June 2007) confirmed that the 1989 ''Secret Origins'' and ''JLA: Year One'' origins were still in continuity at that time, with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman joining the team with founding members' status shortly after the group's formation with Aquaman, Black Canary, Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter. In ''Justice League of America'' #12 (October 2007), the founding members of the Justice League were shown to be Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Flash (Barry Allen), Aquaman, and the Martian Manhunter.

With DC's history rewritten due to the ''Flashpoint'' limited series, an entirely new origin for the Justice League was introduced in the subsequent ''Justice League'' series which debuted with an October 2011 cover date as part of the company-wide event, The New 52. Issue #1 portrayed the first meeting between Batman and Hal Jordan, with the two encountering each other during a battle against a Parademon in Gotham City. After realizing the creature is extraterrestrial in origin, the two heroes head to Metropolis to seek out Superman and are attacked by him. Later, after a brief fight in which the Flash arrives and Batman convinces Superman they are on the same side, they move to an abandoned building to work on analyzing a mysterious alien box, when it suddenly activates and more Parademons arrive. While fighting the Parademons, Aquaman and Wonder Woman appear and join forces with the other heroes. The mysterious box leads to Darkseid's arrival on Earth, and the heroes come together, along with newcomer Cyborg, to defeat him. The public are enamoured with the heroes, and a writer dubs the group the 'Justice League', following the Flash's suggestion of 'Super Seven'.

Related series[link]

''Formerly Known as the Justice League''[link]

In 2003, Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire returned with a separate limited series called ''Formerly Known as the Justice League'' with the same humor as their Justice League run, and featuring some of the same characters in a team called the "Super Buddies" (a parody of the ''Super Friends''). A follow-up limited series, entitled ''I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League'', soon was prepared, although it was delayed due to the events shown in the ''Identity Crisis'' limited series, but was eventually released as the second arc in ''JLA: Classified''. The Super Buddies consisted of Blue Beetle; Booster Gold; Captain Atom, Fire; Mary Marvel; the Elongated Man with his wife, Sue Dibny; Maxwell Lord; and L-Ron. The second story arc of ''JLA: Classified'' focuses on the Super Buddies in a humorous story that features Power Girl, Guy Gardner, and Doctor Fate.

''JLA/Avengers''[link]

In 2003-2004, George Pérez and Kurt Busiek produced a ''JLA/Avengers'' crossover, an idea that had been delayed for 20 years for various reasons. In this limited series, the Justice League and the Avengers were forced to find key artifacts in one another's universe, as well as deal with the threats of villains Krona and the Grandmaster.

''JLA: Classified''[link]

Italic title	no
title	JLA: Classified
schedule	Monthly
format	Ended
publisher	DC Comics
date	January 2005 - May 2008
issues	54
writers	various
artists	various
creators	Grant MorrisonEd McGuinness }}

In 2004, DC began an anthology series titled ''JLA: Classified'', which would feature rotating writers and artists producing self-contained story-arcs and aborted mini-series projects that were reappropriated for publication within the pages of the series, starring the JLA. While the bulk of the stories took place within the continuity of the series (circa ''JLA'' #76–113) some of the stories take place outside of regular DC Universe canon. The series was canceled as of issue #54 (May 2008).

''Justice''[link]

In October 2005, DC began publishing the 12-issue miniseries ''Justice'' by writer Jim Krueger, writer/illustrator Alex Ross, and artist Doug Braithwaite. The story, which takes place outside regular DC continuity, has Lex Luthor assembling the Legion of Doom after he and several other villains begin to have nightmares about the end of the world and the failures of the Justice League to prevent said apocalypse. As the Legion begins engaging in unprecedented humanitarian deeds throughout the world, they also launch a series of attacks on the Justice League and their families. The threat that the Legion was warned about destroying the Earth turns out to be caused by Brainiac, who seeks to destroy Earth during the chaos.

''Justice League: Cry for Justice''[link]

Originally a planned ongoing title, ''Justice League: Cry For Justice'' is a mini-series written by James Robinson and drawn by Mauro Cascioli. The mini-series, set after the events of ''Final Crisis'', has Hal Jordan leaving the League following the deaths of Batman and Martian Manhunter, as their deaths have caused Hal to seek out a more proactive manner of dealing with super-villains. Hal, along with Green Arrow and later Supergirl, Captain Marvel Jr., and Batwoman are then recruited by Ray Palmer to investigate a murder of a former colleague carried out on orders from Prometheus. This ties into another string of murders, bringing Starman Mikaal Tomas and Congorilla together as their investigation of the murders of several European super-heroes are also revealed to be the work of Prometheus.

With help from the Hawkman villain I.Q., Prometheus plans on creating the ultimate weapon in mass murder, a massive doomsday device which he plans on using to destroy entire cities, as part of his revenge scheme against the JLA for lobotomizing him. Disguised as Captain Marvel Jr., Prometheus maims Roy Harper and brutally injuring JLA members Dr. Light II, Vixen, and Plastic Man while using the JLA Satellite to activate his doomsday device, which destroys Star City, killing 90,000 innocent civilians, including Roy Harper's young daughter Lian. Prometheus ultimately extorts his freedom from the League in exchange for the codes to shut down his weapon, much to the horror of the JLA members. Green Arrow (with help from reformed villain the Shade), tracks Prometheus down and kills him by firing an arrow into his head.

The mini-series leads directly into the formation of a brand new JLA roster with Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Donna Troy, Dick Grayson as Batman, Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi), Mon-El, Cyborg, Starfire, Congorilla, Guardian, and Mikaal Tomas.

''JLA/The 99''[link]

Launching in October 2010, ''JLA/The 99'' was a crossover mini-series featuring the Justice League teaming up with the heroes of Teshkeel Comics' ''The 99'' series. The JLA consisted of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), the Flash (Barry Allen), the Atom (Ray Palmer), Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi), Hawkman, and Firestorm (Jason Rusch).

Awards[link]

The original ''Justice League of America'' series has won:

1961 Alley Awards for ''Best Comic Book''

1961 Alley Awards for ''Best Adventure-Hero Group''

1963 Alley Awards for ''Favorite Novel'' ("Crisis on Earth-One/Crisis on Earth-Two" in ''Justice League of America'' #21-22 by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky)

1963 Alley Awards for ''Strip that Should Be Improved''

1963 Alley Awards for ''Artist Preferred on Justice League of America'' (Murphy Anderson)

1973 Shazam Awards for ''Best Inker (Dramatic Division)'' (Dick Giordano)

Collected editions[link]

Silver Age ''Justice League of America''[link]

This series has been collected in the following: {|class="wikitable" |- ! # !! Title !! Material collected |- |1 |''Justice League of America Archives'' volume 1 |''The Brave and the Bold'' #28-30, ''Justice League of America'' #1-6 |- |2 |''Justice League of America Archives'' volume 2 |''Justice League of America'' #7-14 |- |3 |''Justice League of America Archives'' volume 3 |''Justice League of America'' #15-22 |- |4 |''Justice League of America Archives'' volume 4 |''Justice League of America'' #23-30 |- |5 |''Justice League of America Archives'' volume 5 |''Justice League of America'' #31-38, #40* |- |6 |''Justice League of America Archives'' volume 6 |''Justice League of America'' #41-47, #49-50* |- |7 |''Justice League of America Archives'' volume 7 |''Justice League of America'' #51-57, #59-60* |- |8 |''Justice League of America Archives'' volume 8 |''Justice League of America'' #61-66, #68-70* |- |9 |''Justice League of America Archives'' volume 9 |''Justice League of America'' #71-80 |- |10 |''Justice League of America Archives'' volume 10 |''Justice League of America'' #81-93 |}

omitted issues featured reprints of material from earlier Archives.

''Justice League/Justice League International/Justice League America'' (1987–1996)[link]

This series has been collected in the following hardcover collections:

! # !! Title !! Material collected
1	''Justice League International'' Volume 1	''Justice League'' #1-6, ''Justice League International'' (vol. 1) #7
2	''Justice League International'' Volume 2	''Justice League International'' (vol. 1) #8-14, ''Justice League'' Annual #1
3	''Justice League International'' Volume 3	''Justice League International'' (vol. 1) #15-22
4	''Justice League International'' Volume 4	''Justice League International'' (vol. 1) #23-25, ''Justice League America'' #26-30
5	''Justice League International'' Volume 5	''Justice League International Annual'' #2-3, ''Justice League Europe'' #1-6
6	''Justice League International'' Volume 6	''Justice League America'' #31-35, ''Justice League Europe'' #7-11

''JLA'' (January 1997 – February 2006)[link]

This series has been collected in the following trade paperbacks:

! # !! Title !! Material collected
''1''	''New World Order''	''JLA'' #1-4
''2''	''American Dreams''	''JLA'' #5-9
''3''	''Rock of Ages''	''JLA'' #10-15
''4''	''Strength in Numbers''	''JLA'' #16-23, ''JLA Secret Files'' #2, ''Prometheus'' (one-shot)
''5''	''Justice For All''	''JLA'' #24-33
''6''		''JLA'' #34-41
''7''		''JLA'' #42-46, ''JLA Secret Files'' #3, ''JLA 80-Page Giant'' #1
''8''	''Divided We Fall''	''JLA'' #47-54
''9''	''Terror Incognita''	''JLA'' #55-60
''10''	''Golden Perfect''	''JLA'' #61-65
''11''	''The Obsidian Age'' (Book 1)	''JLA'' #66-71
''12''	''The Obsidian Age'' (Book 2)	''JLA'' #72-76
''13''	''Rules of Engagement''	''JLA'' #77-82
''14''	''Trial By Fire''	''JLA'' #84-89
''15''	''The Tenth Circle''	''JLA'' #94-99
''16''		''JLA'' #101-106
''17''	''Syndicate Rules''	''JLA'' #107-114, and a story from ''JLA Secret Files'' 2004
''18''	''Crisis of Conscience''	''JLA'' #115-119
''19''	''World Without a Justice League''	''JLA'' #120-125

This series has been collected in the following hardcover collections:

! # !! Title !! Material collected
''1''	''JLA: The Deluxe Edition'' Vol. 1	''JLA'' #1-9, plus a story included in ''JLA: Secret Files and Origins'' #1
''2''	''JLA: The Deluxe Edition'' Vol. 2	''JLA'' #10-17, ''Prometheus'' (one-shot), plus ''JLA/WILDCATS''
''3''	''JLA: The Deluxe Edition'' Vol. 3	''JLA'' #22-26, 28-31 and 1,000,000''
''4''	''JLA: The Deluxe Edition'' Vol. 4	''JLA'' #34, 36-41, ''JLA: Classified'' #1-3, ''JLA: Earth II''

''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) (August 2006 – August 2011)[link]

This series has been collected in the following hardcover collections:

! # !! Title !! Material collected
''1''	''The Tornado's Path''	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #1-7
''2''	''The Lightning Saga''	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #0, #8-12; ''Justice Society of America'' (vol. 3) #5-6
''3''	''The Injustice League''	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #13-16; ''JLA Wedding Special'' #1
''4''	''Sanctuary''	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #17-21
''5''	''The Second Coming''	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #22-26
''6''	''When Worlds Collide''	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #27-28, #30-34
''7''	''Team History''	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #38-43
''8''	''The Dark Things''	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #44-48; ''Justice Society of America'' (vol. 3) #41-42
''9''	''Omega''	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #49-53
'' 10	''The Rise of Eclipso''	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #54-60

Miscellaneous reprints[link]

These trades don't reprint the series in a coherent fashion, but reprint themed issues. {|class="wikitable" |- ! # !! Title !! Material collected |- |1 |''Justice League of America Hereby Elects'' |''Justice League of America'' #4, 75, 105-106, 146, 161, and 173-174 |- |2 |''JLA: The Greatest Stories Ever Told'' |''Justice League of America'' #19, 77, 122 and 166-168, Justice League #1, JLA Secret Files #1 and JLA #61 |- |3 |''Crisis on Multiple Earths'' volume 1 |''Justice League of America'' ##21-22, 29-30, 37-38 and 46-47 |- |4 |''Crisis on Multiple Earths'' volume 2 |''Justice League of America'' #55-56, 64-65, 73-74 and 82-83 |- |5 |''Crisis on Multiple Earths'' volume 3 |''Justice League of America'' #91-92, 100-102, 107-108 and 113 |- |6 |''Crisis on Multiple Earths'' volume 4 |''Justice League of America'' #123-124, 135-137 and 147-148 |- |7 |''Crisis on Multiple Earths'' volume 5 |''Justice League of America'' #159-160, 171-172 and 183-185 |}

In other media[link]

See also[link]

Justice Society of America

Spin-off groups[link]

Extreme Justice

Justice Leagues

Justice League Antarctica

Justice League Elite

Justice League Europe

Justice League International

Justice League Task Force

Super Buddies

Theme Park Ride[link]

Justice League: Alien Invasion 3D

References[link]

External links[link]

Justice League at DC Comics.com

Justice League of America at Don Markstein's Toonopedia WebCitation Archive

The Justice League Library

Category:1960 introductions Category:1960 comic debuts Category:1997 comic debuts Category:2006 comic debuts Category:DC Comics titles Category:Justice League Category:Characters created by Gardner Fox

bg:Лигата на справедливостта de:Gerechtigkeitsliga es:Liga de la Justicia fr:Ligue de justice d'Amérique id:Justice League of America it:Justice League of America he:ליגת הצדק hu:Igazságliga nl:Justice League ja:ジャスティス・リーグ pl:Justice League pt:Liga da Justiça ru:Лига Справедливости simple:The Justice League fi:Oikeuden Puolustajat sv:Justice League of America tl:Justice League tr:Justice League of America uk:Ліга Справедливості zh:正義聯盟

name	Serinda Swan
birth date	July 11, 1984
birth place	West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	2005–present
partner	Mehcad Brooks
spouse	}}

Serinda Swan (born July 11, 1984) is a Canadian actress and humanitarian. She starred in the series ''Breakout Kings'' as Erica Reed until its cancellation.

Life and career[link]

Swan was born in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and lived briefly in Kauai, Hawaii.

She appeared twice on the television series ''Smallville'' (in the episodes "Hex" and "Warrior") as Zatanna Zatara, which is one of her most notable roles to date, as is her role of the pagan god Veritas in a season 6 episode of the TV series ''Supernatural''. Swan began her big-screen acting career in 2009 in the rom-com ''The Break-Up Artist''.

In 2008, Swan appeared in Theory of a Deadman's music video for their hit single, "So Happy."

From 2011 to 2012, Swan starred as Erica Reed in the A&E; television series, ''Breakout Kings''. She shared that many of the prison scenes of ''Breakout Kings'' are shot in actual prisons, while real convicts are also there behind bars. ''Breakout Kings'' was canceled on May 17, 2012.

Swan recently began working with anti-human trafficking group "Friends of Mankind", to fight sexual slavery in Cambodia.

Filmography[link]

+ Film
! Year	! Production	! Role	! Notes
2005	''Neal 'n' Nikki''	Amanda	Bollywood movie
2009	''The Break-Up Artist''	Ashley
2010	''Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief''	Aphrodite
2010	''Tron: Legacy''	Siren #2
2011	''Recoil''	Darcey
2011		Emily
2011		Jasmine	Main role
2012	''The Baytown Disco''	Jez	post-production

+ Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2006		Hospital Receptionist	Episode "Salvation"
2007		Henry's hookup (credited as "Pretty Young Woman")	Episode "Heart of Ice"
2007	''Exes and Ohs''	Lucianne	Episode "What Goes Around''
2008	''Beyond Loch Ness''	Caroleena	TV Movie
2008		Eileen Mazwell	Episode "Murder?...Anyone?...Anyone?...Bueller?"
2009		Melissa	TV Movie
2009		Hot Patron	Episode "Business Casualty"
2010		Ashley Frank/Veritas	Episode "You Can't Handle the Truth"
2009		Amanda Manville	TV Movie
2009		Tiffany	TV movie
2009–10	''Smallville''		Episodes "Hex" (Season 8, Episode 17) and "Warrior" (Season 9, Episode 12)
2011	''Hawaii Five-0''	Alana	Episode "Ho'ohuli Na'au" (Season 1, Episode 22)
2011–2012	''Breakout Kings''	Erica Reed	Main Role

References [link]

External links[link]

Official Twitter

Category:1984 births Category:Canadian film actors Category:Canadian television actors Category:Living people Category:People from West Vancouver Category:21st-century actors

fa:سریندا سوان it:Serinda Swan nl:Serinda Swan ja:セリンダ・スワン pt:Serinda Swan ru:Суон, Серинда