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The Justice League of America Omnibus #6
Justice League: The Detroit Era Omnibus
With tales that span from the 1980s to current day, this oversize omnibus edition collects for the first time in chronologic order every appearance of the Justice League Detroit. Known as the "Detroit Era" Justice League, this team featured mainstays such as Batman and Martian Manhunter and offbeat members such as Zatanna, Elongated Man, Vixen, Vibe, Gypsy and Steel!
Presented by classic comics creators Gerry Conway, J.M. DeMatteis, Chuck Patton and Luke McDonnell, JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE DETROIT ERA OMNIBUS collects JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #233-261, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ANNUAL #2-3, JLA CLASSIFIED #22-25, JSA CLASSIFIED #14-16, DC RETROACTIVE: JLA-THE 80'S #1 and INFINITY INC #19.
Presented by classic comics creators Gerry Conway, J.M. DeMatteis, Chuck Patton and Luke McDonnell, JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE DETROIT ERA OMNIBUS collects JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #233-261, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ANNUAL #2-3, JLA CLASSIFIED #22-25, JSA CLASSIFIED #14-16, DC RETROACTIVE: JLA-THE 80'S #1 and INFINITY INC #19.
1040 pages, Hardcover
First published December 12, 2017
3 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Gerry Conway
2,065 books89 followersGerard Francis Conway (Gerard F. Conway) is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics' vigilante the Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man. At DC Comics, he is known for co-creating the superhero Firestorm and others, and for writing the Justice League of America for eight years. Conway wrote the first major, modern-day intercompany crossover, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 7 reviews
February 16, 2018
The Justice League Detroit was built on a noble concept. Gerry Conway wanted to be able to write character subplots, like those that he was seeing in the New Teen Titans, but for that he needed total control of the characters, so it was out with the old, big-name characters who had their own comics, and in with the new.
Personally, I think that was the JLD's major problem: half of it was made up of entirely unknown characters, and Conway give them the majority of the attention. But these were unknowns who the public hadn't connected to. If it had been Zatanna and Ralphie getting all the attention, that would have been a different story. In fact, Conway did quite well with Aquaman until he lost him to a new comic.
Of course, thirty years later, Conway has definitely had the last laugh here. Vibe and Gypsy (in very different forms) appear in the Flash TV show, while Steel and Vixen (also in very different forms) are regular in Legends of Tomorrow. These unknowns have begun the ambassadors of the DC universe (which is probably why this volume got printed).
And here's another laugh: Conway succeeded in his goal. The JLD is any many ways better than the JLA that came before it. Oh, it might not have appealed to some people because of the characters, and I think that it fails when it focuses on street-level villains, but the Despero story, which totally reimagines the classic villain, is quite strong — probably the best in this volume. And, the character subplots are all interesting.
So, I think the JLD was a success, even if there were factors that kept it from being so at the time.
It's a little harder to assess the end of the JLD. When DeMatteis takes over the JLD, he definitely botches the ending of the Zatanna story, by going abstract and metaphysical, as he has a tendency to do. But the murderous end of the JLD? That's pretty great stuff, which would have emotional resonance for years afterward. The only question is if it was unfair to what Conway did before. I guess 30 years later, when Conway has clearly gotten his due, it doesn't really matter. So we can appreciate DeMatteis' four-part Fall of the JLA as a shocking and emotional end to the original JLA comic (that was best followed up in Priest's JLTF, which hopefully will be reprinted, alongside his Ray, soon).
And that's the JLD. I think it's a good story, which is to say 4-out-of-5 stars.
This volume also contains a few more modern-day takes on historical JLD tales. I'm very grateful that they've been included though they're not really what people will be reading this volume for.
Most of this is seven issues by Steve Engleheart that run through JLA Classified then JSA Classified. The JLA Classified stories are a nice historic tale of the JLA Detroit that spotlights the four newbies and also provides some nice continuity for the Royal Flush Gang. But it's otherwise a slow story, too focused on fighting to be particularly good. The JSA Classified is nicely set up as a modern-day sequel with Vixen and Gypsy, but it's less interesting, it shares the same problems, and it contains a shockingly racist line. ("So I'll steal it! It's what gypsies do!" REALLY?!) Finally, we get a Gerry Conway JLD story from our far future, which nicely returns to the characters we remember. (As a whole, I doubt, I'll be rereading these modern-day stories, but like I said, it's nice to have everything here.)
Personally, I think that was the JLD's major problem: half of it was made up of entirely unknown characters, and Conway give them the majority of the attention. But these were unknowns who the public hadn't connected to. If it had been Zatanna and Ralphie getting all the attention, that would have been a different story. In fact, Conway did quite well with Aquaman until he lost him to a new comic.
Of course, thirty years later, Conway has definitely had the last laugh here. Vibe and Gypsy (in very different forms) appear in the Flash TV show, while Steel and Vixen (also in very different forms) are regular in Legends of Tomorrow. These unknowns have begun the ambassadors of the DC universe (which is probably why this volume got printed).
And here's another laugh: Conway succeeded in his goal. The JLD is any many ways better than the JLA that came before it. Oh, it might not have appealed to some people because of the characters, and I think that it fails when it focuses on street-level villains, but the Despero story, which totally reimagines the classic villain, is quite strong — probably the best in this volume. And, the character subplots are all interesting.
So, I think the JLD was a success, even if there were factors that kept it from being so at the time.
It's a little harder to assess the end of the JLD. When DeMatteis takes over the JLD, he definitely botches the ending of the Zatanna story, by going abstract and metaphysical, as he has a tendency to do. But the murderous end of the JLD? That's pretty great stuff, which would have emotional resonance for years afterward. The only question is if it was unfair to what Conway did before. I guess 30 years later, when Conway has clearly gotten his due, it doesn't really matter. So we can appreciate DeMatteis' four-part Fall of the JLA as a shocking and emotional end to the original JLA comic (that was best followed up in Priest's JLTF, which hopefully will be reprinted, alongside his Ray, soon).
And that's the JLD. I think it's a good story, which is to say 4-out-of-5 stars.
This volume also contains a few more modern-day takes on historical JLD tales. I'm very grateful that they've been included though they're not really what people will be reading this volume for.
Most of this is seven issues by Steve Engleheart that run through JLA Classified then JSA Classified. The JLA Classified stories are a nice historic tale of the JLA Detroit that spotlights the four newbies and also provides some nice continuity for the Royal Flush Gang. But it's otherwise a slow story, too focused on fighting to be particularly good. The JSA Classified is nicely set up as a modern-day sequel with Vixen and Gypsy, but it's less interesting, it shares the same problems, and it contains a shockingly racist line. ("So I'll steal it! It's what gypsies do!" REALLY?!) Finally, we get a Gerry Conway JLD story from our far future, which nicely returns to the characters we remember. (As a whole, I doubt, I'll be rereading these modern-day stories, but like I said, it's nice to have everything here.)
July 24, 2018
I'd always looked upon this JL era with scorn. Little did I know! I gave it a chance and I liked it.
February 13, 2021
An oft derided era of DC’s premiere team, Justice League Detroit has admirable aspirations along with fumbled execution.
As the hero world took metatextual criticism and deconstruction in the 80s, Detroit runs with a number of those ideas, seemingly attempting to re-examine and perhaps restore the heroism. But this is Gerry Conway, the guy who followed Lee in a number of Marvel titles and for each muddled the path. His time in DC is generally better as DC still needed to learn elements of the Marvel innovations now a couple decades old. But he is still the lesser of the Marvel contingent that began to build up DC in the late 70s and early 80s.
You also experience a number of ideas jettisoned midstream even complicating the Detroit moniker as that only fits for half of the run. You can see the creators scrambling for traction with their audience, continually adjusting the status quo in unnatural ways.
That being said, I love little bizarre pockets of continuity and having a handle on these C-list (D? not sure) characters. Some (one) of the new characters would go on to greater things, but for many they are synonymous with the Detroit team. One has even remained dead as the outcome of the ending.
And the ending should be noted as well. DeMatteis came to conclude the series, clearly given the task to send the characters off to their various fates. The change in writing allows the series to end with a bit of dignity as DeMatt adds elements of his psychological quandary and character development to deepen the the text.
As the hero world took metatextual criticism and deconstruction in the 80s, Detroit runs with a number of those ideas, seemingly attempting to re-examine and perhaps restore the heroism. But this is Gerry Conway, the guy who followed Lee in a number of Marvel titles and for each muddled the path. His time in DC is generally better as DC still needed to learn elements of the Marvel innovations now a couple decades old. But he is still the lesser of the Marvel contingent that began to build up DC in the late 70s and early 80s.
You also experience a number of ideas jettisoned midstream even complicating the Detroit moniker as that only fits for half of the run. You can see the creators scrambling for traction with their audience, continually adjusting the status quo in unnatural ways.
That being said, I love little bizarre pockets of continuity and having a handle on these C-list (D? not sure) characters. Some (one) of the new characters would go on to greater things, but for many they are synonymous with the Detroit team. One has even remained dead as the outcome of the ending.
And the ending should be noted as well. DeMatteis came to conclude the series, clearly given the task to send the characters off to their various fates. The change in writing allows the series to end with a bit of dignity as DeMatt adds elements of his psychological quandary and character development to deepen the the text.
August 20, 2023
In the 80s, the Justice League of America, DC's most renowned superhero team, relocated to Detroit to counter the growing popularity of the Teen Titans, Legion of Superheroes, and X-Men, as the title lost sales to these rivals. Aquaman was chosen as the leader due to Gerry's love for his 70s run and lack of title, Zatanna and Elongated Man's for the same reason, and the addition of canceled characters like Vixen and Steel. Gypsy, a mysterious Kitty Pryde character, was created for the title. Vibe, a break-dancing member of a gang, was criticized for his stereotyping.
JLD, despite its potential, was not as expansive as Teen Titans and Legions of Superheroes due to its slow development of each team member and lack of character interactions, which is a crucial appeal of team books. Just read Justice League International instead.
JLD, despite its potential, was not as expansive as Teen Titans and Legions of Superheroes due to its slow development of each team member and lack of character interactions, which is a crucial appeal of team books. Just read Justice League International instead.
December 29, 2025
I enjoyed this. 3.75. Good art. Compelling stories even if they do feel less impactful. Is this bronze era? I enjoy this.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 7 reviews