The Justice League is one of those teams that seems better in theory than it often does in practice. It’s hard to put that much power together and still give the series pathos and stakes. But here are some great stories to start with that do just that. So if you’re trying to get caught up on your JLA lore here are a few good places to start.
- Tower of Babel– The story that proves even when Batman screws up, he’s still a badass. Ra’s al Ghul steals Batman’s contingency plans on each Justice League member and subsequently neutralizes the whole team. A great look at both what makes each team member tick and how Batman’s status as a man amongst gods will always set him apart.
- Justice- The Justice League faces off against the Legion of Doom, in a limited series that pulls heavily from the Superfriends cartoon. But this is not as campy as that show, and Alex Ross’ art really elevates the story here. A very grandiose, golden age kind of story.
- Justice League International– An overarching story that ran across multiple books (more an era than anything I suppose). This iteration of the league was made up of a bunch of D-listers and Batman. It’s clever, funny, and does an awful lot of character work with heroes you really didn’t care about before. Perhaps the most inventive run in JLA history.
- Rock of Ages– The high-water mark of Grant Morrison’s run. It’s got a little bit of everything. Lex Luthor. The Joker. Darkseid. Time Travel. What else could you possibly want?
- New World Order– The Big Seven are back. This is the start of Morrison’s run. It marked a return to the League as a group of DC’s biggest heroes and not a bunch of borderline characters DC was trying to build up. A great jumping-on point if you want to read JLA stories from before the New 52.
- Darkseid War- The two largest threats in the history of DC comics go to war Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor, with the League caught in the middle. An epic story with a heavy dose of myth and splashy action panels.
- Origin– The New 52 Justice League started here. This arc provided the foundation for both the DCEU and the DC comics universe as we know them today. Not the greatest story in the canon but a solid starting point if you want a modern jumping on point.
- Divided We Fall– Another gem from the Mark Waid era. A great arc that explores the things that tether the heroes to the rest of humanity and what they would be without them.
- The Tornado’s Path– A brand new team is put together as part of DC’s post-Infinite Crisis “One Year Later” time jump/soft reboot. A cool look at how the Big Three decide on who makes the cut to be League member and who doesn’t. The story itself is a classic, plus it marks a good jumping on point for you to binge read all of Brad Meltzer’s run.
- Justice League Dark– One of my personal favorites. A different kind of League made up of supernatural heroes dealing with supernatural threats. A great showcase for some more D-list heroes. But the focus tends to be on two of my favorite DC characters John Constantine and Zatanna.