28 Years Ago, DC Comics Gave Readers the Perfect Justice League Origin

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The Justice League essentially launched the modern age of superhero comics. Its initial success pushed Marvel to re-enter the superhero market. The team also pioneered large-scale, interconnected stories—what we now know as event comics—and set the standard for what a premier superhero team could achieve. While DC’s flagship team has faced challenges throughout its history, it’s always been incredibly impactful when at its best. However, due to the ever-changing nature of the DC Multiverse over the past four decades, the Justice League’s origin story has been retold many times.

The comic book event Crisis on Infinite Earths dramatically reshaped the DC Universe, including the history of the Justice League. Originally, Wonder Woman was a founding member, but Crisis altered that. After the event, Wonder Woman didn’t appear until later, requiring a new origin story for the League. It wasn’t until 1998, in the comic JLA: Year One by Mark Waid, Bryan Augustyn, and Barry Kitson, that readers finally saw the complete postCrisis* origin. This version masterfully blended the team’s past and present, providing a satisfying and cohesive history.

JLA: Year One Is a Perfect Example of the Timelessness of the Justice League

Mark Waid is a true veteran of Silver Age DC Comics, and has consistently delivered strong work throughout his career. He gained popularity because of his deep understanding of DC and Marvel’s history, allowing him to revitalize classic concepts for modern audiences. His runs on titles like The Flash, Legion of Superheroes, and Legionnaires established him as a prominent writer. Waid’s collaboration with editor Bryan Augustyn was particularly successful; Augustyn not only excelled as an editor but also originated the popular “Elseworlds” concept with Gotham by Gaslight. Completing this creative team was artist Kitson, whose straightforward, classic style perfectly suited traditional storytelling.

The creators found a simple way to reimagine the Justice League’s beginnings: they essentially recreated a classic story. In issue #28 of The Brave and the Bold, heroes like Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman teamed up to defeat Starro the Conqueror. Later versions of the story replaced Wonder Woman with Black Canary. The JLA: Year One series picks up after this event, following the team’s fight against the Appellaxians, aliens from an older era of comics. Surprisingly, the series shifted the focus from large-scale action to the characters themselves.

While JLA: Year One is packed with superhero action across its twelve issues, its true strength lies in its character development. The story focuses on how these heroes came together and learned to function as a team. The writers, Waid and Augustyn, cleverly updated familiar characters—Hal Jordan is portrayed as confident and bossy, Black Canary struggles with her mother’s legacy, Barry Allen serves as the team’s emotional core and natural leader, Aquaman feels lost on land, and Martian Manhunter hides his true self out of fear. The resulting dynamics between these characters are just as compelling as the main storyline.

A fresh storyline finally connects all the separate threads of the book, culminating in a reveal of how the Justice League earned the world’s trust. The creative team of Waid, Augustyn, and Kitson brilliantly updated classic Silver Age DC concepts for a modern audience, and the balance between familiar elements and new ideas captivated readers. Remarkably, even though much of the story is no longer considered official canon, it remains a compelling read today.

JLA: Year One Is the Best Justice League Origin Comic Ever

As a huge DC fan, I have to say JLA: Year One is just a perfect origin story. What really impressed me is how Waid and Augustyn took these well-known heroes – Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, Aquaman, Black Canary, and Martian Manhunter – and reimagined them. They built on the core of each character to create fresh takes that just felt right. Plus, it’s packed with fun little DC references, and the story itself is full of surprises, making it a genuinely thrilling read. It’s a fantastic take on how the Justice League could have come together.

The Justice League has been reimagined with different beginnings many times over the years, but JLA: Year One is arguably the most compelling origin story. Although it’s no longer considered official DC canon, its deep exploration of the characters makes it stand out. It’s a classic comic that DC’s changing storylines have sidelined, but it remains a must-read for any fan of the team. It’s a near-perfect comic book, and well worth your time if you get the chance to read it.

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2026-02-15 04:14