There's a lot we have to learn -- about each other and about ourselves -- before we can present ourselves to the public in any major fashion.
- — Batman
Justice League #1 is an issue of the series Justice League (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1987.
Synopsis for "Born Again"
Guy Gardner is the first member of the latest incarnation of the Justice League to arrive for work. As each of the new members file in to their headquarters, Guy snaps off offensive and smart remarks to each of them. A brawl breaks out between them until Batman enters the room and silences Gardner with just a few words. He calls their first official meeting and tells them of his desire to keep a low profile until they establish themselves as a more cohesive team, but circumstance has other plans.
Elsewhere, entrepreneur Maxwell Lord watches the media coverage and is both delighted and intrigued.
A group of terrorists takes control of the United Nations General Assembly and holds them hostage. One of the people in the assemblage is Kimiyo Hoshi, the new Doctor Light. She uses her recently acquired Justice League signal device to send an S.O.S. The object was given to her by Lord, unbeknownst to the other JLers.
Batman receives the call and mobilizes the team with Captain Marvel and Doctor Fate going ahead to scout. The remainder take Blue Beetle's Bug to the UN to find that Fate disappeared and the rest surreptitiously sneak into the building. Batman immediately realizes that something is wrong with these so-called terrorists. The League easily defeats them, but the terrorist leader has a bomb grafted onto his chest. Batman calls the leader's bluff, leaving him alone in a room, where he kills himself with a bullet to the head.
The terrorists are actually low-rent thugs (an amalgam of former Weathermen and Black Panthers, save the leader) hired by Lord, knowing that they would be easily defeated by the Justice League. As Max watches the television footage of the affair, he gloats while holding the firing pin to the terrorist's suicide bomb.
Appearing in "Born Again"
Featured Characters:
- Justice League (First appearance)
- Batman
- Black Canary
- Blue Beetle
- Captain Marvel
- Doctor Fate
- Doctor Light (Joins team) (Flashback and main story)
- Green Lantern (Guy Gardner)
- Martian Manhunter
- Mister Miracle
Supporting Characters:
- Maxwell Lord (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
- Oberon
Antagonists:
- Terrorists
- John Charles Collins (First appearance) (Dies)
- Schrick (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Alan Alda (Mentioned only)
- Tom Brokaw (Cameo) (On a TV or computer screen)
- Rudy Giuliani
- Gypsy (On a TV or computer screen)
- Emory Hunt, from S.T.A.R. Labs (On a TV or computer screen)
- Benito Mussolini (Mentioned only)
- Ronald Reagan (Cameo) (On a TV or computer screen)
- Pat Sajak (Mentioned only)
- Rod Serling (Mentioned only)
- Sylvester Stallone (Mentioned only)
- Steel (Hank Heywood III) (On a TV or computer screen)
- Vibe (On a TV or computer screen)
- Vixen (On a TV or computer screen)
- Ms. Wootenhoffer (Behind the scenes) (First appearance)
- Willy E. Coyote (On a TV or computer screen)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Justice League: A New Beginning, JLA: The Greatest Stories Ever Told (Collected), Justice League International: Volume One, Justice League International Omnibus Volume 1, and Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years.
- This issue was nominated for the Eisner Award for Best Single Issue/One-Shot.
Trivia
- The heroes observed by Martian Manhunter on the computer are Justice League members of the prior formation, also known as the Justice League Detroit. In this point of time, Vibe and Steel are dead.
- The cover to this issue is re-imagined in several other DC comic books (along with several from other publishers) including:
- Justice League Europe #1
- Justice League Quarterly #1
- Justice League America Annual #4
- Justice League International #24
- Justice League Europe #26
- Justice League Europe #36
- Justice League Europe Annual #2
- Tales of the Teen Titans #91
- Titans Sell-Out Special #1
- Primal Force #8
- Fanboy #3
- Young Justice #16
- Formerly Known as the Justice League #1
- Ambush Bug: Year None #5
- Justice League: Generation Lost #1 (variant)
- Justice League: Generation Lost #24
- KFC: Crisis of Infinite Colonels #1
- Deathstroke (Volume 4) #21
- Dr. Fate disappears just before the fight between the League and the terrorists. The answer is in the next issue: he came after Gray Man.
- A version of Guy Gardner's internal monologue from page 1 is paraphrased in the opening scene in Justice League America #61.
- One of the journalists featured in this issue bears a slight resemblance to an actual reporter named Connie Chung. Her name (which is only partially provided) is revealed as "Lonnie Chu...", an obvious respelling of Connie Chung.
- Although it is never revealed, Maxwell Lord may have used his metahuman psionic capabilities to force John Charles Collins to take his own life. Max's ability to affect the minds of others will not be revealed until Justice League International #12.
- In the Brazilian reprint (Liga da Justiça #1 by Editora Abril, 1989) the Japanese flag in the panel with the United Nations Building was replaced with a Brazilian flag.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Justice League Recommended Reading
- Justice League of America (Volume 1)
- Justice League of America (Volume 2)
- Justice League of America (Volume 3)
- Justice League of America (Volume 4)
- Justice League of America (Volume 5)
- JLA (Volume 1)
- Justice League (Volume 1)
- Justice League (Volume 2)
- Justice League (Volume 3)
- Justice League (Volume 4)
- Justice League International (Volume 1)
- Justice League International (Volume 2)
- Justice League International (Volume 3)
- Justice League Europe (Volume 1)
- Justice League America (Volume 1)
- Justice League Task Force (Volume 1)
- Justice League Quarterly (Volume 1)
- Justice League Dark (Volume 1)
- Justice League Dark (Volume 2)
- Extreme Justice (Volume 1)
- Justice League Elite (Volume 1)
- Justice League Odyssey (Volume 1)
- Justice League Unlimited (Volume 2)