JLA - How Grant Morrison Saved the Justice League

In this video, Owen explains the history of Grant Morrison and Howard Porter's JLA, how the duo revamped the Justice League and changed the superhero team forever.
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▶ Special thanks to @ForEveryKindofGeek for providing additional voiceover!
▶ Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:18 - Fall From Grace
6:22 - A New World Order
11:17 - Justice For All
18:32 - Conclusion
24:10 - Outro
▶ Music Used:
Music from freetousemusic.com
'Marshmallow’ by ‘Lukrembo’
/ marshmallow
/ hazy-year-x-c4c-melted
/ exhale-w-tender-spring
/ a-l-e-x-i-need-to-pain...
chillhop.bandcamp.com/track/m...
/ sugiwa-memories
#JusticeLeague #DC #ComicBooks

[@OwenLikesComics]

▶ If you enjoyed this video, consider supporting Owen Likes Comics on Patreon: www.patreon.com/owenlikescomics

[@LowellLucasJr.]

This was a great video! You highlighted what made this series awesome and it's impact compared to future writers! I'll consider your patron depending on the tier!

[@dupersuper1938]

Those were the days: Superman wrestling an angel, Batman taking down martians, Wonder Woman taking down a heavenly chariot, Martian Manhunter connecting every one telepathically, Aquaman begrudgingly spending time away from Atlantis, Kyle containing a supernova, Wally's "flash facts", Connor learning to use his dad's boxing glove arrow, Steel and Plastic Man palling around, trips to the 853rd century, phantom zone, 5th dimension...

[@cha5]

And Martian Manhunter having an Oreo Cookie addiction, 😁 Oh wait, that was Pre Grant Morrison JLA.

[@Kal853_]

Those were good times. In terms of my comic reading life they were the best times. I miss enjoying the JLA. ❤

[@willt3223]

their obsidian order was great

[@o-wolf]

Not Morrisons biggest fan.. but u cant ever say that mf isn't imaginative

[@paulbrown6464]

My favourite scene was when the Martians were saying how could Batman be a threat as he was only human and the a smile on Superman’s face when he heard this

[@chriscueva1866]

It’s kinda funny that in the 90s putting Superman Batman and Wonder Woman on the JLA was considered a radical idea.

[@ItsButterBean1020]

Tbh I kinda get the idea The JL being a home for cool heroes not able to quite sustain their own Titles would make sense

[@projekttaku1]

"wait guys, what if we took our 3 biggest heroes and put them in the same manga?" "Jimmy what have you been smoking?"

[@ggt47]

I guess the trinity was not really seen as trinity.

[@TenGermans]

An important footnote of Morrison's JLA run is how it had a major impact on Marvel's "Avengers." Twice. Critically as Marvel responded with Kurt Busiek and George Perez' Heroes Return relaunch, then commercially with Bendis' "New Avengers" which decided to turn the team into an equivalent squad of A-listers.

[@jaharow]

I think he was the only JLA writer to understand Batman as a detective and not a superhero in the team dynamic.

[@frogurtcremebrulee5252]

*they were the only JLA writer Morrison uses they/them pronouns :)

[@laverdadescatolica5]

That lead to JLA Tower of Babel.

[@treek10k]

​@@frogurtcremebrulee5252he's a biological man. Don't try to force people to use "pronouns".

[@zemox2534]

​@@treek10kNo one is forcing anyone, dude. You either show fucking respect to how Grant wants to be addressed or #£££ of. We do not need your disrespectful shit.

[@MutantsInDisguise]

​@@treek10kthis paranoid right looney.

[@nickasaro8789]

We need more books like this these days. Optimistic, mythical and hopeful. Especially since cynical deconstruction is in vogue these days and while it has it’s place, it becomes boring when it’s the default. Old school yet high concept superhero fun like this seems like a breath of fresh air.

[@jmgonzales7701]

maybe there needs to be a middle ground, keep some deconstructionist elements while balance it with some mythical and hopeful context.

[@sanjaychhetri5399]

@@jmgonzales7701 as well as reconstruction and many more.

[@jmgonzales7701]

@@sanjaychhetri5399 yes, the point is there must be some changes or growth for the character to make him more interesting, we have to accept that the world we have now is cynical and superman has to be a bit deconstructionist to fit in today. I would say kingdom come is a great fit as he is more assertive but he still have heart. I would also think all alan moore works about superman like for the man who has everything or what ever happened to the man of tomorrow, just subtle changes to make him more human or a bit selfish.

[@projekttaku1]

@@jmgonzales7701 nah, he doesn't need to change or grow, or atleast not majorly and not as the point of focus. Superman isn't the type of character to change, that's what makes him so great.

[@jmgonzales7701]

@@projekttaku1 he needs to change a bit in order to appeal to the masses, for example they need to change his power level and make it consistent. Why do they even make superman out perform everyone even the heroes who specializes at something? flash should be faster than superman, batman should be practically smarter. In short make his powers logical and consistent by not doing so people just hate him more and make him more uninteresting. For his morals i would say the best version of superman is kingdom come, he is logical but also practical and realistic if he needs to take life or not hold back he will. some sort of cynical nature will add depth to his character and it will connect to fans more especially the fact is we live in a cynical world nowadays.

[@matheusarruda6462]

I was reading Morrison's "supergods" and just got past the chapter they discuss their run in the JLA when this was recommended to me. Morrison's chaos magic has no limits.

[@dmore454]

The thing about Morrison's revamp of JLA that still shocks me is how much pushback they got from other DC writers for using the Big 7; according to Morrison in one interview, the other writers couldn't believe that when Morrison got the gig to take over JLA that they wanted to use them. Those other writers thought the Big 7 were bland and boring characters compared to the kinds of B and C listers that the JLI era writers had more freedom to explore as well as not having to deal with the headache of having to work around the solo books the Big 7 had. And honestly, I can see where they were coming from, the freedom Giffen and DeMatteis had with the characters in their JLI definitely helped that book, but it was definitely time for a back to basics approach in 1997 after all the underwhelming stories that followed the Giffen and DeMatteis run. To me, the lesson to learn from both eras/approaches (as well as the success of the JLU show) is to use both - have a big 7 JL book with big plots and big action set pieces to appeal to that audience, and a more character and subplot driven JL book full of fan favorites without their own solo books where the drama comes more from character arcs and fleshing out characters who are closer to blank slates than the big 7; the JLI era showed with the right creative teams, you can spin-off multiple sustainable JL "franchises," however I think if you go past 2 ongoing at the same time, the risk for audience burnout and diminishing returns in story quality are too high (maybe rotating mini-series focusing on different JL "franshises" as a kinda-sorta 3rd book could work?) I just can't get over how Morrison going back to the Big 7 was seen as a radical idea, that it wasn't an editorial edict but something Morrison chose to do when they had the freedom to pretty much choose whatever roster they wanted (I know midsummer nightmare came out before it, but as I recall it was either made after Morrison had chosen to go with a Big 7 lineup and was meant to be a prelude to test the reader appetite for a big 7 book or was meant to be a one off story getting them back together while Morrison was still allowed to choose a roster as they saw fit). And I honestly love the electric blue superman issues and Porter art; I know a lot of fans don't care for either and kind of see this run as a flawed masterpiece because of them, but I wouldn't change either. The electric blue superman appearances give the run some cool moments that honestly feel more memorable just for how bizarre those powers and costume were (as well as how the comic just rolls with those changes without really stopping to acknowledge or explain them, like they're a totally normal things you dont even blink at when they happen), as well as a quirky element to set the run apart from others. And I've just always liked Porter's art a lot on this book; like any artist, he isn't for everyone but I personally like cartoony guys like him and his pages always had this dynamic energy to them that really paired well with Morrison's frenetic, action/plot advancement heavy stories in this run.

[@juanpere3209]

I didn't know people dislike Porter's Artwork i actually like alot but i think the reason Post Giffen/Dematties and Pre Grant Morrison runs were underwhemling was the fact the lineup keep changing and didn't have the same dyamtic and put 90s charcthers no one care about in the book and wanted put a listers mixed with B+ and C level heroes which didn't work.

[@davetheimpaler204]

I would say the only reason there was any push back on the idea is because comics writers, especially at that time, tend to have an "inside baseball" view of comics and often forget what casual readers want to see. (that's still happening today, sometimes worse than ever, in other ways) It's understandable, at the time, that writers would have thought it was a strange, backwarda idea because, in their minds, the Justice League had far surpassed the old "big 7" concept and readers were expected to be on the same page. When, in truth, it had already been going on a few decades since the "big 7" was really a thing but to comics writers entrenched in the industry, that probably felt like a few years back. You mentioned the JLU cartoon. It's a pretty universal opinion that the expanded "Justice League Unlimited" with it's huge cast was a superior show to "Justice League" and it would be absurd if it got another season back then but returned to only focusing on the original team with a few guest stars here and there. That's how comics writers saw the Justice League at the time but instead of a handful of years, it had already been several years and they probably didn't realize how much time had passed, whereas readers missed the iconic "big 7" league.

[@projekttaku1]

electric superman is just so bizarre and the fact that nobody questions it makes me wonder if I was going crazy. Tbh, if they really wanted to shake superman up, just give him a new permanent ability, like shooting energy blasts from his hands like starfire, or just have someone else take on the role for awhile, like superboy.

[@VuotoPneumaNN]

There actually was a story about Superman showing up with the new powers and all the other members helping hims explore them.

[@owensreviews625]

Ah yes, Morrison JLA. Can’t wait for this. It’s crazy how much good stuff that Morrison has written over their entire career.

[@chriscueva1866]

Can we call him the G.O.A.T writer yet. Dudes got straight classics across 4 decades. Who else has his resume?

[@sebastienvondoom8615]

@@chriscueva1866 They and their, Grant Morrison uses they/them pronouns! :)

[@chriscueva1866]

@@sebastienvondoom8615 I know. I just don’t really care.

[@sebastienvondoom8615]

@@chriscueva1866 Yikes

[@Che-Guitarra]

@@chriscueva1866 LOL!!!

[@bdablader95]

Morrison's JLA is what fully pulled me into the DC universe from Marvel. Even new readers can see and feel the passion from the team behind this title.

[@outpostalpha]

Really enjoyed this! The Morrison/Porter JLA run was the first Justice League series I ever read, and along with the Mark Waid run that followed, stands out to me as a paradigm of Justice League storytelling.

[@alexandrefrauches132]

There's also Joe Kelly run, that came after Waid, which was very good, specially the Obsidian Age, in which the Justice League fights a villain in the past and, at the same time, in the present.

[@jeffleake1960]

i was so happy when batman left the black 89 movie style suit behind and went classic grey and blue again

[@KeenanParker]

My generations JLA. it was so cool seeing Kyle and Wally rub elbows with the big shots.

[@Logan5]

After several attempts, trying out Morrison's run was what brought me into the DC fold. It had the perfect amount of accessibility and deference to history to bring in new readers and have them seek out other and older DC titles.

[@Dawn_Of_Justice]

I read Grant Morrison's Doom patrol so I can imagine how crazy his Justice League stories would be.

[@VuotoPneumaNN]

*their

[@mayotango1317]

Is more epic thag crazy

[@tthheettrraasshhppiitt]

Man, what a monumental run Morrison has had for such a long while. JLA, X-Men, All-Star Superman, Infinite and Final Crisis, so on and so forth. Just consistently solid work and even those that could be considered of lesser quality to other works are still imaginative and ambitious, great stuff

[@WinningProduction420]

Incredible retrospective. JLA is one of Morrison's best and most accessible works. Like you said, without this comic run, the Justice League would not be what it is today.

[@samkeller5823]

I know JLA has a reputation for being Morrison’s easiest work to understand, but I had to go online and reread Rock of Ages to understand what was going on.

[@ginofrancejr555]

Morrison took JLA And brought it back to it's Roots and Morrison being Morrison has some crazy shit man

[@dilungmoveityafool777]

Actually, he didn't. The JLA was a team book all about getting less popular characters more popular. So, the JL of 1987-1995 was the return to the roots. Just like in the 1940s with All-Star Comics (JSA), a character given their own team solo title usually left the team.

[@timgonzales2891]

"Something radical had to be done to save the justice league" aka put the characters the fans, aka the customers, actually wanted on the team.

[@VuotoPneumaNN]

Actually, at the time nobody even knew they wanted those characters on the team. The JLA kinda felt like a thing of the past, and the idea of Superman and Batman being in a team together wasn't really on any reader's wishlist.

[@dominiquepowell3158]

His work on JLA is outstanding!

[@jaksida300]

Grant Morrison has been going by they/them for the past few years btw

[@ervingarcia874]

This is a fantastic run, great video Owen! What about a video about Kurt Busiek and George Perez run on The Avengers ?

[@youngw1ze]

I didn't know Grant Morrison wrote fur the JLA...his run on X-Men was excellent....

[@RW2996]

I remember Grant Morrisons run on Justice League being the first comic series that I loved and collected every issue every month.

[@caidencode8430]

I feel like Justice league unlimited used both JLA and JLI in such a perfect way, showing these long time friends going global in their efforts to protect the world, Batman more into ensuring the strength and longevity of the league more than ever being than a part timer but investor and leader. Having super guide the current generation of heroes and cheered on to bring on the next generation. Yes have the og seven but also have the heroes in the mix as well following them or criticizing them when needed to ensuring their power is in check.

[@jamessimms3449]

You're amazing. I've been rereading this series for the past week or so. It's really an incredible series. The Pale Martian arc was awesome. The Zauriel story arc was also fascinating. He may even have introduced "Darkseid is" to the DC lexicon. My favorite story in it is the Mageddon War. Tragically underused villain.

[@alexandrefrauches132]

Morrison run on the league is the definitive run of the team, right up there with Tomasi and Gleason Superman run and Geoff Johns Green Lantern run. In fact, I used this run as the main source of inspiration for my pitch for a JLA trilogy JL Secret Origin - Based on Morrison first arc "New World Order", the plot would have the heroes being assemble by Martian Manhunter, to help him return to Mars and stop the Hyperclan, a group of martians, to steal Earth’s energy to save Mars (Having the Hyperclan trying to save Mars rather than taking over Earth like their comic book counterparts would work to give J’onn a dilema, with him having to choose between saving his planet and his people or Earth.) The final scene would have Starro cameo and the Justice League fighting him (reference to New Frontier), revealing themselves as team to the world for the first time, with no one knowing about their adventure in Mars. That’s why the film title is Justice League SECRET origins. JL 2 Legion of Doom - Taking inspiration from some elements of "Rock of ages" It would have Lex Luthor creating the Injustice Gang (which I would change the name to Legion of Doom) to fight against the Justice League JL 3 Apokolips invasion - It would be a mix of "Rock of Ages" and "World War III" have the Justice league having to team up with Legion of Doom to save Earth from Darkseid invasion, bringing the trilogy full circle (it started with the heroes going to alien planet to save Earth, now they have to save Earth from alien invasion).

[@Qthetar]

Nah I can’t take Grant JLa seriously 😂 Superman blue is lame as hell.

[@GarethDragon]

I remember going into a bookshop one day and finding the graphic novels. While looking at the spines I saw one book called JLA World War 3. I had never heard of them before and in my curiosity, picked the book off the shelf and saw the front cover. It was Superman leading a horde of other superheroes with planet Earth in the background. Opening it I saw the roster of the team and was wowed further, I had never seen a team like that before! That book was what really got me into collectiong graphic novels and comics.

[@jeffersonhouse94]

While I agree that Morrison's run was certainly important and well received, set the tone for the team's composition and the book's sales and position within the company: I often feel that the work of other creators, such as Giffen, DeMattais, Jurgens , and Jones are often overlooked. While a lot of the tone, look, stories, and costumes were peak 90's cringe, there was a lot of greatness to be had there as well. Some of us really appreciated seeing some of these B and C list heroes getting their time in the spotlight, and getting a chance to know them as well. Personal favorites include Booster and Beetle, Fire and Ice, Tasmanian Devil, Dr. Light, Power Girl, Metamorpho, Captain Atom, Maxwell Lord, Elongated Man, and his wife Sue. These characters have had varying degrees of exposure in the years since their era of the League, and some, in my opinion, have been treated rather unfairly. So while I will always love and appreciate Morrison's vision and treatment of the "A Team", I would still like to see some more representation for the "B Team", most of whom don't, and won't ever be able to carry their on ongoing series.

[@Mr_E_Nigma]

I love Kelly Jones art.

[@Slurlance]

It’s funny to me that there was ever a time where dc thought putting their best characters on the jla… the original line up was something wild to do. Lol Loved this comic and grant is a god!

[@savagedarksider5934]

Great Video. We are overdue for A good justice league movie.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

I remember buying my copy of issue one (still with my receipt) in November 96. Read it at the local library before doing my homework.

[@JudgementalGoat]

Top tier analysis as usual Owen, Morrison's JLA is still a must read for me.

[@maycontainviolence5587]

After JLI & JLE came to that era's end in the Breakdowns story, I also dropped the book (and DC except Batman) but it was Grant Morrison and new artist Howard Porter that brought me back big time. That run had everything plus didn't ignore what was happening in the solo books. Now THAT is the mark of a great writer. This run also opened the door for the return of the Justice Society. Another huge hit.

[@0Aberration]

Great video, I love Morrison's stories for how they blend weird plots that appeal to the child in me, with a more mature level of characterization and storytelling to satisfy me as an adult. It's kinda sad that this incarnation of the League devolved back into a... less prestigious roster at the end, until Flashpoint rebooted everything. Is the League cursed to repeat this cycle over and over?

[@yy-hj4br]

You really brought out what was great about the run. Great video

[@AkiDave]

Another banana Slammin’ video . I love the first 2 volumes of Grant Morrisons run. It’s literally on the bookshelf in front of me lol.

[@SuperSilver316]

Morrison’s best and easiest to understand work by far! Love New World Order and Rock of Ages, as well as DC One Million (that would make a great video)!

[@samkeller5823]

If that’s their easiest work to understand, I’m freighted by their hardest. But seriously, before I even knew of their reputation for writing in a confusing matter, I felt, especially with Rock of Ages, that I was getting too much and too little information at the same time, rereading pages 10 or so times, and even going online to understand what exactly is going on.

[@SuperSilver316]

Yeah In comparison to say Batman or Their more modern runs, this wasn’t too hard to consume.

[@samkeller5823]

@@SuperSilver316 how much confusing would you say Batman & Son in comparison?

[@JTR_3]

@@samkeller5823 the thing that makes Morrison's books worth more than what you pay for is that you're rewarded by giving the work multiple re-reads, you get to find new details, make new brain connections, dive deep into themes and story in a way you can only do with comics. Embrace the need for the re-read

[@MaumesArt]

Amazing video reminding all of us of the best comic run which the biggest team of heroes has ever had!

[@ulisesmartinezsalinas860]

Owen Likes Comics next time, also make a video about Marv Wolfman's New Teen Titans run, it can be called "How Marv Wolfman saved the Teen Titans" or "How Marv Wolfman's Teen Titans became influential"; and I would also be interested about a video that examines Tom King's Batman run during DC Rebirth, what do you think?

[@OwenLikesComics]

Great ideas! Thank you

[@Kpengie]

@@OwenLikesComics In regards to Wolfman and Perez's Teen Titans, it might also be interesting to look at the decline of the run in its later years after riding high for much of its run.

[@demonteprice5870]

In addition to more recontextualized versions of the older 1960's Teen Titans, I see a lot of swatches of Morrison's JLA in the animated Young Justice series as well, strangely enough.

[@caedrewan]

I don't see enough videos singing the praises of the JLA, liked and subscribed

[@rolandoalvarado2979]

Love your channel am always learning

[@skyyswaggstudios2934]

I’ve been reading this and international for the first time and I love them. Also very jarring whenever I see people saying they don’t understand why it’s considered one of the best runs, when without it we don’t have future justice league stories like we do today

[@JoeLovesComics]

Great video as always!

[@OwenLikesComics]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@Matty-Jets]

Just discovered this channel. Great work my friend!

[@orinprime3282]

You are spot on with your analysis. Morrison's run brought back "super heroic's" larger than life characters. wrestling with Angels, WW tearing int an Angelic chariot, all the while being burned, GL containing the "super sun" in a giant ice box, Aquaman's storyline about the sinking of Atlantis or the team either going into the future and us seeing their 1M version or going into the past meeting a type of Indian shaman who utters the immortal words, "Inuk chak", growing to giant size.Every issue was great and there was a nother book, but had other tales of the JLA, with John Stewart in it as well. All of the JLA since then, IMHO, can be attributed to this run of the JLA. The bad thing; look at where they are at now.

[@GuitarWithBrett]

Reading this currently and loving it , wish modern comics were more like this .. super creative , not overly political, great writing and dialog .. and FUN!

[@OmarBhoo]

Ya know, I loved the Electro Superman run. I have every issue. in fact the build up when his powered were all spastic was great. That issue when he grew to like 10 feet tall and had to call Lois from a call box while standing outside was great.

[@ceebee9195]

An excellent retrospective, JLA was my first standing order.

[@talljoke]

Ah, the series that got me into DC Comics and lead to me finding my favourite hero: Plastic Man.

[@grahamturner1290]

Morrison's run on JLA singlehandedly reignited my interest in DC. 🦇

[@TilWeMakeIt]

Mad props to JLA editor Ruben Diaz as well, threading the needle every month, behind-the-scenes.

[@Powherkrangunch]

I've been watching Casually comics a lot lately. Don't worry, I'm not going to say you should change your style or anything like that. Both channels are great and I equally enjoy how both you and Sasha celebrate comics. I just want to say how amazing it is to have access to two different and creative comic book recap channels each good at delivering great content! I feel blessed to have both of you available on KZbin right now!

[@OwenLikesComics]

I really appreciate that Max, thank you!

[@Kpengie]

I feel like most comictubers seem to do drastically different things in regards to their content in terms of format and style. None of them really feel like they're doing the same thing and thus it never feels like the channels can't coexist.

[@TrillyThough]

My absolute favorite version of The League. Absolutely iconic run.

[@DragonFist9323]

My favorite JL lineup and run!

[@creedbratton4064]

Great video! 7:32 Hilarious!

[@patman34]

Hey man, now we need a DC One Million video...

[@jamilp2869]

excellent video

[@matthewanacleto7885]

Good job!

[@OwenLikesComics]

Thanks!

[@shanelorrison5224]

I was buying this version of JLA when it was new. I gotta dig my back issues out for a re-read. Thanks for reminding me this series existed. Excellent video as usual. Excelsior!!

[@wodan2]

That was the time I got into comics and the JLA will always be my favourite.

[@ginoames]

This era of JLA was awesome. It was great to be so excited each month for the new issue.

[@kali3665]

How Grant Morrison drove all of us insane. 🤣🤣

[@daverichards9141]

Love Grant's run on JLA.

[@chrisdavfrancis]

Great video

[@OwenLikesComics]

Thanks!

[@MechaVsKaijuRPG]

Full Agree! I always recommend Morrison's run as the best place for new comic readers to jump on.

[@Stanlos]

Great stuff, Owen! But I must state an important missing bit of information. After Crisis, DCs first event was LEGENDS which would spin off the Justice League and the Sucide Squad. The team behind the Justice League relaunch did indeed want to use the Big 3--in fact, the LEGENDS event itself was to start with WW on Paradise Island senseing something was up in Patriarch's World. But as you stated, the Editors of Supes and WW were in the middle of redefining those characters.

[@mrmeglomania]

Earth 2 is one of my favorite books.

[@tomthespaceknerd5396]

Love this run. I bought the New World Order trade at my school back in the 90s, as they were selling it during Reading Week. As a hardcore Marvel fan, it was one of the first times I had crossed the Marvel/DC border and it was only a matter of time after that to me embracing DC as well.

[@TheAsocialArtist]

Let's face it, Owen Likes Comics + Justice League = great video

[@propheci]

Good times, man. This was my precursor to justice league/jl unlimited. And part of the reason why the snyderverse crashed and burned, by the way.

[@jackrucinsky6205]

Cool video.

[@Oscuros]

I was into UK comics and DC comics in the 1980s, it felt like I was the only one in school that liked DC at the time, and it made me more invested, having to defend DC every day. The art was better as well as the colour-matching. So I was lucky enough to also be exposed to Warrior magazine, but it was mostly 2000ad at the time, and the fact that DC kept poaching the best people from there to work for them. The formula was a lot like with Alan Moore, throw them onto a failing comic, like with Swamp Thing, if they can turn it around, do a similar thing with big titles, but also with a difficult brief, like to kill off Silver Age superman in just one comic, forcing him to use the compressed style he'd learned doing Time Twisters or Future Shock stories for 2000ad. That's actually what is so good about whatever happened to the man of steel, how Moore could tell years of exposition in just 2 or 3 panels in some cases, something I only used to see in UK pulp comics a lot or older Silver Age comics. That was obviously the same with Grant being thrown onto Animal Man, but his landing was a lot softer, because he was within Vertigo, which was not around in the mid 1980s, although Grant would always be in Moore's shadow, like, always putting himself in there, like he'd put himself into his stories about a singing protagonist over and over again. I don't get why you give Morrison an american accent in quoting him at around 07:40, he has a Scottish accent, as you should know. The other thing you missed out on was that JLA always used the A list superheroes with a tier of under-selling comics, which was how the Martian Manhunter got into the inherited line-up, but that was also why Aquaman was there since the 1970s. The problem in the late 1990s, as you say was that it was mostly heroes from comics with flagging sales and Batman, though Martian Manhunter was always a tough sell away from the 1960s, as was Aquaman, even if you give him a hook-hand. I did not used to buy JLA because I was not interested in the A part of it and did not believe the hokey nationalism in it, but that was also why I did not like Captain Britain either, even when he was really well drawn and written in Warrior magazine. I was not the only one, and became interested when Batman broke away from the JLA because of a storyline where they did what the American Gvt wanted, as Superman asserted. So Batman broke away and created the Outsiders, a very 1980s team up that I hated at the time, but like and have in my collection now. There's even an Outsider in the Morrison inherited JL line-up, but I guess the Outsiders don't count in this vid, even though they interacted with them a lot, often in antagonistic contexts, apart from going into the JL line up from always starting off brightly on launch and relaunch, but losing sales after about issue 20. JLA became the JLI by the late 1980s, but in the hands of Maxwell Lord, he makes sure that it was not effective, it was also not an effective comic, with Blue Beetle and Booster Gold (ultimate 1980s character, with the ski mask eye coverings). in the team, also because of flagging sales and no Batman, there was no star factor, despite the realistic storylines at last, this was all turned around in the build up to Infinite Crisis by Geoff Johns that Grant helped along with, though the foundaitons were already there with the move away from A and into I and now to just JL. Regardless, that's a bit more of the background of why the JLA got that way, but the general trend in the 1990s of killing off Green Lantern and Superman didn't really help.

[@dwaynemuth8775]

Excellent video,Owen! Definitely the best JLA in along time! Issues 5 with Tomorrow Woman,6 &7 with Zauriel the angel And then DC One Million came later and had fun with futuristic concepts! Also a shoutout to Mark Waid unique fill ins that kept right up to Morrison main thread/story! JLA/WildCATS by Grant and Val Seimek also really good! Thanks again!

[@orinprime3282]

With the WildCats being folded into the DCU, and the current storyline, i would rather they pop up and save the "in name only" characters of this new jla. They might have the names, but they are worms compared to the way Morrison elevated the original characters. There was a story arc where a child was recreating reality and DC/ Wildstorm had elments being folded in, from the original legion to JLA and many of the Wild Storm teams, as well as villains. We can only hope. I fear those days are long past.

[@thecomiccollector2020]

Probably my favorite JLA series

[@lalberts]

I actually have this anthology book. I really enjoy it to this day.

[@AustynSN]

There are some SERIOUS inaccuracies in this video, but the one that practically slapped me in the face.... In "Rock of Ages" future setting, Batman wasn't posing as Dessad. Dessad had spend about 10 years (If I remember the time correctly) trying to break Batman's mind. Right as the heroes break in to finally rescue Batman from Dessad; it's at the moment he finally breaks. Not Batman, but Dessad. The years of trying and failing to break this one mortal man caused Dessad to crack under the pressure. (I remember and love this because I considered it the best and most glorious example of the trope of "Bat-God" that many complain about.) On Prometheus... Retro wasn't an actual superhero. He was a kid in a costume who won a contest the league ran as a promotional gimmick. The character was designed by an actual promotion put out by DC in anticipation of the relaunch of Justice League. The battle against Mageddon didn't empower a select few, but every man woman and child on earth. Earth was essentially revealed to be the cradle of the gods of the 5th world. They essentially evolved all humans to what we'll allegedly be in about a billion years or so. The funniest part in this scene is Batman panicking because (again, quoting from memory, so it may not be exact) "This is going to be a nightmare. We've got 6 billion untrained metahumans suddenly powered up and..." (Batman pauses in shock as he stares at the chair intended to be strong enough for Supemran, which he just broke with a touch because he didn't realize HE was included in the entire population of earth.) Also, in the Mageddon story, I always loved the scene where it's showing the violence and hatred breaking out on earth. It shows a picture of The President's hand (Bill Clinton at the time) with a text box saying something along the lines of... "This is the most powerful human on earth. He has a button. THE button. He's wondering if it clicks. He's REALLY wanting to know if it clicks. Finally, not in the video, but my ALL TIME favorite scenes from that era of JLA... Batman's contingency for The Flash. Essentially a drug cocktail that causes his mind to go into speed-force mode but his body to go into a coma. When they finally pulled him out of it... (Again, quoting from memory) Wally/Flash: My god.... there were days.... weeks.... months..... I.... I just wanted to die.... How.... How long was I trapped in there? Other character: Uhm..... fifteen minutes. Batman, Huntress and Plastic Man break into a military base.... "SOLDIER, WE HAVE BEEN PERFORMING TOP SECRET X-FILES EXPERIMENTS ON YOU SO THAT YOU WILL ONLY SEE BRIGHT PRIMARY COLORS!!! IF MY UNIFORM IS ANYTHING BUT BRIGHT PRIMARY COLORS, YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A GODLESS COMMIE SISSY NOT FIT FOR THIS MAN'S ARMY..... SOLDIER, WHAT COLOR IS MY UNIFORM?!?!?!"

[@aurahoneydew9607]

While I do respect the impact of what Morrison's JLA did I can't credit him for bringing back the A-listers. Feels like that's something that whoever was put on JLA revitalization initiative would have done regardless. Even 90s Alan Moore though he'd probably do something out there that's both grand with realism center. Like bringing characters down to their base debut levels in the then modern era facing realistic issues.

[@Waaagh40KRed]

I’m currently reading the JLA. I’ve finished New World Order. But I’m yet to read Rock of Ages and World War III. I have the books, so I’m planning on reading them both this week.

[@Xrodthegrandmaster]

Now this is the Justice Legaue!

[@IzayaLee1725]

I'd love to see you're opinions on the Brad Meltzer/ Dwane McDuffie run that's the run I grew up it was that and Brian Michael Bendis New Avengers that shaped my view of the Marvel and DC universes

[@catsithx]

The part of rock the ages I loved was that atom and green arrow took down Darkseid with a flare arrow. Yes flare arrow.

[@theevilascotcompany9255]

A black mark on Morrison's JLA run, which wasn't his fault at all, was that he was forced to use Electric Superman for so many great stories. It's hard to show my nephews some of the best JLA stories and having to explain why Superman looks so weird.

[@sand4273]

Would this be a good run to start with for someone who’s not very knowledgeable about the Justice League? I’m mainly a Marvel reader, so I really only know the JL from the cartoon series from the 2000s. I love Morrison’s X-Men run if that makes any difference.

[@JcgLounge]

This right here. This, is the golden age of Dc comics.

[@CamboxSpidey]

Can you do a video on Nightwing?

[@toromiguelangel]

Grant Morrison's run is fantastic. I really liked how you analyzed it. I hope there is a Mark Waid run video in the future (or at least a Tower of Babel story line video). Great video from a consistently great channel.

[@overlordRX]

Curious, why when referring to grant morrison, do you refer to him as “their” when you are talking about one person? Is it a dialect of English thing that I am not familiar with? I believe it was “grant Morrison achieved their fame with works such as…” idk made me double take and listen to it again. Other than that weird grammar, great videos man and please keep it up. I will be subscribing and probably become a Patreon in the near future

[@OwenLikesComics]

Grant is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns (as opposed to he/him or she/her), so that's why -- I'm just trying to be respectful of their preferences. Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it!

[@ScottCreley]

I love your Grant Morrison content. You really nail their vision and the excitement. I also love your Hickman content for the same reason. Would you consider some Neil Gaiman or Alan Moore content? Or Remender's run on X Force? Or Saga?

[@powerbad696]

WOW.Howard Porter's art was sooo GOOD on this series !!! 1997 & 1998,I was in the army,stationed at Ft Hood,Tx,at least until 98,then I came under orders to go to Korea.I was in 3rd ID Div,when I fitst got there there was a FOUL odor in the air,the Korean farmers used human waste as fertilizer. LOL. After 2 weeks I didn't smell the odor any more,I had gotten used to the smell.Hip-Hop & rap music were prevalent with the korean youth,you would hear the music everywhere and some of the youth had the fashions down pat.Hats turned back-wards,using rap slang.korean citizens can't own guns,so I felt very safe.You could extend your stay in korea,one guy in my unit had been there 3 yrs.Overall it was a nice visit,but,after 1 yr I was ready to leave.

[@broodbynature]

Well, there's another one to add to my pull list then...

[@srstriker6420]

12:37 I thought of my own version of the Injustice gang or League or whatever you call it.

[@daelen.cclark]

Nice birthday gift.

[@sadib100]

90s Wonder Woman really didn't wear that much armor.

[@hikaruchan16]

I haven’t read nearly enough DC…thank you for this breakdown! This series sounds absolutely wonderful and I’ll add it to my list and be sure to check it out sometime in the near future! 👍🏽

[@mightygregdoge]

Glad that someone finally did a sweeping review of the Morrison JLA. Well done.

[@jasonking3182]

As much as I love Morrison’s run there’s a couple of flaws that stand out 25 years later. The fill in art on some issues just sucks, I wish they stuck with the same artist for all the storylines and shift the fell ins to one shots. I also thought Morrison should have used Black Cannery and Zatanna instead of Huntresses and Azetex when he expanded the League

[@colorcommentary5987]

"The duo saved this beloved team and after a decade of misfortune did the team...Justice." You stuck the landing on that one!

[@KTF0]

Funny how you said that Morrison/Porter run had influence over the JL movie. I think it was the opposite. It repeated the 90s problem of everything being dark and gloomy especially when characters like Superman and Batman are two different characters tonally. Morrison and Porter did a modernization of the Gardner Fox era, if someone did that the JLA movie, the movie would've been beloved universally.

[@RRai2000]

I love Rock of Ages but there's is a lot of bits that I am very confused.