Hey, guys, BDawg here. I've been thinking after checking out a Top 10 Greatest Avengers Line-Ups list at Newsarama, and it got me to think what do the Comic Vine members think about their favorite Justice League of America rosters. I wanted to see how it'd go due to curiousity how we fans would do that thing. So I got a few ideas on my end for sure to get us started;
10 - James Robinson/Mark Bagley era roster - Many people look down on the JLA roster James Robinson and Mark Bagley had due to it not being what we wanted, but they still showed to be a strong team. Teamwork is what Dick's team had going for it, for a smaller squad, as well as facing some insane battles like the Starheart, Omega Man, and Eclipso. They may have had some lesser heroes, but this team reminded me that the League isn't a team of elitists, it's an elite team of heroes. And the new members proved themselves above and beyond.
Members: Batman (Dick Grayson), Troia, Starman (Mikaal Tomas), Congorilla, Jade, Supergirl, Jesse Quick
9 - Justice League Detroit - Another roster that has been looked down on due to how it mostly had new members as well as a few of the old guard. Sure, Vibe, Gypsy, Steel, and Vixen had not earned their stripes at first, butthey proved themselves to be heroes for an all-time JLA, especially with guidance from J'onn, Aquaman, Zatanna, and Elongated Man. Plus their powers and abilities worked well for the kind of roster they were. But it is also a sad era due to Vibe and Steel dying.
Members: Aquaman (Arthur Curry/Orin), Martian Manhunter, Zatanna, Elongated Man, Vixen, Gypsy, Vibe, Steel (Hank Heywood III)
8 - League-in-Waiting - This roster was forged by Batman during the Obsidian Age while the main team was lost in the past in Atlantis to try and find Aquaman. Batman had gathered together an old guard and new members to make this JLA different, even if not what most people expected. And many of them transferred over to the main team in the epilogue, so that shows they proved themselves to be worthy Justice Leaguers.
Members: Nightwing, Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders), Faith, Atom (Ray Palmer), Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond), Major Disaster, Jason Blood/Etrigan
7 - Justice League America - A team that had been forged when the JLA was divided among two teams. One thing I remember this roster for is newcombers as well as Superman and classic mainstays of the Justice League International roster, as well as the fact they had tackled with Doomsday, fighting him as hard as they could, even while sustaining severe injuries and Superman dying.
Members: Superman, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), Bloodwynd, Guy Gardner, Fire, Ice, Maxima
6 - Justice League International - As mentioned above, the JLI introduced quite a few cool members who became quite recognized in their own way. Plus the JLI era had brought a lot of fun to comic books again, even if some of the things they did came off a tad ridiculous. But they tried to keep it together at least. Bwa-ha-ha-ha.
Members: Batman (Bruce Wayne), Martian Manhunter, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), Fire, Ice, Dr. Light (Kimiyo Hoshi), Mr. Miracle, Dr. Fate (Kent Nelson), Captain Marvel, Captain Atom, Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), Oberon, Rocket Red (Dmitri Pushkin), Maxwell Lord
5 - New 52 Justice League - This roster would be higher up in my Top 10, but I think it's in the Top 5 because it is a cool roster. Though they come off like the proverbial team of elitists due to bad experiences with J'onn attempting to join. Plus it doesn't seem to have the cohesion that the League has had in the DCU over several years, but facing Darkseid in their first outing as a team shows how strong this team is.
Members: Superman, Batman (Bruce Wayne), Wonder Woman (Diana), Aquaman (Arthur Curry/Orin), Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Cyborg
4 - Post Obsidian Age JLA - Joe Kelly had shown us that the League is an organic thing, and that at times, it has to change to face new threats. With mainstays from the Magnificient 7 Era Grant Morrison instigated, with new heroes coming in to prove themselves as being JLA worthy members, with this team facing threats like Kanjar Ro, the new Axis Amerika, Fernus, and so much more.
Members: Superman, Batman (Bruce Wayne), Wonder Woman (Diana), Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (John Stewart), Martian Manhunter, Plastic Man, Faith, Major Disaster, Manitou Raven, Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond), Atom (Ray Palmer)
3 - One Year Later - Brad Meltzer brought the JLA back from the fallout of Infinite Crisis, Identity Crisis, and so much more to become a very strong Justice League, which continued to grow as new writers came on board and it also falling on hard times but perserving to the bitter end, no qestions at all. This team was a testament to how important the Justice League is to the DCU.
Members: Superman, Batman (Bruce Wayne), Wonder Woman (Diana), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Black Canary, Red Tornado, Vixen, Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders), Black Lightning, Red Arrow, Geo-Force, Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (John Stewart), Firestorm (Jason Rusch), Zatanna, Dr. Light (Kimiyo Hoshi), Plastic Man
2 - The Magnificient 7 - The League roster that started an era. This Justice League was born from Grant Morrison and was a very strong roster with many challenges and a strong connection to its' past while facing the present and moving onto the future. New and old members alike came in, with many also coming out to remain on the League roster for a good while and become connected to the League as much as anyone else.
Members: Superman, Batman (Bruce Wayne), Wonder Woman (Diana), Aquaman (Arthur Curry/Orin), Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Martian Manhunter, Tomorrow Woman, Green Arrow (Connor Hawke), Aztek, Steel (John Henry Irons), Plastic Man, Zauriel, Huntress, Oracle, Wonder Woman (Hippolyta)
1 - The original founders, post-Infinite Crisis/JLA Year One - To me, the penultimate Justice League is simply the roster that began it all after Infinite Crisis reset some aspects of hstory to Earth-0. Mark Waid with Ivan Reis did an origin story reminding us of how the JLA came to be; the Applexians had been observing Earth for years in order to come and fight for the throne of Kalar, their leader. With the JSA and their generation of heroes gone, they assumed it would be easy. They were wrong, as eight heroes drove them back and formed the JLA. Though this roster, even without the Trinity in their ranks immediately, faced hard times, learning to become a team, they became the pinnacle of what the Justice League of America can be due to proving how strong they were together.
Members: Superman, Batman (Bruce Wayne), Wonder Woman (Diana), Aquaman (Arthur Curry/Orin), Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Martian Manhunter, Black Canary
All I can say, guys, is this is what I feel my Top 10 is for the best Justice League rosters of all time. Of course, I'm sure yours will differ but that's the beauty of it! I want to see what kinds of thoughts you've all got to say regarding the JLA, and who you think the best rosters are. A rich history is what makes any team book strong, and the Justice League has been that way since the 1960s. =)
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