I'm pretty excited about James Robinson's Justice League: Cry For Justice.

I'm pretty sure by now you've read what it's about. You've probably seen the preview that G-Man posted, with Hal delivering what I believe could be the very same declaration that Batman delivered in Batman and the Outsiders #1! In fact, Hal's Justice League is reminiscent of a bunch of other versions of the Justice League over the years. J'onn J'onzz formed a Justice League: Task Force. I never read it, but this could be like Extreme Justice, what looks like an armored version of Captain Atom, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. there was the recent Justice League Elite. I'm stills cratching my head over that one. Of course there was the Justice League Detroit, that Aquaman led following the Martian Invasion and destruction of the satellite. The Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha Justice League that sprung out of Legends, following COIE. Batman abandoned his Outsiders for that one...I feel like I'm missing a League somewhere...

Before all these weekly series and events with a capital Eve, remember when there was something called a fifth-week event? Instead of kicking back and resting on laurels, DC would put together a series that stretched over the course of a five-week month.

That's the only way I could tell that a month had an extra week.

The Justice Society Returns! was one of these fifth-week events. Classic team-ups in new first issues of All-American, Adventure, Hit and other Golden Age style books. Ironically, the book ends were written by James Robinson and David S. Goyer.

Another one of these fifth-week events, maybe one of the last ones - if not the last one - before all the madness of weekly comics and unending event mini-series was Justice Leagues. I don't think this has ever been collected, if it has it may be out of print. It had the typical bookends, and the three issues in between. Maybe you remember it. The gist of the story is that this alien insect queen wants to repopulate Earth, and hires the Advance Man to do some legwork to make Earth ready for her and her seed. the Advance Man arrives, and the first place he goes is Hector Hammond's cell. Hal Jordan is either Parallax, or maybe just come back looking for redemption as The Spectre. The Advance Man directs Hammond to broadcast a message to forget the Justice League of America, to break down Earth's defenses and smooth the way for Plura, the alien insect queen. Realizing that it means all life on earth will die, Hammond sneaks a message to remember the "Justice League of A -!" before the Advance Man can stop him. There are no less than eight new Justice Leagues that spring up over the next three issues. The funniest is Plastic Man's Justice League of Anarchy, featuring The Creeper, Harley Quinn and 'Mazing Man. This is one of four - half the new Leagues - that is shown only in passing. (Plas and his League get only one panel in Justice League of Amazons 1, in my opinion probably the weakest of the bunch.) Kyle pulls together a Justice League of Air, with Black Condor, Captain Atom, Dr. Light, Firestorm, The Ray and Red Tornado, in the same issue that Mikaal Tomas (interestingly referred to only as the Starman that fell to Earth) turns down J'onn J'onzz' invitation to join his Justice League of Aliens featuring Guy Gardner, Lobo, Orion, Starfire and Superman. Guy gets in an inapropriate homophobic jab before Mikaal leaves.

Each of the League members know that something is not right, but can't put their finger on it. Batman and Nightwing debate the point as The Dark Knight assembles a Justice League of Arkham! - what the? - featuring Catwoman, Poison Ivy, The Riddler, The Joker and The Ventriloquist. You gotta admit this is pretty imaginative stuff to come up with a League that starts with an "A"!

The coolest part of the Justice Leagues fifth-week storyline is that, from Hammond's broadcast, each of the original Magnificent Seven found a League that reflects them. Okay, so Aquaman brings together all of the undersea characters; but, Wonder Woman brings together both sides of her personality, warrior and emissary. Batman does the same with his Arkham League, and so does Plastic Man. Most of the other Leagues fit the same pattern, except for maybe the Alien League. And this seems to be one of the reasons that each one of them knows something is wrong. In the brief moments when each of the Leagues interract with each other they don't get along. The personality clashes are obvious.
 











And now, Hal gets to form his own more pro-active Justice League of Anger. Should be interesting to see the team dynamic...I'm torn over being okay that it's only a mini-series and not an ongoing. Maybe the response can affect that...