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Formerly Known As The Justice League

Creative Team: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Kevin Maguire, Joe Rubinstein
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by Rob Manuel

The Justice League of America was never a close knit group. Just think of all the Green Lanterns and Flashes they've been through. Batman constantly moves in to and out of the group. Superman was never a part of the original team. You have to wonder what happens to the heroes who were there for only a couple of issues.  Do they still carry their JLA membership cards? Do they get to go to the company picnic on the moon?  Do they pal around with Wonder Woman on her day off? Do they have an outside job?  Would you remember any of them if you saw them on the street? Maxwell Lord thinks some of these former members have what it takes to make a great team.  The only question is who's Maxwell Lord?

Maxwell Lord is a man with a dream and a lot of disposable income.  With the help of L-Ron, a smart-ass robot, he will bring together some of the greatest heroes who just barely made the cut for the JLA squad.  Former heroes like Blue Beetle, Mary Marvel, Captain Atom, and Elongated Man will fight for truth, justice, and rent money for their store-front property.  Haven't heard of most of these heroes?  Don't worry, neither have most of the villains they have to face.  There's nothing glamorous about this group.  Simple wooden desks fill their offices along with a file cabinet and a couple of chairs.  When they're not fighting highly intelligent gangs, battling for their lives in an arena, or defending the world from Manga Khan, they're fighting each other or taking a nap.  This is not a group of nearly God-like crime fighters trying to save the world every minute of the day.  The group - who has yet to come up with a proper name - is just trying to do the best they can to bring a little justice to the world.

Griffen and Dematteis try going for a lot more than just the joke. They want to tell a story very much like JLA, but with less than ideal heroes.They fight. They complain. They ask for a raise.  Formerly Known is a ridiculous concept that knows that it's a ridiculous concept.  The first of the series starts slow and silly but quickly builds to a fast paced storyline that takes time to stop and just be silly for two seconds.  If anything, I would have liked the action to slow down a bit at the end - crazy, I know - and let the characters interact with each other a bit more.

If you want a comic that's a bit off-beat and in the same vein at The Tick, then you'll want to sit back and flip through this one a couple of times.

Rating: (3 out of 4 stars)