24 Pages

And Justice for Some Justice League America  #100  Writer: Gerard Jones Penciller: Chuck Wojtkiewicz Inker: Bob Dvorak Colorist: Gene D'Angelo * When one thinks of the Justice League, one thinks of the most recognizable DC heroes: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman. And for two decades, that was the team, give or take a few members. But since the 1980s, the team has been more often comprised of one or two of the heavy hitters and a cast of lesser-knowns. It started in the mid-1980s with the "Detroit" era, in which Aquaman and Martian Manhunter headed up a group of newcomers including Vibe and Vixen. In 1987, following Crisis on Infinite Earths , a new team emerged. The soft reboots of Superman and Wonder Woman led to a team that was anchored by Batman and Martian Manhunter. They were joined by a colorful array of B-listers such as Booster Gold, Dr. Light, and Mister Miracle. A bit later they were joined by a second team in their own title, Jus...

A Ray(ner) of Light Green Lantern  #62  Writer: Ron Marz Penciller: Daryl Banks and Joe St. Pierre Inker: Romeo Tanghal Colorist: Steve Mattsson * Much more so than their Marvel counterparts, DC superheroes have a foundation of legacy. Because several of their Silver Age heroes - Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Atom - were updates of Golden Age ones, the fictional universe gained a sense of history and lineage, a connection that was made explicit with the Justice League / Justice Society team-ups of the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s this was furthered by the company's decision to have the grown children of the Justice Society become a team (Infinity Inc.) and the sidekicks of the Justice League grow into the New Teen Titans. The problem was that the Silver Age heroes became way more popular and iconic than their predecsssors, and that made it difficult to continue the cycle of having a younger generation come in and take over.  But credit where credit is due, DC went...