"Justice Leagues" is a storyline which ran through six one-shot comics. Published in 2001 by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

, it introduced a revamped

Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...

. Each issue was supposedly the first of a new series featuring one of the alternate teams, although they were just one-offs. Featured Justice League were the "Justice League of Aliens", led by

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

and

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" in ''Detective Comics ...

; the "Justice League of Amazons", led by

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

; the "Justice League of Arkham", led by

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

; and the "Justice League of Atlantis", led by

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...

. Cameo appearances were made by the "Justice League of Adventure" which is led by

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...

(

Wally West Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. T ...

); the "Justice League of Air", led by

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

(

Kyle Rayner Kyle Rayner (), one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is depicted as being associated with the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of ...

); the "Justice League of Anarchy", led by

Plastic Man Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero featured in American comic books first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Co ...

; and the "Justice League of Apostles", led by

Zauriel Zauriel is a fictional superhero in the DC Universe. Originally a guardian angel who served Heaven for millions of years, he willingly falls to Earth to serve humanity as their champion and joins the Justice League. Publication history Zauriel f ...

Premise

In the arc, alien invaders, working through a human-seeming agent known as the "Advance Man", use Hector Hammond, a telepathic

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

, to cause the world to forget the existence of the Justice League of America. When Hammond discovered the Advance Man's true motives, he attempted to reverse the process but was only able to transmit the partial phrase "Justice League of A--" before being incapacitated by the alien emissary.''Justice Leagues: JL?'' #1. DC Comics. It was found that the individual members of the Justice League were instinctively creating new crime-fighting organizations beginning with the "Justice League of A" to fill the void.

Justice League divisions

''Justice League of Amazons''

The Justice League of Amazons was a team of all female superheroes: *

(leader) * Supergirl (Linda Danvers) *

Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) The Huntress (Helena Rosa Bertinelli) is an antiheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the third DC character to bear the name Huntress (DC Comics), Huntress, also assuming the names Batgirl and Matron. Original ...

Big Barda Big Barda is a superheroine appearing in American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, ...

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara (), known mononymously as Zatanna, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman (comic book), Hawkman'' #4 (N ...

Power Girl Power Girl, also known as Kara Zor-L, Karen Starr, and Paige Stetler, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, making her first appearance in ''All Star Comics'' #58 (January/February 1976).''Who's Who in the DC Unive ...

* Black Orchid The goal of the Justice League of Amazons was to use their powers and abilities to "protect and defend mother earth and her children". The women went to the Selva Basin to investigate the disappearance of some

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucksrainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

. However, there was a

shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

standing in their way and preventing them from moving forward. The loggers attacked both the shaman and the Justice League of Amazons, and a fight ensued. The loggers were quickly defeated. After the fight, the shaman returned home. It was then revealed that he was actually the Advance Man in disguise. He used the Justice League of Amazons to remove the loggers from the area so that he would be able to find an unknown spider that carried a virus capable of "exterminating the human surplus". While the Justice League of Amazons were relaxing at the Amazon River,

appeared with several other heroes and asked Power Girl to join the "Justice League of Atlantis".''Justice Leagues: Justice League of Amazons'' #1. DC Comics.

''Justice League of Anarchy''

The Justice League of Anarchy was a team composed of comedy-themed superheroes: *

(leader) * 'Mazing Man *

Ambush Bug Ambush Bug is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. His real name is supposedly Irwin Schwab, but he has mental problems that prevent him from truly understanding reality around him, so even his true identity migh ...

* Creeper *

Trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherw ...

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

''Justice League of Atlantis''

The Justice League of Atlantis was a team of aquatic superheroes: *

(leader) * Mera * Tempest *

Arion Arion (; ) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Although notable for his mu ...

* Lori Lemaris * Devilfish Aquaman formed the Justice League of Atlantis while he was investigating an area nearby Atlantis. While he was there, he discovered cybernetic dolphins and sharks swimming together. He followed them to a large metal object with tentacles that was absorbing metals and minerals from the ocean floor. The Justice League of Atlantis was brought together, and they searched the metal structure. There, they easily defeated the cybernetic dolphins and sharks. Devilfish destroyed the structure before anyone could figure out its purpose. Devilfish left the group and joined the Advance Man, where other similar metal structures existed.''Justice Leagues: Justice League of Atlantis'' #1. DC Comics.

''Justice League of Apostles''

The Justice League of Apostles was a team of superheroes based around the theme of religion or the supernatural: *

(leader) *

Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...

Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version was originally created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More Fun Comics' ...

( Hector Hall) *

Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander (metallurgy), Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, con ...

''Justice League of Adventure''

The Justice League of Adventure was a team of superheroes. Unlike the other divisions, this team contains no obvious connecting theme: *

(

) (leader) *

Mister Miracle Mister Miracle is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first and third are humans Thaddeus Brown and Shilo Norman, while the second is New God Scott Free. The Scott Free incarnat ...

(Scott Free) *

Atom (Ray Palmer) The Atom (comics), Atom (Professor Raymond Carson "Ray" Palmer) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by editor and co-plotter Julius Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox and penciler Gil Kane. ...

Beast Boy Beast Boy (Garfield Mark "Gar" Logan) is a superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity ...

Black Canary Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, ...

''Justice League of Arkham''

The Justice League of Arkham was a team of Batman supporting characters: *

(leader) *

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero alias used by multiple characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The most prominent bearer is Dick Grayson, the original Robin, who adopts the Nightwing identity to assert his independence from Batman. ...

* Joker *

Catwoman Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...

Riddler The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in O ...

Ventriloquist Ventriloquism or ventriloquy is an act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) speaks in such a way that it seems like their voice is coming from a different location, usually through a puppet known as a "dummy". The act of ventrilo ...

Poison Ivy Poison ivy is a type of allergenic plant in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' native to Asia and North America. Formerly considered a single species, '' Toxicodendron radicans'', poison ivies are now generally treated as a complex of three separate s ...

After learning of the Advance Man's plan to release a toxic gas that reacts with water to kill all life forms that come in contact with it in

Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city in the Northeastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List ...

freed

The Joker The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, the character first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' on ...

from the Slab. He also freed Riddler, Poison Ivy, and Ventriloquist from

Arkham Asylum Arkham Asylum () is a fictional psychiatric hospital appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in stories featuring Batman. It first appeared in ''Batman'' #258 (October 1974), written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Irv N ...

so that they could aid him in stopping the Advance Man. The Justice League of Arkham broke into the processing plant in which the Advance Man was planning to release the toxic gas and captured him. While interrogating him, the Joker escaped. Both Batman and Nightwing went into pursuit. During this time, the Advance Man convinced the remaining super-villains to abandon Batman. After they left, the Advance Man freed himself and teleported to San Francisco.''Justice Leagues: Justice League of Arkham'' #1. DC Comics.

''Justice League of Aliens''

The Justice League of Aliens was a team of alien superheroes: *

(leader) *

* Orion * Starfire * Lobo *

Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to: * Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut * Guy Gardner (character) Guy Darrin Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American ...

* Starman (Mikaal Tomas) Martian Manhunter formed the Justice League of Aliens as a way for the alien heroes that occupy Earth to show the humans that they can trust them. Not everyone that J'onn had gathered was interested in becoming part of the League, however. Both Starman and Orion felt they did not need to be part of a team. Starman left the team, but Orion remained. The Advance Man's large metal structures that he had created during the "Justice League of Atlantis" became active, and they started to transform people who had the correct DNA sequence into monsters. These new "monsters" were being created as a host for the Advance Man's boss, Plura, to come to Earth and take over. The Justice League of Aliens fought several of the "monsters", but they were unable to prevent Plura from overtaking any of those remaining.''Justice Leagues: Justice League of Aliens'' #1

''Justice League of Air''

The Justice League of Air was a team of flying superheroes: *

(

) (leader) * Black Condor (Ryan Kendall) *

Captain Atom Captain Atom is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books, initially owned by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. All possess some form of energy-manipulating abilities, usually relating to nuc ...

Ray (Ray Terrill) The Ray (real name Raymond C. "Ray" Terrill) is a superhero in the . He is the second character to use the codename the Ray. Ray Terrill first appeared in ''The Ray'' #1 (February 1992), and was created by Jack C. Harris and Joe Quesada. Ray ...

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

( Ronnie Raymond) * Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi) * Red Tornado

Issues

#''Justice Leagues: JL?'' #1 #''Justice Leagues: Justice League of Amazons'' #1 #''Justice Leagues: Justice League of Atlantis'' #1 #''Justice Leagues: Justice League of Arkham'' #1 #''Justice Leagues: Justice League of Aliens'' #1 #''Justice Leagues: JLA'' #1

Reception

References

{{Justice League