Before the iconic JLA of Grant Morrison and Howard Porter, DC’s greatest heroes came together in an often overlooked miniseries and a surprising new status quo.
The history of the Justice League is full of countless different incarnations of the team. But in the mid-90s, there were a number of different teams and titles depicting the adventures of the main DC team, including International Justice League and Justice League Europe, where DC’s greatest heroes were spread across multiple teams. The story of “Breakdowns” spread across the titles and led to the eventual dissolution of all teams, heralding the beginning of a new era of the Justice League that brought together the so-called ‘Big Seven’ group which is still ostensibly the core of the turns on.
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This new version of the League appeared in the 1996 miniseries Justice League: a summer solstice nightmare by Fabian Nicieza, Mark Waid and Darick Robertson. The story revolves around a world similar to the regular DC Universe, but also strangely different from it in many ways. Throughout this new world, many individuals called “Sparkers” were awakening with powers.
However, one thing that was missing was any knowledge of DC’s best-known superheroes. The heroes themselves didn’t even know it. Kyle Rayner was drawing a Green Lantern comic that he believed to be completely fictional. Bruce Wayne was trying to help the orphan Jason Todd, Clark Kent was a good-natured reporter and Diana Prince was a school principal. In addition, Wally West was a teacher in Blue Valley, J’onn J’onzz lived with his family on Mars, and Arthur Curry was the newly appointed board member of a fish packaging company.
After an incident at the Daily Planet and a meeting with Thomas and Martha Wayne remind Clark and Bruce of their true identities as Superman and Batman, the two meet to discuss this unknown world. Meanwhile, Wally sees the comic book of Kyle’s Green Lantern and, reminding him of his recent nightmares, sets off for New York for answers.
Batman tracks down Arthur and Diana’s whereabouts and he and Superman set out to remind their friends of their true identities. While Superman takes the gentle approach of a night flight to refresh Wonder Woman’s memory, Batman sinks Arthur’s head in an aquarium to remind him that he can breathe underwater. With Wonder Woman and Aquaman at their side, the heroes decide that the only way to stop what’s going on is together.
After reuniting with the recently awakened Green Lantern and Flash, the six heroes determine that the villain behind the extraordinary new status quo is a more powerful Doctor Doom. They needed the help of Martian Manhunter to track him down, but J’onn is not as willing to leave his fantasy as the rest of the heroes. It is only after his fantasy is destroyed by the flames that he awakens, displeased to be united with his fellow heroes.
Discovering that Green Lantern was plotting the location of the source of the world’s changes in his comic book, the seven heroes take off to face Doctor Destiny, only to discover that Destiny is not the brain. Destiny sold his soul to a villain named Know Man, who claims to be the savior of Earth. He thinks that today’s Earth heroes are not equipped to deal with an approaching threat and that an Earth full of powerful individuals is the real answer.
With brute force, resulting in Superman simply being launched into space, Batman devises a plan that combines the powers of Manhunter and Aquaman with Doctor Destiny’s new ability to turn dreams into reality. Combining his powers, Manhunter is able to reach the people of Earth and wake them up from the dream world of Destiny.
Know Man accepts defeat, in the hope that the heroes will rise to the challenge of the threat ahead. The seven decide that if they are, they will be together – like a new Justice League. This marks the end of the JLI and JLE era and established a new status quo for Morrison and Porter JLA race that brought back the most familiar modern cast on the team.
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