aisforamy

From here to issue #27, series art is by Bart Sears over Keith Giffen layouts until otherwise noted. All plots and layouts by Giffen, though DeMatteis will only script through #8.

The idea of a “Justice League Europe” was a natural extension of the “Justice League International” concept, but it has an intrinsic problem: almost any high-profile or mid-profile characters it could use were always going to be Americans. Giffen and DeMatteis leaned into that as an inherent source of conflict from the get-go.

( If this were a TV pilot, it would probably play ‘‘American Idiot’’ over the opening credits. )

The cover and title--“Teenage Biker Mega-Death!”--both have a cheeky charm, but don’t be fooled. I’d call this the darkest story of Giffen and DeMatteis’ run, more so than the funeral episode, Blue Beetle’s mind imploding, or even the Despero stuff. Warning for death, violence, body horror, and a sense of crushing hopelessness I normally associate with election night 2016.

( Even the first time I read this, I was like…‘‘JESUS.’’ )