I found this DC "greatest hits" on markdown for $3, so even though I knew I wouldn't agree with its choices, I bought it.

Robert Greenberger's text is pretty much what I expected: it's a list of touchstones for hardcore fans, discussing things like the different headquarters that the group used over time. My personal preference would've been for the "greatest moments" in terms of the stories that were best in terms of action, drama, mythical insight, or whatever.

So here's my first nominee; 1967's JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #51. This was the culmination of the months-long "Zatanna plotline," in which the daughter of the magician Zatara went looking for her lost father in various DC stories, all scripted by Gardner Fox. After Zatanna crossed paths with Hawkman, the Atom, Green Lantern, the Elongated Man and Batman (sort of), Zatanna united all of these heroes (again, sort of) to aid her in rescuing Zatara from a mystic land. Fox's scripts could sometimes be too dry, but there's a lot of good humor and human interest here.

Feel free to add your own nominees.

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  • I nominate Justice League of America #260, from 1987 IIRC.  The penultimate issue of the original series, and the most touching JL story that I have ever read. 

    It will be featured in the JL Detroit thread soon enough, so I do not want to give details right now.  Suffice to say that it has a lot of very relatable, very human drama that isn't easily forgotten.

  • I'd go with Justice League of America #'s 21 and 22 - the first ever Crisis story that brought the Justice Society into current day comics and set the table for 20 plus years of stories.

  • Wow Luis , 

    Really looking forward to this now!

    Luis Olavo de Moura Dantas said:

    I nominate Justice League of America #260, from 1987 IIRC.  The penultimate issue of the original series, and the most touching JL story that I have ever read. 

    It will be featured in the JL Detroit thread soon enough, so I do not want to give details right now.  Suffice to say that it has a lot of very relatable, very human drama that isn't easily forgotten.

  • Greenberger's written a number of these books, and I know he's asked certain facebook groups to suggest moments for him to consider for inclusion, so it wasn't all down to his own experience and nostalgia. But lists like this are made to be debated and second-guessed. 

    Which is weird to do when I actually don't know what's IN there.

    But since this is "moments" and not "stories," I'd definitely include the "One Punch" moment from early JLI. I've no idea what the larger story of that issue was, but that moment is indelible. I'm sure it's in there.


  • You are correct, sir; "one punch" made it in. I wonder how many people, even among hardcore JLA fans, even remember what the story proper was about,,,

    Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said:

    Greenberger's written a number of these books, and I know he's asked certain facebook groups to suggest moments for him to consider for inclusion, so it wasn't all down to his own experience and nostalgia. But lists like this are made to be debated and second-guessed. 

    Which is weird to do when I actually don't know what's IN there.

    But since this is "moments" and not "stories," I'd definitely include the "One Punch" moment from early JLI. I've no idea what the larger story of that issue was, but that moment is indelible. I'm sure it's in there.


  • I was no fan of the JLI, but I remember that it was at some point between Millenium and Invasion.  Come to think of it, wasn't it the story when they learn that Maxwell Lord was being controlled by some form of computer (years later revealed to be Kilg%re) and the interim JL becomes the JLI?

    Gene Phillips said:

    You are correct, sir; "one punch" made it in. I wonder how many people, even among hardcore JLA fans, even remember what the story proper was about,,,

    Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said:

    Greenberger's written a number of these books, and I know he's asked certain facebook groups to suggest moments for him to consider for inclusion, so it wasn't all down to his own experience and nostalgia. But lists like this are made to be debated and second-guessed. 

    Which is weird to do when I actually don't know what's IN there.

    But since this is "moments" and not "stories," I'd definitely include the "One Punch" moment from early JLI. I've no idea what the larger story of that issue was, but that moment is indelible. I'm sure it's in there.


  • Was it K%lg%re? I thought it was The Construct? Maybe it was one originally, and then later became the other?

  • IIRC, the Construct was revealed to be K%lg%re in a JLI annual years later.

    Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said:

    Was it K%lg%re? I thought it was The Construct? Maybe it was one originally, and then later became the other?

  • Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said:

    Greenberger's written a number of these books, and I know he's asked certain facebook groups to suggest moments for him to consider for inclusion, so it wasn't all down to his own experience and nostalgia. But lists like this are made to be debated and second-guessed. 

    True. Robert Greenberger recently solicited suggestions on Facebook for best Superman moments and I offered at least a dozen.

    But on the other hand, that approach has its shortcomings. He did a similar book on women superhero moments, and Gail Simone said on Facebook that she looked through it and found she's not in it at all.

    Gail Simone -- writer of Wonder WomanBirds of Prey and Suicide Squad -- not cited at all in a book on women superheroes? Ai yi yi yi yi ... 

  • Wow, really? That's a surprise. He definitely should have expanded his scope, both in his research and the people he asked.

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