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Grant Morrison’s JLA Reading Order

Grant Morrison's JLA Reading Order

In 1986, Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis launched Justice League International which became a popular series – see the reading order for more information. A decade later, the commercial success of the series was becoming history, and the titles were canceled. DC tried to revamp the League with the help of Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza. They launched the miniseries Justice League: A Midsummer’s Nightmare. But it was in 1997 when Grant Morrison reformed the Justice League with artist Howard Porter in the new JLA series that the team found success again.

Grant Morrison wrote JLA for the first four years and treated the superheroes as gods who had to fight villains who threatened the World (and/or the Universe). Now based on a Watchtower on the moon, the JLA took on revamped versions of classic threats including the White Martians, the Injustice Gang, and the Key; along with new foes like Prometheus and Mageddon. 

Here is the official synopsis: In a world where superhumans live side-by-side with mortals, the people of Earth can take comfort that some of these powerful beings are on the side of good. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter are the world’s first line of defense against alien invaders and supernatural entities. Time and again the JLA has rallied to save humankind from the brink of extinction. These are the adventures that have made them living legends.

Grant Morrison’s JLA Reading Order: Collected Editions

JLA Omnibus

JLA Deluxe Editions

JLA Paperbacks

Grant Morrison’s JLA Reading Order: Issue by Issue

Even if Grant Morrison’s JLA run can be read alone, the characters continued to evolve in their own ongoing series. Changes affected the Justice League and here is what you need to know:

  • JLA #1–4 “New World Order”
    • Superman Blue Vol. 1: Superman loses his traditional powers and transforms into a being of electromagnetic energy.
  • JLA #5 “Woman of Tomorrow”
  • JLA #6–7 “Fire in the Sky”
  • JLA #8–9 “Imaginary Stories”
  • JLA Secret Files & Origins #1 “Star-Seed”
  • JLA/WildC.A.T.s (one-shot) – a DC/Image crossover event with art by Val Semeiks.
    • Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #125 “Deathwatch” collected in Wonder Woman by John Byrne Vol. 3 – The members of the JLA come to say goodbye to one of their own as Wonder Woman got her soul incinerated by Neron. For more, take a look at our Wonder Woman Reading Order.
    • Aztek the Ultimate Man – Short series from Grant Morrison and Mark Millar introducing Aztek, aka Uno who was raised from childhood by a secret organization named the Q Society to be the champion of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl to battle their enemy, the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca. Aztek joined the Justice League in Aztek, The Ultimate Man #10.
  • JLA #10–15 “Rock of Ages”
  • Prometheus (one-shot)
  • JLA #16–17 “Prometheus Unbound”
    • The short Superman Blue era concluded in Superman Vol 2 #135.

  • JLA #22–23 “Conquerors”
    • For a short period of time, Hippolyta was Wonder Woman. Diana is back at the end of Wonder Woman Vol 2 #136 taking place at the end of the JLA #23 main story but before the epilogue. Collected in Wonder Woman by John Byrne Vol. 3.
  • JLA One Million (one-shot)
    • DC One Million: The event (see reading order here) takes place after JLA #23, as the final two pages of this issue lead into the story.
  • JLA #24–26 “Executive Action”
  • JLA #28–31 “Crisis Times Five”
  • JLA #34 “The Ant and the Avalanche”
  • JLA #36–41 “World War III”

Grant Morrison’s run officially ended here, but he wrote two more JLA Stories after that.

  • JLA: Earth 2 (graphic novel)
  • JLA Classified #1–3: “Ultramarine Corps”

After Grant Morrison’s JLA

Once Grant Morrison left the title, Mark Waid took over and wrote one of the most famous JLA storylines, The Tower of Babel. With Joe Kelly, Waid stayed on the series until #90, then switched to a series of rotating writers until its cancellation with #126.

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