This DC Superhero Team Quietly Surpassed the JLA

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I’ve been a Justice League fan since I was a kid, ever since they first came out in 1960! Seeing heroes like Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern team up was always amazing. But honestly, things haven’t been as strong for the League lately. It feels like they’ve been a little lost. Thankfully, the new series by Mark Waid and Dan Mora is really promising and seems to be getting them back on track. Still, it’s tough to ignore that another superhero team has really taken the spotlight.

Team-based comics have long been important to DC’s publishing plans, giving even less popular heroes a consistent place in their universe. Along with major stars like Wonder Woman and The Flash, these lesser-known characters have added depth to the Justice League, keeping the series interesting and current. But after some large-scale stories diminished the impact of the Justice League title itself, other teams have had the chance to shine.

The World’s Finest Somehow Overshadowed the JLA

A key error DC Comics made was diminishing the Justice League’s role after the Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths event. Instead of focusing on the League, DC attempted to establish the Teen Titans as their flagship team for 2024, allowing writer Tom Taylor and artist Stephen Segovia to develop them. Although this strategy appealed to some, many Justice League fans were frustrated throughout the year, particularly because they were eager to find out who would be leading the team creatively next.

Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s World’s Finest comic was just getting started, offering a nostalgic feel reminiscent of DC stories from the 2000s. The series successfully blended classic, adventurous storytelling with current DC continuity, emphasizing the strong bond between Batman and Superman. It was especially appreciated by fans who enjoyed older, less well-known characters, featuring appearances from groups like the Doom Patrol and Doctor Occult, as well as characters like Magog from the Kingdom Come storyline. This made World’s Finest DC’s leading team-up book.

DC Comics was facing uncertainty after the Infinite Frontier event, but the World’s Finest series arrived and quickly established a strong creative path forward. Many felt the book revitalized the company, pulling it out of a period of stagnation. While it didn’t drastically change other comics, its popularity demonstrated what worked. Fans were thrilled to see writer Mark Waid and artist Brian Mora later take on Justice League Unlimited, but it was their work on World’s Finest, focusing on Batman and Superman, that truly captivated readers.

One of the best things about the title World’s Finest is that it really showcased the wider DC Universe, not just focused on a single team. While Batman and Superman – along with Robin and Supergirl – are central to the story, the series happily shared the spotlight with other heroes. The early introduction of the Doom Patrol signaled that this would be a run where everyone had a place.

The Justice Society Has Been Having a Resurgence

Even though the World’s Finest comic is currently very popular in the DC universe, the Justice Society is also experiencing a strong resurgence, arguably its best period since the New 52 relaunch. The “JSA: Year One” storyline, crafted by Jeff Lemire and Gavin Guidry, is offering fans a fresh perspective on the Golden Age of heroes, seen through the eyes of its iconic characters. Beyond that, the series features a diverse cast of both heroes and villains, which is something fans would like to see more of in the main Justice League titles.

The Justice Society of America has enjoyed an advantage the Justice League didn’t: having two ongoing comic book series while the League was being relaunched. This independence has allowed writer Jeff Lemire to create one of the best runs on the team in over fifteen years. Just as Geoff Johns’ JSA series often outshone the League in the 2000s, the current JSA era has thrived with a consistent presence. By avoiding large crossover events, the series quickly found its readership and proved that a team book can feature a wide range of characters and stories without feeling overcrowded.

The current Justice Society of America team – featuring beloved characters like Alan Scott, Obsidian, Jay Garrick, Wildcat, and Hourman – feels like a direct response to fan requests. Many see it as DC Comics acknowledging and correcting past mistakes with these characters, especially after they were removed from the main story timeline in 2011. Fans are especially excited, and even a bit surprised, to see the JSA back in a new series.

While the Justice League usually deals with the biggest, current events in the DC Universe, the Justice Society of America excels at showcasing the importance of its history. As a team spanning multiple generations, the JSA provides a strong sense of the past that the League doesn’t. Writer Jeff Lemire has consistently demonstrated an understanding of this, and hasn’t hesitated to bring back lesser-known characters to highlight DC’s rich legacy.

The Enduring Importance of the Justice League

The Justice League shouldn’t just be a showcase for the publisher’s most popular heroes. Historically, it’s been a great way to introduce lesser-known characters to a new audience. Runs like the one led by Dwayne McDuffie did this by bringing heroes like Vixen and Red Tornado back into the spotlight. The current Justice League Unlimited run by Mark Waid and Dan Mora is doing the same, featuring characters like Black Lightning and Captain Atom. However, there’s still potential to do even more, especially when compared to the creatively expansive Justice League International era by JM DeMatteis, Kevin Maguire, and Keith Giffen.

Honestly, looking back, DC really nailed it when they had multiple Justice League teams going at the same time. Remember 2018? We had Scott Snyder’s main Justice League, then the more out-there Justice League Odyssey from Joshua Williamson, and James Tynion IV’s spooky Justice League Dark. I don’t think we need three full teams again, but another League book with a different focus would be awesome. With so many heroes in the DC universe, trying to fit them all into one team just doesn’t work, and it’d be cool to see a classic line-up make a comeback and really mix things up.

While the recent Justice League Unlimited series has been enjoyable, it’s been bogged down by too many connected storylines and events. With crossovers like World’s Finest and We Are Yesterday, plus the K.O. tie-in, the series hasn’t fully established its own unique direction. Many characters feel like they’re continuing storylines from the 2022 series, constantly highlighting how strong the Batman and Superman team-up was. Ultimately, it feels more like an extension of World’s Finest than a fresh, standalone story.

It’s become a common problem in DC Comics that the Justice League isn’t treated as a standalone team anymore. Instead, every major storyline seems to revolve around them. While Geoff Johns’ New 52 series started all the big changes, Scott Snyder’s run felt like a brief pause between his larger stories. Too many recent Justice League comics have lost the feeling that the team can operate independently, something books like JSA and World’s Finest have done really well.

Mark Waid’s Justice League is the Most Promising in Years

I’m really enjoying the new Justice League direction! It feels like a welcome change from how the book was being used before. Scott Snyder’s run had its highs, but a lot of those stories – like “The Totality” and “Justice/Doom War” – just felt like setups for the next big thing. It was exciting, sure, but it didn’t give the League a chance to have those classic, standalone adventures that made the book great going all the way back to the Silver Age. When it feels like Justice League is always building to a huge crossover, it loses what makes it special, you know? I want self-contained stories that feel fresh and new, and this new series seems to be giving us just that.

Fans can expect great things from Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s new run on the JLA, given how well they’ve worked together before. For the past two years, their series World’s Finest has been DC’s best team book, and many would argue that the JSA is currently a stronger series than the Justice League itself.

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2026-02-20 23:13