Flashback Nov '86 - Justice League of America # 256

This is from the 'Justice League Detroit' era of Justice League of America. Of course, by the time of this issue, they had been kicked out of their Detroit headquarters and were meeting in the mountain that they used back in the 60's.

The plot involved someone named Adam who had kidnapped Zatanna and somehow stolen her magical powers. The homo magi power was too much for him though, and he was being driven insane. It was up to J'onn J'onnz, Zatanna and Gypsy to save him.

JLA was the first comic I ever collected. Of the original series, I have every issue except 9 of the really early ones (which I've read in reprints but will never buy now). The only reason I was still buying this comic in 1986 was a sense of completion. It had strayed a long way from the original reasons I bought it as a kid. To have one comic where you could see all the big heroes was a pretty cool thing for a 10 year old who only had $1.00 to spend on comics. This version of the JLA certainly didn't have 'all the big heroes'. I wasn't enjoying this comic at all. It's the only time I've continued to buy something I didn't like just to have a complete series.

I wasn't enjoying the artwork from Luke McDonnell. It just didn't seem "big" enough to be on JLA. On the other hand, when he started drawing Suicide Squad I thought his art was great for that series. It had a gritty look which matched the tone of that series.

The mini-series Legends started this month (Nov '86) and the end of that series introduced the new Justice League so this version of the League didn't have long left to live. The new League by Giffen and DeMatteis was hugely popular. I don't think there was anyone missing the Justice League Detroit version.