Issue #7: "Justice League... International!"
Story:
Giffen & DeMatteis
Art:
Maguire & Gordon
Cover
Price: $ 1.25
Cover
Date: November 87
Length:
38 pages (Special)
Members: Green
Lantern (Guy Gardner), Black Canary, Mister Miracle, Oberon, Captain Marvel,
Maxwell Lord, J'onn J'onz (Martian Manhunter), Blue Beetle, Dr. Fate, Batman,
Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Rocket Red (#7; not pictured)
Opponents: The Gray Man
New Members: Captain Atom, Rocket Red (#7)
Resignations: Captain Marvel
Featuring:
The Creeper, Big
Barda, Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Superman, Rumaan Harjavti, Ronald Reagan
Story:
Guy Gardner is finally regaining consciousness after Batman's TKO and he begins looking for his power ring which he took off when he decided to fight Batman. He finds it beneath a monitor and, as he is getting it, bumps his head, knocking him unconscious again.Things to Watch:
Meanwhile, in "a place that's not a place," which is where Dr. Fate made himself, the Gray Man, and most of the League disappear to, the Gray Man confronts Fate, who simply sends him to stand before the Lords of Order. They explain to the Gray Man that his transformation was supposed to be seen as a reward, and not a curse. The Gray Man lets them know that he does not wish to have their reward and they agree to finally let him have peace; this "peace" seems to come in the form of disintegration.
Everything is promptly returned to its previous state, and the citizen's of Stone Ridge are left oblivious to what has trnaspired. Dr. Fate mysteriously leaves and, the adventure over, the Creeper also takes his leave of the group. They start back for their HQ.
At the United Nations, J'onn J'onzz has arrived to meet with Maxwell Lord, who now has a private office there. They speak of something "big" that will benefit the League and the world greatly. As they reach Max's office, Oberon arrives to meet them.
Back at the HQ, Mister Miracle is on monitor duty and sees Hal Jordan approaching...
As Max and Oberon try to convince J'onn that a "new League status" will help them to achieve their goal, we see that they are being watched by someone on a monitor.
In Washington, D.C., Superman meets with Ronald Reagan to "approve of and heartily recommend" a major move for the League. Reagan is not yet sure if the idea is totally valid and says he will have to think about it still.
Back at HQ yet again, Captain Marvel is expressing doubts about whether he should continue as a member of the League. Hal Jordan has now arrived and had a chat with Guy Gardner. He has tried to explain to him that, with the new direction the League will soon be taking, Guy must try to shape up his act. Surprisngly, Guy gave no argument and now sits at the monitor quietly on duty, seemingly in very good spirits.
Now, a satellite orbitting Earth begins to fire a powerful ray down to the surface, eventually beginning to cut a path towards a US nuclear weapons site. The League, of course, goes into action. Using a shuttle from S.T.A.R. Labs, they go into space to try and stop the satellite. Spacewalking, the League is directly attacked by the satellite, and, as the world watches via a camera mysteriously placed on the satellite, Batman's suit is ruptured, but he is somehow still able to breathe. Meanwhile, Mister Miracle realizes something seemingly familiar about the satellite and the way it has worked thus far. He takes a chance by simply travelling through the deadly beam and enters the satellite to disarm it.
Later, at the UN, Mister Miracle reveals that he recognized the satellite as a training tool from his time on Apokolips that is programmed to keep the trainees safe. That is how he knew he would survive going through the beam, and also why Batman was not killed by the rupturing of his suit.
After some debate by UN members, the big plan is finally revealed: the Justice League is to be given international status as a UN-sactioned peace-keeping force and establish embassies throughout the world. With this announcment, Captain Marvel decides it will be better for him to leave the League as he feels he cannot adequately fulfill the responsibity this new status will require. Also, Batman decides that internation status is too high-profile for his taste, and steps down as leader, calling on J'onn to take over. To satisfy the two big world powers, the League must admit Captain Atom of the US and a member of the Soviet Rocket Red Brigade.
