Conspiracy, foundations and discovery. JLA (II) #0, #93-#104

#0 (Oct' 94) Home Again - 5/10

The ubiquitous lets gather the team, throw in a few mysteries and try and out some team dynamics issue. The team assembles aboard the abandoned Overmaster escape pod and has to deal with a T2000 style stimulant that poses as the Blue Beetle in order to plant spying devices on the Refuge before being defeated by the assembled team.

"Next time remind me to bring my secret decoder ring" -Metamorpho

#93 (Nov' 94) The Baby Hunt - 8/10

Reintroducing the story line of Power Girl and her baby from JLI with a brief glimpse at Echidna. The main vehicle of this issue is the League’s discovery of Scarabus, Scarabus's discovery of Power Girl and Power Girl's discovery of her grandfather Arion. Also Maxwell Lord returns and suddenly falls ill.

#94 (Dec '94) What are you made of? - 7/10

The continuing battle with Scarabus is halted when Power Girl taps into unknown Atlantian powers to defeat the monster and defend her baby. Continuing the theme of discovery Maxwell Lord finds out from doctors that he has a brain tumour that will kill him if treatment is not obtained. However the treatment will destroy his mind. In the final panels we discover villains halted by ice and Obsidian discovers that he can't heal the holes in his shadow form.

#95 (Jan' 95) Where the wild things are. - 7/10

Whereas the previous two issues had focused around discoveries and the introduction of new plot threads this issue serves to continue building the groundwork with the desperate bid by Maxwell Lord to stay alive and apparently failing. Wonder Woman becomes just Diana after a plot from her own series. Meanwhile the main story is the emergence of the Overmasters alien refugees and the Fire-Nuklon date.

#96 (Fen' 95) Rush to Judgement - 6/10

The funeral of Maxwell Lord and guest stars galore are interrupted by Judgement (the brother of the terrorist the Lord set up back in JLA (II) #1) during the obligatory character development. In all a fairly straight forward funeral issue boosted tremendously by the introduction of the Yazz.

"But beware your anybody-can-join policy for the JLA. It might leave you open to... ...infiltration" - Aquaman

#97 (March 95) A burning coal. - 6/10

Introducing Wonder Woman II and Ice Maiden I to the team shows Jones inclination to have a higher ratio of female characters in his teams that some other League groups. Mysteries deepen as Maxwell Lord's autopsy results are lost and it is revealed that his brain has been totally wiped clean. Meanwhile Judgement is finally captured.

#98-#99 (April/May 95) The silent place/ One Devil, Two Devil -7/10

A two part self contained story that focuses on a group of mutated youngsters from a small town under the leadership of the charismatic Joshua. They seek revenge on their parents and a chemical plant that they blame for their mutations. Meanwhile the Blue Devil dramatically arrives aboard the Refuge just as Metamorpho leaves to track down Vivian’s murderer.

#100 (June 95) Opening up the game - 6/100

Extreme Justice stop by to take Diana to task about her open house policy, they leave but Booster and Beetle stay behind to look around. The conspiracy of the Kilg%re moves ahead as Maxwell Lord is reborn as the new Lord Havoc entity and obeying his master attacks the League on the Refuge seeking to install a wiretap so his master can monitor the JLA. We're left with the cliff-hanger of Warrior showing up angry that he was not informed of Tora's death.

"You can be that Sigrid. You're not alone anymore" - Fire

#101 - #102 (July/Aug' 95) Pressure Cooker/Breakout - 8/10

Crosses over with Hawkman #22-#23 and Warrior #32-#34 as the Way of the Warrior story-line. In subplots Ice Maiden proves herself to the team and the investigation into Vivian’s murder continues.

#103 (Sept' 95) Oh, to be nobody. -7/10

The trail of Vivian’s killer leads to the revelation that she is still alive and living with her ex-husband in France. It turns out that she faked her own death to be with him, but how she has really been kidnapped by her arch enemy Duanteur. Metamorpho, Constance and Vivian’s ex-husband begin to follow the trail. Meanwhile Sigrid helps Bea deal with the loss of Tora.

#104 (Oct' 95) Pay the reaper - 7/10

"I saw London. Saw Paris. Fought some monsters. Killed the woman I loved" - Metamorpho

The conclusion of the Crimson Fox story-line as Metamorpho and co. finally manage to track down Daunteur beneath the streets of London. In the ensuing battle Rene is killed. Metamorpho only has enough time to save one of the twins and he saves Constance while Daunteur kills Vivian.

Meanwhile Fire finally comes to terms with the loss of Tora and rejoins the team.

Darkness, Hope and Purge. JLA (II) #105 - #113

#105 (Nov' 95) The Killer Elite - 7/10

Underworld Unleashed tie-in. The Killer Elite bargain with Neron and plan to kill five targets across Gotham City all at the same moment. Only Obsidian (whose shadow powers are being strangely effected by the dark-forces at work) can stop the assignations with the help of a handful of Leaguers. Meanwhile Blue Devil is tempted by Neron and Power Girl continues the search for her son across Thailand as monstrous creatures start appearing in the area.

#106 (Dec' 95) Up from the underworld - 7/10

As Obsidian stops Deadshot from killing a class full of children the rest of the League manages to stop the rest of the Killer Elite. The darkness and evil loosened by Neron allows Scarabus to break free back into our dimension and to attack Power Girl by transforming a nearby scientist into the feral Civit, who under his mental command attacks her.

#107 (Jan' 96) The Devils Due - 8/10

Around the world the League aids Lionheart, Jesse Quick, Superboy and Green Lantern V against the monsters brought forth by Scarabus. Meanwhile Scarabus fights Power Girl over the fate of her son who is revealed to actually be the son of Scarabus via genetic engineering - the mages of Atlantis hoped to cross good and evil in a mystic union to produce their ultimate champion.

#108 (Feb' 96) One hand in darkness - 9/10

Power Girl's son comes to full power in the form of Equinox, the final champion of the ancient Atlantian mages, he is initially beaten back by Scarabus. The intervention of the League buys him the time to find the internal balance that he needs to finally defeat Scarabus. In the aftermath Equinox vanishes leaving the League to ponder the events that they have witnessed.

Meanwhile Todd finally manages to have a successful date while the Arcana group begins to move closer to the League via their links with Blue Devil.

"Good stories down their, Karter. Dam good stories." - Yazz

#109 (March '96) All that Yazz - 9/10

What many would consider a filler issue is lifted by Jones’s flair for character interaction as the Yazz plays matchmaker to the League members with Fire and Guy Gardner plus Sigrid and Al, in some part there is success but Metamorpho ends up battling Blue Devil and then storming off in true "Ollie" style. Meanwhile the Yazz confounds Wally by refusing to divulge it's gender.

#110 (April ' 96) New devil's for old - 7/10

Deep in Texas councilman Refael Sandral is forced to deal with an ancient Aztex entity resulting in him being transformed into the El Diablo who eventually battles the League over his vigilante tactics. He instantly senses and reveals Blue Devil’s unwitting connection to the Arcana.

Onboard the JLA Refuge Civit reveals to Constance her feral nature and Sigrid tells Al that she prefers girls.

#111 (June 96) Purge Part 1: Now it's time... - 8/10

The history of the Arcana and El Diablo are revealed as the Blue Devil and the League follow the trail of the conspiracy back to Speakman Films which is destroyed by explosions as the Arcana cover up its trail. Meanwhile the Arcana itself is over taken by Lord Havoc/ Maxwell Lord under the command of the Kilg%re who also frees Judgement from Bella Reve.

In a web of subplots Al works out his confused feelings for a number of people, while Constance returns home to France only to be last seen running off into some woods while giving into the feral nature of her Crimson Fox persona. At the cliff-hanger the JLA Refuge security systems run amok attacking the League themselves.

#112 (July 96) Purge Part 2: ...to say goodbye... - 8/10

Lord Havoc’s manipulations of the JLA security system forces the League to battle for their lives and the alien refugees lives under their protection. This forces the rest of the League to stop short it's search for the Arcana. Some manage to return to the Refuge while others including the Flash and Wonder Woman fall back to the Extreme Justice Headquarters in order to call in support.

In order to escape the controlling signal the League pilots the Refuge into deep space away from the Earth. The security systems shut down, but so does life support. Yazz secretly contacts the alien slave trader Flicker in a bid for the team and the refugees to escape the Refuge. A result which is to move them to safety but also to put them in captivity.

#113 (Aug' 96) Purge Part 3: ...to all our company. - 9/10

The League captured by Flicker, are held in energy damping manacles as Blue Devil continuities to provoke Kara for seeming little reason. Meanwhile back on Earth the rest of the League track down the controlling signal that caused the Refuge’s systems to malfunction to the headquarters of the Arcana but before they get there it is destroyed by Judgement and evidence is planted pointing to Lord Enterprises.

The Devil’s provoking of Kara pays off as she reaches such an enraged state that she is able to overload the manacles. It finally falls to Nuklon to take down Flicker with one of his little used nuclear punches. In the aftermath the alien refugees remain on Flicker's city rebuilding it as a viable community, the League returns to Earth to take some well earned time off.