The Justice League is DC's premier superhero team. And with so many heroes occupying the DC Universe, the League roster has evolved quite a bit over the years. Sometimes it features the best, brightest and most famous heroes and sometimes the up-and-coming newbies, but more often it's a mixture of both. That's definitely the case with the newest incarnation of the team making its debut in Justice League of America #1 this week.

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The

The Justice League International

The Pantheon

To celebrate the newest Justice League, we're looking back at our favorite JLA rosters in DC's comics, ranging from the classic 1970's team to the modern New 52 incarnation. We'll break down some of the essential stories for each and the easiest way to read them.Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Firestorm, Zatanna, Red Tornado, HawkmanIf you want a Justice League comic with massive cast comprised of the biggest guns in the DCU, then pretty much any issue of Justice League of America between 1970 and 1983 will fit the bill. This period is commonly known as "the Satellite era." During this point, the core Big Seven lineup was joined by other major heroes like Green Arrow, Black Canary and Firestorm. To house such a massive team, the League left their original headquarters and began protecting the world from their orbital space satellite instead.This era proved hugely influential, both in terms of its iconic roster and the fact that it featured so many key creators like Gerry Conway, George Perez, Len Wein and Cary Bates. Artist Dick Dillin enjoyed a Cal Ripken-worthy streak on the series, drawing the vast majority of the issues from 1968 until his death in 1980. The Satellite Era's influence can be felt in many places, from Kenner's Super Powers toy line to the animated series Justice League Unlimited.It's hard to spotlight any particular storyline from such a long period of time, though the oversized Justice League of America #200 is certainly worth hunting down. We'd recommend holding out for DC's upcoming Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus, which will collect a giant chunk of the team's early '70s adventures.Batman, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Fire, Ice, Guy Gardner, Doctor Light, Mister Miracle, Big Barda, Rocket Red, Maxwell LordThe '80s marked a time where DC tried to downplay the traditional "Big Seven" Justice League roster in favor of a more diverse and eclectic lineup that could better appeal to fans of Uncanny X-Men and Teen Titans. That yielded mixed results when it came to the debut of Justice League Detroit, but DC had far better success with the next revamp, Justice League International.While this new, more multicultural Justice League included a handful of icons like Batman and Martian Manhunter, the focus was mainly on lesser-known heroes like Booster Gold, Fire, Ice and Guy Gardner. The series also allowed DC to induct some of its then-recent Charlton Comics acquisitions like Blue Beetle and Captain Atom into the DCU. The new team was financed and supervised by Maxwell Lord, who back in those days was still a mild-mannered billionaire and not a scheming supervillain with psychic powers.This era of the Justice League franchise is affectionately coined "The Bwahaha! Era," reflecting a greater emphasis on slapstick comedy and flawed heroes. This team was very much shaped by co-writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis and artists Kevin Maguire and Ty Templeton, who delivered iconic moments like Batman decking Guy Gardner and built up the enduring friendship between Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. Long after DC replaced JLI with newer incarnations of the team, these creators reunited on a pair of follow-up mini-series called Formerly Known as the Justice League and I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League.Basically, anything with Giffen, DeMatteis, Maguire and Templeton names attached is worth reading. But the easiest way to dive into this era is to hunt down DC's various Justice League International trade paperbacks.Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Aquaman, Martian ManhunterDC continued to emphasize lesser-known heroes in its various Justice League comics throughout much of the '90s, but even when the franchise ballooned to three monthly books, none really captured the charm of JLI. So when the series was relaunched under writer Grant Morrison and artist Howard Porter, it struck a chord by returning to a smaller roster centered around the classic Big Seven (albeit with Wally West and Kyle Rayner filling in for the deceased Barry Allen and Hal Jordan). The series eventually expanded to include heroes like Green Arrow, AztekThis team is commonly referred to as "The Pantheon," reflecting the fact that Morrison treated his team less like superheroes and more like Greek gods. Batman alone was pretty much at the height of his infallibility in this series. Fortunately, the threats against the JLA were heightened in response, making the most of Morrison's penchant for high-concept superhero adventures.This JLA run shows its age in some ways, as both the Electric Blue Superman and hook-handed Aquaman put in appearances. But both Morrison and follow-up writer Mark Waid crafted some of the absolute best Justice League tales ever in this series, including epics like "Rock of Ages" and "Tower of Babel."As with Justice League International, DC now has a comprehensive series of trade paperbacks covering the JLA. Fans should snatch up JLA Books 1-5 in order to get the complete Morrison and Waid sagas.