Welcome to Adventure(s) Time's forty-fifth installment, a look at classic animated series and their tie-in comic books. This week, we examine Justice League, once the DC Animated Universe's most ambitious project, for the first time.

By 2001, DC's Adventures line had been going for nearly ten years. After producing tie-ins for the animated Batman, Superman, and Batman Beyond series, a Justice League inspired comic was a no-brainer. (Though this did require DC to forget their previous attempt at "animating" their heroes in Adventures in the DC Universe. Given reader response to this title, maybe that's for the best.)

RELATED: Why The Joker Was Redesigned for Batman: The Animated Series

After years of steady creative teams on the Adventures comics, DC altered tactics in this era. Editors have no shortage of submissions from talented people they'd like to give a shot. Monthly titles, especially in the days of continuity-heavy comics, don't allow too many opportunities for this. Self-contained, continuity-free series, however, do. Therefore, the Adventures line became a rotating showcase of new talent.

One of the writers given a break came from an obscure sketch comedy series called The Upright Citizens Brigade. While he remained unknown in 2001, a comedy nerd of today likely would recognize Josh Siegal's name, as he has gone on to executive produce and write for series like 30 Rock, The Good Place and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt .

Siegal's comics debut occurred in Justice League Adventures #10 (October 2002.) Joining him is penciler Chris Jones, and cover artist Butch Lukic. Lukic, a director on the cartoon, displays some impressive painting skills.

The rotating creative teams have been cited as a reason for why the Adventures line lost so much attention after the 1990s ended. That's possibly true, but if more of the stories had hooks as strong as this, perhaps it wouldn't have been an issue. "Must There Be A Martian Manhunter?" is a character piece on J'onn J'Onzz, often the heart of the animated series. The idea of Superman, a humanoid alien, becoming accepted on Earth while the very alien J'Onzz is shunned for his appearance, is the story's hook.

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A goth supervillain named Screamthief has appeared, turning nightmares into reality. Blasting Superman with one of her dreamed-up cannons, the Man of Steel is incapacitated for several days. A public malaise ensues, one Screamthief exploits. (Cue that maudlin opening scene from the Justice League film. Everybody knows the good guys, and the vision of “blockbuster auteur” directors, lost.)

Using his shapeshifting powers to take Superman's place, J'onn is placed in the awkward position of replacing the perfect hero. Even his teammates can't agree on how J'onn should play this role.

It's a great conflict for J'onn. Superman and J'onn J'Onzz. Both heroes, aliens, and tragic refugees from their homeworlds. One raised in a loving home, blessed with handsome looks. The other...well, what do we know about this incarnation of J'onn? He's clearly alien, yes, but possesses the ability to shapeshift. He could fit in, physically, any time he wished. Why is he so moody?

The better episodes of the series addressed another of J'onn's powers, his ability to read minds. Being an alien to a world, but also possessing the ability to read the thoughts of its citizens, does give J'onn a unique conflict. Understanding humanity's darker desires, to have insight into the hypocrisies and most embarrassing urges of the people you save? That's an incredible burden for a superhero.

To defeat Screamthief, "Superman" must deliver a speech to rally the public. J'onn doesn't feel as if he's the right one for the job.

In the end, it's his words to Screamthief that matter most. An outcast from her small town, J'onn finds a bond with the young woman. He reveals he understands her fear of not fitting in; she has the quickie villain change of heart and halts her attack. Easily could've been a cornball ending, but the story pulls it off. A solid issue, really, with a strong hook and art suitable for the show's character models. Unfortunately, this will not be the direction taken by the Adventures line.

A year after this issue's publication, Justice League was entering its second season. The first year faced some criticism for simplistic stories and bland characterizations. Taking the judgment to heart, the producers changed course. Season Two would be less Super Friends, and more of the animated Justice League fans had demanded for years.

A character piece on Martian Manhunter was one of the earliest stories in the new direction. Airing on October 4, 2003, the two-part "Tabula Rasa" is presented by writer Stan Berkowitz and director Dan Riba. The plot gives J'onn a crisis of conscience that would've felt out of place in Season One.

We open with a dying Lex Luthor escaping the League. He thinks his employee Dr. Ivo can provide help, only to instead discover an android with the powers to destroy his enemies.

Now, what does this have to do with Martian Manhunter? When searching for Luthor, J'onn is asked to perform a telepathic sweep of the city. The unfiltered selfishness and petty desires of humanity overwhelm the alien. Reverting to his true Martian form, J'onn retreats to the forest. “The hatred shouldn’t have surprised me,” J’onn muses. “But the selfishness. The sheer volume of it. The cheap attempts to disguise it...”

Heavy material for a show that, a season prior, non-ironically featured dialogue like "Let's not fight among ourselves." (Superman, the Dad apparently, lecturing his teammates to play along.) In the midst of this, the League is facing A.M.A.Z.O., a power-absorbing android Lex has manipulated for his own purposes. Also, Lex's former assistant Mercy is finding herself once again drawn under his spell. Superman occasionally hinted at a romance between the two. "Tabula Rasa" is far more explicit, although the implied relationship here seems to have little to do with "romance."

Back to J'onn, the forest provides a surprising antidote for his angst. Thoughts of a nearby search crew, looking for a missing child, enter his mind. J'onn is exposed to the other side of humanity, the part of ourselves that allows us to look beyond selfish desires and make sacrifices for others. So, with the aid of a pep talk from Wonder Woman, J'onn returns to the fight.

And, tying this together in a bow, J'onn gifts A.M.A.Z.O. with his ability to read minds. A.M.A.Z.O. recognizes Luthor's true motives and grows so disgusted with humanity, he flies into outer space. A bit of a quickie ending, but a clever way for Berkowitz to connect the A and B plots.

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The Wrap-Up

Design-y

One image from the DCAU that always works is Batman defiantly holding tiny amounts of Kryptonite. He uses it here against A.M.A.Z.O.

Continuity Notes

The comics' Amazo bears little resemblance to A.M.A.Z.O. Aside from the redesign, he's typically referred to only as "the android." (The producers felt uneasy with the various "-o" villains from the Silver Age comics.) Making his name an acronym was the show's attempt at updating the android while providing a nod to the comics.

I Love the Early Aughts

A sassy victim of Screamthief declares she's "About as scary as O-Town." Google this reference at your own risk.

Hey, I Know that Voice

Lisa Edelstein returns as Mercy Graves. She'll later become famous as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on House.  Robert Picardo voices A.M.A.Z.O.  You might remember him as Coach Cutlip in The Wonder Years, the Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager, and Agent Woolsey on Stargate.

Battle of the J'onzzes

More than one writer has used J'onn's view of humanity as a way of exploring deeper themes in the superhero context. Siegal's story has him recognizing his own alienation amongst humanity. "Tabula Rasa" pits J'onn against our darkest thoughts. (Given just how offended J'onn is by humanity, you'd think all Martians were saints.) Berkowitz's story has more to do with the corruption of innocence, with Luthor starring as a Satan-like figure. Both stories have potentially cheesy moments, but manage to skirt the edge and get their point across. One has J'onn seeing himself in humanity. Another has him recognizing our complexity.

Fine work, and the Adventures issue deserves credit for exploring this first.  But "Tabula Rasa" has one advantage -- Clancy Brown's Lex Luthor. "Tabula Rasa" is Luthor at his nastiness, which is pure fun to watch.

That’s all for now. If you have any episodes of an animated series you’d like to see paired with its tie-in comic, just leave a comment or contact me on Twitter.