Justice League International #8 – “Moving Day” – Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis/Kevin Maguire/Al Gordon
This is basically a downtime issue, showing the League as they try to get used to being under the aegis of the United Nations and move into various embassies around the world. This issue is a classic fan-favourite, and really cements the tone of the so-called “Bwa-ha-ha League”. In New York, J’onn J’onzz is supervising the movers (whose load includes a huge crate of Oreos) and finds out the embassy’s infrastructure isn’t all that great when he crashes through the floor into the room below. Mr. Miracle and Captain Atom are working on the security system (which Captain Atom wrecks accidentally) and discover the building’s wiring isn’t
in any better shape than its framework. In Moscow, Batman and Guy Gardner are checking out the JLI embassy there and meet up with Rocket Red, who’s been added to the team. The Russians aren’t happy about Guy being there (since he almost started World War III in a recent Green Lantern issue), but since his head injury last issue, Guy has turned into a goody-two-shoes; I’m not sure which is more annoying, the old asshole Guy, or the new sickeningly sweet Guy. Batman has Guy sweep the embassy for bugs and finds one, giving it back to their liaison (Razumihin) to let him know they’re wise to his bugging attempt. MR. Miracle drops by STAR Labs to pick up … 
something. We don’t see what it is, but I’m assuming it’s some kind of plane. In Paris, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle are hanging out (this is the beginning of their long friendship) and Booster puts the moves on a gorgeous French woman. He’s shot down within six seconds, which Beetle finds hilarious (his repeated Bwa-ha-has giving this iteration of the League its name). When they get back to the embassy, Black Canary is pissed off that they left her to do all the work and Beetle’s constant laughing doesn’t improve her mood. The bureau chief arrives and it just happens to be the same woman (Catherine Cobert) who shot Booster down. He’s freaking out, but she doesn’t recognize him (since he was in civilian clothes when he hit on her), so he figures everything is cool … until Beetle sees her. In New York, Mr. Miracle brings back the new shuttle from STAR Labs (see, I knew it was a
plane of some kind), but goes right through the embassy roof when he tries to land. They get an emergency call from Bonn and get ready for their first official mission as the Justice League International. There’s an epilogue to the story, showing the Global Guardians shutting down their headquarters (The Dome), since the JLI have taken over their mandate with the United Nations. Most of the Guardians are taking it in stride (since the team still exists, they’re just not affiliated with the UN anymore), but Jack O’ Lantern is pretty pissed off.
New Teen Titans #38 – “Clusters” – Marv Wolfman (plot), Roy and Dann Thomas/Eduardo Barreto/Romeo Tanghal
If you’re wondering why I’m reviewing this issue here, it’s the first half of a two-parter with Infinity Inc. 45, reviewed just below. This one starts in outer space, with the shuttle containing the comatose body of the Ultra-Humanite (from All-Star Squadron 56) approaching a strange energy cluster. The energy seems to have a rudimentary intelligence and probes Ultra-Humanite’s mind, seeing his defeats by various superheroes on Earth. The contact with Ultra-Humanite gives
substance to the energy, turning into a crystalline form made up of uncountable tiny pieces that merge with Ultra-Humanite and directs the shuttle back towards Earth. In New York, five members of Infinity Inc. (Nuklon, Wildcat, Obsidian, Jade, and Mr. Bones) drop by Titans’ Tower to meet their East Coast counterparts. Only Wonder Girl, Raven, Starfire, Cyborg and Changeling are present (and of course, Changeling starts hitting on Jade immediately). Their meeting is interrupted when Raven senses immense rage approaching and goes to check it out, followed by Obsidian. They see Ultra’s 
shuttle land in the river and go inside, getting a surprise when Ultra wakes from his coma and attacks them. Raven senses pain as well as anger in him, but his mental powers almost kill her and Obsidian before they can escape. Ultra uses his telekinesis to re-arrange the shuttle into a new means of transport, but the others attack him as soon as he surfaces. Meanwhile, Raven uses her empathic powers to heal Obsidian and he kinda starts crushing on her; apparently, she showed part of her soul to him while she was in his mind, so they saw into each other’s souls. Whatever they saw seems to have affected both of them deeply. Ultra blasts the Infinitors and Titans and takes off to fulfill his mission … although he can’t actually remember what that mission is. Raven and Obsidian take their teammates to the infirmary in Titans’ Tower and go after Ultra. He’s heading downtown, releasing the energy he’s been
carrying, which builds into a humanoid form as big as a skyscraper. It siphons electrical energy from everything within reach and lumbers through the streets, shedding tiny bits of itself with every step. Those tiny crystalline clusters spread and devour anything they come in contact with. Raven and Obsidian attack the giant energy form, but are repelled violently. They hear screams from a building about to be dissolved by the crystalline clusters and go inside to rescue a woman and her kid. Raven uses her powers to keep the woman and kid alive, even as the building collapses around her. Obsidian heads back to Titans’ Tower for help, finding both teams recovered from their earlier beating and ready to fight again.
Infinity Inc. #45 – “Clusters, Part II” – Roy and Dann Thomass/Mike Gustovich
Continuing from the issue above, the Titans and Infinitors attack the energy cluster, but can’t do much damage and have to be careful not to be dissolved by the hungry clusters. They do manage to get the clusters away from Raven, giving her time to stabilize the mother and kid. She’s pretty wiped out, so Obsidian takes her back to Titans’ Tower to rest, taking along an inactive chunk of the cluster for analysis. On the way, Obsidian drops the crystal into the river, but retrieves it before it’s lost. They analyze the fragment and Raven realizes it contains iron that re-aligns itself with Earth’s magnetic field, suggesting it might be vulnerable
to an electrical field. She teleports to tell the others and Wonder Girl suggests Jade whip up an electro-magnet, using the solar batteries from the Tower as a power source. Starfire funnels her power through the electro-magnet and it does begin to disrupt the creature, but it pulls out a water main and blasts them with it. Back at the Tower, Raven realizes the chunk they’ve been analyzing is completely dormant and figures falling in the river might’ve caused it. She radios the others and they put all their effort into getting the creature close to the river so Jade can scoop up a bunch of mud from the bottom and coat the creature 
with it. The others help and whatever microbes are in he mud start eating away at the creature, but this time it pulls up a gas main, lighting itself on fire and burning off the mud. Raven and Obsidian know they’re the only ones who can get inside the creature and deal with Ultra-Humanite directly, so they turn insubstantial and go inside. Raven realizes the clusters are mindless like a coral reef, but are actually drawing on Ultra’s intellect and keeping him prisoner, in terrible pain. She and Obsidian free Ultra so he can help them fight the clusters, but his pain is so great he can’t concentrate. Raven is ready to absorb it, but Obsidian uses his power to show Ultra he evil part of himself, hoping he’ll
reject it and be able to help them. It works and the three of them break free from the clusters, which Jade and Starfire fling into space. Ultra’s feeling like crap because apparently his deepest desire is to be a regular human again, which is impossible. Later, the teams celebrate their victory with a poolside barbecue at the Tower, where Jade shoots Changeling down again, and Raven lets Obsidian down a little more gently.