JLA - Die neue Gerechtigkeitsliga Sonderband #14
This volume marks the first time German readers could follow the complete JLA/Titans crossover — 'The Technis Imperative' — in their native language, arriving almost simultaneously with the US original during the high-water mark of Grant Morrison's JLA era. The story served a structurally pivotal function in DC's publishing line: it acted as the bridge between Dan Jurgens' cancelled Teen Titans series and the launch of Devin Grayson's new ongoing Titans title, using the enormous commercial momentum of Morrison's JLA to reintroduce the Titans concept to a generation of readers. For the Dino Verlag line specifically, Sonderband #14 sits squarely in the most ambitious run of that imprint's history, immediately following the two-volume German-language premiere of Crisis on Infinite Earths (Sonderbände #12–#13) — a sequence of trade paperbacks that collectively gave German readers more foundational DC storytelling in one year than had been available in decades. The crossover's thematic core — mentors and protégés clashing over loyalties and the nature of heroism — resonated far beyond its immediate plot, and the story has endured as one of the most fondly remembered team-vs.-team events of the late 1990s DC Universe.
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The underlying US material — JLA/Titans #1–3 (December 1998–February 1999) — was conceived by writer Devin Grayson and artist/co-plotter Phil Jimenez as a deliberate springboard for Grayson's planned Titans ongoing series; the crossover format borrowed the considerable sales pull of Morrison's JLA to guarantee visibility. Dino Verlag, which had launched its own JLA series in April 1997 running only about four months behind the US schedule, collected the three issues into a softcover Sonderband consistent with its established trade-paperback format for the German market, releasing it in 1999 under the subtitle 'JLA vs. Titans'. The Sonderband line had already demonstrated its editorial ambition with the Crisis on Infinite Earths two-parter in the preceding volumes, making #14 part of a deliberate run of prestige-format event collections aimed at elevating DC's profile with German readers.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published in 1999 by Dino Verlag (Leinfelden-Echterdingen) as part of the 'JLA – Die neue Gerechtigkeitsliga Sonderband' series, which ran to at least 21 volumes; the issue carries ISBN 3-89748-184-7.
- Collects the complete three-issue US limited series JLA/Titans: The Technis Imperative (DC Comics, December 1998–February 1999), presented in German translation.
- Written by Devin Grayson, with Phil Jimenez as co-plotter and penciller across all three issues; Andy Lanning provided inks, and Jason Wright handled colors.
- The central narrative conflict involves Cyborg (Victor Stone), whose link to the alien Technis collective — transforming him into the entity Cyberion — drives the JLA and multiple generations of Titans into direct confrontation.
- The story reunites an exceptionally large roster spanning decades of Titans history, including Nightwing, Donna Troy/Troia, Changeling/Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven, Arsenal, Tempest, Jericho, Flamebird, Argent, Damage, Impulse, and others, alongside the full Morrison-era JLA lineup.
- The crossover functioned as the direct launch vehicle for Grayson's ongoing Titans series (debut: March 1999), bridging the end of Dan Jurgens' Teen Titans run with the new team's formation.
- Within the Dino Verlag Sonderband sequence, this volume immediately follows #12 and #13 — the two-part German-language edition of Crisis on Infinite Earths — making it part of the most event-dense stretch of the imprint's run.
- The US trade paperback edition (JLA/Titans: The Technis Imperative, October 1999) also included the bonus story 'Come Together' from Titans Secret Files #1 (March 1999); it is not confirmed whether this bonus material was included in the Dino Verlag edition.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints JLA / Titans #1 (1998), JLA / Titans #2 (1999), JLA / Titans #3 (1999), Titans Secret Files #1 (1999), JLA / Titans: The Technis Imperative #[nn] (1999)
Key issues in JLA - Die neue Gerechtigkeitsliga Sonderband
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