JLX #1

Apr 1996 · DC · 1.95 USD; 2.75 CAD

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“A League of Their Own!”

★ 1st appearance — Goliath★ 1st appearance — Apollo

About this Issue

JLX #1 is the flagship team book among the six DC-published Amalgam Comics one-shots released in April 1996, and it marks the first true appearance of both the Justice League X-Men (JLX) and the Judgment League Avengers (JLA) as fully realized teams within the Amalgam Universe — two composite super-squads fusing DC's Justice League and Marvel's Avengers with the X-Men. The issue also pioneered within Amalgam the idea of transplanting the X-Men's civil-rights-inflected 'mutant persecution' narrative into the JLA framework, giving the event line its most politically resonant team book and establishing the 'metamutant' outsider premise that carried directly into the 1997 sequel JLX Unleashed #1. Its elaborate world-building — complete with a fabricated letters column, fictional back-issue references, and an entirely invented history stretching to a fake 'JLA Annual #13' — stands as one of the most committed examples of Amalgam's defining trick: presenting a brand-new universe as if it had existed for decades.

In "A League of Their Own!", the Justice League faces off against a newly formed, defiant team of mutants known as the JLX, led by the enigmatic Mr. X. As the mutants strike out on their own, they journey to Atlantis, only to be ambushed by Will Magnus' relentless Sentinels. Written by Gerard Jones and Mark Waid, with dynamic art by Howard Porter and inks by John Dell, this 1996 issue captures a pivotal moment in the JLA’s history—where loyalty, identity, and the cost of independence collide. The cover, penciled by Porter and inked by Dell, perfectly frames the tension of this bold new chapter.

writer Gerard Jones · writer Mark Waid · artist Howard Porter · inker John Dell · colorist Gloria Vasquez · colorist Heroic Age · letterer Chris Eliopoulos · cover Howard Porter, John Dell

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $0

CGC 9.8 $34*

CGC 9.6 $20

CGC 9.4 $20*

CGC 9.2 $20*

CGC 9.0 $20*

CGC 8.5 $20*

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CGC 8.0 $20*

CGC 7.5 $20*

CGC 7.0 $20*

CGC 6.5 $20*

CGC 6.0 $20*

CGC 5.5 $20*

CGC 5.0 $20*

CGC 4.5 $20*

CGC 4.0 $20*

CGC 3.5 $20*

CGC 3.0 $20*

CGC 2.5 $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

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CGC 9.8 ▾ $74.95–$255 4 listings

CGC 9.8 · Newsstand $74.95 CGC 9.8 $110 CGC 9.8 $129.99 CGC 9.8 · Signed $254.99

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Raw / ungraded $4.99 Raw / ungraded $5.02 Raw / ungraded $7 Raw / ungraded $7.99 Newsstand $7.99 Raw / ungraded $8 Raw / ungraded $11.72 Raw / ungraded $15 Newsstand $16 Raw / ungraded $23.8 Raw / ungraded $30

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History

JLX #1 was co-written by Gerard Jones, who was then the ongoing writer of DC's Justice League of America, and Mark Waid, who was concurrently writing Marvel's X-Men — a deliberate editorial pairing that blended each writer's native franchise expertise. Pencils were provided by Howard Porter, with inks by John Dell, and the issue carried an April 1996 cover date, published under the Amalgam Comics imprint jointly operated by DC Comics and Marvel Comics. The Amalgam initiative itself grew out of the 1996 DC vs. Marvel crossover miniseries, with editors Mike Carlin (DC) and Mark Gruenwald (Marvel) reportedly championing the idea of a surprise extension — a full week of merged-universe one-shots published between issues #3 and #4 of that crossover — temporarily displacing both companies' regular weekly releases. According to Wizard Magazine's contemporary coverage, JLX was initially the lowest-profile of the Amalgam titles in advance publicity, but word-of-mouth around its art and storyline helped it find its audience.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of the Justice League X-Men (JLX): Mister X (fusion of Martian Manhunter and Professor X), Apollo (Cyclops/The Ray), Firebird (Phoenix/Fire), Mercury (Quicksilver/Impulse), Nightcreeper (Nightcrawler/Creeper), Runaway (Rogue), Wraith (Todd), and Mariner (Namor/Aquaman) — all debuting here as real-world published characters.
First appearance of the Judgment League Avengers (JLA): the Amalgam Universe's premiere super-team, whose members include Super-Soldier, Dark Claw, Angelhawk, Captain Marvel, Canary, Goliath, and Hawkeye.
Written by Gerard Jones and Mark Waid — paired specifically because Jones was writing DC's Justice League of America and Waid was writing Marvel's X-Men at the time of publication.
Art by Howard Porter (pencils) and John Dell (inks); Porter also provided the cover.
Story climax reveals Mister X's true identity: he is a Skrull named J'onn J'onzz, fusing the shape-shifting alien nature of the Martian Manhunter with the Skrull race of Marvel's universe.
The issue also marks the first mention of the Brotherhood of Injustice and the fictional team Extreme Works within the Amalgam Universe.
Reprinted in The Amalgam Age of Comics: The DC Comics Collection trade paperback (DC, September 1996), and in multiple international editions including German (DC gegen Marvel #5, Dino Verlag), French (DC versus Marvel #4, Semic S.A.), Brazilian (Amálgama #1, Editora Abril), and Mexican (JLX #1, Grupo Editorial Vid) printings.
The team returned in JLX Unleashed #1 (June 1997, written by Christopher Priest), where Amazon joins the JLX and the group faces the Hellfire League of Injustice and the dragon Fin Fang Flame.