Justice League International #14

Jun 1988 · DC · 0.75 USD; 1.00 CAD; 0.40 GBP

☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free

“Shop... or Die”

★ 1st appearance — L-Ron

About this Issue

Justice League International #14 is the formal on-ramp to the Giffen/DeMatteis run's most sustained cosmic-comedy storyline — the Manga Khan/Cluster arc — introducing two characters, Lord Manga Khan and his sardonic robot aide L-Ron, who would loop back through the book's mythology for years and eventually hand L-Ron a permanent seat inside the JLI embassy itself. Equally significant, this issue marks the official entry of Green Flame (Beatriz da Costa) and Ice Maiden (Tora Olafsdotter) into the Justice League International roster: ex-Global Guardians whose UN funding had been diverted to the JLI, they would eventually rename themselves Fire and Ice and become the defining emotional core of the entire Giffen-era franchise. The convergence of three separate debut events — two villain introductions, two new team members, and the escalating presence of the already-introduced G'nort — makes this the single most debut-dense issue of the run's first two years.

In "Shop... or Die," the Justice League International faces their most bizarre diplomatic crisis yet when the Cluster—a massive, sentient spaceship colony—enters Earth orbit with a chilling ultimatum: trade with them, or face destruction. Written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis, with dynamic art by Keith Giffen and Steve Leialoha, this 1988 issue blends sci-fi tension with the team’s signature wit, all rendered in bold colors by Gene D'Angelo and sharp inks by Al Gordon. The cover by Steve Leialoha and Al Gordon captures the looming threat with eerie precision.

writer, artist Keith Giffen · writer J. M. DeMatteis · artist Steve Leialoha · inker Al Gordon · colorist Gene D'Angelo · letterer Bob Lappan · cover Steve Leialoha, Al Gordon

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Valueinsufficient data

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

This exact issue on ebay

Raw — MINT ▾ $2.75–$3.99 4 listings

MINT $2.75 MINT $3 MINT $3.95 MINT $3.99

Raw — NM+ $18.2 1 listing

Raw — NM ▾ $3–$3.99 2 listings

NM $3 NM $3.99

Raw — VF+ ▾ $1.49–$6.6 2 listings

VF+ $1.49 VF+ $6.6

Raw — VF ▾ $1.99–$10.99 6 listings

VF $1.99 VF · Newsstand $1.99 VF $2 VF $4 VF $8 VF $10.99

Raw — VERY FINE ▾ $2.25–$8 2 listings

VERY FINE $2.25 VERY FINE $8

Raw — F/VF $2.4 1 listing

Raw — FN ▾ $3.96–$4.98 3 listings

FN $3.96 FN $3.99 FN · Newsstand $4.98

Raw — VERY GOOD $1 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $1–$17.49 37 listings

Verified matches for Justice League International #14 · eBay asking prices, seen 13 days ago

More listings for this title

VF+ $1.99

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 1 total · seen 13 days ago

Read it digitally

DC Universe Infinite DC’s subscription reader ▸ Amazon Kindle Buy the digital edition ▸

Opens a search on each platform — digital availability varies by title.

Sell my copy

Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.

We Buy Collections ▸

Fast, fair offers · we handle grading & shipping

History

The issue was produced by the core Giffen/DeMatteis creative engine, with Keith Giffen providing plot and breakdowns and J.M. DeMatteis scripting, but regular penciler Kevin Maguire stepped aside here; fill-in artist Steve Leialoha handled pencils, inks, and cover alongside inker Al Gordon, with Gene D'Angelo on colors, Bob Lappan lettering, and Andrew Helfer editing. Leialoha's looser, more kinetic style brought a distinct visual texture to the cosmic sequences — his designs for Lord Manga Khan and L-Ron's metallic forms established the look those characters would carry forward. The issue's story title, 'Shop… or Die,' distills the Giffen/DeMatteis satirical sensibility into four words, treating consumerist capitalism as an alien weapon of mass destruction and deploying the bumbling G'nort as Earth's most improbable line of defense.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Lord Manga Khan, the flamboyant intergalactic resource-harvesting trader who becomes a recurring antagonist and later trading partner of the JLI.
First appearance of L-Ron, Manga Khan's robotic lackey and secretary, who would eventually be traded to the JLI, serve Maxwell Lord as an administrator, and have his consciousness accidentally imprinted into Despero's body.
Green Flame (Beatriz da Costa) and Ice Maiden (Tora Olafsdotter) formally join the JLI as probationary members in this issue — both former Global Guardians whose UN funding was withdrawn to sponsor the League; they would later rename themselves Fire and Ice.
G'nort, who had debuted in JLI #10, appears here en route to the Moon to confront the Cluster ship, kicking off his expanded role in the three-issue Manga Khan arc (#14–16).
The story is titled 'Shop… or Die' and centers on Manga Khan's Cluster ship threatening to strip Earth of its resources unless humanity agrees to trade with him — a satirical premise that encapsulates the Giffen/DeMatteis comedic-but-stakes-driven storytelling approach.
Cover date is June 1988; pencils, inks, and cover art were provided by guest artist Steve Leialoha (with Al Gordon inking), as regular series artist Kevin Maguire did not draw this issue.
The issue has been reprinted in Justice League International Vol. 3 (2009), the Justice League International Omnibus (2017), and Justice League International Book One: Born Again (2020).
Superman appears in the issue in a cameo capacity, consistent with his limited availability to the book during the John Byrne reboot era when most A-list DC characters were tied up in their own relaunches.