Justice League of America #23

Nov 1963 · DC · 0.12 USD

📊 ~82,936 copies sold its debut month

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“Drones of the Queen Bee!”

★ 1st appearance — Queen Bee

About this Issue

Justice League of America #23 marks the first appearance of Queen Bee — Zazzala, the insect-like alien monarch of the hiveworld Korll — who would go on to become one of the JLA's most recurring cosmic antagonists, revived decades later by Grant Morrison for his celebrated JLA run. The issue is a quintessential specimen of Silver Age storytelling craft: Fox builds a morally engaging trap in which Earth's greatest heroes are forced to serve a villain's ambitions, using their wits rather than raw power to engineer a defeat. It arrived immediately on the heels of the landmark JLA/JSA crossover in issues #21–22, demonstrating the creative momentum Fox and Sekowsky maintained throughout their historic eight-year partnership on the title. Zazzala's endurance across multiple DC continuities — from Silver Age one-shot villainess to Injustice Gang member to H.I.V.E. leader — underscores the durability of the character concept Fox introduced here.

In "Drones of the Queen Bee!", the Justice League of America faces a cunning foe who uses mind-controlled drones to force them into aiding her quest for an immortality potion. Written by Gardner Fox and brought to life by Mike Sekowsky’s dynamic art and Bernard Sachs’ sharp inks, this 1963 classic sees the team outmaneuvered at every turn—only to stand firm when it matters most. The cover by Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson captures the eerie menace of the Queen Bee’s scheme in bold, striking detail.

writer Gardner Fox · artist Mike Sekowsky · inker Bernard Sachs · letterer Gaspar Saladino · cover Mike Sekowsky, Murphy Anderson

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (VG) $22

CGC 9.8 · 2 in census $6,153

CGC 9.6 · 8 in census $1,442*

CGC 9.4 · 12 in census $722

CGC 9.2 · 17 in census $416

CGC 9.0 · 23 in census $281

CGC 8.5 · 16 in census $166

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CGC 8.0 · 19 in census $166

CGC 7.5 · 18 in census $111

CGC 7.0 · 11 in census $99*

CGC 6.5 · 14 in census $95

CGC 6.0 · 15 in census $68

CGC 5.5 · 14 in census $58

CGC 5.0 · 16 in census $58

CGC 4.5 · 9 in census $43

CGC 4.0 · 9 in census $43

CGC 3.5 · 5 in census $38*

CGC 3.0 · 3 in census $29*

CGC 2.5 · 2 in census $26

CGC 2.0 · 1 in census $20*

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History

Writer Gardner Fox and penciler Mike Sekowsky were the founding creative team of the Justice League of America, having co-created the team itself in The Brave and the Bold #28 (March 1960), with Fox scripting and Sekowsky penciling every issue through #63 under editor Julius Schwartz. Issue #23 fell squarely within that founding partnership, with Bernard Sachs serving as inker — a consistent collaborator during this era. The issue was produced on DC's standard bi-monthly Silver Age schedule, published in November 1963, just months after Fox and Sekowsky's award-winning JLA/JSA two-parter in issues #21–22. Fox's signature approach — intellectually elaborate plots, science-fiction premises, and heroes outwitting rather than outpunching opponents — is fully on display in the Queen Bee's debut.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Queen Bee (Zazzala), alien monarch of the hiveworld Korll, and the inaugural character to bear that name in the DC Universe.
Written by Gardner Fox and penciled by Mike Sekowsky, with inks by Bernard Sachs — the core creative team responsible for the first 63 issues of the Justice League of America series.
Cover-dated November 1963; published as part of the Fox/Sekowsky run under editor Julius Schwartz.
Story title: 'Drones of the Queen Bee!' — Zazzala enslaves five JLA members (Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Flash, and Martian Manhunter) and forces them to retrieve ingredients for an immortality elixir.
Zazzala's origin planet is named Korll; she wields a Magno-Rod device capable of mind control and is depicted as an insect-like alien conqueror.
Zazzala returned as a major villain in Grant Morrison's JLA (vol. 3, #34, October 1999), where Lex Luthor recruited her for the Injustice Gang, greatly expanding her profile.
The issue has been reprinted in Justice League of America Archives Vol. 4 (covering issues #23–30) and in Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 2 (issues #17–36).
The Zazzala incarnation of Queen Bee later appeared in Justice League Unlimited animated media as a background member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society, and the Bialyan Queen Bee (a separate, unrelated character) became prominent in Justice League International #16 (1988).