Justice League of America #88

Mar 1971 · DC · 0.15 USD

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“The Last Survivors of Earth!”

About this Issue

Justice League of America #88 is a representative example of the early Bronze Age's turn toward socially conscious superhero storytelling: writer Mike Friedrich, who had taken over the title with issue #86, structured the 'Last Survivors of Earth!' plot so that three ordinary civilians — one Iranian, one Vietnamese, one American — actually save the day while the League's heavy-hitters scramble uselessly, an implicit rebuke of cold-war jingoism and superhero omnipotence alike. The issue also continues to develop the friction-filled love triangle between Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Batman that Friedrich was weaving through his JLA run, giving the series an ongoing soap-opera texture that prefigured later character-driven team books. As part of the first sustained writer's run to treat the Justice League as a cast of personalities rather than interchangeable icons, it sits at a meaningful creative hinge point for the title.

In "The Last Survivors of Earth!", the Justice League faces an ancient threat as the long-lost descendants of the sunken continent of Mu return after millennia, their arrival signaling a dire intent toward humanity. Written by Mike Friedrich and brought to life with bold visuals by Dick Dillin and Joe Giella, this 1971 classic features a striking cover by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.

writer Mike Friedrich · artist Dick Dillin · inker Joe Giella · letterer John Costanza · cover Neal Adams, Dick Giordano

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $12

CGC 9.8 · 1 in census $1,444

CGC 9.6 · 8 in census $342

CGC 9.4 · 17 in census $251

CGC 9.2 · 6 in census $169

CGC 9.0 · 9 in census $120

CGC 8.5 · 6 in census $106

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CGC 8.0 · 5 in census $98

CGC 7.5 · 3 in census $88*

CGC 7.0 · 1 in census $76*

CGC 6.5 · 2 in census $64*

CGC 6.0 none in existence

CGC 5.5 none in existence

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $52*

CGC 4.5 none in existence

CGC 4.0 · 1 in census $45*

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History

Mike Friedrich became the regular JLA scripter beginning with issue #86 (December 1970), and #88 falls squarely in the early stretch of his fourteen-issue tenure under editor Julius Schwartz. Dick Dillin — whose marathon pencilling run on the title had begun in 1968 — handled the interior art with inker Joe Giella, while Neal Adams supplied the cover. The Grand Comics Database notes that the interior pencil and ink credits for this issue were confirmed directly from Julius Schwartz's editorial records provided by DC Comics, and that inks had previously been mis-attributed to Neal Adams — a correction that underscores how careful archival work has sharpened our picture of who drew what during this prolific period.

Trivia · 7 facts

Cover date March 1971; on-sale date January 26, 1971; published by National Periodical Publications (DC Comics).
Story title: 'The Last Survivors of Earth!' — written by Mike Friedrich, pencilled by Dick Dillin, inked by Joe Giella, with a cover by Neal Adams.
The plot centers on the returning survivors of the sunken continent of Mu, who plan to exterminate humanity; unusually, it is three non-powered international civilians — not the League — who ultimately defeat the threat.
The issue continues the romantic subplot seeded in JLA #84, in which Green Arrow grows suspicious of Batman and Black Canary's closeness; Black Canary clarifies she regards Batman as a brotherly figure, not a romantic one.
Friedrich's run, including #88, has been identified by comics historians as a string of environmental and socially themed parables, placing this issue in a deliberate creative context alongside issues #86, #90, and #95.
The issue has been reprinted at least six times: in the Swedish Gigant #2/1972, Australian All Favourites Comic #93 (1972), Showcase Presents: Justice League of America #5 (2011), Justice League of America Archives Vol. 10 (2012), the Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 (2017), and the Justice League of America: The Last Survivors of Earth trade paperback (2019).
Interior art credits (pencils and inks) were historically mis-attributed — inks were previously listed as Neal Adams rather than Joe Giella — and were corrected using Schwartz's own editorial records supplied by DC Comics.