250's for America's 250 · Day 15: Justice League of America #250

Publishing: Thursday, June 25, 2026 · DC Comics · Cover date: May 1986

Cover art by Luke McDonnell

See full issue details on the Grand Comics Database →

An editorial milestone more than a collectible key — the issue that begins steering the League back toward its classic roster.

The issue

"Return of the Justice League of America" sees an emergency alert from the old JLA headquarters reach the original members. Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary answer the call and arrive at the Secret Sanctuary to find the "Justice League Detroit" team near death, drained by an energy-vampire alien. Veterans and rookies team up to bring the creature down, Superman channels the released life-energy to revive the fallen, and Batman — freshly departed from the Outsiders — agrees to rejoin the JLA as chairman. A subplot has Despero plotting the League's destruction from afar.

Who's in it

• Batman — answering an emergency call and agreeing to rejoin the League as its new chairman.
• Superman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Green Arrow, Black Canary — the returning founding-era heroes racing to save the "Detroit League."
• Gypsy, Steel, Vixen, and Vibe — the newer "Justice League Detroit" roster, found near death and revived by Superman.
• Zatanna, Elongated Man, and Martian Manhunter — additional League members drawn into the crisis.
• Despero — a recurring League foe, plotting the team's destruction from the shadows in a subplot.

Behind the book (creators)

• Writer: Gerry Conway
• Pencils: Luke McDonnell · Inks: Bill Wray
• Colors: Gene D'Angelo · Letters: Albert DeGuzman
• Editor: Andy Helfer (era); Executive Editor Dick Giordano

Meet the creators

Gerry Conway broke into comics as a teenager in the late 1960s and quickly became one of the most influential writers of the 1970s and '80s, scripting Marvel's famous "Death of Gwen Stacy" storyline in Amazing Spider-Man and co-creating the Punisher and Firestorm. By the mid-1980s he'd moved into steering DC's Justice League through its "Detroit era" and back toward its classic lineup, as seen in this very issue.

Luke McDonnell built a steady career at both Marvel and DC through the 1980s, drawing notable runs on Iron Man and Suicide Squad in addition to this stretch of Justice League of America. His workmanlike, grounded style fit the more street-level, team-dynamics-focused stories DC was telling with the roster at this point.

What it's worth

A common, non-key copper-age book. Raw NM/VF copies typically sell $5–$15; scarce CGC 9.8 copies generally fall in the $60–$120 range when they surface. The interest is editorial — Batman rejoining and the bridge away from the "Detroit League."

Where to read it (collected edition)

Reprinted in Justice League of America: The Detroit Era Omnibus (DC, 2022), which collects the Justice League Detroit run including #250.

Part of "250's for America's 250" — counting 24 milestone #250 comics down to the U.S. 250th on July 4, 2026.