Reaganocomics: Ronnie Approves Justice League International

Sometimes, writers - Giffen and/or Fleming, in this case - show their politics. Or is it just that Ronald Reagan was an easily-lampooned figure and JLI was a comedy book? Here's Superman's visit to the Oval Office in JLI #7:
Doesn't remember meeting SUPERMAN several times? Check.

Admits to not considering long-term ramifications. Check.

Has to ask Nancy... Check.

Who knew you needed presidential approval to take the "of America" off your team name! It was Reagan's America, so of course the Justice League was managed by an evil businessman (Maxwell Lord).

Comments

Martin Gray said…
It's sad, knowing now that Reagan developed Alzheimer's. but as for the then, heck, if you can't laugh at your leader, whoever they are ...

And this is the DCU, where minds are invaded and realities changed on a daily basis - maybe Superman has met him, but he may never have met Supie.
November 10, 2014 at 9:43 AM
Siskoid said…
Evidently, Superman is confused. Reagan had previously met the pre-Crisis Superman. He doesn't know this lesser-powered chump.
November 10, 2014 at 9:45 AM
Randal said…
Off camera, Reagan thinks to himself, "I would remember if I met Superman. Why, just the other day I was talking to that reporter, Clark Kent, about how I'd never met Superman, and he sort of turned at the wall and winked and said, 'Maybe you have' under his breath."
November 10, 2014 at 11:45 AM
Jeff R. said…
I think Legends* was the only place where they met post-crisis. "Several times" might be stretching things, but they may have had multiple distinct conversations in that mini.

And the approval wasn't so much for taking America off the name as it was putting themselves nominally under UN authority while still operating in and headquartered in the United States, which, considering the power levels even of that version of the league, probably should have actually involved more than just the say-so of the president.

*Which could fill at least a Reaganocomics theme week if I recall correctly...
November 10, 2014 at 12:29 PM
Siskoid said…
I was being facetious, of course ;)
November 10, 2014 at 12:35 PM
Andrew said…
At least Reagan didn't endorse a city-slaughtering cybernetic psychopath as the one, true Superman the way Clinton did.
November 10, 2014 at 12:45 PM
Jeff R. said…
Bush the Elder is the DC president who gets the best deal; cleaning up the post Janus Directive super-intelligence mess and being a war president during Invasion...
November 10, 2014 at 4:01 PM
Anonymous said…
"Evidently, Superman is confused. Reagan had previously met the pre-Crisis Superman. He doesn't know this lesser-powered chump."

I think you almost have it. Pre-Crisis, DC's editorial staff was so shy about being controversial that the President was often depicted with his face hidden in shadow, like they weren't even willing to take the step of acknowledging what year it was or who was president. If DC Comics didn't even know who was president, how can characters in the comics be sure whether they were the president who met Superman?
November 11, 2014 at 12:08 AM
LiamKav said…
"Evidently, Superman is confused. Reagan had previously met the pre-Crisis Superman. He doesn't know this lesser-powered chump."

He also says that Superman is "a good American", which (I believe) is only true of the Post-crisis pre-New 52 Superman. I think. The rest are dirty illegal immigrants.
November 11, 2014 at 7:12 AM
Siskoid said…
The presidents in shadow came and went. JFK featured in a number of Superman stories, no shadows required. He even knew Superman's secret identity.
November 11, 2014 at 8:24 AM
Anonymous said…
I forgot about Kennedy. Wonder if "shadow Presidents" had anything to do with the country getting more divisive with the Vietnam War and everything that followed. Meanwhile over at Marvel, they were implying that Nixon himself was running a secret conspiracy, and a few years later there was this:

http://funnybookbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/xmen201-reagan-rogue.jpg

A hundred DC editors were doubtless walking around with thought balloons that said "Scandalous!"
November 12, 2014 at 3:04 AM
Siskoid said…
One NOT to tell Nancy about ;)
November 12, 2014 at 8:46 AM
Boosterrific said…
I'm late to this party, but somebody's gotta stand up for Max Lord. Whatever his alignment might be now, Max wasn't such a bad guy back in the day, as attested to by Martian Manhunter. And if we can't trust J'onn J'onzz, who can we trust?
November 14, 2014 at 6:57 PM
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