Publication history
The team first appeared in West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #46 and then made appearances in issues #48–49 and #64, and a cameo appearance in Avengers West Coast Annual #6. The GLA also make an appearance in issue #309 of Avengers and in the 1990 Avengers Annual. This was followed by appearances in issues #15–17 and #25 of Thunderbolts and issues #10–11 and #61 of Deadpool.
In 2005, the GLA were featured in a self-titled, four-issue mini-series (written by Dan Slott) and the one-shot, GLX-Mas Special. This was followed in 2006 by a minor appearance in I ♥ Marvel: Masked Intentions, The Thing vol. 2, #8, and Cable and Deadpool #30. In 2007, the team was featured in the one-shot Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular. The team also made cameo appearances in issues #19 and #25 of Avengers: The Initiative and a minor appearance in issue #3 of Age of Heroes. In 2011, the team made an appearance in issue #6 of Fear Itself: The Home Front.
A new volume and ongoing series of the team debuted in 2016 from writer Zac Gorman and artist Will Robson. Seven issues were published for this series before ending. Since then, the team and its associated cast have made minor appearances in other Marvel comics.
Fictional team biography
GLA: Misassembled
Craig Hollis discovers that he is immortal after being shot by a group of thieves and left for dead, and he decides to fight crime as Mr. Immortal. He realizes that operating alone may not be feasible. He places an advertisement for costumed adventurers in the local newspaper in his home town of Milwaukee, and assembles the Great Lakes Avengers, recruiting Dinah Soar, Big Bertha, Flatman, and Doorman. Immortal refuses one candidate, Gene Lorrene, a leather fetishist calling himself Leather Boy. Turned down because he has no superpowers and is therefore ineligible, Lorrene takes the rejection personally. The team is first seen in public by Avengers members Hawkeye and Mockingbird, who agree to become their mentors.
After a period of inactivity, the team learns that the West Coast Avengers have disbanded and that Hawkeye has been killed. The team subsequently battle Maelstrom, who is building a doomsday device. During this encounter, Dinah Soar is killed. New members Squirrel Girl, her squirrel Monkey Joe, and Grasshopper are then recruited. Although Maelstrom is defeated via Mr. Immortal's trickery, Doorman, Grasshopper and Monkey Joe are killed. Following Monkey Joe's death, Squirrel Girl acquires a new partner, a female squirrel called Tippy-Toe. Doorman is resurrected by Oblivion and becomes an "angel of death" charged with conveying the souls of the dead to the afterlife.
Crossovers
After receiving a subpoena from the Avengers and discovering that they are all mutants, the team decides to rename themselves the Great Lakes X-Men. However, Marvel Girl demands that they drop the "X-Men" name, resulting in the team rebranding once more as the name Great Lakes Champions (GLC).
With the beginning of the Civil War storyline, the GLC comply with the Superhuman Registration Act and are renamed the Great Lakes Initiative (GLI). Deadpool is granted reserve membership on the team, but is evicted after proving to be too much of an annoyance. When Norman Osborn assumes control of the Initiative, he transfers Gravity to a leadership role in the GLI. During the Fear Itself storyline, the team reverts to the name Great Lakes Avengers.
All-New, All Different
It is revealed that the team had disbanded and gone their separate ways. Flatman receives a visit from Connie Ferrari, a lawyer representing the real Avengers, who informs him that the GLA has been reinstated as a permanent addition to the Avengers. Flatman reunites with Big Bertha and Doorman, though Mr. Immortal does not show up and Squirrel Girl apparently ignores Flatman's call. The team moves to a new headquarters, a factory owned by Tony Stark in Detroit, Michigan. They are visited by Deadpool, who tells them that they have been fired and can no longer use the Avengers name.
