The Special Globe Guard has been around in Black Tower Comics a long time. It is an international organisation made up of heroes, adventurers and others around the world. It's active membership is always changing although I try to keep certain characters prominent.
Back in the early 1980s the British based Legion of Law Enforcers was similar but on a much smaller scale -it got its name from a sarcastic remark made by a villain and it stuck. Its UK HQ was blown up in the mid 1980s and that is a long storyline. These days the LLE is alive on an alternative Earth.
When the French multi billionaire Le Corbeau was saved by Pete Forrest and Geni in 1984 he decided that he wanted to use such people for good. He saw "the potential" but realised the state of world politics could be "difficult" and so, while backing the SGG he decided to support more regional efforts such as Task Force Europe, Task Force Germany and Task Force India.
Japan was the only country to officially snub Le Corbeau's efforts as it had the Japanese Hero Force ( 日本のヒーローフォース ) though it did request unofficial assistance.
The Peoples Republic of China flatly refused any cooperation as they had The Phoenix Team (凤凰队)
The Russian Federation refused to cooperate (officially) as it had The Alexander Nevsky Squadron ( Эскадра Александра Невского ) aka Red Star Squadron.
Following the events of The Return of the Gods: Twilight of the Super Heroes where various international heroes were teleported to Neo Olympus and the attempted invasion by the Boarmen (under Vampiron command but Krale control) the international fight back involved ignoring political and geographic boundaries. It seemed that the United Nations Outer Space Division Task Force (UNOSADTF) had shown that with the help of international heroes it could stand up to and fend off any alien threat.
China and then Russia withdrew which made the eventual Green Skies event to spread quickly and political corruption led to certain governments seemingly following their own objectives (deceived by captured Vampirons) -this included the political assassination of Major Victory who was cooperating with the UNOSADTF). Heroes were either used for political ends or simply cannon fodder and that led to breaking ties with government agencies and a distrust of the UNOSADTF.
Seemingly disorganised the heroes quickly accepted Le Corbeau's offer to fund a re-vitalised Special Globe Guard and a guaranteeing of no political interference and no other strings attached. Officially Le Corbeau's wealth out-matches that of most other billionaires today and he is seen as a humanitarian with his organisation carrying out charity work around the globe but away from publicity.
Many British adventurers found themselves isolated and had grown used to cooperating during major events. While the SGG had its permanent UK base it was not housing a permanent group of individuals and so various heroes set about forming smaller groups. The old Crime Club, Crime Busters UK and so on were reformed and headquarters established in various properties and each group had its own "feel" or mix of characters. From old mansion house to a terraced property and even a Victorian factory...inside a cave complex (don't ask but it is explained).
Cash-strapped but inventive these are the groups of British heroes who will either lead the way or fade into obscurity like the Welsh group, Group Cwmru.
Who knows?
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