Years before that, Hero Alliance did a story where the Alliance discover a comic company has been publishing a series where they were being depicted like the Giffen and DeMatteis JLI. They were NOT best pleased, but they couldn't do much about it since they WERE heroes.
Their nemesis, on the other hand, was NOT as gentle and his indication to the publishers as to what would happen if they continued to depict him, or his foes (He had his pride) in a comedic light, would have nothing to do with the due process of libel laws.