One thing you notice looking at these early issues--the covers by Murphy Anderson featured amazingly iconic battles. A life-and-death chess match, a doorway to another dimension, and now a slaveship in outer space! Before Infantino, Adams, and Cardy came along and really ramped up the excitement quotient for DC's covers, these early JLAs must have just jumped off the spinner racks.The story: "The Slave Ship of Space!" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, and Bernard Sachs. An alien named Kanjar Ro uses his powers to force the JLA into helping him defeat his enemies, the respective rulers of neighboring powers.
He manages to freeze Batman and Snapper Carr in place and subdue Superman with a Kryptonite gas(!), drafting the rest of the JLA to help him.
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter
Notable Moments: Kanjar Ro is considerate enough to provide a regular water supply for Aquaman(man, that magic wand thingy he has can do anything), and the Sea King repays him by being the one who grabs it out of Ro's hand once the JLA finds a way to defeat him.
At one point, Batman thinks to himself, "I wish Superman were here--he'd be able to rescue us!" One of Batman's less, er, confident moments.
Jerry Bails gets another letter printed, and no less than four readers suggest Superman and Wonder Woman get married!
It's no wonder readers were suggesting Supes and WW get married. At the time, Lois Lane was usually portrayed as an infantile nag who only wanted to learn Superman's secret ID and tie him down, and Steve Trevor was just a big dunce with the hots for WW. Not marrying material for DC's mightiest characters.
ReplyDeleteChris
Kanjar Ro! My favorite goofy looking villan. Second would be 'The Key"
ReplyDeleteNOW we're getting somewhere. THIS issue starts what to me was JLA's first classic run of issues. I always thought the other bad guys in this issue should have come back, not just Kanjar Ro and Hyacinth. One of my all time favorite stories, and not just because Aquaman was front and center.
ReplyDeleteWorse, Steve Trevor was at least as abusive to Diana Prince (and even Wonder Woman) as Lois Lane to Clark Kent, but the guy wasn't half as interesting. Still-- better than Superman. Might as well champion dating your sister.
ReplyDeleteRob, I'm really surprised you didn't also review the pseudo-sequel to this issue, Mystery in Space #5 where Kanjar Ro comes back and fights the JLA and Adam Strange!
ReplyDeleteThe Adam Strange JLA stories were always my faves (behind the JSA team-ups of course), and this was the first and best of them.
And I'm with you, Russell, Kromm and Sayyar need love too. ;-)
one of the beauties of this blog is that i already own all the material i need to do it--i.e., all the JLA issues--so i decided for the most part not to include other books where the JLA just guest-starred.
ReplyDeletebut not always. ;)
Actually that would be Mystery In Space #75, not #5. I just picked up one of those a few months ago. You can still find a copy for under fifteen bucks if you do a little lookin'.
ReplyDelete