Fresh from yesterday's flashback with the Martian Manhunter, this issue guest-stars the Manhunter for real!The Story: "The Last Angry God!" by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. Superman and Green Lantern intercept a UFO headed the satellite's way. When they stop and open it, they find...their friend and founding JLA member Martian Manhunter!
Manhunter explains that while he and his fellow Martians were colonizing a new home planet (their previous one having been trashed in an attempted coup), they were attacked by a giant creature named Korge, God of Rage!
Turns out Korge can read minds, and he taps into Manhunter's and sees the JLA. He demands Manhunter bring them to him, or he will kill all of J'onn's people! The JLA seem non-plussed by Manhunter's request, and repair his ship and head for the new Mars!
Korge defeats the JLA, one by one, until Flash figures out that Korge can read their minds, too, but only by physical contact. To save Superman in time(who is being Kryptonited by Korge) the JLA uses a machine to switch identities, so that when Korge thinks he's fighting Green Lantern, he's really fighting the Atom, and so on, and cannot mount the right defenses in time.
The story ends on a quiet moment, with Martian Manhunter thanking his old friends for helping save his people.
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Atom
Notable Moments: Denny O'Neil returned to the JLA for this issue, kicking off a semi-brief period when no one writer or writers would have a long run on the book.
This issue also features a JLA crossword, "Evil Star Over Hollywood" starring the JSA from All-Star Comics #44, a DC cover gallery, and "Indestructible Creatures of Nightmare Island" from JLA #40.
There's also a fun JLA Membership Quiz. See how well you do:
This is one of my all-time LEAST favorite JLA adventures. The story is confusing and dumb (if the JLA had teamed up against Korge, they would have won easily, duh!) and the dominant character is totally unattractive (both physically ugly and emotionally pompous). Luckily, things get much better and remain pretty good for the next few issues.
ReplyDeleteI always felt that Denny O'Neil was a terrible writer for the Justice League. I have all the issues up to about #200 and the ones he wrote rank about the worst. And his handling of Green Arrow and Black Canary (both of whom never belonged in the Justice League in the first place, being third-rate superheroes) made me want to vomit. What a FORCED romance!
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