As you can see from the cover, a jam-packed issue starring the JLA, the JSA, and other historical characters from the DC Universe!The Story: "Crisis from Yesterday!" by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. The JLA and JSA are having their annual meeting at the swanky Club 22, located in Gotham City (presumably in one of the nicer parts of town).
The heroes are engaging in their usual chit-chat, when an explosion occurs!
Meanwhile, we find the one of the JLA's foes, The Lord of Time, going over his newest plan to defeat the JLA and JSA, by bringing five heroes from the past into the 20th Century!
Turns out that's what caused the explosion (you knew that already, didn't you?)--the arrival of The Viking Prince, Jonah Hex, Enemy Ace, Miss Liberty, and the Black Pirate!
These five heroes are confused as to why they are where they are, why they attacked these heroes, and who made them do it! So they take off to get some answers.
Individual teams of heroes meet up with our five time travelers, who again are forced to do battle. Each time, it ends up in defeat for the JLA and JSA:
Roll Call: Superman, Flash, Hawkman, Elongated Man
Notable Moments: Most of the JLA appear in cameos during the Club 22 sequence (though no Aquaman).
The Huntress is written kinda bitchy here, where she goofs on Elongated Man and at one point uses his head as leverage to pitch herself out Wonder Woman's Invisible Plane! Now that's chutzpah!
Dick Dillin, having "missed" two issues in the last year (the only ones he would ever miss), was clearly being punished with this story by Conway, by adding even more characters to the already-crowded yearly JLA/JSA team-up.
I'm kind of surprised the JLU guys didn't adapt this story, since they loved cramming as many obsucre DC characters as they could into that series. Seems like a natural for them. Of course they did feature Jonah Hex and the Viking Prince at one time or another.
ReplyDeleteChris
Good idea there E2 Chris, too bad it didn't happen.
ReplyDeletePossibly the strangest E1/E2 crossover in JLA. I remember being mad when it came out (all of my probably just turned 9 years)because I had been looking forward to the JSA. Got a bit older and appreciated the sheer quirkiness of it. Just seeing Clint Eastwoo... I mean Jonah Hex standing over Superman... Now that's something you don't see every day. :)
I'd be interested to find out how 4 people with no powers and one guy who can't be killed managed to defeat both the JLA and JSA.
ReplyDeleteMy first JLA-JSA team-up, and one of only three that I actually liked(of the handful I read).
ReplyDelete#s 158 and 160 were among the first DC Comics I ever read, but for some reason I never saw 159 when it came out.
I used to wish that Superman and Jonah Hex had fought in this issue (the Lord of Time could have put Kryptonite Bullets in Jonah's gun!), or even in Jonah's next JLA appearence...which we'll read about in 6 weeks or so!
I remember thinking that the cover was so much nicer looking than the inside version of the same scene. (sigh)
ReplyDeleteAnd like you, Rob, I was annoyed that Aquaman wasn't there. I was happier with the following issue. Also, I was annoyed that Hawkman got to participate but Hawkgirl/woman didn't. This was only a small hint of things to come for her...