Justice League of America #206 - Sept. 1982

The return of the Demons Three!

The Story: "The Secret That Time Forgot!" by Gerry Conway, Carmine Infantino, and Romeo Tanghal. This issue opens in a very unusual place...the 25th Century!

Thomas Parker and his son Gardner are visiting the Space Museum, where Gardner marvels at a very unusual display--a bell, a jar, and a wheel, all broken and damaged.

The museum's description reveals that these objects were an essential part of a case involving the Justice League of America.

Gardner, having no idea who that is, is led by his father into The Hall of Justice, where they see:

...if this place existed in my world, I'd be there every day.

Anyway, Thomas gives his son some backstory about the JLA and the Demons Three, relating to him the events of JLA #s 10, 11, 35, 147, and 148.

We then learn that, back when the JLA was moving from its Secret Sanctuary to its satellite, Green Arrow was assigned the task of packing up the team's trophies.

Just as he got to the bell, jar, and wheel, the Demons Three projected themselves into Green Arrow's mind, making him leave the three objects behind.

Many years later, a man on a mountain climb finds the ground underneath him giving way, and he finds himself at the lip of the former Secret Sanctuary's entrance, where he finds himself compelled to cart off the three objects. He then sells them to a Pawn Shop owner, who uses Black Magic to release the demons!

For his trouble, the now-free Abnegazar, Rath, and Ghast immolate him.

Meanwhile, the JLA was having a meeting, electing their new chairperson--Zatanna! The meeting then breaks up, leaving just a handful of the members behind, where The Flash brings up--again--his feelings for Zee:

"...when Zatanna is around, it's hard to remember what What's-Her-Name even looks like."

I assume Barry is talking about Fiona Webb, who was in his solo book at the time? Wow, that is harsh.

Anyway, the festivities are dispelled when the Demons Three--in giant form--attack the satellite, trying to rip it apart! The satellite's defenses fend them off momentarily, and Zatanna says their mystical trail leads to Stonehenge.

Once there, the demons blast Flash, Elongated Man, and Atom. Batman then uses himself as a decoy, assuming that the Demons Three won't expect an attack from Zatanna, who was not a member when they fought last.

After thinking Zatanna fell into a trap (involving switching themselves with the three objects), Abnegazar, Rath, and Ghast are defeated when Zatanna recreates the objects with her magic, which drags them back inside, imprisoning them.

We end our tale back in the future(!), and Gardner's Dad tells him that the reason he knows this story is because one of the JLA is an ancestor of theirs! Which one, well...

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Atom, Elongated Man, Zatanna

Notable Moments: An unusual issue, since with Carmine Infantino as guest-penciler and its futuristic, one-issue-only setting, this story feels like an inventory tale. But since it fits in with current JLA storylines, it was obviously planned out.

Superman and Wonder Woman appear in only one panel, and we do get Green Arrow as well, in the flashback.


This same month, the JLA also made a guest-appearance in the Air Wave back-up feature in Action Comics #535, courtesy Bob Rozakis and Alex Saviuk:

You know, in a lot of ways, I could've pictured Air Wave joining the JLA--he was young, but he had a connection to an old-time DC hero. But I think once Firestorm was in, there wasn't any real "room" on the team for another young, inexperienced hero.

Justice League of America #148 - Nov. 1977

And with this issue, my JLA run was complete! (see below for further explanation)

The Story: "Crisis in Triplicate!" by Paul Levitz, Martin Pasko, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. The Demons Three (Abnegezar, Rath, and Ghast) newly freed from their magical prisons, quickly realize that they have, well, conflicting ideas on how to rule.

They plan to fight it out, as good villains, do, but realize that if they did their vast powers would destroy the universe, so they need to think small, by turning to the various heroes and forcing them to fight each other by proxy.

It turns into a real donnybrook, with various JLAers, JSAers, and the Legion all beating each other up.

Many twists and turns later, the heroes shake off their enforced fighting, and turn the tables and manage to defeat Abnegazar and Rath, leaving only Ghast. Dr. Fate manages to absorb some of the defeated demons' energy, giving him the power to trap Ghast where the magical objects last existed--inside the JLA satellite!

The modern day heroes say bye to the Legion, with Lantern planting a post-hypnotic suggestion in the JLA and JSA so they won't have any memory of their possible futures. I don't think non-powered heroes like Green Arrow need to worry about being alive in the 30th century, but what the hey...

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary

Notable Moments: I had spent most of my teenaged years completing my run of the JLA comic. I had no intention of doing so when I started, but as I grew up(hah!), I came to realize that it wasn't impossible.

So over time, as I made fairly decent money for a teenager(working at a Roy Rogers restaurant on the turnpike, making about $8.00/hr--in 1985 money--because I was one of the few who could be relied upon to actually show up for my shifts), I spent that money on--no, not girls, not saving up for a car--but comics. One can take issue with my decision making abilities at the time, but lacking a time machine...

Anyway, I managed to find all the early issues, even the really hard to find ones like #1 and #9. But for some reason, this issue--#148--evaded me. I would buy every back issue I could find at my local comic shops, cons, but I could never find this one!

Finally, desperate to finish off my collection, I started buying comics via ads in The Comic Buyer's Guide (remember that?), and even then it took a while. Finally, some seller in Arizona was selling this a copy, and after a few nervous weeks, it arrived. A complete run of Justice League of America was mine.

Justice League of America #147 - Oct. 1977

More heroes than you can shake a stick at!

The Story: "Crisis in the 30th Century!" by Paul Levitz, Martin Pasko, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. The JLA and JSA are hanging out for their usual get together when a giant hand materializes in space, grabbing several heroes and then disappearing! I hate when that happens!

Turns out the hand belongs to Mordru, evil wizard of the 30th century! The heroes try and defeat him, but to no avail.

Mordru then explains that he was in pursuit of the magical artifacts bell, jar, and wheel, but accidentally grabbed the heroes instead. Mordru--not the most detail-oriented bad guy in the DCU.

Mordru tells the captive heroes (including some members of the Legion) that he will kill Green Arrow and Black Canary unless they round up the artifacts for him!

The teams of heroes succeed, but they tell Mordru they won't get the last of the items--the red jar--unless he frees their friends. He agrees to this, but when he summons the Demons Three inside the objects--Abnegazar, Rath, and Ghast--they turn the tables on Mordru, zap him with their superior magic, and plan to destroy the magical items which will keep them from being imprisoned ever again!

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary

Notable Moments: DC still felt compelled to explain the whole Earth-1/Earth-2 thing to readers:

...though that hand deeply disturbs me.

Even though this team-up occurred in the middle of Steve Englehart's run, he did not write the annual JLA/JSA team-up. Turns out Levitz and Pasko really wanted to write it, and, having a bit more "seniority" at DC, got the gig.

Justice League of America #35 - May 1965

Having spent some time in my life having to learn to draw accurate folds in clothes so they look like real garments, I feel for Sekowsky having to draw a cover like this--Fold City!

The story: "Battle Against the Bodiless Uniforms" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, and Bernard Sachs. The Demons Three--Abenegazar, Rath, and Ghast are back!

To get themselves free from the prison they were left in(JLA #11), they mystically take control of some of the JLA's costumes and use them to create duplicates of some of the JLA's villains(what??).

Roll Call: Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern

Notable Moments: There's a really dynamic sequence with Aquaman fighting a creature named Dagon, ending with this striking panel:
...wham-o!

Of all the various Batman villains the Demons Three had to choose from, they pick Killer Moth?

Justice League of America #11 - May 1962

Part 2 of the Felix Faust plus The Lord of Time plus The Demons Three epic!

The story: "One Hour to Doomsday" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, and Bernard Sachs. The JLA, having chased the Lord of Time into the future, try to go back by find themselves unable to return home.

They enlist the help of the Demons Three, who then try to turn the tables on them. Nice try, Abnegezar, Rath, and Ghast!

Roll Call: Superman, Batman Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow

Notable Moments: The Demons Three are now colored pink, the look they will keep for the rest of the four-color career. To help defeat the demons, the JLAers "switch bodies", and its Batman who gets turned into Wonder Woman. Awkward...

A letter writer asks--nay, demands--that the Atom join the team. As a hint, they run another letter analyzing that each current JLA member's name has a sequential number of letters--i.e., Flash has five, Batman has six, Aquaman has seven, and so on. The response is that there is no hero with thirteen letters in their name, but there is one with four--The Atom!

By the way, that last, obsessively-compiled letter is by somebody named E.Nelson Bridwell!

Justice League of America #10 - March 1962

This issue is a veritable feast of comics history--the enduring JLA villains Felix Faust, The Lord of Time, and the Demons Three(Abnegezar, Rath, and Ghast) all debut in this one comic!

Eventually all three(six?) bad guys would find their way into the larger DCU, and specifically the tres Demons would make a memorable appearance in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run, where they take on Dr.Fate and he immolates one of them right on the spot. Don't mess with the helmet of Nabu!

The story: "The Fantastic Fingers of Felix Faust!" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, and Bernard Sachs. Felix Faust learns the only way to unleash these Demons Three guys is to retrieve specific magical objects, so he uses his magic powers to force the JLA into getting them for him(there's a lot of JLA-controlling-by-bad-guys in these early issues).

Meanwhile, the Lord of Time wants to get these objects, too, which causes this story to get so big that it becomes the first multi-issue JLA story!

Roll Call: Superman, Batman Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow

Notable Moments: Sekowsky's design of the three demons is way cool--they look funky and weird, with strange proportions that actually make them look otherworldly, not just humans with a fang or a horn. Also, here they are colored bone white, instead of the pink tone they are more associated with.

Felix Faust is knocked out by a school of flying fish, under the command of Guess Who. Not one of Faust's best moments.

Letter writer John Budnick of Hicksville, NY, wants the book and team to be renamed the "Interplanetary League of Justice" since he thinks it suits them more accurately. He points out, a little angrily, actually--that Superman is Kryptonian, Manhunter is Martian, and "[y]ou'd have to stretch a long point to consider Aquaman an American, and of course Wonder Woman's birthplace is the Amazon Paradise Island." Somebody call Lou Dobbs!