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The JLA's very first Annual!
The Story: "If I Should Die Before I Wake..." by Paul Levitz, Len Wein, Rick Hoberg, and Dick Giordano. This very first JLA Annual opens with some robot lizard-type guys aboard the JLA satellite, knocking a few of our heroes around.
At a crucial moment, the Elongated Man is unable to stop one of the bad guys from punching a hole in the satellite's hull, sending them all hurtling into airless space!
As Elongated Man screams in terror, we realize--*whew!*--this is only a dream, or a nightmare, actually. As Sue Dibny tries to comfort her husband, Ralph is concerned about these nightmares he's been having, where he is the "weak leak in the chain."
This is all music to the ears of Doctor Destiny, one of the JLA's oldest foes. He is eavesdropping on Ralph, and considers him a fool. Unfortunately, he is no help to Destiny and his cursed affliction.
What affliction? Well, we get to see what Destiny is talking about: he is conducting research on dreams, under the guise of it being genuine medical research. Turns out those subjects who can dream are healthy, the one who can't are slowly suffering physical effects from it--their skin is turning white, their features skeletal. Sound familiar?
Destiny has a team of nurses helping him in his work, never realizing who he really is:
Destiny blames the JLA for his condition, and threatens to attack them in their dreams.
Cut to: the JLA satellite, where they are playing host to Commissioner James Gordon, who didn't know where to turn ever since Batman disappeared into Markovia (during the events of the first few issues of Batman and the Outsiders).
Turns out that Destiny, who they thought they had locked up in Arkham Asylum, has escaped, leaving a hologram in his place! The JLA takes the case and goes on a search for him.
The Hawks, the Atom, and Firestorm use a piece of Thanagarian technology to track Delta-Wave radiation, which they believe will lead them to him.
They follow the lead to the Atom's stomping grounds of Ivy University, where they are told nothing strange is going on, even with the dream research now being conducted.
Suddenly, wraith-like beings leap out of the the asleep subjects, and attack! The JLAers manage to stop them, and they fade back into nothingness, all the while Destiny watches...
Meanwhile, in Washington Square:
...I love Aquaman standing there, reading a pamphlet. It just cracks me up.
Something similar happens to them, with transparent beings emerging from monstrous stone sculptures and attacking, ending the same way--with the JLAers fighting them off.
It happens again when Wonder Woman, Flash, and the John Stewart Green Lantern find themselves fighting dreamlike versions of Amazo, Dr. Light, and the Tornado Tyrant!
The heroes stop them, and they think they have found Destiny himself, until he disappears right before their eyes, seemingly merging his being with his Dream Machine!
Zatanna uses her magic to transport herself, Red Tornado, and Elongated Man to another dimension--the dream dimension! Somebody call Neil Gaiman!
Zatanna determines its here where Destiny is hiding, so she calls in the rest of the troops:
...they arrive at the Dream Dome, where Destiny has imprisoned its heroic operator, the Sandman!
Destiny is able to call forth all sorts of horrible demons from people's nightmares, who attack the JLA.
As they fight, the Flash tries to attack Destiny straight on, but he throws some sort of dust at the Flash, knocking him out. He soon does it to the rest of the JLA!
Elongated Man is defeated last, being mocked by Destiny as it happens. Luckily, Ralph manages to hit a button on a control panel, freeing the Sandman into the Dream-Stream.
While Destiny imprisons the JLAers and plans to turn them into the skeletal husks he has become, the Sandman looks for help from the only person he thinks can. Destiny sends some of his dream-like goons to stop him.
They do, but not before the Sandman's target is awoken from his slumber--the Man of Steel, Superman!
Superman makes quick work of the demons, grabs Sandman, and heads for the Dream Dome. While the two of them fight more of Destiny's goons, he finds himself confronted by the rest of the JLA, now freed from their captivity! Destiny, being a bit of a puss, faints dead away.
Turns out why Destiny was busy watching Superman and Sandman, Elongated Man came up with the idea of Green Lantern and Zatanna focusing all their energies on Wonder Woman's glass prison tube, weakening it enough for her to shatter.
Sandman is impressed, and the JLA makes him an offer:
Green Lantern asks what was it about Superman's dreams that led him to the Man of Steel, and he reveals it was Superman's dream of a better world, a world finally at peace, where he is surrounded his super-powered friends...the Justice League.
Roll Call: Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado, Hawkgirl, Zatanna, Firestorm
Notable Moments: After 20+ years of continuous publication, the JLA finally get an annual!
A solid story, Dr. Destiny was always one of my favorites. Using Elongated Man's insecurities was a nice touch, too.
That scene with Firestorm asking Sandman to join makes me laugh, because it seems off-the-cuff. Like, did Firestorm check with the rest of the team before making the offer?
To anyone attempting even a cursory history of the Justice League of America book, the name Len Wein looms large.
Not only did Len write the book, making numerous, long-lasting changes, but later he also was its editor, guiding the book during what some (like me) consider its finest moments.
Len was generous enough to talk with JLA Satellite and offer some of insight on his dual tenures with the World's Greatest Superheroes:
JLA Satellite: How did you end up writing JLA?
Len Wein: Honestly, at this late date, I no longer really recall. If I had to guess, though, I'd say that I was probably the next guy in line. I'd started doing some writing for Julie Schwartz by then, and we were getting along really well. Also, I made it a point back in those days to be in the office almost every day, so I could well have been the first guy to walk past Julie's office when he needed a new JLA writer.
JLA Satellite: Did you pursue the assignment? Did you always want to write JLA?
LW: I was always a fan of the book, but I don't think I rally pursued the assignment. With rare exception, I never really pursued any assignment. They usually came to me.
JLA Satellite: How was it working with Dick Dillin? You threw a lot at him right off the bat--33 heroes in that year's JLA/JSA team-up!
LW: Dick Dillin was one of the sweetest men I ever worked with. He was a real honey of a guy, big, bearish, in fact, he looked very much like Hendrickson from the Blackhawk book Dick penciled for so many years.
There was nothing I could ask Dick to draw to which he would not rise to the challenge. 33 heroes, 330 heroes, whatever I asked, Dick would draw and draw wonderfully. I imagine he might have muttered some under his breath over some of the bigger mob scenes, but he never complained to my face. I miss him to this day.
JLA Satellite: There were a lot of membership changes under your tenure. Elongated Man and Red Tornado joined, Phantom Stranger sort of joined, and Hawkman left. Was that your doing or were membership changes something editorial asked for?
LW: Actually, all the new members joining was entirely my doing. Julie just went with the flow. Oh, and thanks for noticing that the Phantom Stranger only sort of joined. He was offered membership but vanished, as per usual, without actually accepting the offer.
Over the years, other writers have just assumed PS was a member, but in my world, he never really said yes.
JLA Satellite: Did you have particularly favorite characters you enjoyed writing for more than others?
LW: I loved writing the Green Arrow/Hawkman relationship, certainly. It was probably the thing I was proudest for having brought to the book.
When I took over the JLA, it had always bothered me that these characters all got along so well. In fact, most of their personalities were almost interchangeable. I always felt that, like in any combat unit, these people would absolutely die for one another without a moment's hesitation, but wouldn't necessarily like one another at leisure.
Here was Green Arrow, the ultimate '70s radical Liberal, always at odds with the establishment, and there was Hawkman, interstellar policeman, epitomizing the establishment. These guys would never get along.
JLA Satellite: You brought back a lot of unused DC characters during your run--the Seven Soldiers of Victory, the Quality Comics characters, etc. Did you read those comics growing up and want to use those characters?
LW: I'd seen random issues here and there of many of these characters as a kid and thought it would be a kick to get to play with them. Bringing back the Seven Soldiers was just trying to find something big enough to warrant being the 100th JLA story. And I've always had a soft spot for the Quality characters. I mean, c'mon, the Human Bomb? How cool is that?
JLA Satellite: You were writing lots of comics at this time, most famously Swamp Thing, which was about as different from JLA as possible. Was one assignment harder, easier, more or less fun than the other?
LW: They both were fun and both had their challenges. As I went along with the JLA, I'd find myself coming up with new ways to challenge myself in the writing. I'd come up with the basic scenario for the issue, then figure out to break the JLA into teams. I got more creative as I went along.
One issue, I broke up the JLAers according to their costume colors. In another issue, I split them up alphabetically. I'd create the threat, then break up he teams, and then have the challenge of trying to figure out how, say, Aquaman and the Atom were going to defeat Darkseid. It kept the book fun for me and, thankfully, the readers as well, it seems.
JLA Satellite: You had a relatively long run as writer(about two years) on the title, and you were bracketed by a lot of different writers working on JLA. Why did you stop writing the book?
LW: As I recall at the time, I ran out of ideas. I'd done so many big stories, I was having a hard time coming up with smaller ones.
Also, Marvel was busily luring me away from DC at the time, so it became, in essence, struggle to find a JLA story or go write Spider-Man. Though now, after so many years, I'd love a crack at writing the JLA again.
JLA Satellite: Me, too! As editor, you presided over my--and a lot of people's--favorite era of JLA, roughly issues 185-220, including the blockbuster 200th issue. Whose idea was it to have such a massive 200th issue, with so many characters and artists?
LW: Oh, mine. After all, I had to come up with some way to top what I'd done with issue #100. As an editor, I'm incredibly proud of that issue. We had an amazing array of artists and Gerry Conway's script weren't exactly chopped liver neither.
JLA Satellite: You were editor when Dick Dillin passed away after drawing the book for so long. After that, there was a succession of artists doing the book for a few issues each--George Perez, Don Heck, Rich Buckler. Were these "try-outs" for each artist, to see how sales reacted, or was it based mostly on who was ultimately available?
LW: I seem to recall George doing the book for quite a while. In fact, each of those guys did a decent stint on the book. When Dick Dillin passed away suddenly, George Perez--who loves drawing mob scenes--became the obvious choice to do the JLA. When George moved on, other artists followed.
JLA Satellite: What projects are you working on now?
LW: Well, aside from doing occasional issues of The Simpsons and Futurama for Bongo Comics, I'm writing a video game that should be out next Spring and I just got back from New York where I talked to Dan DiDio about a number of new projects, though it's way too soon to speak about any of those.
I probably could've come up with another hundred questions for Len, but I decided the man has done enough for me already, as a JLA writer/editor, and now taking time to talk JLA with me for the blog. Thanks Len!
No sci-fi or fantasy based comic book or TV show can resist the ol' "turn 'em into cavemen" plot!
The Story: "The Return of Anakronus!" by Len Wein ("Aided and Abetted by: Felton Marcus"--who?), Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. The heroes of the DC are manning the phones for a charity fundraiser, which is being watched at home by everyone's favorite ex-mascot, Snapper Carr.
Suddenly Snapper's TV explodes, having been blasted by a funny-looking bad guy named Anakronus, who tells Snapper he will help him get revenge on the JLA!
Turns out Anakronus was behind the Lord of Time's plot to defeat the JLA, waaaay back in issue #10! Escaping before he was discovered, Anakronus watched in horror as the JLA destroyed his life's work.
He demands payment, so he calls in to the charity to ask for the money the JLA just collected! He gets Green Arrow on the line, who of course thinks the guy is a kook(which he is) and hangs up! Snapper tries to grab Anakronus' gun, but gets a crack to the head for his troubles.
Anakronus tells Snapper a story about how, after the Lord of Time fight, he managed to defeat the JLA all by himself(featuring a sequence starring the Martian Manhunter), but Snapper isn't quite buying it, since, if he defeated them and devolved them into cavemen and then amoeba, how are they around today?
Anakronus' lame answer of "Uh, I guess it wore off" prods Snapper to call back, and this time drop enough hints that the Atom comes through the phone line, followed quickly by the Elongated Man and Red Tornado, who quickly disarm him.
Turns out Anakronus is, in fact, just a kook with a fake ray gun and a made-up story. As they carry him off to jail, Snapper listens to the charity announce it hit its target of over ten million dollars!
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado
Notable Moments: Sadly, this was Len Wein's last issue as the regular JLA writer. This story is silly, but enormously fun, and is respectfully dedicated to Gardner Fox. As it seems most commenters here agree, Wein's run was action-packed, full of characterization, and fast-moving. Its unfortunate it was so brief, though Wein would return as editor.
This issue also features a JLA crossword, "Just A Story" starring the JSA from Comic Calvacade #18, a "Super-Hero Boots" puzzle page, a JLA trivia quiz, and a gallery of former JLA guest-stars, and "Crisis on Earth-Three" from JLA #s 29 & 30.
I shouldn't pick on Snapper too much here--he actually serves a purpose in the story, and, sand his dated 60s lingo, he's much less annoying. Man, Len Wein was a great writer!
With the reprints of the 60s JLA stories, occasionally DC made up "Next Issue" ads to fill those empty half-pages left vacant by Cap's Hobby Hints and such. They were generally nondescript, though I did think this was one spiffy:
One of my all-time favorite JLA covers: the balance of color, the design, and the white background makes *pop*--if I had seen this on the newsstand, the sixty cents would've flown out of my pocket at Flash-like speed.
The Story: "The Creature in the Velvet Cage!" by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. We hit the ground running, as the first page features the JLA and the JSA in a good old-fashioned superhero donnybrook with some goofily-dressed bad guys, when the Sandman gets an alarm in his car(The SandMobile?) and takes off without a word to his comrades.
They follow him back to his home, where they find Wesley Dodds in a secret room(The SandCave?) that features a giant class bubble, shattered into a thousand pieces. Dodds tells them that the person in the bubble was his former sidekick, Sandy!
He tells them that, years ago, during an experiment, something went wrong and Sandy was transformed into a giant, malevolent crystalized sand creature, who luckily passes out from the stress before he got a chance to attack The Sandman.
The Sandman then made the decision to imprison Sandy until he could find a way to reverse what had happened, and it stayed that way for years...until today!
The two teams spread out to find Sandy, and each time they find him, he manages to turn into sand and disappear. He's finally stopped by the Sandman himself, who bets that somewhere deep inside this creature is still his boy partner.
This calms him down long enough for him to explain that a small earthquake had cracked his glass bubble, and Sandy was able to explain that in his new form he could sense a bigger disaster looming and he tried to stop it. Sandman can't understand, since he assumed Sandy was a mindless monster:
...turns out Sandy had been imprisoned all these years, trapped in both the prison of his body and the bubble, unable to ask for help because of the Sandman's knockout gas!
This sends Sandman into paralyzing despair, knowing his misjudgment has taken away years of his friend's life.
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Elongated Man
Notable Moments: I always found this story tragic, which is obviously what Wein intended. Had Sandman, you know, asked someone for help, he could've avoided all this. It's not like he didn't know world-class scientists, galaxy-hopping explorers, and powerful sorcerers.
This issue also features a two-page piece called "The Freedom Train", about the train that in 1947 carried some of America's most historic documents(the opening panel has Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and, surprisingly, Aquaman(and a yellow-gloved one at that!) watching the train go by).
It also features the JSA in "The Case of the Patriotic Crimes"(from All-Star Comics #41), and "The Cavern of the Deadly Spheres!" from JLA #16.
This is the only one-part JLA/JSA cross-over!
The return of one of the JLA's most fearsome foes, Amazo!
The Story: "War With The One-Man Justice League!" by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. Continuing the story from last issue, we rejoin he JLA in their satellite, having lost their powers due to the machinations of the mysterious Libra.
The rest of the JLA shows up, and its the Atom who suggests using Amazo to return the heroes' powers. They rewire him, and Black Canary even takes the time to redesign his costume! The plan is to trick Amazo into chasing the JLA, causing him to attract the molecules Libra stole from the JLAers that contain their powers.
Amazo first takes on The Flash, Elongated Man, and Black Canary, and then Superman, Aquaman, and Green Arrow, and everything goes according to plan. Except that Batman--even operating at half his intellectual power--figures out a flaw in their plan!
After Amazo runs into Green Lantern, Red Tornado, and Atom, he figures out their plan, since he has half of Batman's smarts. Luckily. Bats figured that out, too, anf finds a way to hit Amazo with a blast of energy which drained all his powers, making him little match for the Dark Knight Detective.
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado
Notable Moments: There's more to this story than what I outlined above, but I found it peculiarly difficult to summarize. The plan to use Amazo is complicated, luckily the JLA had the Atom and Batman working on it.
This issue comes with a two-page "Amazo and His Creator" feature, featuring panels from previous Amazo stories, a JLA crossword, another Seven Soldiers of Victory reprint(Part 2 of "Beware! The Black Star Shines!", from Leading Comics #2), a Starman solo story, "Starman's Lucky Star!" from Adventure Comics #81, plus "The Super-Exiles From Earth!" from JLA #19.
But that's not all! There's also a separate letters page all about Hawkman's resignation from the JLA, called:
...first Watergate, now this!
__________________________________________________________
This same month, over in Wonder Woman, began the multi-issue storyline guest-starring the individual members of the JLA as they put the Amazing Amazon through "trials" to see if she, now that she had her powers back, was up to rejoining the JLA.
To be perfectly honest, I had zero interest in digging up all these issues of WW, since I always found reading a solo Wonder Woman comic generally a tedious experience (no offense to the fine folks who worked on her book over the years). But it was an unusual and impactful storyline, so it deserves some mention, so here are the covers to the issues:
...as you can see, each then member of the JLA got a shot, even the Red Tornado(though he got pared up with The Phantom Stranger)! The series, of course, culminated in Wonder Woman rejoining the JLA, which we'll get to in a few weeks.
That is one busy cover!
The Story: "Balance of Power!" by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. We open with Green Lantern encountering his old foe The Tattooed Man, who mysteriously disappears just as GL was about to apprehend him!
Turns out he has been transported to the secret satellite headquarters of the Injustice Gang of the World (great name, complete with logo), which consists of the unusual line-up of Chronos (Damian, take note), The Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, The Shadow-Thief, Mirror Master, and their leader, Libra!
As Libra explains his plan to defeat the JLA, the JLA themselves compare notes, and see that the villain disappearing act has been happening to many of them in the past few days.
The JLA decides to break off into groups when they get word of these same bad guys attacking all over the world. Green Lantern and Batman tell everyone one to handle their respective foes, but Elongated Man has a fanciful idea to switch it up! This irritates Batman to no end, but the other heroes agree!
Aquaman and Green Lantern go after Poison Ivy and Mirror Master, and its here that Aquaman gets a fun moment to shine:
...sure, he's bragging a little, but Aquaman so rarely gets the spotlight I was glad to see him school Poison Ivy.
Unfortunately, just as it looks like GL and Aquaman are about to win the fight, MM and Ivy touch a button in their costumes which seems to take the heroes powers away!
The same thing happens to Superman vs. the Scarecrow, Batman vs. Chronos, Elongated Man vs. The Tattooed Man, and Flash vs. The Shadow-Thief! All of them have their powers removed, just long enough for Libra to show up and deliver the final blow.
We then find Libra, having trapped the JLA in their own little prisons back at Injustice Gang HQ, using a machine that saps their energy and puts it into him. The JLA manages to break out(of course), but as they try and stop Libra he just keeps taking in more and more energy until he grows so big that he cannot keep himself together, and he evaporates into nothingness!
This leaves the JLA stranded--without their powers--in the Injustice Gang HQ! To be continued!
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Elongated Man
Notable Moments: I love gangs of villains vs. gangs of heroes, and it was neat to see a team of bad guys made up of unusual choices, like Poison Ivy and Shadow-Thief.
This issue comes with a two-page "Wanted: The Injustice Gang!" feature, drawn by Pat Broderick, a JLA crossword, plus a reprint of a Seven Soldiers of Victory story("Beware! The Black Star Shines!", from Leading Comics #2), a SSOV pin-up by Murphy Anderson, and the classic "Attack of the Star-Bolt Warrior!" from JLA #32.
The cover image, of Libra holding the scales of justice, is by Nick Cardy, and is so cool and dynamic I wish it had more space on the cover.
The JLA Mail Room logo changes again, to reflect the departure of Hawkman and Reddy's new duds:
Not only is this one of all-time favorite JLA stories, it's one of my favorite superhero comic stories, ever. It's--
The Story: "The Man Who Murdered Santa Claus!" by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano, with special thanks going out to "Green Lantern Fan Dufy Vohland."
We open with Superman and Batman arranging a special visit by Santa Claus to some local orphans. Santa picks up his bag of toys, enters the next room, when it explodes!
Here we're treated to one of the best JLA splash pages ever, which kicks the story off right just as any good splash page should:
...I can just hear the Dramatic Movie musical sting accompanying this image!
Anyway, a JLA distres signal goes out, and we get to see why some JLAers(like Flash, the Atom, Aquaman, and Elongated Man) can't make it, but others are, like Hal Jordan, who promptly falls in the shower, banging his head on the sink.
The power ring wastes no time in finding a replacement Lantern, John Stewart, which carts him off to the JLA satellite.
Batman shows the clue left in Santa's hand, and it leads them to a series of rundown inner city buildings to find Santa's murderer. Here the JLA faces a series of death traps, which leads each of the JLAers in turn having to sacrifice themselves to save the rest--starting with Superman, who heaves himself into a mini-Red Sun, killing himself in the process!
Black Canary is the next to die, and it's here we see the bad guy behind all this, watching the JLA get picked off, one by one...the villainous Key!
Next Batman and Green Arrow go, leaving only Red Tornado and Green Lantern, who are then overcome by the Key's army of robots. The Key begins to revel in his success...understandable, since he's managed to kill half the Justice League!
Unfortunately, the Key's victory party is cut short, by the sudden appearance of all the JLAers, safe and sound! Turns out they were all saved by...The Phantom Stranger! The Stranger went undercover as one of the Key's henchmen and helped each of the JLA only look like they were killed, so they could sneak up on the Key.
Before they can apprehend him, the Key sets off the "Doom-Bomb" implanted in his headquarters, and slips out a secret passageway. The JLA rounds up all the people living in the buildings, so they won't be killed in the explosion.
GL contains the explosion, but it still levels all the buildings. Fortunately, this GL thought ahead, and decided to give these lesser fortunate people an early Christmas gift:
The epilogue takes place back at the satellite, where the JLA are exchanging gifts. Black Canary gives Red Tornado a new costume, to help him understand the season, plus she was "tired of that grim, drab outfit you've been wearing."
Even the grumpy Green Arrow gets in the spirit, and the JLA wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas!
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Green Lantern(John Stewart), Green Arrow, Black Canary, Red Tornado
Notable Moments: This is such a sweet tale; I love Green Lantern's solution at the end of the story in how he finds a way to help these poor families yet stay within the "rules" of being a Green Lantern. Ingenious on Mr. Wein's part.
This is the first issue to feature the "Here Come TV's Super-Friends!" on the cover--DC had not yet created the Super Friends comic, so this was as close as they could get.
It's also the first issue of the 100-Page "Super-Spectacular" format, which wasn't a big hit but the issues done this way remain a lot of fun, stuffed to the gills as they were with fun comic book-y goodness.
Case in point, this issue also features a Justice Society tale, "The Plight of A Nation!"(co-drawn by Carmine Infantino and Alex Toth!), a JLA crossword puzzle, "Z--As in Zatanna--and Zero Hour!" from JLA #51, a double-page JSA pin-up by Murphy Anderson, and a two-page edition of the JLA Mail Room! All this for a measly fifty cents!
I first read this story not in the original comic, but in The Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #22, "Christmas With the Superheroes." I remember buying this book right off the stands in Dec. 1981 at the beloved Voorhees News & Tobacco Shop.
All the stories in it are pretty good, but when I saw a JLA story where it looked like they were getting knocked off, one by one, the sale was made.
Man, that is one pissed-off (and kinda beefy) Superman! If I was Hawkman, I'd be very, very nervous.
The Story: "The Doom of the Divided Man" by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. The JLA sits at in meeting room, when Hawkman comes in to make the startling announcement that he is resigning from the Justice League!
Hawkman informs that he and Hawkgirl's tour of duty on Earth has ended, and they are being called back to Thanagar.
As the JLA tries to argue, suddenly a wounded Red Tornado arrives in the company of a Dr. Bruce Gordon, who claims he is the one responsible for Reddy's current condition!
Reddy recuperates long enough to explain that he was working a lab assistant to Dr. Gordon, whose experiments brought out in Gordon his alter-ego, the villanous Eclipso!
Gordon had tried to destroy Eclipso once and for all, but instead it created three of them! (Man, are scientists generally incompetent in super-hero comics) Then the three Eclipsos spread out to all corners of the globe, drawing energies from the Earth itself. Batman analyzes and figures that if they aren't destroyed in six hours--Earth is doomed!
The heroes split up, with the Atom and Black Canary tracking one under the sea. Just as it looks like some goons of Eclipso are about to take them out, Aquaman arrives to stem the tide! Yay Aquaman! They then find Eclipso, and it's Aquaman(with the help of a flying fish) that defeats him and gets his black diamond from him, the source of his power.
Batman and Flash defeat their Eclipso, and Green Arrow, Hawkman, and the Elongated Man do the same thing. Done and done. Almost...
Back at the satellite, the three Eclipsos merge into one giant one, and grab the three black diamonds. He grabs them to use as a weapon, when they unexpectedly explode, destroying Eclipso!
Batman reveals he figured the three crystals could be sprayed with a chemical, causing them to overload with power, and working against Eclipso, sending him back into Dr. Gordon's body, where he lies dormant... for now.
The final page concerns Hawkman saying goodbye, and he's hurt that Green Arrow didn't even say goodbye. Turns out he was too upset, luckily Black Canary is there to comfort him:
It's a sweet sequence, though I wish whoever was in DC Production for this issue didn't slap the big Special Announcement blurb over the last few panels, sort of ruining the moment. Sheesh, you couldn't have put it on the JLA Mail Room, one page over?
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado
Notable Moments: Again, Wein plants his JLA firmly in the DCU, by bringing back yet another old villain, Eclipso, who I always thought was kinda cool, even if he had a pretty dorky uniform.
I love, of course, how Aquaman comes in in the middle of the second chapter and saves the day. Cool.
Dr. Fate versus The Human Bomb is going to be a very quick fight!
The Story: "Thirteen Against The Earth!" by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. The JLAers and JSAers continue to scour Earth-X in search of the hypno-ray machines, and this issue opens with Superman, Doll Man, Green Arrow, and Phantom Lady in Japan. (It's awfully nice of Superman not to point out that those three really don't help him out much, in terms of muscle)
Like what happened in the previous issue, the heroes defeat the Nazis and destroy the machine, but nothing seems to happen!
Meanwhile, Black Condor, Sandman, Uncle Sam, and the Elongated Man are at Mt. Rushmore(which features the addition of Adolph Hitler--boo! hiss!) and the same thing happens. It takes Ralph to figure out what's been going on, that the machines themselves are mirages, generated by yet another machine somewhere else! The figure think that that machine is hidden inside the giant Hitler head, which Uncle Sam smashes to bits.
The heroes regroup, but the JLAers and JSAers start to think its the Freedom Fighters who have been the beneficiaries of all the energy dispersed from the machines. This of course leads to a fight!
Red Tornado figures his comrades have fallen victim to the Nazi's hypno-ray, and takes off to find the source of the ray, a Nazi satellite in space! Reddy heads in, where he meets...Adolph Hitler!
Reddy punches Der Fuhrer in the face, knocking his head off, showing that this Hitler is merely an android. (Of course, Reddy didn't know that at the time, which means Reddy was ready to deliver a killing blow--don't mess with Red Tornado.)
Turns out a giant sentient machine was behind the whole thing. Reddy smashes it, releasing the entire planet from the Nazi's grip. The JLA and the JSA leave Earth-X, handing it over to the Freedom Fighters to rebuild.
Roll Call: Batman, Green Arrow, Elongated Man, Red Tornado
Notable Moments: After a few issues where the JLA sort of kicked him around, it was nice to see Red Tornado get the big save. Plus he got to do it by punching Hitler in the face!
The JLA Mail Room is header is changed again(I don't know why I feel the need to so obsessively document this tiny, tiny piece of JLA arcana, but here we are), this time with art by Dillin and Giordano, adding Red Tornado and a mis-colored Elongated Man:
The JLA and the JSA meet The Freedom Fighters!
The Story: "Crisis on Earth-X!" by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. The JLA and the JSA are preparing for their yearly get together, using their new matter transporter(basically a big metal box).
Of course, it doesbn't go right, and none of the heroes show up--instead, they've been transported to another Earth, where they are immediately attacked by tanks bearing Nazi swatstikas!
But these aren't any old Nazis--their weapons seem to have super-advanced powers, and they knock around our heroes pretty good, until they are rescued by a team of superheroes--The Freedom Fighters!
Their leader, Uncle Sam, explains that on this Earth, The Nazis won World War II, and they are the last surviving superheroes, still fighting the power. To mollify the population, the Nazis came up with a sort of mind-control device. The FF has developed an immunity, so they will not relent.
The JLA and the JSA of course agree to help the Freedom Fighters defeat the Nazis(haven't they heard of the Prime Directive?), and Dr.Fate uses his powers to find the source of the beam that projects the Nazis' hypno-ray.
Several places around the globe appear, so the heroes split up to search, leaving Red Tornado behind to coordinate. Batman, Dr.Fate, The Ray, and the Human Bomb head to Paris.
Dick Dillin was not known for his work being particularly moody--Batman pretty much looked like another costumed hero--but occasionally he outdid himself, like this imposing panel of Batman about to bust some Ratzi head:
The four heroes find the machine sending out the beam, and it looks more like a giant robot, one that creates four demon-like creatures to dispatch the heroes.
The demons are quickly defeated, and the heroes smash the machine. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to make a difference--everyone is still under mind control!
Meanwhile, back on Earth-1, the remaining JLAers are trying to figure out where their friends went. They begin to wonder...what if they're dead? To be continued!
Roll Call: Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado
Notable Moments: The first issue in a looong time that didn't feature Superman, although they sort of got him in, in that the Earth-2 version participates.
A Nazi planet is just too good a story concept not to try, whether its a comic book, a novel, or an episode of Star Trek.
Dick Dillin was one of the few artist that could draw Phantom Lady and not make the comic look like something you'd have to hide from your parents.
Another new member joins, this time The Red Tornado!
The Story: "Wolf in The Fold!" by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. The JLA is grilling Red Tornado, asking him how he survived his suicide mission at the end of JLA #102.
Reddy doesn't remember much, except that he was not destroyed by the explosion, as everyone thought. He landed somewhere in the mountains, where he was found by a blind, hermetic sculptor, who nursed Reddy back to health(sort of) and even made him a human-looking face!
As Reddy prepared to leave, he found that he was on Earth-1, not his homeworld of Earth-2. He tried to go home, but found that he no longer had the ability to pierce the dimensional barrier, stranding him on Earth-1.
He wanted to ask the JLA for help, but decided to do it in secret because he felt the JLA didn't care for him. They feel bad about this, and Superman suggests membership in the JLA! Green Arrow objects, but the rest of them quickly approve Superman's motion--Red Tornado is the newest member of the JLA!
We then learn that the Red Tornado is, as the title suggests, a wolf in the fold. T.O.Morrow, consulting his super-smart master computer(with over 30K of RAM!), is told that in 28 days, the cosmic balance will shift, and either he or the JLA will cease to exist, and the best way to defeat the JLA is to destroy them from within via a new member!
Morrow sends some of his henchmen to draw Tornado out, hopefully making him activate his signa device, which is implanted with a deadly nerve gas, destroying the JLA. The JLA gets involved without that happening, but they grow suspicious that both Reddy and Morrow resurface at the same time. Reddy is offended at this, and it's here where we have the classic sequence of Reddy trying to fit into regular society, using his newfound face and trying to get a job:
Reddy, now known as John Smith, falls in love with the beautiful, kind-hearted Kathy. One day a few weeks later, Morrow attacks again, again bringing the JLA in.
Morrow is delighted when he sees The Elongated Man press Tornado's signal device(after Morrow's henchmen have stolen the other members' ones), and watches the JLA writhe in pain, seemingly to death. But he's then a little surprised when the JLA, alive and well, are at his doorstep!
Turns out Morrow was watching a hologram provided by Green Lantern, while they figured out what exactly was Morrow's plan. They knock him out, and take him to jail. Unfortunately, as they are doing this, Morrow's 28 days are up, and he vanishes into nothingness.
The JLA explains and apologizes to Reddy, saying they used him to see what Morrow's master plan was. He accepts their apology, and heads back down to Earth to see "...if an android is vulnerable to...love!"
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Black Canary, Elongated Man, and new member The Red Tornado!
Notable Moments: New things were afoot during Len Wein's run. Not since Denny O'Neil did the JLA undergo so many changes--two new members in just two issues!
Red Tornado always seemed like a shaky addition to the team to me, but he did provide a nice contrast in personality to the rest of the team. And since there was a Golden Age Tornado, Reddy does fit the whole "Silver Age-version of an older hero in the JLA" meme that kicked the team off in the first place.
Morrow disappearing into nothingness creeped me out as a kid. Still sorta does, even though he came back later.
Tomorrow(no pun intended):
The JLA inducts a new member...The Elongated Man!
The Story: "Specter in the Shadows! by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. We open with Ralph Dibny, The Elongated Man, and his wife Sue taking in some culture at an art museum. Suddenly a gaggle of weird, dough-like creatures spring up and stat stealing the paintings!
The Elongated Man (and Sue, bless he heart) try and stop them, but they are overpowered. Ralph then decides to call in help with this JLA signal device! But I thought only members had those! What's going on?
We flash back one week, and see Green Lantern inviting Ralph and Sue to the JLA Satellite, where they tell him they are inviting him to join! He of course says...yes!
We cut back to present time, where EM is explaining what he saw. The JLA splits up into teams(of course) after they receive several distress signals involving the self-same dougy guys!
The Flash, The Atom, and Green Arrow head to a coal mine, where they defeat the doughy guys, but...why were they trying to steal coal? And who is that mysterious stranger, watching the JLA from the inky shadows?
Superman and Black Canary are less successful, as they try to stop the baddies from stealing...tires? They stop the theft, but the doughy guys escape.
Green Lantern gets stuck with the new guy, and Ralph plunges into the ocean while trying to stop one of the bad guys. Lantern tries to rescue him, but Ralph is gone! Hal is despondent--"Who would've thought the Elongated Man's first case with the Justice League would also be his last?" And hey, there's that mysterious guy again!
The JLA reconvenes at the satellite, depressed over Ralph's seeming demise. The distress signal goes off again, and they find the doughy guys guarding a gian beehive type structure. As they fight, one of the doughy guys saves Black Canary, revealing himself to actually be...The Elongated Man!
After the JLA defeats them, Ralph explains he got the idea to go "undercover" on the spot, and learned that the beehive is poised to explode! The JLA can't break their way in, but just as the place is about to blow, a giant wind picks it up, and sends it into space, where it explodes harmlessly. What the?!?
Turns out the last-minute save is from the mysterious stranger, who turns out to be...The Red Tornado!
Roll Call: Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Atom, Black Canary, and new member The Elongated Man!
Notable Moments: The first new member in thirty issues, The Elongated Man was a solid addition to the team, in terms of powers and personality. Ralph certainly had a decent history in the DCU, and I liked him in the book, even if, as a kid, I always wondered why it wasn't Plastic Man.
This issue features the classic "new member" scroll splash page, my favorite bit of tradition in these types of stories:
The return of the Shaggy Man!
The Story: "The Shaggy Man Will Get You If You Don't Watch Out! by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. We open with the villanous, giant-domed Hector Hammond, using his vast mental powers to travel the earth, and landing upon the JLA as they have a meeting in their satellite.
Hammond is trying to devise a way to defeat the JLA, and he gets an idea from reviewing their cases in the JLA library, considering all the various baddies they have fought in the past...Amos Fortune, The Key, Amazon, Kanjar Ro, Despero...but settles on another. He heads(no pun intended) to Northern Chile, and revives the long dormant Shaggy Man!
He transports the Shaggy Man to the satellite, but sneakily. The Shaggy Man is discovered during a sequence with Aquaman giving the Black Canary a tour of the JLA Trophy Room. Aquaman shows Canary the Shaggy Man statue until he realizes "Waitaminnit...we never had a statue of the Shaggy Man!"
Aquaman and Canary fight the beast to a standstill, until Hammond gets involved and rings the Gamma Gong(as bad as it sounds!), knocking them out. Shaggy, with the help of Hammond, proceeds to make short work of the JLA, as he individually defeats Hawkman and Green Arrow, Batman and Atom, and the Flash.
Unfortunately, the Shaggy Man isn't the mintiest comic in the box, and he bursts through the hull of the satellite to get to Superman, causing the JLA HQ to lose orbit and it begins to hurtle towards Earth!
As the satellite is about too crash, Green Lantern shows up, catches it, and he then revives the unconscious JLAers to team up to fight the Shaggy Man, in one of those great full-page shots of the whole JLA:
The Shaggy Man makes like King Kong by grabbing Canary and heading for the top of a skyscraper. As Lantern fights him, Hammond finds his mental powers exhausted, leaving GL to reduce the Shaggy Man to action figure-size proportions, encasing him in a small tube.
We end with Hammond, still in prison, vowing revenge once again. Whatever, Mike Farrell!
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary
Notable Moments: In just a few issues, writer Len Wein brought back the Seven Soldiers of Victory, plus classic JLA villains Felix Faust and the Shaggy Man. A fun issue all around, one of my favorites.
Guest-starring...The Phantom Stranger!
The Story: "A Stranger Walks Among Us! by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. The JLA meets at the satellite, wondering which of them called the meeting. Turns out it was...The Phantom Stranger, who manages to appear in the satellite taking the team by surprise!
None of the JLAers know him, but Batman(having met him in the pages of The Brave and the Bold) vouches for him. The Stranger then explains he senses an evil force brewing in the town of Rutland, Vermont. And the force is being summoned by an old foe of the JLA...Felix Faust!
As the team decides to head to Rutland, we cut to four people on their way there, named Steve, Len, Glynis, and Gerry, who are headed their for the costume parade(seen previously in the classic Batman #237, "The Night of the Reaper"). The parade's organizer, Tom Fagan, meets the JLA and Batman tells him why they're there. Tom then manages to talk the JLA into being part of the parade, on a custom-made power-ring float!
As the parade goes on, suddenly everyone in the crowd is frozen stiff! The team splits up to investigate, and Hawkman and Flash are attacked by three zombified paraders, dressed like Supergirl, Adam Strange, and, er, Commando America!
The demons are inhabiting these people, which give them powers and they actually manage to defeat Barry and Carter! Meanwhile, Batman is taking on another possessed partier, this time dressed in a familiar red-and-blue outfit with a spider on his chest. Green Lantern meanwhile is fighting a Norse Thundergod. They, too, succumb to some mysterious force.
Superman and Green Arrow take on ersatz versions of Captain Marvel and the Golden Age Flash, and end up the same way. Oddly, the Phantom Stranger shows up at the end of all these battles, but does not help the JLA out! What's going on here??
As the JLA recovers, the Phantom Stranger returns and they ask him what is indeed going on. Turns out the only way Faust's spell of possession could be defeated was to use a personal item from each of them as a sort of sacrifice--but those items could not be freely given, hence the Stranger waiting for the JLAers to be rendered unconscious.
The Stranger exhausts Faust's powers, the JLA fight the demons, and our four familiar partiers wake up from their stupor.
The JLA is thankful to the Stranger for helping them defeat Faust and quickly decide to ask him to join. But...:
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Hawkman
Notable Moments: As a kid, I was very concerned with the JLA's roll call, and it bugged me to no end that the Phantom Stranger was a sort of quasi-official member. They did vote him in, but he didn't accept, but he didn't say no, so...grrrr! I need closure on this!
Len Wein was obviously having a blast with this issue, writing himself and his friends into the story, to say nothing of the "cameos" by Spider-Man, Captain America, and Thor. Much like Neal Adams from a few issues ago, doesn't this mean Len deserved a Who's Who listing?
Speaking of Neal Adams, there's this one panel from the book that sure looks like Neal Adams, rather than Dick Dillin, to me. I wonder, did somebody spill some coffee on Dillin's original page and Neal was around to pinch hit?
After a long run, Joe Giella is gone as inker, replaced by Dick Giordano, one of the finest artists in the business(who did part of last issue, as well). While Giella tended to simplify Dillin's pencils to the point of almost coloring-book proportions, Giordano added a nice strong line to them, making for a really attractive package.
The thrilling conclusion the JLA/JSA/Seven Soliders of Victory team-up!
The Story: "And One of Us Must Die!" by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, Joe Giella, and Dick Giordano. Continuing from last issue, the JLAers, JSAers, and assorted guest-stars continue traveling to different time periods to rescue the amnesiac Seven Soldiers of Victory.
Green Arrow, Black Canary, and "The Incomparable Johnny Thunder"(really, that's what it says!) arrive in the old west, where they rescue The Vigilante(the Earth-2 one, not the Earth-1 one who appeared in JLA #78), but not before Arrow and Thunder argue who Black Canary has to go with. Men!
Aquaman, Wildcat, and Green Lantern head to prehistoric time and bust some hominid head as they find the Star-Spangled Kid. Finally, The Flash, Zatanna, and Red Tornado arrive on the isle of Aeaea, and find Speedy, who has been turned into a centaur!
Aeaea was, according to legend, the island of Circe, who of course had magical powers. Luckily Zatanna is there to fight her to a standstill, fix Speedy, and head out.
The heroes--all of 'em--regroup at the JSA's sanctuary, and its panels like this that probably had Dick Dillin staying up late:
All the Soldiers have been rescued--but, then, who is the one that died?
Latecomers Green Lantern(of Earth-2), Robin, and Mr.Terrific can answer that, since it was they who traveled to the top of the Himalayas to check out the grave marker shown them all by the Oracle. The dead Solider was...Wing, the Crimson Avenger's sidekick!
As the mass group of heroes start rebuilding the weapon that helped defeat the Nebula Man, they find the Iron Hand is there, attempting to kill Diana Prince. Unluckily for him, this seeming easy prey is of course Wonder Woman, who makes quick work of him.
The heroes demand to know how to stop the giant iron hand that is surrounding the earth("...or I'll take you apart a bone at a time!" Diana threatens), but IH tells them it can't be stopped.
But with the help of the Soldiers, they rebuild the Nebula Rod that will do the trick. Unfortunately, the resulting explosion from using it would kill whoever set it off. As the heroes argue who will do the job, Red Tornado sneaks off with the rod into space(I ask again--how does Red Tornado's powers work in airless space?), sets it off, destroys the hand, but dies in the process.
The issue ends with the ghostly images of Red Tornado and Wing, smiling down upon our mourning heroes.
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary
Notable Moments: Red Tornado's "death" is fairly abrupt, but I assume that writer Wein had always planned to bring him back in just a few issues so he didn't have to worry about giving him a huge send-off.
I love the look on Batman and Wonder Woman's faces on the cover(again by Nick Cardy), as Superman makes his pronouncement. "Red Tornado?" Diana asks. Batman, thinking back to an earlier sub-plot, quietly suggests "Green Arrow."
Wing remains one of the rarest of superheroes--one that, as far as I know, has never come back from the dead.
Part 2 of the JLA/JSA/Seven Soliders of Victory team-up!
The Story: "The Hand That Shook the World!" by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Joe Giella. Continuing from last issue, the JLAers, JSAers, and assorted guest-stars continue traveling to different time periods to rescue the amnesiac Seven Soldiers of Victory.
Superman, Sandman, and Metamorpho take on Genghis Khan, where they meet up with The Shining Knight. Hawkman, Wonder Woman, and Dr.Mid-Nite arrive in Ye Olde England, where they meet Robin Hood(!)--or actually the man everyone thinks is Robin Hood, though we know him as Green Arrow!
There's a great moment during this sequence where the heroes have to make their way into Nottingham Castle. As the drawbridge is lowered and the King's minions attack, Hawkman grabs a staff and saves everybody a lot of time:
"Two hits--me hitting you, you hitting the floor."--Carter Hall.
Batman, Starman, and Hourman head to Ancient Egypt to rescue Stripsey, where none of the Egyptians seem to be unnerved by a giant redheaded white guy wearing a red-and-white-striped shirt.
Meanwhile, back at the Secret Sanctuary, Diana Prince is holding down the fort. Unbeknownst to her,the Iron Hand is there as well! To be continued!
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary
Notable Moments: This is the first three-part JLA/JSA team-up, and as if this story didn't feature enough characters, Wein starts working in historical figures, as well. I wonder what Dick Dillin thought when he started getting scripts from this new JLA writer?
Even though it's a relative tiny mistake, Starman having all-red arms on the cover(again by Nick Cardy) to me looks really, really odd, like he has jammies on or something.
Welcome to the 100th issue anniversary of the Justice League!
The Story: "The Unknown Soldier of Victory!" by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, and Joe Giella. This issue opens with members of the Justice League--Aquaman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Hawkman--rummaging though their old Secret Sanctuary headquarters in preparation for their 100th meeting!
(Since some of the stories in the previous 99 issues were two or three-parters, this isn't the 100th case exactly; so there must be other JLA adventures we haven't seen. I guess that's what JLA: Classified is for)
Anyway, various stars of the DCU are also attentding the celebration, like Metamorpho, Zatanna, Diana Prince, and the Elongated Man:
Nice of Len Wein to remember to include the Martian Manhunter, even if he couldn't attend(by the way--just what is Ralph doing to those crooks?). Another non-attendee is Snapper "Loser" Carr, who can't bring himself to show up, even though the JLA graciously invited him.
Anyway, just as the JLA is about to cut the cake, they are suddenly transported to Earth-2! Here the JSA--Starman, Dr.Fate, Wonder Woman, Hourman, Wildcat, Sandman, Red Tornado, Dr.Mid-Nite, and Johnny Thunder--tell them of a menace called The Iron Hand is threatening Earth-2. He has told the JSA they have 28 hours to turn over control of the planet to him--or he will destroy it!
Dr.Fate, looking for help from his mystic crystal, is shown a mysterious grave, inscribed with "Here in Honored Glory Rests an Unknown Soldier of Victory Who Died That His World Might Live." Unfortunately, no one knows what that means, so he asks for help from Zatanna and the Thunderbolt to consult a magical entity called The Oracle, who Fate believes will help them defeat the Iron Hand.
The consult the Oracle(who looks a bit like Mordru), and he tells them the story of how a similar foe, called the Nebula-Man, was fought a team of heroes called The Seven Soldiers of Victory, one of whom died in the battle while using a new weapon that defeated the Nebula Man.
Unfortunately, no one in the JLA or JSA remembers the SSOV, and that's because, as the Oracle explains...they no longer exist...at least in this time. The two teams split into smaller teams, to find the SSOV, dispersed throughout the mists of time.
Dr.Fate, The Atom, and Elongated Man arrive in Mexico during the reign of the Aztecs, where they find one of the Soliders, the Crimson Avenger, who is King of the Aztecs! There's a short battle, since the Avenger now suddenly has mystical powers, and he thinks our heroes are a threat. Fate figures out his powers are coming from a glowing rock, which he destroys.
That wakes the Avengers up, and he returns home with the heroes. Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of the Iron Hand, who predicts he will hold dominion over all! To be continued!
Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary
Notable Moments: As you can see from my endless description, new writer Len Wein crams a lot of plot into a normal-sized issue, to say nothing of working with the JLA, the JSA, and guest-stars!
As much as I admired Mike Friedrich's run on the book, I thought this was the beginning of a really good era for the JLA. Wein's stories were fun, full of adventure, and steeped in the history of the DCU. Classic, solid super-hero comics.
This issue features the second of many covers by Nick Cardy, Aquaman artist extraordinaire and DC's go-to guy for covers at the time.
