DC Retroactive: 1980s Justice League of America

The return of "Justice League Detroit"!

The Story: "Siege" by Gerry Conway and Ron Randall.

Deep inside the new HQ of the Justice League of America, we see our heroes and some civilians clearly the worse for wear:

Aquaman informs us this the work of the original JLA's old foe, Felix Faust. Aquaman, the team's new leader, tries to give his teammates an inspiring speech, intended to rally the troops, but it falls on deaf ears when Steel is openly contemptuous of it and, seemingly, Aquaman himself.

When Aquaman refuses to back down, Steel loses it and goes after the Sea King!

A loud "whomp" from outside the chamber focuses everyone's attention. As Aquaman formulates a plan, we flash back to ten hours earlier, as the JLA is giving a tour of their new HQ to local schoolchildren, as part of a plan to be part of the community.

Everyone seems up for the meet-and-greet, except Martian Manhunter, who feels a sense of unease. Good reason, since Felix Faust is nearby, watching his old foes. Using some sort of magical tablet (no, not an iPad), he calls forth massive black clouds which descend upon Detroit!

Meanwhile, Aquaman is defending the new JLA from one particularly snotty kid, who insists the team is now a bunch of nobodies. Another kid, in a Superman t-shirt, pipes up and defends the new group, much to the JLA's admiration. But just Zatanna is about to entertain the kids with some magic, there's an explosion, and the cause of it reveals himself:

The JLA fans out, taking on Faust's demonic creations. After Manhunter and Aquaman are knocked out, the team regroups in the medical lab, which is hermetically sealed behind them.

As Faust's minions pound their way in, the JLA forms a plan and, for once, acts as a team:

...except for Gypsy, who ignores Aquaman's order to help Elongated Man and Dale Gunn get the kids to safety. While Faust was distracted, she sneaks by and grabs the mystical tablet, breaking it in two over Faust's head!

As the demons fade into oblivion, Aquaman decides what to do about Gypsy's disobedience:

...the end!

Roll Call: Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man, Zatanna, Vixen, Steel, Vibe, Gypsy

Notable Moments: Like the Retroactive 1970s book, this story feels like a bit of a missed opportunity: this is the first time the JLD has been seen in years (and probably will be the last time, with the new DCU just around the corner), so I wonder why the story is so focused on the internal monologues of the characters, in that I mean we get a lot of dialogue with the JLAers (Steel mostly) yelling at each other, which was one of the things I think that sunk the team in the first place.

Also like the 1970s one-shot, its up to another character (in that book Adam Strange, in this one the young superhero fan named...Geoff) to sort of spur the plot and get the JLA moving. Since when can't the Justice League of America carry their own story?

All that said, of course its great to see the JLA--even this version--back again one more time. I still think the JLD could have worked, if given enough time, but editorial meddling kept that from ever really happening, so the team remains a mostly sad footnote to the legendary team's history.


Not to be too picky about this, but I'm not exactly sure when this story takes place. The story mentions (repeatedly) that the "Big Guns" are decidedly no longer part of the team, which places it after the events of JLA #239 (see below). But by JLA #241, Aquaman was already off searching for Mera, never to return. So I guess we'd have to say this is what the JLD was doing while the book was doing a sort of special "DC Retroactive" of its own.

This issue also features a reprint of Justice League of America #239, also by Gerry Conway.



We hope you JLA fans enjoyed this look back, both in the comics and on this blog! I know I did!

DC Retroactive: 1970s Justice League of America

The original Justice League of America returns!

The Story: "Enter Justice League Prime" by Cary Bates, Gordon Purcell, Jose Marzan Jr., and Andy Smith.

In Creedvue Mental Hospital, two doctors are talking to a patient. This patient insists he is an interplanetary traveler, regularly visiting the planet Rann. Getting frustrated, the patient demands to talk to the Justice League of America.

One of the doctors is familiar with the Justice League, but not in the form the patient is:

Of course, the patient is Adam Strange--how did he end up here?

Six hours earlier, aboard the JLA Satellite, 22,300 miles above Earth, six members of the Justice League pick up a Zeta Beam headed their way. They figure its their old friend Adam Strange, and it is--locked in hand-to-hand combat with their mutual foe Kanjar Ro!

Suddenly the Zeta Beam splits into two, causing the JLA to go into action. Flash determines one of the beams went to Earth-Prime, "our" Earth, where superheroes only exist in comic books (and TV shows, and multi-million-dollar film franchises). The JLA splits up into two teams:

On Earth-Prime, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, and Zatanna attempt to rescue Adam Strange, except now Strange doesn't remember them either!

Turns out Strange has been receiving electro-shock therapy, which has screwed up his short-term memory. To help recover it, they turn to this world's foremost Adam Strange authority: DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz!

Meanwhile, on Earth-One, Green Lantern and Hawkman track down Kanjar Ro, who is more powerful than they remember:

Back on Earth-Prime, Schwartz jogs Strange's memory by showing him his comic book adventures as told in issues of Mystery in Space. This sets him straight, and they make their way back to the JLA Satellite.

As Kanjar Ro is making quick work of Hawkman, the other JLAers arrive, while Green Lantern and Zatanna execute another part of their plan--deflecting the Zeta Beam energy from hitting Earth, thereby depriving Kanjar Ro of his enhanced powers. With a well-placed punch by Adam Strange, Ro is defeated.

Wonder Woman decides this was a moment worth preserving. With the help of a camera inside her robot plane, the JLA snaps a picture and sends it to the person who will appreciate it the most:

...the end!

Roll Call: Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Red Tornado, Zatanna.

Notable Moments: When I ended the JLA Satellite blog back in August 2008, I truly never had any intention of bringing it back, even for a day. I liked ending with the conclusion to the original JLA book, I thought it gave the blog a nice, clean end.

But when DC announced their line of DC Retroactive one-shots, I immediately thought maybe, just maybe, it would be worth dusting off this old blog and giving it another spin--after all, this wasn't just a book starring the original JLA, it was being written by one of the classic JLA writers, Cary Bates! So here we are.


Overall, I have to say I was a tad disappointed with this issue's story--its mostly about Adam Strange, not the JLA. Add the fact that only a handful of members appear (don't even get me started on who I missed the most...), and how it becomes, IMO, a bit too in-jokey when they end up hanging with Julius Schwartz.

The plot is fine, very classic JLA, but there's almost no tension or menace. Also, there are little in-jokes to later stories, which to me broke the spell of this adventure's (heck, the whole DC Retroactive line) conceit that its set in the past--we're referencing Identity Crisis, wink wink. Which makes this a missed opporunity: as any die-hard JLA fan knows, Cary Bates could write a Justice League story with the best of 'em.

It's also too bad the whole JLA couldn't have appeared here--if you're going to bother doing this book, why feature just a handful of members and give Adam Strange so much to do? Even with all that said, it was great to see the classic JLA one more time!


Judging by Zatanna's costume and Green Arrow's presence, this story takes place somewhere between Justice League of America #s 161 and 180.

This issue also features a reprint of Justice League of America #123, also by Cary Bates, and also "stars" Julius Schwartz.


One final thing--yes, JLASatellite.com will be back once more to recap DC Retroactive: 1980s Justice League of America!

JLA Who's Who Entries - 1986/1987

The Classic JLA got two listings over the first two volumes of Who's Who, a series I never missed.

The first appeared in the Feb. 1986 issue, drawn by then-penciler Luke McDonnell:

...a nice shot.

The Classic JLA got one last bite at that Who's Who apple, in Oct. 1987, drawn by then-Justice League penciler Kevin Maguire:

...I love how he got everybody's personality in this crowded shot. Arrow and Canary's PDA, Vibe's attitude, Superman's pride, the Hawks' quiet dignity.

And even though by this time the original JLA--team and book--were gone, they all got lumped together in this "class photo." The next JLA listing in WW would concentrate solely on the JL team, and its then-current membership, which was a totally different animal.

Secret Origins #32 - Dec. 1988

The secret origin of the JLA!

The Story: "All Together Now" by Keith Giffen, Peter David, Gardner Fox, and Eric Shanower. On the distant planet Appellax, we see seven would-be leaders--all of whom claim to have assassinated the previous leader--being sent off to Earth to fight to the death.

Whoever is the winner of this battle royale will return to Appellax and claim the throne. Simple, no?

One of them has the temerity to ask, but what if they are overcome by someone, say, from Earth?

The judge says this is absurd: "You are the best Appellax has to offer. If they defeated all seven of you, we'd never go near Earth again."

And so it begins:

The first hero who will meet these would-be Appellax conquerors is the Martian Manhunter:

He faces the giant stone creature, but in the melee his power of invisibility turns off, revealing him to the local citizens. They think he's a special effect from a movie.

Next up is the King of the Seven Seas:

...he encounters the Mercury creature, and with the help of his finny friends, keeps it from turning him permanently into a blob of mercury.

He then hears of a strange meteor that landed in the Florida Everglades, and heads there. Once he arrives, he sees someone else...

But before we find out who, we see the next hero up to bat is Black Canary:

She takes on the Glass Creature, and a well-place Sonic Cry reduces him to bits.

She also hears the story about Florida, and heads there, too. She meets others who have arrived there ahead of her.

Next up is Green Lantern:

He takes on the Golden Roc (of course its yellow!), and then heads to Florida. He gets too close before he can be told he stay away, so...

Last is The Flash:

He fights the Fire Creature, defeats him, and likewise heads to Florida.

He is the last to arrive, and suffers the same fate as the other heroes:

...of course, you all know the story form here...sort of. The heroes use teamwork to defeat the Wood Creature, and the head for Antarctica, where there were reports of one last meteor.

Except when they get there, Superman is already mopping up. He takes no notice of the star-struck heroes, and flies off.

Flash liked how they worked together, and proposes forming a club, or a society? Howabout calling it The Avengers, after that TV show?

No, wait, howabout The Justice League:

...not the end!

Roll Call: Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary

Notable Moments: There were a couple of reasons not to include this book on the blog: one, it was published outside of the run of the original JLA book, and two, it features the dreaded ret-conning, where classic stories are rewritten to match current storyline concerns.

Normally that stuff make me roll my eyes, since I think a lot of damage can be done to great, classic concepts for the sake of momentary necessity.

This is such a case--the JLA was and is the big seven of the DCU circa 1960, and suggesting the Big Three weren't part of that seems so silly.

Complicating that even further, was replacing Wonder Woman with a later member, Black Canary, which disrupts even more classic JLA stories--every one for the first eight years, actually. I understand the need to have at least five members, and one of them be a woman, and DC had a real lack of heroines from this era--who else was available--Miss America? Firebrand? Phantom Lady? But having Black Canary in here just seems...wrong.

All that said, I included this because this retelling--changes and all--is so darn fun. Its got a good sense of humor, the heroes are real people, and Giffen and David wisely don't mess with the basics of Gardner Fox's immortal story. Plus, the art is gorgeous--Eric Shanower wasn't someone who you saw do a lot of superhero work, so his take on the World's Greatest Superheroes is a real treat.

Justice League of America Index #1 - April 1986

Before we move on to seeing the new, all-new, all-badass Despero kick the JLA's butt, we need to take a moment to talk about another JLA series that started around this time.

Eclipse Comics, via their Independent Comics Group imprint, started producing a whole series of indexes for long-running DC titles, like All-Star Comics, Doom Patrol, Hawkman, and Justice League of America.

As a kid obsessed with every bit of JLA minutiae I could get my hands on, seeing this first issue on the stands was like manna from heaven--as a kid (heck, even now) I think enjoying talking about a comic, a TV show, or a movie almost as much as the thing itself. And as if to ratchet up the excitement even more, its got a George Perez cover! Yes!

While it confused me why DC was outsourcing these books out to another company (and Eclipse, no less), I didn't care. I grabbed this first issue, putting back some other books so I could afford it on my 15-year-old budget.

Unfortunately, the cover turned out to be the most exciting thing about these books--no offense to those who worked on these things, but the text is so dry in that it basically just recites the events of the first 19 issues, nothing more. I bought one or two more of these, then gave up.

In addition to cataloging the first bunch of issues of the book, this first volume gives us a rundown of all of the JLA members, including this:

...so the Phantom Stranger is an official member? At 15, this kind of inconsistency drove me nuts!

There are also some mistakes in the text (Aquaman is still listed as a current member, even though, by this point, Batman had already taken over in #250, which is mentioned here), and many of the covers used are beat-up; couldn't DC even provide some nice clean scans?

Like I said, it was the covers Eclipse put together that remain for me the nicest part of the series, starting with George Perez (though this is piece is credited as 1983, maybe it was intended for something else?), and then moving onto Stan Woch, Joe Staton, Jerry Ordway, and Luke McDonnell:

...I didn't want to catalog each issue of this series, because then I'm indexing an index; and that seemed kinda insane to me. So I thought this was enough before we move onto JLA #251...

Justice League of America: The Lunar Invaders

One of the most obscure JLA adventures ever, complete with words, pictures, and sound!

The Story: "The Lunar Invaders" by Marv Wolfman, Ross Andru, Rich Buckler, and Bob Smith. On the moon, a collection of astronauts from different countries are working on Moonbase Peace, a livable space colony being built there.

Suddenly, they and the base are attacked by...the JLA satellite?!?

Yes, the satellite starts firing missiles at the base, destroying most of it, leaving the astronauts diving for cover.

NASA sends a distress signal, and members of the JLA--who are home, on Earth--respond to the call and can't believe what they are being told:

The JLA is completely baffled, since the JLA's weapons are defensive weapons, and can't even be used to attack anyone or anything. Yet, it has happened, which makes the JLA confused and angry, none more so than the Atom, apparently:

Wonder Woman is the current chairperson, so she sends Superman and Batman to the moon to help out there, and the rest of them to the satellite to see what's going on up there!

They try to beam up there, but find the teleporters aren't working, so Green Lantern uses his Power Ring to transport them there.

They find the airlock doors sealed shut, but Red Tornado blasts his way in using his tornado powers (again, how exactly does Reddy do that in airless space?) and then the JLAers search the satellite for intruders.

Gas starts seeping in the air vents, almost knocking the heroes out until Reddy connects to the computer and has the gas sucked away.

Meanwhile, on the moon, Superman and Batman discover giant monsters, which threaten them. Superman tries to fight them, but finds he passes right through them! As Superman tries to engage them, Batman figures out what's going on.

Back at the satellite, the JLAers are attacked by other systems in the satellite. They easily defeat them, but it leaves parts of the satellite destroyed.

On the Moon, Batman tells Superman to use his X-ray vision to scan under the surface, where the monsters emanate from, and he discovers an underground city!

They find their way in, and discover two yellow-skinned aliens pointing ray guns at them. The same thing happens at the satellite, where the heroes find two more aliens in their main deck!

Turns out this race of aliens--called Orians--escaped their doomed planet and moved to the moon, and built giant underground cities. When the astronauts started inadvertently damaging their cities while building the moonbase, the Orians assumed it was an attack and used the nearest set of weapons--the ones at the JLA satellite--to defend themselves, but taking pains to only attack the machinery, not the people.

The JLA makes peace with the Orians, to the benefit of all:

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, Red Tornado

Notable Moments: This is one of four book and cassette adventures made by Fisher-Price and released in 1982, the others starring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. They run 61 pages, which is presumably why you have the penciling chores spread over two artists, Ross Andru and Rich Buckler.

They are printed on nice paper and in full-color, and with the use of DC stalwarts Buckler and Andru, this looks a lot like any other DC comic of the time, albeit one inside a hardcover.

They feature full-cast recordings on a single audio cassette, and you can listen to an mp3 file of this story here, something I fully suggest you do, JLA fans!

Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #31 - Dec. 1982

During the same month as JLA #209, the World's Greatest Superheroes headlined another digest collection, with front and back covers by Gil Kane!

Inside are "In Each Man There Is A Demon", by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin, and Joe Giella (JLA #75), "Specter in the Shadows" by Len Wein, Dillin, and Dick Giordano (JLA #105), "Wolf in the Fold" by Wein, Dillin, and Giordano (JLA #106), and "The Reverse-Spells of Zatanna's Magic" by Gerry Conway, Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin (JLA #161).

Collecting issues where new members joined is time-tested, great idea, so I only have two quibbles:

1)Hawkgirl is "skipped" over. That's probably because the issue she joined (JLA #146) isn't really about her joining, the way the above stories focused on Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado, and Zatanna, respectively. Plus, the story was extra long, so to include it would've bumped one of these.

Still, Hawkgirl gets the short shrift so much, it was a shame she couldn't be included here in some way.

2)Someone at the printers must have bumped the machine, because pages 26-27 and 74-75 are printed out of sequence, so the Black Canary story suddenly stops and we get the final page of the Red Tornado story and the cover to JLA #161, then vice-versa later on, a jarring effect.

But there is this super-cool, retro ad for JLA #209, which I really wish they had run somewhere in color, its so cool:

DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #11 - July 1981

The JLA headlined their first digest in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #11, released between JLA #s 191 and 192. It features a solid collection of four stories, along with this spiffy cover by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano.

Inside is the complete 3-part story from JLA #s 100-102: "The Unknown Solider of Victory", "The Hand That Shook The World", and "...And One of Us Must Die!", all by Len Wein, Dick Dillin, Joe Giella, and Dick Giordano.

Also included is "Triumph of the Tornado Tyrant", from JLA #17. Considering the storyline in the next two issues of the regular JLA book, this surely was a sort of hint of what was to come. Well played, editor Len Wein!

The book also features a low-key ad for the next issue of JLA, which we'll get to tomorrow:

The Secret Origin of the Justice League - 1981

Brought to you by the fine folks at Leaf Candy--the Secret Origin of the Justice League of America!

The Story: "The Origin of the Justice League of America" by...? A bunch of kids are busy rejecting an Asian kid from being in their Justice League Club, because he's "not even an American!"

Superman overhears their conversation, and drops in on the little bunch of racist jerks.

He tells them the origin of the JLA, which is in this telling a single giant alien who threatens Earth, and seven superheroes--Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Superman himself--band together to defeat it.

They decide to form a team, and we get a super-super abbreviated history of the JLA--supervillains like Despero, Starro, Dr. Destiny, the Shaggy Man, and Brainstorm, when the Joker found their Secret Sanctuary, and the creation of the satellite.

We also get this nice group shot of the membership, past and present:

...what the heck do JLA artists have against Hawkgirl?

Anyway, Superman explains to them that the JLA is made up of all kinds of beings--an Amazon, a Martian, a Thanagarian, an android, and of course a Kryptonian! So knock off the "Whites Only" stuff!

The kids learn the error of their ways, and Superman takes off, having made the world a better place.

Notable Moments: This was part of an eight-issue series of mini-comics (measuring roughly 4 x 2 1/2") that were included with little bags of Leaf Candy, starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, the JLA, and...Hawkman. Poor Martian Manhunter!

I'm not exactly sure when these books came out, but since Zee is in her newest costume in the group shot, it had to be around this time.

On the back cover there was a form you could clip out and send in to get a "Collector's Album" featuring a nice wraparound shot of all (well, almost all--guess who's missing) the members of the JLA, plus some guest-stars:

I'm not exactly sure who drew it, but Dick Giordano confirmed with me directly that he inked it, so we know at least that much.

Despite my diligent efforts, I have not been able to determine who actually wrote this story. I had first assumed Paul Kupperberg did the honors, since he wrote some of the other ones in the series, but he told me he didn't, maybe Bob Rozakis did.

So then I asked Bob, and he said no, maybe it was Len Wein. I then asked Len, and he said no, too! So I have no idea.

Art-wise, it looks a little like the combo of Don Heck and Frank McLaughlin whose work graced JLA #s 187 and 188, but I can't be sure.

A mystery for the ages...


Tomorrow: Normally we'd be profiling JLA #189, which happens to be Frank McLaughlin's last issue as inker after more than six years on the title. But since that is part one of a two parter, and I didn't want to interrupt the story, we'll be running that Tuesday. So what's tomorrow, you ask?

Well, tomorrow is our brand-new interview with...the legendary Frank McLaughlin! Be here!

Amazing World of DC Comics #14 - March 1977

Right around this point the JLA got their own issue of DC's odd but fun in-house fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics. The cover is a rarity, in that it features Dick Dillin's pencils reproduced directly.

Almost the entire issue is devoted to JLA history, starting with a brief rundown the book to this point, and followed by "The Men Behind the JLA" focusing on the men who have written the team's adventures:

Next is an issue-by-issue summary of every JLA issue, including reprint collections and the initial tryout in Brave and the Bold.

Next are the JLA's by-laws(!), where we see the official list of Honorary Members: Snapper Carr, Adam Strange, Batgirl, Martian Manhunter, Vigilante, Sargon, Phantom Stranger, Black Lantern(*cringe*),and Charley Parker.

We also have this section of the by-laws, which would become very significant later on:

(There was a very funny column by Bob Ingersoll about how, according to this by-law, Aquaman had absolutely no right to do what he did in disbanding the JLA all by himself in JLA Annual #2. While Bob is right of course, these by-laws were printed in 1977 and could've been changed between then and 1984, the Annual's publication date. Oh, and I love that all the JLA's stuff reverts back to the Wayne Foundation!)

Along with that, we have schematics of the JLA HQs:

...I like that one room, in the far left circular chamber, is called "Think Tank." Why do I think only Batman thinks he should be allowed in there?

Next are profiles of the individual members, guest-stars, and even some of the villains, followed by an interview with JLA editor Julius Schwartz.

The inside cover features a JLA cover gallery, and then the back cover features a real rarity, a rejected original cover for JLA #66 by Dick Dillin, a cover later re-done by Neal Adams:

...I can see why this got rejected. It's nicely drawn and all, but you rarely see superhero comics where its the villains that look like they're the ones outmatched.

I generally enjoy all the issue of AWODCC, because they're such a grab-bag of odd features. Nice to see the JLA get an issue all to itself!

Justice League of America Paperback - 1977

Time for another special, JLA-themed release, in this case a paperback book reprinting three JLA tales, as part of a line from Tempo Books, a division of Grossett & Dunlap.

The Stories: "Skyjack at 22,300 Miles!", by Martin Pasko, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin(from JLA #130), "Takeover of the Earth-Masters" (from JLA #118), and "Winner Takes The Earth"(from JLA #119) both by Elliott S! Maggin, Dillin, and McLaughlin.

This was one of a series of paperback books released at the time, and heavily advertised in DC's titles. They starred Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Legion of Super-Heroes, and a few others.

These are some odd books, reprinting(in the JLA's case, at least) fairly recent stories in black and white and all cut up and re-pasted to fit the paperback format. But obviously both DC and Marvel thought this was a solid new venue for their comics, since they released a number of titles in this format.

As you can see, sometimes the cutting and pasting(and, since this was pre-desktop publishing, must have been a real bitch) makes for some awkward reading, like the opening splash page:

..but in other places, the format looks quite spiffy, as in this moment, where some panels have been rejiggered and to me the look is quite pleasing, in a spot illustration kind of way:

There are no other features in this book, no special extras like DC did for the treasuries and digests. Oh well, it's still a neat little volume...

The cover is by Nick Cardy, from JLA #102. Which, ironically, is not reprinted in this book!

Limited Collectors' Edition #C46 - August 1976

Let's pause for a moment between JLA issues to talk about the JLA's first(and, sadly, only) treasury-sized edition, published in between issues 132 and 133.

First off, hard to beat this cover, by Dick Giordano. As classically heroic as the JLA gets!

This book reprints two classic JLA tales, plus some fun extras. The first story is "Decoy Missions of the Justice League" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, and Bernard Sachs from JLA #24. The JLA takes on Kanjar Ro, so you know what that means...Adam Strange!

Next is "The JLA on TV" featuring some of Alex Toth's masterful character sheets for the Super Friends cartoon. We've got Superman, Batman, Robin, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, plus Jor-El and Lara, Green Arrow, Plastic Man, The Flash, and even the Golden Age Flash, who was written into the script by accident. Toth designed a guide for animators for the Jay Garrick version, but the mistake was caught before the animators began their work. Too bad, that woulda been cool!

Before the next story is a great JLA pin-up, also by Giordano, where we see the JLAers about to have a party. As you can see, they were kind enough to invite Adam Strange, the Phantom Stranger, Metamorpho, Zatanna, the Martian Manhunter, and even Snapper Carr:

The last story is "The Deadly Dreams of Doctor Destiny" by Fox, Sekowsky, and Sachs, from JLA #34. Another fine story, a good choice as a reprint.

DC and Giordano finished off the book with a spiffy back cover, following the front's motif but swapping out the JLA for the JSA:

So Drs. Fate and Mid-Nite are the swap-outs for Aquaman and Green Arrow? Interesting...

This was one of my most beloved treasury comics growing up, because it featured my favorite teams in advetures that, at that point, I had never read. Plus those Alex Toth model-sheets are awesome.

Clearly, you had to be a big seller to warrant a DC treasury edition--Superman, Batman, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer got the lion's share of the honor(Marvel was a tad more democratic for their treasuries), so it was cool that the JLA got their own, at least for once (though since it was all JLA stories in the Super Friends treasury comic, maybe you could say they got two).

JLA 100-Page Super-Spectacular DC-17 - June 1973

Early on, I decided not to cover other comics where the JLA guest-appeared, partly because it would throw off the flow of following the regular book, and also because it would force to me to go round up a lot of comics I don't have, which is tedious and holds no interest for me. But I am making an exception for books that had all-JLA issues, and this the first one we've gotten to.

100-Page Super-Spectacular is the confusingly-numbered DC series that featured a different star or stars each issue. Sometimes the 100-Page book was part of a series' regular numbering, sometimes not, like in this case.

Released in between JLA #s 105 and 106, the book features a nice Nick Cardy cover, no ads, and the poster-like back cover which you see above. Inside it reprints "Drones of the Queen Bee" from JLA #23, "The Card Crimes of the Royal Flush Gang" from JLA #43, plus "The Injustice Society of the World" from All-Star Comics #37, and an untitled Sandman story from Adventure Comics #65.

There's also a decent-sized text piece on the history of the JLA. Uncredited, but E.Nelson Bridwell seems like a good bet...