As is the tradition it’s time for the ROLL CALL:

Justice League of America – Atom, Aquaman, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, J’onn J’onzz(Martian Manhunter), Superman, and Wonder Woman

Justice Society of America – Atom, Black Canary, Doctor Fate, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and Hourman

versus

The Crime Champions – Chronos, Doctor Alchemy, and Felix Faust of Earth One and on Earth-Two Fiddler, Icicle, and Wizard

Firmly set at the bang up beginning of the Silver Age of Comics, this comic is the one that started the “Crisis” stories that would involve these two teams teaming up and fighting the good fight against common threats, more importantly it also gave us a few more ideas about what the idea of the multiverse means.

We had seen the two Flashes meet, and in the interim other team ups occurred, including the two Green Lanterns and the two Atoms, etc.., but this is the time when we get a bit more information on the status quo of Earth-Two.

The only Justice Leaguer who is missing from this story is Snapper Carr, who is away at college while the JLA are meeting due to challenges being issued to them by Chronos, Doctor Alchemy, and Felix Faust.

Lets just take a moment and remember the good old days of comics when all you needed was a villainous challenge issued for heroes to leap into action.  In true Justice League style, the heroes split up to take on their foes.  Aquaman, Atom, and Martian Manhunter go to take on Felix Faust.  Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman take on Chronos.  Flash, Green Arrow, and Superman leave to thwart Doctor Alchemy.

Over on Earth-Two the JSA has been goaded out of retirement by a challenge by their old foes, The Fiddler, The Icicle, and The Wizard.  Doctor Fate presides over the meeting including adding a comment that these members of the JSA were chosen by random and that the other JSAers wished them well, including:  Starman, Sandman, Wonder Woman, and Doctor Mid-Nite.

Splitting up based upon their old stories and team-ups Hawkman, Flash, and Atom go after The Fiddler.   Black Canary and Green Lantern head for the Wizard.  Doctor Fate and Hourman leave to put the Icicle on ice.

Needless to say the Justice League is easily eluded by the three villains on Earth-One, just as easily as the Justice Society finds itself defeated at the hand of the three villains of Earth-Two.

But where did the villains disappear to?

They went to a limbo dimension.

What?  Limbo?  Isn’t that some sort of Catholic thing?  Yes, but in the DC Universe, limbo is a “place holder” if you will, where characters can exist while not being on any earth.

It turns out when the Fiddler was in jail after the events of The Flash of Two Worlds he and his compatriots escaped their prison using a special vibratory frequency on his sonic stradivarius that opened the doorway between worlds and the three villains wound up appearing right on the same stage that Barry Allen disappeared from in the Flash of Two Worlds story (see how it all tracks back?)

So, why didn’t the two Flashes follow their villains?  Well, they did and wound up trapped between dimensions for all their trouble by these Crime Champions of Two Earths.  With the Flashes trapped, the villains decide to trade worlds where they have no criminal records with the wealth they stole from the other Earth.  It is not very long before the villains of the swapped worlds decide to don their villainous garb again, however, they decide to wear the garb of the other villains native to that world.

So Chronos, Doctor Alchemy and Felix Faust are now on Earth-Two and dressed as Fiddler, Icicle, and Wizard.  And vice versa on Earth-One.

Whats more is the villains issue a challenge to the Justice League, which our heroes answer, only to find themselves transported via magic (as Superman notes is a weakness of his) back to their own Mountain Headquarters.  The JLA uses a crystal ball given to them by Merlin to attempt to contact the Flash who tells the JLA about the villain switcheroo and urges the JLA to contact the JSA.  With the JSA contacted and transported to Earth-One the hunt can commence for the villains.

The JSA arrive and transport the JLA to Earth-Two to handle the disguised JLA villains (they did such a good job before hand eh?) and the JSA stay on Earth-One to handle their own villains.

Next Up:  Crisis on Earth-Two!