Heading back to Earth-Two for our next set of heroes, but as is the case in most of these situations we have to take 2 steps back to take a step forward and these steps back include two new members of the All-Star Squadron we haven’t discussed previously.

Say hello to Will Everett, Amazing-Man.   Will was an Olympic athlete who competed in Berlin and showed up the Third Reich.   His athletic fame faded quickly once he returned to still segregated America.   Will wound up taking menial jobs and was working as a janitor when he was caught in an explosion that gave him his ability to touch matter and absorb the properties of that material.   He would touch cement and become living cement, touch a wedding ring and he becomes gold, touch a tire and he gains the properties of galvanized rubber and so on.

When the All-Star Squadron confronts Will, he is working as a henchman for a villain called the Ultra-Humanite.   Eventually, Will’s better nature took over and he betrayed the Ultra-Humanite and joined the All-Star Squadron.

Will becomes our first African-American hero in terms of history so much that future tales would show that Will would go on and become a strong supporter of the Civil Rights movement and even caught the man who assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr.

Will’s material absorption powers would ultimately fade and be replaced with the ability to wield magnetism.

Writer Jonathan Law was inspired by the mystery men of the day, so much so that he decided to adopt a spider motif and join them in the war on crime.   A trained acrobat and stage magician, Jonathan used his natural athleticism and wits along with spider themed weapons enabled him to strike fear into the hearts of evil doers.   Most notably used was Tarantula’s web guns which shot out a sticky strand of fluid to enable him to swing from building to building or to entangle opponents.   (Hmmm.. that sounds famliar…)   By the way, Tarantula first appeared in 1941, the other guy (he’s had three movies) 1962.

Jonathan would eventually go on and write a tell-all book about the Mystery Men of the 40s, but other than that, he too sunk into obscurity, for a time.

Now, I had to go into all that to clarify this cover below, introducing Infinity, Incorporated.

Fanboyism:   When Two Super-Hero Teams Meet, They Must Fight, Then They Resolve Their Difference and Cooperate.

Infinity Inc.’s members are from left to right:   Fury, Silver Scarab, Nuklon, Brainwave Jr., Northwind, Jade, and Obsidian.

In short, this is what happens when your heroes grow up, retire, and get married.   These are the descendants of the Justice Society of America.   So, let’s go down the list and see what we come up with…

Fury is Lyta Trevor, the daughter of Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) and Steve Trevor of Earth-Two.   As the daughter of the most amazing Amazon ever, Lyta has inherited most of her mother’s powers and skills and use them in the good fight.

Silver Scarab is Hector Hall, the son of Hawkman and Hawkgirl (Carter and Shiera Hall) of Earth-Two.   Hector made a suit out of the Nth Metal that enabled the Hawks to fly, enabling him to fly, focus solar power beams, and enhance his strength.     Hector and Lyta met at college and began dating.

Nuklon is Albert Rothstein and is the God Son of Al Pratt, the Earth-Two Atom.   Nuklon is able to use his atomic radiation powers to increase and decrease his molecular density, making Al dense or immaterial.   Nuklon’s powers also enable increased strength, stamina, and speed.

Brainwave, Jr. is Henry King, Jr. the son of the JSA’s villain Brainwave and Merry, the Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks.   Inheriting his father’s prodigious mental talents Brainwave, Jr. can read minds, control weaker minds, telekinesis, and project realistic illusions.

Northwind is Norda Cantrell, the son of Fred Cantrell, who is a family friend of Carter and Sheira Hall, and Osoro, a member of an avian race.   Norda is extremely agile in flight, and is able to heal himself from injuries.   Northwind was adopted by the Hall’s after Fred’s death and he and Silver Scarab were raised together.     Silver Scarab grew jealous of Northwind as he perceived his parents favored Norda, leading to a strain in their relationship.

Jade is Jenny-Lynn Hayden, the daughter of Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and the villainous now reformed Green Lantern villain Thorn of Earth-Two (Rose Canton).     Jade’s skin is the tell tale green of the Green Lantern power battery and she has a power pulse in the palm of her hand that allows her to shoot out energy beams. Her powers have fluctuated wildly over the years, however she typically can pull any trick a Green Lantern can pull.

Obsidian is Todd Rice, the fraternal twin brother of Jade.   Obsidian has the ability to turn into a two-dimensional shadow, blend into the darkness, and expose people to their inner fears by enveloping them in his shadow form.

After some time travel escapades to introduce the new group, they return back to the present day and petition to join the Justice Society, however they are turned down, saying that they need more experience and the first shift in JSA membership occurs.   Star-Spangled Kid, Power Girl, and Huntress leave the JSA in order to join the Infinity, Inc. group.

And the beat goes on… as one generation rises up to take the place of the old…

Next Up:   Time for some laughs.. Inferior Five, ‘mazing man, Sugar and Spike, and.. Ambush Bug.