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Posts tagged JLA
The Creature in the Velvet Cage
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Roll Call: JLA: Green Lantern, Superman, Batman, and Elongated Man. JSA: Hourman, Sandman, Flash, and Wonder Woman.
As our collective heroes mop up a gang of villains dressed as owls we get a little bit of dialogue about how the Earth-One Wonder Woman has now regained her super powers, but has chosen not to rejoin the Justice League at this time, but that is as far as it goes for other developments. This story is all about Sandman and a mistake.
You see Sandman started out as this very deliberately pulp oriented character in the same vein as The Shadow. He would strike from the shadows, he was well off, etc.., and once Batman introduced his protegee Robin, it became the norm for heroes to gain a sidekick. Sandman’s sidekick was Sandy, the Golden Boy. After the World War II adventures, like most of the heroes he retired due to the McCarthy era accusations of super heroes being communists.
It turns out that this was a very good cover story for Sandman. While working on a new weapon to fight crime an accident occurred and transformed Sandy into this large sand creature. Which is all the exposition you need when at the end of the fight an alarm goes off sending Sandman into a frenzy to get to his sanctum sanctorum.
Sandman had been keeping Sandy in a stasis field which he had broken and went on what appeared to be a rampage. Instead Sandy was trying to escape in order to stop a series of tremors from causing wide spread damage to New York City. The heroes believing Sandy to be an enraged monster attack him at every turn. Sandy finally found his vocal cords and this enabled him to communicate with the heroes. It turns out that Sandman had kept Sandy paralyzed for years without understanding that Sandy had just become a new form of silicon life.
Sandman walks away disheartened by his mistake while the JLA and JSA wonder if Sandman will ever be all right again.
Next Up: Where On Earth Am I?
Crisis On Earth-X
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In the JLA’s headquarters a lot of changes have occurred, for one they have inducted two new members. Flash’s best buddy the Elongated Man has joined the team followed very quickly by the newly reanimated Red Tornado. In both the JLA and JSA’s brownstone, we see the first introduction of the Transmatter Cube which will enable the members of each team to go from Earth to Earth without the need for super speed or mysticism.
Red Tornado practically begs to join the team to go to Earth-2, but is rejected by the Flash for a rather hokey reason. Reddy walks away dejected. As the teams prepare to start their yearly reunion and the JLA members step into the Cube, Green Arrow remarks that there is a bit of a breeze. The JLA and JSA transport at the same time and find themselves not on the other Earths at all, but on Earth-X.
Earth-X – Where the Axis powers won World War II and the allies were summarily defeated and subjugated.
Red Tornado had snuck into the Transmatter Cube at super speed (something he has not done since) and apologized as apparently his inclusion has set the coordinates off that the two teams were sent to this other Earth.
There is no time for recriminations however as the JLA and JSA come under assault from Nazi patrol forces.
ROLL CALL: JLA: Batman, Green Arrow, Elongated Man, and Red Tornado. JSA: Sandman, Superman, and Doctor Fate. Freedom Fighters: Uncle Sam, Doll Man, Ray, Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, & Black Condor.
The Nazi patrol demands that the heroes surrender to which Superman says “Ratzi, you have GOT to be Kidding!” and the battle is on.
The heroes appear to be winning and then the Nazi commander signals for a new weapon to be used that immobilizes the heroes. When it looks like the JLA and JSA are defeated in burst the Freedom Fighters. The Freedom Fighters manage to clean up the Nazis and demonstrate an immunity to the strange ray that the Nazis used. The fighters then smuggle their new friends in arms to a safe house to plot their next move and it is here that Uncle Sam, the leader of the Freedom Fighters explains what occurred on this Earth.
FDR had a heart attack in 1944 and the balance of power in the government center went the wrong way,, and so did the war. The USA delayed developing the atom bomb and by the time they did Germany had one as well. With nuclear standoff achieved there was nothing to be done but keep fighting until the forces decimated each other. Uncle Sam goes on to remark how many of his comrades died in battle including the Blackhawks and Plastic Man.
The Nazis created more weapons like the ray that paralyzed the heroes and the mind controlling stations that broadcast signals to keep the populace under control. The Freedom Fighters could win the fight if they could take out those signal generators, but with no idea of their location the battle has been a losing one at best. Doctor Fate uses his magic to discover the locations of the signals: The Eiffel Tower in Paris, Mt. Fuji in Japan, and Mt. Rushmore in the USA and in quick fashion teams are formed with Red Tornado staying behind so he does not bumble in the way of anyone.
In Paris, Batman, The Ray, Doctor Fate, and The Human Bomb face numerous Nazis to get to their goal. The Ray zips off at superspeed and knocks out most of the Nazis in their path, but one manages to signal for backup and the gestapo arrives to beat the Ray senseless. The other heroes show up to save Ray and in true form they are frightened by Batman’s appearance calling him Die Fledermaus!
With the backup forces dealt with the Human Bomb explodes open the area holding the mind control devices only to find a huge sentient computer. The computer scans the intruders and creates specialized assault robots to deal with each of them. The heroes defeat the robots in true teamwork fashion, but the computer overlord has one ace up its sleeve, Encephalo Waves that will paralyze anyone. So, Batman, Doctor Fate, Human Bomb, and Ray are all immobilized and helpless.
However, the four start walking towards the computer. Ever on and on in almost goosestepping fashion until they get close enough to the computer to destroy it. With the device destroyed there should have been a waking up of the populace, but everything appears to be the same.
Back on Earths 1 and 2, the other JLA and JSA members are conversing about their missing teammates. Flash suggests that they reverse the transmatter cube to see if they can find their friends and Green Lantern suggests that they may just have been killed. Oooh, what a cliffhanger, eh?
Next Up: Thirteen Against The Earth
The Hand That Shook The World
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Roll Call: JLA: Superman, Batman, Diana Prince Wonder Woman, Hawkman, JSA: Starman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Wonder Woman, Hourman, Sandman, Mister Terrific, Green Lantern, Robin, Seven Soldiers of Victory: Green Arrow, Speedy, Shining Knight, Crimson Avenger, Vigilante, Star-Spangled Kid, and Stripesy Guest Star: Metamorpho,
The tale opens at the all but deserted headquarters of the JSA where the Earth-One Diana Prince is sitting when the JSA members Green Lantern, Mister Terrific, and Robin show up. Diana gives the heroes a run down on what has occurred so far. Great big cosmic hand threatening to crush the Earth and only the Seven Soldiers of Victory can stop this fate from occurring. The other heroes have gone off into the world of time and space to recover the time lost heroes and assemble them to prevent this catastrophe.
We go to a Buddhist Monastery where Superman, Sandman, and Metamorpho discover the valiant Shining Knight who is working for Genghis Khan and who is about to invade the monk’s home. Metamorpho turns into gas and goes to investigate and it turns out the mystical workings of one of Khan’s men has the Shining Knight bewitched to serve Khan.
At dawn, the Monguls make their move against the village and Superman is repelled by Shining Knights mystical armor and weaponry. Superman leaves the fight to Sandman and Metamorpho while he moves the village manually. Sandman gives Metamorpho his sleep gas formula and Metamorpho uses his powers to duplicate the gas and knocks out the incoming horde. Sandman then administers a concoction of Shining Knight and Winged Victory to bring them out of the mesmerism that they are in. The Oracle senses that the heroes are done and begins to take the heroes to where they need to go.
Back at JSA headquarters, Green Lantern, Mr. Terrific, and Robin leave Diana behind in order to head to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Himalayas.
The scene shifts again and we see the Justice League’s Hawkman joined by the JSA’s Wonder Woman and Dr. Mid-Nite who have arrived in an English forest and find themselves under fire from a volley of arrows. Wonder Woman leads the charge to the bowmen deflecting arrows on the way and the trio make quick work of Robin Hood’s Merry Men. The Merry Men inform the heroes that they are here as peace-bringers and that they are not agents of the Sheriff of Nottingham. The trio team up with the Merry Men and invade the castle holding Robin Hood. In true teamwork fashion, Wonder Woman uses her magic lasso to draw the drawbridge down, Hawkman uses Little John’s staff to clear the oncoming guards, and Dr. Mid-Nite uses his blackout bombs to provide the cover needed to knock out the guards protecting Robin’s cell, but instead they find Green Arrow. Green Arrow was covering for Robin Hood while Robin recovered from some wounds he received and Green Arrow was captured by the Sheriff in the interim.
With Green Arrow and Shining Knight retrieved, the heroes grow closer to assembling the Seven Soldiers of Victory to defeat the evil Hand’s plan. The Hand is watching however and he has decided the heroes are too close and now he must take a more direct role in the proceedings.
We shift again to Ancient Egypt as the Jewish slaves are building pyramids under the lash of the Pharaoh’s guard as Batman, Starman, and Hourman arrive to watch Stripesy do the lions share of the work. As the guards try to pry Stripesy’s strength secret out of him our heroes arrive to stop the brutal beating and find themselves blackmailed into giving themselves up. Buried in the tomb of the Pharaoh’s, the three heroes are bound and left with no way out. Batman kicks the hourglass that Hourman carries off of Hourman and the glass shatters. That glass is used to free the heroes from their bonds. Hourman favors knocking the walls down until they get out, but Batman reminds him that they are standing in history and they have to be more careful than that. Batman suggests that Starman uses his connection with his Cosmic Rod that was confiscated to show an energy path out of the tomb. The heroes surface and help free Stripesy and the heroes disappear in the mists beckoned by the Oracle.
Meanwhile, back at JSA headquarters, Diana Prince is being watched by a man with a claw….
Next Up: And One Of Us Must Die!
Where Valor Fails…Will Magic Triumph?
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Roll Call: JLA: Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Atom, Black Canary, Superman, Hawkman, Batman, and Flash JSA: Spectre, Dr. Fate, Wonder Woman, Red Tornado, Hourman, Starman, Hawkman, Johnny Thunder & Thunderbolt, Green Lantern, Superman, and Dr. Mid-Nite.
We pick up where we left off with Black Canary deciding that she must die to save the two universes from colliding and their demise.
The World Builders decide that the JSA has been enough trouble to them so far and have decided to go ahead and attack the Justice Society directly. On Earth-One, Green Lantern goes to investigate what might be causing the universes to merge and he discovers that Red Tornado is being held in stasis and that the android is the focus of the attack and not Black Canary. Green Lantern cannot resolve this as the Earth-Two Green Lantern falls to the traps of the World Builders, so too does the Green Lantern of Earth-One. The same effect occurs to Hawkman as well and so it goes.
Black Canary on the JLA Satellite is ready to set the transporter to scatter her atoms across the galaxy ending the threat to the universes.
Doctor Fate and Johnny Thunder & Thunderbolt are all that are left of the JSA and they teleport away to enlist the help of The Spectre. The spirit of vengeance used to be mostly man but seems to grow ever distant from mankind and more seeking revenge. Dr. Fate is able to persuade the Spectre to save the worlds with them and they do so, by using the Spectre to keep the worlds apart it appears that the heroes win the day, though Spectre may have perished in the act of saving the worlds.
Once the worlds are free Dr. Fate and Johnny Thunder & Thunderbolt go to take care of the World Builders. This frees Red Tornado, Green Lantern, and the previous heroes who were at death’s door, although it seems The Spectre may not have survived, how does one kill a ghost?
Next Up: Earth — The Monster Maker
Where Death Fears To Tread
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So, last time the JSA were basically being held prisoners by the banished evil star known as Aquarius and only the Red Tornado had escaped and traveled to Earth-One to enlist the help of the JLA to combat the menace.
Roll Call: JSA: Superman, Black Canary, Doctor Fate, Green Lantern, Doctor Mid-Nite, Wonder Woman, Red Tornado, and Larry Lance (Black Canary’s husband). JLA: Superman, Green Lantern, Batman, Hawkman, Atom, and Flash.
The JLA travels into the new limbo-like universe where Aquarius is holding the JSA hostage. Time is apparently moving quicker here than in the normal universe as a nearly exhausted Dr. Fate thinks to himself that he has been keeping himself and his teammates alive for two weeks but he is nearly at the edge of his stamina and cannot continue much longer.
We get an interesting piece of DC Cosmology from Green Lantern Hal Jordan who thinks to himself…
“Though I’ve made this trip so many times– it always awes me! We’re at the center of nothingness, midway between being and non-being… I’ve got to be very careful at this point! We’re approaching the entrance to the universe of negative matter. If we were to slip through that gap,, we’d probably be instantly annihilated. When positive matter from our universe as much as touches negative matter, it causes an explosion that makes an H-Bomb look like a firecracker!” – Green Lantern, Hal Jordan
The arrival of the JLA causes Aquarius pause as the star does not understand how more mortals could exist in this universe. Aquarius mentally commands the JSA members to defeat the JLA and a battle royale begins. Superman of the JSA takes on the Superman of the JLA. It is Doctor Mid-Nite who picks Batman as his foe, but Batman is ready and takes the good doctor by surprise. The Flash dodges mystic bolts from Doctor Fate while the Atom sneaks into Fate’s ear to cause him significant discomfort. Dr. Fate’s mystic bolt goes far off course and strikes the JSA’s Wonder Woman and her lasso ensnaring the heroine who loses her powers when she is bound by a man. Flash then knocks Doctor Fate out, and accidentally sends his cohort The Atom reeling as well. The two Green Lanterns are fairly evenly matched in battle as Green Arrow fires his “stickum shaft” at the Black Canary trapping her in some gluey goop leaving her unable to move. Larry Lance sneaks up on Green Arrow and knocks him out for having attacked his wife. However, the scene has now been set. With Black Canary trapped Aquarius begins sending out deadly balls of energy to kill those who threaten him and with the Canary unable to dodge the ball she is a goner. Larry leaps in the path of the ball and saves his wife, but the price is his life.
When Larry Lance sacrificed himself to save Black Canary that moment freed the JSA members of the mental commands of Aquarius. While life goes on in the worlds, Dinah Lance can only mourn the man she loved. The two Green Lanterns need to renew their strength to get everyone home and so they recite their oath together. The JSA and JLA leave the limbo land and go back to Earth-Two to bury the honored dead, only to have Aquarius show up mocking their grief. IT falls to the Green Lanterns to taunt Aquarius into that area of the limbo universe near the negative universe. Aquarius in a fitful rage does not realize what has happened until he is caught in the gravity well and is unable to break free.
Aquarius enters the negative universe and blows up ending his threat forever.
Back on Earth-Two, the JLA ready to depart, but Black Canary asks that she take them with her as the pain of the loss of Larry is too great to stay on Earth-Two and that a new start is needed. Superman carries Black Canary through the barrier and we believe she joins the Justice League in the next issue…
But we know the real story now, don’t we?
Next Up: Peril of the Paired Planes!
Star Light, Star Bright — Death Star I See Tonight
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No, not THAT Death Star, another one.
With this story we get a bit of a tonal shift in our JLA/JSA cross-overs. Veteran author Gardner Fox has been replaced by up and coming Denny O’Neil and with Mr. O’Neil comes a bit more realism in his comics and a bit more pathos.
We open in the cosmos where the Council of Living Stars is passing judgment on the star Aquarius, who is apparently guilty of crimes that we are not informed of, but the council decides to rob Aquarius of all his powers except for those that sustain his life force. This now ex-cosmic force is sent fading to Earth where we pick up our story with our heroes.
ROLL CALL: JLA: Batman, Green Lantern, Atom, Hawkman, Superman. JSA: Red Tornado, Starman, Black Canary, Doctor Fate, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Doctor Mid-Nite, and Superman
Red Tornado has appeared in the JLA headquarters to inform them of a dire threat to the universe and the Justice League insists that he tells the tale to them.
The scene fades over to Earth-2 where the Starman has detected the matter floating to Earth that was once the powerful star Aquarius. Starman attempts to apprehend the strange creature, but winds up being caught himself and Aquarius steals the Cosmic Rod and causes Starman to fall to the Earth. Starman happens to land in the apartment of Dinah and Larry Lance. Dinah Lance who happens to be the Black Canary. Starman is still alive and Larry cares for him as Dinah dons her Blonde Bombshell gear and hits the door looking for whatever caused the Starman to fall out of the sky.
Coming up empty handed Black Canary comes back but finds Larry armed with an odd piece of wood as he attacks his wife. Black Canary subdues Larry and he snaps out of whatever was controlling him. Larry doesn’t remember a thing in the interim from helping Starman to waking up after Dinah threw him for a loop. Black Canary summons the rest of the JSA feeling that they are a bit out of their depth here.
Green Lantern Alan Scott is delayed by a billboard coming to life and attacking him. Dr. Mid-Nite is delayed by a young child who is a fan who has suddenly acquired super-strength and is having a really fantastic temper tantrum. Once the child hits Dr. Mid-Nite he snaps back to normal and has no idea what he has done. Doctor Fate was preoccupied by a demonic storm of dark energy that once dispelled turns into Aquarius. Aquarius has managed to pull himself together by holding onto the Cosmic Rod.
Aquarius reveals his mania and Dr. Mid-Nite quickly diagnoses him as a manic depressive with schizophrenia. In true hero style, Larry Lance gets the villain to start monologuing about his plans. It is at this point that Red Tornado, Superman, and Wonder Woman join the other heroes to sneak attack Aquarius. Superman is quickly downed by Aquarius’ magical attacks and Wonder Woman repelled by intense heat. Aquarius in an intense fit of anger destroys Earth-Two and only Doctor Fate’s shield saves the JSA members and Larry Lance.
However, they were not really destroyed. They are attached to Doctor Fate’s magic in another dimension. Once the JSA members die, so will their world. Aquarius is tired and must wait to kill the Justice Society members. This gives them one hope. Red Tornado. It is at this point that Red Tornado spins so fast to get to Earth One and this is where we leave Part One!
Next Up: Where Death Fears To Tread! And one death will change the JSA & JLA forever.
T.O. Morrow Kills The Justice League — Today!
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Good question T.O. Morrow, but let us not count our chickens before they have hatched, eh?
Lets remember that last issue T.O. Morrow basically pwned the Justice Society of America and left them all for dead and then discovered that in order to succeed in his evil plans he had to eliminate the Justice League as well. All caught up now? Good. Lets go.
So the Justice League is having a meeting in their Mountain Cave headquarters and the entire membership is there: Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Hawkman, Green Arrow, Snapper Carr, and the Atom. Down below the main meeting room is the Souvenir Room where we see five of the Leaguers significant others waiting to surprise their lovers: Steve Trevor, Jean Loring, Hawkgirl, Midge (Snapper Carr’s Girlfriend), and Mera. During the meeting the five lovers burst into the room and plant the “kiss of death” on their targets: Wonder Woman, the Atom, Hawkman, Snapper Carr, and Aquaman. The Justice Leaguers attacked fall to the ground lifeless and their lovers turn into dust.
It is at this point that the Justice League receives a challenge to go fight some beasts that are coming to the planet now. In typical Justice League form one of the creatures is completely golden to keep Green Lantern busy while another has Kryptonite teeth caps..
Lets just ponder a second to figure out who would take the time to put kryptonite veneers on a space dragon……
Yeah, I don’t think even Lex Luthor would bother with that, but apparently T.O. Morrow had the time to perform some space dragon dentistry.. This leaves our three non-flyers (Flash, Batman, and Green Arrow) to deal with the last remaining flying beast while they are all trying to devise ways to stay in the air and nnot fall to their deaths.
The Justice Leaguers defeat the strange space beasts and head back to the Souvenir Room where T.O. Morrow reveals himself and turns the JLA’s souvenirs against them. Amazo’s body awakens, Starro animates, the Crystal Creature from Appellax reanimates and strikes the Green Bell, Dr. Light attacks with a laser gun, and the weird Super-Duper (a mix of the heroes’ DNA) attacks as well.
With the Justice League defeated, T.O., Morrow remains confident that he will triumph although he is warned that there is no way he will win if the Red Tornado opposes him.
Back on Earth-Two, the Red Tornado stirs and realizes the Justice Society members are lifeless, but could be revived with the correct energy from one of T.O. Morrow’s machines. Red Tornado then spins with enough force to get through the barrier from Earth-Two to Earth-One and discovers how T.O. Morrow took out the Justice League.
Red Tornado then summons the five real significant others: Jean Loring, Mera, Steve Trevor, Midge,, and Hawkgirl to revive their loved ones with a positive energy kiss. This leaves Red Tornado to wonder about the concept of love. With these five Justice Leaguers revived: Atom, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, and Snapper Carr to go fight and defeat T.O. Morrow with the assistance of the Red Tornado.
In short order, Wonder Woman wrecks Morrow’s machines while the men defeat T.O. Morrow’s hired goons, but the task of defeating T.O. Morrow falls to Red Tornado who does so quite efficiently leaving the would be conqueror to revive the remaining Leaguers and then Red Tornado does the same for the JSA members. Another Crisis averted.
Next Up: Star Light, Star Bright– Death Star I See Tonight
Crisis Between Earth-One and Earth-Two
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And here we are again folks at another moment between worlds in which a Crisis is occurring.
We open our story with Hawkman of Earth-One is going after a truck of criminals that have stolen a priceless load of furs. Yes, this happens Pre-PETA concerns in our modern world. As Hawkman closes in on the villains a fog takes over and not even Hawkman’s telescopic vision can see through the dense cloud. When Hawkman gets closer to the vehicle it has changed from a delivery truck to an armored truck that begins to fire upon him. Confused by the change but undaunted by the bullets, Hawkman takes out the robbing crew.
At the same relative time and the same relative place, The Sandman of Earth-Two is pursuing an armored truck. Using his trademark sand tricks, Sandman takes out the fur thieves, but is wondering what happened to the armored truck that he was chasing.
Doctor Mid-Nite has a similar experience in which he begins to take out some thugs on Earth-Two and while the good doctor employs some really cool medical techniques against them just as he is wrapping things up he begins to spin uncontrollably and finds himself the prisoner of The Flash on Earth-One. The two heroes have no idea what was going on as Flash states he was beginning to wrap up a bank robbery.
Elsewhere, the events are the same. Batman fighting crooks only to receive a left hook from Earth-Two’s Wildcat as Batman crosses over to Earth-Two. Black Canary winds up walking through a swamp where Green Lantern finds her, but it is not just heroes moving back and forth, it is happening to regular people as well. The Spectre is investigating some strange meteorites and is unable to stop them as something traps him at the same time that Solomon Grundy is being pulled towards one of the Earths.
Back on Earth-One, Doctor Mid-Nite, Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern, and Black Canary convene to figure out what is going on. According to Black Canary, Green Lantern tried to send her back to Earth-Two but failed to do so as well as Flash’s vibratory powers also failed to break the planet barrier.
Solomon Grundy has been freed and is beginning a rampage looking for Green Lantern while in Gotham City the beast-man known as Blockbuster awakens. Both of these villains have switched worlds with Grundy now on Earth-One and Blockbuster on Earth-Two. The JLA calls out for some help from its other members, but the Atom is unable to join his compatriots due to his work commitments.
The JLA confront Solomon and have quite a time in attempting to subdue the beast. The five assembled heroes use teamwork and drop the undead behemoth into a mountain. Will that hold him? Probably not, but we will have to wait to find out that answer as we segue over to where The Spectre has been drawn to a man made of blue and black energy, the Anti-Matter Man. It is now up to the Spectre to stop the Anti-Matter Man before he is able to touch any positive matter causing it to automatically explode.
As The Spectre begins to battle the Anti-Matter Man, while he does not explode, there are many odd things that occur to him, but it is when the Spectre uses his awareness abilities that he sees another threat, Earth-One and Earth-Two are on a collision course on each other and so the Spectre must choose. Stop the Anti-Matter man who will destroy one Earth, or stop the 2 Earths from colliding with each other, destroying both Earths. Spectre stops the Earths from colliding by placing himself between the two of them, however the forces acting upon the Earths are strong and they task the Spectre.
On Earth-Two Doctor Fate, Sandman, Wildcat, and Batman are tracking down Blockbuster. Batman is the one person who can stop him, but only as Bruce Wayne. Once the JSA get Blockbuster under Batman’s command which leaves us with a few key issues once the issue ends.
What is the deal with the untalking Anti-Matter Man? Can the Spectre manage to prevent the two Earths from colliding? Will the Atom, who appears to have a signficant part to play in this story escape from his secret identity to lend a physicist’s brain to the problem?
Next Up: The Bridge Between Earths!
Crisis On Earth-A
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Notice anything “odd” about the “Justice League” on the cover above?
No?
Well let me help you out.
First off, that’s NOT the Justice League, that’s the Lawless League.
Let’s recap from last time.
On Earth-Two, a Johnny Thunder and his magical Thunderbolt had a disagreement, but Johnny still controls the genie like Thunderbolt and commanded Thunderbolt to take him to Earth-One to meet his counterpart. What Johnny and the Thunderbolt had not counted on was that the Johnny Thunderbolt of Earth-One was an evil counterpart and E-1 JT knocked out E-2 JT and took over control of the magical Thunderbolt.
When the Earth-One Flash, Barry Allen foils a plot of Johnny Thunder, JT of E1 gets the idea to have the Thunderbolt go back in time and prevent the Justice League from coming into being, which he does. No Justice League, then Johnny Thunder is able to plunder with absolutely no obstacles in his path.
The JSA are waiting on Johnny Thunder at their headquarters meeting on Earth-Two and when he does not show on time, the JSA investigate through Dr. Fate’s mystic powers and discover what has occurred prior. They go to Earth-1 disguised as the now missing members of the Justice League of America. The Thunderbolt reveals the JSA’s plan to the evil Johnny Thunder and so Johnny Thunder demands that the Thunderbolt put his path in the origin stories of the original Justice League and gains a Lawless League of America.
As Johnny Thunder sets his best buds on the now revealed JSA, he has the Thunderbolt take him to a safe location where he can watch the fracas.
The battle breaks down with the Green Lanterns and Atoms battling each other as the Flashes find themselves likewise equally matched. Mr. Terrific takes on Batman which leaves Superman vs. Doctor Fate, which gives the Doctor the upper hand given Superman’s weakness versus Magic. And so it goes as the battle moves forward the JSA more experienced and familiar with their JLA counterparts can use their weaknesses against them and do so as the Martian Manhunter falls in fire, the new Flash falls victim to an optical illusion of the original Flash, the Atom strips his foe of his size changing gear to keep him trapped at 6″ tall and so forth.
Johnny Thunder is getting angry watching the festivities and Thunderbolt tells him that his pals are not ever going to match up to the Justice League’s fighting abilities. They are too new at using their powers and abilities and are easily captured by the JSA as Mr. Terrific lays the final blow on the new Batman. The JSA question the Lawless League and know that they now have to undo what the Thunderbolt’s magic did to save their friends in the JLA.
Angered by this turn of events Johnny Thunder sets full on natural disasters upon the JSA and has the heroes in quite a pickle, but experience wins out and the JSA are back in the fight and on the way to get the evil Johnny Thunder. JT sees this and is now running out of ideas to stop the JSA, so he commands the Thunderbolt to take him to the moon once he is protected from the ravages of space. However, there is no air on the moon, so JT cannot command the Thunderbolt. Until JT writes in the moon dirt to put air on the moon.
The act of air coming off Earth to go to the Moon is something that Flash detects which gives our heroes a clear trail to follow. Johnny creates three alien beings, the Medusa-Man, the Absorbo-Man, and the Repello-Man to combat the JSA. Medusa-Man turns beings into wood, starting with The Atom and Mister Terrific. Luckily, Dr. Fate is able to stop the Medusa-Man’s gaze and effectively gets rid of him in battle. Flash and Hawkman attack the Repello-Man only to have their attacks render each of them unconscious. Green Lantern attacks the Absorbo-Man only to have his energies wasted on the creature and then expelled from the creature knocking GL out.
Dr. Fate however is bound by the “laws of magic” and he cannot fix anything that has occurred because what occurred was caused by Thunderbolt’s magic. What he can do is use the wooden Atom and Mister Terrific on the Absorbo-Man who just did absorb Green Lantern’s powers.. and if you are a faithful follower of this blog you know that THIS Green Lantern’s energy is vulnerable to WOOD. Something Johnny Thunder of Earth-1 does not know and is quite astonished when Dr. Fate manages to blow up the Absorbo-Man using this little trick.
Next up, the Repello-Man, which Fate casts reverse magical bolts at him, the Repello-Man reflects them, which then reverse and go right to him causing a large KABOOM. This causes JT of E1 to send the Thunderbolt directly into battle versus Doctor Fate. Doctor Fate and the Thunderbolt’s battle goes on for some time and it is massive causing a ton of damage to the surrounding area and Johnny Thunder gets the main brunt of the battle. Eventually JT of E1 surrenders by wishing that none of this had happened and that he wished everything was like it was before he met the Thunderbolt.
Well no easier said that done, that wish is granted and Johnny Thunder of Earth-Two walks into the JSA headquarters on time and at a meeting of the Justice League they receive word of a small-time crook named Johnny Thunder.
Next Up: Crisis Between Earth-One and Earth-Two!
The Most Dangerous Earth Of All
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As the Justice League remains helpless on Earth-Three the JSA begin to plot how they will repel the Crime Syndicate’s invasion of Earth-Two, when the Earth-Three villains transport into the JSA headquarters via the globe Doctor Fate used to view where the JLA are being held captive.
Remembering the JLA’s warning to the JSA that they should not let the Crime Synidcate touch them and say their magic word of “Volthoom!” the JSAers are forced to find ways to defeat the villains in unique ways.
Johnny Quick uses his speed on Hawkman to get the winged wonder to get back down to Earth. As Hawkman resists, he decides to instead fly full force and knock Johnny Quick out with a massive punch. Unable to say the word, Hawkman believes he has won this battle.
Doctor Fate defeats Power Ring with the animals of the zodiac while Dr. Mid-Nite uses his blackout bombs and a bit of brain power to finish his battle with Owlman.
Black Canary is able to use one of her “freeze pellets” in her cameo (yeah cuz its really got room for a whole bunch of crime fighting equipment up in there), and put that down Superwoman’s throat, causing her vocal cords to “freeze up” so Superwoman cannot say “Volthoom!” Black Canary ties up Superwoman as the victor o fhte battle while Starman defeats Ultraman using his Cosmic Rod and some clear thinking regarding.. Anti-Matter.
Pay attention to that .. Anti-Matter is going to be a HUGE issue soon. HUGE.
However the JSAers made a mistake. This time the command that the Crime Syndicate used was that as long as the JSA didn’t touch them and then they declared themselves the winner the JSA would be transported to Earth-Three.
It was a trap all along.
Now as the JSAers all disappear the Syndicate plans on bringing the JLAers from Earth-Three to Earth-Two for the “neutral territory” fight.
The Justice Leaguers defeat the Crime Syndicate members with relative ease, mostly overpowering their foes into thinking they have immense powers but then finding that they cannot control them. The Justice League hem and haw about what to do with their captives. Keep them in prison on Earth-Two? How about Earth-One? Return them to Earth-Three?
Well Green Lantern figures out that the JLA needs more information to determine what the next steps need to be. GL commands Power Ring’s ring to tell the JLA what the Crime Syndicate’s plans are. Which it does.
“When they imprisoned the Justice Society members on Earth-Three Owlman suggested that they take one last precaution. They so constructed their prison that if the Justice Society is ever freed from it— A special device would automatically blow up Earths One and Two!” — Power Ring’s ring.
The Justice Society go to Earth-Three and manage to free the Justice Society members after deactivating the device designed to destroy their home Earths. The Crime Syndicate was placed in limbo in a cage with signs in multiple Terran languages informing anyone approaching that opening the prison would destroy the Crime Syndicate and themselves in the process.
The JLA and JSA depart each other’s company pleased that for now, evil has been defeated.
Next Up: Earth Without A Justice League