Justice League of America #80

Justice League of America #80 (On Sale: March 10, 1970) has cover by Murphy Anderson.

"Night of the Soul-Stealer" is by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella. The Flash finds Hawkgirl floating in space outside the JLA headquarters and when the other JLAers arrive Atom relates how Hawkman and Hawkgirl were taking the deranged Jean Loring to Thanagar in hopes of curing her mental problems. When Hawkgirl revives she is in a vegetative state. The team breaks up, Batman and Green Arrow head for Midway City, Superman heads for Thanagar, Atom and The Flash head for the Grand Canyon where there is some sort of disturbance and Black Canary gets to cool her heels in the JLA satellite.

At the Grand Canyon the annual Boy Scout Jamboree is going very wrong as the boys are all mindlessly walking towards the edge of the canyon to do the big drop. Flash builds a barrier between the canyon and the kids and they learn that the kids were fine until a creature on a flying broomstick passed overhead.

In Midway City while looking for Hawkman Batman and Green Arrow see a creature riding over the city on what looks like a rocket-powered broomstick. Arrow brings the rider down and in the ensuing scuffle with Batman the rider drops a box he is holding. He makes quick work of both Batman and Green Arrow and as he is about to leave comments that had he not damaged his Ghenna Box he would of added their souls to his collection. Oh and we also learn that his name is Norch Lor and he is on some kind of mission.

Meanwhile, out in space Superman finds Hawkman's ship about to be eaten by a neutron star. Using all his strength he is able to pull the ship from the star's gravitational grasp. Someone we don't see come upon the exhausted Superman and whacks him but good!

Back at JLA headquarters Canary is practicing her sonic wave power when Batman and Green Arrow arrive. Batman has a patch he ripped off of Norch Lor's uniform and the JLA computer says the patch is from Thanagar. Because of Hawkman, the JLA computer is programmed to ignore Thanagarian ships and once Batman adjusts the programming they see the alien ship. However, Norch Lor is at that moment cutting through the wall of the JLA headquarters. Luckily Black Canary is able to reach the switch for the emergency sealer before they are all sucked out into space, but now that Norch is inside the HQ, he opens the Ghenna Box and steals the JLA member's souls.

At the some time on OA, Green Lantern has been summoned by the Guardians who explain that they dispatched the Green Lantern of Xudar, Tomar-Re, to a Thanagarian ship that was under attack. the Green Lantern found a Kryptonian there and thinking he was the attacker, took him out. In minutes Green Lantern is on the scene and he and Tomar-Re take the unconscious Superman inside of Hawkman's ship where they find Hawkman and Jean Loring in a state of mindlessness. Playing back the ship's records they see that they answered a distress signal from another Thanagarian ship and rescued it's pilot, but the pilot opened up a strange box he carried with him and the Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Jean were all incapacitate.

As he was leaving the ship the pilot, Norch Lor, said that they will thank him some day as the signs all point to the end of the universe and only the Ghenna Box and preserve the identity, the soul of beings. As Norch left the ship, Hawkgirl's body drifted out with him and moments later the ship "drifted into space-warp and was carried to its present location" whatever that means.

The two Green Lanterns and a revived Superman head for Thanagar in search of Norch Lor. But back at the JLA headquarters where Norch really is, Black Canary was not affected by the Ghenna Box, perhaps protected by her sonic power and she attacks Norch just as Flash and the Atom show up. Between the three of them they are able to take care of Norch and rescue the Ghenna Box. When the others return the box is opened and everyone's souls return to them. Kind of a confusing story, requiring a lot of coincidences to make it work. It has been reprinted in Justice League of America Archives Vol. 9 HC and Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 4 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America #79

Justice League of America #79 (On Sale: January 27, 1970) has a nice cover by Neal Adams.

This issue has the book-length by "Come Slowly Death, Come Slyly" by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella. Continuing from last issue, we have Superman and Green Lantern on the desolate planet Monsan seeking a clue to the identity of the Doomsters, while Green Arrow is being forcibly removed from the office of the Star City City manager and Batman, Atom, Black Canary and the Vigilante are being slowly lowered into a vat of something pretty vile. As luck would have it though the two guards escorting Green Arrow are not cops and don't particularly like the City Manager, so they let Green Arrow go.

Racing back to the Doomsters' plant he gets there just in time to jam the machinery lowering his pals into the vat of icky stuff. He revives his teammates just in time to take on a cadre of Doomsters who, when overwhelmed by the JLA, lock themselves into the inner workings of the plant. That ends up being a disguised rocket that the Doomsters use to blast away from the JLA.

Meanwhile on Monsan, Superman and Green Lantern find a survivor who with his dying breath tells the tale of one of their leaders, Chokh, who when the industrial might of the planet so fouled the air came up with a way of altering Monsan physiology so that they could breathe polluted air and thrive of poisoned water. But the alteration not only modified their bodies, it warped their minds, turning them into Doomsters, who want nothing more than to spread the pollution of Monsan to other worlds.

back on earth, Batman radios Hawkman in the JLA satellite and tells him he must stop the alien spaceship above Star City. Using his Thangarian space cruiser, Hawkman is going to use a gravity beam on the flying building when it explodes exposing the sleek battleship hidden inside. The Doomsters jam Hawkman's controls forcing him to abandon his ship which they then blast in half. Realizing the the Earth people are more threatening than they thought the Doomsters drop pollution canisters all around the globe and then send out a warning message to the people of Earth that they have one hour to make peace with themselves, before they are inundated with "total pollution."

The JLA assemble in their satellite just as the returning Superman and Green lantern recover the wounded Hawkman. Once he is safely in the JLA satellite Superman and green Lantern begin a full attack on the Doomsters' spaceship, defeating the aliens. However, Chokh escapes and penetrates the JLA satellite where he captures Black Canary. Batman and Green Arrow try to stall him by telling Black Canary how much they appreciate her and Green Arrow even says that he may be in love with her.

Chokh is finally defeated by the Atom and later Arrow tells Canary that he meant what he said, but she says she is not ready for a new relationship just yet, but is happy that they saved the Earth. Arrow looks at the soot and ash spewing from some plants in the background and says, "Did we? I wonder..." Reprinted in Justice League of America Archives Vol. 9 HC and Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 4 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America #78

Justice League of America #78 (On Sale: December 11, 1969) has a more than slightly misleading, though nicely-drawn cover by Gil Kane.

We begin with "The Coming of the Doomsters" by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella. In Star City Green Arrow assists a night watchman at a factory on the docks shooting it out with a group of armed thugs, using a Flare Arrow to throw some light on the situation. When the arrow hits the water it erupts in flames and Arrow signals for some JLA assistance. Answering the call is Green Lantern and Superman who make quick work of the flames now threatening the city. Once the fire is out they disburse, not hearing the plea of the watchman to talk about something that the watchman says may hold the key to the future of the entire human race.

Green Lantern and Superman take Green Arrow to, well, to New York (not called by name of course) to the top of the building which houses DC Comics (also not called by name of course) to show him the Thanagarian relativity beam system (think Star Trek-like transporter device) which the JLA has installed there. Superman explains that since their headquarters was compromised by the Joker in Justice League of America #777, they have built a new headquarters and Green Arrow in now standing in the doorway. The transporter energizes and Green Arrow is teleported to the new JLA satellite headquarters 23,300 miles above New York in a geosynchronous orbit, where the rest of the team is waiting for him.

The JLA are to appear at a charity event that night and down earthside the watchman is making his way toward it when he is the victim of a drive-by shooting. He avoids the gunfire though and returns his own, blowing out a car tire and sending the car into a pole. When the thugs extract themselves from the wrecked car, the watchman is gone, but they now think they know where he is going and their conversation makes it clear that they are not from Earth.

Meanwhile, at the charity event the JLA are introducing the crowd to Black Canary when the watchman arrives, followed closely by the two goons from the car. Canary attacks using her judo and Green Lantern protects her from the goons' alien weapons. As the thugs go down Superman jumps on their bodies shielding everyone from the self-destruct blast of the thugs, now revealed as androids of some sort. The watchman grabs the alien weapons and he and the JLA retire to a more private facility, their orbiting headquarters.

The watchman explains how he was hired on by the new factory in town and was assaulted by the amount of pollution the thing put out. When he asked workers what they were producing, no one seemed to know. The watchman soon realized that the product the factory was making was pollution and he stole some papers proving it. Some "men" from the factory chased him and that is where Green Arrow found him. The watchman introduces himself as Greg Sanders, who used to go by the name of the Vigilante, but gave up that life years ago. Now of course, since the Vigilante from the Golden Age was from Earth 2, this is actually the first appearance of this character. So, not only has Denny O'Neil given us the new JLA headquarters this issue, he has introduced a new DC character as well.

The stolen paperwork includes a star map and Superman and Green Lantern head off to explore that end of the story. The rest of the JLA head off to the factory, except for Green Arrow who wants to have a "conversation" with the Star City City Manager, where it seems the City Manager knows the factory only makes pollution and doesn't care as it provides jobs and taxes and that is all that matters. He has Green Arrow thrown in jail Personal aside here: as the husband of an ex-City Manager, the person you might find with that sort of attitude would be a Mayor, i.e., a politician, not a City Manager, who is governed by a whole set of ethics that politicians know nothing of.

Meanwhile the rest of the JLA have made a quick stop at a western goods store and purchased the makings of a new Vigilante costume. Along with that and the alien guns, the Vigilante is back in business. While at the same time on the alien world pointing at by the stolen paperwork Green Lantern and Superman find a desolate destroyed ash-can of a planet where once a vibrant civilization existed.

At the factory the JLA and the Vigilante are confronted and eventually overwhelmed by the alien automatons. As we leave for the month they are being lowered into vats of bubbling, noxious death! This tale has been reprinted in Justice League of America Archives Vol. 9 HC and Showcase Presents:Justice League of America Vol. 4 TPB.

The back-up story is "The Man Who Hated Science!" by Jack Miller and John Giunta and reprinted from Mystery In Space #6.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America #77

Justice League of America #77 (On Sale: October 28, 1969) has a cover by Murphy Anderson and the first appearance of the JLA headshot line up along the left edge. This would of course become a familiar addition to the JLA covers for some time to come.

"Snapper Carr -- Super-Traitor" is by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella. While walking down the street one evening, Snapper Carr is assaulted by a group of men, who seem upset that he is friends with the JLA. Snapper is rescued by John Dough, the most normal man in America. Meanwhile, back in JLA headquarters, Green Arrow is trying to help Black Canary tame her Canary Cry, but the destructive waves seem to go in the opposite direction Canary is trying to send them.

When Batman and the Atom go to investigate an alarm set off by one of the JLA, they find Snapper, who along with John Dough attacks them using laughing gas. As they subdue both heroes, John Dough reminds Snapper that he is working for the greater good of average Americans. Does this line of idiotic thought remind anyone of a certain Presidential campaign from last year?

When Batman awakens he finds himself with John Dough, tied up and wearing an oxygen mask. Dough explains that Batman will watch on a monitor the destruction of the JLA and that as soon as Dough leaves, the chamber he is in will be filled with poisonous gas, which is the reason for the mask. Meanwhile, the Atom is back at JLA headquarters and explains what happened and that he woke up alone. Superman points to a newspaper which discusses John Dough's popularity as "Mr. Average" and how he is gaining followers all over the country. Though the JLA are not average people, Flash says that they use their extraordinary powers toward the cause of justice for all, while Atom says that he doesn't blame average people for distrusting super-heroes. Green Arrow says that's "Baloney" and that the human race has progressed enough to accept people who are different. Batman shows up to say that Arrow will have chance to prove that as they have all been invited to a John Dough rally that night.

Batman goes on to explain that he had a talk with Dough and that Snapper just got "carried away" with things. Batman has passes fro all of the JLA except Black Canary who he doesn't seem to know. Of course the real Batman is watching this all happen from his gas-filled chamber. That night as the crowd fills the stadium for a debate between the JLA and John Dough we see Dough aims a large machine which he says will stimulate the crowd's parasympathetic nervous systems, making them jumpy and ready to believe anything.

Snapper speaks first for Dough, saying how super-heroes are harmful and that we have become too dependent on them and that we have forgotten how to fight our own battles. In the crows a group of men attack Black Canary because she is much better looking than most and therefore, not normal. As the JLA jump to her rescue they are one by one beset by problems: The Flash is woozy and can't control his speed, Green Lantern can't concentrate and control his will, Superman feels slow and stupid, Green Arrow can't remember which arrow does what.

The JLA all leave and a special Senate subcommittee is called to investigate John Dough's charge that the JLA caused a riot at the stadium. Batman escapes John Dough's chamber in time to unmask the Batman testifying at the Senate as John Dough. Dough uses fire grenades to mask his escape while the JLA saves the Senate. They capture Snapper Carr and ask him why he helped sabotage them with the tickets to the debate that contained tiny transmitters while interfered with their nervous systems? Snapper says that he was tired of being the JLA mascot and that no one liked him for himself. Also, he says that he believed Dough, that the JLA are too different from the rest of the world. Green Arrow tries to straighten him out on that line of thinking.

Batman says he knows where to find John Dough and who he really is, that he is hiding in their headquarters. They confront Dough and Canary is able to use her Canary Cry to take Dough down. Batman unmasks Dough as the Joker. This story was reprinted in Justice League of America Archives Vol. 9 HC, JLA: The Greatest Stories Ever Told TPB and Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 4 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America #76

Justice League of America #76 (On Sale: September 18, 1969) has a cover by Murphy Anderson.

We begin with "The Cosmic Fun-House" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs from Justice League of America #7. Entering the fun-house of a new Happy Harbor amusement park, Snapper Carr and his girlfriend, Midge, are transported to an alien planet, from which the Justice League rescues them. Later, some of the members investigate the fun-house in their secret identities, with the result that Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow are captured by invading aliens from the planet Angellax – the builders of the fun-house. Two of the aliens become duplicates of Barry (Flash) Allen and Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan, and send Superman, Batman, and J’onn J’onzz into the future on a wild goose chase to capture Xotar, whom they blame for the fun-house incidents. Aquaman is then lured into a trap.

At the same time, the four captive members escape, only to be transformed into weirdly distorted shapes by a mirror device. Aquaman aids the four, and they defeat the aliens despite their altered bodies. After Green Lantern restores himself and the others to normal, and the other heroes return from the future, they again enjoy the no-longer-dangerous amusement park while they are in their civilian identities.

The second story in this issue is "The Last Case of the Justice League" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs from Justice League of America #12. Snapper Carr arrives late at a Justice League meeting to find the members gone and Dr. Light in their place. The villain forces him to chronicle his victory over the League in the JLA Casebook.

Capturing Aquaman, he had summoned the other members with the Sea King’s signal device, then projected them into various sidereal worlds. Aquaman had been sent to a desert planet, J’onn J’onzz to a world of fir, Flash to a planet where his balance was disrupted and his speed of little use, Wonder Woman to a place where her body refused to obey her brain, Green Arrow to a planet where strange organic magnetism rendered his weapons useless, and Green Lantern to an entirely yellow world. Superman was trapped on a world with a red sun, and Batman in a place where the laws of science didn’t hold.

What Dr. Light doesn’t realize, however, is that Batman and Superman had exchanged identities in order to trick him. Thus, Superman, in full possession of his powers, is able to escape the prison planet intended for Batman, and he rescues his fellow members.

Returning to the Secret Sanctuary, the super-heroes rescue Snapper, who alerts them to Light’s planned theft of three mementos of light. Though Aquaman and Green Arrow halt the villain’s plan to steal the Colossus of Rhodes, Green Lantern is apparently destroyed during the battle. Simultaneously, Batman, Flash, and J’onn J’onzz encounter and subdue a second Dr. Light, who attempts to steal the diamond Heart of Light, while Superman and Wonder Woman capture a third, who is making off with the first electric light bulb. These three captives are revealed to be mere images, and the real Dr. Light is about to set off vibrating light-impulses that will overcome everyone on Earth.

He is beaten at his own game by Green Lantern, who had not been destroyed at all, but had allowed his image to be blasted, while he searched for Light’s hideout and captured the villain.

This issue also contains a two-page poster of the Justice Society of America and a one-page poster of the Seven Soldiers of Victory both by Murphy Anderson. These illustrations are accompanied by a Fact File on both teams.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

World's Finest Comics #189

World's Finest Comics #189 (On Sale: September 11, 1969) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

We begin with Superman and Batman in "The Man With Superman's Heart" by Cary Bates, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. The back-up is Roy Raymond in "The City That Time Forgot" by Jack Miller and Ruben Moreira and reprinted from Detective Comics #270.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Justice League of America #75

Justice League of America #75 (On Sale: September 11, 1969) has a cover by Murphy Anderson.

Inside we have "In Each Man There is a Demon" by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella. The story is told by both Green Arrow and Black Canary and continues the changes started last issue and in Brave and the Bold #85. Green Arrow relates how his finances were ruined through the use of forged documents and while wondering the streets as Oliver Queen he finds a man in need and as Green Arrow saves the day. But as in the Brave and the Bold issue, he is plagued by indecision and wonders if Green Arrow is needed.

Black Canary then relates how after the death of her husband, Larry Lance, she accepted Superman's offer to move to Earth 1, where Superman wanted to immediately make her a member of the Justice League. Hawkman however, argued that given that she was just a judo expert, that that was not enough of a power to allow her in the JLA. Canary becomes upset at the JSA'ers for talking about her like she wasn't in the room and as she speaks up to voice her complaint she emits a sonic shock-wave that knocks the JLA members on their respective behinds!

Meanwhile, Green Arrow goes to see another psychiatrist (he and Batman both saw one in Brave and the Bold #85) for his identity issues, a Dr. Oyal, who has invented a machine called the ID-Actualizer which can dig down into a person's subconscious and reveal who they really wish to be. Ollie tries out the machine but once it is turned on a ghostly green version of Green Arrow emerges from his body, saying that he is "the Real Green Arrow-- the warrior who live within Oliver Queen's body," and attacks the Dr.

Back at JLA headquarters Superman and the Atom have determined that Black Canary is an "instant mutant," that one of Aquarius's spells altered the structure of Black Canary's nervous system giving her the ability to emit ultra-sonic waves. This will eventually become known as her "Canary Cry." Just then the ghostly green Green Arrow burst into the headquarters and as he touches the members of the JLA green ghostly versions of themselves erupt from their bodies, all except Superman, and calling themselves the "evil that lives within you" they begin to rip apart the JLA HQ. Superman tries to stop them, but as they are being of magical power (most likely created by another of Aquarius's spells), he is powerless against them.

The JLA become despondent over the thought of having to fight their evil selves when suddenly a ghostly green Superman appears and dares Superman to face his own evil self. Superman says he is up to the challenge and eventually defeats his evil doppelganger. The others take courage from Superman's action and head off the face their own evil twins. After they leave Superman reveals that his "evil ghost" was actually a Superman robot, that he was not affected by Aquarius's spell, but that he knew he needed to do something to snap the group out of their funk.

One by one the JLA track down their evil twins and defeat them. However, when Green Arrow finds his twin, the story is different. He catches his twin robbing a jewelery store. His twin says that he is not Queen's evil side, he is his true side, "...underneath, you were always Oliver Queen -- much, much more interested in wealth than heroism! Can you deny it?" Queen says he can't and throws down his bow and arrows and walks away, but the owner's of the jewelery store confront him and plead with him to help. "We're poor, plain fold...we don't count for much! Still, we always figured you were different! We figured you...cared! And heaven knows people like us need somebody to care!"

Oliver faces his twin, saying that there is a better part to him and that he cannot let that part die. They face off with arrows and Green Arrow is shot in the leg, while his twin shrinks back into Oliver's body just as the other twins return to their original hosts. The JLA is once again contaminated with evil, just like the rest of mankind. Green Arrow and Black Canary are left still at crossroads, their old lives are over and their new lives are on the horizon. This is the beginning of a couple that has stood the test of time.

Reprinted in Best of DC #31, Justice League of America Archives Vol. 9 HC, Justice League of America Hereby Elects… TPB, Green Arrow/Black Canary:For Better or For Worse TPB and Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 4 TPB.

One final note: In the letters page is a letter by Alan Brennert, who went on to be one of my favorite writers at DC though he only wrote nine stories. I still remember them to this day. Last year my wife read Brennert's novel Moloka'i in her book club.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America #74

Justice League of America #74 (On Sale: July 24, 1969) has a cover by Neal Adams.

"Where Death Fears to Tread" by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Sid Greene continues from the previous issue. Banished living star, Aquarius, got hold of Starman's Cosmic Rod and used it to wipe out of existence all of Earth-Two, except for a sextet of Justice Society members. who along with Black Canary's husband, Larry Lance, are trapped in a mystic sphere of Dr. Fate's creation and the android hero Red Tornado who escaped to Earth-One and is now bringing back the Justice League.

I need to stop here for just a moment to discuss foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a literary device where the author drops hints or clues early on in a story, the more innocuous and seemingly unimportant the better, only to have those hints come back later on as a key component in solving whatever predicament arises in the story. For foreshadowing to work, there has to be somewhat of a slight-of-hand going on, the reader must take in the information but not realize it has any importance. What Denny O'Neil does next is a bit of foreshadowing, but it is so clumsily handled that anyone reading the story can see it for what it is and it takes away something from a story that is of classic importance. Yeah, this is a classic issue for a couple of reasons, as you will soon see, but what you are going to see first is a really fumbled attempt at foreshadowing.

As the JLA traverse the dimensions between Earth-One and Earth-Two, most of the member are protected by Green Lantern's ring. Right before they complete the journey, Green Lantern makes sure he avoids the negative matter universe, whose entrance just happens to be right there, along the inter-dimensional path the heroes travel. Oy!

Aquarius is growing bored with the JSA heroes and is contemplating finishing them off when the JLA heroes pop up. Needing time to figure out what is going on, Aquarius places a mesmeric command in the air and then disappears. Seeing Aquarius flee, Dr. Fate relaxes his energy bubble and when he does so Aquarius's command to "Destroy the Intruders!" takes hold.

We are then treated to a fairly interesting eight-page fight between the JSA and the JLA. The only really important part of this fight is when Green Arrow hits Black Canary with a "stickum arrow" which covers her in a gloppy mess, adhering her to the ground (OK, since Earth-Two and everyone on it have been destroyed I have no idea to what "ground" she is stuck, but she is.). The important thing to remember is that she is stuck and can't move. OK, there is one other important thing, Green Lantern of Earth-One has used his ring to find Aquarius and bring him to the JLA.

Aquarius fights off Green Lantern's energy beams and sends some of his own back in Lantern's direction. The beams of energy coalesce into a huge multi-hued sphere, but Aquarius's aim is a little off and instead of heading for Green Lantern the sphere is heading for Black Canary. Canary's husband, Larry Lance, senses the danger to his wife and does the only thing he can think of to save her, he jumps in front of the sphere and shields her body with his own...and it kills him!

The energy released by the exploding sphere releases the JSA from the murderous command of Aquarius and it also restores Earth-Two and everyone on it, but it kills Black Canary's husband. A few hours later the combined heroes bury Larry Lance and Aquarius shows up and laughs at the anguish of the heroes.

The heroes attack Aquarius and the Green Lanterns are able to taunt Aquarius into following them in the negative matter universe where their rings protect them, but Aquarius is destroyed.
The threat ended the JLA say their good-byes and prepare to return to Earth-One, but before they leave, Black Canary, saying she can't stand the thought of living in a world full of memories of Larry, asks if she can go with them to Earth-One. Superman picks her up and the first of the Golden Age DC characters moves from Earth-Two to Earth-One. This has been reprinted in Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 2 TPB, Justice League of America Archives Vol. 9 HC and Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 4 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America #73

Justice League of America #73 (On Sale: June 12, 1969) has a cover by Joe Kubert featuring none of the Justice League; those are all Justice Society heroes.

"Star Light, Star Bright -- Death Star I See Tonight" is by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Sid Greene. Long ago the Council of Living Stars (go figure), removes all energy, save enough to sustain him, from the star Aquarius, who is guilty of some unnamed heinous crimes. Aquarius is adrift in the cosmos for eons, till one day he spies Earth.

The Red Tornado is at JLA headquarters relating a tale of the Justice Society of America to the members at large. It starts with Ted Knight seeing some strange glow in the sky and checking it out as Starman. He blasts the glow with his Cosmic Rod, only to have the blast returned to him with increased force. The "glow" begins to form into a creature and grabs the rod from Starman's hand, leaving him to plummet to the ground, where Larry and Dinah Drake Lance have just entered Knight's observatory, bearing gifts of food.

Starman crashes through the skylight and Dinah gets into her Black Canary garb to do a quick reconnoiter of the grounds. There she is attacked by husband Larry, whom she quickly dispatches. Larry remembers nothing about attacking Dinah and sensing something is very wrong, she summons the rest of the JSA. However, each is delayed by one thing or another, having to do with inanimate objects or unexpected people, such as the small boy on the cover, temporarily gaining amazing powers. Dr Fate senses a dark force is present and attacks. Aquarius makes his presence known and that the Cosmic Rod is beginning to restore his long lost energy.

One by one the JSA attack Aquarius and each is defeated. After Superman and Wonder Woman go down in defeat, the remainder of the team attack en mass, but Aquarius claims that he is done toying with Earth and cold rays of death spread out from his body and the Earth simply fades away. But Dr. Fate, sensing what was happening erected an ectoplasmic shield around the JSA members. Fate explains that Aquarius has transported the people and objects of Earth to another dimension, where they will cease to exist if the JSA members were to die; that the only link Earth has to reality is the minds of the JSAers.

While Aquarius gloats Dr. Fate knows that they have but a slim hope of survival, for before Aquarius transported Earth away Fate sent a telepathic message to the Red Tornado, to go to Earth-One and tell the Justice League what has happened. This story has been reprinted in Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 2 TPB, Justice League of America Archives Vol. 9 HC and Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 4 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America #72

Justice League of America #72 (On Sale: April 24, 1969) has a wonderful Joe Kubert cover.

The full-length Justice League of America strip "13 Days to Doom," is by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Sid Greene. It was reprinted in Justice League of America Archives Vol. 9 HC and Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 4 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

World's Finest Comics #184

World's Finest Comics #184 (On Sale: March 13, 1969) has a cover by Curt Swan and Mike Esposito.

"Robin's Revenge" an imaginary take is by Cary Bates, Curt Swan and Jack Abel and was reprinted in Batman: The Strange Deaths of Batman TPB.

The Martian Manhunter back-up, "John Jones' Farewell to Earth" is reprinted from Detective Comics #267 and was drawn by Joe Certa. J’onn discovers a Jovian spacecraft in the park. The jovians explain that they are searching for a criminal from their planet, but cannot leave the ship into the rain due to their weakness to water. J’onn agrees to help capture the crook in exchange for transport to Mars.

J’onn tracks down S’Vor, the alien criminal and defeats him with water. He returns him to the security officers and prepares to leave Earth. However, the crook has left behind several bombs. J’onn decides to stay behind and defuse the bombs. The aliens are forced to leave without him.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Justice League of America #71

Justice League of America #71 (On Sale: March 13, 1969) has a cover by Mike Sekowsky and George Roussos.

"...and So My World Ends" is by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Sid Greene. The new, powerless Wonder Woman and her martial arts mentor I-Ching appear in this issue and the Martian Manhunter leaves Earth. Reprinted in Justice League of America Archives Vol. 9 HC.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America #70

Justice League of America #70 (On Sale: January 23, 1969) has a great Creeper cover by Neal Adams.

"Versus the Creeper" is by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Sid Greene. A juvenile would-be super-hero called Mind-Grabber Kid becomes jealous when he is ignored in favor of the Justice League heroes. When alien visitors come to Earth, he leads them to believe that the JLA is composed of enemies of humanity. Meanwhile, the super-team, at Batman's instigation, investigates the activities of the new crime-fighter known as the Creeper.

The JLA, the Creeper, aliens, and a gang of crooks all come together in a four-way battle at the nuclear power plant. After the aliens overcome the League by mimicking their powers, the super-heroes are about to be murdered by the crooks, but the Creeper intervenes and saves them.

A repentent Mind-Grabber Kid explains matters to the aliens, who depart in peace. Reprinted in Justice League of America Archives Vol. 8 HC. Being just a kid myself, I hoped I would see more of Mind-Grabber Kid, but it never happened. This is his one and only appearance.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.