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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 5, 2015 7:03:24 GMT -5
Justice League of America #183
October 1980 (July 7, 1980) $.50
Cover Art: Jim Starlin, signed
“Crisis On New Genesis” or “Where Have All the New Gods Gone?” 17 pages
Credits: Len Wein (Editor), Gerry Conway (Writer); Dick Dillin (Penciller), Frank McLaughlin (Inker); Ben Oda (Letterer), Gene D'Angelo (Colorist)
FC: The Atom, Batman, Black Canary, The Elongated Man, Firestorm, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, The Red Tornado, Superman, Wonder Woman, teamed as the Justice League of America
GS: Doctor Fate, Doctor Mid-Nite, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Huntress, Power Girl, Robin, The Star-Spangled Kid, Superman, Wildcat, Wonder Woman, teamed as the Justice Society of America
GS: Big Barda, Metron, Mister Miracle, Orion, teamed as the New Gods
SC: Oberon
Villain: Darkseid
Villains: The Fiddler, The Icicle, The Shade, teamed as the Injustice Society of the World
Intro: Petal (name not revealed until the following issue)
Synopsis
The annual JSA/JLA get-together hits a snag when four members of each team — Doctor Fate, the Huntress, Power Girl and Wonder Woman for the Justice Society; Batman, Firestorm, Green Lantern and Superman for the Justice League — vanish from the transmatter cubes and reappear on a beautiful but seemingly deserted planet of lush forsts and floating cities. Superman recognizes their location as New Genesis, extradimensional home of the New Gods.
While the others discuss how and why this could have happened, Firestorm impetuously goes exploring. An encounter with the ferocious Orion lays the atomic-powered teen out, but not before he sends up a signal flare. It takes the combined strength of Fate, Superman and Wonder Woman to overcome the savage New God, temporarily possessed by the periodic madness that is his inheritance as the son of Darkseid, lord of Apokolips, home planet of the New Gods' evil counterparts.
At that moment, four colorful figures emerge from a Boom Tube: renowned escape artist Mister Miracle; his wife, Big Barda; his assistant, the dwarfish Oberon; and the enigmatic scholar and explorer named Metron. It was Metron who summoned the octet of super-heroes to New Genesis, using his dimension-traveling Mobius Chair. The League and Society were summoned because, as Barda explains, the forces of Apokolips have “kidnapped the entire population of New Genesis, including our friends and loved ones… …turning them all into mindless slaves” with the aid of Earth-Two's Injustice Society.
After traveling to Apokolips via Boom Tube, the heroes split into three teams, with Metron remaining behind to coordinate their efforts.
Mr. Miracle, Batman and the Huntress attempt to sneak into the Imperial Palace to determine who the Injustice Society is working with. Miracle tells the others of the recent war between New Genesis and Apokolips, a war ended when Orion distracted his father at the moment the evil lord of Apokolips attempted to “pierce the forbidden final barrier, and thus gain ultimate knowledge.” As a result, Darkseid was transformed into an unbelievably huge but totally immobile “Promethean Giant,” as had all those who sought to pierce the barrier before him, and was destroyed by his own “experimental uni-cannon.”
Doctor Fate, Green Lantern and Oberon, meanwhile, attempt to infiltrate the Central Barracks of the Apokolipsian guard, where prisoners from New Genesis are rumored to be held. Subterfuge fails but the combined power of Fate and the Lantern is more than equal to the task of holding the soldiery at bay.
Big Barda, accompanied by Superman and Wonder Woman, invades the “orphanage,” run by the cruel Granny Goodness, where Barda and Scott (Mr. Miracle) Free were raised. They rescue a young girl from New Genesis about to be brutally punished for the crime of growing flowers.
The final team of Firestorm, Power Girl and Orion — his reason restored by his “mother box,” a small semi-sentient computer carried by many New Gods — track down the Injustice Society. The trio of the Fiddler, the Icicle and the Shade look on as the captured New Genesisians complete construction of a huge machine. Activated by Fiddler's sinister music, the machine generates an “energy storm,” within the heart of which the form of the resurrected Darkseid begins to take shape.
Behind the Scenes
This is the final JSA-related story illustrated by longtime Justice League of America artist Dick Dillin, who died shortly after completing this issue.
Cosmology
Wonder Woman notes in this issue that “the only gods I acknowledge are the gods of Mount Olympus… and He who is the only true ‘god’-- whose nature remains unknown.” This is the first indication in the context of Earth-Two that the Olympians (and, presumably, the other mythological pantheons) recognize the existence of a higher power than themselves.
The Bad Guys
The capital of Apokolips, Armaghetto, is called “Armagedda” throughout the three issue story.
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 6, 2015 8:10:20 GMT -5
Wonder Woman #272
October 1980 (July 7, 1980) $.50
Cover Art: Dave Cockrum (Penciller), Dick Giordano (Inker), signed
“The Monster and the Masterpiece” 8 pages
Len Wein (Editor), Paul Levitz (Writer); Joe Staton (Penciller), Steve Mitchell (Inker); Ben Oda (Letterer), Adrienne Roy (Colorist)
FC: The Huntress
SC: Arthur Cranston, Carole Martin, Harry Sims
Villain: Solomon Grundy
Synopsis
For all her courage and training, the Huntress is no match physically for the powerful Solomon Grundy and quickly crumples in defeat. With her out of the way, Grundy's gang continues emptying the art museum vault they were robbing when the daughter of Batman interrupted. The swamp creature himself carries away a marble statue of a beautiful woman.
Next morning, a sore and exhausted Helena Wayne finds district attorney Harry Sims waiting for her at her law firm. While they consult, Helena's secretary Carole surreptitiously places cash in an envelope and hopes it will be “enough to keep that shark-toothed creep off me… at least for a few weeks!”
Brooding later in the solitude of her office about the conflicts arising from her dual identity, Helena finds a note from Winston Pitt, the client whose case led her to the Grundy gang. The note reminds her of the fence's claim the night before that even forgeries of Pitt’s paintings are high-priced. Suspecting the gentleman in question knows more than he revealed, she visits him that evening as the Huntress. A little of the old Wayne intimidation and he tells everything he knows about the Pitt forgeries.
The trail leads Huntress to the house where Solomon Grundy and his gang are holed up. She is amazed to see that the albino brute has fallen in love with the statue he'd carried off. Using more caution than she'd shown at the museum, the Huntress fells the henchmen with gas pellets and fires a pair of tranquilizer darts into Grundy. The tranks have no effect, other than to anger the monster. In his rage, he bumps his marble girlfriend, knocking the statue over. The head shatters. Blaming Huntress, he grabs the masked girl by the throat and snarls, “See how you feel when Grundy smashes your head to little stones!”
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 7, 2015 7:37:01 GMT -5
The Brave and the Bold #167
October 1980 (July 21, 1980) $.50
Cover Art: Jim Aparo, signed
“Ice Station Alpha!” 17 pages
Paul Levitz (Editor), Marv Wolfman (Writer); Dave Cockrum (Penciller), Dan Adkins (Inker); Ben Oda (Letterer), Adrienne Roy (Colorist)
FC: Batman and Blackhawk
SC: Alfred Beagle, James W. Gordon, Robin (as Dick Grayson)
SA: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Reintro: Linda Page
Intro: The Blackhawks (see Cosmology note below)
Intro: Blackhawk (true name unknown)
Intro: Andre (full name unknown)
Intro: Chop-Chop (true name unknown)
Intro: Chuck (full name unknown)
Intro: Hendrickson (full name unknown)
Intro: Olaf (full name unknown)
Intro: Stanislaus (full name unknown)
Synopsis
Prowling the streets of Gotham City on the night of September 19, 1944, Batman interrupts a band of German spies in the act of robbing a laboratory supply company. Despite the Darknight Detective's best efforts, the thieves get away. All Batman has to go on is the leader's statement that “they are expecting us on Ice Station Alpha at midnight.”
Sunrise finds the Blackhawks, the legendary squadron of freedom-fighting aviators, invading a village in occupied Poland. They are searching for an Allied agent named Carmichael, who was investigating rumors of “a new Nazi threat to America” called Ice Station Alpha. Following a lead forced from a German officer, the Magnificent Seven fly over the Sahara Desert where, to their horror, they find Carmichael inexplicably frozen in ice.
The following night, back in America, the Bat-Signal summons Bruce Wayne away from his date with Linda Page. Commissioner Gordon, ordered to stay out of the federal investigation of “the recent rash of scientific robberies plaguing Gotham” by FDR himself, asks Batman to look into the matter unofficially. Leaving Robin behind, the Masked Manhunter flies to Washington DC, where Bruce Wayne — a stockholder in several of the robbed labs — will ask a few discrete questions as “a concerned citizen.”
Next morning, the Blackhawks continue their own investigation in a busy Tunisian bazaar. Learning the names of those directly responsible for Carmichael's grisly death, they fly to London to consult with General Dwight Eisenhower. Ike asks them for help in ferreting out the secret of Ice Station Alpha, believed to be “the most terrifying weapon ever created by man.”
Bruce Wayne, meanwhile, fails to penetrate the wall of secrecy surrounding the robbery cases. His masked alter-ego has marginally better luck, learning that Ice Station Alpha is a super-weapon hidden just off the Gotham coast. He returns home.
That evening, a strange metal ship emblazoned with swastikas rises from the waters of Gotham Bay. A moment later, those same waters are transformed into an enormous tsunami which wreaks havoc with the city's waterfront, killing 63 people and doing untold damage. A furious Batman, having belatedly recognized one of the warehouse thieves as prizefighter “Killer” Josef Franz, interrupts the World Heavyweight Championship fight at Gotham Sports Arena to confront the German pugilist. At the same time in Austria, Blackhawk and his men close in on their quarry.
What is Ice Station Alpha? It is a huge device designed to melt the polar ice cap, convert the water to gas, and transmit it to the “conversion unit” in Gotham Bay, where the gas will be converted back to water. The previous night's tidal wave was a test run, using a mere fraction of the machine's power. Satisfied by the results, Alpha's commander, General Hauptmann, intends to broadcast enough water “to submerge the entire American [East] coast,” bringing the war to an abrupt end.
When the simultaneous arrivals of Batman and the Blackhawks, each following a different lead, threatens this plan, Hauptmann orders Operation Alpha begun immediately. The device's inventor, Professor Klotzmann, protests that the warm-up cycle is not completed and is shot by the fanatical general for his trouble. Though the good guys battle their way into the station and even disarm Hauptmann, they are unable to stop or reverse the countdown. The dying Klotzmann warns Batman that Ice Station Alpha will be destroyed in seconds, thanks to Hauptmann's tampering. Batman and the Blackhawks barely escape before a huge mushroom cloud fills the Arctic skies. The menace of Ice Station Alpha is ended forever.
Behind the Scenes
The phrase “Ice Station Alpha” is a play on the title of Alistair MacLean's 1963 novel, Ice Station Zebra, and the 1968 John Sturges film based on it.
The character of “Killer” Josef Franz is loosely based on German boxer Max Schmeling (1908-2005), who was the World Heavyweight Champion from 1930-32 and again from 1936-38. Though promoted by Adolf Hitler early in his career as an example of the Aryan superman and portrayed as a Nazi sympathizer in the American press of the era, Schmeling in fact not only opposed Nazi Germany's anti-Semitic policies but helped smuggle the sons of a Jewish friend out of the country in 1938.
Cosmology
Though virtually indistinguishable from their Golden Age counterparts, this is the first appearance of the Blackhawks of Earth-Two. The “Blackhawk” strip has had a complicated publishing history. Debuting in Military Comics #1 (August 1941), published by Quality Comics, the characters graduated to their own title in 1944. The comic ran uninterrupted through 1968, even after DC purchased the rights to the series in the late 1950s (the first DC issue of Blackhawk was #108, cover-dated January 1957). However, because the origin given for the Blackhawks in Blackhawk #198 (July 1964) differs substantially from earlier tellings, the Quality and DC versions of the characters are not considered synonymous. DC's Blackhawks definitely lived on Earth-One, as they frequently interacted with that reality's denizens, most notably as participants in the JLA's “pre-origin” seen in flashback in Justice League of America #144 (July 1977). Two other versions of the Blackhawk characters appeared prior to this issue: the Blackhawks of Earth-X, introduced in flashback in Justice League of America #107 and revealed to have died in the war, and an updated interpretation introduced in Blackhawk #244 (February 1976). This version, though considered by some continuity experts to be a continuation of the earlier series, contains contradictory elements that suggest these Blackhawks are unconnected to the Earth-One versions.
Continuity
The story in this issue is said to occur on September 19-21, 1944. This places it either shortly before or shortly after the “Batman and Sgt. Rock” story in The Brave and the Bold #162 (which is described as occurring in the autumn of 1944). See the first Continuity note for that issue for further information.
The Good Guys
Although the full names of the individual Blackhawks have been revealed at various times throughout their publishing history, the accounts have sometimes conflicted. Since this is the first appearance of the Earth-Two Blackhawks, there is no way of determining which, if any, of the names should be applied to this version of the characters. Therefore, the author has chosen to leave the issue unresolved.
Linda Page was last seen in Batman #32 (December 1945-January 1946). Her appearance here occurs between the “Batman and Robin” story in Detective Comics #73 (March 1943) and Batman #32. She should not be confused with her Earth-One doppelgänger introduced in flashback in Batman #208 (January-February 1969).
Dwight Eisenhower is not referred to by name in this story but is clearly recognizable in the art.
Fashion Watch
Batman appears in this story wearing a costume that combines the large-eared cowl of his earliest Golden Age stories with detailing otherwise consistent with the 1944 version. The cover illustration, however, depicts the 1970s version of the character, with only the omission of the yellow oval around his chest emblem to distinguish him from his Earth-One doppelgänger.
Points to Ponder
According to a caption in this issue, the city the Blackhawks invade in their first scene is the Polish capital of Warsaw. The artwork, however, depicts a small village.
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Post by Calamas on Sept 7, 2015 11:45:21 GMT -5
I would assume rather they just didn't care to have the legal system be accurate, but rather have it suit their story needs. Though by the late 70s, I'd think they knew that had adult readers out there that would call them on it. But then again, legal issues are almost always handled ridiculously in super-hero funnybooks. I suppose it's unrealistic of me to expect them to show any more regard for accuracy about the law than they do for physics, history, physiology or human nature. But would it hurt them to at least try? Cei-U! I'm really in too good a mood to be this cynical! I know this post is both thread drift and dated, for which I’ll apologize in advance, but I felt I could not contribute at the time without the proper references. Now that for the first time in decades my collection is in one location, I’ve been working my way through it--and found the material. From World’s Finest #304 by David Anthony Kraft, two of the most irresponsible pages ever printed, wherein he invalidates the entire justice system of the DCU for the sake of setting up a boring and unimportant story:   |
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 8, 2015 7:58:11 GMT -5
Justice League of America #184
November 1980 (August 11, 1980) $.50
Cover Art: George Pérez (Penciller), Dick Giordano (Inker)
“Crisis Between Two Earths” or “Apokolips Now!” 17 pages
Len Wein (Editor), Gerry Conway (Writer); George Pérez (Penciller), Frank McLaughlin (Inker); Ben Oda (Letterer), Gene D'Angelo (Colorist)
FC: Batman, Firestorm, Green Lantern, Superman, teamed as the Justice League of America
GS: Doctor Fate, The Huntress, Power Girl, Wonder Woman, teamed as the Justice Society of America
GS: Big Barda, Highfather, Metron, Mister Miracle, Orion, teamed as the New Gods
SC: Oberon, Petal
Villain: Darkseid
Villains: The Fiddler, The Icicle, The Shade, teamed as the Injustice Society of the World
Intro: The Apokolips Underground Fighters (all unnamed except as noted)
Intro: Crimson
Intro: Playto
Synopsis
Orion, Power Girl and Firestorm attack the Injustice Society, correctly guessing that the machine recreating Darkseid is powered by the Fiddler's music. The Shade and the Icicle fall to the trio but Fiddler stops them by musically inundating them with nightmarish hallucinations.
In the dank passages beneath Granny Goodness' orphanage, the little girl rescued earlier by Superman, Wonder Woman and Big Barda leads them to the hiding place of the Apokolips Underground Fighters, “a guerrilla army of children, armed with sophisticated weaponry.” Initially distrustful of the “bigguns,” the children are won over by the adults' warmth and nobility. One of the boys, a precognitive telepath named Playto, tells them how Darkseid manifested briefly on Earth-Two and violently persuaded the Injustice Society to aid him. Crimson, the underground leader, agrees to help the others find Granny Goodness, who may know more about Darkseid's plans.
Elsewhere at that moment, the team of Doctor Fate, Green Lantern and Oberon find and free Izaya the Highfather, father of Mister Miracle and leader of the New Gods, from the dungeon beneath the Apokolipsian Guard's central barracks. Though wracked with both physical and spiritual pain, Highfather urges them to return to the capital city, warning them that if Darkseid succeeds, “it would mean the destruction of all space and time!”
The final team of Mister Miracle, Batman and the Huntress successfully infiltrate Darkseid's throne room, where they learn the horrifying specifics of the evil god's plan “to transport Apokolips into the Earth-Two universe, where there will be no old gods or New Gods to thwart his mastery of the cosmos,” destroying the Justice Society's homeworld in the process.
Behind the Scenes
The alternate title for this issue is a play on the title of Francis Ford Coppola's 1977 film Apocalypse Now.
The Good Guys
Izaya's title is spelled “High-Father” throughout this issue and the next.
Points to Ponder
It is not quite clear what Mister Miracle means when he says no “old gods” exist in the Earth-Two universe to resist Darkseid. Certainly the Olympian Gods of the Earth-Two dimension would oppose the Lord of Apokolips' encroachment, as might the Egyptian and Teutonic pantheons seen in various JSA-related Bronze Age comics.
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 9, 2015 7:26:28 GMT -5
The Superman Family #204
November-December 1980 (August 11, 1980) $1.00
Cover Art: Ross Andru (Penciller),
“The Rescue of His Majesty, Johnny Thunder!” 8 pages
Julius Schwartz (Editor), E. Nelson Bridwell (Writer); Kurt Schaffenberger (Penciller), Frank Chiaramonte (Inker); Milt Snappin (Letterer), Adrienne Roy (Colorist)
FC: Lois Lane Kent, Superman, teamed as Mr. & Mrs. Superman
GS: Johnny Thunder and The Thunderbolt
Reintro: Bahdnisians
Reintro: Aissor (name not used in this story, see first Bad Guys note below)
Synopsis
A typical morning for Clark and Lois Kent becomes anything but typical with the unexpected arrival at the Daily Star offices of Johnny Thunder's magical servant, the Thunderbolt. After casually revealing his knowledge of Kent's Superman identity, the creature of living lightning asks, “Ever hear of a place called Bahdnisia?” When Lois mentions recent reports that the tiny Asian nation's new king has acquired a weapon “far more powerful than the atomic bomb,” T-bolt reveals that he is the weapon and Johnny is the king.
Not long after the end of World War II, the Bahdnisian shaman who had originally selected Johnny Thunder as an infant to command the power of the T-bolt cast a spell to interfere with that command. It was this spell that led Johnny to resign from the Justice Society. Recently, Johnny was kidnapped by Bahdnisian agents. The shaman restored his command over the Thunderbolt and he was forced to mount the throne. Though prevented by magic from using the T-bolt to free him or attack the Bahdnisians, Johnny could command his servant to seek out Superman.
Aware that a frontal assault by the Man of Steel would fail thanks to his vulnerability to sorcery, Lois suggests that she pose as a magician with Superman secretly supplying her “magic.” They arrive in Asia just in time to hear the shaman boast of his plan to make Bahdnisia the most powerful nation on Earth. Lois challenges the evil wizard to a duel. Helpless before her “sorcerous” might, the shaman commands the Thunderbolt (through Johnny) to remove her powers but, of course, Lois has no powers to remove so T-bolt's spell is useless. Lois claims that she is invulnerable as long as no one speaks her “secret name” engraved on her “magic wand.” Commanding T-bolt to create a duplicate of her wand, the shaman reads the inscription and gives the order to “make Thiyivilouan helpless!” “Make the evil one helpless,” says a smiling Johnny, allowing the Thunderbolt to ignore the shaman's spells and put the villain and his followers on ice.
Afterward, Johnny decides to stay on the Bahdnisian throne long enough to “teach these people about democracy.”
Continuity
This story occurs between Johnny Thunder's last Golden Age appearance in his solo series in Flash Comics #91 (January 1948) and his reintroduction in The Flash #129. It is the first time an explanation is given for the Thunderbolt's absence from several of the later Golden Age “Johnny Thunder” stories or for Johnny's resignation from the JSA between issues 39 and 40 of All-Star Comics (cover-dated February-March and April-May 1948, respectively).
The Good Guys
The Thunderbolt appears here between his last Golden Age appearance in the “Johnny Thunder” story in Flash Comics #89 (November 1947) and his reintroduction in Justice League of America #37.
According to this story, Johnny is vulnerable to the shaman's spell only because he long ago stopped wearing the Belt of the Zodiac, placed on him in infancy to focus the mystic energies that would grant him command of the Thunderbolt. This is the first mention of the Zodiac belt in Silver or Bronze Age continuity.
Superman promises to let Johnny's mother and adopted daughter know that he is all right. This is the first mention of either Mabel Thunder or Peachy Pet in Silver or Bronze Age continuity, as well as the first indication that Mabel lived until at least the early 1950s.
The Bad Guys
The Bahdnisian shaman was last seen in the “Johnny Thunder” story in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940), where his proper name, Aissor, was revealed.
The Bahdnisians are depicted in this issue with Caucasian features and a vaguely Central Asian culture. In the Golden Age, they were portrayed with swarthy skin, slanted eyes and a vaguely Indochinese culture.
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zilch
Full Member
Posts: 244 
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Post by zilch on Sept 9, 2015 22:18:52 GMT -5
Just sayin' here, but i would have bought the HELL out of a JSA title by Bridwell and Schaffenberger!
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 10, 2015 7:00:23 GMT -5
Wonder Woman #273
November 1980 (August 11, 1980) $.50
Cover Art: Ross Andru (Penciller), Dick Giordano (Inker), signed
“Girl in a Gilded Cage!” 8 pages
Credits: Len Wein (Editor), Paul Levitz (Writer); Joe Staton (Penciller), Steve Mitchell (Inker); Todd Klein (Letterer), Adrienne Roy (Colorist)
FC: The Huntress
SC: Carole Martin, Harry Sims, Andrew Vinson
Villain: Solomon Grundy
Synopsis
The Huntress awakens to find herself imprisoned in a makeshift cage of broken sculpture, a prisoner of Solomon Grundy. The swamp creature has decided to keep the heroine as a replacement for the shattered statue with which he fell in love.
Meanwhile, an agitated Harry Sims is upset when Helena Wayne fails to show up for their appointment. A press leak has revealed the district attorney's planned crackdown on Gotham City's super-heroes. Harry had wanted Helena's advice because her father “was friendly with all those costumed characters when he was police commissioner” but he can't wait for her any longer.
Escaping from her cage is child's play for the Huntress. She exploits Grundy's ambivalent feelings for her long enough to immobilize his gang and lead the albino brute into a trap. The floor collapses beneath Grundy, who plunges into the sewer system and is swept away by the rushing water.
Her victory is brought up at Harry Sims' press conference later that afternoon. The DA acknowledges that the heroine solved the museum robbery, but has no intention of letting that deter him from his decision to “regulate” the city's vigilantes. “The Huntress has already decided she has the right to be judge and jury,” he tells the assembled reporters. “Do you want to be around when she decides to play executioner, too?”
Points to Ponder
Harry Sims's statement that Commissioner Wayne was friendly towards the city's super-heroes suggests that the public was made aware that Wayne's crusade against the JSA, as seen in All-Star Comics #66-69, was the result of his possession by the Psycho Pirate.
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Post by foxley on Sept 10, 2015 8:27:55 GMT -5
The location of Bahdnisia seems to be something of a movable feast. Later it would be portrayed as an island nation with a vaguely Polynesian culture (although I think that portrayal may be post-Crisis).
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zilch
Full Member
Posts: 244
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Post by zilch on Sept 10, 2015 18:24:05 GMT -5
The location of Bahdnisia seems to be something of a movable feast. Later it would be portrayed as an island nation with a vaguely Polynesian culture (although I think that portrayal may be post-Crisis). And Kupperberg's Atlas of the DC Universe put them in the Himalayas i think... |
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 10, 2015 23:04:23 GMT -5
The location of Bahdnisia seems to be something of a movable feast. Later it would be portrayed as an island nation with a vaguely Polynesian culture (although I think that portrayal may be post-Crisis). That was in the Strzewski/Parobek JSA series, which completely rewrote Johnny T's origin and is likely considered non-canonical. Cei-U! I summon myself! |
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 11, 2015 7:38:39 GMT -5
Justice League of America #185
December 1980 (September 11, 1980) $.50
Cover Art: Jim Starlin (Penciller), Bob Smith (Inker), signed
“Crisis On Apokolips” or “Darkseid Rising!” 17 pages
Len Wein (Editor), Gerry Conway (Writer); George Perez (Penciller), Frank McLaughlin (Inker); Todd Klein (Letterer), Gene D'Angelo (Colorist)
FC: Batman, Firestorm, Green Lantern, Superman, teamed as the Justice League of America
GS: Doctor Fate, The Huntress, Power Girl, Wonder Woman, teamed as the Justice Society of America
GS: Big Barda, Bug, Highfather, Lightray, Lonar, Metron, Mister Miracle, Oberon, Orion, teamed as the New Gods
SC: Crimson, Petal, Playto and other unnamed members of the Apokolips Underground Fighters
Villains: Darkseid, Granny Goodness, Para-demons
Villains: The Fiddler, The Icicle, The Shade, teamed as the Injustice Society of the World
Synopsis
As Batman, Mister Miracle and the Huntress watch from hiding, the resurrected Darkseid congratulates the Injustice Society on successfully carrying out the Lord of Apokolips' plans. The trio of Earth-Two villains presents him with a block of ice containing the forms of Firestorm, Power Girl and Darkseid's son, Orion. Bad idea. Proclaiming that “you have dishonored me” by defeating and imprisoning Orion, Darkseid fells the bad guys with a blast of his “omega effect.” He orders the Injustice Society held in Chamber 13, the most inescapable cell in his inescapable dungeon. Alone again, the evil god contemplates the “cosmic glory” that will be his when, in one short hour, Apokolips is transported into the Earth-Two dimension.
Izaya the Highfather fills his rescuers — Doctor Fate, Green Lantern and Oberon — in on Darkseid's genocidal plans for the Justice Society's homeworld. Before they can follow Izaya's suggestion that they destroy the Recreation Machine that brought the stone-faced tyrant back to life, the quartet of heroes are attacked by a squad of para-demons, the subhuman shock troops of Apokolips. Though Highfather lends his own power to Fate's and the Lantern's, he has been weakened by his imprisonment and collapses from the strain.
The children of the Apokolips Underground lead Superman and Wonder Woman to Granny Goodness' private tower, where they hope to wrest news of Darkseid's plan from the cruel matron. Granny attempts to escape from the super-heroes through a secret passage but is caught by Big Barda.
Batman and his companions free Orion, Power Girl and Firestorm from the ice. While the released heroes seek out Darkseid, the others make their way to Chamber 13, intent on breaking the Earth-Two villains out and forcing the Fiddler to end the trance holding the populace of New Genesis in thrall. Formidable though the cell might be, it cannot stand up to the combined efforts of the two best escape artists of Earth-One.
At the site of the Recreation Machine, Metron watches Highfather and the others being slowly overwhelmed by wave after wave of para-demons and decides to take action. He rockets away without seeing the newly-freed New Gods — released by the Fiddler and accompanied by Batman, Huntress and Mister Miracle — come storming to the rescue, laying waste to the para-demon hordes.
Back at the palace, Orion engages his father in battle but can't prevent Darkseid from activating the Recreation Machine, which will transport Apokolips to the Earth-Two universe. Unfortunately for the evil god, Metron has used his Mobius Chair to reprogram the machine. Its eerie energies strike Darkseid full force, dissipating his atoms across the cosmos.
With the battle over, the gods of New Genesis vow to rebuild Apokolips in their own image.
Cosmology
Highfather notes in this issue that Darkseid's belief that the Earth-Two dimension is “uninhabited by new gods or old” is a delusion because “wherever there are men, there are gods.” This answers the question raised by the Points to Ponder note for Justice League of America #184.
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 12, 2015 6:58:20 GMT -5
Wonder Woman #274
December 1980 (September 11, 1980) $.50
Cover Art: Ross Andru (Penciller), Dick Giordano (Inker)
“The Speaker in the Shadows!” 8 pages
Len Wein (Editor), Paul Levitz (Writer); Joe Staton (Penciller), Steve Mitchell (Inker); Jon Costanza (Letterer), Adrienne Roy (Colorist)
FC: The Huntress
GS: Power Girl
SC: Carole Martin, Harry Sims
Villain: The Thinker
Intro: Joe Martin (name and face not revealed in this issue)
Synopsis
An infuriated Power Girl confronts Gotham City district attorney Harry Sims over his decision to clamp down on the city's super-heroes. The Huntress arrives and persuades her teammate to stand down for the time being. After they leave, Harry realizes that Huntress is really his good friend Helena Wayne.
Helena and PG, as Karen Starr, are having lunch a short time later when they overhear a news report announcing Sims' abrupt and unexplained about-face on the issue of super-hero regulation. They return to the offices of Cranston, Grayson and Wayne just as Carole Martin departs to make a payment to her mysterious blackmailer.
Harry Sims, meanwhile, confronts the mastermind behind the anti-hero movement. It is the Thinker, who threatens to kill the hapless DA if the villain's plans are compromised by his betrayal. Even as they speak, the Thinker's men strike all over the city. Although Huntress and Power Girl prevent the theft of valuable printing plates from a local engraving plant, not even they can hope to contain the massive crime wave set in motion by the Thinker.
Fashion Watch
Power Girl wears the costume last seen in the “Justice Society of America” story in All-Star Comics #58.
The Thinker wears the costume and more elaborate Thinking Cap last seen in The Atom #29.
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 13, 2015 7:54:41 GMT -5
DC Comics Presents #29
January 1981 (October 9, 1980) $.50
Cover Art: Jim Starlin, signed
“Where No Superman Has Gone Before” 17 pages
Julius Schwartz (Editor), Len Wein (Writer); Jim Starlin (Penciller), Romeo Tanghal (Inker); John Costanza (Letterer), Jerry Serpe (Colorist)
FC: Superman [of Earth-One] and The Spectre
GS: Supergirl
SC: The Voice
Synopsis
In the void of interstellar space, Earth-One's Superman searches for Supergirl, missing since she helped her cousin destroy Warworld — the planet-sized weapons platform with which the alien tyrant named Mongul had threatened the galaxy — in the previous issue. Deducing that the Maid of Steel must have lost consciousness in the subsequent cataclysm and calculating the trajectory of her flight path, he sets out in pursuit. Faster and faster Superman flies, achieving speeds even he has never attained before, until he has broken through all the barriers of space and time save one. Bursting “the very bonds of infinity,” the Man of Tomorrow at last sights Supergirl. Just as he is about to reach her, Superman finds his path barred by the Spectre.
His collision with the Ghostly Guardian stuns Superman. With his amazing velocity stopped dead, he is returned to the physical universe where Spectre tries to explain that “you were traveling too fast-- too far-- toward realms no mortal eye may be permitted to behold…” The infuriated Action Ace is in no mood to be reasoned with. Despite Spectre's warning, he prepares to resume the chase, even if he has to go through his fellow hero to do it. Though vastly outpowered by the Spirit Sleuth, Superman attacks again and again until at last the Spectre declares that “in so many ways, you are little more than a child” and proposes to take the Man of Steel on “a journey of revelation!”
Spectre reminds Superman of the limits of his super-powers by recreating the destruction of Krypton and the death of Pa Kent. Though he protests that he is already aware of those limits, Spectre tells him that “there are so many infinite forces at work in the universe-- --so many things that will forever remain beyond your control, until you learn to control-- --him!!” Attacked by his own dark side — which the Spectre describes as “pure, unadulterated power … without conscience or remorse” — Superman achieves victory only by realizing that “I've been thinking with my heart instead of my head!” Spectre explains to the now-receptive Man of Tomorrow that the final barrier he sought to pierce was “that golden veil beyond which no living man may trespass!” Stunned by this disclosure, Superman asks the Discarnate Detective's help to save Supergirl. “All you ever truly [needed] to do [was] simply ask,” replies the Spectre. The next instant, Supergirl is returned to her kinsman's arms and the Kryptonian cousins prepare to return home.
The Good Guys
This is the first story in which the Spectre acts on the direct orders of “The Voice.”
“Whatever Happened to Doctor Mid-Nite?” 8 pages
Julius Schwartz (Editor), Bob Rozakis (Writer); Alex Saviuk (Penciller), Joe Giella (Inker); Shelly Leferman (Letterer), Jerry Serpe (Colorist)
FC: Doctor Mid-Nite
Synopsis
Concerned that his infra-red goggles no longer allow him to see in ordinary light, Dr. Mid-Nite contacts his old friend, opthamologist Gordon Ogilvy. Dr. Ogilvy has been developing special lenses to correct certain kinds of blindness but one of his test subjects, a young man named Tim, has run out of patience. He kills Ogilvy and steals the experimental glasses. Learning from the police that Gordon was slain by a blow to the head from “a club or bat,” Mid-Nite deduces that the weapon was a blind man's cane. Haunting the underworld's favorite watering holes disguised as a blind beggar, the two-fisted medico overhears talk of a $1,000 bet with “Timmy” that he can successfully steal “Potter's statue.” He follows this lead to the mansion of Senator B. J. Potter, a well-known art collector. Though his impaired sight makes matters difficult, he is able to catch Tim in the act and capture him. Two days later, at Gordon Ogilvy's funeral, Charles McNider speculates that he may be able to adopt the principles of his late friend's invention to restore his infra-red vision and “enable Dr. Mid-Nite to continue his fight for justice!”
Cosmology
Once again, the city out of which Dr. Mid-Nite operates is not identified. His appearances in the Bronze Age “Justice Society of America” stories in All-Star Comics imply that he lives in Gotham City but this cannot be confirmed.
Fashion Watch
Beginning with this issue, Dr. Mid-Nite's gloves are colored the same brown as his boots instead of their customary grey.
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Sept 13, 2015 14:29:22 GMT -5
That was a freaking great comic! (I generally like Jim Starlin's DC work from that time period slightly more than his stuff for Marvel.)
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