The CCF Guide to Earth-Two, Part Deux
May 24, 2015 7:36:58 GMT -5
Action Ace, wickedmountain, and 2 more like this
Post by Cei-U! on May 24, 2015 7:36:58 GMT -5
DC Special #29
August-September 1977 (May 9, 1977) $.60
Cover Art: Neal Adams, signed
“The Untold Origin of the Justice Society” 34 pages
Joe Orlando (Editor), Paul Levitz (Writer), Joe Staton (Penciller), Bob Layton (Inker), Bill Morse (Letterer), Anthony Tollin (Colorist)
FC: The Atom, Batman, Doctor Fate, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hourman, The Sandman, The Spectre, Superman, teamed as the Justice Society of America
SA: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Villains: Adolf Hitler, Helmut Streicher
Reintro: Commissioner James W. Gordon
Reintro: The Valkyries (all unnamed)
Intro: The Murder Machine
Intro: Smythe (first name unknown)
Synopsis
At a top secret meeting between Franklin D. Roosevelt and a representative of “Intrepid,” the Chief of British Security Coordination, the President learns of Nazi Germany's impending invasion of England, an invasion the beleaguered Brits cannot hope to resist without help. Bound for the time being by his campaign promise to keep America out of the war in Europe, FDR instead proposes to send the nation's costumed heroes to England’s aid.
A week later, Batman is summoned to Gotham City Police Commissioner Gordon's office, where he is introduced to the Flash and Green Lantern. The heroic trio also meet Intrepid's man Smythe, who fills them in on the situation. The mystery men agree to help and soon find themselves en route to Glasgow, Scotland. Their assault on McMurdie Castle, headquarters of the German fifth column, terrorizes the Nazis at first but their commander, inventive genius Helmut Streicher, is not so easily intimidated. He sends his “Murder Machine,” a robot, against the three heroes. Taken by surprise, they crumble in defeat.
Back in America, Doctor Fate witnesses this defeat in his crystal ball. Determined to save his fellow mystery men's lives, he grabs the first super-hero he can find, Hourman, to aid him. They fly east.
Sometime later in Berlin, Adolf Hitler orchestrates one of his infamous Nazi party rallies, focused this time on the unmasking and execution of Batman, Flash and GL. His immediate plans are frustrated when Fate and Hourman appear and free the others. But Der Führer is not without his own mystic resources. Calling on the power of the Spear of Destiny ― the weapon once used to pierce the side of Jesus Christ ― Hitler summons the Valkyries, “the swordmaidens of the Germanic war god, Wotan… women warriors on winged horses…” Convinced this is a propitious omen for his plan's success, Hitler orders the invasion of England to begin. The “mightiest fleet in naval history” leaves the shores of occupied France bound for the white cliffs of Dover.
Fearing that he and the others cannot hope to fend off`the Valkyries for long, Doctor Fate sends four mystic tendrils back to America to fetch more help. The Sandman, the Atom and Hawkman find themselves snatched away from their own cases and speeding towards Britain. Even with their powers and abilities added to the British military, it looks bad for ‘good old Blighty’ until the Spectre, the fourth hero summoned by Fate, materializes above the English Channel.
In Berlin, Fate and the others are actually beginning to win. Determined to avenge himself on the heroes, Hitler orders an experimental long-range bomber to attack Washington, D.C. As the plane takes off, the Valkyries form an honor guard around it.
The Spectre, meanwhile, has used his awesome powers to destroy the German invasion fleet. The human heroes are a bit skittish around the Ghostly Guardian despite his amiable reassurances. Before more can be said, Doctor Fate and company arrive. For a few minutes the danger is forgotten, as nine legends make each others' acquiantance… until the appearance of the Valkyries and the bomber in the skies above remind them. The heroes battle the warrior women across the whole breadth of the Atlantic, neither side gaining the advantage. Nothing they do can prevent Hitler from achieving his pyrhhic victory, it seems, until the bomber is smashed to smithereens by the newly-arrived Superman.
The threat to Washington may be averted but the threat to the super-heroes remains all too imminent. When Green Lantern is knocked out of the fight, the heroes who’d been kept airborne by his power ring crash to earth. The Atom regains consciousness in time to see one of the Valkyrie sneak into the White House. When the goddess sends a bolt of lethal energy at a helpless FDR, the Mighty Mite hurls himself into its path. Superman seizes the Valkyrie a moment later only to have her vanish out of his grasp, forcibly returned to Valhalla along with her sisters by their defeat.
FDR gratefully tells the ten heroes (including a battered but living Atom), “Here you stand, the greatest heroes our nation has ever known-- it’s a shame you can’t stay together…” They agree that joining forces isn’t such a bad idea, especially after the Spectre tells them he foresees a great need for such an alliance. It is Superman who gives the nascent team the name under which it will make history: the Justice Society of America.
Cosmology
Like the Greco-Roman and Egyptian pantheons, the gods and other characters of Teutonic and Norse mythology are real in the Earth-Two dimension.
Continuity
This is the first telling of the origin of the Justice Society of America. It takes place in late 1940, not long after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s third election to the Presidency and before the events of All-Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940-41), the team’s first appearance. Although the text feature in this issue explicitly states that it occurs in December, the story itself does not.
This is the first appearance of the Spear of Destiny in Earth-Two continuity.
The British intelligence agent identified only as “Digby” in this issue may be Digby Palmer, the spy whose murder three and a half years later involves Batman, Sgt. Rock and Easy Company in the events depicted in the flashback sequence of The Brave and the Bold #84 but this cannot be confirmed.
Meeting Minutes
Although several of the founding JSA members have clearly not met prior to this story, it cannot be definitively said that none of them have.
Batman and Superman assume honorary status sometime between this story and All-Star Comics #3.
The text feature in this issue states that Mister Terrific did not become an official JSA member until Justice League of America #37 in 1965, contradicting the story in Wonder Woman #231-32 which shows Terrific as a part of the team as early as 1943. Despite the character’s billing as ‘guest star’ in All-Star Comics #24 (Spring 1945), his appearance on a Junior Justice Society membership certificate issued that same year suggests that DC (or AA, given the period) considered Mr. T a member at some point. Thus, it is the position of this guide that Mister Terrific was a full member of the JSA in its Golden Age incarnation.
The Good Guys
Doctor Fate calls Hourman by his civilian name at their first meeting in this issue. Since Hourman does not recognize Fate, the implication is that the Wonder Wizard used magic to learn this information. It is possible that he knows the true identities of all the JSA founders but the story offers no evidence to support such a conclusion. At any rate, the eight active JSAers know each other's true names by the time they meet for dinner in All-Star Comics #3.
The Sandman uses sand to put his opponents to sleep instead of his gas gun throughout this issue. He is also shown leaving a copy of the “There is no land…” poem at the scene of his exploits, something the character did not do in the Golden Age until he entered the purple-and-gold-tights phase of his crimefighting career.
Because Commissioner Gordon appeared in “Batman” stories throughout the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s, there is no point at which it can be authoritatively said that the character segues from his Golden Age incarnation to his Silver Age persona. It is therefore impossible to pinpoint the exact title and issue number of the Earth-Two version's last appearance.
The Bad Guys
The Valkyries last appeared in Wonder Woman #23 (May-June 1947).
Nazi scientist Helmut Streicher will battle the Wonder Women of Earths-One and –Two as the Red Panzer in Wonder Woman #228-29, approximately three years after the events of this story.
Although it is still intact at the end of this story, Streicher's Murder Machine robot is never seen again (aside from flashbacks to these events).
Fashion Watch
Green Lantern is depicted wearing the skin-tight shirt with stylized lantern insignia he wears in the Silver Age rather than the looser blouse with more detailed insignia he was wearing in 1940.
Green Lantern wears the chevron-striped boots he wore later in the Golden Age rather than the cross-laced boots he was wearing in 1940.
Hawkman is depicted wearing a later version of his helmet than he was wearing in 1940.
Hourman is depicted wearing a never-before-seen variation of his costume rather than the version he was wearing in 1940. The belt on this costume bears a winged circle enclosing a capital H and the boots are like those he wore in Justice League of America #123-24.
August-September 1977 (May 9, 1977) $.60
Cover Art: Neal Adams, signed
“The Untold Origin of the Justice Society” 34 pages
Joe Orlando (Editor), Paul Levitz (Writer), Joe Staton (Penciller), Bob Layton (Inker), Bill Morse (Letterer), Anthony Tollin (Colorist)
FC: The Atom, Batman, Doctor Fate, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hourman, The Sandman, The Spectre, Superman, teamed as the Justice Society of America
SA: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Villains: Adolf Hitler, Helmut Streicher
Reintro: Commissioner James W. Gordon
Reintro: The Valkyries (all unnamed)
Intro: The Murder Machine
Intro: Smythe (first name unknown)
Synopsis
At a top secret meeting between Franklin D. Roosevelt and a representative of “Intrepid,” the Chief of British Security Coordination, the President learns of Nazi Germany's impending invasion of England, an invasion the beleaguered Brits cannot hope to resist without help. Bound for the time being by his campaign promise to keep America out of the war in Europe, FDR instead proposes to send the nation's costumed heroes to England’s aid.
A week later, Batman is summoned to Gotham City Police Commissioner Gordon's office, where he is introduced to the Flash and Green Lantern. The heroic trio also meet Intrepid's man Smythe, who fills them in on the situation. The mystery men agree to help and soon find themselves en route to Glasgow, Scotland. Their assault on McMurdie Castle, headquarters of the German fifth column, terrorizes the Nazis at first but their commander, inventive genius Helmut Streicher, is not so easily intimidated. He sends his “Murder Machine,” a robot, against the three heroes. Taken by surprise, they crumble in defeat.
Back in America, Doctor Fate witnesses this defeat in his crystal ball. Determined to save his fellow mystery men's lives, he grabs the first super-hero he can find, Hourman, to aid him. They fly east.
Sometime later in Berlin, Adolf Hitler orchestrates one of his infamous Nazi party rallies, focused this time on the unmasking and execution of Batman, Flash and GL. His immediate plans are frustrated when Fate and Hourman appear and free the others. But Der Führer is not without his own mystic resources. Calling on the power of the Spear of Destiny ― the weapon once used to pierce the side of Jesus Christ ― Hitler summons the Valkyries, “the swordmaidens of the Germanic war god, Wotan… women warriors on winged horses…” Convinced this is a propitious omen for his plan's success, Hitler orders the invasion of England to begin. The “mightiest fleet in naval history” leaves the shores of occupied France bound for the white cliffs of Dover.
Fearing that he and the others cannot hope to fend off`the Valkyries for long, Doctor Fate sends four mystic tendrils back to America to fetch more help. The Sandman, the Atom and Hawkman find themselves snatched away from their own cases and speeding towards Britain. Even with their powers and abilities added to the British military, it looks bad for ‘good old Blighty’ until the Spectre, the fourth hero summoned by Fate, materializes above the English Channel.
In Berlin, Fate and the others are actually beginning to win. Determined to avenge himself on the heroes, Hitler orders an experimental long-range bomber to attack Washington, D.C. As the plane takes off, the Valkyries form an honor guard around it.
The Spectre, meanwhile, has used his awesome powers to destroy the German invasion fleet. The human heroes are a bit skittish around the Ghostly Guardian despite his amiable reassurances. Before more can be said, Doctor Fate and company arrive. For a few minutes the danger is forgotten, as nine legends make each others' acquiantance… until the appearance of the Valkyries and the bomber in the skies above remind them. The heroes battle the warrior women across the whole breadth of the Atlantic, neither side gaining the advantage. Nothing they do can prevent Hitler from achieving his pyrhhic victory, it seems, until the bomber is smashed to smithereens by the newly-arrived Superman.
The threat to Washington may be averted but the threat to the super-heroes remains all too imminent. When Green Lantern is knocked out of the fight, the heroes who’d been kept airborne by his power ring crash to earth. The Atom regains consciousness in time to see one of the Valkyrie sneak into the White House. When the goddess sends a bolt of lethal energy at a helpless FDR, the Mighty Mite hurls himself into its path. Superman seizes the Valkyrie a moment later only to have her vanish out of his grasp, forcibly returned to Valhalla along with her sisters by their defeat.
FDR gratefully tells the ten heroes (including a battered but living Atom), “Here you stand, the greatest heroes our nation has ever known-- it’s a shame you can’t stay together…” They agree that joining forces isn’t such a bad idea, especially after the Spectre tells them he foresees a great need for such an alliance. It is Superman who gives the nascent team the name under which it will make history: the Justice Society of America.
Cosmology
Like the Greco-Roman and Egyptian pantheons, the gods and other characters of Teutonic and Norse mythology are real in the Earth-Two dimension.
Continuity
This is the first telling of the origin of the Justice Society of America. It takes place in late 1940, not long after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s third election to the Presidency and before the events of All-Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940-41), the team’s first appearance. Although the text feature in this issue explicitly states that it occurs in December, the story itself does not.
This is the first appearance of the Spear of Destiny in Earth-Two continuity.
The British intelligence agent identified only as “Digby” in this issue may be Digby Palmer, the spy whose murder three and a half years later involves Batman, Sgt. Rock and Easy Company in the events depicted in the flashback sequence of The Brave and the Bold #84 but this cannot be confirmed.
Meeting Minutes
Although several of the founding JSA members have clearly not met prior to this story, it cannot be definitively said that none of them have.
Batman and Superman assume honorary status sometime between this story and All-Star Comics #3.
The text feature in this issue states that Mister Terrific did not become an official JSA member until Justice League of America #37 in 1965, contradicting the story in Wonder Woman #231-32 which shows Terrific as a part of the team as early as 1943. Despite the character’s billing as ‘guest star’ in All-Star Comics #24 (Spring 1945), his appearance on a Junior Justice Society membership certificate issued that same year suggests that DC (or AA, given the period) considered Mr. T a member at some point. Thus, it is the position of this guide that Mister Terrific was a full member of the JSA in its Golden Age incarnation.
The Good Guys
Doctor Fate calls Hourman by his civilian name at their first meeting in this issue. Since Hourman does not recognize Fate, the implication is that the Wonder Wizard used magic to learn this information. It is possible that he knows the true identities of all the JSA founders but the story offers no evidence to support such a conclusion. At any rate, the eight active JSAers know each other's true names by the time they meet for dinner in All-Star Comics #3.
The Sandman uses sand to put his opponents to sleep instead of his gas gun throughout this issue. He is also shown leaving a copy of the “There is no land…” poem at the scene of his exploits, something the character did not do in the Golden Age until he entered the purple-and-gold-tights phase of his crimefighting career.
Because Commissioner Gordon appeared in “Batman” stories throughout the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s, there is no point at which it can be authoritatively said that the character segues from his Golden Age incarnation to his Silver Age persona. It is therefore impossible to pinpoint the exact title and issue number of the Earth-Two version's last appearance.
The Bad Guys
The Valkyries last appeared in Wonder Woman #23 (May-June 1947).
Nazi scientist Helmut Streicher will battle the Wonder Women of Earths-One and –Two as the Red Panzer in Wonder Woman #228-29, approximately three years after the events of this story.
Although it is still intact at the end of this story, Streicher's Murder Machine robot is never seen again (aside from flashbacks to these events).
Fashion Watch
Green Lantern is depicted wearing the skin-tight shirt with stylized lantern insignia he wears in the Silver Age rather than the looser blouse with more detailed insignia he was wearing in 1940.
Green Lantern wears the chevron-striped boots he wore later in the Golden Age rather than the cross-laced boots he was wearing in 1940.
Hawkman is depicted wearing a later version of his helmet than he was wearing in 1940.
Hourman is depicted wearing a never-before-seen variation of his costume rather than the version he was wearing in 1940. The belt on this costume bears a winged circle enclosing a capital H and the boots are like those he wore in Justice League of America #123-24.
