Post by Cei-U! on Aug 23, 2015 8:31:29 GMT -5
Adventure Comics #466
November-December 1979 (August 20, 1979) $1.00
Cover Art: Jim Aparo, signed
“The Defeat of the Justice Society!” 17 pages
Ross Andru (Editor), Paul Levitz (Writer); Joe Staton (Art); Ben Oda (Letterer), Adrienne Roy (Colorist)
FC: The Atom, The Black Canary, Doctor Fate, Dr. Mid-Nite, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hourman, The Huntress, Power Girl, Robin, The Sandman, Starman, The Star-Spangled Kid, Superman, Wildcat, Wonder Woman, teamed as the Justice Society of America
SA: Senator Joseph P. McCarthy (?, see below), seen only in flashback
Intro: The Combined Congressional Un-American Activities Committee, seen only in flashback
Intro: Eliminations Inc., a Communist-sponsored assassination service, seen only in flashback
Synopsis
Returning to JSA headquarters after Mr. Terrific's funeral, the Huntress makes monitor duty pass more quickly by telling Power Girl the story behind the team's disbanding in 1951.
Shortly before the Justice Society's battle with the Key in All-Star Comics #57 (February-March 1951), a suave gentleman representing an organization of assassins calling themselves Eliminations, Inc, approaches a cartel of organized crime heads with an offer they can’t refuse: in exchange for a percentage of the cartel's profits, his people will kill the JSA.
Some time later, the team is confronted by a strange spherical flying television. The agent of Eliminations, Inc appears on its screen and explains that he represents a group of wealthy private citizens seeking to reward the JSA for their heroic deeds. Their “most unusual gift” is a new JSA headquarters, a huge satellite in geosynchronous orbit, not unlike the one the Justice League of Earth-One will construct nineteen years later, staffed by robots. Following their new benefactor trustingly into the satellite — “Who would be stupid enough to … take us all on in a fight?” asks Hawkman — the septet of super-heroes quickly find themselves locked in, under assault by the robot crew and hurtling into deep space.
But as so many opponents have before him, the assassin underestimates the Justice Society's resourcefulness. They escape the trap and trail the overconfident killer back to the cartel's headquarters. The assembled mobsters are no match for seven pissed-off super-heroes. But when they turn the crooks over to the authorities, they receive in return a subpoena to appear before the Combined Congressional Un-American Activities Committee. It is the JSA's turn to be caught up in the anti-Communist fervor of the day.
At the hearing, their testimony against the man from Eliminations, Inc — now revealed as a Communist agent — is discredited because they claim he used “futuristic technology” in his attempt on their lives and “no nation has technology superior to ours!” With their patriotism thus called into question, one of the senators demands the Justice Society members prove their loyalty by unmasking and revealing their civilian identities. Angrily proclaiming that “our faces-- our names-- our lives, are our business,” the heroes vanish with the promise that “you won’t be hearing from us again!” — a promise they will keep for over a decade.
The story concluded, the young heroines contemplate the irony of the JSA suffering its greatest defeat not at the hands of a super-villain but at those of “a madman who got himself a little power, and [used] it to crush people!”
Behind the Scenes
This is the final episode of the first Bronze Age “Justice Society of America” series.
The Combined Congressional Un-American Activities Committee, though modeled after both the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) and the various investigatory bodies chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy, had no real world equivalent.
Continuity
Although this story begins with the funeral of Mr. Terrific, it is not clear how much time has elapsed since the events of Justice League of America #172.
No explanation is given for how the Flash got free of the Spirit King's possession or for how (or even if) the JSA captured him. Indeed, save for a passing reference to the unsolved case in America Vs. the Justice Society #3, the outcome of the Mr. Terrific murder case is never revealed during the remainder of the Bronze Age. Writer John Ostrander and artist Tom Mandrake would finally resolve the story in The Spectre (third series) #54 (June 1997) but that fine comic, alas, conforms to post-Crisis continuity and thus falls outside the scope of this guide.
Meeting Minutes
This is the first telling of the story of the Justice Society's last case and subsequent disbanding.
Johnny Thunder is once again not present at a Justice Society funeral. No explanation is offered for his absence. Interestingly, the Earth-One-based Black Canary is present at the funeral as well as in the flashback.
The Good Guys
The Atom's height is given as an even five feet in this story, rather than the usual 5'1".
The Bad Guys
Although the politician who demands the unmasking of the Justice Society is not identified by name in this story, he is drawn to look like Senator Joseph P. McCarthy of Wisconsin, whose very name is synonymous with the Cold War paranoia of the early 1950s and the numerous injustices it spawned.
Fashion Watch
The Flash resumes wearing his buccaneer-style boots in this issue. He is also shown wearing these boots in 1951. He wore his ankle boots in all his Golden Age appearances.
The yellow trim is restored to Hawkman's boots in this issue but the hawk emblem is missing from his harness clasp.
Hourman wears a variation of his costume in which all the elements normally colored red are colored yellow. The cape has no trim.
Power Girl no longer wears the choker introduced in the previous issue.
November-December 1979 (August 20, 1979) $1.00
Cover Art: Jim Aparo, signed
“The Defeat of the Justice Society!” 17 pages
Ross Andru (Editor), Paul Levitz (Writer); Joe Staton (Art); Ben Oda (Letterer), Adrienne Roy (Colorist)
FC: The Atom, The Black Canary, Doctor Fate, Dr. Mid-Nite, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hourman, The Huntress, Power Girl, Robin, The Sandman, Starman, The Star-Spangled Kid, Superman, Wildcat, Wonder Woman, teamed as the Justice Society of America
SA: Senator Joseph P. McCarthy (?, see below), seen only in flashback
Intro: The Combined Congressional Un-American Activities Committee, seen only in flashback
Intro: Eliminations Inc., a Communist-sponsored assassination service, seen only in flashback
Synopsis
Returning to JSA headquarters after Mr. Terrific's funeral, the Huntress makes monitor duty pass more quickly by telling Power Girl the story behind the team's disbanding in 1951.
Shortly before the Justice Society's battle with the Key in All-Star Comics #57 (February-March 1951), a suave gentleman representing an organization of assassins calling themselves Eliminations, Inc, approaches a cartel of organized crime heads with an offer they can’t refuse: in exchange for a percentage of the cartel's profits, his people will kill the JSA.
Some time later, the team is confronted by a strange spherical flying television. The agent of Eliminations, Inc appears on its screen and explains that he represents a group of wealthy private citizens seeking to reward the JSA for their heroic deeds. Their “most unusual gift” is a new JSA headquarters, a huge satellite in geosynchronous orbit, not unlike the one the Justice League of Earth-One will construct nineteen years later, staffed by robots. Following their new benefactor trustingly into the satellite — “Who would be stupid enough to … take us all on in a fight?” asks Hawkman — the septet of super-heroes quickly find themselves locked in, under assault by the robot crew and hurtling into deep space.
But as so many opponents have before him, the assassin underestimates the Justice Society's resourcefulness. They escape the trap and trail the overconfident killer back to the cartel's headquarters. The assembled mobsters are no match for seven pissed-off super-heroes. But when they turn the crooks over to the authorities, they receive in return a subpoena to appear before the Combined Congressional Un-American Activities Committee. It is the JSA's turn to be caught up in the anti-Communist fervor of the day.
At the hearing, their testimony against the man from Eliminations, Inc — now revealed as a Communist agent — is discredited because they claim he used “futuristic technology” in his attempt on their lives and “no nation has technology superior to ours!” With their patriotism thus called into question, one of the senators demands the Justice Society members prove their loyalty by unmasking and revealing their civilian identities. Angrily proclaiming that “our faces-- our names-- our lives, are our business,” the heroes vanish with the promise that “you won’t be hearing from us again!” — a promise they will keep for over a decade.
The story concluded, the young heroines contemplate the irony of the JSA suffering its greatest defeat not at the hands of a super-villain but at those of “a madman who got himself a little power, and [used] it to crush people!”
Behind the Scenes
This is the final episode of the first Bronze Age “Justice Society of America” series.
The Combined Congressional Un-American Activities Committee, though modeled after both the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) and the various investigatory bodies chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy, had no real world equivalent.
Continuity
Although this story begins with the funeral of Mr. Terrific, it is not clear how much time has elapsed since the events of Justice League of America #172.
No explanation is given for how the Flash got free of the Spirit King's possession or for how (or even if) the JSA captured him. Indeed, save for a passing reference to the unsolved case in America Vs. the Justice Society #3, the outcome of the Mr. Terrific murder case is never revealed during the remainder of the Bronze Age. Writer John Ostrander and artist Tom Mandrake would finally resolve the story in The Spectre (third series) #54 (June 1997) but that fine comic, alas, conforms to post-Crisis continuity and thus falls outside the scope of this guide.
Meeting Minutes
This is the first telling of the story of the Justice Society's last case and subsequent disbanding.
Johnny Thunder is once again not present at a Justice Society funeral. No explanation is offered for his absence. Interestingly, the Earth-One-based Black Canary is present at the funeral as well as in the flashback.
The Good Guys
The Atom's height is given as an even five feet in this story, rather than the usual 5'1".
The Bad Guys
Although the politician who demands the unmasking of the Justice Society is not identified by name in this story, he is drawn to look like Senator Joseph P. McCarthy of Wisconsin, whose very name is synonymous with the Cold War paranoia of the early 1950s and the numerous injustices it spawned.
Fashion Watch
The Flash resumes wearing his buccaneer-style boots in this issue. He is also shown wearing these boots in 1951. He wore his ankle boots in all his Golden Age appearances.
The yellow trim is restored to Hawkman's boots in this issue but the hawk emblem is missing from his harness clasp.
Hourman wears a variation of his costume in which all the elements normally colored red are colored yellow. The cape has no trim.
Power Girl no longer wears the choker introduced in the previous issue.