Wonder Woman #41 (April, 2010)

Here's a tiny J'Onn cameo from a JLA/JSA meet-up, which Princess Diana recalls as she gets pressed into a fight with Power Girl. By Gail Simone, Chris Batista, & Doug Hazlewood

2023 Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 Silver Age-style homage commission by Kerry Callen

I'm trying to wrap up podcasting business after having spent the holiday weekend driving to and from a convention, so I wasn't sure about the if & when of maintaining my scant return to weekly podcasting. Gathering social media for the podcast, I stumbled upon a tweet that would serve for today, a U.S. holiday devoted to the fallen in battle.

Here is a little-seen DC house ad from 1970. Created by an intern fired after only two months. However, his original concept endured and became an ACTUAL series in 1985. Or, maybe it's merely my latest commission. If so, I should have picked a specific artist and aped his style.

For more, check out Kerry Callen Does Stuff!

JLA: Year One #12 (December, 1998)

The Daily Planet buzzed over Earth's heroes beating back the Appellaxian invaders. Two generations of Green Lanterns & friends saved Metropolis. Black Canary & the Blackhawks had an Iwo Jima moment in DC. Aquaman, the Sea Devils and others were in... um... ocean? Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Shining Knight, and Black Condor fought avians in... air, and Martian Manhunter had to listen to them wonder how the aliens knew all their secret identities. Awkward.

Kalar took out his frustrations on Stonehenge, where a teleporting Vandal Savage used the mindwipe device to take out a group of Appellaxians, and also took offense at the insult to his design. On to St. Louis. In a brilliant moment, the Atom shattered a crystal proxy by enlarging slightly in one of its flaws, but the explosion knocked Ray Palmer out, leaving his tiny form to be caught in the palms of Doll Man. In Paris, Molly Mayne reported on the Global Guardians. In Central City, Canary and Flash reunited, as did Barry Allen and Iris West, so Dinah made clear that she wasn't going to be her mother's daughter in a way that would make for two-timing. Also, Green Arrow showed up to flirt.

Martian Manhunter helped clear Peking, but even with Metamorpho and the Doom Patrol, the Great Wall was lost. Despite some gains, there were just too many aliens being fought by exhausted heroes. Even the mystical likes of Dr. Fate and the Spectre faltered. Vandal Savage offered a poisoned chalice, delivered by a shapeshifted Clayface in his image. The device, now set to kill all the Appellaxians on Earth with the touch of a button. The League debated. Aquaman and Flash leaned yeh, Canary and Lantern nay. Snapper Carr and Martian Manhunter went a third way, filtering the device's ray's through J'Onn's psyche to render it agonizing rather than lethal. The Alien Atlas head warped and mind verged on shattering. Aquaman whispered, "I'm here, J'Onn, my friend. Open your mind to me... Open your mind... to us." The League lent their own psyches to the filtration. The mystics creating a portal to Appellaxia, and those that didn't walk through it were tossed in. Savage wanted the League complicit in an act of vengeance. Canary insisted, "We're not about vengeance... we're about justice!"

Flash noted, "I'll say it again, J'Onn. You never fail to surprise us. That was one incredible risk." J'Onn felt he owed a debt to everyone there for the way he'd compromised them, which Canary assured with a kiss was "--Paid in full. Let it go. We will." Hawkman asserted that the Justice Society was proud to pass the torch, and Superman stated that there could be no greater honor than to serve at their side when needed. Planet headlines announced future victories against Amazo, (an anachronistic) Despero, and Kanjar Ro. Aquaman removed the plague commemorating the Appellaxian casualty of their first missio, and thought the surface dwellers had done a nice job pulling together. There was a very forced moment where Black Canary likened herself to a flower blossoming and a bunch of stuff about hers and Flash secret identities being trains going in different directions, yadda yadda. Green Lantern put forth the notion of expanding the roster, beginning with Green Arrow, to the questioning of Dinah and Barry. They took it to a vote. As it turned out, the identity of the secret financier Simon Carr continued to keep was none other than Oliver Queen. "The Irony is just to wicked."

"Justice for All" was by storytellers Mark Waid / Brian Augustyn / Barry Kitson with inker Michael Bair. This extra-length finale didn't take so long to read or to write up, but I put it off because of all the expected listing of names and locations and this happened and that happened. All the toys got set up in their displays and the good guys won. I appreciated that this series made a point of spotlighting the original Blue Beetle, often overlooked in DC history as one of the earliest published super-heroes (thanks to his originating at another publisher and not moving to DC until after Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas were heading out the door.) Still, fanboy here, so can't quite forget that the Seven Soldiers of Victory should have still been separated and lost in time.

Overall, the story is nice and pleasant, with no small amount of nostalgia both for Silver Age comics and even then-contemporary ones. There are some great bits and classic character moments. The whole premise of a super-alien with total recall keeping filing cabinets full of excruciatingly sensitive data about masked heroes on paper in filing cabinets behind a false wall is about the dopiest I could point to off the top of my head. It worked way better as encrypted files on the Bat-computer in "Tower of Babel." All the Appellaxian stuff goes on for too long, and I wish we'd had more single issue spotlights and attention to period detail. Then again, they tried that with the quasi-sequel Incarnations, and maybe not so much. This is probably my second or third pass reading the material, and my second write-up, so I'm probably done revisiting it unbidden by outside factors. I like it fine, but prefer to skim rather than fully invest as a whole, which is probably why it never got a proper adaptation.

JLA: Year One #11 (November, 1998)

Thanks to Simon Carr, the files kept by J'Onn J'Onzz at the Sanctuary were available to exploit. The Appellaxian invaders struck Earth's metahuman community hard and fast, exploiting their knowledge of secret identities and other vulnerabilities. "First, they took Superman." The Atom, Blue Beetle, the Metal Men, Batman, Hawkman, Johnny Quick, and Dr. Mid-Nite followed in turn. Setting up an internment camp on Blackhawk Island, members of the Squadron, the Freedom Fighters, Seven Soldiers of Victory, and the Justice Society could all be seen as being held captive. As the only files removed from the piles were those belonging to Barry, Dinah, Hal, and Arthur, they were the only heroes spared.

The Justice League were in Metropolis, fighting a tiny portion of the 7,000 or so Appellaxian proxy bodies alerted to the threat Earth posed, intent on wiping us out. Aquaman was randomly shouting orders to the team while discussing with Snapper Carr how Uncle Simon's Appellaxian, Kalar, evaded Martian Manhunter's telepathy by loosening his psychic grip as needed. Simon was barely aware of any changes to his consciousness. Martian Manhunter had only just caught a falling Green Lantern when he soon after took another tumble, thanks to a depleted power battery. After over 24 hours of continuous fighting, the League was broadly tapped out, but not so much that the Alien Atlas couldn't guide the Flash to a locker at Ferris Aircraft housing an invisible power battery. The Emerald Gladiator was soon speaking his oath to recharge midair. Aquaman congratulated the crackerjack teamwork, but also had to acknowledge that Metropolis was lost to the invaders.

In Gotham City, Kalar needlessly obliterated the mind of an Appellaxian fire proxy to take it as his own, surrendering Simon Carr's frail human form. Just as he'd sent the soldier to the plasmgods above, so to had he planned to execute Carr. However, he was spirited away by Vandal Savage, along with the device Kalar had used against his own kind. Meanwhile, things faired just as poorly for the League in Midway City, though Barry scored a kiss from Dinah in a moment of weakness. The Scarlet Speedster had wondered aloud "What... would the JSA have done," but suddenly struck upon his own inspiration.

Via the undervalued "talks to fishes," Aquaman knew where in the Atlantic Ocean the metahumans were being held. Almost as soon as the League arrived back at the sanctuary, they were captured by Appellaxians exploiting their specific vulnerabilities. Soon, the League was on Blackhawk Island, and Green Lantern was warned not to try anything, or his yellow bonds woukd squeeze the life out of him. A demonstration was provided, and Lantern screamed in such pain that it blew a hole through an Appellaxian's chest. "His" power ring had disguised the League as one another, so that Black Canary easily brushed off Lantern's bonds, while Hal Jordan was hardly bothered by a cage of fire, and so on. Soon, Flash had recovered all the heroes' stolen technology, which was being studied by the invaders ahead of their planning to do the same to the metahumans. Suddenly, the prison camp was becoming the staging grounds for the super-human resistance army...

"Stalag Earth" was by storytellers Mark Waid / Brian Augustyn / Barry Kitson with inker Michael Bair. It will never not drive me nuts that DC went decades pretending like everyone from the JLA to Speedy were active before Robin the Boy Wonder just because of stupid "Batman: Year Three." Real time, the Dark Knight flew solo for one year and one month, but editors and dirtbag fandom keep trying to erase one of the greatest characters in all of comics because grimdark. Don't even get me started on Wonder Woman. Anyway, it's always fun to see heroes get took, and leaving them behind fences has a resonance today following Gitmo and refugee detentions that may have been fuzzier to readers in '98 over a half century removed from the Japanese internments of World War II. Seeing these costumed prisoners of war liberate themselves might have had more "oomph" broken up by a cliffhanger, but the resolution was appropriately clever and Silver Agey for a series rooted in nostalgia. Neat to see so many heroes from across DC's history all in one place, centering on their first couple of decades so that we're not suffering any Infinitors or New Bloods or whatever. It's also fun because of how many DC acquisitions are present, published by different companies in the beginning, with few integrating into the DC Universe until the 1970s. It's the sort of thing children of the Greatest Generation could scarcely dream of when they were all publishing contemporaries.

JLA: Year One #7 (July, 1998)

The Gotham City Executive Club could barely tolerate the rest of the Justice League's attire, but J'Onn J'Onzz's mankini was entirely unacceptable. Shapeshifting into what probably seemed like Tony Stark in a tuxedo, but what true fans would catch as a callback to Marco Xavier, the Martian was finally allowed passage. Once inside, Green Lantern led the team in an inquisition of Simon Carr, as it was suddenly untenable to have a mysterious benefactor giving them likely billions of dollars in support with no questions asked. "For all we know, Vandal Savage could be holding the purse strings!" Weirdly gendered phrasing from Black Canary. During this rather unnecessary public spectacle, Maxwell Lord tried to bet Bruce Wayne over who could "nail" Canary first (not-so-oddly gendered phrasing,) but Wayne was all *who are you* and *this is boring* about it. Both Wayne and Lord had no patience for the more prejudiced club members treating the League as riffraff, with Lord expressing a keen interest in turning them into his personal army. Foreshadowing, both intended and unforeseen. Speaking of, the Marco Xavier form was abandoned by page 3 for effect when The Sleuth from Outer Space affirmed that Carr was telling the truth because "I read his mind." I believe J'Onn rightly asserted on the "ride home" that he'd previously disclosed this ability, but the team had a delayed freakout over the implications. "I'm sure J'Onn wouldn't invade our private thoughts... right, J'Onn?"

In her personal time, Dinah Lance hashed out her beef with mom over coffee with friendly Officer Mike. Cut to the various new supporting cast members who've inserted themselves into the League's civilian lives to gather data and build intelligence files. The dossiers were hidden behind a holographic wall, and there was some questioning the ethics of manipulating the team members, assuaged by having "much at stake". Locus saw value in such files digging up "dirt," though their leader was content to simply allow the League to be distracted by other threats as they continued their own agenda unmolested. Genegrafting their minds into superior new bodies would assure their survival in the coming holocaust. Boy, this issue is full of problematic phrasing, as even by the '90s the term "holocaust" was firmly associated specifically with the Nazi campaign of genocide, though as with "ghetto," later association doesn't negate a word's independent origins.

There's a two page spread of the Justice League's unrecorded missions, battling the Invisible Destroyer, Icicle, Gorilla Grodd, and the "phantom doom." Typically, this would be where you'd reference actual stories from the League canon to establish a time frame, but the creators chose to frustrate future wiki contributors with ahistorical matches involving villains individual Leaguers had already beaten on their own. Clark Kent was doing a story on the team for the Daily Planet, and caught sight of them battling one another while mislead by an illusion cast by Xotar the Weapons Master, one of their earliest foes. Superman's heat vision slagged whatever literally futuristic device Xotar was employing, and clear-eyed, the League turned their attention toward their true enemy. Green Lantern embarrassed the team with a ham-fisted error, but clean-up was a snap with the Man of Steel pitching in. Superman smashed a "time-porter," and Xotar was seemingly flung back to his starting point 10,000 years in the future. Still, Lantern was staring daggers at being upstaged, while the rest of the starstruck team gave Superman a tour of their headquarters (with a security system incorporating Martian technology.) At the urging of Aquaman and Canary, the Flash finally offered Superman League membership (seconded by Arthur.) In an abrupt chapter close, Superman turned them down, retroactively stripping Metamorpho and Black Lightning of their privileged status as first refusals.

"The American Way" was by storytellers Mark Waid / Brian Augustyn / Barry Kitson with inker Michael Bair. I enjoy the crisp, dark line that Bair provides, adding just the right touch of edge and mood while still maintaining Kitson's overall genteel Silver Age quality. Sekowsky drew the original stories, but he was an atypical DC artist, with his awkward, rough-hewn figures and stylized, angular backgrounds. This series feels like the Justice League being reclaimed as part of what Jacobs & Jones called DC's 1950s "Frigidaire" house style of clean, clear, antiseptic, conformist commercial art. That may seem like a knock, but after the grotesque excesses and perilous upheaval of the Chromium Age, this was a comfort to aging '90s audiences. The industry had reached its ultimate peak, fractured violently, and plunged to lows that seemed liable to terminally pulp the art form. A pleasant nostalgia piece was entirely called for in 1998, with just enough Image sheen to satisfy the fanboys.

1990s, Aquaman, Black Canary, Flash, Green Lantern, Justice League of America, Justice Society of America, Martian Manhunter, Retcons, Superman, Vandal Savage

JLA: Year One #5 (May, 1998)

Coast Guard Officer Perez was almost caught in the Secret Sanctuary by Snapper Carr while at the meeting table going through files regarding the League and referencing Locus. Hmm. Speaking of, J'Onn J'Onzz called a meeting to discuss his extensive findings about Locus, alternately geneticists and survivalists, but consistently "ruthless to the extreme." Aquaman was glad that at least one of them was still pursuing the case (conveniently omitting his own lack of said pursuit,) but when Flash wondered why J'Onn hadn't shared sooner, "It did not occur to me to do so." Again, one of the most thin-skinned and stand-offish members questions the dynamics of a team despite contributing to its toxicity.

The individual Leaguers continued to struggle with work-life-vigilantism balance, with the recent revelations about her mom's affair prompting Black Canary to pointedly question her teammates' marital status. "I am... Or, rather... I was. My life on Mars was rich with a wife and a daughter. Just before an errant teleportation beam brought me to your world, they were taken from me by a tragic accident. To this day, I sometimes think I hear the song of their laughter in the still night air. I am mistaken." Well, anyway, Canary doesn't want to talk about the JSA anymore. Also, this was a tweak to Manhunter's post-Crisis origin, as he previously still labored under the delusion that the pulp-fueled fantasies of Saul Erdel were his true life on Mars. J'Onzz had embraced this fiction in part to escape the painful reality that his people were wiped out by a plague, not an accident. The then-upcoming Martian Manhunter ongoing series would clarify this while removing all vestiges of the Pre-Crisis/imaginary Mars from the narrative.

Manchester, Alabama was either so rural that they still waited anxiously for the delivery of stacks of newspapers, or this story was intended to be set in the mid-80s (there's a Reagan reference.) We're so old, you guys. A couple of men were discussing "the Green guy" from the Justice League, and when one thought he meant "The Martian," the other clarified that nobody in the general public ever talks about the Manhunter unless he's a suspect. Then a bunch of citizens were shot with that Locus "genegraft ray" cannon that takes chunks off of people and aggregates those chunks into humanoid purple protoplasmic minions. It's like Gardner Fox trying to do body horror, appropriate to the villainy of The Brotherhood (of Evil.) This unsurprisingly attracted the Doom Patrol, a heroic team of "freak" accident survivors, provoking the public's reticence to being saved by such a lot.

The arrival of "matinee idols" the Justice League was more warmly received, and the two teams joined forces against the purple people. However, Manhunter warned "Be careful! My telepathy suggests that many of these creatures are melded to innocent, frightened victims!" It was mostly down to the League to route and contain the monsters, leaving them vulnerable to a blast from the genegraft ray that ripped away their key attributes: Canary's vocal cords, Lantern's ring arm, Flash's legs, Manhunter's eyes, and Aquaman's... um, actually, he hung back with the Doom Patrol. But anyway, The Brain created a new body for himself out of the pieces of Leaguers. The Brain is a super-genius whose brain lives in a motorized jar and leads the Brotherhood. I should have mentioned that sooner.

"A League Divided" was by storytellers Mark Waid / Brian Augustyn / Barry Kitson and still "guest inker" Michael Bair. I'd had a few exposures to the Doom Patrol in the past, but never really "got" them. This issue offered me insight that they were influenced by the early, quarrelsome Fantastic Four, but had likely influenced the X-Men, which went a long way toward seeing the potential appeal of the premise.

1990s, Aquaman, Black Canary, Doom Patrol, Flash, Green Lantern, Justice League of America, Justice Society of America, Martian Manhunter, Retcons,

JLA: Year One #4 (April, 1998)

Even though Snapper Carr had been retconned into being a constant presence within the Secret Sanctuary as resident tech wizard and maintenance man, Green Lantern still manhandled the "handykid" as a suspected intruder, and couldn't be bothered to remember his name. Admittedly, the League had been out all night fighting Starro the Conqueror (with a key assist from the already forgotten Carr,) so they were all likely punchy as they raced off to tend to their day jobs. This left Aquaman indignant, as Locus continued to be a threat, and were less likely to be taking the day off.

Hal Jordan flirted with FAA investigator Lora Denton, but a slip-up inspired by the distraction of the League forced Carol Ferris to ground him. Barry Allen got held up by chatterbox new detective Paris Jackson and was almost too late to prepare dinner for his fiancé Iris West. Here was a second instance of a hero being caught flat-footed by their significant other when asked about their unaccounted-for activities, and I do wonder if artists ever get tired of redrawing the cover to The Brave and the Bold #28. Aquaman went swimming at Ocean World to check on his "imprisoned brothers," and ended up with hysterical guards screaming and pointing guns at him. The angle continued to be Aquaman as "freak" who doesn't understand social norms, but his concern for sea life tracked with his environmentalist streak since the '70s. Officer Perez of the Coast Guard showed up to defuse the situation, and we learned that in off-hours, he'd exposed Aquaman to Planet of the Apes. There's actually several comedic beats like that in this issue that reminded me how funny the writers can be when allowed, and it's also a nice nod to the JLI. There's a moment when one of the Ocean World trainers sincerely took advantage of the Sea King's abilities to check on the marine life's well-being, and lets just say this fictional amusement park got higher marks than real world documentaries would lead one to believe.

I've never been as into Black Canary as I wanted to be, but seeing Dinah Lance dressed for The Matrix with a raven bob certainly helped bridge the distance in that moment. I wasn't well-versed enough in the DCU to fully appreciate Dinah at a birthday party with the retired JSA in 1998, so it hits harder on rereading today. Still weird to have a female character referred to as "Junior," but maybe that was more of a thing with the "Greatest Generation?" Then-recent Starman material had turned a series of '60s team-up stories with Canary into an extra-marital affair, perhaps too on the nose, but still an intriguing development. Seeing the awkwardness between Ted Knight and the widowed former Dinah Drake, especially once deduced by "Dinah Junior" (weeird) was a highlight of the series.

Not going to lie, I did a little fist pump when I saw the sign reading "Middletown Police Headquarters." John Jones helped Diane Meade read her date (Detective Vince Logan) for filth. Meanwhile, Locus had indeed kept busy, securing a Starro tentacle for its regenerative abilities and working with T.O. Morrow & Professor Ivo on promising, under budget projects. They were also plotting mad science to be perpetrated against Blue Beetle as an unwilling "graft donor" captured by the Brotherhood of Evil. They played it coy for most of the issue, but I can all but guarantee you that a stretchy woman and a gorilla in shadow were not cluing me in at this point in my DC fandom.

"While You Were Out..." was by storytellers Mark Waid / Brian Augustyn / Barry Kitson, joined by "guest inker" Michael Bair... for the rest of the maxi-series. I'd noticed the richer, crisper ink line from the second page, and Aquaman's face in the second panel of that page was a dead giveaway. That collaboration would continue for a while, and Bair would rightly (see: Infinity Inc.) help define the look of spin-off/begetter JSA with Stephen Sadowski. I'm a fan of Bair's, and only just realized one of my most treasured pieces has a younger sibling. I'd obviously be curious to know what it went for. Anyway, Bair added that touch of post-modern darkness that compliments the writers' efforts, as the creative team textually and visibly references a Silver Age milieu. It parallels James Robinson's work on their Golden Age progenitors, reflecting a period that was always kinkier, weirder, and more violent than the Justice League's time. Bair lends that little bit of edge, but not so much as to tip it outside of somewhat genteel Boomer nostalgia. Still can't believe how talky and decompressed this series was, but I'm grown, so I can dig it.

1990s, Aquaman, Black Canary, Diane Meade, Flash, Green Lantern, Justice League International, Justice League of America, Justice Society of America, Martian Manhunter, Middletown, Retcons,

JLA: Year One #2 (February, 1998)

Locus made contact with Vandal Savage to seek his help in ending this new age of super-heroes before it could begin, just as a few well-placed senators had done to the Justice Society of America. Savage had already gathered a group of four super-villains to target the new group, consisting of the Thorn, Clayface, Eclipso, and Solomon Grundy. Meanwhile, Manhunter met with Aquaman on the dock to offer him a lift into downtown Gotham City. The Sea King was struggling with learning to read and speak English, to which J'Onn offered, "Learn German first. It's more logical. That's what I did." The meeting was not prearranged, and Aquaman took note of the Manhunter's possessing telepathy that far outstripped his own empathic abilities.

To the relief of Aquaman, he was soon set back on dry land to attend a press conference at the JSA's old headquarters. Not so fast, as Aquaman's soft mumble and ignorance of the surface world ("I'm sure that Sea Devil is a fine man...") plainly irritated the reporters. J'Onn J'Onzz avoided the microphone entirely, with only Black Canary and Green Lantern demonstrating any aptitude in public speaking. While the team was official out and named, lots of questions remained about their jurisdiction, politics, nationalism, and so forth. These deeper questions were set aside upon the thunderous crashing of the affair by Savage's quartet of villainy.

The heroes of the League had never been targeted before, and were thrown by the unprovoked assault, as well as the need to protect the host of imperiled collateral bystanders. Martian Manhunter did one-up Clayface after being threatened that the crook could transform into his worst nightmare. "My. How frightening. Try this one. It's from Mars." Clayface creamed at the sight of a giant alien beast with claws and teeth a third the size of the bad guy. Another unexpected power for the Alien Atlas.

Eventually, the three-quarters of the quartet turned on a rampaging Grundy, allowing the League to regroup and strategize. Manhunter recovered from a temporary blinding from a black diamond eyebeam to emit his own Laser Vision to harden a water-saturated Clayface. However Grundy collapsed the hotel ballroom, and the quartet were teleported away from the scene. Home audiences cheered another victory for the new Justice League of America being reported upon by the likes of Vicki Vale, Lois Lane, and Jack Ryder. Even "bystanders" Ted Grant and Alan Scott signaled their approval, though The Batman had every intention of running them out of his town.

In the aftermath, Vandal Savage tried to quit his association with Locus, though they seemed to perhaps persuade him otherwise. On the scene, when Ryder launched into a heated criticism of the League, the newly arriving Green Arrow sent a shaft through his mic. Seemingly in tow was Simon Carr, representing a wealthy anonymous benefactor offering to bankroll the team. An inventor named Ted Kord had already been retained to facilitate anticipated advanced equipment, vehicles, and facilities...

"Group Dynamic" was by storytellers Mark Waid / Brian Augustyn / Barry Kitson. Since this was arguably the least issue of the maxi-series, I think it's the best place for heavy nitpicking on my part. I realize that this was a new story from the early days of the JLA, unbound by prior continuity, except it isn't. The 1988 Secret Origins story had been edited by Waid, and the maxi-series studiously avoids retelling the actual 1960s League tales while simultaneously referencing them. What's the point of having a walking DC Comics Encyclopedia co-write a project like this without having it steeped in established continuity? The scene with Aquaman learning to read is nice... except Arthur Curry taught him to read (cursive diary entries no less) in The Legend of Aquaman (also edited by Waid.) The villains for the issue include the Matt Hagen Clayface (introduced in December of 1961) and Eclipso (August '63), with cameos by Metamorpho (January '65), The Atom (October '61), The Creeper (April '68), Blue Beetle (November '66), and the New Blackhawks (June '64) in a story that would be contemporaneous to The Brave and the Bold #28 (March 1960). The League are supposedly putting the Sea Devils out to pasture, even though they won't debut for five months? The only non-Golden Age heroic cameo that legitimately predated the League was the Challengers of the Unknown (February '57). Story wise, I get having the most stripped down "action heroes" reacting to the new super-hero team, but nerd-wise, it breaks my brain. Further, there's a new version of the "Justice League of America" naming sequence, already trod in Secret Origins. The Thorn was an exceedingly weird pull, given that she had barely appeared in the Golden Age and Infinity Inc. made a story point of her having disappeared completely following the births of Jade and Obsidian. Likewise, Eclipso had mostly kept to his own strip in House of Secrets until being revived for a Green Lantern subplot in the '80s, so why have him battle Hal Jordan twenty years too early? Grundy and Eclipso are especially dangerous villains, so it was a shame they offered so little a threat. Plus, Green Arrow may have been the first expansion member, but do we really need him around this early? This issue was... fine... but it clearly raised my geek hackles.

JLA: Year One #1 (January, 1998)

In a darkened room, a series of unidentified individuals watched television monitors with reports of freshly emerging super-heroes the Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Manhunter from Mars, and Black Canary. Notes were taken, specifically locations of sightings. The last images were of J'Onn J'Onzz and the combined heroes, for which no notes were written, of the Appellaxian invasion. "...rumors for years of a Manhunter from Mars in Middleton, Colorado... but those rumors are now fact." In a cringey splash page for Martian fans that doubled as a house ad and store poster, all the Leaguers get their trademark epithets ("The Emerald Gladiator",) even ones unfamiliar and perhaps dubious, ("The Blond Bombshell"?) except "The Manhunter from Mars." To paraphrase Henry Jones, "We named the strip Manhunter from Mars." Stuff like that drove me to create this blog, with preferable canon epithets including "The Alien Atlas" and "The Sleuth from Outer Space." Anyway, it's a personal speed bump on the way to the inspirational "They were young... They were new... and still, they forever set the standard for all who would follow. Ten years ago, five powerful heroes came together... for a world that needed one unbeatable team. Just Imagine."

The League wasn't "official" at the end of their first case, leaving the prospective members to mull the decision in their private identities. Central City Police Department forensic scientist Barry Allen was uncharacteristically impatient and testy, as he's introduced to incoming detective Paris Jackson (less than six months before the more famous bearer of that name was born.) In Star City, Dinah Lance unpacked shipments to her floral shop while discussing the team with her mom. The elder Dinah (née Drake) was maybe putting the mother in "smother," especially when she got a new beat cop named Sherman to promise to keep an eye on her nineteen-year-old "little girl." A mild Canary Cry and numerous busted pots later, the junior Dinah was out the door for her meeting. Aquaman tried to make friends in a rough dock bar, but between his soft-speaking, heavy accent, and costume, he nearly ended up in a brawl instead. Things were calmed down by a kindly Coast Guard named Perez. At Ferris Aircraft, Hal Jordan ignored his buddy Tom Kalmaku's pleas to eject from the experimental $30M X-90 jet (or at least wear his power ring during test flights) in order to impress his boss Carol into a dinner date. Successfully landing, his next step seemed to be sweet-talking FAA investigator Lora Denton, but he fumbled.

In Middleton on a rainy night, Detective John Jones sat in a parked car with his partner Diane Meade on stakeout. He asked if she thought of him as a trustworthy team player. "God, John. Warn me when you're gonna speak. I'll alert the media. At least clear your throat or something... You're the most curious detective... You have a spotless record, you always get your man... and no other investigator has yet to find your sense of humor. What more do I need to know right now?" Twitch's tip about drug manufacturing at the back of Angelo's Restaurant panned out when armed dealers showed up to punish his skimming off their operation. Jones expressed his lack of understanding about addiction and violence, which the sassier Meade mocked. Pinned by erupting gunfire, Meade called for back-up while an invisible Jones used laser vision to heat the guns out of their hands. As the only armed man present, the suddenly visible Jones could easily arrest the lot. The press arrived before the reinforcements, with Channel Twelve News' Cal Redmond looking for the scoop on this hero cop. The taciturn Jones bowed out to meet with, perhaps, others like himself?

The quintet of super-heroes had agreed to turn over the two surviving Appellaxian battle drones to the Air Force, specifically General Eiling, but a small army of masked and armed individuals were already at the seaside caves where the team had hidden the alien proxies. A battle ensued, with the reawakened fire giant putting J'Onn J'Onzz out of direct action. Black Canary critiqued the heroes by comparison to her "family" in the Justice Society, but included a Golden Age Flash Fact that helped her and the Scarlet Speedster to bring down the also awakened bird giant. When not undermining the only woman on the team, Green Lantern bailed on yellow bird duty to help Aquaman leave the fire giant all wet in a grotto. Jordan was surprised to learn of the Manhunter's weakness to fire, and tried to walk back a faux pas statement of bring sick of these aliens. "You mean no insult. Go. I will shield the soldiers."

More than that, the Manhunter executed a maneuver that would be adapted to animation in the Justice League TV pilot "Secret Origins." When armed assailants pointed their rifles at him, the Martian disappeared into the ground immaterially, only to arise behind the men and bash their heads together. So much for "The Martian is weak! Quickly! Before the others come to his rescue. --We will reduce him to Martian ash--" Green Lantern noticed, and wondered if his power ring could do that, too? The attackers tried to destroy what they couldn't steal, but were disarmed by the Flash. As a fail-safe, their leader leaped onto the bird giant and had his fellows "triangulate a portmatrix" to teleport them both back to base. General Eiling had ordered his men to stand down for their own protection, and openly admired the super-heroes who'd saved the day (if not the bird giant.)

After the USAF airlifted the fire giant for study, the quintet hesitantly agreed to remain a team to investigate the robbers, by order of Flash, Canary, Lantern, and Aquaman. Only Manhunter offered an unreserved "You... each of you... has treated me as you would one of your own race. You have included me where others might turn away. I am... grateful. I would be honored to join you." Meanwhile, the uniformed members of Locus watched video of this meeting remotely at their base, taking notes on the League's confessions to one another, while their field agents were already in play on the ground to gather intelligence...

"Justice League of America: Year One" was by Mark Waid / Brian Augustyn / Barry Kitson. I grew up on Super Friends, and the first JLofA comic that I remember seeing was 1983's #217 with the George Pérez cover, but it wasn't until the late '80s JLI era that I ever bothered to read any of the things. While I have a fondness for many periods of the property, it wasn't until the 1996 JLA relaunch that the premise finally sung for me, and it was during this period that I truly and eternally became a fan. That half-decade under Morrison and Waid will always be "my" League, and this maxi-series played a big role in that. Since I'd yet to read any but the earliest Detective Comics stories, I had no idea Diane Meade was a preexisting character, and I was still 100% sold on the Post-Crisis Middleton, CO shtick that I'd reject years later.

Justice League: Mortal Leaked Cast Costume Test Photo

Half a decade ago, I pulled together a Martian Manhunter-specific look at what would have been the first JLA movie, featuring 6'2", sixty year old Australian Hugh Keays-Byrne as J'Onn J'Onzz. A couple of years later, when a picture of a latex mask produced for the film was finally released, I did an awkward, halting podcast adaptation of my earlier piece. That photo was part of a wealth of new information offered about the film in anticipation of the production of a documentary on it, George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal. They were even canny enough to create character posters for the doc, including the one seen in the header image above.

Unfortunately, it appears that Warner Brothers did not sign off on allowing any of this material to be used ahead of their actually completing a Justice League flick that wasn't as bad as you heard, but still landed with a thud on screens last year. I haven't heard of any movement on the project for a couple of years now and its official Twitter account went cold in September of 2016.

Don't ask me how toy photographer James Garcia got a very low definition picture of a full cast costume test (possibly here or here?), but such a thing apparently got tweeted out with the condemnation Yeah, can’t say I’m disappointed JUSTICE LEAGUE: MORTAL didn’t happen, then continues later in the thread with "I honestly thought it was from that old failed 1997 Justice League TV show when I first saw it. These look like cheap Halloween costumes". Also, the since-Golden-Globe-winning actor Armie Hammer, who would have played the Dark Knight, noted Not quite.... The bat suit isn’t right and also The Green Lantern was black. (@common was going to nail that role). The consensus of the thread was that the suits were bad, but Martian Manhunter looked the best, and the suits on the Justice League porn parody were better. (Note to self: why haven't you seen the Justice League porno yet?)



For my own taste, with the exceptions of Wonder Woman and Superman, I definitely prefer the looks and character selection of Mortal over the Snyder/Whedon jam. The Alien Atlas is clearly based on his short-lived Brightest Day costume, and is obviously made of rubber muscles in the old school 1990s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Corman Fantastic Four Thing mold that I'm iffy on. It's a very classic look for J'Onn that I'm not confident would have been well received by general audiences, who may have dubbed him a cheapjack Hulk. I'm a defender of the New 52 redesign, which I think would look fantastic and distinctive on the silver screen, and we now have a proof of concept via the television show Supergirl's excellent but too little seen One Year Later rendition. I've never been wild about the comics used as source material for the screenplay (save "Tower of Babel," which is a sequel story, not a launching pad) or the word that it would have played like an excessively violent Injustice: Gods Among Us grimdark interpretation of children's heroes. All that having been said though, I still kinda wish Mortal had come out. I feel it would have been lambasted and underperformed in a manner not dissimilar from the 2017 attempt, but could have taught Warner Brothers lessons that may have provided positive guidance on Man of Steel and averted Dawn of Justice entirely.

All in all, J'Onn J'Onzz making his "cinematic debut" eleven years after the fact in a sketchy behind the scenes photo from an aborted film featuring the entire "true" Justice League of America in an untold proto-formation story is just about the most Martian Manhunter way this could have played out. Mortal is like a real life "The Origin of the Justice League-- Minus One!"

2001 "Bizarro X-Ray Two" by John Kerschbaum

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Bizarro Comics! was a 2001 hardcover anthology which allowed alternative creators to play around with DC characters. It won the 2002 Harvey and Eisner awards in the Best Anthology category, and I'm going to cover it off and on across my blogs on Wednesdays for a
while.

An rather lengthy bridging story tied all of the individual portions into one narrative, including the pin-ups. Mr. Mxyzptlk inadvertently selected Bizarro as his champion in a cosmic game with the 5th Dimension as the prize. However, Bizarro had to be taught how to be a hero and the rules of this specific contest. To insure his lessons were sinking in, Mxyzptlk performed "x-rays" which offered views of what was on Bizarro's mind. "Bizarro X-Ray One" was a splash page of Bizarro World by Gregory Benton. "Bizarro X-Ray Three" saw Gilbert Hernandez presenting a two page spread of the DC Universe as a kid's club. In the middle was John Kerschbaum's Bizarro interpretation of what super-heroes are, and is so rich in detail that I decided on a reasonably large and (appropriately?) imperfect scan for readers to pick through themselves.

Pictured are Hawkman, Robin, The Usurper (Red Tornado,) Batgirl, Starman, Black Lightning, the Huntress, the Creeper, Superman, Mr. Miracle, Wonder Woman, Firestorm, Steel, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Oberon, Dr. Fate, Adam Strange, Phantom Stranger, Big Barda, Green Arrow, Blue Devil, Lightray, Nightshade, the Ray, Batwoman, Metamorpho, Aqualad, Black Canary, Green Lantern, Mr. Terrific, Blue Beetle, Lobo, the Spectre, the Flash, Orion, Peacemaker, Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., Mary Marvel, the Atom, Batman, Booster Gold, the Guardian, and Plastic Man. I think that's everybody, and they're generally in their original incarnations for maximum goofiness. Do note that J'Onn J'Onzz was kind enough to lend Princess Diana his cape to help warm her as they toasted marshmallows over a brain cube. Wai-wah?

ElseWednesday

• DC/WS DreamWar #5 (October, 2008) @ DC Bloodlines
• Bizarro Comics: "Wonder Girl vs. Wonder Tot" (2001) @ Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
• Bizarro Comics: Aquaman in "Silence of the Fishes" (2001) @ Justice League Detroit
• Captain Atom: Armageddon #7 (June, 2006) @ Power of the Atom

DC75: Justice League of Arbor

I talked yesterday about my disappointment in Comics Should Be Good's 75 Most Memorable Moments in DC Comics History, and have decided to do something about it. I'll be offering up alternatives at my various blogs, and encourage others to do the same, so I can link to them at DC Bloodline's Truly Most Memorable Moments of the Dodranscentennial.

While I'm sure there's no shortage of memorable Martian Manhunter solo moments among his fans, I don't see general audiences even being aware of the introduction of Diane Meade, the death of John Jones, the destruction of the Diabolu Idol-Head and so on. For my own part, I'll try to stick to moments that should be familiar to all comic book fans and looked on favorably by most.

For instance, fans haunting the spinner rack in the early '60s would have been safe in assuming the Justice League of America were formed in The Brave and The Bold #28. Superman and Batman were already quite chummy, as were Green Lantern and the Flash. It wouldn't have been a stretch to assume the Manhunter from Mars patrolled the same Gotham City streets as the Caped Crusader, plus everyone knows Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Starro the Conqueror strucks, and it just took the lot of them to bring him down. While battling a giant mind-controlling space starfish might have made for a great first cover image, I don't think there were any particularly winning moments within.

Imagine a kid's surprise at one of the first great retcons of the Silver Age-- as two years later, they learned of the case that really brought the team together. That's pretty memorable on its own, but even with the full knowledge that the team had survived to tell the tale, seeing Earth's greatest heroes turned into helpless trees burned into the consciousness of a generation. In the decades since, the moment has been revisited and recreated, as the individual heroes played to one another's strengths to free themselves from the Appelaxians' trap. I'd say February 1962's Justice League of America #9 stands among DC's finest hours of a great many.

If you want more, check out the DC Bloodline's DC75 Countdown, where LissBirds at Comics Make Me Happy! gets us started with Adam Strange, while Aaron at Continued On 2^nd Page Following offers a really alternative 10 Moments in DC History That You Won’t See On the Top 75...

Black Adam: The Dark Age #6 (March, 2008)

After collecting the last piece of an amulet meant to restore Isis to life, Black Adam waded through yet more black ops troopers, painting the arctic ice red with their blood. While gloating at the massacre, Black Adam was shot by one of the wounded with an "Eternity Bullet," which could penetrate even the flesh of a "god." To evade helicopters and deal with his injury, Black Adam dove into the frigid waters, removed the bullet with his bare hands, fed it to a seal, and escaped the scene. Meanwhile, a cooperative of the Justice Society of America and Justice League of America (featuring Martian Manhunter yet again) could not detect Black Adam, but accepted the arrest of the black operatives as a consolation prize. This final setback caused the operation's financiers to give up their pursuit.

While wandering the streets of Fawcett City, Teth-Adam continued reciting whatever words he encountered in hopes of stumbling upon the magic word denied him by Captain Marvel. Stopping at Frank's Soda Fountain, Teth-Adam ordered what a young patron was having, "one of these... Chocolate Egg Creams." Suddenly, the mystical lightning of ancient Egyptian gods struck Teth-Adam, restoring Black Adam to his full grandeur. "Ah, Billy. Always the boy."

In Salem, Massachusetts, Felix Faust had taken up residence in the tower of Doctor Fate while casting a spell over Isis' remains. All the fine details were worked out, but Isis could not be resurrected. Black Adam was furious, but Faust explained that Isis remained dead because Adam had exhausted the magic within her bones with the abuse of his powers over the course of the mini-series. Black Adam left Faust trapped in the tower, after having been tricked into believing Isis' spirit has possessed Faust in order to condemn Black Adam's failure.

In truth, the bones Faust briefly reanimated were Ralph Dibny's. "It was the least you could do after helping to imprison me here." Faust resurrected Isis' bodily, though she seemed a bit of a mindless drone, and used her power to escape Fate's tower.

Black Adam went to live in the Kahndaq Embassy under Gotham City, so he could moan and slam his face into walls.

By Peter J. Tomasi, Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy.

Black Adam: The Dark Age #4 (January, 2008)

After having been shot in his human form by a black ops team, Adam dreamt he was being dismembered by Dr. Sivana, Captain Marvel, Osiris, and Isis while members of the JLA and JSA (including both the classic and conehead Martian Manhunter) looked on. Afterward, Coneheadhunter offered a smile and a golf clap.

Adam woke up, called down the lightning, and slaughtered his pursuers. Thanks to a spell cast by Felix Faust, Black Adam was able to temporarily siphon the residual magic he'd bestowed upon Isis from her bones, but his human form remained vulnerable. Black Adam forced workers at a veterinary clinic to tend to his wounds, donating their own blood  to mix with his agreeable O+ type to insure he wouldn't someday go after their families.

After Adam departed, the black ops team arrived at the clinic, having tracked the radioactive bullets the vets had dislodged. Black Adam returned to repay his debt to the vets and kill all the operatives, though not before an interrogation. Adam learned the JSA had developed a means to track his lightning via satellite.

A group of investigators including the Martian Manhunter, Superman, Wildcat, Batman and Dr. Mid-Nite showed up at the vet clinic too late, as Black Adam had left for space, and destroyed the JSA satellite.

Coming in so late, I had a difficult time figuring out exactly what was going on. Once I did, I realized it was much ado about nothing. There are quite a few near-silent pages devoted to mood and murder, and this is at heart a drawn out affair to allow Black Adam to "earn" his powers back with the audience. From what I could tell, you could fit this whole story into a one-shot easily, but the art by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy, as well as the coloring of Nathan Eyring, is really nice. Peter J. Tomasi's story is violent but lightweight, which are his trademarks. He's another one of these guys who can nail the sophisticated veneer of the '80s British invasion, but lacks the the intellectualism to offer any real structure underneath.

52 Week Fifty (June, 2007)

Week 50, Day 2: Egypt. Black Adam beat up Captain Marvel Jr., Mary Marvel, and the Big Red Cheese himself after killing millions in Bialya. This was mostly because he's a narcissistic self-justifying psycho creep who barely needed the excuse of his wife and brother-in-law being murdered to go on a rampage.

Week 50, Day 3: Australia. Justice Society of America members discussed Black Adam amidst the damage he'd caused the Sydney Opera House.

Week 50, Day 4: Italy. A battle with the Doom Patrol.

Week 50, Day 5: The JSA tracked Black Adam, whose allies and enemies in various governments clashed across borders.

Week 50, Day 6: China. The Great Ten fought to keep Black Adam out of Beijing.

Week 50, Day 7: A mob of super-heroes gathered at the Great Wall of China, awaiting permission to enter the country. August General-In-Iron finally consented to their aid. Expanding on her role from 52/WW III Part Four: United We Stand #1, Vixen walked, crawled around in the background, and ran away.

At the Rock of Eternity, Captain Marvel revealed to a band of mystics which included Zatanna that the Egyptian Gods had refused his petition to have Black Adam's powers removed.

In China, both versions of Steel with names ending in "Irons" planned to launch a nannite-infested missile at Black Adam, but it was stolen by Booster Gold, who claimed he needed it more. "Besides, it wasn't gonna work anyway. Trust me--"

The new Infinity Inc. created by Lex Luthor chickened out and fled the battle. Black Adam stood atop a mound of fallen heroes, including Donna Troy, Guy Gardner, Steel, Liberty Belle, Green Arrow and more. The female Steel and Martian Manhunter continued to engage, while the JSA rallied for another round.

From the Rock of Eternity, Zatanna contacted the Flash (Jay Garrick) with a plan to finally contain Black Adam. Nat-Steel and Manhunter were brushed aside as Power Girl and Sentinel held Black Adam in an airborne position, while Captain Marvel called down the mystical lightning that grants him power through his gods to strike Black Adam. Zee announced from her magical circle (including the young Zatara, the Phantom Stanger and Madame Xanadu) "The spell is working! If Billy were grounded, he'd be dead...!"

Adam was reverted back to human form, but vanished in the blinding light show that stripped him of his powers. Captain Marvel consoled the still frantic heroes that even if Adam survived the blast, he had managed to change the magic work that would enable the return of Black Adam to something "He will never guess. Never."

Week 50, Day 7: The Rocky Mountains. T.O. Morrow learned from the head of Red Tornado what it had seen in "the Great Beyond," only to be confronted by Booster Gold and Rip Hunter- Time Master.

"World War III" was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka & Mark Waid. It was laid-out by Keith Giffen, pencilled by Justiniano and inked by Walden Wong

52/WW III Part Four: United We Stand #1 (June, 2007)

The Martian Manhunter's quest to understand human nature has forced him to confront his own failings and limitations. Having cast off his human aliases, J'Onn J'Onzz follows Black Adam's path of destruction toward a rendezvous with his own destiny

The heroes of Earth have gathered along the Great Wall of China and stand united to bring Black Adam to justice.

Or, put another way, Martian Manhunter still hasn't gotten his bulbous head around "human nature" after over half a century pretending to be one of us, also known as one of the most annoying cliché devices in popular science fiction. Meanwhile, as if the entire DC Universe of heroes being thrown under the bus on a regular basis to make Superman look good wasn't bad enough, Evil Imitation Superman holds off multiple teams of B-Listers by himself as well.

Week 50, Day 7.

Pretty much everyone was there, including the Justice Society of America, the remaining Teen Titans, the Seven Soldiers, Luthor's Infinity Inc., Green Lantern John Stewart  (looking like he had IBS) carrying Green Arrow (yeah, he'll be a big help,) the old school Outsiders, self-appointed Wonder Woman Donna Troy, Aquagirl, Guy Gardner, Black Canary, Plastic Man, Firestorm, Dr. Light II, both Steels, and most amusingly, Vixen flying in with a flock of birds.

Black Adam was battling the Great Ten on one side of the Great Wall, while the collected Western heroes were forced by the prideful Chinese government to wait on the other side until that battle ran its course. This afforded Martian Manhunter the chance to drone on about how he doesn't understand racism/nationalism/etc., and how humans are the craziest peoples. The Martian Manhunter also provided stock narration, about how the heroes girded themselves for combat, and the Great Ten fought valiantly, and "Within Black Adam, I have seen the darkest beat of humanity's heart. Facing him before, I was... broken... against the crux of his anger. It has taken far too long to put the pieces back together again." True, yet the Martian Manhunter continued to wander amongst his comrades invisibly, casually reading their thoughts, and offering fan service commentary for the more marketable heroes. "None of them want to admit that this might be it. The time they fail. That without Clark, Bruce, and Diana, perhaps Black Adam simply can't be stopped. The void created by their absence is too large to ignore." Can I just say again: Black Adam, who was routinely defeated by Captain Marvel from 1977-1999, and largely forgotten for thirty-two years prior as a one-off foe?

"As I listen to their conversations, their doubts and fears and failures... I begin to once more see myself reflected in the face of their humanity. To live is to doubt, to fear, to fail. Human nature is to stand up and try again. Not just human nature. My place is with them." ...As a fellow jobber-- another jerky C-lister to serve as grist for the mill while the Big Leaguers are away.

Green Arrow was first to acknowledge the materializing Martian. "Don't sneak up on a guy like that, J'Onn. I got enough gray in my scalp already." Black Canary exclaimed, "J'Onn, thank God! No one's heard from you, we've been so worried!" Ollie continued, "Your timing couldn't be better, m'man!" Just then, Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott announced that the Chinese government had decided to request the Western heroes' aid after all. "All lights are green. Let's go to work." In a nigh-splash with a host of heroes in the background, the Alien Atlas concurred, "Yes. Let's." Among those in the background was Vixen, flying in with her flock of birds.

"For the briefest of instants, Black Adam's eyes lock with mine."
"Come, fools. Meet your end."

Even though he was among the most powerful heroes and at the forefront of the charge, Martian Manhunter somehow ended up remaining in reserve. J'Onzz was simply commenting to himself on the battle, as a hoard of other heroes engaged Black Adam. For no good reason, Guy Gardner and John Stewart were each in Adam's striking distance and dealt severe blows. Dr. Light and Firestorm did the same, despite having powers that work best with broad range. Power Girl, a Kryptonian bruiser near Superman's range, was handled like a sack of potatoes. The usual crossover nonsense.

Martian Manhunter was too busy being in psychic turmoil again, reading the minds of all the bad people on Earth, including the Chinese government officials debating nuking everyone within the battle's range, and the U.S. officials fine enough with that. Amanda Waller was at Checkmate headquarters, looking past the present battle at the conflict to come over which nations would claim what was left of Bialya. The ghost of slain Gotham City police officerCrispus Allen had yet to assume the role of the Spectre and join in, but his sitting on his hands about the matter was acknowledged by J'Onzz, whose telepathy was now metaphysical, I guess.

Back at the scene, colorful cannon fodder continued to be tossed at Black Adam, while Vixen and her flock of birds flew in the background. I didn't know chickens could reach those altitudes, much less sustain then. Even if she were ducking the battle, at least she would be mentally present and admittedly useless outside of helping with a sensational body count. The Martian Manhunter, levitating above the
archrival and nemesis of Captain Marvel, with powers comparable to Black Adam's, was just sitting on his mind bullets.

"In spite of their fear, no matter the pain, one sentiment echoes through their minds. Get up. Stop Black Adam. It is a mantra of courage. I am humbled by their determination. This is no longer a battle defined by human nature. The time for thought has long passed. It is about who I am, and what I choose to be. It is not about thought. It is about what I do."

So, Martian Manhunter got over his distancing himself from the violence and horror of the human condition by watching the violence and horror of super-human combat? Without a thought in his head, the Alien Atlas punched Black Adam with all his might in his Ancient Egyptian junk (must have learned that from Dick Grayson's brief JLTF stint,) then shot him in the face with Laser Vision, then punched him in the lower vertebrae.

Despite his right eye nearly popping out of his head from that shot to the ballzack, Black Adam recovered to deliver a head butt. With half his face burnt and hanging loose, Adam declared "You are a fool, J'Onn J'Onzz! A fool fighting against the wrong enemy. I have walked in your mind, Manhunter, and you have walked through mine. We are the same, you and I. We have both lost our families. They fear what they cannot control, J'Onn J'Onzz. The power in our hands is beyond them. Someday soon, they will hunt you down. They will destroy you unless you draw first blood. I showed you mercy in Bialya out of kinship, Manhunter. Do not make me regret my choice." Black Adam beat Martian Manhunter bloody, and punched him so hard he landed like a missile amongst other heroes. "When next we meet, my wrath will devour you. That is my word, Manhunter, not a promise. You deal with power far beyond your reckoning." The Martian Manhunter pulled himself up with, "As do you."

Geo-Force, Natasha Irons, and Green Lantern Alan Scott wrestled with the villain, giving the Manhunter another chance to telepathically latch on. "We end where we began, Black Adam. Once more, I am in your mind, Adam. This time, you will go no further. I have known your pain, evil one, and I could not bear it. Can you stand beneath the weight of mine?" Black Adam experienced J'Onn's memories of the plague death of Mars, as well as the collective memory of Bialya's dead, plus the D-list heroes Adam killed, and possibly your childhood trauma over flushing your goldfish for good measure. Black Adam screamed, but soon collected himself to swear "You have earned a mortal enemy this day, Manhunter! I will see you broken once more!"

As if it weren't bad enough that Martian Manhunter stole Professor Arnold Hugo, Despero, Vandal Savage, Darkseid and more villains from other heroes to build a rogues gallery, writer John Ostrander decided to add Captain Marvel's arch-rival to the list. A massive change in Martian Manhunter's appearance and m.o., leading into his only mini-series of the decade, all due to another guy's big bad. Also note that it took Black Adam a page and a half to man-up from a psychic attack, not three-and-a-half issues of out-emoing Red Tornado.

"Last time, you called down fire from the heavens to save yourself, Black Adam. This time, the lightning comes for you." While still held in place by the trio of heroes, Captain Marvel struck Black Adam with a magical lightning bolt, which adversely affected J'Onn J'Onzz through his mental rapport. Black Adam vanished in a blinding light, while the Manhunter fell unconscious. Heroes rushed to J'Onn's side, fearful he might have been killed, while others searched in vain for Black Adam. J'Onzz began to change physically before their eyes into the José Ladrönn-designed Coneheadhunter from Mars before finally getting up.

"The moment the lightning struck, my connection to Black Adam's mind was lost. Obliterated in a blinding white flash. Whether he is dead or alive, I do not know. All I do know is that I can no longer detect his presence. In that moment of searing heat and pain, I both died and was reborn. No longer am I exactly what I was. No longer will I deny what I am. J'Onn J'Onzz. The Manhunter from Mars. The time has come for a beginning."

Yeah, the beginning of the end for the Dill Pickle Wrapped in Blue Vinyl from Mars, who would die a yearish later. There was also a one-page epilogue with the Watchers (er-- "Monitors,") that led into Countdown to Final Crisis, but the first rule of CTFC is that we do not talk about CTFC. The art here was by Jack Jadson and Rodney Ramos, which was weird and off and bounced from realistic to caricature and obviously referenced the work of a bunch of other artists.

1981 The Comic Reader #197 Back Cover by Fred Hembeck

Click To Enormify Damian Maffei of the long-on-hiatus The Atom: Tiny Titan blog posted this homage to an early Mike Sekowsky JLA/JSA meeting by Fred Hembeck and Bill Anderson for the comic industry fanzine The Comic Reader two years ago to this day. I was recently looking the old site over, and was reminded that I forgot to totally steal it! Done and done...

JSA #54 (January 2004)

The Manhattan headquarters of the Justice Society of America: The Batman expressed concern about his JLA joining Mr. Terrific (Michael Holt)'s JSA for Thanksgiving dinner, in the event someone like Despero made the scene. The Dark Knight would continue to fret, despite Terrific's dismissal of his concerns.

The teams mingled in a large hall, including the Martian Manhunter chatting with the Flash (Jay Garrick). This continued as the Golden Age Flash admonished Impulse and Jakeem Thunder for coarse language. J'Onn J'Onzz next moved on to Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond). At dinner, the Manhunter was seated between Hawkman and Wonder Woman with The Atom (Ray Palmer), but a brief battle with Kulak the Sorcerer and the Warlock of Ys spoiled the meal. 33 minutes later, pizzas were delivered.

"Virtue, Vice & Pumpkin Pie" was by Geoff Johns, Don Kramer and Keith Champagne. A terrible story with painfully broad, off characterization failing miserably to recreate the feel of Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League International issues under inferior hands.

JLA/JSA Secret Files & Origins #1 (Lead Story, January, 2003)

Fawcett City: The Wizard Shazam called young Billy Batson to his abode to discuss something sinister afoot with his champion, Captain Marvel. Shazam reminisced about his having captured the The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man with the aid of the gods.

The Batcave: The Batman and
Mr. Terrific (Michael Holt) had a cape-to-cape talk, mostly about their awe before one another's team. Terrific admired a photograph from an early JLA/JSA gathering (Aquaman and Martian Manhunter standing together on one side, though J'Onn was nearer to Dr. Fate.)

Keystone City, Kansas: Plastic Man, Hourman (Rick Tyler) and the local Flash (Wally West) attended a hockey game.

JSA Headquarters, New York City: The Atom (Ray Palmer), Doctor Mid-Nite (Pieter Cross) and Green Lantern Kyle Rayner gave Sentinel a meta-check-up.

Metropolis: The Star-Spangled Kid, Power Girl and Wonder Woman discussed Superman's sex appeal.

Doctor Fate's Tower in Salem, Massachusetts: Hector Hall lent Zatanna a copy of her father Zatara's biography. "One of the only copies in existence. Thanks for letting me 'check it out.' Koob Pmuj Ni Tah!" The pair discussed Zatara and a chill they both suddenly felt.

Captain Marvel left the wizard Shazam's company. The stone statues of Seven Deadly Enemies of Man in his abode turned toward Shazam. "It's too late, wizard. Your champion will be ours. As will the world."

"The Day Before" was by David S. Goyer, Geoff Johns, Stephen Sadowski, and Andrew Pepoy.

2009 DC Comics Originals TS136450DCO Shelf Card

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Besides its being hit and miss on characters and kind of funky looking, I avoided buying the DC Comics Originals TS136450 DCCOMNT15 Turq T-Shirt because if I had, I'd never have gotten back in to Wall-Mart to photograph this novelty. It's a thin cardboard display intended to be slid into a clear plastic sheath to designate the shelf locations for these ugly shirts. I'd guesstimate it measured about 4" tall and about 7" across with a plain white back.

On a side note, sorry for another weekend of sparse posting and backdating. My new computer arrived in the mail on Saturday, and I struggled all weekend to transfer data from my antique (1999 build) to the shiny new model, in part because Windows Vista wanted nothing to do with any of my imaging programs. Thankfully, the girlfriend dug out her copy of Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 after 10 tonight, so I could finally edit some images to post. I'll be playing with whatever programs I can get my hands on, and recommendations are welcome. (Tom, if nothing else, I'll edit the scans I could recover on the old computer and forwared them to you a.s.a.p....)