Crisis On Multiple Earths - Countdown To Crisis!

Crisis on Multiple Earths -Countdown to Crisis is the third and (I think) final volume in this latest reprinting of these classic JLA-JSA crossover tales. It includes some of the wildest and most ambitious efforts as the writers and artists had to work overtime in an attempt to top the previous outings. These are some of my favorites. 
 

The 1979 Justice League of America and Justice Society of America crossover was very different in tone and character than any that had preceded it, save perhaps for the the single story about Sandman and Sandy some years before. It was a small story, without any heroes from any other sources coming into play. This story was in many ways a locked-room murder mystery, save that the room was the Justice League satellite.

 "The Murderer Among Us: Crisis Above Earth-One!" is written by Gerry Conway and drawn by Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin. The cover is by Dillin and inked by Dick Giordano. The story begins with the two teams, the JLofA and JSofA having their semi-official annual meeting on the League satellite to compare notes and threats and whatnot. The new chairperson of the JLofA Zatanna presides over the meeting. After the official matters are settled, the two teams go to the satellite rec room to eat, drink and be merry. Terry Sloane, the hero called Mr.Terrifc the Master of Fair Play tells the two Flashes about his encounter with an old enemy named The Spirit King and says he's been able to track his old enemy. Jay (Flash)Garrick wishes Terry had come to him since he'd also battle the Spirit King, but Sloane a man who had just come out of retirement again is miffed and storms off and says that soon one of the assembled guests will be branded a traitor. Soon after a terrific explosion occurs and the satellite decompresses. The heroes race to mend the problem but Superman finds the savaged and slain body of Mr.Terrific. Zatanna inspects the wreckage mystically for clues. She is struck down and goes into a coma and the two Flashes then search the satellite for intruders but find none. The truth then is evident, that the murderer must be among them.

 "I Accuse..." is again by the Conway, Dillin and McLauglin team. Dick Giordano handles the cover art alone this time. After a reprise of last issue's events, the heroes have Dr.Fate and the Green Lanterns work together to seal the heroes within the satellite. Then Batman and the Huntress are assigned as dual detectives to discover which of the assembled heroes murdered Mr.Terrific. There investigation ruffles some feathers, but when Huntress attempts to use the satellite computer to follow up some leads from Earth-2 it explodes and she is seriously burned, but Dr.Fate is largely able to heal those wounds. Then Batman reveals that he knows who the murderer is and indicates it had to be the one hero assembled who had also battled the Spirit King, the Flash of Earth-2. The Spirit King appears ecotplasmically out of the form of Jay Garrick and confesses that indeed he had used the Flash to infiltrate the meeting, but that he'd become corporeal long enough to strangle Mr.Terrific and he'd hoped the heroes would then blame Jay Garrick for the crime. The possessed Flash then races to the transmatter machine the League satellite uses and escapes. The JSofA follows him taking the body of Mr.Terrific back home where the case will be resolved finally. The League then discovers that they are still trapped on the satellite behind the mystical shield, which gets a laugh even at such a critical time.

This was intended to be a crossover of a different kind, a smaller scaled character piece, and I'd have to say it was reasonably successful. The interactions of the heroes are pretty good and while the ultimate mystery was a little less complex than I'd have preferred, it holds up well enough. The artwork is a bit darker this time, giving the story an appropriate mood. I think Dillin's cover for the first half of the story is the best he ever did for the series. Alas they never had him do too many of them. Having the whole story set on the satellite was exceedingly cool indeed, though that the heroes forget to block the transmatter machine is a bonehead move of epic proportion.

 

Adventure Comics offers an after-the-fact look at Mr.Terrific's funeral with no info on how things were resolved. Sadly this was also the final JSA story of the run and it would be the end of Earth-2 before they'd have their own series again. All in all this was a good change-up in the format, but I'm glad all of the crossovers weren't like this. We wrap up this whole crossover shebang next time. And tragedy strikes. Be here. 

Dick Dillin suddenly passed away at the age of fifty years old while working on this very trilogy. I well remember reading the blurb announcing his passing while waiting in the grocery store to buy the second part of the story.

Ironically it was a death that struck me quite hard, in that one of the most reliable things in my world at the time was that Dick Dillin was going to draw the latest JLofA adventures. His loss touched then and still has an effect now that I'm older than he was when he passed away. It's a reminder that our time is always limited, though we go to great pains to forget that most of the time.

This crossover returned to the classic pattern and had the heroes meet up with a new bunch of characters. This time the mined the vast trove of material left behind by Jack "King" Kirby when he unleashed his Fourth World on the world. His rich and evocative worlds of the New Gods changed the way comic book stories were told, and his creation of Darkseid gave the DC universe a villain worthy to take on the whole of their heroic academy. Orion, Metron, and Highfather of the New Gods and Scott Free, Big Barda, and Oberon of Mister Miracle are tapped to appear in this trilogy. Not in evidence are the Forever People, nor does Lightray make an appearance.

"Crisis On New Genesis or Where Have the New Gods Gone?" is written by Gerry Conway and drawn one more time by the great Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin. The cover is by Jim Starlin. The story begins briskly as the JSofA and JLofA decide to recognize their annual event by sending representatives to both Earths One and Two. Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and new Leaguer Firestorm head to Earth-2 and Dr.Fate, Huntress, Power Girl, and Wonder Woman head to Earth-1. But neither group gets where they are headed, instead both teams find themselves on New Genesis also called Supertown home of the New Gods. While Superman explains what the place is and how he visited it once, Firestorm brashly heads off to explore and encounters Orion in a foul mood in his more savage state. The combined heroes hear Firestorm's call for help and fly to his aid and attack Orion but the battle is stalled when Metron appears with Mister Miracle, Big Barda, and Oberon ast his side. After Orion uses his Mother Box to regain his calm facade, Metron explains that he brought them there to help the New Gods look for the missing population of New Genesis, and apparently the Injustice Society is involved. The scene shifts to Apokolips home of the deceased Darkseid. Once there Metron divides the heroes into four teams. Batman, Huntress and Mister Miracle head to the Imperial Palace as scouts. Power Girl, Firestorm, and Orion go to investigate a huge building project. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Big Barda go to the orphanage of Granny Goodness. And Green Lantern, Dr.Fate, and Oberon check out a a trooper barracks with an unusually heavy force. As Batman's team skulk through Apokalips backstreets, Miracle explains how Darkseid seemingly was destroyed some time before by his own forces. Oberon is caught by guards only to reveal that Lantern and Fate are disguised as guards and rescue him and infiltrate the barracks. In the lair of Granny Goodness Superman and Wonder Woman follow Barda as they rescue children being abused by Granny's servants and Orion, Power Girl and Firestorm find the missing citizens of New Genesis under the spell of the Fiddler building a vast machine which is revitalizing Darkseid himself.

"Apokalips Now!" is again written by Gerry Conway, but with the sudden death of stalwart artist Dick Dillin, the pencil chores are taken over by George Perez with Frank McLaughlin still on inks, and this team also handle the cover art. The action begins with Power Girl, Firestorm, and Orion attempting to stop the Injustice Society (Fiddler, Shade, and Icicle) from using slaves from New Genesis to revive Darkseid. The defeat Shade and Icicle but Fiddler is able to subdue the heroes and continue to rouse the tyrant. Superman, Wonder Woman and Big Barda follow the girl they rescued from Granny Goodness to a deep hideout where children have gathered to oppose Granny's work. They are led by a girl with fiery red hair named Crimson. Another child named Playto, gifted with vast mental powers reveals how Darkseid had allied himself with the Injustice Society and arranged for them to bring him back to life. Led by Crimson, the trio of heroes go to find and defeat Granny Goodness. Dr.Fate, Green Lantern, and Oberon find Izaya, Highfather of the New Gods in the barracks and free him. Batman, Huntress, and Mister Miracle breach the Imperial Palace and learn that Darkseid's ultimate plan not only calls for his resurrection but the removal of Apokolips itself to the very orbit of Earth-2 meaning the latter's utter destruction.

"Crisis On Apokolips or Darkseid Rising" is by the same creative team of Conway, Perez, and McLauglin. Jim Starlin and Bob Smith handle the cover chores. Metron muses about the action so far and then the scene shifts to a revived Darkseid who coniders the huge block of ice imprisoning his son Orion, Power Girl, and Firestorm, then the tyrant imprisons his former associates the Injustice Society ostensibly for defeating his own flesh and blood. Batman, Huntress, and Mister Miracle see this action and move to free their comrades. Meanwhile Izaya, freed by Dr.Fate, Green Lantern, and Oberon presses the attack to escape the bowels of Armageddo. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Big Barda follow Crimson and the child army to overthrow Granny Goodness. She thinks she has escaped her foes but Barda finds her. Batman's team has since free the captives of Darkseid and Orion rages to press the battle against Darksied. The scouting team continues into the prison and frees the Injustice Society. The battles rage then on all fronts with Orion challenging his evil father but it is Firestorm who uses his own powers to turn Darkseid's Omega Force against himself, defeating the tyrant. Then ray intended to destroy Earth-2 fires but has been sabotaged by Metron and instead strikes Darkseid reducing him again to atoms. The heroes then reflect on the battles and what it will take to rebuild.

This is a pretty good and tightly constructed story. The action gets going right away, and Metron is very effective in getting the teams set up. Once they are established their missions work beautifully to keep the plot moving very well with time still available for bits of character. The elements of the story flow exceedingly well together right up unto the last few pages of part three where things get too cramped. The story seemed to have needed just a few more pages to clarify some of the action, but short of that it's pretty dang good. Perez is to be commended to coming in and knocking out the second chapter in such record time after the untimely passing of Dillin. Perez is still a pretty fast artist by modern comparisons, but back in the Bronze Age he was incredibly fast. He was the ideal choice to take over the title and he stayed with it for quite some years, though no one has ever come close to challenging Dillin's dozen years on the title.

"Targets on Two Worlds" was told by writer Gerry Conway and artist George Perez, who was assisted by inker John Beatty. The editor was Len Wein. The cover art was by George Perez. The Ultra-Humanoid assembles a new Secret Society of Super-Villains comprised of Killer Frost, The Monocle, Brainwave, the Psycho-Pirate, the Floronic Man, the Mist, Ragdoll, the Cheetah and Signalman. Their goal is to eliminate certain heroes from both Earths I and II and so rid one of those Earths of all super-heroes. In this issue Black Canary is defeated by the Mist, the Hawkman is defeated by the Monocle, and Wonder Woman is taken out by the Cheetah. 

"Countdown to Crisis" was written by Gerry Conway and illustrated by George Perez and inker Romeo Tanghal. Len Wein was the editor. The cover art was by George Perez and Dick Giordano. The plot to eliminate all heroes on either Earths I or II continues as the Psycho-Pirate defeats Hourman, Signalman captures Batman, Ragdoll blows up the Flash, the Floronic Man gasses the Atom, Brainwave tricks Johnny Thunder, Killer Frost brings down Firestorm, and the Ultra-Humanoid irradiates Superman. The defeated heroes are assembled and sent into limbo setting off a transformation of reality on Earth II. 

"Crisis in Limbo" was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists George Perez and Keith Pollard with assist by inker Romeo Tanghal. Len Wein was the editor. The cover art was by George Perez and Mike DeCarlo. The Ultra-Humanoid's plot has eliminated all superheroes from Earth II which infuriates the villains from Earth I since they feel betrayed. They are whisked away back to Earth I by the Ultra-Humanoid but then set about to undo the plan. While the villains of Earth II run wild the villains of Earth I free the captured heroes who promptly kick their butts. Then the ten heroes go to Earth II and mop up the rest of the Secret Society of Super-Villains in short order. 

This is another sturdy tale from longtime JLofA scribe Gerry Conway, as Perez cements his reputation as the go-to super-team artist with these issues. Perez took over the book after the untimely demise of Dick Dillin and truth told he continued the reliability and added some Bronze Age zest to the proceedings. Admittedly this is the end of his run on the book, and he needed help to wrap it up. If you like lots of exotic villains and especially giant white apes with super-sized brains, you'll adore this story.

"Crisis on Three Earths!" was written by Marv Wolfman with art from Rich Buckler and inker Dave Hunt. Julius Schwartz was the editor. The cover art was by Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano. The Lex Luthors of Earths I and II combine their evil wits to defeat the Supermen of those worlds. Their plot fails but then they end up on Earth III and enlist the aid of Ultiman, the villainous Superman. This trio seems unstoppable until the noble Alex Luthor of Earth III agrees to help out. Both Earths I and II survive narrowly as the Lex Luthor of Earth II proves to be the evilest Luthor. His scheme fails.  

"Crisis on Earth-Prime!" was written by Gerry Conway with plot assist from Roy Thomas. The art is by Don Heck and Romeo Tanghal. Len Wein was the editor. The cover art was by George Perez. One of the most dizzying adventures begins when during the annual reunion of the JLA and JSA the Crime Syndicate suddenly appears. They defeat the JLA while the JSA find themselves in limbo. They escape to Earth-Prime which they discover has suffered nuclear disaster decades before. The JLA end up on Earth II where they find it transformed into a dictatorship ruled by Per Degaton. They travel into the past to 1942 where they encounter the All-Star Squadron. 

"The Mystery Men of October!" was written by Roy Thomas with plot assist by Gerry Conway. The art was supplied by Adrian Gonzalez and Jerry Ordway. Len Wein was the editor. The cover art was by Joe Kubert. We learn that Per Degaton, a vile little assistant to the time travel expert Professor Zee has learned of his previous attempts to use time to control the world and with this knowledge kills Zee and travels 1982 on Earth II and then to limbo where he recruits the Crime Syndicate to help him steal the nuclear weapons being transported to Cuba by the Soviet Union in 1962. This triggers a nuclear war on Earth Prime. He returns to 1942 on Earth II and uses the nukes to blackmail the leaders of the world both the Allies and the Axis. The All-Star Squadron yet unaware of this threat battle the Magnetic Marauder before encountering the JLA. 

"The Bomb-Blast Heard Around the World!" was written by Gerry Conway with plot assist by Roy Thomas. The art was by Don Heck and Sal Trapani. Len Wein was the editor. The cover art was by George Perez. The JLA and the A-SS battle briefly before cooler heads prevail and they compare notes. The assembled heroes go to the White House to consult with FDR when Per Degaton announces to the world his scheme to rule it under nuclear threat. Meanwhile the JSA encounter mutants on Earth Prime and learn that JFK pushed the button and with the USSR waged nuclear war. Back on Earth II in 1942 the JLA and the A-SS witness Per Degaton's detonation of a nuclear bomb to prove his threat. Afterwards they find the unconscious JSA and rescue them. 

"Master of Worlds and Time!" was written by Roy Thomas with plot assist by Gerry Conway. The art was by Adrian Gonzalez and Jerry Ordway. Len Wein was the editor. The cover art was by Joe Kubert. While Per Degaton preens, confidant that his plan is perfected, the three superhero teams combine forces to find and eliminate the stolen nukes. Superman, Dr. Fate and Robotman head into orbit to disable a stolen satellite Per Degaton uses to send his threatening messages. They are confronted by Ultiman and barely survive though they are successful. Aquaman, Starman, and Liberty Belle travel to the waters of Japan to uncover hidden nuclear missiles and disable them. Superwoman is on hand to give them a hard time, though they do prevail. Hawkman, Huntress and Johnny Quick travel to the heartland of America to find nukes hidden in grain silos. They are opposed by Power Ring. Again, despite a launch, the trio stop the threat, much to Per Degaton's rage. 

"Let Old Acquaintances Be Forgot..." was written by Gerry Conway with plot assist by Roy Thomas. The art was by Don Heck. Len Wein was the editor. The cover art was by George Perez. In the finale Firestorm, Power Girl and Commander Steel go to Switzerland to find and disable the last batch of nuclear weapons. The come into conflict with the evil Johnny Quick of Earth III. The trio is able after much battle to end Per Degaton's nuclear blackmail. But then it's up to Zatanna, Green Lantern, and Firebrand to use a time machine to travel to Cuba in 1962 and stop the theft of the nukes in the first place. The rest of the heroes in 1942 travel to the future site of the Pentagon where Per Degaton has his hidden lair and confront his forces there along with Owlman. With the stoppage of the theft of the nukes though, the whole adventure unravels and none of the participants remembers anything as they all return to their original timelines. 

The five-part time-traveling tale by both Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas which spanned both the Justice League of America and the All-Star Squadron books for one scintillating summer is wild ride. I was reminded of the awesome Avengers-Defenders clash when reading this sprawling tale. The artwork in the JLofA portions of this one is done by the much-underrated Don Heck with inks by Romeo Tanghal, Sal Trapani, and even Heck himself. The A-SS portions of the tale are done by the muscular team of Adrian Gonzales and inker extraordinaire Jerry Ordway. This one is a keeper featuring the Golden Age menace of Per Degaton. The JLA books feature covers by George Perez and the A-SS books get Joe Kubert artwork. It's a pretty awesome assembly of talent on these, and the totally awesome and completely malicious Crime Syndicate to boot.

"Crisis in the Thunderbolt Dimension!" was written by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway with art by Chuck Patton and Romeo Tanghal. Len Wein was the editor. The cover was by George Perez. The story begins as the two Flashes are defeating a robber in Central City. But then they are attacked by Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt leaving the Flash of Earth I unconscious. At the JLA satellite the party is started when the Thunderbolt appears and battles the assembled heroes, defeating them all but leaving the JLA members unconscious. The assembled JSA members and Black Canary note that apparently all members save the Canary have been attacked by the Thunderbolt. Further they learn that the villainous Crime Champions are operating as well. They are the Fiddler, Chronos, Dr. Alchemy, the Icicle, the Wizard and Felix Faust. While the JSA go to battle them, Starman takes Canary to the Thunderbolt dimension to find answers. They discover the evil Johnny Thunder of Earth I and in a crystal coffin the bodies of Larry Drake and Black Canary. 

"The Doppelganger Gambit" was written by Roy Thomas with art by Chuck Patton assisted by inks by both Romeo Tanghal and Pablo Marcos. Len Wein was the editor. The cover was by George Perez. Sargon the Sorcerer joins the JSA to battle the Crime Champions. Meanwhile the evil Johnny Thunder explains how he gained control of the Thunderbolt and how decades before that Dinah and Larry Drake had a daughter who thanks to the Wizard had uncontrollable voice powers. They agreed that she must be taken to the Thunderbolt dimension for her safety. Flash and Hourman take on Chronos and the Fiddler at Mexico's Pyramid of the Sun, Huntress and Red Tornado take on Icicle and Dr. Alchemy at the Pyramid of Cheops, and Power Girl and Sargon take on the Wizard and Felix Faust at Stonehenge. Eventually the good Johnny Thunder regains control of the Thunderbolt, and he defeats Johnny's evil counterpart and then frees the JLA to help the JSA mop up the Crime Champions. Finally, Superman reveals that Dinah Drake is the daughter of the original Black Canary and that he and the JSA had kept this secret for years. 

This is a handsome story which packs a lot into two issues, maybe a bit too much. The need to explain all this never really made sense to me. Whether Dinah was the mother or the daughter, I never really got why it mattered, save to someone like Roy Thomas who could get wound up about small matters like this. I did like seeing evil Johnny Thunder again, he's a fun character. 

"Family Crisis!" was written by Kurt Busiek and drawn by Alan Kupperberg. Alan Gold was the editor. The cover art was by Chuck Patton and Dick Giordano.  Most of the JLA are responding to a threat leaving only late-comers Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Supergirl on the Satellite when three strange kids show up and whisk them all to Earth II, where they join Dr. Fate, Green Lantern, Starman, and Dr. Mid-Nite in a battle against flying monkeys. We learn that the three youngsters are part of the Champion family, and their father has been taken over by an alien named the Commander, who has nigh limitless power. The assembled heroes battle the Commander, eventually using magic to capture the residue of his powerful evil and transport it. 

"Battlegrounds!" was written by Kurt Busiek with art by Alan Kupperberg. The editor was Alan Gold. The cover was by Chuck Patton and Dick Giordano. The heroes bring the Commander's evil and bury it at the Pentagon, useful because of its magical shape. Superman, Flash, and Starman are taken over by the Commander and attack the rest of the heroes. Dr. Mid-Nite escapes this fate because of his blindness. It is a furious battle but finally the heroes are able to use their combined wills focused through the Champion family to remove the Commander from their father. But despite being revealed the Commander remains a threat until the JLA, the JSA and the Champion family are able to return him to his own dimension. They receive a small assist when the Monitor takes a peek at the battle. The reunited Champion family announce they will investigate the myriad universes they glimpsed during the battle with the Commander. 

And that's a wrap. I can't say this final two-parter was much of a hit with me. I found it wildly confusing, even by JLA-JSA team-up standards. Seeing less nimble and experienced hands try out these kinds of stories shows just how strong the talent had been all those years while these adventures unfolded. 

Before I go, I don't want to forget about the final JLofA-JSofA team-up during the Detroit League era (in the midst of the Crisis itself which put an end to these classic meetings) between the team and the JSA proteges Infinity Inc. As you can see by the covers above, these were some pretty dandy stories and I'm curious why they weren't in this final collection in place of the Superman annual yarn. 

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Crisis On Multiple Earths - Crisis Crossed!

The summer crossover events are firmly established and as we enter a new decade, these meetings between the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America will be create many if not most of the highlights in the series. This volume gives us the next seven summer Crisis events and reintroduces some of the greatest superheroes in comics history. 

Mike Friedrich is writing the Justice League in 1971 and his single offering in the crossover series is a most peculiar one indeed.

"Earth--The Monster Maker!" was written by Friedrich and drawn by the regular team of Dick Dillin and Joe Giella. The cover is by Neal Adams. The story begins with the scene on the cover, Batman appearing with the form of a seemingly dead Flash. The scene shifts to some outer space kids named S-Kyr and E-Nes who are joy-riding in some sort of space ship when S-Kyr's little brother A-Rym and his symbiote "Dog" named Teppy get sucked into separate dimensions, A-Rym to Earth-2 and Teppy to Earth-1. But the two of them need to be together to live and they have just under thirty-eight hours. On Earth-2 Green Lantern encounters A-Rym and gets beaten up and his power ring is stolen. The JSofA (Superman, Flash, Atom, Hawkman, Lantern and Robin) investigate. On Earth-1 Flash is put in a recovery tube and Superman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and Atom investigate his attack near Hudson University where they find Robin who joins them. Soon the two teams communicate and switch some personnel. On Earth-1 A-Rym is confronted by the two Hawkmen, two Robins and Green Lantern. Robin of Earth-1 confronts A-Rym and is injured and he and he is whisked off to recover with his Earth-2 counterpart to care for him. A-Rym promptly defeats the remaining heroes and leaves. On Earth-2 the two Superman, the two Atoms, and Flash confront Teppy who knocks out the Superman, but they recovers and the speedster team isolate him in a giant hole. Flash and Superman of Earth-2 head back to their home Earth where A-Rym has been discovered in Slaughter Swamp by its most infamous resident Solomon Grundy. The Hawks, Green Lantern, Flash and Superman face off against Grundy who is protecting his new friend and the story ends with Grundy threatening to kill them all.

 

"Solomon Grundy The One and Only" is again written by Friedrich with more sleek artwork by the Dillin and Giella team. Adams is again on the cover art. The battle with Grundy picks up with the heroes finally leaving the scene with their wounded. Meanwhile the two Robins are conferring, sharing tales of being patronized by their comrades. The Earth-1 Robin dons a new uniform designed by some Earth-2 artist named "Neal Adams" and the two head off to rejoin the fight. On the JLofA satellite Iris West shows up to relieve Black Canary who has been caring for the injured Flash. On Earth-2 the injured Flash and Superman are resting while the Green Lanterns plot a counterattack. GL of Earth-1 shares his ring power with the GL of Earth-2 and they along with the Hawkmen head back to battle A-Rym again. The Robins show up and rescue Green Lantern's ring. Robin battles a weakened A-Rym then shows him some compassion which the lost space boy responds to. The Lanterns meanwhile battle Solomon Grundy and combining their wills imprison him effectively. The assembled heroes then glean the true nature of A-Rym and Teppy and rush to get them together before the both die. The happy pair reunite and their improved lifeforce provides a beacon for their comrades to come and rescue them. The space boy and his dog head home safe and sound at last. The heroes then assess the outcome and the Hawkmen apologize to the Robins for patronizing them and the story ends with the Robin of Earth-1 wondering if he'll keep the new look.

I bought the first part of this adventure off the stands when I was young, but it would be many years before I was able to find the second half. The story is a wacky one, showing off Friedrich's tendency to offer up heavy-handed themes. This crossover too really seems to emphasize having the dopplegangers team up. The Hawkmen stay together throughout the story and while the Atom says it's "scientificaly" prudent the two Earths switch players when obviously it's just arbitrary. The heroes switch back and forth between Earths pretty willy-nilly and that makes for tough sledding when trying to keep track of the players. I love Dick Dillin's designs for the aliens though. Dillin's aliens are often not that colorful, just guys with horns and spouts on their heads most of the time, but A-Rym and Teppy are drawn almost in a bigfoot style and that adds a real dissonance to the danger they are in. The use of the Robins is strange too, as the idea of a split between the generations is explored. The Hawkmen take the roles of insenstive grumps in contrast to the Robins who are just youngsters trying to be understood. The trouble is that Robin of Earth-2 seems too old for that. I do like the Neal Adams costume for Robin. This outfit though will not get much traction until many years later when Robin of Earth-2 adopts a version of it when he joins the Super Squad variation of the JSofA. The next crossover will be the tenth and it's a classic. Be here. 

 

The tenth Justice League and Justice Society crossover coincided with the hundredth issue of the JLofA and something special was offered. For starters, the story ran three issues instead of the usual two and for another vintage super-team from DC's Golden Age past was revived -- The Seven Soldiers of Victory. A new scribe would also take over on the series, and Len Wein's stint on the JLofA might just be my favorite period of the team ever.

"The Unknown Soldier of Victory!" written by Len Wein, and drawn by the team of Dick Dillin and Joe Giella begins not in the JLofA satellite, but in their old Secret Sanctuary where Aquaman, Black Canary, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Hawkman gather for what is planned to be their hundredth meeting, and a celebration is planned. The Atom shows up and other heroes are shown either on their way or pining that they cannot attend. Flash, Elongated Man, and Metamorpho head to the party, while Martian Manhunter (helping his people rebuild) and Snapper Carr (still guilty for betraying the League) ponder what keeps them from being there, as does Adam Strange who is stranded on Rann. Zatanna shows up and Batman brings Diana Prince, the former Wonder Woman and the cake is about to be cut when all the heroes vanish. They reappear on Earth-2 where the Justice Society is sitting quite glum. Starman, Sandman, Dr.Fate, Wildcat, Johnny Thunder, Dr.Mid-Nite, Hourman, Wonder Woman, and Red Tornado are assembled and quickly Dr. Fate reveals he's summoned the Earth-1 heroes to help the Society battle the threat of a vast cosmic hand which is poised to crush Earth-2. Then a vision of the grave of the Unknown Soldier of Victory appears. Fate, Zatanna, and Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt join forces to summon a mystic being named Oracle who is able to explain the nature of the threat they face. The Seven Soldiers of Victory (Crimson Avenger and Wing, Green Arrow and Speedy, Star-Spangled Kid and Stripsey, Shining Knight, and The Vigilante are forgotten Earth-2 heroes who battled the cosmic threat of the Nebula-Man. One of their number sacrificed himself to end that threat and the others disappeared into the mists of time. Only they know how to defeat the current threat, so Oracle assists the heroes to go back into time and find the forgotten Soldiers. The twenty-two assembled heroes divide into seven teams of three while Diana Prince stays behind. Oracle tells the heroes of the Soldiers' first great battle against a villain named The Hand and then sends the teams back into time. Dr. Fate, The Atom, and Elongated Man find themselves in Mexico during the time of the Aztecs. Crimson Avenger appears but seems to be considered a god by the Aztecs and he's possessed of great powers with which he knocks out the trio come to rescue him. When they recover, they are captives but quickly free themselves and battle the Aztecs and the Avenger until a fragment of the Nebula-Man is found and sent into orbit freeing Crimson Avenger of its malevolent influence. Himself once again, he welcomes the heroes and then in a mist they are summoned back by Oracle. The story closes with the villain revealing himself, a madman named "The Iron Hand".

 

"The Hand that Shook the World" is again by the Wein, Dillin, Giella team. The tale begins with the arrival of Earth-2's Green Lantern, Robin, and Mr. Terrific who encounter Diana Prince who brings them up to date. The scene shifts to Superman, Sandman, and Metamorpho who find themselves in the camp of Ghengis Khan and his army which is being led by a mysterious sword-wielding man on a flying horse. They realize this must be the Shining Knight who is under the influence of Khan's court magician. The trio stand off against Khan's army with Superman unable to defeat the Knight because of magic. Metamorpho and Sandman combine forces to send giant shells into the army which put them all to sleep. They then free Knight of Khan's influence and are called away by Oracle, but not before Sandman in a classic move pins a note on Khan's chest. Back in JSofA headquarters Green Lantern, Robin, and Mr. Terrific leave Diana Prince behind and decide to head to the Himalayas to find out about the fallen Soldier. Next we see Hawkman, Wonder Woman, and Dr.Mid-Nite in England during the time of Robin Hood. They come under attack by the Merry Men, but quickly explain things and then the trio attacks King John's castle to rescue Robin Hood. They discover Green Arrow instead who has taken Robin's place while he recovers from wounds. After the rescue the heroes vanish as Oracle acts. Cut to the Iron Hand who reveals that he was not killed in the first adventure of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, but merely lost his hand which has been replaced by an iron one, hence his new name. He is the one who launched the threat of Nebula-Man and he is the one who now uses that power to threaten Earth-2. In ancient Egypt Batman, Starman, and Hourman find Stripsey working to build the pyramids. Their rescue is foiled when Starman's Cosmic Rod is captured, but they quickly escape their pyramid jail thanks to the quick thinking of Batman and use the Rod's influence to find their way free. They join forces with the captured Stripsey to free him and Oracle calls them back. Finally we see Diana Prince approached from behind by a threatening Iron Hand.

"And One of Us Must Die!" is again written by Wein and Dillin is again the penciler but Dick Giordano joins up as inker. The story beings with Oracle reprising the situation. The scene shifts to the North American plains where Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Johnny Thunder find themselves near an Indian camp. They are overcome and captured joining The Vigilante as a captive of the Native American tribe. But they escape, free the Vigilante and defeat the Indians and are saved from stampeding bison thanks to the tardy but still timely arrival of Thunderbolt who had been trying to locate them through the centuries. The heroes are then called back by Oracle. We shift to pre-historic times as Green Lantern, Wildcat, and Aquaman find Star-Spangled Kid hold up in a cave fending off a tribe of hostile Cro-Magnons who quickly encounter Wildcat's fists. He's come down with the flu and doesn't want to create historical havoc by infecting the Cro-Magnons. He is saved from a flash flood by Aquaman and then by Green Lantern who had been sidelined by yellow fog. Oracle calls them back. The Flash, Zatanna, and Red Tornado are in the Mediterranean and find Speedy on an island but he's been transformed into a centaur. It seems a sorceress named Circe has him under control. Circe changes the Flash into a snail-man, Zatanna into a hummingbird-girl, and Red Tornado into a walrus-android. But Zatanna is able to undo the spell and free them all. The break Circe's wand, freeing all her captives then they are called back by Oracle. The story then cuts back to the Justice Society headquarters with all the heroes assembled plus the rescued Seven Soldiers the trio from the Himalayas return to report that the fallen soldier is Crimson Avenger's partner Wing. Then the Iron Hand attacks threatening Diana Prince who promptly karate chops off his metal paw and judo flips onto his face. The heroes then use the knowledge of the Seven Soldiers to rebuild the device that first defeated the Nebula-Man and are about to decide who should deliver this deadly weapon when they realize Red Tornado is missing and has taken the device to save the world but at the cost of his own existence. The story ends with the assembled heroes saluting the valor of Wing and Red Tornado. This was a true epic in a time in comics when such extended stories were relatively rarities. The sheer number of heroes advertised was a worthy accomplishment in and of itself. Seeing so many superheroes in one comic made this a must-buy for me at the time. The Nick Cardy covers for all three issues of the series are outstanding. I'd been an on and off again DC fan over the years. I'd been mostly attracted by Marvel's offerings with a few dabs of DC then and again when I could find a way to buy them. But with this storyline I became a confirmed Justice League fan and read the series with very few small breaks right up to the Crisis on Infinite Earths. So this story was a bit of a game-changer for me and my approach to comics.

The Seven Soldiers of Victory were a lot of fun too. After several years of offbeat JLofA-JSofA crossovers this one revived the tradition and idea that this was a series of discovery with new heroes and world being added each year. It became once again an event to anticipate. What heroes would be revived? What Earth would be visited? I remember well being all too eager to see each year's offerings. With this centennial storyline, the crossovers became a big deal for yours truly, a very big deal indeed.

The general template of the Justice League and Justice Society crossovers had been set. The two teams would meet and the added value from year to year would be new heroes. This time the heroes of Earths One and Two would meet the Quality heroes on Earth-X. DC had control of these heroes since they had bought out Quality Comics some many years before. Len Wein had wanted the name to be Earth-Swastika, but editor Julie Schwartz kiboshed that idea for obvious reasons.

The story really began with the previous two issues of Justice League in which both Elongated Man and Red Tornado were inducted into the League. The Tornado had survived the end of the last JLofA-JSofA adventure and been stranded on Earth-1 where he was found by his creator T.O.Morrow who promptly gave the android hero a new face and tried to use him to destroy the League which had welcomed the android hero into their ranks. Morrow's plan failed, but the Red Tornado now had the distinction along with Black Canary of being a member of both the League and the Society.

"Crisis On Earth-X" was written by Len Wein and drawn by Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano. The comic featured another outstanding Nick Cardy cover. The action begins with both the Justice League and the Justice Society trying to synchonize two transporter devices with which they hope to be able travel between the Earths at any time of the year. Despite Red Tornado's pleading to be allowed to return to his Earth, the League sends Green Arrow, Elongated Man, and Batman into the machine. Likewise the Society sends Sandman, Dr.Fate, and Superman into their device. But Red Tornado stows away in the device causing the transporters to malfunction and the seven heroes to vanish. They end up on another Earth entirely, one that seems to have Nazis in control. They battle the Nazis who have super-scientific devices and are saved from defeat by the intervention of Uncle Sam, the Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, the Ray, the Black Condor, and Doll Man. Uncle Sam reveals that on this Earth World War II lasted far longer due to the untimely death of the President, and that eventually the Nazis won taking control of the globe. They maintain power with mind control devices to which Uncle Sam and his freedom fighters are immune. Dr.Fate uses his magic to detect the locations of the hidden mind control devices and the heroes divide into teams and Uncle Sam sends the teams away to destroy the devices. Red Tornado is left behind. Batman, Dr.Fate, Ray, and Human Bomb are sent to Paris where the mind control device seems to be in the Eiffel Tower. The quartet battle their way to the top and find the machine which is sentient and defends itself with specially constructed foes for each of the heroes. The heroes prevail but then are taken over directly by the machine. They are able to destroy the machine though by combining their powers and relying on their reflexes. Meanwhile the heroes of Earths One and Two search for their disappeared comrades.

 

"Thirteen Against the Earth!" under another great Cardy cover is again by the Wein, Dillin and Giordano team. Uncle Sam breaks the fourth wall and brings the reader up to date on the events of the last issue. Superman, Doll Man, Green Arrow, and Phantom Lady arrive in Japan, the former Axis power which was also defeated by the Nazis, to find the second mind-control machine. It is hidden in plain sight and Superman detects it and reveals it. The machine threatens to destroy Japan if the heroes attack it, but Superman is undeterred landing a ferocious punch. Immediately Japan suffers a massive earthquake and Superman flies off to alleviate the problem. Meanwhile the other heroes work together to get Doll Man inside the machine where he disables it. Elongated Man, Sandman, Black Condor, and Uncle Sam arrive at Mount Rushmore where Hitler's face has been added to the monument. The heroes fight their way to another machine only to discover that it's an illusion. They deduce the machine must be inside the Hitler head and Uncle Sam aided by Elongated Man delivers a massive punch to Hitler's stony ediface destroying the machine. The heroes are them reassembled but discover that the mind control has not diminished despite the destruction of the three machines. In fact the heroes of Earths One and Two are taken over by the mind control and attack the heroes of Earth-X. Red Tornado detects the source of the mind control and follows the trail into orbit where he finds a huge Nazi satellite "manned" by an android Hitler. It turns out the Nazis had actually been defeated by their own mind control machines some years before and that the machines have ruled Earth-X since. Red Tornado attacks and succeeds in causing the satellite to fall out of orbit and crash into the ocean. He rescues a bit of equipment the machines used to communicate and the heroes are able to contact Earths One and Two to arrange rescue. The leave Earth-X free of its oppressors and they leave behind some truly quality freedom fighters.

The Freedom Fighters proved to be pretty popular and even got their own series several years later. It was a quirky series and brought the heroes to Earth-1 and made them fugitives, an attempt I guess to recreate their underground guerrilla warrior role from the crossover. I enjoyed it, but after a few years the series was cancelled. This crossover itself is one of my absolute faves. The artwork by Dillin and Giordano is outstanding, with Giordano giving Dillin's storytelling some real drama. In the years before internet and archives and whatnot, getting to see these vintage heroes was an awesome treat. While I adore the modern era with access to old comics easy to get hold of, part of me yearns for those sweet days when such glimpses were exceedingly precious because they were so rare.  As I said the template for the crossovers had been reinvented a bit by Len Wein, but the next installment is something very different indeed. 

The 1974 JLofA-JSofA crossover is unique in all the series in that it is one issue in length. When these summer special started they were always two issues in length, significant in a time when nearly all comics from DC were just single issues if that in length. To contribute two issues to a single story was unheard of, and frankly against policy a bit since DC didn't want readers to miss part of a story and thus be unsatisfied. But they'd done it from the beginning and it had been part of the tradition. But with this installment, the Justice League book was a 100-page bi-monthly book and they couldn't justify using two issues for a single story. So we get a gem of a story, something quite different.

"The Creature in the Velvet Cage!" was written by Len Wein with art by Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano. This is the last story by this team. The cover is again by Nick Cardy. The action begins on Earth-2 where the visting League members (Superman, Green Lantern, Batman, and Elongated Man) help the Society (Sandman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Hourman) wrap up the Horned Owl Gang. Afterwards a loud alarm panics the Sandman and he rushes off leaving the combined teams to follow. They discover a disconsolate Wesley Dodds at his home in a secret lair where a glass cage appears to be broken. He tell the assembled heroes of his time with Sandy the Golden Boy who joined him when he was wearing his gold and purple outfit. They fought crime together for quite a time. But one of Dodd's inventions, the Silicoid Gun went awry and Sandy was transformed into a giant golden rocky monster who attacked Sandman. Sandman put him to sleep and placed him into a comfortable but confining glass cage, where he had resided for years and years. Now he's escaped. The heroes agree to help Sandman find Sandy and they break into teams to do so. Elongated Man, Superman, and Hourman find Sandy interrupting a wedding. They attack but his mutated powers give him control of the earth and his own form and he fends them off. Later Wonder Woman, Batman, and Flash find Sandy scaring some baseball players and they try to capture the roaring creature, but again he escapes by transforming himself into a sandstorm. Later still on a beach Sandy reappears and this time Green Lantern and Sandman find him. Sandman seems almost able to communicate with the creature when the other heroes appear and subdue Sandy. Then an earthquake hits the city and Superman detects a vast fault line. He makes use of Wonder Woman's lasso to knit the fault back together, saving the city. At this point the creature named Sandy rises and speaks, indicating his voice had been stilled before because of his long containment in sleeping gas. He says that he'd detected the dangerous fault and had been tracking it across the city helping to calm the tremors with his earth-based powers. He reveals that he'd come to his sense hours after Sandman had made him a prisoner, but he had been unable to say anything. The Sandman begs for Sandy's forgiveness, but he cannot forgive himself as the story ends.

This has always been one of those stories that was a bit hard for me to swallow. Not that I think the story itself was any less exotic than most JLofA stories, but the heroes in this story seem to have all manner of sympathy for Wesley Dodds for what he'd done to Sandy. There's no outrage and frankly it seems odd. At this time in comics such anti-heroic notions were out and about, and that someone doesn't directly confront Dodds is surprising to me. He basically hid what he considered a mistake for years, and denied Sandy the chance for proper care and assistance. It's pretty outrageous stuff, but none of the heroes call him out. It struck me odd then, and does so even more now. There's no doubt this is one of the more impressive crossovers, simply for the emotional content of the tale. For the very first time, some character in the series other than Red Tornado seems to have feet of clay (pun intended).

When I was a new fan my comic book tastes were broad and inclusive, limited only by my meager cash resources. I read Marvel, Charlton, Harvey, Gold Key, Archie, and of course DC. The first DC character I latched onto was the Flash and the very first Flash story I read had him go to Earth Prime, and not only was I not confused by this parallel Earth story, I was fascinated and it remains one of my all-time favorite DC stories.

"The Flash--Fact or Fiction?" is not strictly a crossover tale, but this 1968 classic does introduce the world of Earth Prime, our world where comic book heroes are just that, the stuff of comics. The Flash ends up here after clashing with an alien creature named the "Nok" which has escaped from a space zoo transport. The Nok attacks the Flash propelling him into another dimension and another Earth on which he discovers he's just a comic book hero like Jay Garrick is on Earth-1. Flash needs his Cosmic Treadmill to return home but has no resources so he visits the DC Comics offices and meets up with Julie Schwartz. Schwartz is soon convinced of the fantastic situation and helps Flash, who quickly puts together a treadmill and rushes back to Earth-1 to defeat the Nok. I've not mentioned Schwartz in these reports, since his role as editor is largely an invisible one, but as it turns out none of the crossover stories would have happened without him. All of the stories I've taken a look at happened in books he edited and he had a hand in plotting all of them I'd reckon. So it's fitting that he actually turns up in one of the crossovers, and it all started so to speak with this Flash story.

 

Later in the Flash series, Cary Bates, the book's writer ends up on Earth-1 also, where he helps out the Flash too. This 1974 story sets up in a manner of speaking the big crossover which would happen only a few months later in 1975.

 

"Where On Earth Am I?" was written by Cary Bates and Elliot S! Maggin and drawn by the ever reliable Dick Dillin who is joined by his longtime inker Frank McLaughlin. The cover is by Ernie Chua/Chan. The story begins in the office of Julie Schwartz where Bates and Maggin are hashing out the latest Justice League plot. They are stuck but Bates remembers the Cosmic Treadmill that Schwartz has and soon enough has used it and has disappeared. He turns up on Earth-2 and he is changed, having villainous thoughts and superpowers as well. He uses his new powers to help some robbers escape Johnny Thunder and Robin. Back on Earth Prime Schwartz and Maggin decide to send Maggin to get Bates, but Maggin ends up in the ocean on Earth-1 where he is saved by Aquaman. Quickly Aquaman gets him to the League satellite headquarters where Maggin convinces the League members Batman, Hawkman, Green Arrow and Black Canary of the truth of his story by revealing their secret identities. His story is confirmed by the Flash who turns up. On Earth-2 the Justice Society (Hourman, Wonder Woman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Johnny Thunder, and Robin) are battling some out-of-control plants and defeated by same controlled by the evil Bates. The League meanwhile decides to go to Earth-2 after it is determined Bates has gone there and they immediately encounter six villains (Icicle, Sportsmaster, Huntress, Gambler, Shade, and Wizard) stealing some aircraft from a Navy carrier. They quickly subdue the villains only to discover that the baddies are the Justice Society members in disguise and further that the defeated heroes are dead. Cary Bates takes credit for the scheme in the final panel.

 

"Avenging Ghosts of the Justice Society!" is again by the Bates, Maggin, Dillin, and McLauglin team. Ernie Chua/Chan supplies one of his best ever covers for the series. The story picks up with the League members memorializing the fallen JSofA members. Cary Bates is still in the middle of his crime spree and we discover that he works for the six villains seen in part one. A mysterious misty presence though makes itself known and plans vengeance for the fallen Society. The League is filling in for the dead Society members until they can figure something else out. Elliot S! Maggin is captured by Bates and imprisoned in a gigantic bubble gum bubble. The League is attracted to a black portal which takes them to the villains while the Spectre makes his presence known. A battle rages between the heroes and the villains with the heroes losing because they are haunted by the guilt of the fallen Society members who they killed while in the guise of the very villains they now fight. The Spectre implores the highest powers to allow him to revive the fallen JSofA members while Maggin tries to undermine the powers of Bates by insulting his writing skills. The combined efforts weaken the effects of the guilt on the Leaguers and the Society members suddenly appear hale and hearty. Quickly the villains are beaten and even more quickly Bates and Maggin are sent back to Earth Prime where Julius Schwartz is waiting anxious to get the next story out.

This is not the greatest story ever told by any means. The writers seem a bit too intrigued with showing off their wit and not clearly hammering out the plot details such as they are. Perhaps they considered the story just so absurd that there was no need to sweat the small stuff, but it hurts. The motivations of the characters are poorly examined. It is the Wizard who is controlling Bates, but that is not at all really clear and is supposed more than stated. Further the League and the Society don't come off in these stories looking all that competent. The Spectre's role is very offbeat, with him essentially performing a deus ex machina ending which solve the whole mess. Maybe the writers were playing with the cliches of the storytelling and making these elements explicit, but the whole story is a jumble.

The recent crossovers between the Justice League and the Justice Society had focused on reviving long lost heroes such as the Seven Soldiers of Victory, Quality's Freedom Fighters, and Fawcett's champions.

 

In 1977 the two teams meet up with another then-current DC team, the Legion of Superheroes. This crossovers is almost like a meeting of the Schwartz-DC heroes and the Weisinger-DC heroes.

While Julie Schwartz had been fabricating his modernized DC universe with updated heroes of classic DC types, Weisinger concentrated on the Superman universe and arguably the most innovative thing to come out of that arena in the Silver Age was the Legion of Superheroes. And since continuity was an important part of Bronze Age DC, it was of course only normal that these sides of the DCU would meet.   

The Legion of Superheroes had really become the darlings of the DC universe again after some years in the wilderness as back-ups. Dave Crockrum's redesigns for the Legion some years before had rescued them and given them some charms for Bronze Age fans. Cockrum pulled off the same magic with the X-Men later in the decade. Mike Grell had really turned the Legion into fan favorites and its this polished team that shows up at last in the crossover.

 "Crisis in the 30th Century!" was written by the team of Paul Levitz and Marty Pasko, and drawn as usual by Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin. Anthony Tollin is credited with the colors and Milt Snapinn is identified as the letterer. The cover is a rare one by Dick Dillin himself. The story picks up in 1977 in the satellite headquarters of the Justice League where the Justice Society has been resting after a battle with the Psycho Pirate in their own title. The heroes from both teams are snatched by a giant mystical hand and dragged to the century 2977. The League members are Superman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Green Lantern, and Batman. The Society members are Dr.Fate, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Flash, and Power Girl. They have been kidnapped by Mordru, a 30th century magician and longtime foe of the Legion of Superheroes. Superman, a member of that team as a boy recognizes their captor. Mordru tells the heroes that he's held some Legion members hostage as others seek out the Bell, the Jar, and the Wheel, three mystical artifacts which imprison three ancient demons named Abnegazar, Rath, and Ghast. As it turns out the League had once battled these demons and imprisoned them, keeping the three artifacts in the satellite, but it seems the JLofA satellite has been blown up since 1977 and the artifacts are missing. Mordru wants the teams to find the items and return them. He has already sent Legion members to do so, but they've not returned. Mordru keeps Green Arrow and Canary as hostages and sends the heroes on their missions. Chapter 2 "Crisis on a Cosmic Quest!" shows Legion members Wildfire and Sun Boy prisoners of a people shaped like wheels. Superman, Hawkman, and Dr.Fate show up and they figure out the people of this world worship the wheel and have taken its shape. Dr.Fate fills the sky with bright explosions which the people are fascinated with, they then alter their worship and their shapes allowing the combined heroes to leave with the magical wheel. Chapter 3 "For What the Bells Tolls..." shows Batman and the two Green Lanterns showing up over a planet attacked by space dragons. Legion members Brainiac 5 and Princess Projectra are already trying to negotiate for the Bell, but since it keeps the dragons at bay the people of the planet are loathe to give it up. Batman figures out the planet needs a scarecrow and the Lanterns carve a massive predator of the space dragons into one of the planets uninhabited land masses which serves silently to repel the dragons. The team then leaves with the Bell. Chapter 4 "The Final Errand" has only Power Girl and Flash finding the Jar, but its been mistaken for an egg by the aliens of the planet on which it fell. Power Girl switches out a true egg for the false one and they able to leave with their prize with minimal fuss. The heroes return to Mordru and try to attack him, but fail. He then uses his skills to free the three demons, and return the heroes (save Green Arrow and Black Canary) back to their own times. But Abnegazar, Rath, and Ghast promptly turn on Mordru and as the story ends Green Arrow and Black Canary are trapped in the unconscious Mordru's hourglass pendant and the Demons plot their next move against Earth.

 

"Crisis In Triplicate!" is again by the Pasko, Levitz, Dillin, and McLaughlin team. The cover is by Rick Buckler and Jack Abel. The story begins with the demons Abnegazer, Rath, and Ghast free and plotting against Earth. The Legion of Superheroes (Lightning Lad, Ultra Boy, and Wildfire attack them but are rebuffed. Then Sun Boy, Saturn Girl, Ultra Boy, and Brainiac 5 are ordered to take Mordru's spiritual form and combine it with his body in his prison. Green Arrow and Black Canary unfortunately go along for the ride. The three demons though have different plans for Earth. Abnegazar has grown weary of strife and seeks world peace and harmony under his rule, Rath seeks to plunder the planet of all its physical wealth, and Ghast wants nothing less than to completely reshape the planet meaning its near complete destruction. The demons battle one another but realize their powers cancel one another out. So they get teams of heroes to battle for them. Abnegazar chooses Lightning Lad, Chameleon Boy, Shadow Lass, Princess Projectra, and Wildfire to fight for him. Reaching back into to time, the other demons recapture the League and the Society and use them as pawns. Rath takes control of the JSofA and Ghast takes control of the three remaining JLofA members. Chapter 2 "The Battle that Shook the 30th Century!" begins with a flash of action. The three teams battle one another back and forth across the landscape of future Earth. Meanwhile Mordru's body is about back to his tomb and Green Lantern of Earth-1 has gone to rescue Arrow and Canary. He does so and the trio also defeats the Legion members who brought Mordru's form. Back on Earth the members of the opposing teams realize that they are under different levels of control from the demons and realize that a stalemate between their forces might bring about a potential resolution to the problems. Battling over a global tunnel, the teams almost succeed. Chapter 3 "Some Say the World End in Fire...Some Say In Ice!" has the heroes fighting in a future city in the Antarctic snowfields. They pursue their strategy of striving for a stalemate and succeed. This frustrates the demons who once again attack each other directly. Abnegazar and Rath eliminate each other. Ghast survives and is defeated by the combined power of the heroes and imprisoned when Dr.Fate (juiced up with power left over from the deceased demons) in the fragments of the JLofA satellite which is reassembled around him. The heroes compare notes and then head back to their own times, a slight alteration to their memories thanks to the Green Lanterns to forestall paradoxes.

This is not one of my favorite crossovers. Again, Dillin and McLaughlin get huge props for telling an amazingly complex story literally overflowing with heroes. Sadly few of the Legion members get much personality save Wildfire and Brainiac 5. Some don't even speak I'd reckon. The League and Society do better with Power Girl getting a lot of attention. She was the breakout star of the new All Star comic and she gets showcased a bit here. I'm not quite sure where this story goes wrong. The elements seem pretty good. Mordru and the Demons seem worthy opponents, but somehow it all just rattles along barely, seemingly wanting to fall apart at any minute. The story just feels compressed and crowded. I will say that the satellite reforming was a really cool sequence, and in 1977 an interesting glimpse into a near future which hadn't quite happened yet. It makes sense that Paul Levitz would have a hand in this story since he was in charge of the Legion at the time. But it's a shame that Steve Englehart never wrote a crossover. This two-parter interrupts Englehart's great run on the JLofA, and he'd come back on board for two more issues after this crossover completed. Englehart's League was vibrant with personality, and sadly there's little of that in this tale. Probably just no room for it despite some expanded page counts. There was little novelty in this one either, since all the heroes on display had their own series at this time. This is a diverting tale, but not really compelling alas. 

Having run through all the defunct heroes that the company had acquired over the decades, DC decided to plunder their own past and assemble some offbeat heroes from various genres to spice up the 1978 crossover event. Gerry Conway is the writer of the League adventures, a role he'd continue to hold for the remainder of the run.

"Crisis From Yesterday!" written by Gerry Conway and drawn by the always ready team of Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin under a Rich Buckler cover, begins quietly in 1978 as the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America have a dinner on Earth-1 at Club 22. The heroes commemorate their annual team-ups with hopefully a quiet celebration. But the festive nature is shattered by an explosion. Then the story shifts to a limbo dimension bordering on the future time of 3786 A.D. where the Lord of Time, a League opponent reveals that his great computer in an effort to comply with its programming to fulfill the Lord's ambitions has engineered a means to dam the flow of time. The Lord realizes this is doom for all, but cannot stop his own creation. He hopes to goad the Justice League to save the day. As Club 22 shatters, the heroes see shadowy figures and forms before they become unconscious. Chapter 2 "Puppets from the Past" the attackers are revealed as heroes from across the centures. The Viking Prince, Jonah Hex, Enemy Ace, Miss Liberty, and The Black Pirate. These five individuals find themselves mysteriously assembled and able to communicate and further charged with vast energy enabling them to do fantastic things. Confused, Miss Liberty advises them to follow her to a place she knows where they can gather themselves. Meanwhile Superman breaks out the rubble of Club 22 and saves The Huntress, Flash, Star-Spangled Kid, Wonder Woman of Earth-2, Dr. Mid-Nite, and Elongated Man. Later Hawkman is found grieving over the comatose form of Hawkgirl. All of the other heroes in the combined JLofA and JSofA likewise are in comas. After taking their comrades to the hospital, Superman is able to trace a chronal energy signature which leads the survivors to Valley Forge. Chapter 3 "When the Heroes Fall..." begins with a furious battle between the League and Society members and the Heroes from the Past, and the time-travelers are able to defeat the combined might of the League and Society. In the epilogue, the Heroes of Yesterday are drawn into the Lord of Time's lair. He hopes that the defeat the combined heroes of the 20th century endured will make even more prepared to ultimately defeat his own computer. As the story ends the heroes recover and consider their attack.

 

"Crisis From Tomorrow!" is again by the Conway, Dillin and McLaughlin team. The cover is by Dillin and McLaughlin. Chapter 1 "From Out of the Ashes" follows the combined heroes Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Elongated Man, Dr.Mid-Nite, Hawkman, Star-Spangled Kid, and Huntress as they use an expanded Cosmic Treadmill to travel forward in time. Meanwhile at the fortress of the Lord of Time the five Heroes of Yesterday (Enemy Ace, Jonah Hex, Miss Liberty, Black Pirate, and Viking Prince) rally against the Lord of Time's computer who counters with a Tyrannosaurus Rex from the past and Lizard mutants from the future. The five brave heroes are stopped and sealed away. Chapter 2 "The Reefs of Time" begins with Aquaman returning from monitor duty to find most of his colleagues from the Society and the League in hospital beds comatose. He gets advanced equipment from the League's satellite and the doctors continue to try and save them. Meanwhile the heroes heading into the future come upon what they call reefs in time made of white dwarf star material. They are able to penetrate the barrier when Superman is charged by Star-Spangled Kid's cosmic converter and then thrown headlong into the reef by Wonder Woman. But Superman now has become comatose too. The heroes move on. Chapter 3 "Encounter at the End of Time" follows the relentless heroes as one after another they fall. First Hawkman, then Wonder Woman, until they reach the Lord of Time's castle. Inside the Flash finds the Heroes from Yesterday in coffins, but then is attacked and rendered comatose himself by pterodactyls. Then the remaining quartet continue and find a multi-armed robot from the future who defeats all save Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man. It is left to Ralph, a hero who has been doubting his place among all these great heroes to save the day and destroy the computer by slithering by its defenses. The scene shifts forward as the heroes are all revived and assembled and commenting on the aftermath. The Heroes of Yesterday have been returned to their times and the Lord of Time has been imprisoned. The story ends as Elongated Man regales his wife with is heroic exploits. Conway does a smart thing by disabling most of the members of both the JLofA and JSofA right at the beginning of the story. That allows him a workable number of heroes to manipulate. The story benefits as some real characterization worms its way into this epic and we discover the center of our story is Ralph Dibny. The theme of never surrendering is well displayed and adds a neat focus to this story. It was fun to see these heroes from the past, but their powers are pretty amorphous, and sadly they have a relatively small role in the second part. Paradoxes being what they are, it's best I guess that the historical heroes are isolated. This was an entertaining effort. 

 Here's a gallery of covers featuring early cover appearances of the "Heroes of Yesterday". Alas The Black Pirate never rated a cover. 

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