Justice League of America #174 - Jan. 1980

Interesting, having a super-villain warning the super-heroes to save themselves. Well, The Regulator was new at this...

The Story: "A Plague of Monsters" by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. Continued from last issue, we see The Regulator and his rat army taking over S.T.A.R. Labs.

He punches out a scientist, telling him he is exacting revenge against the people who had him committed to a mental hospital, who he believes were jealous of his genius!

Back at the JLA satellite, Green Arrow is telling the other JLAers what happened and just why they aren't inducting Black Lightning. He gets so worked up he gets convinced that the others didn't really want him to join!

Arrow then storms off, off to find Lightning and ask him again, with Elongated Man and Zatanna tagging along.

While at the Metropolis Police HQ, they get an emergency call at S.T.A.R. Labs, and when the three JLAers and the police arrive, they are met by a horde of giant vermin! Ewww!

Some other JLAers arrive to help, as does Black Lightning, and they learn who this Regulator nutjob is. Soon, his hordes of vermin start filling the streets, and the JLA attempts to fight them off.

Meanwhile, Lightning makes a move towards The Regulator, atop a smokestack. In the ensuing battle, The Regulator is careless, and he slips, falling to his death inside the smokestack.

The JLA round up all the creatures, put them into a container of Zatanna's crafting, and Wonder Woman sends it hurtling into space(!), "to the outer reaches of the solar system."

Green Arrow tries one more time to talk Black Lightning into joining, but he remains steadfast to being a loner.

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Elongated Man, Zatanna

Notable Moments: I know the universe is a big place, but over the years superheroes have thrown so much crazy crap "to the outer reaches of the solar system" that it must look like a junkyard out there.

Also, it was kinda cruel, what the JLA did to the Regulator's creatures. Its not their fault, exactly, because they would normally be regular-sized rats and insects had the Regulator not messed with them.

Putting them all in a box, with no food or light, hurtling through space for however long, means that, in short work, that box will become a real chamber of horrors, as the creatures start killing and eating each other to survive.

Sorry to end this on such a downer.

Justice League of America #173 - Dec. 1979

I dunno, I think Black Lightning is being a little tough on that Cavalier-type guy. He looks kinda cool to me.

The Story: "Testing of A Hero" by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. We open on a rooftop in Metropolis, with several members of the JLA following the exploits of a new hero, Black Lightning!

Lightning makes quick work of some bank robbers, and as he carts them off, Green Arrow stresses that Black Lightning is JLA material.

When he mentions that Lightning is "cool, smart, brave...and black!", The Flash objects suggesting that Green Arrow was saying they admit a "token black." Uh-oh!

This leads to Barry and Ollie squaring off, with The Flash taking a particularly hard stand on Green Arrow's political leanings:

Superman calls an end to the nonsense, and moves forward with the plan to test Lightning's mettle.

Meanwhile, a costumed baddie named The Regulator, who seems to be able to control--eww--rats, swears vengeance on society and all those who have wronged him!

Back at Metropolis Police HQ, Lightning laughs at the suggestion that there might be an "anti-vigilante" law passed soon, since of course that would affect Superman, too. He heads out, but is soon attacked by two bizarre beings, one an energy being, the other a type of she-ape!

Lightning defeats them both, and calls the cops to pick them up. He leaves before he sees what they do, that something is happening to these weirdos...Meanwhile, the Regulator's army of rats start to attack S.T.A.R. Labs.

Lightning is attacked again, by another strange being, a sort of invisible man. No sooner does he defeat this foe then he is attacked by yet another costumed stranger, this one dressed like your typical swashbuckler. He almost ends up killing this guy, before he calms down, and the swashbuckler reveals himself to be...Green Arrow!

Suddenly all the JLA show up, telling him they were testing him, and he passed with flying colors. Welcome to the Justice League, Black Lightning!:

Oh...um...er...well...gee...

Meanwhile, we see that S.T.A.R. Labs has been taken over by The Regulator. To be continued!

Roll Call: Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Zatanna

Notable Moments: Black Lightning would've made a fine addition to the JLA, at the same time Conway gives us a plausible reason as to why he doesn't.

The menacing roles the JLAers assume are hilarious, and their super-silly names (Primak, The Trans-Visible Man) seem like a very subtle dig on Conway's part on how the JLAers see themselves.

The little moment Black Lightning has with the police inspector about not worrying about any law that would also affect Superman is nice, and used again by Alan Moore during his brilliant Swamp Thing run. It's a moment that relies upon the readers familiarity with just how beloved Superman is in this universe.

Justice League of America #172 - Nov. 1979

Hey, what's Wonder Woman doing there? And since the murderer is standing behind Batman right now, who the heck is he pointing at?

The Story: "I Accuse..." by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. Continued from last issue, tensions are running high on the satellite following the murder of Mr. Terrific.

Superman asks that Dr. Fate and the Lanterns create a force shield around the satellite so powerful that not even he can break it, to make sure the murderer doesn't escape.

The two teams start an investigation, starting off with Huntress suggesting maybe Mr. Terrific was going senile, a suggestion Green Lantern doesn't take too well to.

Batman, who of course is leading the investigation, asks Flash a few questions:

...I love this sequence, mainly because Batman doesn't explain what he's getting at to the Flash. That seems very Batman to me.

While the Huntress is working the JLA computer, it suddenly explodes, leaving her with terrible burns. Luckily, Dr. Fate uses his amazing abilities to heal her, and with great effort she tells Batman that their suspect is, in fact, who they think it is. She then drifts into sleep.

Batman then reveals what happened--there's only a handful of heroes who could warp the satellite's hull, and who leaves a "seismic trail" that could be tracked by the machine the Spirit King recently stole...and that is Jay Garrick, The Flash!

It turns out that not too long ago, the Flash beat King so badly that he was chosen for a special revenge, to be used an instrument of murder! The Spirit King then uses The Flash's body to escape via the transporter tube, escaping the heroes.

And before the JSA departs to track him down, they take a moment to reflect that the main element of the Spirit King's plan--to turn the heroes against each other--failed, because the heroes refused to believe the worst about one another.

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Red Tornado, Zatanna

Notable Moments: I always though the Spirit King was in fact an old DC villain, turns out Gerry Conway just made him up! He didn't even rate a listing in Who's Who a few years later, even though he took out a long-running DC hero.

There is a bit of a cheat here, where King reveals that he didn't use the Flash's body to strangle Mr. Terrific--which would've been a creepy, unsettling touch--but instead became corporeal just long enough to do the deed himself. Like I did a few issues ago, I call shenanigans.

This issue features a spiffy ad for, well, itself:

...I like the varied bits of stock art you've got here. A bunch of Neal Adams heads, Power Girl from the cover of All-Star Comics #58, Green Lantern from the back cover of the JLA treasury comic, a real smorgasbord.

Justice League of America #171 - Oct. 1979

The JLA and the JSA's annual team-up this time involves a murder...committed by one of them!

The Story: "The Murderer Among Us: Crisis Above Earth-One!" by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. Zatanna is chairing the monthly JLA meeting, which happens to coincide with the annual get together with the JSA.

The JSAers this time around include Hawkman, Green Lantern, Power Girl, Huntress, Mr. Terrific, Flash, and Dr. Fate. No points as to which one of these heroes doesn't make it to the end of the issue.

Anyway, the two teams of heroes are participating in chit-chat, and Zatanna mentions to Hawkman and Power Girl that she still feels a bit nervous about working with a team, because she wanted to prove she could make it on her own. Hawkman reassures Zee:

...Carter Hall, ladies man.

Anyway, over in another group, Mr. Terrific is telling a story about running into one of his old foes, The Spirit King, who was in the middle of some nefarious scheme when he was discovered by Mr. Terrific, but...:

...After a few awkward moments, Superman notices some of the heroes suddenly aren't around. Hmm...

But before he can look into it, a huge explosion rips open the satellite! While Dr. Fate and the Lanterns help build a patch for the hull, Superman discovers a casualty on a piece of wreckage...Mr. Terrific.

The Flash discovers another piece of wreckage, but with strange markings on it. Zatanna takes it and tries to use her powers to determine what happened to it, when she is hit by some burst of energy from it, which sends her into shock!

The Flashes search the satellite, and no one else is aboard. Red Tornado checks the records and sees that no one else has beamed off or on the satellite in the last hour. Which means...one of them is a murderer! To be continued!

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Red Tornado, Zatanna

Notable Moments: This is one of those stories that I think works depending on when you read it. I think if I had read a comic like this now, when an old-time hero is brought out of retirement just to be killed off, I wouldn't like it.

But since I this comic came out pretty much right when I was first reading comics, I accepted it, and it was a shocking turn of events. Major changes are more easily accepted if they happened long before you came around.

That said, I like the murder mystery concept, and I still think the story works fairly well. Let's see how it wraps up tomorrow.

Justice League of America #170 - Sept. 1979

The entire JLA turns out to save a burning world--" The entire JLA, huh?

The Story: "While A World Lies Burning" by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. Picking up from last issue, the Earth is experiencing massive fires all over, due to the increased oxygen that started occurring last issue.

While Batman remains in the JLA satellite trying to figure out what's causing all this, the trial of the five JLAers continues.

During the trial, Ultraa leaps from his chair and starts attacking his lawyer, and the JLA try to stop him. After fighting most of them all, Ultraa's lawyer assumes his true shape, the pink globby collection of tissue, which explains it rigged this whole trial as a distraction from its real plan to destroy Earth!

Back at the satellite, Batman, after calling out the other available members of the League (plus Supergirl), decides to take on the problem head on. He dons a spacesuit, grabs a small spaceflier, and heads to a "rogue" asteroid that has been orbiting Earth for a short while.

Once there, Batman discovers its not an asteroid, but a small spaceship! He gets inside...

Meanwhile, on Earth, the JLA destroys the propulsion machine that was sucking all the Hydrogen out of Earth's atmosphere, and Ultraa is knocked out during the battle. They then get a communication from Batman that he redirected the "asteroid" and sent it hurtling out of the solar system, restoring Earth's natural balance.

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado

Notable Moments: Despite what the cover says, the "entire JLA" does not participate in this issue--Atom and Hawkman are mentioned to be on a mission in deep space, and Hawkgirl and Zatanna are not mentioned at all. And yet Aquaman, not shown on the cover, does appear, albeit briefly.

This issue features a nifty subscription ad for the book:

...I could mention here that Aquaman is once again not included, but I won't.

Justice League of America #169 - Aug. 1979

The JLA fights...the citizens of Earth! Plus some weird, gross putty guy. Oh, and Ultraa.

The Story: "The Doomsday Decision" by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. We open with several members of the JLA...on trial!

When they ask who brought lawsuit and charges against them, they are shown it was...Ultraa! Ultraa's attorney, Mr. Sloane, accuses the JLA of holding his client imprisoned, illegally.

The Court takes the JLA into custody until the trial can start, and while they do the humiliating "perp walk", it starts a riot between supporters and non-supporters of the JLA.

The JLA uses their powers to stop the rioting, but then they peacefully surrender to the police. Ultraa, watching this from the sides, wonders if he has done something wrong, judged these people too harshly. But his attorney talks him out of his doubt...

Meanwhile, Batman is on Monitor Duty, who has discovered a disturbance in the Earth's atmosphere. He could use some help, but he remembers that "all" the JLA is busy:

...I know this is a minor thing, but this panel always bugged me. Where are Zatanna and Hawkgirl? Did no one update the JLA computers?

Meanwhile, riots begin to break out all over the world, for no good reason. This is all part of the plan by a group of globby creatures named the Over-Complex, who have assumed the form of Ultraa's attorney, Mr. Sloane!

The JLAers, from their prison cell,notice that the ocean level is dropping at an alarming rate, so Superman heads out to investigate. Green Lantern uses his ring to create a fake Superman as not to alert the guards.

While investigating, Supes is zapped by the Over-Complex, and to make matters worse, Batman now sees that the Earth's percentage of Oxygen is growing in direct proportion to the ocean's disappearance!

Meanwhile, Ultraa notices this strange creature, and follows it to see it turn into...his lawyer! Ultraa decides to follow Sloane in secret, but he doesn't notice that this creature already knows that Ultraa knows! To be continued!

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Red Tornado

Notable Moments: Wow, a lot happens in this issue! And this isn't even a double-sized issue or anything.

Ultraa is a bit of a sap in this issue, so maybe it was good he didn't join the JLA--he seems easily swayed.

Justice League of America #168 - July 1979

One of my favorite covers (by Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano) leads off part three of the battle with the Secret Society of Super-Villains!

The Story: "The Last Great Switcheroo" by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. Continued from last issue, we see that the newly arrives JLAers (Green Arrow, Black Canary, Flash, Hawkman, and Elongated Man) are looking at their fellow JLAers a little askance.

This gets kicked into overdrive when "Green Lantern" encases the "bad guys" into a diamond-shaped prison, which "Superman" then hurtles into the sun!

Superman manages to convince them that the diamond will remain in orbit around the solar system until the prisoners can be rehabilitated, but Green Arrow knows something is wrong.

Interlude: back from last issue, we the mytserious Mr. Sloane as he frees the prisoner inside the stasis cube--and it's Ultraa!

Back at the satellite, we see Red Tornado, now fully recuperated, ready to attack the Star Sapphire, who has just beamed aboard! But before he can, Sapphire mentions her mother--Sindella--which lets Tornado realize what's been going on!

Meanwhile, at a museum for Aztec treasures, the JLA is standing guard. The true JLAers wonder why they're here, and the faux-JLAers tell them they are expecting a super-villain attack. They split up into groups, but when Black Canary is paired off with Green Lantern, he can't help himself:

This is all Canary needed, and she screams out across the museum "They're imposters!"

The real JLAers easily defeat the faux ones, since they are still inexperienced at using their new powers. They take the SSOSV back to the satellite, where Zatanna presides over the soul re-switching, having rescued the trapped JLAers earlier.

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado, Zatanna

Notable Moments: I love that the main reason this plan falls apart is because Prof. Zoom is such a horndog. That's priceless.