Justice League of America #197 - Dec. 1981

Part 3 of the JLA and the JSA versus the Secret Society of Super-Villains!

The Story: "Crisis in Limbo!" by Gerry Conway, George Perez, Keith Pollard, and Romeo Tanghal. Continued from last issue, we watch the SSOSV gloat as they transport the kidnapped members of the JLA and JSA into another dimension.

After the heroes disappear, the desired-for effect happens, and both worlds experience a worldwide--but momentary--reality shift (another reason why it would be absolutely terrifying to actually live on either of these worlds, since stuff like this seems to happen every couple of days).

Anyway, Ultra Humanite checks his figures and...presto! The heroes of Earth-2 are gone!

While he, The Monocle, The Mist, Brainwave, Psycho Pirate, and Rag Doll gloat, the Earth-1 villains start to think this was going to be the result all along, and they have been hoodwinked.

Of course, they are exactly right, and now that they are no longer needed, UH beams them back to Earth-1! What an ungrateful little monkey!

The Earth-1 villains are furious at the treachery, and they hatch a plan. They lay in wait for Green Lantern, and get the drop on him just as he's about to use the JLA Transporter. They use him to beam there, where they subdue The Elongated Man, and use the satellite to beam themselves to the interdimensional limbo where the kidnapped heroes went.

They get Cheetah all worked up, so she attacks Wonder Woman in a blind rage, smashing the tube she's encased in, freeing all the heroes. Unfortunately, the villains didn't really have an Exit Strategy, and they are easily defeated by the JLA and JSA in return!

Soon after, the Earth-2 villains all meet, and ask why the Ultra Humanite wanted them there. He said he didn't, and the confusion is broken when they learn who it was who called them there:

The heroes make quick work of the bad guys (The Flash in particular knocks Rag Doll around like, well, a rag doll), and throw them all into a transporter beam jerry-rigged by Batman, The Atom, and Wonder Woman.

Superman ends the discussion with knocking UH into the beam, transporting them all into the same limbo the heroes were stranded in.

The JLAers return to the satellite, to a bewildered Green Lantern and Elongated Man, while all the villains chase after Ultra Humanite, in an unusually comical ending.

Roll Call: Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Firestorm

Notable Moments: I like the glee with which Batman threatens the villains. For once, he's enjoying this.

The JLA Mail Room features a letter from a Canadian named Todd McFarlane. Hmm...

Justice League of America #196 - Nov. 1981

Part 2 of the JLA and the JSA versus the Secret Society of Super-Villains!

The Story: "Countdown to Crisis" by Gerry Conway, George Perez, and Romeo Tanghal. Continued from last issue, we have the SSOSV pulling off their plot to kidnap specific members of the JLA and JSA.

Having already captured Wonder Woman, Hawkman, and Black Canary, they are placed in some sort of giant mix-master, until the other heroes needed for this plan can also be kidnapped.

The next hero on the list is Hourman, and we find him being attacked by The Psycho Pirate out in public, in Hourman's civilian identity of Rex Tyler.

The PP projects his emotions onto a giant movie screen, trying to use them on Hourman, in a sequence wonderfully executed by George Perez (how many times have I said that already):

...of course, the Pirate finally gets the drop on Hourman, and takes him back to the base. This segment is a reminder that there really are very few bad characters, its all how they are handled. I woulda read an Hourman solo comic drawn by George Perez, no problem.

Cut to Earth-1, where we find the Dark Knight Detective on patrol:

He is attacked the The Signal Man, who turns the citizens of Gotham against him. As Signal Man says: "Mission Accomplished!"

The same fate befalls The Flash by Rag Doll, The Atom by The Floronic Man, Johnny Thunder by Brainwave, Firestorm by Killer Frost, and finally Superman by the Ultra Humanite.

All the heroes are then placed in UH's machine, and it spins faster and faster, until it finally disappears into limbo! To be continued!

Roll Call: Batman, Wonder Woman, Atom, Black Canary, Firestorm

Notable Moments: I like the use of the mostly obscure villains--The Monocle? The Mist? Not exactly The Joker and Black Manta here, but maybe the Ultra Humanite thought they'd be easier to control. We'll see next issue how wrong he was.

All of the issues of JLA in my collection are treasured, but this one a little more than most--I bought it while on vacation with my parents in the Pocono Mountains, where we went ever year in August (during my birthday).

I spent a lot of time sitting on the porch, looking out over the lake, with as many comics as I could find at the numerous bookstores and newsstands that lined the one road through the area. The copy I have here is the same one I bought back in August 1981.

Good times.

Justice League of America #195 - Oct. 1981

The JLA and the JSA versus the Secret Society of Super-Villains!

The Story: "Targets on Two Worlds" by Gerry Conway, George Perez, and John Beatty. We find various supervillains (The Monocle, Signalman, the Cheetah) being approached by other supervillains (Killer Frost, and some mysterious, shadowed figure) about joining the Secret Society of Super-Villains. Ah, open enrollment day!

The creepy Flash villain Rag Doll is rescued from a botched bank robbery by The Monocle and the Psycho Pirate, and Killer Frost, the Cheetah, and Signal Man drag Jason Woodrue (aka The Floronic Man, aka The Plant Master) into their scheme, as well.

We find yet another villain, the Mist, and how he deals with former accomplices who have done him wrong:

...The Mist may be a goofy villain, but he's hardcore.

The Earth-1 villains meet up with another villains, Brainwave, and he teleports them all to Earth-2, where they meet up with the other bad guys, and they meet their leader...the Ultra-Humanite!

He explains to them his cockamamie theory that, if you remove certain heroes from each of the two worlds, it will throw the "cosmic balance" out of whack, causing the permanent removal of all the heroes from one of the worlds!

Meanwhile, the JLA and the JSA are having their annual get together at the satellite, with The Atom telling bad jokes, Firestorm hitting on Power Girl (can't blame a guy for trying), and Batman happy to see his quasi-daughter, The Huntress. All the JLA are in attendance, even former members:

...how can we miss you if you won't leave?

Anyway, after all the heroes clear out, Canary is left behind on Monitor Duty. So lost in her reveries, Canary doesn't notice that the Mist has sneaked onto the satellite, where he sucker-punches her, knocking her out.

The Monocle and The Cheetah get the drop on the Earth-2 Hawkman and Wonder Woman, respectively, and all three heroes are kidnapped and taken to the SSOV's headquarters, as per the plan.

We find that the Ultra Humanite has been lying about part of his plan--he knows full well which Earth will be de-heroized! To be continued!

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado, Hawkgirl, Zatanna, Firestorm

Notable Moments: I like the running gag of Firestorm trying to score with Power Girl, and it was nice to see Aquaman (if only for one panel), since he seems to rarely show during these JLA/JSA team-ups, for some reason (although that will change soon).

DC raised their price with this issue from 50 to 60 cents, but gave you two extra pages of content. In this issue's case, a nice JLA/JSA pin-up by Perez:

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.

Justice League of America #167 - June 1979

Part Two of the battle with the Secret Society of Super-Villains!

The Story: "The League That Defeated Itself" by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. Continued from last issue, we open with the members of the SSOSV, in the JLA's bodies, lounging about in the JLA Satellite.

Meanwhile, the true JLAers are trapped in a giant "stasis cube". After several failed attempts to escape, Superman (now in the Wizard's body), figures out that Green Lantern (now in Prof. Zoom's body) can use his super-speed powers to attack the cube repeatedly in one spot, which weakens it enough for it to crack open, freeing them. They find that the villains have gone, and their friend Red Tornado unconscious.

Also meanwhile, a man named Mr. Sloane arrives on a small island, heading into a small, nondescript building. Inside is some sort of stasis cube (another one!), who he says is his "client." To be continued!

Back at the satellite, the JLAers try to find the bad guys, so they send Green Lantern/Prof. Zoom to Bay Federal Prison to talk to a former SSOSV member, Hijack, where Lantern oh-so-subtly asks him where the current SSOSV headquarters is. He finds out, and Hijack is left bewildered as to what just happened.

The JLAers break their way, but are stopped by...a green arrow?!?

Turns out the "JLA members" expected this, so they called in some of the other members to get the drop on them. And even though they just apprehended some super-villains, Green Arrow is a tad suspicious over all this:

The bad guys are secure in their plan, not noticing that one of them---Zatanna/Star Sapphire--is missing! To be continued!

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

Notable Moments: Three-parters were still fairly unusual at this point, so it really gives you a sense of how big this threat is by running into three issues.

This story takes place entirely over just a few hours, all at night, which gives it--to me--an extra level of creepiness. There's something so wrong about bad guys taking over good guy's bodies. Especially since The Floronic Man (called The Plant Master here) took over Wonder Woman's body. I will say no more.

Justice League of America #166 - May 1979

The JLA takes on a team of super-foes!

The Story: "The Long Way Home" by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin, and Frank McLaughlin. Continued from last issue, a funeral celebration is taking place for Zatanna's mother Sindella.

This features a nice moment, where Batman relates to Wonder Woman that he feels any sort of "celebration" of death is wrong. Diana tries to reassure him, but its left unresolved. The JLA members then prepare to come home.

Meanwhile, Red Tornado, on Monitor Duty, is surprised by some unwanted visitors--members of the Secret Society of Super-Villains! He is quickly knocked out by Professor Zoom, followed by Blockbuster, the Wizard, Star Sapphire, and the Floronic Man.

The Wizard shows the other baddies their goal--to find and possess a mysterious artifact, a Griffin Statue, which has magical powers. They use the JLA's computer to find where it is.

The JLA members then arrive, see what has happened, and follow the SSOSV's trail, which was exactly what the bad guys intended! The JLA encounters them, and are defeated!

Then The Wizard uses the statue to switch souls with the JLA:

Oh boy, this is trouble! To be continued!

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

Notable Moments: As a kid, I always like the Secret Society concept--villains seemed so much more formidable and scary to me when they teamed-up.

This storyline has become retroactively famous and sought-out, after the Villains United storyline that ran across the DCU a few years ago.