By Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky & Bernard Sachs (DC Comics)
ISBN: 1-56389-159-X
The third deluxe volume recounting the adventures of “The World’s Greatest Superheroes†begins with ‘Challenge of the Untouchable Aliens’ (Justice League of America #15, cover-dated November 1962), an exotic, doom-laden mystery which added some fresh texture to the formulaic plot of extra-dimensional invaders out for our destruction. Following that is the intellectual poser ‘The Cavern of Deadly Spheres’; a change-of-pace tale with a narrative hook that just wouldn’t be used on today’s oh-so-sophisticated audience, but which still has power to grip a reader.
‘Triumph of the Tornado Tyrant’ (#17) saw a sentient cyclone that had once battled the indomitable Adam Strange set up housekeeping on an desolate world to ponder the very nature of Good and Evil, before realising that it needed the help of the Justice League to reach a survivable conclusion. Teaser Alert: As well being a cracking yarn, this story is pivotal to the development of the android hero Red Tornado…
Issue #18 saw the team summoned to a subatomic civilisation by three planetary champions whose continued existence threatened to end the very world they were designed to protect. ‘Journey to the Micro-World’ found our heroes compelled to defeat opponents who were literally unbeatable. Another perplexing riddle was posed in ‘The Super-Exiles of Earth’ when unstoppable duplicates of the team go on a crime-spree with the result that the world’s governments are forced to banish the heroes into space.
‘The Mystery of Spaceman X’ is an interplanetary romp and a cunning brainteaser, with lots of action serving to whet the appetite for the genuine pivotal classic that follows.
‘Crisis on Earth-One’ (Justice League of America #21) and ‘Crisis on Earth-Two’ (#22) combine to become one of the most important stories in DC history and arguably in all American comics. When ‘Flash of Two Worlds’ introduced the concept of Infinite Earths and multiple heroes to the public, fan pressure began almost instantly to bring back the lost heroes of the “Golden Ageâ€. The editorial powers-that-be were hesitant, though, fearing that too many heroes would be silly and unmanageable, or worse yet put readers off. If only they knew what we know now!
The plot sees a team-up of assorted villains from each Earth plundering at will and trapping our heroes in their own HQ. Temporarily helpless the JLA contrive a desperate plan to combine forces with the champions of a bygone era! It’s impossible for me to be totally objective about this saga. I was a drooling kid in short trousers when I first read this and the thrills haven’t diminished with this umpty-first re-reading. This is what superhero comics are all about!
This volume shows the very best of DC at the height of its creative output: Sheer fun and excitement to delight readers of any age and temperament.
© 1962, 1963, 1994 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.