Green Lanterns And Green Arrow

Even though Green Arrow did have his own alternate Earth doppleganger, the two Oliver Queens never met outside the pages of the Justice League of America.

Green Arrow did get involved with a little Earth-1/Earth-2 crossover....this in the pages of the Green Lantern title, with Green Lantern Hal Jordan of Earth-1 working with Green Lantern Alan Scott of Earth-2, under two covers by Mike Grell!

Here's how that tale went....

Dark Things Cannot Stand The Light

It all started in Green Lantern #111 (December, 1978) by Denny O'Neil, Alex Saviuk and Vince Colletta, with Green Arrow taking Green Lantern out for eats in Star City...and coming across muggers working on an old gypsy fortune teller.  Green Arrow took out his criminal, but as Green Lantern went for his, his ring froze, but the man turned into a green statue.  It was magic in response to Madame Eva's curse....but magic usually didn't flow this freely.  After prompting by Ollie to review his origin, Hal and Ollie headed to Oa, home of the Guardians of the Universe, to find out what might be happening. 

There, a Guardian explained how, when they were charged with keeping order to the universe, they gathered up all the magic, and contained it in the heart of a star  (The charging was self-imposed, as an Oan had let evil loose in multiverse, and the Guardians wanted to combat it).  Yet, there was a thief from outside the galaxy who stole the Star Heart....and loosed random magic again.  So, to combat this new threat, Hal decided to call on Alan Scott, the mystical Green Lantern from Earth-2.  After the pair charged their rings at the main Power Battery, the three heroes went after the villain in the empty space between galaxies.  Asking him to stop, the thief hurled power bolts taking out the two ring-slingers...at least until the next issue....

Starheart Connection

Dennis O'Neil, Alex Saviuk and Vince Colletta picked up the story in Green Lantern #112 (January, 1979), with the heroes in hot pursuit of the Star Heart thief.  The Green Lanterns compare notes on the blasts that took them out (magic for Hal, electricity for Alan), and Green Arrow asks Alan of his origin as the trio continue out of Hal's jurisdiction, with Ollie wondering where the meteor that formed the original Lantern came from, and what was the voice. 

Finally, the trio came upon a split planet in the void, half city, half forest, with a building/castle on the dividing line.  As they approached, a pair of beams drained the ring slingers power, and took the Green Lanterns inside, as Green Arrow crashed to the ground.  There, he faced future soldiers and ancient trolls....until he was captured as well.  Inside the duo dwelling, Green Arrow met Jack-lord Zalaz, who had snatched the Starheart for his queen, M'la, who was dying and neither science nor magic would cure her. 

Sending Green Arrow to the prison he had for the Green Lanterns (a cell of yellow petrified wood), the two Green Lanterns combine their power (made possible by Alan charging at the Oan Power Battery), and, by using their power together, are able to confront Zalaz....who, at first was draining the Starheart to fight, then used it to transfer his life to M'la, reviving her (the most beautiful woman in the universe).  M'la, an adept sorceress, healed Green Arrow, then tasked herself to return the Starheart to its home, as Alan learned that the Starheart was the source of the meteor that eventually became his Green Lantern, and the heroes were returned home.

An issue that explained much, linking the two Green Lanterns as never before, as well as giving more history of the DC Universe, not unlike when the Green Lanterns first met solo, and learned of the origins of the Guardians of the Universe and the hand at the Dawn of Time! 

But, this was to be the last solo meeting of the Green Lanterns before the Crisis (with Alan appearing here after the end of the 1970s All-Star Comics series, and a few solo back ups in the back of the regular Green Lantern magazine before this issue, and a small spot in fighting histories heroes in a JLA/JSA team up, before more adventures in Adventure Comics, and losses of JSA teammates there and in the next JLA/JSA team up....with both those team ups chronicled here).  All awaiting a larger Crisis On Infinite Earths.....

Batman And The Outsiders Meet The New Teen Titans

Along time ago, before the internet and digital downloads, one would look into the window of a comic shop and see posters of upcoming events....

...one such as this wonderful poster by George Perez and Jim Aparo, promising the excitement of a meeting of the New Teen Titans and Batman and the Outsiders!

This happened in an issue of each of their series....as follows!

Light's Out, Everyone

Starting the crossover fun was New Teen Titans #37 (December, 1983) by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Romeo Tanghal....with this half of a connected cover by George Perez (one of the earliest examples of this trick).


The issue starts out with Gizmo, one of the members of the Fearsome Five, helping to start a prison break for the other members of the team...matter manipulating Shimmer; her brother, super strong Mammoth; devious Dr. Light (former JLA and Teen Titan foe) and psionic Psimon.  These villains have a plan to increase their power, and plan to use scientist Dr. Helga Jace to help (as she had helped Shimmer and Mammoth in their past, being an expert on metahumans).

Meanwhile, in the Titans Tower; Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Changeling, Cyborg, Starfire and Raven were finishing a meeting and dealing with newest member, Terra (matter manipulator), when Terra got a mysterious signal (of much distress to her, as she immediately goes off because of it....foiling her secret plans to get more information on the Titans, as Terra is a secret agent for Deathstroke the Terminator).

Her alarm went off signalling the kidnapping of Dr. Helga Jace, and Terra arrives at the doctor's home, only to find Metamorpho, Black Lightning, Halo and Katana there....and Terra attacks!  The group fight her as the Titans start to arrive (usually team up trope), but then Kid Flash and Wonder Girl recognize Metamorpho and Black Lightning (and vice versa), so the fighting stops.

Just in time, as Geo-Force arrives....and greets Terra as his sister, Tara Markov!  Seems Tara had gotten her Earth powers a year before, and Geo-Force was looking for her,  but hadn't found her.

The teams unite and realize they must look for the villains, the Fearsome Five, who took Jace (and both teams contact their leaders... ...Robin/Dick Grayson of the Titans and Batman/Bruce Wayne of the Outsiders.. ..who are meeting at Wayne Manor to discuss recent problems the two are having, with Jason Todd in the background, and Alfred Pennyworth letting them know their teams need them).

The entirety of both teams unite at Titans Tower, where they search for clues to find the Fearsome Five (getting notice that they are experimenting on homeless people....turning them into mud men).  The teams (with Batman taking over as leader, much to Robin's dismay), go to a Gotham island where the Fearsome Five are, but....the villains and their mutated men of the Mud Pack attack, and the villains flee....and blow up the island....sinking the heroes.....

Psimon Says

Batman And The Outsiders #5 (December, 1983) came out soon after, by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo (with Marv Wolfman as a co-plotter and cover by George Perez and Jim Aparo, giving the second half of a connected cover...letting you know these two issues connected in story, a piece occasionally forgotten in modern connected covers).

It starts with our heroes sinking in light of the explosion they just faced, with Batman feeling concerned because he was counting on Robin and the Outsiders to take care of Gotham should he die, and Robin thinking they wouldn't be in this predicament had he led instead....thankfully, Terra and Geo-Force work together and save the heroes from a watery grave, saving themselves and Dr. Jace.

Batman takes charge (as he did when working with Titans in Brave and the Bold), suggesting they go to the closer Outsiders headquarters under Wayne Foundation (though the Outsiders are unaware of Batman's true identity, unlike the Titans of Robin's).  Wonder Girl and Halo talk of their lack of knowledge of their parents' identities, and Kid Flash and Black Lightning talk of how they both tried to walk away from being heroes but came back, as Batman again takes dominance of the two teams.

Meanwhile, the villains have a falling out, as Psimon takes over his team, directing the others against Dr. Light, who escapes....leading to his being caught by the heroes.  They find out the villains had a plan of taking over New York City with a mind control device, and with Dr. Jace's help, find a way to immunize the heroes against it.

The Fearsome Five (less one) were using the Empire State Building to center their device and succeed in taking New York....as the heroes arrive to stop them, with Batman trying to divide the teams when Robin speaks up, saying Batman's orders will likely get them killed, and comes up with a division of the teams that takes advantage of his knowledge and experience, which does allow them to defeat the villains, and Batman and Robin finally make peace at the end (as Terra and Geo-Force plan to unite their family again sometime soon....).

All of this lays out a plan for future issues of both series, as Dick Grayson retires as Robin (and Wally West retires as Kid Flash), with Dick soon taking on the identity of Nightwing, as Donna Troy/Wonder Girl finds her real family (with help from Dick); and Black Lightning is confronted by the Masters of Disaster (and the reason he lost his powers for a time), and Halo discovers her true identity (and origins of her powers), with Geo-Force having to deal with fallout from more revelations and problems from his sister, Terra.

Psimon and the Fearsome Five return right before the Crisis On Infinite Earths as well, as the Titans and Outsiders will work together then too.

Read these yourself in New Teen Titans Volume 6 Tradepaperback of 2017 (including Dick and Wally's retirement) or Batman and the Outsiders Volume 1 Hardcover of 2017 (including the teams' origins, more on Markovia and Black Lightning's power problems)....a shameless bit of advertisement for DC, who brought readers these classic tales!


For those interested in comic marketing, and some of the ways done to make comics appealing to readers and give us some things to follow, check out my fellow Super Blog Team Up members blogs', as our assignment was to cover gimmicks that sell comics, focusing on the later years of Chromium...wherein covers were shiny to sell comics!


Participants include:

Super-Hero Satellite: 70s-80s Photo Covers

Comic Reviews By Walt: The 90s Revisited: Shiny Covers

Chris Is On Infinite Earths (Blog): Adventures Of Superman 500 (White Bag and Lenticular Cover)

Chris Is On Infinite Earths (Podcast): Episode 33: Team Titans 1 (1992) Five Variant Covers

Source Material: Spider-Man Torment (1-5 by Todd McFarlane)

Comicscomicscomics.blog: Daredevil Fall From Grave (319-325) Gimmick Covers and costume changes

The Telltale Mind:  Worlds Collide - the Intercompany Crossover

Between The Pages: Guerrilla Marketing

DC In The 80s: Justin's 5 most memorable DC gimmicks from 1990-1995 including Robin, Spectre and more!

Comics In The Golden Age: Fawcett's Mighty Midgets comics

Unspoken Issues: Darkhawk 25

When It Was Cool: Polybags!

In My Not So Humble Opinion: Pop-Up Cover Force Works 1

Black & White and Bronze Comics Blog: Stan Lee's foray into the magazine format with Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine of 1968


I thank all my regular readers for also checking out all these great members of the Super-Blog Team-Up family, welcome new readers brought to me because of the SBTU, and thanks to everyone for a love of comics as well all team up well!!

Remembering DeForest Kelley With McCoy Covers

I'm going to click my heels and jump for joy, today's the birthday of the actor who played Dr. McCoy!


Remembering DeForest Kelley and his role as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy from a few of the Star Trek comics over the years, born January 20, 1920, and passed at age 79 on June 11, 1999.

DC Comics

Crossover 

Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing

Kirk and Spock both had more Star Trek covers, but at least McCoy had a few....and, today he gets the last word!

Black Lightning Says No To JLA

At one time it was considered an honor to be asked to join the Justice League of America.

Almost no one said no....

....but, then there was the case of Black Lightning, early in his career, soon after first meeting Superman and Green Arrow on separate cases.

See why Black Lightning said no....

Testing Of A Hero

Black Lightning was being monitored by the JLA in hopes he would be a good choice for membership in Justice League Of America #173 (December, 1979) by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin, all under a cover by Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano.

JLA members Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Zatanna and Green Arrow were watching Black Lightning in action in Metropolis' Suicide Slum, and felt he might make a good member, but needed to test him to see if his powers and judgement were sound.  Coincidentally, Black Lightning was attacked by four odd super powered people, who tested him to the max....and, lo and behold, they were disguised JLA members, seeing if Black Lightning was able.  The JLA felt he was....shame that Black Lightning wasn't interested.

Meanwhile, what's the Regulator doing sending rats to attack the local S.T.A.R. Labs....

A Plague Of Monsters

The JLA, not use to being turned down, checked in again in Justice League of America #174 (January, 1980) by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin, under a Dick Dillin/Dick Giordano cover, while Jefferson Pierce wrestled with being either a teacher or Black Lightning.

In comes the Regulator, who is Barney Boulton, who use to work at S.T.A.R. Labs until a mental breakdown, and he perfected a device that let him mentally control rats and other pests. 

So, of course, he decided to take revenge...all while hotheaded Green Arrow led a team of JLAers to look for Black Lightning.

Black Lightning and the League both responded to the menace (with the pests the Regulator used mutating out of control), so the JLA faced the creatures as Black Lightning went out on his own to take down the Regulator, confronting him with who he was really hurting with his actions, which made the villain unstable....and fell to his death. 

The JLA stopped the creatures, but, after catching up to Black Lightning, the electrical hero still wanted to stay on his own, as that was how he solved this problem.

Black Lightning gave Green Arrow doubts about why he was in the JLA, so, he left the team for a while (but came back, realizing the team needed him to watch out for them).  Soon after, Batman had philosophical differences with the JLA, finding himself outside the team, and recruited Black Lightning (and others) to form the Outsiders.

Black Lightning wasn't the first hero to have said no to the JLA....as Metamorpho had done so years before.  Odd that they'd both end up on a team with Batman....

...and, later still, both would join the Justice League as well! 

Flash Facts: Spectacular Changes

This time the Flash team up doesn't happen within the regular Flash issue, but instead in a "Flash Spectacular", otherwise known as DC Special Series #11 (May, 1978), written by Cary Bates and with a cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, showing the two Flashes (Barry Allen and Jay Garrick) as well as Kid Flash (Wally West) and even other speedster Johnny Quick and the villain of the piece....Gorilla Grodd, all going "Beyond The Super-Speed Barrier!".

All that....and I'd buy that for a dollar!


Now, the book was split into chapters, each done by a different artist, focusing on a different character, so, here's the breakdown....

Grodd

Starting off with art by Irv Novick and Joe Giella, there's a big event in Gorilla City!  Notorious criminal, Gorilla Grodd, fresh off of causing trouble for most of Earth (including Gorilla City) with the Secret Society of Super-Villains, King Solovar and the High Council of Gorilla City execute Grodd for his crimes.

Kid Flash

Starting the main story with Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Wally Wood, as they draw Wally West...Kid Flash!  Wally is getting ready for his graduation from high school, when his mom, Mary, almost makes the discovery of her life....Wally in his Kid Flash outfit! 

A little super speed saves the day, but enough of hanging around his home in Blue Valley....Wally heads out with his girlfriend, Leslie (she only appears in this issue)....

....and she nearly discovers his identity as well!  Wally's dog, Lightning, takes off with his accidentally released costume (all distracting Wally from what Leslie has been saying), so after getting his costume, Wally finds Leslie leaving on his bike...at super speed! 

Dangerous super speed as well, so he goes after her as Kid Flash, watching her burn up and hitting a speed he had rarely reached before getting a dizzying effect...and, as he comes back to Blue Valley, finds Leslie, hitchhiking to get home (as the Leslie he was following was an illusion).  There's also a mysterious simian with a ray gun watching....what's up with that?

Back at the West home, Wally, in his Kid Flash costume, has something he decides to tell his parents (his Kid Flash identity....).

Flash (Barry Allen)

Next chapter by Irv Novick and Joe Giella sees Flash (Barry Allen) arriving at Gorilla City in Africa, finding out from Solovar of how they executed Grodd, because the High Council voted to disperse Grodd's atoms to another dimension (instead of just putting him in an improved Exo-Cube cell as Solovar wanted). 

Barry, accepting he'll never have to face Grodd again, leaves Gorilla City at 7:55 am for his job as a police scientist in Central  City....at 8 am! 

(Plenty of time for the fastest man alive!). 

Barry even has time to prevent a car accident (with his new assistant, Patty Spivot) and still be on time. 

Elsewhere in Central City, Barry's foe from his first appearance, the Turtle, is working on a slow laser, which he will use on the citizens of the city...if he can get it to work!  That mysterious simian shows up again, training his ray gun on the device....and, when the Turtle checks it...finds it now works.

The Turtle gets to rob a bank (eventually), drawing the Flash in...and he hits Flash with his slow laser in the eyes.  This seems to give the Turtle (and everyone else in Central City) super speed?  Closing his eyes, Flash turns back into Barry Allen, and is luckily found by his wife, Iris. 

At home, Barry and Iris figure out that the Turtle's ray took away Flash's speed vision, and find that he needs to reach a certain speed to knock loose the ray's affects and return his vision to normal. 

So a quick jaunt around the Earth (hitting a dizzying speed as well), and Flash can see again....and Barry is ready to capture the Turtle!


At home, Barry and Iris finally figure out the wedding gift to give to Patty Spivot and her soon to be husband, David....lovebirds! 

Though, in light of this recent case, Iris suggests turtle doves!

Flash (Jay Garrick)

Over on Earth-2, with art by Kurt Schaffenberger and Murphy Anderson, Jay Garrick of the Keystone Research Laboratories is revealing his secret identity as the Flash to the world. 

As reporters grill him on his new life (because he still plans to be both Flash and a scientist), Johnny Chambers and Tubby Watts of Sees-All Tells All Video just arrive (a little late), and are just in time to witness an accident that draws scientist Jay Garrick into becoming the Flash (and Johnny to change to his secret identity as super speedster with a formula....Johnny Quick!). 

But, that mysterious simian and his ray gun are doing what here on Earth-2?

Flash tries to stop the runaway water blob...but Johnny only wants to make it worse?  Flash stops the problem, even as Johnny wonders why he acted the way he did (but Tubby found an x-factor...that of a new X in Johnny's speed formula!). 

Johnny goes to Jay's house to apologize, but (thanks to that mysterious simian) says the wrong formula, and kidnaps Jay's wife, Joan!  Flash and Johnny Quick battle, and (after hitting a dizzying speed), Flash defeats Johnny....who seems to be cured of his formula problem.....

...but what is that mysterious simian doing monkeying around with the Flashes?

Flash Team-Up

Finally, Alex Saviuk and Joe Giella provide the team-up part, when both Barry and Wally find their costumes activate from their rings...and the two head to an open field where they meet with Jay...all under the control of the mysterious simian, who Wally and Jay assume is Grodd, and quickly defeat him....

..or do they?

The Flashes find out Grodd has possesses Council member Jroyy, and then uses the other Flashes to tell Barry his plan....(proving Grodd wasn't dead, BTW)... ..manipulating them all to reach a dizzying speed, and pull molecules of Grodd back from that other dimension they reached...all so....

....Grodd can live again!

The three Flashes work together, but find it hard to defeat Grodd, now that he has speed as well as his mind over matter powers.  Barry comes up with a desperate idea...combining with the other two Flashes, hoping that triple Flash powers can defeat Grodd!  It works, and the Flashes get Grodd back to Gorilla City, where he gets to try out Solovar's Exo Cube.

Epilogue

Now, for Wally's graduation, by Irv Novick and Joe Giella.  A few guests show up (like the Teen Titans and Elongated Man)....but sad the next, as Wally lets Barry know that he'll still be Kid Flash at college, but will give it up after he graduates that!

All that, and a couple of text pages on Flash's Rogue's Gallery.  A pretty spectacular issue, showing quite a few changes for the lives of the Flashes....all without a multi-issue cross over, or even more than the one Crisis (but, more Crises are in the future for the Flashes; as Jay and Barry discuss Jay's life change in the sixteenth JLA/JSA team-up, and Wally has to get use to not being in the Teen Titans as their 1970s run just ended with a telling of the team's establishing adventure!).

JLA JSA Fifth Multiple Crisis

History time again, and how appropriate that is for this batch of JLA/JSA team-ups, since they all involve a bit of history.

The first, is where the two teams are attacked by people who had long passed away, the second was dealing with the return of an old foe and a mystery, and the third, an extra long team-up, had the two teams dealing with the New Gods (and was history for both a sad and happy reason as well.

Time to look back at a few meetings of the Justice League and Justice Society....

Crisis From Yesterday

Now that the JLA and JSA could easily cross worlds thanks to their Transmatter Machine, the JLA and JSA decided to have a party on Earth-1's Gotham in Justice League of America #159 (October, 1978) by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin, but, as the cover by Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano, there were some party crashers!

Before getting to the battle, a chance to review with the JLA and JSA, as they took the time...Earth-1 Batman reflects on his meeting with the Earth-2 Huntress in Batman Family, Earth-2 Flash says his life is supposedly easier after revealing his identity to the world in DC Special Series #11 (or so he says to Earth-1 Flash), Earth-2 Green Lantern was starting a back up in Earth-1 Green Lantern's title, and the JSA had just ended their All-Star Comics run with issue #74.....

....then, BOOM!

The heroes of today were attacked by History's Heroes...Jonah Hex, Viking Prince, Miss Liberty, the Black Pirate and the Enemy Ace!  These past heroes were plucked out of time by the Lord of Time (himself tired of battle from manipulations he had with Kamandi and Karate Kid), had retreated to a place "out of time" where he had constructed the Eternity Brain, a machine that would help him take whatever he wanted...by stopping time!

But, the Lord of Time found out that if he stopped time, he would be unable to start it again, and the Eternity Brain was set in its plans.  So, he plucked five heroes from history, gave them powers and set them to beat the JLA and JSA, thinking that if the teams were given a solid defeat, they would come back even more powerful, and, tracing back History's Heroes, would come and stop the Eternity Brain!

The JLA and JSA members at the party were all rendered comatose, except for JLA members (Superman, Flash, Elongated Man and Hawkman), and JSA members (Dr. Mid-Nite, Wonder Woman, Star-Spangled Kid and Huntress).  They remaining members faced History's Heroes again, and lost...giving the Lord of Time hope they now had the fight in them to defeat the Eternity Brain....

Crisis From Tomorrow

Picking up from the last issue, Justice League of America #160 (November, 1978) by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin (with cover by Dillin/McLaughlin), had Superman reflecting on the attack by History's Heroes (he recognized Miss Liberty and the Enemy Ace, Flash knew of Jonah Hex, and Elongated Man had heard of the Black Pirate, though no one knew of the Viking Prince).

The JLA/JSA were using a modified Cosmic Treadmill to go to where the Lord of Time was, his castle outside of time...all as History's Heroes were attacking the Lord of Time's castle as well, but finding out it was well defended by the Eternity Brain.  Meanwhile, back in 1978, Aquaman (who had been late to the party due to being on monitor duty), was working to revive the comatose heroes.

Still, the eight active JLA/JSAers were assaulting the Lord of Time's floating castle, but slowly being eliminated by his various time traps....until only Elongated Man remained, to find the Lord of Time pleading with the Eternity Brain to not go on....and, through an act of bravery, Elongated Man stopped the Brain, saving all of time!

Back at the hospital, as after clearing all the heroes of the energy leaving them comatose, Green Lantern was able to follow the trail through time and rescue the others.  After returning History's Heroes to their proper times, the JLA and JSA would recover...even Elongated Man was able to bounce back from his injuries!

Ending on a happy note, the JSA now had to move to being a back up in Adventure Comics (and they were dealing with a sinister plot by the Secret Society of Super-Villains, who were taking on less active members of the team....).

The Murderer Among Us: Crisis Above Earth-One

The JSA was recovering from their members being stalked by the Secret Society of Super-Villains, and troubles introduced during their run in Adventure Comics (including the death of a member), when Mr. Terrific returned to the team in their second to last Adventure Comics adventure....which led into Justice League of America #171 (October, 1979) by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin, with cover by Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano.

This time, there was a murder among the team while gathered in the JLA Satellite....that of Mr. Terrific, who had wanted to be a part of this gathering, as he told the two Flashes, because of the return of an old enemy of his (and the Earth-2 Flash)...

...the Spirit King (though, this was the first appearance of that villainous alter ego of Roger Romaine).  Mr. Terrific stormed off, then a wall in the Satellite blew, with Superman finding Mr. Terrific dead.  Recent enrolled to the JLA Zatanna tried to trace the identity of the killer off a piece of metal, but a mystic backlash...putting her in a coma, leaving the rest of the present members of the two teams to wonder which of them was the killer!

I Accuse...

Superman spelled it out in the beginning of Justice League of America #172 (November, 1979) by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin (though Batman took center stage on the Dick Giordano cover)...

....that someone on the JLA Satellite must be the killer!

So, Superman had the Green Lanterns and Dr. Fate put a mystic green energy shell around the Satellite so no one could leave...and set the detectives Earth-1 Batman and Earth-2 Huntress into finding out which teammate could have done it.

With Batman going through the clues, and Huntress checking a hunch to see what the Spirit King was stealing in Gateway City using the Transmatter Machine to link to the JSA's Brownstone computers...

...Batman was able to deduce the identity of the killer!

Scroll quickly if you don't want it spoiled!

It was...the Spirit King!   The Spirit King had used a seismograph to track the Earth-2 Flash, and possessed him, but did come out of the Flash's body long enough to kill Mr. Terrific.  Still in possession of the Flash's body, the Spirit King escaped (as the mystic shield didn't cover the Transmatter Machine).

The JLA tries to claim victory even with the villain escaping (as they didn't believe any of the heroes were responsible), but the JSA somberly left the JLA Satellite to go to Earth-2 to bury Mr. Terrific (and, later chronicled in a flashback, finally catch the Spirit King, freeing Jay Garrick Flash from his clutches, in Spectre #54 of the 1990s), and had their last adventure in Adventure Comics in the 1970s.

Where Have All The New Gods Gone?

The JLA and JSA were trying something new, half of each team would go to each other's Earths in Justice League of America #183 (October, 1980) by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin (under a Jim Starlin cover).  Or at least that was the plan.

The first four of each team were hijacked....and appeared in New Genesis!

JLAer Superman explained where they were (having met the Forever People and been to Supertown once in the days of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen), that this was the home of the New Gods...

....a race of incredibly powerful beings who were forever at war with their opposing numbers from Apokolips.

Batman and Green Lantern of the JLA patiently listened, as did Power Girl, Huntress and Dr. Fate of the JSA (though the Earth-2 Wonder Woman was a little put off by the phrase of "New Gods", as she believed in only one...as well as the Olympian deities she believed in).

Firestorm....had wandered off into the empty Supertown...finding Orion, and knocking himself unconscious through the shock.  As Orion was tending to Firestorm, the rest of the teams arrived, and fought Orion, at least until Metron, Mr. Miracle, Big Barda and Oberon arrived via Boom Tube. 

Knowing Mr. Miracle, Superman got the team to listen to him, who explained that Orion was moody due to feeling responsible for this tragedy, as he had recently killed Darkseid, which must have triggered this attack by Apokolips to empty New Genesis, that had been done by members of the Injustice Society (Fiddler, Icicle and the Shade).

The heroes would go to Apokolips and split into teams (coordinated by Metron, who had pulled the JLA/JSA from their Transmatter Machine to New Genesis), to find out where everyone had went.

On a sad note, this was the last issue completed by artist Dick Dillin, who passed away while working on the next issue.  His incredible legacy for all he did for the JLA will always be cherished.   

Apokolips Now

Picking up where the last issue left off, Justice League of America #184 (November, 1980) by Gerry Conway, George Perez and Frank McLaughlin (with cover by George Perez and Dick Giordano), continued the JLA/JSA/New Gods team-up....

with a great deal for the heroes to do all over Darkseid's home planet of Apokolips!

An incredible welcome for new artist George Perez, who was also working on New Teen Titans at the time, even though Dick Dillin had completed about six pages of the issue before he passed, DC had Perez draw this entire issue; the issue also had a few of Dillin's co-workers tell of that artist's great contributions to comics, as well as of his gentlemanly nature, in the letter's page).

Firestorm, Power Girl and Orion discovered the Injustice Society members reviving Darkseid and the heroes were captured by the villains; Superman (of E-1), Wonder Woman (of E-2) and Big Barda worked their way into Granny Goodness' Orphanage, finding that's where the New Genesis kids were, as well as finding out how Darkseid's consciousness had found its way to Earth-2 after "the final battle" of Darkseid and Orion in Adventure Comics, and how he got the Injustice Society to help him; Green Lantern (of E-1), Dr. Fate and Oberon found Highfather Izaya of the New Gods imprisoned, freed him and the group headed to confront Darkseid, who had an evil plan....and Batman (of E-1), Huntress (of E-2) and Mr. Miracle stormed Darkseid's Imperial Place, where they found out Darkseid's full plan...to transfer Apokolips to Earth-2, destroying the Earth in that dimension!

Darkseid Rising

Metron was nice enough to recap the previous two issues in the beginning of Justice League of America #185 (December, 1980) by Gerry Conway, George Perez and Frank McLaughlin (under a Jim Starlin/Robert Allen Smith cover)....


...which was that Darkseid, after being revived by the Injustice Society of the World members of Fiddler, Icicle and the Shade, had planned to have Apokolips "transferred" in time and space...


...and have it take the place of Earth-2, which would destroy that world and give Darkseid a universe of his own to plunder!

The heroes had plenty to do to stop him!

Batman, Huntress and Mr. Miracle had to free Firestorm, Power Girl and Orion (then Fiddler, Icicle and the Shade); while Highfather led Green Lantern, Dr. Fate and Oberon to attack Darkseid's Re-Creation Machine; Superman, Wonder Woman and Big Barda facing Granny Goodness in the tunnels below Darkseid's Palace..

..all to led Orion and Darkseid battle again as the now freed forces of New Genesis attacked the forces of Apokolips protecting the Re-Creation Machine (which would now transfer Apokolips to Earth-2)....still, all this effort and it was not enough.

Thankfully, Metron used all this distraction to redirect the Re-Creation Machine, having it focused now on Darkseid....which undid his return, defeating him and leaving the members of New Genesis free to go and rebuild their home.

All these tales were collected in fifth volume of Crisis On Multiple Earths (this one with a great George Perez cover combining the heroes of all of the crossovers of these issues)....all while getting ready for the Crisis On Infinite Earths (this volume showcasing the New Gods and History's Heroes, while Earth-X was in Volume 3 and Earth-S was in Volume 4), but one more collected volume was to come!