Dave's Comic Heroes Blog: Justice League Of America 200

The Justice League of America.

Building a good foundation takes teamwork, and one of the best examples of that in comic books is Justice League of America #200 (March, 1982).

This teamwork shown through with the characters in the comic, as well as with the creation of the comics, so, with this little chapter of the Super-Blog Team Up, it s a look at this epic issue.

The Foundation

The issues beings with the origin of the Justice League of America (retold by Gerry Conway, George Perez and Brett Breeding), where Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Batman and Superman come together to face an alien invasion from Appellax in the form of odd creatures who emerged from meteors tinged with Kryptonite at seven different locations across the world. Working together, these heroes decided they could do more good together, and formed the Justice League.

This was the origin of the JLA, that the charter members told to honorary member Snapper Carr (who first worked with the team when they fought Starro) and first recruit Green Arrow in Justice League of America #9 (February, 1962) by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs.

Flash forward to the now of the issue, where we take a look inside the JLA satellite with newest member, Firestorm, bored with monitor duty...

Firestorm vs. Martian Manhunter

Firestorm is surprised by the Martian Manhunter, as the Martian goes through the satellite looking for a meteor. The Martian Manhunter doesn't know why this meteor isn't in the JLA HQ in Happy Harbor, and fights Firestorm, eventually defeating him, taking the meteor as he felt he had to since he got an emergency signal from his JLA signal device.

This chapter is drawn by Pat Broderick and Terry Austin, as Pat would soon be drawing Firestorm in the Fury of Firestorm title.

Firestorm wakes up and sends out an emergency signal to all JLA members, but only Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary (who brings Green Arrow, who at the time had resigned from the JLA), Elongated Man, Red Tornado and Zatanna. With the lack of charter members attending and the mention of a meteor, Green Arrow figures out this must involve the original JLA formation case, backed up when Snapper Carr arrives. So, Green Arrow suggests the present members split up to stop the original JLA from getting the other meteors (with Firestorm and Snapper remaining at the Satellite as back up).

Red Tornado vs. Aquaman

Here, in a chapter drawn by Jim Aparo (known for his work with Aquaman), Aquaman is at a newly formed volcanic island southwest of the Seychelles, where the Phantom Stranger (he, a man who was offered JLA membership but never formally accepted) narrates the tale. Red Tornado shows up, and is almost successful in stopping the amnesiac Aquaman from getting the meteor...yet is stopped by the mysterious mystic (for reasons the Phantom Stranger doesn't make clear).

The Phantom Stranger broods about his decision, but at least is nice enough to secretly take the unconscious android to the JLA satellite, where he is found by Snapper and hooked up to a medical computer by Firestorm (both of whom wonder how Red Tornado got there...).

Zatanna vs. Wonder Woman

Drawn by former Wonder Woman artist Dick Giordano, Zatanna finds herself on Paradise Island, home of Queen Hippolyta and the Amazons. The maiden of magic asks Hippolyta where her daughter is, with the Queen answering and confused about how odd Wonder Woman is acting. Zatanna and Wonder Woman battle (with Wonder Woman not knowing who Zatanna is), and Zatanna is beaten by Wonder Woman and nearly drown as Wonder Woman takes the meteor and leaves.

Zatanna is healed by the Amazon's with their Purple Healing Ray, with Zatanna and Hippolyta worrying about Wonder Woman's state of mind.

Atom vs. Green Lantern

Gil Kane provides the art for this chapter (having worked on both Green Lantern and Atom since their beginnings in Showcase). Green Lantern is trying to retrieve the meteor from the wildlands of Zimbabwie. The Atom, who has been a hero nearly as long as Green Lantern, tries his best to stop the ring slinger, but is unsuccessful.

Atom heads back to the JLA satellite, where he and the other members of the JLA realize that the original members, not having their current memories of their teammates, have an unfair advantage in facing them. as the charter members are not held back by the bonds of friendship that have formed over the years of JLA membership..

Elongated Man vs. the Flash

Quickly getting to the next chapter, with art by Carmine Infantino and Frank Giacoia (Carmine having an artist hand in the first appearances and more of both Flash and Elongated Man) in the northern plains of Italy, going for that meteor. Beat friends Flash and Elongated Man battle (though Flash knows not of the friendship), with, yet again, a charter member beating the new one. Flash races off with the meteor...

...ending up at the original headquarters of the JLA, in great disrepair, where he and Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern wonder about their strange compulsion to get the meteors, the odd folks they faced, Wonder Woman's altered costume and why Martian Manhunter woke up not on Mars but another planet with his fellow Martians as refugees (all changes that had happened to them after they joined the JLA).

Green Arrow and Black Canary vs. the Batman

In a chapter drawn by relative newcomer Brian Bolland (who would have latter ties to Batman), Green Arrow and Black Canary try to stop Batman from getting a meteor in the swampland off the North Carolina coast, yet Batman proves too tricky for the duo, defeating them by using their strengths against each other and getting away with the meteor.

An angry Green Arrow fumes about being beat at the JLA satellite as Atom wonders what to do after the meteors are gathered, while Batman, rejoining his team at the original JLA HQ, relates his battle with a Green Arrow he doesn't recognize (as Green Arrow changed his costume while in the JLA) and the meteors begin to glow.

Hawkman vs. Superman

In the final battle of JLA members, with art by Joe Kubert (who drew Hawkman on and off since his debut in the Brave and the Bold), Hawkman gathers his ancient weapons to stop Superman's plans to retrieve the meteor in Greenland. As the meteors were made of Kryptonite, Superman sent his robots to get it...which Hawkman was easily able to defeat, yet failed as a lead coated Superman came to get the meteor, and was successful, yet left Hawkman floating in orbit....who then disappeared.

Hawkman found himself transported to Rann, where he was found by JLA ally Adam Strange and his wife Alanna, who contacted the JLA informing them that they were sending him back (due to rough feelings due to a recent war with Thanagar, the remnants of which were what kept Hawkman's wife, Hawkwoman away from this momentous meeting). Elongated Man stretched himself out to rescue Hawkman.

Meanwhile, at the Secret Sanctuary, the original members started to remember their lives as the meteors hatched the Appellaxians, who planned on continuing their battle to decide who would rule their planet (with consequences to Earth be damned). The original team wasn't strong enough to defeat the aliens.

This did make enough of a scene to get news coverage, getting the JLA newcomers to go to Happy Harbor (with Snapper handling the satellite). Reunited, the JLA went off to defeat the battling Appellaxians with teamwork. Happy again, Green Arrow felt he could leave, as he was no longer a member....but decided that he learned a lesson, and rejoined the team.

In this issue, readers were given a basic rundown of the Justice League, its members and its history, saw the team act in a way they did many times in the past, and were even treated to incredible art (not only the wonderful George Perez, who did his last JLA interiors here) but of individual artists on each character by people who were associated with the characters they drew. If that isn't a foundation to build upon, then what is?