JLA JSA Super Spectacular

Probably one of the greatest covers of its time, Neal Adams drew the combined Justice League of America and Justice Society of America (as well as Robin, Vigilante and Johnny Quick) on the cover of DC 100-Page Super Spectacular #6 (1971)....and what an issue it was.

This issue reprinted some interesting stories, and here they are....featuring quite a few people on that cover.

Justice League of America #21 

First up is the "Crisis On Earth-One" from Justice League of America #21 (August, 1963) by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs, and historic cover by Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson.  Important for so many reasons....the first meeting of the JLA (charter members Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter, plus Green Arrow and Atom) with the JSA (a representative team of Flash, Green Lantern, Dr. Fate, Hourman, Hawkman, Atom and Black Canary....a slightly different line-up from when Barry Allen Flash saved them from Vandal Savage).  It also featured the Crime Champions, villains from two worlds, from Earth-1: Felix Faust, Chronos and Dr. Alchemy, and the Wizard, the Fiddler and the Icicle from Earth-2).  This issue also was where the names of Earth-1 and Earth-2 came from...but so much happening, that it had to continue in the next issue...

Justice League of America #22

...that being Justice League of America #22 (September, 1963) by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs, with a cover by Murphy Anderson, and the second half of the story, with the "Crisis On Earth-Two".  To be fair, the reprint took out the summary first page, annoying, but as the two issues are together.  The teams of heroes had to work together to get out of their interdimensional prison where their foes put them, but, the heroes pulled it together, and even had time to make a joke about how they'll have to sum all this up for missing honorary JLAer, Snapper Carr!

These two team-ups were so popular, that the JLA/JSA team-ups became a regular thing for the next 19 summers, with an ever rotating cast of JSAers!

More Fun Comics #55

The two team-ups weren't the only issues reprinted in this Super Spectacular.  A tale where "The Spectre Meets Zor" from More Fun Comics #55 (May, 1940) by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily (with a Spectre cover by Bernard Baily) was next, where the ghostly guardian had to defend his girlfriend, Clarice Winston, from the supernatural menace of Zor!


The Spectre had many of his Golden Age tales reprinted, but this was one soon after his origin, so his full powers as a deadman had not been revealed as of yet, but readers were starting to realize how much power Jim Corrigan's alter ego had.

Adventure Comics #190

Next up is a fun tale of Johnny Quick, an at-the-time unaffiliated speeder from Adventure Comics #190 (July, 1953) where he had to be a "Stand-In For 100 Convicts", with the story by Don Cameron and Hy Mankin (though Superboy, not Johnny, was the cover star).  Johnny had to save 99 convicts who were thought to have escaped, but didn't.

Johnny Quick was all over More Fun Comics and Adventure Comics, with many reprints, and later, had been a member of the All-Star Squadron, thanks to some retroactive continuity from Roy Thomas in the 1980s.

Action Comics #146

Next up was a story of the Vigilante and his young sidekick, Stuff, where they faced the Fiddler (not the Crime Champion/Injustice Society member) from the story of "The Galleon In The Desert" from Action Comics #146 (July, 1950) by Joe Samachson and Dan Barry (with a non-Vigilante cover from the issue).  Vigilante and Stuff had to stop this villain from plundering a ship lost in the desert....

The Vigilante (a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory) also had a few of his Golden Age solo tales reprinted, as did the members of his team.

Wildcat Story

The Wildcat story in this issue was something odd.  It was an unpublished Golden Age story, found by the industrious interns at DC Comics at the time, saved from destruction, and published as a treat to all fans of the Golden Age. 

This tale, where "Crime Wore A Costume" featured Wildcat facing off against his foe, the Golden Age Huntress, who had faced Wildcat many times in Sensation Comics, as well as joining the Injustice Society of the World.


If you are looking for tales of the Wildcat and where they were reprinted from the Golden Age, look here!

Brave and the Bold #36

Last, but not least, a story from the JLA member who wasn't on the team when the JLA and JSA first met, Hawkman, and the tale of the "Strange Spells Of The Sorcerer" from Brave and the Bold #36 (June-July, 1961) by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert (who also did the cover of the issue, which featured the other story of the issue, Hawkman's first battle with the Shadow-Thief).

In this tale, Hawkman and Hawkgirl faced Konrad Kaslak, an amateur sorcerer who was quite capable enough to cause some mystical menaces for the Thanagarian Hawkman and Hawkgirl to face with their scientific prowess, all the while with the pair having to deal with Mavis Trent, and her intentions of breaking up the married super-hero couple, or at least their Earth identities of Carter and Shiera Hall, who worked at the Midway City Museum.

Along with a back cover that supplied a key to the heroes on the cover (but readers here know them all, right?), it provided a checklist of character debuts, all the heroes who had their own features from Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin and the Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol, Deadman, Eclipso, Metamorpho and the Metal Men, even Forgotten Heroes like Animal Man and Dolphin, to the most modern characters of Orion, Mr. Miracle and the Thorn!

Best of all, this whole issue was reprinted as the DC 100-Page Super Spectacular No. 6 Replica Edition in May, 2004...

...so you, too, can thrill to these exciting stories without having to break the bank!

JSA Foes Crime Champions 2

The villains known as the Crime Champions had beginnings on two Earths, and finished their first team up in Justice League of America #22 (September, 1963) with the "Crisis On Earth-Two" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs.

The foes of the Justice Society of America....Fiddler, Icicle and the Wizard, the villains from Earth-2 (where the Justice Society of America lived) where the ones who initiated the team-up, crossing over from their Earth (Earth-2) to Earth-1 (and they captured the two Flashes, who had a few team-ups before....).

Fiddler

The Fiddler first appeared in All-Flash #32 (December-January, 1947/1948 by Robert Kanigher, Lee Elias and Moe Worthman), the last of the All-Flash comics of the Golden Age, using his magical musical talents against Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash, in "Duet Of Danger".  The Fiddler, also known as Isaac Bowen, would return for a couple of solo battles against the Flash in the Golden Age, as well as being a part of the Wizard's second Injustice Society of the World, before being one of three villains (the Thinker and the Shade) to face both Flashes (Jay and Barry Allen) in the Flash #123 (September, 1961), just before joining the Crime Champions.  After the first battle with the JLA and JSA, Fiddler returned first for a solo battle with Jay Garrick in Flash #201 (November, 1970), then was a part of the Injustice Society of the World (and its update, Injustice, Unlimited, to face Infinity, Inc.) for most of his returns after (though he did stop by to face the Teen Titans once), at least until meeting his final fate with the Secret Six.

Icicle

Joar Mahkent first appeared facing the Golden Age Green Lantern in All-American Comics #90 (October, 1947 by Robert Kanigher, Irwin Hasen and John Belfi) as "The Icicle".  The Icicle returned twice in the Golden Age (the second time in the Injustice Society of the World in All-Star Comics #41 of June-July, 1948, working with the Fiddler, the Wizard and the Sportsmaster and the Huntress as well), before throwing his cold gun in to help out the Crime Champions.  The Icicle was a loyal member of the ISW, making all his appearances after the meeting with the Crime Champions as a member of the ISW (starting with Justice League of America #123 of October, 1975, except when he worked with the Crime Champions again, or faced his end during the Crisis On Infinite Earths).  But, the Icicle legacy lived on with his son taking over the name (and he had ice powers of his own!).

Wizard

The Wizard premiered battling the entire Justice Society of America in All-Star Comics #34 (April-May, 1947 by Gardner Fox and the hosts of artists including Irwin Hasen, Joe Kubert, Frank Harry, Lee Elias, Harry Lampert and Paul Reinman), having the JSA face "The Wiles Of The Wizard", posing as W. I. Zard, to trick the JSA, offering them money to capture villains.  The Wizard returned twice during the Golden Age, working with the Injustice Society of the World in All-Star Comics #37 (and Vandal Savage and Per Degaton, among others), and #41, before joining the Crime Champions (though later historical inserts add the Wizard as the man who helped the Golden Age Superman marry Lois Lane, and who cursed the young Dinah Laurel Lance, giving her what became the "Canary Cry" when she became the second Black Canary).  After using his magical powers to work with the Crime Champions, Wizard also returned as a member of the Injustice Society of the World to face the JLA and JSA in Justice League of America #123 of October, 1975), but the Wizard had bigger aspirations, also working with the Secret Society of Super-Villains and later, Injustice, Unlimited, to continue to menace all generations of heroes.

The Crime Champions never quite took hold (likely having too many bosses, as Chronos also led groups of villains over time), and only returned one more time, in Justice League of America #219 and #220 (October and November, 1983) where they worked with the evil Earth-1 version of Johnny Thunder (and learned of the history of the two Black Canaries), though it was with the second version of Dr. Alchemy.  Still, the Crime Champions were a building block of villainy, allowing for larger groups of villains to form in the future.

JLA Foes Crime Champions 1

The villains known as the Crime Champions had beginnings on two Earths, and started working together in Justice League of America #21 (August, 1963) with the "Crisis On Earth-One" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs.

First up, the foes of the Justice League of America....Felix Faust, Dr. Alchemy and Chronos, the villains from Earth-1 (where the Justice League of America lived).

Felix Faust

Felix Faust premiered in Justice League of America #10 (March, 1962) by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs, wielding "The Fantastic Fingers Of Felix Faust" (basically, a magic user).  The sorcerer used the Justice League to gather 3 mystic items (the Red Jar of Calythos, the Green Bell of Uthool, and the Silver Wheel of Nyorlath) to free the demons Abnegazar, Rath and Ghast.  Though Faust failed here, Felix Faust continued to vex the JLA over the years (first in Justice League of America #49 of November, 1966), as well as the Outsiders, later.

Dr. Alchemy

Dr. Alchemy first appeared in Showcase #14 (May-June, 1958 by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Frank Giacoia), facing off against the Flash using his Philosopher's Stone to magically transmute elements as "The Man Who Changed The Earth".  But, Albert Desmond had faced the Flash in Showcase #13 (March-April, 1958) as Mr. Element, who used scientific knowledge of chemicals to battle the Flash.  Albert returned a few times to fight the Flash over the years, sometimes mostly as Mr. Element (starting with Flash #147 of September, 1964), but a few times as Dr. Alchemy, at least until a new Dr. Alchemy took over for a time (Alvin Desmond, not Albert; and Albert's Dr. Alchemy faced Flash as well, and was a member of the Crime Champions during their later return, then faced Blue Beetle as well).

 

Chronos

David Clinton started his criminal career as Chronos, a foe of the Atom with a clock motif in Atom #3 (October-November, 1962 by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson) fighting with the mighty mite in his home of Ivy Town.  These battles continue on and off over the years (after the first meeting with the Crime Champions, starting in the Atom #13 of June-July, 1964), and Chronos also perfects time travel technology, fighting with many other members of the Justice League and more, as a member of the Injustice Gang of the World, the Secret Society of Super-Villains, the Suicide Squad and more.

The Crime Champions continued their battles against the combined forces of the Justice League of America and Justice Society of America in Justice League of America #22 (September, 1963), and later returned for 2 issues of the Justice League of America....with the help of JSA villains, the Wizard, the Fiddler and the Icicle...of which there will be more coming soon!