JLA JSA Last Multiple Crisis

One last batch of JLA/JSA team-ups with the meetings of the heroes of Earth-1 and Earth-2....

...this one is a bit special, as these tales had not been collected in a tradepaperback for individual release (unlike all the other team-ups before).

A sad state of affairs, as the Crises faced by the teams got personal, and involved....then the red skies came!

Crisis In The Thunderbolt Dimension

This JLA/JSA team-up from Justice League Of America #219 (October, 1983) by Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas, Chuck Patton and Romeo Tanghal (and cover by George Perez) started off fast....with the Flashes of two worlds taking down a terrorist gang on Earth-1.  Barry Allen and Jay Garrick took a little time to review the annual gatherings (including their first meeting), with Jay wondering why his Earth was called Earth-2, when super-heroes started their first.

As the two headed towards a JLA transporter tube, their musings were cut short when they were attacked by Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt!  While Jay was simply startled by the attack, Barry was put into a coma, which put some worry into Jay's need to see the Justice League.

Meanwhile, the various JLA and JSA members were catching up with each other on the JLA Satellite (Green Lantern Hal Jordan talking about his recent return to Earth duty, Firestorm thinking he and Power Girl could be an item after the last JLA/JSA team-up....)....when, suddenly a pink thunderbolt comes through the satellite wall, taking out JLA members (except for Earth-2 originators Black Canary and Red Tornado), but only blacking out the JSA members.  The JSA members put the JLAers in the infirmary, with Jay bring Barry along.  The members gather to review, and find the Thunderbolt damaged the Transmatter Machine that allows free flow between Earth-1 and Earth-2.

Jay asks Black Canary about when she switched Earths after Aquarius killed her husband (on a JLA-JSA team-up), and Dinah responds, taking her through how she then went to Earth-1 and joined the JLA.  Red Tornado interrupts, telling of how all the other current JLAers, like Superman, Wonder Woman and the rest were also either comatose or unreachable.

Power Girl finds the Crime Champions (villains from the two Earths) out attacking various mystical sites on Earth-1, and the heroes split into teams to chase them down, with Starman and Black Canary staying on the satellite.  Starman convinces Black Canary they must go to the Thunderbolt dimension to track down this errant Thunderbolt (and find out what happened to Johnny Thunder).  In the Thunderbolt dimension, they find the Thunderbolt, who takes them captive for the Johnny Thunder of Earth-1 (the evil doppelganger of the JSA's heroic Johnny Thunder, first faced in an early JLA/JSA team-up), as well as the preserved corpses of.....Larry Lance and Black Canary!

The Doppelganger Gambit

Under a George Perez cover, the story continues in Justice League Of America #220 (November, 1983) by Roy Thomas, Chuck Patton, Romeo Tanghal and Pablo Marcos.  The JSAers and Red Tornado start to head to the various places the Crime Champions are attacking when they are stopped by Sargon the Sorcerer (a mystic who was a member of the All-Star Squadron, but had in more recent years been on Earth-1).  Sargon explains he found the Earth-1 Jim Corrigan comatose as well (Jim being the host on each Earth of the Spectre), and he joined the heroes splitting up for battle.  The JLAers were still comatose in the JLA Satellite, and the Earth-1 Johnny Thunder was just beginning to explain the corpses of Larry Lance and the Black Canary to Starman and the Black Canary, who were prisoners of the Thunderbolt.

They also saw the JSA's Thunderbolt as a captive, and the Thunderbolt was told to explain things.  The Thunderbolt explained how in the late 1940s, Johnny started to work more with Black Canary, and she even replaced the T-bolt as Johnny's partner (then took his place as a member of the JSA, as well as his spot in Flash Comics).  Dinah Drake (Black Canary) even started dating detective Larry Lance at her florist shop (which drove a wedge between Johnny and the Black Canary).

The JSA then had to disappear, and Larry and Dinah were married.  Years later, Larry and Dinah were playing with their young daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance, when they were attacked by JSA foe, the Wizard, who put a spell on the young girl, cursing her with a sonic scream.  Distraught, Dinah called Johnny Thunder, who summed the Thunderbolt to keep young Dinah safe in the Thunderbolt dimension (as he was unable to cure the girl), and then wiped the memory of the three of young Dinah's existence.  Meanwhile, back on current Earth-1, Jay Flash and Hourman faced the Fiddler and Chronos at the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico, Red Tornado and Huntress faced the Icicle and the second Dr. Alchemy at the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt, and Power Girl and Sargon faced the Wizard and Felix Faust at Stonehenge in England.

The JSA Johnny Thunder finally frees his mouth, and say, you'd see how fast he got free and knocked out the Earth-1 Johnny Thunder, and had the T-Bolt revive the JLA to go help with the Crime Champions (Elongated Man and Flash with Chronos and Fiddler; Firestorm and Green Lantern with Dr. Alchemy II and Icicle, and Zatanna with Felix Faust and the Wizard.

The JSA's Johnny Thunder, along with the Earth-1 Superman and Spectre, explained to Black Canary, how, when Superman was taking the Black Canary off Earth-2 after the defeat of Aquarius (and Larry's death), that she was wracked with pain, and remembered her daughter.  Getting the Thunderbolt to take her to the Thunderbolt dimension, she saw her now adult daughter, who had grown but was still comatose, and found that the original Black Canary was dying from being near the bolt that Aquarius threw to kill Larry Lance.  Superman and the Thunderbolt gave the child a copy of Dinah Drake Lance's Black Canary costume, and Dinah's memories, with the new Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance) making her (unknowning) debut as a JLA member (thus making Black Canary a legacy character).

The JSAers Flash had last appeared in his last solo team up with Barry Allen and a multidimensional battle in Wonder Woman, Hourman and the Thunderbolt after the JLA and JSA faced the Secret Society of Super-Villains, Starman after the JLA, JSA and All-Star Squadron fought (and forgot) Per Degaton, Power Girl when the JSA briefly met Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew, while Huntress had been in her solo series in the back of Wonder Woman's title.  The JSAers next appeared in Infinity, Inc. #1, except for Huntress (back to her Wonder Woman back-up slot) and the Spectre (who last appeared in the second to last Brave and the Bold with Batman, and next in the second Swamp Thing Annual).

Family Crisis

Something a little different for the next JLA/JSA team-up in Justice League Of America #231 (October, 1984) by Kurt Busiek and Alan Kupperberg, with a cover by Chuck Patton and Dick Giordano.  Most of the JLA was busy (Green Lantern/Hal off Earth, Atom/Ray searching for his jungle friends, and the rest dealing with the return of the Martian Manhunter), so Superman, Wonder Woman and Flash (dealing with the trial of his murdering the Reverse-Flash) were alone in the JLA Satellite (with Supergirl, who just celebrated the anniversary of her being revealed to the world), when some young kids appeared and took them to Earth-2 to help JSAers Doctor Fate, Dr. Mid-Nite, Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and Starman against...

...flying monkeys?

After the teams defeat their odd foe, and get confronted by a spectral head proclaiming doom....the JLA and JSA talk to the family....the Champion family of Victoria Champion, her brother Ian Champion and Aunt Meredith.  They tell of their father, physicist Dr. Joshua Champion, who was working on dimensional travel in his lab out in Arizona, when Victoria went to seem him....but didn't see him in his lab (but heard his voice....).

The family gathered as he was missing, but then he appeared, in holographic form, to threaten them...not at all sounding like himself....thus, they decided they needed to find help.  Superman, Flash, Dr. Mid-Nite and Starman went with the girls to find Dr. Champion, while Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Dr. Fate and Green Lantern stayed behind with Ian, to give the girls something to home in on and to protect Earth-2.  Both teams fought mystical monsters, yet it was the other dimensional team who confronted the Commander, who took those heroes under his influence (except for Dr. Mid-Nite, whose visual difficulties allowed his mind to remain free of the Commander's attempt at mind control).  The team found Dr. Champion, and was to return him to the rest of his family (unknowingly carrying out the Commander's plan).

Battlegrounds

The saga continued in Justice League Of America #232 (November, 1984) under a cover by Chuck Patton and Dick Giordano, as Kurt Busiek and Alan Kupperberg continued the adventures of reuniting the Champion family.

Oddly, the last issues adventure was summed up by the Monitor (an incredibly powered being watching over the Earth and more, as he was preparing with Lyla for the Crisis On Infinite Earths).

As the heroes reunited, the Commander put his plan into action (as he had possessed Dr. Champion).

While the heroes were battling, Victoria, displaying more powers beyond dimension hopping, battled the Commander, and was able to drive him from her father's mind.

The Commander, though, was able to survive, transferring his energy into the Pentagon, where he explained how Dr. Champion had made mental contact with the Commander, and the Commander had planned on using Dr. Champion to help him break out of his desolate, dead dimension (that he himself had destroyed, leaving him with nothing to do...).

Dr. Fate, working with the Champions, was able to open a dimensional portal that the other heroes were able to push the Commander through (with a little observing by the Monitor, which provided an odd distraction for the Commander, who could sense the Monitor watching him), but the heroes and the Champion family were also sucked into limbo as well.  Thinking themselves lost, they found Earth-3's Crime Syndicate of America floating in limbo (in the prison the JLA and JSA had put them in), and where able to return home, with the JSA going back to Earth-2, the Champion family taking off into the ether....and Supergirl, Superman, Wonder Woman and Flash....well, they found themselves slightly out of time (though it took until Justice League of America #237 for them to find out....when they met a whole new Justice League formed in the wake of the Martian invasion that took the rest of the team out of the satellite when this all started!).

The JSAers had a semi-regular home now, and had come into this crossover from issues of Infinity, Inc., and appeared next in the first issue of the four issue mini-series, America Vs. The Justice Society (with the Monitor's interactions leading up to the Crisis detailed in these meetings with the JLA and JSA....and more!).

Last Crisis On Earth-Two

The last pre-Crisis (or pre-aftermath of the Crisis, as this was happening during the Crisis On Infinite Earths) JLA/JSA team up started in Infinity, Inc. #19 (October, 1985) by Roy and Danette Thomas, Todd McFarlane and Steve Montano, with a cover by Todd McFarlane and Tony Dezuiga.  Infinity, Inc. was a team formed by the Star-Spangled Kid, with the sons, daughters and other inheritors of the mantles of the Justice Society of America, and were based in California on Earth-2.

The Infinitors (minus missing Obsidian, who was involved on the Monitor's satellite) were rushing Jade to the hospital (as she had been poisoned by Mr. Bones of the villain team of Helix).  The hospital they were at was the home of Dr. Charles McNider (the original Dr. Mid-Nite) and his protege, Dr. Beth Chapel.

The Earth was just starting to be enveloped with red skies, and the team was confronted by Commander Steel (a member of the All-Star Squadron who had disappeared during World War II) and Mekanique (a new being who Commander Steel was working with for her ability to traverse dimensions). 

Commander Steel was accidentally sent to Earth-1 (in All-Star Squadron #50, when Harbinger recruited Firebird) and was here to recruit Infinity, Inc. to help with some "super-powered young criminals who...now call themselves the "new" Justice League". 

The Infinitors go with Commander Steel and Mekanique (leaving Star-Spangled Kid behind).  Meanwhile, Hawkman, Flash, Wonder Woman and Dr. Fate of the JSA to discern the direness of the Crisis.  On Earth-1,  Commander Steel briefs his team on the Bunker (the JLA's Detroit headquarters, as he has details on it....it was his, and he let his grandson, Steel, have it...but he doesn't tell Infinity, Inc. that).  Inside, the teams meet and battle, with Martian Manhunter helping the JLA members exit, with the Infinitors left without Commander Steel and Mekanique and more mysteries....which they promise to solve....

The Final Crisis

...in the last JLA/JSA team up in Justice League Of America #244 (November, 1985) by Gerry Conway, Joe Staton and Mike Machlan (with cover by Staton/Machlan).

Here, the JLA is regrouping, as Elongated Man scouts out the damaged JLA Satellite (wrecked during the Martian invasion which helped end the original JLA and led to the newest members of the team: Vibe, Vixen, Steel and Gypsy, as well as their Detroit Bunker HQ).  Elongated Man explains to Vibe about the multiple Earths (who doesn't believe him). Meanwhile, the Infinitors are checking out the Bunker, thinking something is wrong, as Fury finds Mekanique in the Med Bay, working on the cybernetic Steel, realizing they might be on the wrong side, as Commander Steel finds her, knocking her out.

As Martian Manhunter fixes the JLA's Transmatter Machine (that allows people to go between worlds), and Zatanna gives the machine power (with the JLA going to Earth-2), the Crisis hits the Motor City.  Commander Steel and Mekanique take out the rest of the Infinitors, with Commander Steel telling his reasons for turning his grandson, Hank Heywood III, into a cyborg....to make him stronger to face the challenges of the world. like he did during World War II. 

The JSA and JLA heard this, and attacked Commander Steel and Mekanique (revealing that they had confronted her before back when the All-Star Squadron had existed....but that story had yet to be told).  Mekanique teleported out (as much a mystery now as she was then...or would be), as the combined JLA, JSA and Infinity, Inc. started to deal with the red sky storms of the Crisis, and Commander Steel and Steel battled (with story points to be followed up in future issues of Infinity, Inc., All-Star Squadron, Crisis of Infinite Earths and Justice League of America....).

The Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America, as well as many other heroes and villains (like Seven Soldiers of Victory, Freedom Fighters, Marvel Family, Legion of Super-Heroes, Jonah Hex, New Gods and more), all were involved in the Crisis On Infinite Earths, which changed the entire DC Universe and DC Multiverse for decades to come!



The last two issues of JLA/JSA team-ups were reprinted in the Justice League: The Detroit Era Omnibus of 2018 and in the Crisis On Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition #2 of 2019, with all three JLA/JSA team ups being included in a massive multi-volume collection that included ALL the JLA/JSA stories, as well as Crisis Crossovers and Crisis On Infinite Earths.

 

JLA JSA Sixth Multiple Crisis

A last look at the collection of JLA/JSA team ups, and it is a big one!

True, it is only two team-ups of the teams, but each of them carry over more than two issues, and involve more than just the Justice League of America and Justice Society of America.

Here's a look at the special meetings....

Targets On Two Worlds

Justice League of America #195 (October, 1981) by Gerry Conway, George Perez and John Beatty starts with Brainwave recruiting villains (Killer Frost, Signalman, Cheetah and Floronic Man) from Earth-1, and Monocle, Psycho-Pirate, Rag Doll and the Mist gotten by the leader of this new Secret Society of Super-Villains....the Ultra-Humanite (one of the Golden Age Superman's very first villains).

After Brainwave brings the four to his home Earth and the Ultra-Humanite's headquarters, that villain explains his plan....that, if 10 heroes from the JLA and JSA can be sent to limbo, either Earth-1 or Earth-2 will lose all its heroes as the cosmic balance readjusts itself!

Meanwhile, at the JLA Satellite on Earth-1, the JLA (missing only Martian Manhunter for a complete membership) and JSA have an uneventful party, even with Green Arrow there (he had quit recently, but came to see friends...and Black Canary).  Black Canary was the last on the satellite, when a sudden hum....brought her foe, the Mist, who defeats her.  Monocle defeats the Earth-2 Hawkman at home, and Cheetah defeats the Earth-1 Wonder Woman, and the villains all report back to Ultra-Humanite of their success (as the body-switching villains dwells on his real plan....that he knows which heroes will be eliminated...those of Earth-2!).

Lots of JSAers only in this issue, most from the last JLA/JSA team-up, but Superman and Robin came from World's Finest Comics #271, Hourman and Atom came from their solo features in the Whatever Happened To...? back-ups in DC Comics Presents, and Power Girl and Huntress came from Huntress' back-up in Wonder Woman.  Sandman, Spectre, Dr. Mid-Nite, Starman, Wonder Woman of E-2, Wildcat and Star-Spangled Kid did not attend.

Bonus:  the George Perez JLA/JSA pin-up!

Countdown To Crisis

The Ultra-Humanite imprisons the first three heroes and summarizes his plan to start Justice League of America #196 (November, 1981) by Gerry Conway, George Perez and Romeo Tanghal.

Then, the plans continue, with Psycho-Pirate taking Hourman on E-2, Signalman taking Batman on E-1, Rag Doll getting the Flash on Earth-2, Floronic Man besting Atom on Earth-1, Brainwave besting Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt on E-2, Killer Frost capturing Firestorm on E-1, and the original Superman confronting his now simian bodied Ultra-Humanite, and losing on E-2.

The villains place the 10 heroes in Ultra-Humanite's special cells, and transport it to limbo......

Crisis In Limbo

With Justice League of America #197 (December, 1981)  by Gerry Conway, George Perez, Keith Pollard and Romeo Tanghal (and cover by George Perez and Mike DeCarlo), the heroes end up in limbo....and the Earth-2 villains rejoice as their reality warps, losing their heroes....and the Earth-1 villains realize they were set up (that the Ultra-Humanite knew what would happen).  Ultra-Humanite sends them back to Earth-1, so his villains can now plunder their heroless world.

Killer Frost, Signalman, Cheetah and Floronic Man find Green Lantern on Earth-1, defeat him, and take the transporter tube to the JLA Satellite, defeating Elongated Man there....and then use the JLA's Transmatter Machine to go to limbo to free all 10 heroes....who then go to Earth-2, and toss the Earth-2 villains all into limbo as well (and, when they return to reality, Earth-2 gets its heroes back).

Flash Jay Garrick (along with Dr. Fate) show up next in Flash #305, the Golden Age Superman is next in DC Comics Presents Annual #1, the Earth-2 Hawkman is next in Wonder Woman #291, and Hourman and Johnny Thunder show up next in the JLA/JSA team-up after the next one, with the Earth-2 villains all showing up next to accidentally help form Infinity, Inc.

Crisis Times Three

The JSA (Dr. Fate, Green Lantern, Starman, Power Girl and Huntress) is coming to the JLA Satellite in Justice League of America #207 (October, 1982) by Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas, Don Heck and Romeo Tanghal (with cover by George Perez), except they don't quite make it, with Superman, Aquaman, Hawkman, Zatanna and Firestorm meeting the Crime Syndicate of America!

The JSA found themselves in the limbo prison that the CSA was in, while Power Ring, Johnny Quick, Ultraman, Owlman and Superwoman fight the JLA, and leave the JLA Satellite.  The JSA break free from their extradimensional prison, but end up on an Earth-Prime destroyed by nuclear war!  The JLA use their Transmatter Machine to go to Earth-2, to find the JSA HQ unused since January of 1942....and Earth-2 now ruled by Per Degaton.  So, they go back in time to the JSA's HQ in January of 1942....and meet...the All-Star Squadron?

Head down to the All-Star Squadron issue for a little back story.....  

The 'Mystery Men' Of October

All-Star Squadron #14 (October, 1982) by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, Adrian Gonzales and Jerry Ordway (cover by Joe Kubert), starts with Per Degaton ordering the members of the World War II hero group, the All-Star Squadron to kill each other....but, this was just another dream of Per Degaton's....which was enough to revive his memories of his previous time travels, and start trouble again.

This time, he ends up in limbo and finds the Crime Syndicate of America (from Earth-3), frees them, has them take Cuban nuclear missiles from Earth-Prime's 1962 Cuba (during the Cuban crisis), then sends them to replace the JSA during their transmission from Earth-2 in 1982.

Meanwhile, All-Star Squadron members Johnny Quick, Liberty Belle, Commander Steel, Robotman and Firebrand fight Nuclear (an Earth-2 Wonder Woman foe) in front of the JSA Brownstone, but he escapes.  The heroes go inside to find...the five JLAers!

The Bomb-Blast Heard 'Round The World

The JLA and All-Star Squadron have a quick fight to start Justice League of America #208 (November, 1982) by Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas, Don Heck and Sal Trapani (cover by George Perez).  The teams realize the are both heroes, the JLA catches the All-Stars up, and both teams head to meet FDR at the White House....where Per Degaton had delivered a VCR and TV....where he recorded his plan, that he wants total world control or he will use his atomic bombs (taken from 1962 Cuba) to destroy the world (Hitler and Churchill also got a tape and TV).  Meanwhile, on Earth-Prime, the JSA fight mutated men, and find out that Kennedy and Khrushchev had World War III, because of the implausible story super humans had taken Cuba's hidden nuclear missiles (Earth-Prime had no super heroes in the 1960s).  The JLA and All-Stars watch Degaton launch one missile as proof (with the JSAers showing up right before the blast)...and Degaton feels that at least the Allies will surrender to him to save the world!

Master Of Worlds And Time

The JSAers explain they followed Per Degaton's trail back to January, 1942 in All-Star Squadron #15 (November, 1982) by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, Adrian Gonzales and Jerry Ordway (with Joe Kubert cover).  The heroes head to the White House, and Per Degaton again broadcasts, telling President Roosevelt and the world's leaders, of his orbital stations that will launch the nuclear missiles.  The heroes split into teams, with Superman, Dr. Fate and Robotman facing Ultraman at a satellite, finding three missile sites of Degaton; Aquaman, Starman and Liberty Belle facing Superwoman on a Pacific Island launch pad; Hawkman, Huntress and the All-Stars Johnny Quick face Power Ring in the Midwestern United States...then Degaton boasting the heroes will not find the last site as we head into.....

Let Old Acquaintances Be Forgot...

The last of the team-up, with Justice League of America #209 (December, 1982) by Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas and Don Heck (with cover by George Perez), with the first three teams returning to brief FDR.  Then, Firestorm, Power Girl and Commander Steel are arriving in Geneva, Switzerland, to fight the CSA's Johnny Quick, stopping his missile.  The heroes, successful, go to find Per Degaton and stop him (hidden under the future site of the Pentagon), while Zatanna, Green Lantern and Firebrand travel to Earth-Prime in 1962, stopping the Crime Syndicate from even taking the Cuban missiles, and resetting time....resulting in everyone going back to where this all started, and the 5 JSAers coming over from Earth-2 to meet most of the JLA in their satellite, with Per Degaton going back to washing test tubes in Prof. Zee's time lab again (as he did every time that time reset....).

The JSA would show up next in the first issue of Infinity, Inc.....as Huntress continued her back-ups in Wonder Woman.

Big team-ups here for the last of the volumes that DC put out of the Crisis On Multiple Earths (Volume 6), with changes in the world started on one Earth, and major history changes involving heroes and villains from four worlds show how much bigger the Crisis would become, all from the time the first Flashes met, to the first JLA/JSA team-up, and even Legion's future and the past...and so much more.

Still, there are a few JLA/JSA stories that didn't get collected, and more than a few solo meetings of multiple Flashes, multiple Green Lanterns, multiple Supermen and more....and check back as the tale of the last JLA/JSA team ups will be told!

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!