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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 6:46 pm 
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A look back at Len Wein's original run as the writer for Justice League of America.

With the legendary 100th issue of JLA, Wein took over the writing from Mike Friedrich, who had written the previous thirteen new story issues (I may do an issue by issue review of Friedrich's run, but I will require a steady supply of weed to keep me semi-grounded.) After Gardner Fox's exit from JLA in 1968, Denny O'Neil steered the book more towards the social issues of the day. Wonder Woman, The Martian Manhunter, and Snapper Carr exited the book, Black Canary joined the team as the New Green Arrow emerged as the personality of the group. The League transitioned from a headquarters outside of Happy Harbor to a satellite in geosynchronous orbit. Fewer super-villains, more lessons on pollution and war and overpopulation. After O'Neil, Friedrich took the book into the surreal, with an infamous story about a psychically powered Harlan Ellison, a JSA team-up that coincidentally featured every JLA member that had an active JSA doppelganger, and a pied piper version of Jimi Hendrix. Friedrich said goodbye with an entertaining three-part Cosmic Vampire tale that included a rehashing of the League's origin and a final lesson on ecology from an alien set of Johnny Appleseeds. This set the stage for the 100th issue, the ninth meeting of the JLA and JSA, and the return of the Seven Soldiers of Victory.



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Roll Call:
Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary, Wonder Woman (as Diana Prince), Elongated Man, Zatanna, Metamporpho, Doctor Fate, Doctor Mid-Nite, Hourman, Wonder Woman of Earth 2, Johnny Thunder, Red Tornado, Sandman, Starman, Wildcat, The Thunderbolt, Green Arrow of Earth 2, Speedy of Earth 2, Star-Spangled Kid, Stripesy, Shining Knight, Vigilante of Earth 2, Crimson Avenger, Wing, Adam Strange, Snapper Carr, Martian Manhunter.

This issue was reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #11 and the Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 3 TPB.


This is only Nick Cardy's second JLA cover. Neal Adams had been the primary cover artist prior to JLA #99. This is also the first 20¢ issue of JLA. The previous issues had been 48 to 52 pages for 25¢ (the extra pages featuring reprinted stories from the Golden and Silver Ages, hence the "All New Stories" banner). The headshot column features art by Neal Adams (This was the third issue featuring the Neal Adams headshots. Prior to that, the headshots were primarily by Murphy Anderson, with occasional heads cut from panels by various artists.) This is the first appearance of the Seven Soldiers of Victory on a DC cover since Leading Comics #14 in 1945.

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Cover by Cardy, headshots by Adams, interior art by Dick Dillin and Joe Giella.

Wein begins with the JLA returning to their cave headquarters to celebrate their 100th meeting. Of course, with two and three issue arcs and references to previous unpublished meetings throughout the series, the numbering can be suspect. But in 1972 it was reasonable to believe that the JLA had gotten together nine or ten times a year over the previous decade.

As a core group of members enter the cave, we get shots of other members and invitees, showing us why they haven't arrived. Some are delayed (a great panel of Flash and Elongated Man finishing up an adventure in Central City (with the classic Editor's Note explaining why Flash has referred to EM as "Ralph" in front of the criminals: "Ralph Dibny - The Elongated Man - The only super-hero to publicly reveal his dual identity!") The Martian Manhunter and Adam Strange are off planet and unable to attend, Snapper Carr is shown for the first time since his betrayal of the League, still lacking the courage to face his friends (Wein would later make one final attempt to reestablish Snapper Carr's friendship with the JLA). Besides the current membership, Metamorpho, Elongated Man, Diana Prince, and Zatanna are in attendance. Glaring absentees that have appeared on cover and in story in previous JLA issues: Batgirl, Robin, and The Vigilante of Earth 1. Deadman and Sargon the Sorcerer had also played major roles in stories during the previous year, but they were also not mentioned as friends of the League.

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Green Lantern creates a giant cake knife for the ladies to put to domestic use. Rex would've been a nice additional
smart-ass to have around to compliment Ollie's zingers.


As you would expect, the party is interrupted by an emergency. The League and their friends are suddenly transported to the JSA headquarters on Earth 2, summoned by their counterparts in a time of need. Doctor Fate brings the League and the readers up to date with a tale of a mysterious cosmic hand that has the Earth in its grip. A villain calling himself The Iron Hand has taken credit for the peril and demanded that he be granted domination over the world in return for the Earth's release. Of course, this is a very simple, classic comic book premise. It would be too simple for most stories, but it's perfect in this case. This story is jam-packed with characters and multiple chapters with plots and villains of their own. The simple framing threat and villain prevent the story from ending in convoluted confusion.

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Ralph fits in nicely with the League. This is his first official JLA adventure after helping Zatanna and other Leaguers on
her adventure.


Magic is brought into play to get the story moving. Doctor Fate has turned to his crystal ball for an answer but is only given another question. The crystal ball shows the grave of an Unknown Soldier of Victory. Hoping for more help from the world of magic, Fate asks Zatanna and Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt to assist him in reaching a being named Oracle, a mystical version of Marvel's Watcher. Oracle explains that he cannot give solutions, only show what has gone before. He shows the heroes visions of a creature similar to the cosmic hand known as the Nebula Man. Made of the same energy, the Nebula Man was defeated by the Seven Soldiers of Victory. But the victory came at a price. One of the Seven Soldiers had to give his life in order for them to defeat the Nebula Man.

At this point, the JSA realizes that they have no memory of the Seven Soldiers of Victory. Oracle reveals that the force of the Nebula Man's destruction had ripped the Seven Soldiers from their place in time. Each Soldier had been thrown into different points in Earth's past. As a reader of Gardner Fox's classic JLA, you can see where this is going. 22 heroes on hand, 7 heroes lost in different places and times... we're about to break up into teams.

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In a tradition that goes back to the days of All Star Comics, the heroes break up into teams. Heavy hitters and classic
JSA members Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman are conspicuously missing.


The search is on, but Diana decides to stay back and fill in any the JSA members that are expected to arrive late. That leaves us seven teams of three, all guided into the past by Oracle to find the Seven Soldiers of Victory. Wein ends the issue with a taste of what's to come. We get the first chapter set in the past, with Doctor Fate, the Atom, and Elongated Man thrown into the ancient Mexico of the Aztecs. These chapters are such a kick-ass device. The reader and the heroes do not know the time, the locale, or even the Soldier of Victory that is the focus of each chapter. We are all thrown in together for an awesome ride.

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The hunt is on. Three heroes journey into the past to find their assigned Seven Soldier of Victory.

Fate, Ralph, and Ray soon find the Crimson Avenger, who has been thrown back in time along with a chunk of the Nebula Man. The energy from the chunk has robbed the Avenger of his memory and imbued him with cosmic energy powers. The Aztecs have made him their king, and the heroes are his prisoner. A fun little chapter that makes it obvious to the reader that Wein could easily make Ralph Dibny a fantastic ongoing addition to the JLA. At this point the readers didn't know that we were looking at a three issue series. The JLA/JSA stories had traditionally been two issue tales, so our kid brains assumed that the next six chapters would be packed into one issue. It was a relief to get that next comic and find out that we had an entire extra issue of this great story.

The issue ends with our first set of heroes being whisked back towards the present with a cloud of mystical smoke by way of the Oracle. The final page reveals our villain, designed by Dick Dillin and complete with robotic iron hand and pencil thin mustache. He raises his metal fist to the sky and shouts, "The Earth will bow to my demands -- and the Iron Hand will hold dominion over all!

- NEXT UP: THE HAND THAT SHOOK THE WORLD!


Last edited by RobertSwanderson on Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:01 pm 
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Isn't that clearly Hawkman on the right?

Great post formatting! I dig it.


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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:09 pm 
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Steve wrote:
Isn't that clearly Hawkman on the right?

Great post formatting! I dig it.


That's the Hawkman of Earth One. The only JSA doppelganger to appear was Wonder Woman (probably because her Earth One counterpart was unpowered at the time).


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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:11 pm 
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Oh I am gonna love this thread. Great run.


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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 8:50 pm 
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Len Wein is awesome. :)


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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 8:58 pm 
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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 9:07 pm 
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sNAPPY!!! :thumbsup:

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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 9:22 pm 
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Nice. I started buying the title just a few issues into this run.

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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 9:26 pm 
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My first issue was #109. Very dramatic the way Superman barges into the room on that cover.

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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 9:28 pm 
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"In a tradition that goes back to the days of All Star Comics, the heroes break up into teams. Heavy hitters and classic
JSA members Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman are conspicuously missing."

Well, we can't be doubling up, I guess. Too bad. Those were generally my favorite team ups.

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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 9:36 pm 
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Beachy wrote:
"In a tradition that goes back to the days of All Star Comics, the heroes break up into teams. Heavy hitters and classic
JSA members Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman are conspicuously missing."

Well, we can't be doubling up, I guess. Too bad. Those were generally my favorite team ups.


The previous team-up in '71 had nothing but "Double Ups". All of the characters without current Earth 2 doubles were sent off on a different mission, leaving us with two of everyone (including Robin). Possibly Wein wanted to get away from that for this next adventure.


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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 9:45 pm 
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Was that the Robin gets the "new" costume issue with the underarm "wings"?

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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 10:15 pm 
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Next issue has one of my favorite JLA covers. I loved the JLA habit of breaking the team off into smaller groups for individual chapters... the fact that they did this while also using the JSA and guest stars made it even cooler. The JLA story I posted in the Drawing Board way back used this same schtick, I was definitely influenced by these issues.


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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 10:53 pm 
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Beachy wrote:
Was that the Robin gets the "new" costume issue with the underarm "wings"?


Yes.


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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 11:26 pm 
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I have some of these issues. Great thread!

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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:51 am 
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My mom gave me issue #101 just prior to dropping me off at the hospital for a tonsillectomy when I was five. It was my first exposure to the JLA and I was mesmerized by the piles of heroes as well as the concepts of parallel earths and time travel. I later spent hours learning to draw each of those characters and costumes... it was one of my favorite comics of childhood. Wein's run is still my second-favorite JLA run ever (after Englehart). Both of them took the Fox approach and added a little Marvel characterization.

RobertSwanderson wrote:
The previous team-up in '71 had nothing but "Double Ups". All of the characters without current Earth 2 doubles were sent off on a different mission, leaving us with two of everyone (including Robin). Possibly Wein wanted to get away from that for this next adventure.


That seems likely. It's notable that Green Arrow has no significant interaction in the story with his Earth-2 counterpart.

Can't wait for #101, or #108, or #111-112


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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 1:18 am 
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Are these among the issues collected in the 'Crisis On Multiple Earths' series of trades DC did?

I bought 'Crisis On Multiple Earths The Team-Ups', and it included Brave And The Bold issues, but I'd love to read these, simply for their JSA inclusion, and because it's really a new concept to me, the Earth-1/Earth-2 thing. I always knew about it, but it was well and truly before my time, so I've always considered the DCU as one Earth, with the JSA their first, the JLA following, etc.

It interested me seeing a completely different side to this, as we see their distinctly different lives on their own worlds.


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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 1:54 am 
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Prowl wrote:
Are these among the issues collected in the 'Crisis On Multiple Earths' series of trades DC did?


This story is included in the Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 3 TPB


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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:06 am 
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RobertSwanderson wrote:
Friedrich said goodbye with an entertaining three-part Cosmic Vampire tale that included a rehashing of the League's origin and a final lesson on ecology from an alien set of Johnny Appleseeds.

This was quite possibly the suckiest comic book series I ever read. The only thing entertaining about it was trying to light it on fire without my mother catching me doing it.

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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:12 am 
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Jason Czeskleba wrote:
That seems likely. It's notable that Green Arrow has no significant interaction in the story with his Earth-2 counterpart.

That's because his Earth 2 counterpart was never a JSA member. This Nebula Hand story is the first chance E1 GA had to meet the Earth 2 GA.

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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:22 am 
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James C. Taylor wrote:
Jason Czeskleba wrote:
That seems likely. It's notable that Green Arrow has no significant interaction in the story with his Earth-2 counterpart.

That's because his Earth 2 counterpart was never a JSA member. This Nebula Hand story is the first chance E1 GA had to meet the Earth 2 GA.


I think that he's referring to the two Ollies not interacting in issues 100 -102. They both appear, but have no interaction between each other.


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 Post subject: Len Wein's Justice League of America ( Vol. 1, Issues 100-114 )
PostPosted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 3:02 am 
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Exactly. Wein chose to downplay the "double up" aspect, rather than say have the Earth-One GA be part of the team that rescues the Seven Soldiers version.


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