A quick one today: a battered copy of 1967's Justice League of America #58, featuring stories by Gardner Fox and art by Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs.
Out of the three stories reprinted this issue, "The World of No Return!" from Justice League of America #1 is easily the most classic. Despero--in his svelte, pre-80's steroid-monger version--plays a deadly game with the Flash, as his teammates are transported to dimensional worlds "of no return!" The three-eyed space tyrant gets beat by Snapper Carr, yet has somehow overcome his shame to appear many times since.
"The Wheel of Misfortune!" from Justice League of America #6 is another iconic cover, featuring another recurring villain, Amos Fortune. Not as good as Despero, but Fortune would turn up again and again. The final story, "For Sale--the Justice League!" from Justice League of America #8 gives some garden-variety gangsters a shot, after they find a strange ray and mind-control the JLA for use in crimes. Which they kind of suck at, and they're saved by Snapper again. Get your heads in the game, guys.
Man, was Amos Fortune ever a legit threat to the JLA? Seriously, looking back on those early issues/adventures, guys like Fortune, the Weapons Master, etc, just seem like they really wouldn't be all that of a threat to the combined powers the League memebers have. In fact, in most cases, they seem overly-powered to handle someone in that low threat range, much like the Fiddler or even yes, Kanjar Ro.
ReplyDeleteHindsight and all that......