JUSTICE SOCIETY: 1976 STORIES

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog features the return of the Justice Society’s series in the 1970s.

ALL STAR COMICS Vol 1 #58 (February 1976)

Title: All Star Super Squad

Justice Society Roster: 1st Flash, 1st Green Lantern, Dr. Fate, Wildcat, Power Girl, Star Spangled Kid, 1st Hawkman, 1st Robin and Dr. Mid-Nite

Villain: Brain Wave

NOTE: This issue of All Star Comics resumes its numbering from #57 back in 1951, when the JSA’s 1940-1951 series ended. Since then, beginning in 1963 came the annual Justice Society/ Justice League crossover stories. The JSA regained its popularity and now had its series resume. 

Synopsis: Dr. Fate, Flash, Hawkman, Robin, Wildcat, Green Lantern and Dr. Mid-Nite are joined by the Justice Society’s newest members – Power Girl, Earth-Two’s equivalent of Supergirl, and the Star Spangled Kid, former member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory and now the wielder of the retired Starman’s Cosmic Rod.

After fighting eruptions of earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters around the world, the Justice Society learns from Power Girl that the villain behind it all is the JSA’s archenemy Brain Wave.

ALL STAR COMICS Vol 1 #59 (April 1976)

Title: Brain Wave Blows Up

Villains: Brain Wave and Per Degaton

Synopsis: While the Justice Society continues fighting Brain Wave’s campaign of causing natural disasters to force the world into submission, he at last locates the destitute Per Degaton, his former co-member of the Injustice Society, and recruits him as an ally.

The two villains work together from Brain Wave’s orbiting vessel but are tracked down by the JSA. The heroes battle Brain Wave, Per Degaton (at right) and Brain Wave’s usual mental creations.

When Power Girl moves Brain Wave’s ship out of orbit, the confusion that ensues lets the Justice Society defeat and capture the two villains.

ALL STAR COMICS Vol 1 #60 (June 1976)

Title: Vulcan: Son of Fire

Justice Society Roster: 1st Flash, Dr. Fate, Wildcat, 1st Green Lantern, Power Girl and the Star Spangled Kid

Villain: Vulcan

Synopsis: An astronaut, named Christopher Pike as a Star Trek shoutout, was part of a three-man crew orbiting the sun as part of a project called Vulcan. Snapping one day, Pike murdered his two crewmates and the Vulcan vessel began plunging into the sun.

The vessel melted around him and merged with his body, transforming him into a heat-powered villain with an armored body and with an axe formed from leftover metal from the Vulcan vessel. Returning to Earth, the figure – now calling himself Vulcan, went on a rampage and invaded JSA Headquarters.

ALL STAR COMICS Vol 1 #61 (August 1976)

Title: Hellfire and Holocaust

Justice Society Roster: Dr. Mid-Nite, Hourman, 1st Hawkman, 1st Green Lantern, Dr. Fate, 1st Flash, Wildcat, Power Girl and the Star Spangled Kid

Villain: Vulcan

Synopsis: The JSA continues their battle with Vulcan, leaving a swathe of destruction in their wake. During the battle, Dr. Fate is seriously injured by Vulcan, but ultimately the Star Spangled Kid uses his Cosmic Rod to overload Vulcan with star energy, thus destroying him.

The team then rushes Dr. Fate to the hospital, where Dr. Mid-Nite’s secret identity, Dr. Charles McNider, treats him but for a cliffhanger ending he tells the Justice Society there is nothing he can do to save their teammate’s life.

ALL STAR COMICS Vol 1 #62 (October 1976)

Title: When Fall the Mighty

Justice Society Roster: 1st Superman, 1st Flash, 1st Hawkman, 1st Green Lantern, Hourman, Dr. Fate, Wildcat, Power Girl, the Star Spangled Kid and Dr. Mid-Nite

Villain: Zanadu

Synopsis: Zanadu, an ancient occult entity who clashed with Dr. Fate long ago, decides to take advantage of the situation and attacks him in the hospital, making his condition even worse. The JSA drive him away before he can finish off Dr. Fate.

Zanadu strikes next in Japan, imperiling the entire country. While the Justice Society try to save Japan from the ancient entity, the Injustice Society member called the Fiddler lurks nearby, undetected by our heroes.

The Fiddler uses his powered violin to enthrall Wildcat with a note too high-pitched to be detected by the other combatants. Fiddler makes Wildcat attack Hawkman while the battle against Zanadu continues, and for the cliffhanger it seems that Wildcat has killed Hawkman.

ALL STAR COMICS Vol 1 #63 (December 1976)

Title: The Death of Dr. Fate

Villains: Zanadu, the Fiddler and Solomon Grundy

Synopsis: The shock of thinking he killed Hawkman snaps Wildcat out of the Fiddler’s control. Realizing what happened, Wildcat, in a berserker rage, tries to catch the Fiddler. The villain has his Injustice Society teammate Solomon Grundy deal with Wildcat while he escapes.   

Solomon Grundy and Wildcat clash briefly, then Power Girl and the 1st Superman join Wildcat against Grundy. Eventually, Solomon is defeated, and Superman imprisons the monster in a volcano. Hawkman turns out to be alive after all.

Meanwhile, Zanadu has returned to the skies above the Justice Society Headquarters in Gotham City. Dr. Fate passes away, infuriating the rest of the JSA, who attack their teammate’s killer Zanadu.

The chaos magic energy bolts that Zanadu unleashes against our heroes during the battle leave their residue around Gotham and – due to the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of chaos magic – the bolts’s residue brings Dr. Fate back to life. With Fate tipping the balance, the Justice Society defeats Zanadu.

Superman, wanting to decisively settle down with his wife Lois Lane, decides to retire like Starman and the 1st Batman have done. 

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA Vol 1 #135-137 (October, November and December 1976)

Titles: Crisis in Eternity, Crisis on Earth-S and Crisis in Tomorrow

Justice Society Roster: Original Batman, Original Flash, Original Green Lantern, Original Robin, Original Wonder Woman (Diana Prince-TREVOR) and Johnny Thunder

Justice League Roster: 2nd Flash, 2nd Superman, 2nd Green Lantern, 2nd Green Arrow, 2nd Hawkman and 2nd Hawkgirl

Squadron of Justice Roster: Shazam (Captain Marvel), Ibis the Invincible, Bulletman, Bulletgirl and Spy Smasher

Synopsis: The JSA and JLA’s first encounter with the Fawcett Comics superheroes (purchased by DC Comics).

Across their three planets, Earth-One, Earth-Two and Earth-S, the heroes face an alliance of supervillains from all three worlds, under the overall leadership of Shazam’s old foe King Kull. Three-part story with the 2nd part featuring the very last battle between the original Batman and the original Joker.

JUSTICE SOCIETY AND JUSTICE LEAGUE CROSSOVERS 1963-1969 HERE.

THE JUSTICE SOCIETY’S WORLD WAR TWO-ERA STORIES HERE.

FOR CANADA’S 1940s SUPERHEROES CLICK HERE.

OTHER DC SUPERHEROES OF THE 1940s HERE.