Fighty, fight, fight - Justice League of America #148

Crisis in Triplicate

Justice League of America #148

Cover Dated: November 1977
Released: 4th August 1977

Just in case it isn't obvious there is a lot of fighting in this issue, and however hard you try describing people punching isn't as easy as just letting thing just wash over you. It doesn't help that with three teams pummeling each other it's difficult to keep a track of everyone.

After the first few pages summing up the last issue (every issue being someones first etc, etc) we get the demons three just taking over. They have the Legion take Mordu, now excess to this story, back to its physical body. Didn't you know Mordu was in an Astral form the whole time? That's good neither did we!

The demon then have a falling out over ideological reasons, no really, apparently, humanity in the 30th century is too pure now and whilst one want to just destroy it all another is after wealth. They try a quick standoff but their powers cancel each other out so they decide to get back together all three teams to have a bit of a donnybrook!

So only nine pages into their own comic the league get yoinked back to 2977 to get involved in a massive three-way fight with the Legion and Society.

This where things get a little messy to follow, so if you read things differently then you're probably just as likely to be as right as I am! So everyone has there own will, but are under the control of one of the demon and want to fight the other teams. Except for Hal Lantern who is only sort of is, green lantern powers obviously, and help Ollie and Dinah get out of the hourglass before it's too late. And as it's now appropriate to the plot Ollie can finally use his bow to break the "glass" and let them both out. And our Power Girl is also immune to the control, apparently because of her youthful stamina and Kryptonian nature. Superman isn't though, except with her, like I said very confusing. Anyway, Kara and Hal stage a fight so as not to let on that their control isn't as solid as they thought, whilst Dinah come up with a plan to defeat the demons. Because Earth-2 woman are obviously the best at all this!

We have a few set pieces of them holding the World Council hostage in some kind of craft cutting through the core of the planet and destroying a city made of Ice (no in Iceland though for doubt irony). All this fighty fight results in two of the demons turning their attention back to fighting each other, and apparently, with only two of them they managed to neutralize each other. The JSA are briefly in danger but a recoporalized Doctor Fate, he was apparently atomised early in this issue but it didn't stick, rescues them just in time.

Then we're left with just the one demon, the most powerful of the three maybe? And here my Power Girl comes up with the plan, Earth-2 Woman again, comes up with a pretty simple plan. Basically, they rebuild the old JLA satellite around the demon trapping them within the place, obviously, the Legion is expected to put cone up to keep people away from this potential danger.

Then everyone makes up for the fighting and finally the JLA and JSA get to go home to their own Earth.

Personally, I'm not a massive fan of the issue long fight, apparently, I'm here more for the personal drama something JSA does in spades normally. Still, it's very pretty and still has those bonkers ideas like the very impractical City of Ice. Not a favourite, but not terrible by any measure.

By a very strange coincidence, those lovely people over at Fire and Water Podcast Network covered these very issues on their excellent Justice Society Presents #2, which just happened to drop the day before the last issue of this very blog. On the rare chance, you've not come from there I recommend that give it a listen, not that I gathered my thoughts into some coherent I plan to listen to it myself!