World War II was only 16 years past when Justice League of America 3 was published in February-March 1961. And Gardner Fox’s plot makes it clear that dictatorship can cause not just world wars, but wars between worlds.
The Slave Ship of Space!, drawn by Mike Sekowsky, was the second JLA exploit I was able to buy (those early issues sold out quickly on the newsstands).
I would have picked this one up in late December 1960, a holiday treat. I must have read it dozens of times.
The theme of dictatorship against liberty was echoed in Murphy Anderson’s striking cover scene, which depicts the Justice Leaguers as space galley slaves.
The plot forced the JLA to face not just one but four colorful, warring alien despots — an insectoid alien, a metal being, a plant woman and a lizard humanoid.
Fox comes up with some creative uses of the heroes’ powers, having the Flash employ the falling rocks scattered by an explosion as stepping-stones to reach the endangered Green Lantern. Aquaman uses his control of alien undersea creatures to effectively counter Hyathis’ command of all plant life.
As is usual with Fox, the Martian Manhunter functions as a green Superman here, what with his super-strength, super-breath and “Martian super-vision.”
Early on in his Detective Comics feature, he didn’t seem to be able to fly at all, but here J’onn J’onnz is zooming around the planet literally at missile speed. Fox ignored the bulk of the Martian Manhunter’s unique powers, maybe because he was unfamiliar with them.
“This is one of the most science fictional of the Justice League tales, and it benefits from this,” wrote comics historian Michael E. Grost “All of Kanjar Ro's poetic sf concepts are created here: his galley ship that rows across space, his immobilizing Gamma Metal gong, his wand. These will recur in this story's immediate sequel: the Adam Strange tale The Planet That Came to a Standstill (Mystery in Space 75, May 1962).”
Brian Vorce wrote: I imagine the slave galley was influenced by Ben-Hur, and Spartacus might have been a hot ticket around that time.
ReplyDeleteBruce Kanin wrote:
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible cover! The early JLA issues sported a number of classic ones, with tales that were just as good. What a challenge, too, for the writers to bring together superheroes that they were not all necessarily familiar with. (Not to mention the artists that drew them).
Nelson Fox wrote:
ReplyDeleteJLA#3 was Definitely a Fantastic Issue. I Definitely Agree the Martian Manhunter was not used to His Best Advantage. He Had Powers that were never really used or used to the Teams Best Advantage that definitely made Him a seem like a Poor Man's Superman. But of course to be Fair to Gardner Fox It Was Probably Tough figuring out just what His Powers Were. While Reading those old J'onn J'onzz stories in the Black and White Showcase Presents Volumes He had new powers that came up right and left whatever the Story needed. And I never once saw Him use "Martian Breath" in any of those stories from Detective Comics.lol
Joseph Lenius wrote:
ReplyDeleteThey did sell out pretty quickly by me. Of course, some sources (drugstores, etc.) maybe did not order many copies of certain issues. Some Marvels were on stands with only 1-3 copies! It paid to get to your retail source on the day they arrived and were racked. That was usually on a Thursday, but back then they also received limited shipments on Tuesdays.
Paul Zuckerman wrote:
ReplyDeleteI had discovered the JLA with the last B&B issue--which I may have read after the fact because I distinctly remember that it was missing most of the WW chapter and when it was reprinted, they cut the intro, so it was not until the mid 1970s when I got a new copy to replace my long-missing original one that I actually read the entire story in one sitting!-- but, I digress! When a few months later I saw the ad for JLA 1, I was in euphoria. I remember just starring at the ad on the drive back from the mountains that summer and, of course, I picked up every issue as they appeared on the newsstand--including the amazing # 3.
Superman and Batman appear all-so-briefly, which bothered me then, but not now because it was great that they showcased the other heroes and really gave them room to play. Flash, of course, got the lion's share of attention, followed by fellow-Schwartz stablemate Green Lantern, but Aquaman and J'onn J'onzz had never had such a stage to play.
That J'onn's powers were radically different from his early Detective appearances was not something I realized; in his own feature, he was becoming more like his JLA version. In fact, previously, J'onn stayed invisible and was unseen but in order for him to join the JLA, they revealed him to the world and, if I recall, changed the way his powers operated.
And what a beautiful cover by Murphy Anderson who either drew or inked all of the early covers. Sekowsky's covers were usually more dynamic but Anderson's inks had a luster and shine that smoothed them over. Anderson's own covers are more classical in layout; and always beautiful, with his fine lush line.
The return of Kanjar Ro in MIS came about because of a classic "boo boo" (to use the phrase popularized in the Superman letter columns whenever a mistake was made.) In the very next issue, Flash nominates Adam Strange for membership in the JLA but, as fans pointed out a few issues later, no one knew about Adam's exploits on Rann! So why would Flash nominate him? From that mistake came one of the greatest stories of the Silver Age, the Planet that Came to a Standstill!
These early JLAs remain among my favorites. Gardner Fox's stories were fresh and he could spin yarns that others could only dream about. Yes, why things happened often made no sense but Fox always had an explanation. And Sekowsky's art, while not in the same league (pun intended) as that of Anderson, Infantino and Gil Kane, the other main artists in Schwartz' shop, in these early issues were just perfect. Not many artists could so easily capture so many characters drawn by so many other artists and stuff them all onto one page!
Eric Sandmark wrote:
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this is one of the issues that prompted Martin Goodman to make his famous request to Stan Lee to "create a new superhero team comic" that resulted in the Fantastic Four?
Bruce Kanin:
ReplyDeleteJLA at its finest. Kanjar Ro made a great adversary.
Tom Pica:
ReplyDeleteYou are right about Martian Manhunter. And what about his little sidekick, Zook! He could have stayed in Happy Harbor playing checkers with Snapper before rescuing the day in the final panels!