WONDER WOMAN & SUPERMAN versus QUEEN CLEA & BLOCKBUSTER

"Crisis in Eternity!" Chapter 2: "Crisis on a Lost Continent" (DC)
Where: Justice League of America #135 When: October 1976 Why: E. Nelson Bridwell & Martin Pasko How: Dick Dillin & Frank McLaughlin

The Story So Far...
King Kull, ancient Lord of Beast-Men, has devised a means to penetrate the fabric of space and time to invade The Rock of Eternity! He traps the gods within in a state of molecular slow-motion -- leaving humanity defenseless as he plans his ultimate revenge on modern man!

Only the god of speed, Mercury, escapes in time to warn the heroes of three worlds of the coming threat from beyond the multiverse: The Justice League of Earth-One, Justice Society of Earth-Two, and Squadron of Justice of Earth-S!

Opposing them are a small army of allies recruited by King Kull to bedevil the heroes. On Earth-Two: Queen Clea schemes to reclaim her Atlantean throne with the help of villains from three worlds. While Penguin & Ibac oversee construction of a doomsday machine, Clea & Blockbuster host Wonder Woman & Superman!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Superman 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach Speed)
Stamina: Superman 6 (Generator)
Agility: Superman 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Wonder Woman 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Superman 5 (Lasers)
Total: Superman 33 (Super)

A few weeks ago we looked at Superman versus Wonder Woman, but that's not what they're all about. These legendary heroes are at their best working side by side -- and today they're forming a titanic tag team against a dangerous alliance!

Queen Clea reigns over the submerged Atlantean city of Venturia: an outpost where men are second-class citizens to physically imposing women, and efforts to conquer sister city Venturia are always on the agenda.

To aid in her plans for conquest Clea has recruited a villainous cadre from multiple Earths. She has specifically enslaved Blockbuster with a Venus Girdle to ensure the dim-witted powerhouse remains obedient to her every order!

Mark Desmond was a chemist who tested experimental formulas on himself, greatly enhancing his size and strength at the cost of his intelligence.

He's a traditional adversary for Batman, but we saw him joining the Suicide Squad in their first mission to take down Darkseid's avenging fire giant Brimstone. Its a battle that demonstrates both Blockbuster's formidable strength -- and its limits!

To that end: Blockbuster is arguably out of his weight class going up against Superman and Wonder Woman. He might be able to at least knock one of them around, but together they should be more than a match. There also remains the risk that he may break free of Queen Clea's influence and turn against her!

Wonder Woman and Superman are old pros working together many times as members of the Justice League. We've seen them triumph against Gorilla Grodd in JLA: Classified #3, and the Injustice League in Justice League of America #15.

This story is pre-Crisis, which means it's actually a crossover between two worlds: Superman hails from Earth-One, while this is the Wonder Woman of Earth-Two who we saw in JSA Strange Adventures #1 as a member of the Justice Society.

The classic Wonder Woman still relies on her invisible jet and might not be quite as strong as her modern incarnation. Will that matter? Let's take a look...

The Tape: Wonder Woman & Superman Ranking: Superman (#5)

What Went Down...

Scoping their opponents from the sky: Superman takes the lead, leaving Wonder Woman in her invisible jet above while he swoops earthbound.

He recalls the efforts of Wayne Enterprises to render Blockbuster more docile on the path to recovery, but gets a rude awakening when Queen Clea orders the hulking behemoth to punch him clean out of the air!

Kneeling in the dirt Superman chides his own over-confidence, while Blockbuster grapples with the effects of having struck the Man of Steel! 

The blow leaves Blockbuster clutching his own hand and complaining of the pain.

Superman sees an opportunity to strike, counting on the dim-witted villain to lack the sense to avoid an oncoming attack.

Superman swings both feet under Blockbuster's jaw with a gravity-defying kick!

The blow staggers the chemically enhanced powerhouse, but the Man of Steel has succumbed to over-confidence once more. He failed to note Queen Clea lurking in the background with a second Venus Girdle at the ready!

Before he even realises what's happening -- the golden belt of influence is clasped around his waist by a cackling Clea!

With Wonder Woman's jet landing nearby; Queen Clea slaps Blockbuster across the face and compels her slaves to confront the Amazonian arch-nemesis. The behemoth rushes to comply while Superman fights to resist the girdle's control.

Thinking fast -- Wonder Woman tosses her golden lasso over Blockbuster and stops him in his tracks. He silently trembles for a moment before succumbing to its magical influence and Wonder Woman's command to remove Superman's belt!

Now totally in thrall to Clea -- The Man of Steel arrogantly holds Blockbuster off with a single extended arm. The simplistic brute remains totally focused on removing the mind-altering belt, but he's simply no match for Superman's might!

"You got in one shot -- but that's all! Because you see -- I'm Superman... And nobody takes Superman... Got that? NOBODY!"

With one arm Superman easily lifts Blockbuster off his feet and sends him slamming violently into a nearby rocky mound!

Turning his attentions to Wonder Woman, the Man of Steel once again fights to resist the Venus Girdle. He warns he's about to attack, but as his resolve fades Wonder Woman defiantly orders him to stop -- and he does!

Queen Clea erupts with furious confusion as Superman freezes on the spot and Wonder Woman closes in to end her villainous plot with a charging uppercut!

The Amazon then liberates Superman from the Venus Girdle, noting it forces a state of obedience unto its wearer -- which can be influenced by any one!

The Hammer...

For a minute there it looked like we might have another battle between a mind-controlled Superman, and Wonder Woman, but the quick-thinking Amazon avoided conflict by hoisting Queen Clea with her own petard!

We looked at Superman vs Wonder Woman a few weeks ago, and although it can be a lot of fun to see who wins when heroes go head-to-head -- I've been craving an antidote to the increasingly common trend of hero-on-hero violence.

That seemed as good a reason as any to return to the 'Crisis on Three Worlds': a three-way crossover that subverts the once annual tradition of Justice League and Justice Society meetings by adding The Squadron of Justice of Earth-S!

You might know that particular world as the pre-Crisis home of Captain Marvel, as well as his prehistoric nemesis King Kull -- who is the arch-villain of this story!

King Kull is manipulating events from The Rock of Eternity in an effort to exact revenge against modern day humans. Queen Clea's lust for conquest over Earth-2's Atlantis creates an alliance of convenience, which also involves The Penguin and Ibac, working in addition to Clea's outmatched bodyguard: Blockbuster.

We've already seen what happens when Green Arrow catches up with Penguin, and I rather look forward to eventually taking a closer look at Ibac's fate, too.

In the mean time: It might seem a little corny that the Venus Girdle could so easily be turned against the one conspiring to use it, but I kind of appreciate the literal quality of the rules. It only forces obedience upon the wearer. Not loyalty!

It's also nice that Wonder Woman had the opportunity to resolve the situation somewhat peacefully. Sure, she still kayoed Clea with a sock to the jaw, but she remains a warrior for peace, looking for simple non-combative solutions. I like it.

I also enjoy seeing heroes work together to resolve problems in a relatively short amount of time. This fight spans a brisk four and a half pages of spine-busting action. Dick Dillin uses the page space pretty well with classic layouts.

I'm a little less keen on some of the complications that come with the pre-Crisis multiverse. Modern canon recast the Earth-Two Wonder Woman as Diana's adventuring mother Queen Hippolyta. In these original printings it was very much the Wonder Woman we all know and love.

Because of that fact we consolidate these characters in the records unless there's a specific reason to consider them otherwise. Which means this victory will push Wonder Woman into the Top 10!

If you'd like to see today's battle for yourself you can find it collected in Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 4! Use the Amazon purchase link provided to do any of your shopping and you'll not only get a great deal -- you'll help support the site at no extra cost!

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Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured over 650 battles and is counting down to ranking our 1000th character! You can check out some of the ranked fighters in the 2020 Rankings Recap, or just revisit the Top 20 Fights of 2020 and Featured Fight Recap. Or explore the Secret Archive for a complete index of every featured fight organized by publisher, series, and issue number!

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Winners: Wonder Woman & Superman
#5 (--) Superman
#10 (+1) Wonder Woman
#362 (-56) Blockbuster
#940 (new) Queen Clea

PENGUIN versus GREEN ARROW

"Crisis in Eternity!" (DC)
Where: Justice League of America #135 When: October 1976 Why: E. Nelson Bridwell & Martin Pasko How: Dick Dillin & Frank McLaughlin

The Story So Far...
King Kull, ancient Lord of Beast-Men, has devised a means to penetrate the fabric of space and time to invade The Rock of Eternity! Trapping the gods within in a state of molecular slow-motion, he begins his revenge on the humanity that supplanted him -- but not unopposed!

The fleet of foot god of speed, Mercury, escaped The Rock of Eternity moments before King Kull's attack, allowing him to traverse the multiverse to recruit the Justice League of Earth-One, the Justice Society of Earth-Two, and the Squadron of Justice of Earth-S!

King Kull has recruited his own small army of allies to bedevil the heroes of three worlds. Acting under the orders the Atlantean Queen Clea; Penguin and Ibac work to construct a machine that will restore her reign -- only to be set upon by the two-man force of Green Arrow and Spy Smasher!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Green Arrow 2 (Average)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Green Arrow 2 (Average)
Stamina: Green Arrow 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Green Arrow 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Green Arrow 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Green Arrow 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Green Arrow 24 (Champion)

Once upon a time The Penguin was considered one of the premier opponents for Batman, but over the years he's been better identified as a businessman, and mastermind, who pulls the strings from behind a façade of legitimacy.

Though dapper of dress and stout of frame - Penguin has proven himself plenty street wise! Ruthless aggression and an arsenal of weapons concealed in trick umbrellas more than makes up for his limits as a hand-to-hand combatant!

We saw Penguin's always reliable machine-gun-brolly in action when he took on the scarlet speedster in Flash #210. Hopelessly outmatched, he was also relying on local muscle from Keystone City to help bridge the divide. In today's featured fight, it's slightly more even as he crosses umbrella gimmicks with trick arrows!

Green Arrow appears to have a lot of conventional advantages over Penguin in the combat arena. His superior athleticism, and training in the martial arts and archery are an easy path to victory. He's relied on these skills to overcome seemingly superior foes, such as the super-humanly strong Brick [in Green Arrow #45 & #60], and Black Hand in Green Lantern: Rebirth #1.

If Penguin can plant his feet and turn the fight into an old fashioned shootout, he should be able to pin the archer down and dictate the fight on his terms. He also technically has the super-powered Ibac in tow, but he'll have his hands full with Spy Smasher. This is strictly mano-a-mano. Let's see what happened...

The Tape: Green Arrow Ranking: Green Arrow (#34)

What Went Down...
The villainous Ibac completes construction of a mysterious machine under The Penguin's watchful monocle when suddenly another arrives by air!

From the craft steps the heroic twosome of Green Arrow and Spy Smasher! Ibac recognizes the latter, prompting the villains to split-up to take on their respective foes individually!

Remembering Green Arrow from a previous encounter with the Justice League, Penguin opens up with the barrel side of his rainbow coloured bumbershoot!

The weapon discharges a colourful burst of offensive fireworks, but the flames are quickly snuffed when Green Arrow slings off a CO₂ arrow!

The Penguin switches tactics, attempting to fight aerosol with parasol when his umbrella begins spewing a cloud of noxious gas!

The green fumes spell certain doom, but GA has another trick in his quiver, producing a fan-tipped arrow that blows the smoke right back at The Penguin!

The backfired attack engulfs Penguin in his own gas, sending the squat super-villain into a gentle slumber.

The Hammer...
Short, sharp, and straight to the point!

The Penguin did his best to upset the emerald archer, but this time he simply wasn't well enough equipped to deal with Green Arrow's legendary marksmanship, and bag of trick arrows!

The victory helps ensure the Justice League thwarts the grand designs of Queen Clea and her band of unlikely accomplices. The scheme to regain control of her underwater domain is itself part of an even bigger plot hatched & overseen by the watchful eye of King Kull. His mission: destroy humanity on three worlds!

Kull's revenge is part of the once-annual tradition of crossovers between the Justice League on Earth-One, and the Justice Society of Earth-Two. Per the villain's origins, this time the 'Crisis on Multiple Earths' runs three-ways, to include Earth-S: home of the wicked Ibac, and his arch-nemesis Captain Marvel!

There's no shortage of action in this, or adjoining issues. Truth be told, the clash between Green Arrow and The Penguin is a pretty small slice. Sometimes it's those little, easily overlooked battles that can be the most fun to dig up.

Comparisons between Green Arrow and Batman run deep into their earliest days in print. It would be generous to say that Green Arrow was merely influenced by The Dark Knight. Replete with his own equivalent kid sidekick and Arrowcar, the wealthy bowman borrowed liberally from his counterpart in the Golden Age.

The pair have grown much more distinct over the decades, but flirtations with their past similarity still occur from time to time. We saw trouble in Gotham spill over into Star City when Red Hood had memorable off-brand run-ins with Brick [Green Arrow #70], Green Arrow [Green Arrow #71], and Mia Dearden - the then-new Speedy [Green Arrow #72].

GA arguably doubled-down on gimmicked gadgets to a far greater degree, making the match-up with Penguin an interesting twist on his usual battles with Batman. Possessing an arsenal of trick umbrellas made to fire similar gimmick weapons, he's a natural foe for Green Arrow. In fact, this is a rematch of sorts!

In the earlier Justice League of America #61, Penguin briefly assumed the identity of Green Arrow, magically trading places with a similarly disguised Batman! It was all part of a convoluted plot to retire Green Arrow and jail the Justice League. It all unraveled when the out-of-costume Oliver Queen got the drop on his unsuspecting imposter, kayoing him in the street with a blunt arrow.

On that day, Penguin was canny enough to upset the green-garbed Batman, but he never even saw it coming when the real deal hit him from behind with an arrow! Today's clash wasn't exactly the rematch of the century, but it was a mite more interesting a test of their respective weaponry.

I got a kick out of the small skirmish, and it was a nice opportunity to talk about two heroes making waves in the domain of live-action. Stephen Amell is set to retire the role of Oliver Queen when Arrow wraps at the end of this year. Meanwhile Colin Farrell has emerged as the unlikely actor to play The Penguin when The Batman arrives in theatres, 2021. Fair enough!

If you'd like to get the full story surrounding today's battle, you can find the entire issue collected in Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 4! Use the Amazon purchase link provided and you'll not only get yourself a great deal -- you'll help support Secret Wars on Infinite Earths at no additional cost!

We'll return to more of the crossover clashes found in this issue at some point in the future. You'll be able to find those and so much more superhero smackdown in the Secret Archive: a complete index of every featured fight in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Be sure to follow links throughout this post to connect with more from the characters featured. Or simply follow The Comic Book Fight Club on Twitter and Facebook for daily links to battles inspired by topics of the day!

Winner: Green Arrow
#23 (+11) Green Arrow
#932 (-11) The Penguin

FLASH versus RAG DOLL

Countdown To Crisis! (DC)
Where: Justice League of America #196 When: November 1981 Why: Gerry Conway How: George Perez & Romeo Tanghal

The Story So Far...
In an effort to destroy his nemesis Superman, Ultra-Humanite forms a Secret Society of Super-Villains across two worlds. His goal: to orchestrate the capture of ten key heroes who will upset the balance of worlds - resulting in the orchestrated destruction of his own!

Earth-1 is home to a Justice League of America led by the youthful Superman, while Earth-2 boasts seasoned veterans of the Justice Society and a matured Superman. Despite a meeting between the heroes of two worlds, they are blissfully unaware of the forces plotting against them!

The Society's efforts have already led to the capture of Earth-1's Wonder Woman, Black Canary, Batman and Earth-2's Hawkman and Hourman! Now the wicked Rag Doll, and recently unretired Monocle, set their sights on Earth-2's Flash with the world only 40% away from cosmic annihilation!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Flash 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Flash 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Flash 7 (Light Speed)
Stamina: Rag Doll 6 (Generator)
Agility: Rag Doll 6 (Rubber)
Fighting: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Rag Doll 2 (Projectiles)
Total: Flash 26 (Metahuman)

As the golden age Flash: Jay Garrick was the fastest man on Earth-2! Exposure to strange vapors unlocked the speedster's unique powers, later linked with the same esoteric Speed Force that fuels Barry Allen and Wally West!

How do you beat a guy who can move faster than you can see? A lot of villains have tried, but few methods have been as unusual as Rag Doll's!

If you've ever had a friend who was double-jointed, you've seen first-hand how a person can bend fingers and limbs the wrong way. In the case of Rag Doll: Peter Merkel was born triple-jointed -- allowing him to twist and contort his every joint into bizarre and impossible configurations!

Most notably: Rag Doll can compact his body into impossibly tight spaces. With such phenomenal natural pliability has also come a super-human quality to absorb impacts! The flow of his flexible limbs isn't super-fast, but he's been shown to react quick enough to twist between the flight path of gunfire!

Rag Doll's known to carry guns himself, and even though The Flash is faster than any speeding bullet, he can occasionally be caught by surprise! We saw Sandman use powers and terrain to chin-check Flash in 2004's JSA #64.

Rag Doll can exploit any nook or cranny in a given environment, allowing him to hide in plain sight and launch attacks on unsuspecting victims. He may look like a goofy child's toy, but it turns out Rag Doll is actually quite deadly!

The Tape: Flash Ranking: Flash (#143)

What Went Down...

A red & blue streak blazes a trail along a Keystone City dock at dusk. The Flash racing to meet an anonymous police tipster with information about Rag Doll!

Hidden between wooden crates, and obscured by hat and coat, the informant points Flash in the direction of a ship: The Lazy Sue. The speedster leaves with thanks in the blink of an eye -- never noticing the villainous Monocle!

It only takes a few more beats for Flash to have scoured the entire vessel and come up empty -- or so he thinks!..

It soon dawns on The Flash that his old enemy Rag Doll can hide in smaller spaces than any ordinary man! The realization comes with seconds to spare as the folded Rag Doll leaves his hiding place in a ventilation cowl and opens fire!

Flash reacts with super-human speed, blurring out of the line of fire and towards the protruding tube! He returns fire with a knife-edged chop thrown at speeds high enough to cut right through the rusting metal structure!

Rag Doll manages to escape injury and makes a leap for the cargo hold! The hero estimates the plunge at a leg breaking forty feet, but soon remembers the "rubber-jointed freak" won't suffer a scratch from the fall!

To avoid injury himself, Flash swings his hands fast enough to create two focused jets of downforce that glide him safely to the level below.

Before the speedster can begin his search of the hold - he spies a waiting bundle of dynamite amongst the cargo. It explodes -- launching the unprepared hero into the air with a devastating blast!

The Flash crashes back down to the hold with his helmet clanging beside him! The explosion leaves the hero unconscious as Rag Doll stands unscathed over his nemesis, gloating about his powers of resilience in victory!

The Hammer...

It was a plan that worked to perfection: Monocle lures The Flash to the trap - Rag Doll blows it up! Eloquent in its simplicity, and devastatingly effective at scratching one of the major heroes off The Secret Society of Super-Villain's hit list of two worlds!

This was part of the annual crossover between Earth-1's Justice League of America and the Justice Society of Earth-2. Ultra-Humanite is the mastermind, plotting to surgically remove key heroes in the hopes of creating a cosmic imbalance that will destroy his world. If you know anything about the Ultra-Humanite: you know he won't mind relocating!

There are a lot of fun villains in this one that've been slightly forgotten, or just overlooked. A recent spotlight in Hero of the Week got me thinking more about the original comic book Rag Doll, who hasn't featured on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths yet. I figured I'd pull this issue off my desk and take a closer look.

It's a nice quick showcase of what makes Rag Doll work as a functioning high-concept super-villain. He's hiding in the shadows right under the hero's nose, then he strikes with total impunity - unafraid of the shock of an explosion!

It's a good transposing of the old children's dolls that always seem to survive a plane crash or similar human crisis. I'm in favour of updating the design of the character to enhance the creepiness, but there is a charm to such a ridiculous visual. If blowing up Flash wasn't bad enough for you, he robbed a bank with guns blazing in the prior issue. A nice subversion of an innocent image.

Now that we've seen the original Pete Merkel in action, we'll have to find time to get Junior on the books. The 2005 Simone/Eaglesham creation reinvented the concept by cranking up the creepy weirdness, and doubling-down on the body horror of surgically acquired triple-joints. A nice updated, made all the more appreciated by keeping the original in tact. In fact, papa Doll hates his son!

Not such a great showcase for Jay Garrick, who's played a little too absent minded for my taste. All part of moving the three-issue story along with enough gravitas to threaten A-list assemblies from two worlds.

The tradition of the JLA/JSA meet-up essentially starts with 1963's Justice League of America #21. It became a regular staple of the seventies and early eighties, before it kinda became redundant once Crisis on Infinite Earths consolidated all properties in one continuum.

Justice League of America #196 is titled the "Countdown to Crisis". Before there was a Crisis on Infinite Earths, there were crises on multiple Earths.

I've always been of two minds about the idea. It's obviously a lot of fun to have two generations of heroes meet. Nice that the tradition ensures it's going to happen sooner than later. I just kinda prefer that they're all living on the same world. It loses a little bit of the sense of importance, but it also never gets silly as the years go by. It's also nice to have a DCU populated with all these great characters! When Jay Garrick was a recurring part of The Flash's world, that was great! When he was having his own adventures in JSA - even better!

If you want to cross between time and space, you can do it by picking yourself up a collected edition via Amazon! Today's story can be found in its three-issue entirety in Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 6. If you shop with the link provided, you help support our Secret Earth that hosts The Comic Book Fight Club!

You can find more featured fights and superhero smackdown by diving into the Secret Archive! There you'll find the many Earths of DC, Marvel, and beyond! Be sure to follow links throughout this post to discover more wonders relevant to your favourite topics!

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Winner: Rag Doll (w/ Monocle)
#317 (new) Rag Doll
#322 (-179) Flash (Jay Garrick)
#545 (new) Monocle [+1 assist]

VIXEN & MARTIAN MANHUNTER versus PROFESSOR IVO

Last Stand (DC)
Where: Justice League of America #261 When: April 1987 Why: J.M. DeMatteis How: Luke McDonnell

The Story So Far...
One defeat too many has left the Justice League of America in tattered ruins. While the evil machinations of Darkseid plot to make outlaws of heroes, their enemies attack unabated by the whims of fickle law.

Professor Ivo and his mechanical menaces have plagued the Justice League for longer than they care to remember, but the divided heroes have never been more vulnerable, nor the villain ever more bloodthirsty!

Already Ivo's android assassins have seen to the deaths of Vibe and Steel, and made chilling attempts on the lifes of Gypsy, and the Martian Manhunter. With the rest of the team gone or resigned, Vixen stands alone to seek vengeance for her fallen allies! Her keen animal senses and savagery will ensure she stalks out her prey, but whose death will result when she finds Professor Ivo's lair?

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Martian Manhunter 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Martian Manhunter 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Martian Manhunter 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Vixen 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Martian Manhunter 7 (Unlimited)
Fighting: Vixen 4 (Trained)
Energy: Martian Manhunter 5 (Lasers)


I would've been really disappointed to finish 2016 without returning to this now classic encounter! It represents an interesting transitional period in Justice League history, where the infamous Detroit team was to finally make way for a glitzy group, newly assembled in the pages of post-Crisis event: Legends.

Legends #2 was the last time we saw this version of the JLA, suffering a brutal defeat at the hands of Apokolips demon-seed: Brimstone!

In that city shattering battle, Martian Manhunter was caught off guard by the firey beast. Rushing in without thought to his own vulnerability (flame), he was overwhelmed by debris that also buried Vixen, and the rest of the League: Elongated Man, Gypsy, Vibe, Steel, with allies Firestorm and Cosmic Boy.

In the wake of their humiliating defeat, the League veered towards disbanding as President Reagan issued an order to outlaw superheroes. Martian Manhunter favored accepting the decree, Elongated Man departed amidst in-fighting, and everybody but Vixen sort of went their own way. Good news for Professor Ivo, whose evil androids were able to pickoff Vibe and Steel - both killed!

Fearing death; Anthony Ivo has obsessively sought to attain immortality. His pursuit brought him into conflict with the JLA, whose powers he once hoped to steal, believing they could unlock infinite life. He and his androids are making their Secret Wars on Infinite Earths debut, but the instrument of his earliest attacks on the League has appeared before: Amazo!

The power stealing Amazo has been known to act independently, and the increasingly mentally unstable Professor Ivo has become victim to the whim of his other robotic creations -- including his own doppelganger. The duplicate Ivo is responsible for the murders, but Vixen doesn't know - or care - about that.

As one of the last standing members of Justice League Detroit, Vixen has given in to her primal rages -- seeking vengeance for her comrades alone! Her ability to channel the innate skills of animals makes her a pretty tough customer, but alone against an army of killer androids, she might be in trouble!

Good thing former detective Martian Manhunter has also picked up the trailer to Professor Ivo's secret underground lair! He'll be making the save, and helping tip the scales in favour of the heroes. His Martian weakness to fire isn't ideal, but his phenomenal strength and molecular malleability means he can make light work of Ivo's tin soldiers, as long as they don't combust.

We've seen the trouble fire can cause Martians in DC: The New Frontier #2, and Final Crisis: Requiem #1! We've also seen plenty of Martian toughness, as well. He took down Appellaxian Stone God in Secret Origins #32, helped fight Doomsday in the guise of Bloodwynd [Superman #74], and caused Green Lantern & Flash a whole lot of trouble as a Black Lantern [Green Lantern #44]!

We haven't seen as much of Vixen thus far, but she has gone toe-to-toe with Wonder Woman [JLA: Classified #3] and Volcano Man [Justice League of America #15]. So it doesn't look too bad for the heroes! Let's see how it went...

The Tape: Martian Manhunter Ranking: Martian Manhunter (#32)

What Went Down...
Stalking through filthy city sewers, Vixen searches solemnly for her prey. Deep within the stone laden labyrinth - a familiar scent, drawing her deeper into the twisting underworld. Soon - a light emanating from a small grate. She pushes it in and descends into a small room, where Professor Ivo waits with a banquet.

Vixen makes her lethal intent clear while Ivo offers questionable pleasantries in exchange. Seemingly resigned to his fate, he asks for Vixen's company as last request of a condemned man. She hurls her cup of poisoned tea in his scaly disfigured face and reaches for his throat. An attempt at kindness, he calls it...

Suddenly the room fills with a dozen shirtless men - each an exact duplicate of the last! Vixen's keen sense of smell detects the distinct absence of humanity among them. Androids: programmed to kill, just like the ones who killed her Justice League friends!

Vixen goes to ground as the automatons surround her. She springs upward suddenly, delivering an all mighty uppercut! A knee to the stomach! A leaping face jam! A vicious decapitation! She is at one with her animal instincts.

She swings her fists wildly, separating two more of the android's heads!

Professor Ivo watches the battle coldly, expressing surprise. He didn't expect to see Vixen winning! These androids weren't programmed specifically like the ones that killed Vibe and Steel. Ivo corrects the deficiency, searching out Vixen's computer file to broadcast the necessary tactical attributes to his army.

The androids overwhelm Vixen, rushing in a pack. An android strikes with a backhanded fist. Another with a clubbing blow. They all lean in, throwing fists like a pack of wild dogs. Fear takes Vixen as she contemplates her own mortality. Significantly outnumbered, she anticipates her own coming death.

Then, the door to Ivo's lair suddenly explodes with an angry call of his name! The Martian Manhunter has also tracked the villain in search of justice! Refusing to accept another teammates demise - he marches through the android horde, furiously toppling and crushing the robotic men!

Professor Ivo fears and respects the "real" Leaguer who's beaten him so many times before "to a pulp". Searching for a means to defend himself, he recalls the Martian weakness to fire. Wielding a super-charged lighter, he bathes the distracted Manhunter in strength sapping flame!

Meanwhile, surviving androids observe that Vixen has no apparent life signs. Their programming is astute enough to warrant a second networked scan, but it fails to protect them from Vixen springing back to life! With a vaulting thrust of her legs she sends the two robotic men hurtling across the underground room!

The action distracts Ivo enough to give Martian Manhunter the break he needs to strike the villain! The Professor begs for mercy, inciting anger in the soulful Martian. He vows to teach him about pain and fear, but cannot bring himself to harm such a feeble opponent. An affliction Vixen does not share!

The grieving hero lunges at Ivo, wraps her hands around his throat, and snaps his neck -- revealing severed wiring and microchips. Another android!

Discarding the sophisticated facsimile, Vixen marches across the chequered floor towards a door that hides the true Professor Ivo! Not the conniving master of machines, but rather a feeble prisoner of his own creations.

Gripped with fear and insanity, the raving Professor is as afraid and ashamed of the actions of his own androids, as he is of the death he believes Vixen intends to inflict. Recognizing his torment and anguish, the heroes grapple with their own emotional needs, unable to direct a hate they cannot discard. They face the pointless deaths of their allies together. The final victory of the Justice League.

The Hammer...
It's a somber, quiet end for the Detroit era of the Justice League of America, but at least it comes with Vixen and Martian Manhunter victorious! As fitting a conclusion as possible to an obvious house-cleaning for the impending and iconic "International" re-launch.

This is another one of the issues I would've been very disappointed not to find time for. We spent a lot of the past year revisiting this period of DC Comics, in particular the concurrent mini-series Legends. I talked about this particular issue during the Vixen Hero of the Week - and here it is!

Justice League of America #261 purports to be "Chapter 21" of the Legends saga, but to even call it tangentially relevant to the main story would be very generous! If you were only reading the six issue Legends series, your final impression of the Detroit League would've come from their crushing defeat by Brimstone in Legends #2. Vibe and Steel are still alive, but you'd be forgiven for thinking they'd died buried beneath the rubble of Brimstone's rampage. 

For a series that will ultimately conclude with the assembly of the new Justice League -- (more star-studded than the last) -- it gets the job done. The focus of Legends is very much on the post-Crisis lay of the land, and the new mix of icons and acquisitions who'll be front and centre in DC's new era. There's very little time for romancing the outgoing B-league team, which makes the gratuitous "Chapter 21" tie-in branding very well meaning, if a little misplaced.

Martian Manhunter is the only Detroit hero who makes his way to a new featured role in Legends. He's a shape-shifting stand-in for President Reagan, who earns the government's trust for mistakenly vilified superheroes. He will continue to lend quiet dignity and soul to the new Justice League, offering the only real through line for enduring fans.

It might've been nice if Vixen could've tagged along, but I wouldn't want to downplay the justifiable unpopularity of the Detroit characters at that time. Fortunately, Vixen's newfound precarious existence, and the hard edge gained in this final JLA story, made her well suited to joining the other team that spun out of Legends: The Suicide Squad!

Her admission to The Squad strikes me as a pretty canny use of the character. It has a nice sense of symmetry: a diverging fork in the road for the final two Leaguers left standing at the end of Volume 1. It also allowed for further exploration and definition of a broken character. When the two teams meet and fight in Suicide Squad #13, there's a great moment of Martian Manhunter and Vixen quietly sharing a tender embrace -- much as they did at the end of today's feature fight. A sentimentality that's appreciated in both examples.

Of course, even JLA #261 was hastened to sell the 'New era of greatness for The Justice League' coming the following month! That iconic Kevin Maguire cover sure does a good job of pitching it, as well. It's tough for Gypsy and Vibe to make much of an impression when you've got Batman, Captain Marvel, Doctor Fate, Black Canary and Green Lantern scowling at you!

Thirty years later, I'm still pretty sold! By some bizarre twist of fate, the culture is in a place where the Detroit League has actually found a loyal audience on television! I'd like to say that's a good thing, but it tends to say more about how mediocre superhero TV is. With a less than impressive movie version on its way, you're reminded how it feels to long for the JLA done right!

There is definitely worthwhile material to be found in this period of the Justice League -- today's feature issue being one of the fine examples. That said, it could never be considered any kind of adequate standard for what the concept should be. The League doesn't always need to be the "Big Seven", but the best versions will always be hung on a cast of senior most iconic heroes, working toward an informed higher goal, and a greater good for humanity.

It's hard to know with any faith what really matters to DC Comics in 2017, but I'll sign-off with a warm thought. Just as Martian Manhunter and Vixen were able to share a moment built on the importance of their shared history, we can do the same. Knowing that these characters were part of a pretty great issue!

If you'd like to share more moments from Justice League of America, or any of the characters mentioned in this article, be sure to follow links provided for your convenience! You can sharpen your focus by targeting past features by publisher, series and issue in the Secret Archives Index!

If you like what you see, be sure to hit the G+1 button located just South of this article's text. Be sure to tell your friends all about the wonderful world of Secret Wars on Infinite Earths while you're at it. Every bit helps keep the wars infinite!

Winners: Vixen and Martian Manhunter
#22 (+10) Martian Manhunter
#115 (+231) Vixen [+5 kills]
#812 (new) Professor Ivo

HAWKMAN versus SUPERMAN

A League Divided: Chapter 7 (DC)
Where: Justice League of America #200 When: March 1982 Why: Gerry Conway How: Joe Kubert

The Story So Far...
They came from beyond the stars! Many years ago, alien invaders chose Earth as the battleground for a challenge between would-be rulers! These bizarre strangers from the planet Appellax arrived as elemental vessels carried by a shower of meteors. The resulting threat of powerful monsters too great to be ignored!

 

Scattered across the globe, seven individual heroes used their unique powers to intervene: Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Superman and Batman! Combining their efforts against the final force of the Wood King, they thwarted the invasion and forged an unbreakable alliance known the world over as The Justice League of America!

 

Unbeknownst to those involved, or the many heroes who would join their ranks in the time following -- the threat from Appellax lay dormant within the minds of those who defeated them! Once triggered, the original JLA are programmed to gather the buried meteors to begin their restoration! With no memory of their subsequent allies, the brainwashed heroes must be stopped in a worldwide battle between hero and hero!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Superman 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach Speeds)
Stamina: Superman 6 (Generator)
Agility: Superman 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Hawkman 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Superman 5 (Lasers)

Man? Myth? Alien? Hawkman represents a little bit of each! Archaeologist and museum curator Carter Hall has lived more lives than most. Passing tragically from one existence to the next, Hall is cursed to death each time he bonds with his reincarnating soul mate [see; Hawkgirl]. His perpetual legacy is a mantle of passion and heroism across time and space. Possessing Thanagarian Nth Metal from a former life, the modern day Hawkman navigates the skies in the savage battle against injustice wherever he may find it.

Nth metal allows Hawkman to fly, enhances his strength, endurance, and grants him control over giant bird-like wings. Enhancing his offensive is an arsenal of weaponry sourced from the ages of man, with particular preference for medieval maces, nets, spears, clubs and axes.

Hawkman's choice of weaponry reflects his sometimes brutal approach to the pursuit of modern justice. We saw that play out to extreme when he severed Matter Master's arm with a battle axe [Hawkman #23]. He also wasn't pulling his punches against the murderous St. Roch Creature in Hawkman #31. This aggression offers a rare edge against Superman -- whose defining strength, speed, stamina, and endurance are well established and in a class beyond!

Hawkman's shown he can go mace-to-face with super-human powerhouses in the past, but it took the aid of Hawkgirl and Monolith to put Solomon Grundy down in our only notable example [Hawkman #33]. Relying on force to carry out strategy means Hawkman lacks the tactical equalizers of a Batman, who is the golden standard for defying Superman's natural strengths [see; Old Comics Wednesday: Batman v Superman].

Batman frequently falls back on real or synthetic Kryptonite -- the radioactive mineral that is Superman's biggest weakness. Hawkman isn't known for having access to the substance, but the make-up of the Appellaxian meteor they're fighting over contains Kryptonite! Depending on the strain, it means Superman risks total vulnerability, mortality, or other side effects. Is it sufficient to tip the scales enough to give Hawkman a fighting chance? Let's find out...

The Tape: Superman Ranking: Superman (#6)

What Went Down...

Hawkman finds no pleasure in the gathering of arms for the fight ahead: A 16th century corseque, an iron mesh net, a crossbow, cranequin, and flanged mace. Tools he will need if he's to stop The Man of Steel retrieving the final Appellaxian meteor from its burial place in Greenland. A journey made in minutes by the winged warrior, who flies a parabolic arc from Midway City through Earth's upper atmosphere.

The vantage point gives him the drop on a familiar red and blue blur: Superman!

The hovering hero ensnares his prey in iron netting and draws the tri-pronged corseque. With regret, he thrusts it directly through Superman's torso! The resulting explosion of anatomy confirms Hawkman's suspicions: Kryptonite in the meteor has forced Superman to employ his duplicate robot guard!

A second Man of Steel descends on Hawkman, who's counting on his medieval weaponry to trump the sophisticated super-robotics. A bolt from his crossbow makes light work of the attacking automaton -- another explosion!

With his other weapons spent, Hawkman draws his fixed mace and braces for a third facsimile. As it descends through the clouds, Hawkman detects something slightly different about this Superman. He swings wildly to greet it with the flanged end of his mace -- only to snap it across the unphased Superman!

Unfortunately for Hawkman, he had underestimated The Man of Tomorrow's ingenuity! Coated in an almost transparent "plasta-lead alloy" - the genuine article is shielded from the harmful effects of nearby Kryptonite!

Acting under the conviction of Appellaxian mind control, Superman's super-strength is too much for the ill prepared Justice Leaguer!

When next he enters the upper atmosphere, Hawkman flies a path not of his own making! A mighty blow of Superman leaving the unconscious warrior to float as if dead on the very edge of the world. Alone and defeated... until a strange beam of zeta energy plucks him from space...

The Hammer...

Yes! You guessed it! A lucky intervention from the scientists of Rann rescued Hawkman from an uncertain fate. There's nothing uncertain about today's victor, though: Superman!

Superman is a featured hero this March as we anticipate the release of super-sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, March 25th.

The titular theatrical rivalry has been well documented on The Comic Book Fight Club, so instead, we're pitting Superman against other heroes for something a little different. It's been another chance to knock-off some of the untapped classics, as well. Last week we finally opened the book on Kingdom Come with an often requested showdown between Superman and Captain Marvel. This week: it's another legendary issue that's been on my personal To Do pile for many years!

Justice League of America #200 is a softball choice, if there ever was one. A few years before the bitter throwdown of The Dark Knight Returns, and long before the industry made its heroes routine villains in stories like Civil War: this was a super-sized spectacular turning two generations of the Justice League against one another! A dream match scenario - even if the line-up was a little lopsided.

The story hinges on the Justice League's first adventure: told originally in 1962's Justice League of America #9. Alien combatants from the planet Appellax staged a contest of supremacy on Earth, inadvertently bringing together the founding JLA members. Secret Wars on Infinite Earths readers will know the tweaked post-Crisis version told in Secret Origins #32. The otherwise fine retelling substitutes Wonder Woman for Black Canary [vs Glass Man], and diminishes the role of Superman [vs The Crystal Creature], while also eliminating Batman.

 

In the original JLA #200 scenario, '69 recruit Black Canary is assigned the takedown of brainwashed team original Batman, featured in a 2-on-1 also involving the team's first add-on and guest star: Green Arrow. I'm quite sure we'll be revisiting the issue sometime in the future to look closer at those other contests. In the mean time, I was pretty excited to start with Hawkman.

 

Of all the JLA fights, it's quite possibly the most mismatched, but therein lies some of the appeal. Hawkman's solemn determination to face overwhelming odds and a friend taps into the underlying grittiness of the character. He's not the strongest or most naturally powerful, but he uses the unique skills he has to fight the good fight. Over the years, that developed into a brutal edge that set him apart from other heroes. Medieval weaponry in uncompromising hands.

 

It's unflattering, but on another uncompromising count, it's interesting to note this is the first Superman fight to resort to the famed schoolyard presumption: that every fight should end with the opponent in orbit.

 

Will Superman get his comeuppance? Be here next week for tag team action as the World's Finest finally team-up to take on two familiar friends turned enemies! Can't wait until then? Find more classic superhero smackdown in the Issue Index Archive!

 

Winner: Superman

(+2) #4 Superman
(-3) #35 Hawkman