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THIS ISSUE: BRONZE AGE EVENTS!

Avengers vs.

Defenders JLA/JSA Secret Wars Crisis’ 30th anniversary Legends Millennium Invasion!

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Infinity Gauntlet & more!

Avengers, Defenders, and all related characters TM & Š Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Volume 1, Number 82 August 2015 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow

Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTIST John Byrne (from the collection of Scott Green) COVER COLORIST Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER Rob Smentek JimShooter.com Dan Jurgens Barbara Kesel Jim Kingman John K. Kirk Stan “The Man” Lee Alan Light Pat Loika Marvel Comics David Michelinie Allen Milgrom Luigi Novi Dennis O’Neil Martin Pasko Tom Peyer Bill Sienkiewicz Anthony Snyder Jim Starlin Joe Staton Roger Stern Max Talley Roy Thomas John Trumbull Karen Walker John Wells Marv Wolfman Mike Zeck

BACK SEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 OFF MY CHEST: The Twilight of Stan Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 The slow fadeout of Stan the Man as a comic writer FLASHBACK: Summertime Special: The Avengers–Defenders War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 The summer Steve Englehart pitted team against non-team FLASHBACK: Crisis? What Crisis? JLA/JSA Crossovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 JLA writers chime in on the endless summers of Bronze Age Justice League/Justice Society gatherings THE TOY BOX: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 A maxiseries hit for Marvel produced a dud toy line for Mattel. What went wrong?

FLASHBACK: Secret Wars II: The Crossover Takes Over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 A star-studded remembrance of the Beyonder’s return FLASHBACK: Crisis at 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 A look back at the most influential crossover in comics history

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FLASHBACK: Crisis on Infinite Crossovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 The post-Crisis crossovers of DC Comics FLASHBACK: The Infinity Saga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Jim Starlin discusses his trio of Thanos-starring Marvel epics BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Reader reactions

BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 118 Edgewood Avenue NE, Concord, NC 28025. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Six-issue subscriptions: $60 Standard US, $85 Canada, $107 Surface International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office.

Cover art by John Byrne. Avengers, Defenders, and related characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2015 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING. Bronze Age Events Issue

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In the background: Cover to Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (Aug. 1985). Art by George Pérez. TM & © DC Comics.

SPECIAL THANKS Andrew Arnell Ian Ascher Paul Balzè Steven Bayer The Beyonder Al Bigley Michael Breakfield Chris Brennaman Eliot R. Brown Rich Buckler Bob Budiansky Sal Buscema Kurt Busiek Jarrod Buttery ByrneRobotics.com Gerry Conway Tom DeFalco Steve Englehart Jackie Estrada Danny Fingeroth Mike Friedrich Keith Giffen Peter B. Gillis Grand Comics Database Scott Green Robert Greenberger Heritage Comics Auctions Paul Howley

Stan’s Last Stand Stan Lee, as seen in a Crazy! Magazine subscription ad from the mid-1970s, and some of the last comics he wrote at Marvel. by

M a x Ta l l e y

TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

This article covers the final two and a half years Stan Lee wrote monthly Batman or Superman story would stand alone, leaving less room for comics. Of course, he continued to write/edit Marvel anthologies and character development, or sense of continuity—is uncertain.

Stan’s Soapbox of January 1970 stated, “If our earth-shattering new created the Spider-Man newspaper strip. But my focus is on a transitional, unsettled time when the Silver Age morphed into the Bronze Age, policy hasn’t really grabbed you by the time you read these words—don’t when the two writers (Stan Lee and Roy Thomas) who controlled the worry! We’ll switch back to our old, cataclysmically confusing, continuedcontinuity and changes within the Marvel Universe ceded their strict story policy before you can say, ‘No wonder they dumped old Stan!’ ” Fan backlash over the decision was immediate. “I was sorry to hear control to new writers like Gerry Conway and Steve Englehart.

This period is rarely discussed in detail. Something went wrong at of your decision to cut down to single issue stories, as I don’t feel you can Marvel in early 1970, but there were several factors involved in this get the proper characterization and motivation into so few pages and still have action,” wrote Christine Cassello in The Amazing Spider-Man #82. misdirection—beyond the usual tired memes that Stan was over the hill, Sadly, with a couple of exceptions, the policy remained for a year, or couldn’t create anything without Jack Kirby’s avalanche of characters and classic extended storylines like those involving Dr. Doom (Fantastic and Steve Ditko’s plotting abilities.

To understand the slump of 1970, one must first look at 1968 and Four #84–87), or Namor’s Serpent Crown saga (Sub-Mariner #9–13), or Spider-Man’s Tablet adventure (Amazing Spider-Man #68–75), the first half of 1969. Pick any Marvel title during those months would not return until the Kree–Skrull War. In those multi-part and you’ll find a stunning cover, usually symbolic, with few stories, the writers could provide the character development if any blurbs. Inside the covers, there is art by Kirby, often lacking in their distinguished competition’s comics, John Buscema, John Romita, Gene Colan, John Severin, and the artists could really let loose. When forced back Marie Severin, Jim Steranko—all at their peak. Even into the early Marvel style of short stories that concluded newcomers like Barry Smith and DC stalwarts Neal quickly, it was an uncomfortable switch for Lee and Roy Adams and Gil Kane joined in the fun. The few Thomas—who had both excelled for years on subplots stories not written by Stan Lee and Roy Thomas are and large casts of characters. It was also harder on the

by Archie Goodwin or Gary Friedrich. artists, who as part of the “Marvel Method” either By the January 1970 cover-dated Marvel issues, plotted or co-plotted the stories. Suddenly, they had Steranko has gone, Barry Smith isn’t drawing superto wrap up their stories fast and then come up with a heroes, and Dr. Strange and Nick Fury have been canceled, brand-new plot and villain every month. while the once giant-sized The Silver Surfer is struggling Take a look at Amazing Spider-Man #80 from 1970. as a 15-cent book, causing Stan to throw in guest-stars Large panels, often only four to five a page, and much like the Human Torch and Spider-Man. Lee has handed roy thomas less writing than a year before. Captions and editorial The Incredible Hulk over to Roy Thomas. A few months © Marvel. asides are rare. There are dialogue balloons and thought later, Neal Adams stops penciling The X-Men and the title slides into reprint limbo for five years, Gil Kane and Thomas stop working balloons. (The reduction of paper size from 12.5" x 18.5" to 10" x 15" also contributed to this.) The return of the Chameleon after 78 issues would on the peripatetic Captain Marvel, and Archie Goodwin leaves Iron Man. However, Marvel still retained a wealth of talent. What could slow down seem to be a momentous event, but he is easily dispatched in a single issue.

Then in issue #81 we are treated to the Kangaroo. Feeling nostalgic? their creative ascendancy of the preceding six years? These are solely my own opinions as an outsider, and I respect that many insiders may disagree. Neither am I. With the new easy-come, easy-go policy, Stan and Roy were forced to come up with new villains fast. The Kangaroo might have fit into Stan’s editorial decision to switch from multi-part stories to singleissue stories had a profound effect, though it was publisher Martin the first year of Spider-Man, or among early Daredevil foes like the Leap-Frog.

Goodman’s idea, according to Roy Thomas (who did not read or But this bland blonde who described the acquisition of his skills thusly: “I lived necessarily agree with my editorial, but was kind enough to provide a in kangaroo country—eating what they ate—going where they were— few email answers). Whether it had been Marvel readers complaining working—training,” seemed absurd in the maturing Marvel of 1970.

Perhaps worse evidence of the single-issue constraints can be that they couldn’t follow the story if they missed an issue, or Marvel’s attempt to copy a weaker aspect of most DC comics—that every found in The Mighty Thor. After never-to-be-forgotten cosmic storylines Bronze Age Events Issue

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involving Galactus and Mangog, our man with the mallet found himself battling the Thermal Man from Communist China in Thor #170; Kronin Krask, a man of extreme wealth and immense girth, in #172; and Crypto-Man in #174. Any of these bogus characters could have come from the dawn of the ’60s, before Marvel became synonymous with quality.

Jackson Chadda wrote in Thor #182’s (Nov. 1970) letters page, “I have been quite disappointed with the ‘hero meets villain—hero fights villain—hero defeats villain routine.’ This development seems to coincide with recent change from the related, continued issues of the past to the simplified format of the present.

This very lack of quality is the reason I abandoned your competitors. Thor, with all his significance and possibilities, is reduced to violent combat with gimmickladen villains in a repetitious format.”

To be fair, the cardboard villains came at the end of Jack Kirby’s long run on Thor. As has been stated in The Jack Kirby Collector, he’d lost interest in creating new concepts or characters for Marvel and saved new ideas for his Fourth World comics at DC. Still, after so many cosmic storylines, to be consigned to Earthbound single-issue stories must have seemed like punishment from Odin himself. Kirby’s heroic figures, large panels, and full-page drawings cried out for sagas. Thor #175 was an exception, with Kirby and Bill Everett delivering a classic first part of a “Loki attempts to steal Odin’s throne” saga.

Once the Skrull kidnapping of the Thing storyline ended (influenced by Lost in Space episode “The Deadly Games of Gamma 6,” as well as Star Trek episode “A Piece of the Action”), The Fantastic Four slid into mediocrity. Some of those issues were inked by Frank Giacoia, a once-great Kirby inker who by early 1970 had become the anti-Sinnott, all sharp angles and jagged lines, compared to Sinnott’s thick outlines and flattering embellishments on the King.

Even Roy Thomas, at the peak of his superhero writing on Dr. Strange, Sub-Mariner, and The Avengers, suddenly began throwing characters like Crime Wave, Torpedo, and Brother Brimstone at the wall in Daredevil to see if any would stick. They didn’t. This after an incredible arc starting in Daredevil #50 with Starr Saxon discovering DD’s secret identity, which culminated in #57 where DD revealed his identity to Karen Page. No, Thomas hadn’t hit a slump or writer’s block. The reality was that writing six monthly titles under Goodman’s single-issue edict must have been grueling.

Perhaps Conan and arguably The Incredible Hulk could thrive in that format, but Dr. Strange, Daredevil, and Sub-Mariner had improved as serials, where even if a foe was defeated in an issue or two, they made up a part of much longer story arcs. Gene Colan could stretch out stories with ease, but in a single issue often ran out of room, forcing the story to an uneasy conclusion in the last page—or even the final panel.

Michael Lang put it succinctly in the lettercol of Daredevil #67: “As for DD #61, BOO—BOO! Here you take three great villains, the Jester, the Cobra and Mr. Hyde, and concluded the story in one issue. We Marvelites don’t want you to stop your continued stories or confused sub-plots. How could you combine the FF’s fight with Dr. Doom [#84–87] into one story? Or DD’s fight with Saxon?

Or the Sub-Mariner’s story about the Serpentine Helmet?”

In the June 1970 Marvel books, Stan included a survey, asking people to respond to, “Hey, man, these are my favorite type of plots”; “These are the kind of yarns that turn me off”; “If I were you Stan (ugh!), these are the changes I’d make at Marvel.”

Clearly, to paraphrase Bob Dylan: “You know something’s wrong here, but you don’t know what it is, Mr. Lee…” With Kirby’s departure looming, the new-story policy backfiring among fans, and printing costs forcing a temporary lowering of the page count from 20 to 19, Stan’s survey showed, for the first time, confusion at the top—after nine years of “facing forward” with unquestioning confidence.

It’s not that 1970 was universally bad, just wildly inconsistent. After months of Amazing Spider-Man watered down with too little story and art by John Buscema and Jim Mooney creating vague Romita impersonations, Stan and John Romita re-teamed for a three-part story beginning in Spider-Man #83. The Schemer muscles in on Kingpin’s territory, while the Kingpin’s wife seems to split her allegiance between both crooks. (Of course, in Romita’s glamorous art, even a fat, bald,

The Thunder Silenced (top) Lee and Kirby at their zenith with Galactus, in Thor #160 (Jan. 1969). (bottom) By issue #174 (Mar. 1970), Stan and Jack were phoning it in with Crypto-Man. Kirby was also beginning his exodus to DC Comics around this time.

TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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It was July of 1973. The Watergate hearings were in full swing, “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” was a number-one hit for Jim Croce, and Live and Let Die, the eighth James Bond film, was out in theaters. Comics were still a bargain at 20 cents and were a great summertime diversion.

Sadly, though, that summer there would be no King-Sized Annuals from Marvel Comics to provide some extra zing. But writer Steve Englehart would come to the rescue. He devised a plan to give readers a special summer treat: a multi-issue, multi-month matchup between two titanic super-teams that would move back and forth between two different titles! This was a new idea, and a daring one, too.

It was a matchup of establishment heroes against outsiders, friends against friends, and had more superheroes than you could shake an uru mallet at!

This was…

THE AVENGERS–DEFENDERS WAR!

THE WARM-UP

by

The idea of super-teams battling was not a new one, of course. It had happened repeatedly throughout comics history. Typically, teams would meet, perhaps briefly fight due to an initial misunderstanding, and then join forces against a common foe. This would all take place within one title, usually even one issue.

In the Marvel Universe, the first such team vs. team confrontation took place in Fantastic Four #26 (cover-dated May 1964), when the Avengers and Fantastic Four came into conflict while going after the Hulk. And so it would go, teams occasionally running into one another and scuffling before they worked things out.

By 1973, the Avengers had been around for a full decade and had seen numerous roster changes. They were arguably the number-one team at Marvel, and had established themsteve englehart selves as major leaguers with the Kree–Skrull War, an epic story arc, Photo credit: Alan Light. just a couple of years before.

The Defenders, on the other hand, while composed of some of Marvel’s heaviest hitters like the Hulk, Sub-Mariner, and Dr. Strange, was a team of outcasts and iconoclasts. The Defenders, as a team, had only been around for two years, appearing first in Marvel Feature #1 (Dec. 1971) and continuing for two more issues of that title before getting their own book in 1972.

Roy Thomas would write the team’s first three appearances in Marvel Feature; Steve Englehart would take over with the first issue of The Defenders. The Silver Surfer was added to the mix and the cast was further

“You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Angry” The man-mountains mix it up in the conclusion of the Avengers–Defenders War! From The Defenders #10 (Nov. 1973) and the team of Steve Englehart/Sal Buscema/Frank Bolle.

TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Karen Walker

expanded with the addition of the Valkyrie. Holding such disparate personalities together was no easy task for Dr. Strange, and the Defenders gained the nickname of “the non-team”—they never really wanted to admit they were a team!

Englehart had also been writing The Avengers since issue #105, again taking the reins from Thomas. It was because Englehart was writing both of these team titles that he came up with the idea for what would become the Avengers–Defenders War (or Clash, as he prefers to call it). “I had gotten used to reading the Annuals in the summer, and when they said, ‘This year we’re not gonna do it,’ I just thought, ‘Well, then, what can I do that would be sort of a special thing for the readers, that wouldn’t require a whole separate book like an Annual?’ And I was writing both The Avengers and The Defenders at that point and I thought, I could do a story in which they fought each other, and it would last all summer long. And that would be a fun thing for people for the summer.”

The story mostly arrived through serendipity. But there was some inspiration from comics Englehart had enjoyed as a reader: “The whole idea of Avengers vs.

Defenders was certainly coming from what DC used to do, with the JLA and the JSA fighting it out. I mean, Roy had done things like that with the Squadron Supreme vs. the Avengers. I had basically all the cool Marvel characters—well, not all, but most of the cool Marvel characters at that time at my disposal—I mean, how could you not have fun doing that?”

While crossovers are practically the norm today, they were unheard of in 1973. Then-editor-in-chief Roy Thomas was enthused about the idea, but had concerns about giving the go-ahead. “If one [book] was late, we probably would have had to delay another one,” Thomas says. “It would have been really bad.

But it worked out all right. I don’t remember any particular close calls. So it worked out okay, and it’s been reprinted a couple of times, so certainly it’s a sort of a landmark, for the first real back-and-forth crossover between books on that kind of scale. It showed it could be done.”

Handling the art chores on the two titles were two veterans: Bob Brown on The Avengers and Sal Buscema on The Defenders. Of his collaborators, Englehart remarks, “I knew Sal; I’d worked with Sal pretty much from the start of my career. I mean, the first thing I did was the Beast [in Amazing Adventures], but the second thing I did was Defenders and then Captain America, and I was working with Sal. And I’ve often said thank God for that, because Sal was the guy who could draw anything easily. I mean, I never had to worry about, ‘Is this too complicated?’ or ‘Is this too weird?’ I just would think up whatever idea was a cool idea to me and I had learned that I could hand that off to Sal and would get back that story told clearly and competently and all that kind of stuff. So I attribute some part of whatever I did in comics to the fact that my first real long-term artist was someone who could facilitate anything I thought up. Bob Brown I knew less well personally but I’d been a big fan of his for years when he was at DC doing Challengers of the Unknown. So when he came over to Marvel, I was very familiar with his work, and didn’t have any worries.”

Although the head-to-head battles are obviously the focus of this saga, a word or two should be said about the setup. Two big-time villains were behind it all: Dormammu, extra-dimensional foe of Dr. Strange, and Loki, thorn in the side of both the Avengers and his stepbrother, Thor. Englehart explains why he chose

THE AVENGERS–DEFENDERS WAR: A FIGHT-BY-FIGHT BREAKDOWN

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[Editor’s note: This exhaustive survey of JLA/JSA crossovers contains some SPOILERS—but hopefully they won’t diminish your enjoyment of these classic tales, some of which have been reprinted multiple times.]

I was born in July of 1961, the same month and year that the concept of Earth-Two, created by writer John Broome, artists Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella, and editor Julius Schwartz, was introduced in “Flash of Two Worlds!”, published in The Flash #123 (Sept. 1961). The Flash learned that there was another Earth— another entire universe, actually—existing in a parallel dimension, separated by a transition zone, where the superheroes and mystery men he knew only from comic books actually lived. The Flash met his counterpart, who came out of retirement to aid the Scarlet Speedster on a case. This original and older Flash had a heralded superhero career years earlier, and had also been a member of the Justice Society of America, a counterpart to the Flash’s own Justice League of America. To simplify matters (although a lengthier explanation would always be required), the then-current Flash, Barry Allen, who in time would be known as the Silver Age Flash, lived on Earth-One, and the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick, resided on Earth-Two. In 1963, in “Crisis on Earth-One!” and “Crisis on Earth-Two!”, published in Justice League of America #21 and 22 (Aug. and Sept. 1963), and written by Fox, illustrated by Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs, and edited by Schwartz, the Justice League and the Justice Society teamed up for the first time, and this truly classic crossover blossomed into an annual event that lasted 23 endless summers. I did not read those early adventures, although I became familiar with the Justice League and various members by watching their animated adventures in The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure cartoons broadcast on Saturday mornings during the late 1960s.

In 1970, my parents purchased for me my first superhero comic book, Justice League of America #82 (Aug. 1970), so that at the age of eight I was introduced to the concept of Earth-Two, the Justice Society of America, and JLA members I was not familiar with (Green Arrow and Black Canary) in one exciting and entertaining swoop. So what I had missed before, and had no real connection to, now became an integral part of my life, integral to this very day, although the continuation of Earth-Two, the Justice Society of America, and the JLA/JSA team-ups as I knew them were vanquished from my life 30 years ago, leaving only its history, its memories, and its nostalgia. And for all the research I’ve put into this article, all the focus I’ve maintained to make this a thorough history of JLA/JSA team-ups published during the Bronze Age, it is also an excursion in my own personal nostalgia.

SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE JLA/JSA’S BRONZE AGE

TM & © DC Comics.

Fox’s JLA tales were plot- and puzzle-driven, two of Schwartz’s editorial trademarks, and not character-driven, a “trademark” of DC during the Silver Age of comics. Writer Denny O’Neil changed all that when he took over the book in 1968 with JLA #66 (Nov. 1966), although it took a few issues for the changes to kick into gear. During the transition period from Silver to Bronze Age, 1968–1969, O’Neil had Diana Prince–Wonder Woman take a leave of absence (#69), J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter leave to seek out his fellow Martian refugees (#71), and Green Arrow become the social conscience of the League. Although the Bronze Age formally began in 1970, O’Neil’s first JLA/JSA team-up in the summer of 1969 set a new standard for the annual crossover by adding emotional punch and a surprising new addition to the JLA.

by

Jim Kingman

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #73 (Aug. 1969) “Star Light, Star Bright—Death Star I See Tonight!”

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #74 (Sept. 1969) “Where Death Fears to Dread!

Writer: Denny O’Neil. Artists: Dick Dillin and Sid Greene. Editor: Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America: Superman, Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, the Atom, Hawkman. Justice Society of America: Black Canary, Dr. Fate, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Dr. Mid-Nite, Superman, Red Tornado, Starman. Villain: Aquarius. Guest-star: Larry Lance.

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JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #82 (Aug. 1970) “Peril of the Paired Planets” JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #83 (Sept. 1970) “Where Valor Fails … Will Magic Triumph?”

Writer: Denny O’Neil. Artists: Dick Dillin and Joe Giella. Editor: Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America: Superman, Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, the Atom, Hawkman. Justice Society of America: Superman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Red Tornado, the Flash, Green Lantern, Dr. Fate, Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt, Hawkman, the Spectre. Villain: Creator2.

The story opens with the Superman of Earth-One flying uncontrollably over Metropolis. He eventually crashes through the pavement, where he lands unconscious on a subway rail. The JLA is notified and he is transported to the JLA satellite for treatment, where it is determined that magic is involved in his fall. Suddenly, Batman collapses. The scene shifts to a one-page explanation of Earth-One and Earth-Two (my first such explanation; I had no problem following it). Now on Earth-Two we shift a few hours into the past, where the Red Tornado investigates the arrival of a mysterious spaceship. He is captured and brought to Creator2, a cosmic contractor who intends to destroy Earths-One and -Two and then use the empty space to construct a new planet. A powerful magnetic device is installed in Reddy’s head, and the android is positioned in the transition zone between dimensions where he acts as a conduit bringing the two worlds together.

Creator2 then unleashes web-snares to subdue the JSA, a potential threat to his plans, and “matrix corrections” to accomplish both Earths’ destruction. The web-snare fells the Superman of Earth-Two (at which point the Superman of Earth-One begins his rampage, as there o’neil is a link between the two); Dr. Mid-Nite is downed (at which point Batman collapses); and the Flash of Earth-Two is ensnared (and down goes the Flash of Earth-One). Earths-One and -Two brush together, and opposites shimmer into view, igniting fear in the populace. The JSA hold an emergency meeting to discuss a course of action (the Spectre attends this meeting; keep that in mind).

Champing at the bit, Starman soars off to find their missing friends.

On Earth-One, Green Lantern and Green Arrow answer Hawkman’s summons; the Atom learns via computer that Earth-Two is being pulled into Earth-One’s dimension; GL confirms that the transition zone is closing; Atom considers any possible link between the two; and Black Canary, formerly of Earth-Two, considers herself that link and contemplates suicide to save both worlds. Thus ends JLA #82, and it would be five years before I read the concluding installment.

I began purchasing comic-book back issues in 1975, and my first order through Richard Alf’s outfit in San Diego included Justice League of America #83 (not to mention JLA #92). Alf ran an advertisement in DC comics at that time and I probably selected him because San Diego was closer to Pasadena, California; I most likely would receive the comics I ordered sooner than those unfamiliar cities advertising from the East Coast. I was finally able to read how two Earths survived (it was obvious they had, of course, but I didn’t know how). Creator2 has had it with the JSA thwarting his plan of building a new world by destroying Earths-One and -Two so he unleashes additional snare nets on the entire JSA in their secret sanctuary. One by one the Society members fall, and when Hawkman is ensnared his counterpart collapses. But it is Green Lantern who suffers the greatest setback. He is on the verge of rescuing the Red Tornado (who he calls the JSA’s “pet

TM & © DC Comics.

The Council of Living Stars banishes one of its own, the manic-depressive Aquarius, reducing it to nearly powerless energy to drift through the universe, where it grows even more psychopathic. Thus the dawning of the rage of Aquarius eventually finds its way to Earth-Two. Absorbing the energy of Starman’s cosmic rod and the power of one of Dr. Fate’s spells, Aquarius regains his strength and toys with the citizens of a major city. The Justice Society, along with Dinah (Black Canary) Lance’s husband, detective Larry Lance, battle Aquarius. But the star’s powers have reached a cosmic level, and Aquarius sends all of Earth-Two to oblivion, its entire existence hanging by a thread in the memories of the remaining members of the JSA, who are sheltered in a life-sustaining bubble conjured by Dr. Fate. Unknown to Aquarius, Fate is able to send the android Red Tornado across the dimensional barriers between Earth-One and Earth-Two, in hope that the only remaining JSAer can bring the Justice League of America to the JSA’s aid.

This was a nice setup for the climatic battle in JLA #74, a battle unlike any other depicted in JLA before. The JLA travel to Earth-Two and are forced into a skirmish with their friends in the JSA, who Aquarius has brainwashed to attack them. Since Earth-Two Green Lantern’s power ring has been depleted after a two-week long stay in the bubble, Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan easily subdues him and uses his power ring to bring Aquarius to them. Aquarius responds by sending a deadly spheroid to destroy our heroes, and Black Canary becomes trapped as it threatens to fatally roll over her. Seeing his wife’s life threatened, Larry breaks free of Aquarius’ mind control and rushes to Dinah’s aid, leaping in front of the spheroid to take the blow himself, sacrificing his life. Meanwhile, the JLA and JSA are successful in bringing Earth-Two back to reality. Aquarius escapes.

It doesn’t get any more heartbreaking than these words: “—a large world is saved … and a small world, a private world of love and devotion, ends forever!” Coupled with the sequential visual of Black Canary’s growing agony that her husband is dead, it is one of the most dramatic scenes in superhero comics up to that time. Even though Larry Lance was not a familiar character, you couldn’t help but feel Dinah’s devastating loss.

The combined JLA and JSA eventually defeat dennis Aquarius, of course (the GLs lead Aquarius into the anti-matter universe where he is promptly destroyed), and a mourning Black Canary chooses to leave Earth-Two for Earth-One to start a new life.

“A few years ago,” recalls writer Martin Pasko, “I reread several JLA/JSA stories when I was asked to write an introduction for one of the volumes of DC trade paperbacks that collected the team-ups chronologically. I was surprised by how much more I appreciated JLA #73–74 than when it first came out, when I’d had my usual, hypercritical comments about them published in the letter columns. What impressed me most was the refreshing contrast between Fox’s scripts as heavily rewritten by Julie—all plot-plot-plot, gimmick-gimmickgimmick, starring superheroes with interchangeable (or non-existent) personalities—and Denny’s attempt at giving the characters emotional lives and extracting drama from their feelings.

“That probably sounds like a strange remark to the younger readers, because what I seem to be heralding as an achievement is simply Writing 101, and we take it for granted in comics today. But back then, at least in the DC books edited by the ‘old guard’ like Julie, Mort Weisinger, and Murray Boltinoff, it was a novelty. The idea of Black Canary leaving Earth-Two to move to Earth-One to get over her grief at the loss of her husband was a development motivated by a personal human drama, rather than a science-fiction gimmick.

That was almost revolutionary in JLA and, on rereading it, I thought it was nicely executed for its time. So was Denny’s treatment of Red Tornado—specifically, the whole why-am-I-not-supposed-to-havefeelings-just-because-I’m-an-android shtick.”

android”; apparently, hard-traveling time on the road with Green Arrow in GL/GA had made the Emerald Crusader a little testy), but when his EarthTwo counterpart becomes imprisoned in a wooden cage, GL is stopped in his tracks and can no longer move. Under circumstances he cannot Fly, Robin, Fly explain, Hal doesn’t trust using his ring, and doom for all draws closer.

Dr. Fate has a desperate plan, and it’s a move that really throws the story Robins of Two for a loop. He, Johnny Thunder, and Johnny’s Thunderbolt travel to a cemetery where the Spectre is imprisoned in a tomb. Apparently, the Spectre has Worlds meet— been trapped there for some time. (But how is that possible? The Spectre and the Earth-One attended the JSA meeting in the previous issue!) The Spectre has his own plan, and he, Dr. Fate, and Thunderbolt head off to outer space to confront Teen Wonder sports Creator2 directly. The Spectre enlarges himself and wedges his essence these Neal Adamsbetween the two worlds, while Fate and Thunderbolt make a direct assault on Creator2’s spaceship. Fate is injured, and Thunderbolt cannot tackle designed threads the deed alone. Fate is able to exert a devastating spell that destroys the that the Earth-Two ship, Creator2, and his minions. With the threat vanquished, the device in Reddy’s head is disabled and the worlds pull safely apart. However, the version would soon force of the retraction tears the Spectre apart, and with a tear in his eye claim as his own he is destroyed. Fate sends a message of explanation to Red Tornado, who fills in Green Lantern. Meanwhile, on Earth-One, with the threat in the pages of averted, the Black Canary no longer needs to contemplate suicide.

All-Star Comics.

I asked Denny O’Neil if he had a problem juggling so many characters, and if there were there ones he was particular From JLA #92. fond of. He seemed to like Dr. Mid-Nite, making him TM & © DC Comics. an equivalent to Batman in JLA #82. “I responded to the Doc because I remember reading his stories as a kid,” O’Neil explains. “And generally, I’m not a big fan of large casts. I guess I want a tight plot focus— recognizable hero and antagonist, clear conflicts, complete resolutions. Hard to do that stuff with a mob.”

This is the only JLA/JSA crossover that features I also mentioned to O’Neil his giving the Spectre a members of the JLA and their exact counterparts: major role in JLA #83 and then killing him off. Did he Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, and Hawkman. have an issue with the character, or was he just trying An alien boy, A-Rym, and his pet, Teppy, are separated to top JLA #74? “I was never fond of the Spectre,” in the dimensional space between Earths-One and replies O’Neil. “I seem to resist the supernatural and, -Two, with the boy catapulted to Earth-Two and the mike friedrich let’s face it, it’s hard to get a dead hero into trouble.” pet to Earth-One. This disconnection of their symbiotic It is posited in The Official Justice League of America relationship will result in the deaths of both if they Index #3 (May 1986) that the Spectre journeyed to Earth-One where are not reunited in 37 1/2 Earth hours. The separation also affects their he reformed and continued as a spirit of vengeance in Adventure Comics psyche and drives them to violent behavior. The Flash encounters #431–440 (this would also explain his Teppy and is nearly killed by the creature. Green Lantern of Earth-Two Earth-One team-ups with Batman in The confronts A-Rym, and the boy steals his power ring. With that, it is a Brave and the Bold). The Ghostly Guardian mission for the Justice League and Justice Society of America. would return to Earth-Two to help resurrect The JLA and JSA form two teams to deal with each Earth’s threat. members of the Justice Society, thus clearing The Earth-One group—Flash of Earth-Two, the two Supermen, and the the JLA for their murders in JLA #123–124. two Atoms—are successful in capturing Teppy. However, the Earth-Two team—Green Lantern, the two Hawkmen, and the Robins of EarthsJUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #91 One and -Two (soon joined by the Earth-Two Flash and Earth-One (Aug. 1971) Superman)—do not fare as well. A-Rym injures an overzealous Robin of “Earth—The Monster Maker!”

Earth-One. The alien boy goes on to encounter and find a friend in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #92 Solomon Grundy, the marshland monster of Slaughter Swamp.

(Sept. 1971) When I started collecting comics in the spring of 1972, I came in just “Solomon Grundy—The One and Only!” before the release of JLA #100. In fact, my first issue of JLA as a collector was Writer: Mike Friedrich. Artists: Dick Dillin #98. But my second was #91, the first part of 1971’s JLA/JSA team-up. and Joe Giella. Editor: Julius Schwartz.

Sometime during the early weeks of my collecting, I stumbled upon a Justice League of America: Superman, rack of comics sold in two-in-one-plastic-bags at a local Pantry market in the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Pasadena. Inside one of them were JLA #91 and Batman #234. Both comics Atom. Guest-star: Robin. Justice Society had an August cover date. I was confused. Comic books couldn’t possibly of America: Superman, Robin, the Flash, publish their runs backwards! I bought the pack, and was surprised to find Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Atom. that I had purchased two comics released in June of 1971. They had been Villain: Solomon Grundy. Supporting on that comics rack in a major super market for 11 months. As with JLA #82, characters: A-Rym and Teppy.

I had an exciting, not to mention unexpected, JLA/JSA story to add to my Writer Mike Friedrich brought a younger, budding collection. But as with JLA #83, the second part of 1970’s JLA/JSA hipper sensibility to his JLA stories, and for team-up, I had no way of acquiring #92. That, of course, changed in 1975. his only JLA/JSA team-up he focused on the In JLA #92, Grundy defeats the JLA and JSA heroes, and Robin has his physical, mental, and emotional links that damaged uniform temporarily replaced with a different costume (designed bind us, and how easily those connections by artist Neal Adams) provided by the Earth-Two Robin. His ring returned, can be broken and the harm it could cause.

Earth-Two’s Green Lantern teams with Hal Jordan to defeat Grundy and He also provided a nod to the counterculture imprison him in Slaughter Swamp. A-Rym is finally captured but on the at that time by highlighting the generational verge of death. The two Robins realize that the boy may be saved by being gap of attitudes in some of the younger brought together with the creature on Earth-One. Happily reunited (and and older superheroes. regaining their health, too), A-Rym and Teppy are then retrieved by their 18 • BACK ISSUE • Bronze Age Events Issue

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars was a comic-book/ toy crossover event of massive proportions that influenced comics publishing forever. Written by Marvel editor-inchief Jim Shooter, penciled by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton (various issues), and inked by John Beatty, this epic-scale, 12-issue maxiseries ran between 1984 and 1985. This series came about as the result of a toy line that Mattel Toys wanted to create to offset a DC-character-based series of action figures created by rival company Kenner.

While Marvel Comics, under Shooter’s leadership, profited hugely from it, their business partner, Mattel, missed out on significant product development and was unable to capitalize on this relationship for a number of reasons: communication issues, differences in creative vision, and economic factors. Mattel was unable to do with the toys what Marvel did with the series: create a memorable product that would resonate in the hearts and minds of its customers for years to come.

There were some astounding and significant after-effects of Jim Shooter’s monumental series on the rest of the Marvel Universe: the new direction of the Fantastic Four, the heart-rending breakup of Kitty Pryde and Peter Rasputin, Spider-Man’s black costume … and others.

To briefly summarize the plot of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, an assortment of superheroes, including the teams of the Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four as well as Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man (James Rhodes, rather than Tony Stark) are abducted by a seemingly omnipotent cosmic being known as the Beyonder. Transported to a composite planet made up of sections taken from other planets (including Earth), they are set against a collection of abducted villains, including the Wrecking Crew, Dr. Doom, Dr. Octopus, the Lizard, Kang the Conqueror, Ultron, the Absorbing Man, the Enchantress, and the Molecule Man. Towering above this cadre of villains is the all-powerful Galactus. As Dr. Doom puts it, it is a gathering of forces, as if for war. The story sees a series of colossal battles between these two forces, which culminates in a struggle against Doom, who claims the Beyonder’s power for his own. After he is defeated, the Beyonder retrieves his jim shooter lost power, and the heroes and villains make their way back to Earth.

Jim Shooter’s tenure as Marvel’s editor-in-chief may have been controversial, but the fact remains that one of his legacies was the creation of this epic series that fundamentally shaped the direction of the publishing company he worked for and arguably influenced the nature of comic publishing for the future. The richly creative days of the ’80s

To Infinity and Beyond(er) The iconic Mike Zeck/John Beatty cover to Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1 (May 1984). ’Nuff said!

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John K. Kirk

Versus the Dreaded Deadline Doom This photograph taken by and courtesy of Eliot Brown shows (left to right) Art Nichols, Keith Williams, and Mike Zeck at the Roosevelt Hotel’s Penthouse Suite, slaving away on a Secret Wars deadline. were ripe for new developments and agreements, and that equally applied to the novel concept of licensing deals.

Shooter was quick to pounce on these opportunities, particularly with licensing.

Marvel had outstanding deals with other toy companies with properties like ROM (Parker Brothers), the Micronauts (Mego Toys), and G.I. Joe (Hasbro). In his blog post on www.jimshooter.com, “Righting the Ship,” Shooter states that he took the job as Marvel’s EIC with the goal of “improving things for the company.”

Looking for franchise opportunities and partnerships formed a part of this improvement matrix. Secret Wars was a part of this mindset, and while it mike zeck is conceivable that Shooter could have tracked down the opportunity on his own, it was Mattel Toys that approached Shooter with the idea of licensing characters to market a new toy line of action figures and playsets. Shooter’s bio on www.illustratedmedia.com, however, gives him full credit for this and states that, “In the mid-1980s, with Mattel, Shooter developed a highly successful toy line based on Marvel characters called Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars for Mattel Toys. The accompanying comic series proved to be one of the best-selling of all time.” It was, but the same can’t be said for the toy line. However, it is widely acknowledged that Shooter dominated the right. The toy line’s sales were dwindling, yet sales of direction of Secret Wars … when said, it was pretty the comic-book series were reaching critical mass. What started as a marketing gimmick was becoming one of much “all him.”

What about the effect of the toys? How much of an the most prolific comic series ever made, with publication influence did they have on the direction or even the numbers, according to Bradford Wright’s Comic Book sales of this maxiseries? If the purpose of the comic was to Nation, reaching the 800,000 monthly issue mark.

Tom DeFalco, the maxiseries’ editor, had a somewhat promote the toy line and provide an obvious direction for these toys, then wouldn’t there have been some different perspective on the combined editorial and marketing conversation between Marvel and Mattel. In an sort of reciprocal communication between the creative teams at Mattel and Marvel? Mike Zeck, the lead artist interview on Marvel.com, he recounted that Mattel had on Secret Wars, tells BACK ISSUE, “I still saw no indication done some research and decided that the words “Secret” that Mattel was in any way involved with the direction and “Wars” had to be used in a comic book to support one of their toy lines. A focus group poll of boys in the of the comics. If they were, it’s news to me.”

If we take a closer look at the toys and the significant right target age had determined that these were key developments in the Secret Wars storyline, we can words in a title that would seize their interest. DeFalco countered Mattel’s initial insistence on writing another determine what sort of a creative effect they had on each other. The creation of the toys was an operation that seemed book by stating that Marvel already had a number of to evince no sense of coordination between the two successful titles that could be used instead of coming up parties; as a result, the sales of the toys languished and with a totally new one. Also, he pushed for the title to be the editorial direction the comics eventually found simply “Marvel Super Heroes.” The two sides compromised themselves heading in contained very little trace of and came up with the title we know today and that there Mattel’s influence, based on what form the toys took. would be a new comic. Later on in the interview, DeFalco Marvel Comics held the dominant share of creative said,. “[Marvel] finally agreed to do a tie-in called MARVEL effort for this cooperative venture and it was Marvel SUPER HEROES SECRET WARS. Once Marvel agreed to do a tie-in title and told Mattel who was going to be in Comics that reaped the reward. it, they backed off and let us do our thing.”

CREATIVE DIRECTION From this can we conclude that Mattel limited its Though the purpose of the series was to support the toy involvement in the creation and direction of the comic line, by January of 1985 the series had significant traction that was supposed to be the instructional guide for and was approaching the point where it wasn’t fulfilling their toys? This is a hard question to answer, but Eliot its original purpose as a showcase for the toys, but R. Brown, who was on staff at Marvel at the time, performing as a majorly successful comic title in its own recalls that Jim Shooter lamented the idea of Marvel

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Home of He-Man Mattel’s El Segundo, California, headquarters, in 2012.

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“Ever since I began here at Marvel, I’ve been getting suggestions—hundreds and hundreds in the mail, from readers—that a lot of our major characters, or all of our major characters, should be together in one story,” Jim Shooter (then-editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics) told Jim Salicrup in Comics Interview #14 (Aug. 1984). “We have another series in the works that’s related. I guess you could call it a ‘sequel.’ For the moment we’re calling it Secret Wars II, but that’s more of a joke than anything else, because I swore I’d never do anything like this again.”

THE WAR CONTINUES Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1 (May 1984) ushered in the “Event Age.” The Beyonder, a mysterious entity from another universe—where he was that entire universe— became aware of us when an unknown event opened a pinhole from our universe into his. Intrigued, he set Marvel’s premier characters upon a patchwork planet, “Battleworld,” and urged them to fight. Enjoyable as it was seeing the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Spidey, and the Hulk team up against some of Marvel’s biggest villains, and watching Dr. Doom—as usual—play outside the box and turn the tables on everyone, many questions were left unanswered. Who is the Beyonder? What event gave him access to our universe? To where did he (and Dr. Doom) disappear at the end of the 12-issue maxiseries? “From the very beginning I planned a sequel,” Shooter explained in Marvel Age #27 (June 1985). “In the presentation I gave two-and-a-half years ago, the last paragraph described the ideas I had for a sequel.

Naturally, if Secret Wars had been a disaster, we probably would have forgotten about ever doing Secret Wars II. But the twelve-issue series was one of the best-selling comics in several decades. So naturally we are going to go on and do SWII.” Once again, Jim Shooter was the writer and Sal Buscema was scheduled for art duties.

Secret Wars II #1 (July 1985) was published three months after the conclusion of the first series but, on his blog, Shooter emphatically denied that the sequel was rushed: “We knew from direct sales orders more than a month before #1 of the first SW series that the numbers were huge. Therefore, we planned a sequel immediately, more than a year before SWII #1. We were absolutely not ‘rushing out a sequel.’ Rushing had nothing to do with the quality of my work. Yes, I had plenty to do as EIC and writing SWII tested my limits of endurance, but I guarantee you, it was the best I can do. If I’d had more time I would have slept more, but I doubt that the writing would have been better. The artists, Al Milgrom and Steve Leialoha, probably wished they had more time, but artists always do. The main problem there was that Sal Buscema lost us a month.”

In the Marvel Age interview, Shooter stated, “Sal Buscema was originally slated to draw it, but the only trouble with Sal is that he’s in Virginia. And this book requires such tight continuity that it is difficult to work with someone so far from New York City. So there was nothing wrong with Sal, only where he was living.”

The Beyonder’s Back Mutants and Avengers gather on the John Byrne/ Terry Austin cover to Secret Wars II #1 (July 1985).

TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Jarrod Buttery

Sal Buscema remembers the book and explains to BACK ISSUE, “Yes, I was asked to pencil SWII. When I received the first plot I was given detailed instructions on how to lay out the book. [I] penciled the first book and realized these restrictions prevented me from doing my best work.

I declined the rest of the project for this reason, explaining that I thought someone else would do a better job under these circumstances. The book I penciled was redone.” When asked if he still had any of the pages, Buscema replies, “I’m afraid they’re long gone.”

Gone but not lost.

As of this writing, Marvel has advance-solicited the Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: Battleworld Box Set Slipcase, reprinting both series, most of the crossovers, and many extras— including “the original version of SWII #1 by Sal Buscema.” For those with a spare $500 US. Al Milgrom recalls, “I got along very well with Jim Shooter. At a Marvel Christmas party I was talking to him and I said, ‘One of these days you and I have to work together.’

[Author’s note: At this time, Buscema had penciled SWII #1.] I don’t know the exact details but Jim wanted some changes in the first issue and Sal didn’t want to have to go back and revisit stuff and do it over. So Jim asked if I’d like to take over on SWII. And I said, ‘Sure, I’d love to,’ and he said it wouldn’t be fair, if you’re going to do the whole rest of the series, for you not to get the royalties on the first issue—which would be the bestselling issue. And I replied, ‘But Sal’s good and it seems a shame to waste an entire issue by him,’ and Jim said, ‘That’s okay, it’s gonna make a lot of money, we can afford to write off one set of pencils.’

So a friendly conversation about working together some time in the future turned into working together right away—and since the first issue had to be redrawn, we lost a considerable amount of lead time as well. So it was right under the gun the whole time.”

Behold … the Beyonder John Byrne original art, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com), to a Secret Wars II promo poster. (Yes, those are Jheri Curls!)

TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

caricature of writer Steve Gerber, who had an acrimonious split from Marvel some years prior and who, in an interview in Comics Journal #41 (Aug. 1978), had decried the superficiality and hypocrisy of the media.

“I remember vaguely that sequence but I don’t remember drawing Steve— but that doesn’t mean I didn’t!” admits Milgrom.

Cadwall entreats the Beyonder for the power to change things. The Beyonder transforms him into the armored and armed Thundersword (cf.

Gerber’s sword-wielding cartoon character, Thundarr) who, astride his flying horse Boromir (tip of the hat to Valkyrie’s flying horse, Aragorn), proceeds to gratuitously raze downtown L.A.—opposed by the X-Men, New Mutants, Iron Man, and Captain America. The villain defeated, Captain America strides away, unaware that he’s being followed….

And so, the crossovers begin. Editor Bob Budiansky was responsible for their coordination and tells BACK ISSUE, “As for connecting SWII to other Marvel books, yes, that was always the plan. SWII was seen as a potentially huge seller and a great way to bring other Marvel books to readers’ attention by tying them into the SWII storyline. I don’t remember specifics. I’m sure Jim and I met with the rest of the editorial staff at the beginning of planning SWII and we broadly mapped out how different characters would be involved and EARTHFALL! how their books’ storylines would be affected. And then In Secret Wars II #1, the Beyonder falls to Earth near the those editors would have to run the plots to those home of Owen Reece (the Molecule Man) and Marsha crossover books by me so I could make sure everything Rosenberg (Volcana). He tells Owen, “I desire was consistent with what was happening in SWII.” experience!” Marsha suggests he should go to L.A.: Budiansky was asked if he contributed to the over“You can experience everything there!” The Beyonder all storyline: “Probably more than most books I edited AL MILGROM travels to Hollywood and is drawn to the rantings of during my years at Marvel, I felt like more of a caretaker disgruntled scriptwriter, Stewart Cadwall. Cadwall is in the than an editor on SWII. Jim Shooter had very definite middle of a telephone tirade about the pablum served up by the networks: ideas of what he wanted to do with the series. The Beyonder was Jim’s baby, the phony drama, car chases, and violence without consequences. so I left it to him to figure out what he wanted to do with the character.

According to the Comic Book Resources webpage, Cadwall is a thinly veiled Perhaps I suggested a few character details as the series proceeded, but I

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Robert Greenberger

In January 1986, comic-book readers were treated to the largest company reboot ever before attempted, one clearly with as much impact as the New 52 relaunch had on modern-day readers in September 2011. It’s hard to believe that three decades have passed since this seminal event, which left a legacy of financial imperatives and creative challenges that have become routine. As a result, fans arriving after Crisis on Infinite Earths have no sense of the mammoth displacement this had on all that had come before.

A refresher course, therefore, is required at the outset. Comic books didn’t have much of any sort of shared universe until the 1960s.

Prior to that, characters gathered in the same story as seen in the colossal battle between the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner. Even after All-American Comics and National Comics gathered their premiere heroes in All-Star Comics #3 as the Justice Society, their adventures were never reflected in their host series.

That all changed with Stan Lee and the Marvel Universe when Spider-Man showed up at the Baxter Building, hoping to get hired by the Fantastic Four. Suddenly, characters, both friend and foe, were bleeding across titles, a feat slowly imitated by DC Comics. DC then did Marvel one better by borrowing the concept of parallel universes from science-fiction stories and had the Golden Age Flash meet his Silver Age counterpart in Flash #123 in 1961, a story that slowly kicked off a trend we’re still seeing used (or overused, if you ask some) today.

As the parallel-worlds concept proved popular with readers, some of whom were reading the comics in their adulthood and remembering the earlier generation of heroes, editor Julie Schwartz rolled the dice and had

the legendary JSA meet their modern-day counterparts in “Crisis on Earth-One!” and “Crisis on Earth-Two!”, seen in 1963’s Justice League of America #21–22. The two-part story sold very well and became an annual event until the 1980s, each story using “Crisis” in its title.

“A CONFUSING BARRIER”

By 1981, DC had a growing number of parallel worlds, and even Marvel began having various universes, without the strict sense of numbering them (that came later). But, by then, the young, energetic Jenette Kahn was running DC and felt the concept was a confusing barrier to new readers.

When writer Marv Wolfman suggested in 1981 that something be done to streamline the continuity, she was all ears. Their discussions, later involving editor Len Wein and executive editor Dick Giordano, evolved into a mega-story slated for the company’s looming 50th anniversary in 1985.

It had been made clear that the story had to clean the slate in a way never before attempted. The story had a cosmic sweep to it and was initially considered to be The History of the DC Universe, but as the creative imperatives grew, the title no longer fit. Instead, the idea of collapsing the multiverse into a single DC Universe sounded like much more of a, ahem, crisis.

Plans were slow to form, but to signal this was no ordinary event, a character dubbed “the Monitor” began mysteriously appearing throughout the line, beginning in the summer of 1982. He could be found not only in the core superhero line but in Jonah Hex and G.I. Combat, implying he was traversing time and space, so whatever he wanted, it had to be something important.

Marvel Comics, meantime, heard what was happening at DC and set out to steal some of their commercial thunder. A moribund toy-line tie-in comic was released as Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, noteworthy for being a company-wide crossover with “permanent” changes to the characters, marv wolfman although the only really long-lasting change was the arrival of a black Spider-Man costume, which later Photo credit: Alan Light. turned out to be a sentient being better known now as Venom.

DC’s announced plans included not one book, but two: Crisis on Infinite Earths and Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe.

Again, Marvel launched its own directory known as The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, released in 1983, scooping DC by two years.

Clearly, readers were in for something special. It was discussed that not only would the multiverse be forever altered but substantial changes would happen throughout the lineup of heroes and villains. Nothing on this sort of scale had been attempted by a comics publisher before.

It was also something that had never been attempted on a creative level. DC Comics executives in the mid-1950s thought it had been long enough since the heyday of the superhero and that it might be worth trying again. And when Showcase #4, starring the Flash, sold well enough, management took a slow approach. Flash appeared in four scattered issues before being returned to his own title, but when DC tried to replicate that success with Green Lantern, they wisely gave him three consecutive issues of Showcase. As a result, it was a few years before there were enough revived characters to populate the JLA. Crisis on Infinite Earths’ format of a self-contained maxiseries was still a relatively new concept at the time, and previously, DC’s only other maxi-series were titles like Camelot 3000, which were set outside any continuity. A 12-part story featuring nearly every character the publisher possessed was a herculean task.

Today, the notion of editorial and writer retreats where years of events are sketched out grew out of the Superman Summits which didn’t begin until 1990 or so. In 1984, when Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and I sat for weekly lunches to hammer out how the Crisis could take shape and who would be affected, we were treading in unknown waters. Three guys in a

Worlds Will Live, Worlds Will Die The utterly astounding Crisis on Infinite Earths limited edition print from 2000, illustrated by George Pérez and Alex Ross.

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The 1985 maxiseries Crisis on Infinite Earths left a new DC Universe in its wake. Crisis didn’t just reboot the DCU—it proved that crossover events could be very popular with readers. From 1986 on, DC instituted annual crossover series. Where once the JLA and the JSA were enough to solve any yearly crisis that occurred, now these stories spanned the entire breadth of the DCU. And as the years rolled on, they grew bigger and bigger.

THE MAKING OF LEGENDS

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J o h n Tr u m b u l l

In 1986, DC’s multiple Earths had been merged down to one, but it was an Earth still in need of expansion and definition. Reboots of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were all underway, yet there was nothing to define the new DCU at large. Robert Greenberger, who was at DC at the time, says, “After Crisis proved such a success, Paul Levitz and Dick Giordano held a series of editorial meetings with an eye towards the post-Crisis universe.

There was money to be made so at one time, every editor was tasked with coming up with their own vision of a new company-wide crossover.

The winner was the one without a name which, as readers now know, was Paul’s own pitch which became the ill-fated Crisis of the Soul. [Author’s note: For more of the story behind Crisis of the Soul, see BACK ISSUE #9.]

“Once it was clear editorial and many creators were not crazy about Crisis of the Soul, Dick realized he had a gap on the schedule that needed filling. Since he was in the process of recruiting Mike Gold away from First Comics, he asked Mike for ideas. Gold, in turn, brought John Ostrander to the table and they brainstormed what became Legends.

Dick had Len Wein come in to dialogue to ensure everyone sounded right and I was on board to coordinate, especially in the weeks before Mike moved from Chicago and got settled into his new office.”

A limited cast made sense to editor Mike Gold, both as a way to keep the series manageable and to differentiate it from Crisis. Gold wrote in Legends #1, “As a starting point, I thought the story should focus in on characters with legendary status. The word ‘legendary’ stayed in John’s mind, triggering the word ‘Kirby,’ as in Jack Kirby, the legend who fused an epic quality in the way we see superheroes. From there, we developed a springboard: Darkseid looks at Earth and is offended its residents create legends out of heroes when the only legend they needed was Darkseid.”

As coordinating editor Greenberger explains, the goals of Legends were fairly clear: “Much as it was understood the Big Three (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) needed to be revamped as a result of the Crisis, the woefully underpowered JLA needed an infusion of major talent. And we needed a Flash. Once obvious needs were identified, then we looked to see what might grow out of the story being told that year. As Legends grew and the JLA and Flash were slotted for spinning off, new-to-DC John Ostrander was promised a book spinning out as well, so he and I got to work and we came up with Suicide Squad. Roy Thomas had been champing at the bit for Captain Marvel, so it made sense to add him to the mix” [for the Shazam!: The New Beginning miniseries].

As Crisis of the Soul morphed into Legends, original Soul penciler Jerry Ordway bowed out due to miscommunications as well as scheduling difficulties with the upcoming Adventures of Superman series. Incoming Superman writer/artist John Byrne was tapped to be Ordway’s replacement, but could only fit six issues into his schedule.

John Ostrander condensed his Legends plot down from eight issues to six, with the ever-creative Byrne suggesting revisions along the way.

Despite the change of creative personnel, the storyline of Legends remained fairly stable. As Robert Greenberger recalls, “The series premise barely changed although issue-to-issue elements evolved, especially as John Byrne began making more and more suggestions, like his dig at [the Marvel New Universe’s] Star Brand and Jim Shooter in the opening pages of issue #5, which was never in the plot.”

Byrne, Baby, Byrne!

Signed John Byrne cover art to the 4th issue of Legends, DC’s follow-up to Crisis on Infinite Earths. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com).

TM & © DC Comics.

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LEGENDS

Hated Heroes (top) From the ashes of the aborted Crisis of the Soul arose the DC crossover Legends. (bottom) President Reagan puts the kibosh on caped crusaders and the Boy Wonder has lost his fan club on the last page of Legends #2.

TM & © DC Comics.

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As Legends opens, Darkseid, newly restored to the throne of Apokolips, decides that the best way to defeat Earth’s heroes is to destroy the legends around them. Once humanity’s faith in their heroes is shaken, they will be easily conquered by Darkseid’s forces. The Phantom Stranger disagrees with the Lord of Apokolips, arguing that mankind’s love for its heroes is too ingrained to ever be fully stamped out. Darkseid’s minion Glorious Godfrey is sent to Earth as pundit “G. Gordon Godfrey,” where his powers of persuasion kickstart an antisuperhero movement.

Darkseid’s plan yields several early victories. Firestorm, Cosmic Boy, and Justice League Detroit are defeated by the flaming giant Brimstone; Billy Batson is duped into believing that his alter ego Captain Marvel killed a villain with his magic lightning; and Robin (Jason Todd) is injured in an anti-superhero riot. In the midst of mounting violence, US President Ronald Reagan issues an executive order outlawing superheroes until order is restored.

Several heroes choose to defy the presidential edict, trying to do their jobs in spite of increasing public protests.

A total of 22 Legends tie-ins appeared over the course of the series, a modest number compared to the multiple Crisis crossovers of 1985. The venerable Justice League of America ended with issue #261 (Apr. 1987), as the Detroit League disbanded following the murders of Vibe and Steel. The March 1987 Superman titles presented a three-part tale where an amnesiac Man of Steel is manipulated into serving Darkseid on Apokolips. And Secret Origins explored the backgrounds of some of Legends’ characters, with four possible origins for the Phantom Stranger in #10 (Jan. 1987) and the full history of the Suicide Squad in #14 (May 1987).

Legends #3 (Jan. 1987) debuts the new Suicide Squad, as Amanda Waller and Col. Rick Flag recruit convicted supervillains such as Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Bronze Tiger, the Enchantress, and Blockbuster to go on life-threatening missions in exchange for their freedom. Together, the group manages to destroy the rampaging Brimstone, with Blockbuster as the Squad’s first casualty (but far from the last).

The series climaxes at G. Gordon Godfrey’s rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, as the gathered heroes fight off Darkseid’s minions. An injured Robin leads a group of children to convince the angry mob of the value of heroism. Glorious Godfrey’s lust for power ultimately defeats him when donning Dr. Fate’s helmet overwhelms his mind. The public’s faith is restored, and the presidential ban is rescinded.

After the battle, Dr. Fate proposes a new Justice League to replace the disbanded group. Batman, Martian Manhunter, Guy Gardner, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, and Blue Beetle all agree to join, with Superman, the Flash, and Changeling agreeing to assist when needed. Wonder Woman slips away unnoticed. With the rebirth of the Justice League, it becomes clear that Darkseid has lost his debate with the Phantom Stranger. The Stranger tells Darkseid, “Instead of destroying the concept of legends, you have merely reaffirmed it!”

Also reaffirmed was the DC Universe, with classic characters revamped for a new age. The miniseries Shazam!: The New Beginning provided a post-Crisis origin for the World’s Mightiest Mortal, and the ongoing spin-offs all enjoyed healthy runs, with Suicide Squad lasting for 66 issues, the retitled Justice League International lasting for 113, and Flash running for 233.

The new DCU was off to a great start.

While Crisis had started DC’s company-wide crossovers, Legends crystallized the formula. Coming a year after Crisis, “Legends pretty much cemented that these were annual events,” Robert Greenberger says. “They sold well, were easy to market, and allowed the company to freshen the lineup in a fairly orderly manner. It became expected that every year there would be a crossover and it was like a hot potato— some editors were eager to try their hand while others wanted nothing to do with the coordination headache and dealing with varying-sized egos.”

TM

It’s probably impossible to find a list ranking the greatest events in Marvel Comics and not see The Infinity Gauntlet included. A simple Google search proves that. If a website or publication has made that list, then odds are pretty good that The Infinity Gauntlet isn’t just on it, but at the top.

It’s not hard to understand why. For starters, the story is beyond grandiose. It’s not just superheroes confronting a supervillain. There are heroes, sure, and there are definitely villains. But there are also gods, celestials, living archetypes, physical embodiments of forces of nature, and scores of alien races all locked in cosmic combat, with some fights being too much for mere mortals to even comprehend, let alone witness.

On top of being grandiose, the story is oddly straightforward. The stakes are clearly defined, the villain easy to root against, and the heroes properly challenged. Sure, it makes for a richer reading experience if you track down and read a few story arcs from the 1970s, but you don’t actually have to do that to enjoy or even understand anything that’s going on.

Steeped in continuity, it’s actually perfectly crafted as a standalone.

Oh, and that villain we mentioned? He’s actually frighteningly competent and effectual. In the first issue of The Infinity Gauntlet, with a snap of his finger, he accomplishes his macabre goal of killing half of all sentient life in the universe. Just like that, he achieves his objective.

Before the story even really starts, Thanos the Mad Titan has already won.

And, despite its cosmic scale, The Infinity Gauntlet is a story that’s grounded and simple. Thanos has become God and Earth’s heroes aim to change that. That’s it. There are twists, turns, and swerves, but the story never really strays from being about two groups vying for one crazy, powerful object. It also manages to work in a few pretty amazing and quiet character moments, like when Captain America, surrounded by his dead friends, delivers to an all-powerful Thanos one of the most memorable Captain America quotes to date: “As long as one man stands against you, Thanos, you’ll never be able to claim victory.” Cap is backhanded to death three pages later, but that doesn’t negate that awesome moment.

However, despite being epic, despite being balls-to-the-wall action, despite just being a good story, the appeal of The Infinity Gauntlet and the three major stories that followed has always been firmly rooted in the affectations and voice of its architect, Jim Starlin. These were major tent-pole events, to be sure, but they were also direct continuations of stories started (and ended in some cases) by Starlin all the way back in the 1970s. The Infinity Saga, while easy to enjoy as a standalone story, is actually just another chapter in a larger tale told by the same visionary.

In a landscape where creators stick with a book for maybe an arc or two and one that is historically inhospitable to older talent, there’s something special about that.

The Infinity Gauntlet and its sequels, The Infinity War and The Infinity Crusade, were also equal parts product of their time and perfect confluence of many disparate events. While it’s fairly certain that characters as rich as Thanos and Adam Warlock would have eventually been resurrected under the pen and guidance of some other creator (and almost were), what’s uncertain is what would have happened if it had not been handled by Jim Starlin under the volatile business and publishing conditions of early-1990s Marvel.

THE SAGA OF THE INFINITY GAUNTLET There had certainly been cosmic stories before The Infinity Gauntlet, The Infinity War, and The Infinity Crusade debuted. Jim Starlin even penned more than a few of them. His career was practically built on all things cosmic thanks to 1970s runs on Marvel books like Captain Marvel and Warlock, and he continued the trend in his creator-owned series, Dreadstar. However, you’d be hard-pressed to find any as massive in scale as the books bearing the Infinity banner.

Cosmic Crisis Writer Jim Starlin illustrated this 1991 promo poster to the Marvel crossover The Infinity Gauntlet.

TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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by

Chris Brennaman

Starlin Returns (left) Jim Starlin’s Infinity Saga began to unfold in the pages of The Silver Surfer. Issue #34 (Feb. 1990) cover by Ron Lim and Joe Rubinstein. (right) The master of multiple characters and crowd scenes, George Pérez, joined Starlin in this first issue of The Infinity Gauntlet (July 1991).

Cover by Pérez.

TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

They’re not only a Who’s Who of Marvel’s early-’90s superhero roster, of pure logic. This sounds all well and good on the surface, but it actualbut of all its cosmic characters as well. By the time The Infinityy Crusade ly gives renewed form to Adam Warlock’s evil persona, the Magus. The concludes, readers have seen the likes of everyone from Galactus and Magus, justifiably angryy at Thanos and Warlock for being removed from Eternity to the Living Tribunal and Infinity, and literally everyone in between. existence in a Warlock arc from the ’70s, sets his sites on subduing the entire If a character was alive and kicking during the time these books were being universe. Meanwhile, Adam Warlock is put on trial to see if he’s worthy of published, chances are they made at least a cameo somewhere in the saga. godhood. Since this is a major Marvel event, Earth’s heroes can’t help but Put simply, The Infinity Gauntlet, The Infinity Wa ar, and The Infinity be pulled into the fray, with none other than Thanos at their side. Thus it’s once more into the cosmic breach. All that, and doppelgangers.

Crusade are big stories and like all big stories, putting them together The Infinity Trilogy concludes with The Infinity Crusade and was a big endeavor. But before we talk about how such a largesports an even more massive cast than The Infinity Wa ar. scale book came about, let’s first take a quick story recap: Published in 1993, where the previous installment saw the Things kick off when the Silver Surfer bears witness heroes of both Earth and space united to thwart Adam to the resurrection of none other than Thanos himself in Warlock’s darkness given form, this time out the threat the pages of the third volume of his ongoing series, is the living embodiment of Warlock’s goodness in the The Sillver Surffer #34 (Feb. 1990). Seems Death is under form of the Goddess. Just as dangerous as the Magus, the impression that too many people are currently IF YOU ENJOYED PREVIEW, the Goddess creates an entire planet called Paradise alive and needs someone withTHIS Thanos’ particular skill Omega and even manages to brainwash many of the set to chanCLICK ge thatTHE . TheLINK story rTO unsORDER for a fewTHIS issues and ISSUEover IN PRINT DIGITAL FORMAT! more religious of Marvel’s superheroes. Once again, then carries into theOR two-issue miniseries Thanos Thanos fights as a hero, atoning for sins past and Quest. There the Mad Titan battles or just outsmarts preserving his new status quo. the various possessors of the six Infinity Gems. Each So, how exactly did this epic come together?

Infinity Gem—Space, Mind, Soul, Realityy, Time, and Power— —holds sway over a difffferent facet of the universe, jim starlin PUTTING THE PROJECT TOGETHER and when brought together give the wielder nothing By the time 1990 rolled around, Jim Starlin was back at short of omnipotence. The series concludes with Photo by Pat Loika.

Marvel affter a stint at DC Comics. He was assigned to Thanos victorious, the first person to ever unite all six gems.

We next see Thanos and the Infinity Gems in 1991’s The Infinity The Sillver Surffer as the book’s writer, and to say that Starlin was no stranger Gauntlet #1 (July 1991). The Infinity Gauntlet follows the war against to Mar vel cosmic, even in the late 1980s and early 1990s, is beyond understatement. In the ’70s, Starlin made a name for himself as both the Thanos. The story begins as Thanos prepares to execute his dark, oddly romantic plan: to kill half of all life in the universe as a gesture of love writer and artist of perhaps the most iconic cosmic stories comics had seen to Death. And he succeeds. With the snap of his fingers, half of all life then up till then (and maybe even up till now). In the pages of Captain in the universe is snuffed out, including most of Earth’s superheroes. Marvvel and Warlock, Starlin explored both other worlds and other realms What follows is all-out cosmic war that sees a small band of Earth’s far beyond the confines of tinyy, little planet Earth. So upon his return to Mar vel, it made a sort of sense that he would be put on the book superheroes (and various cosmic deities) united under the leadership of starring the character most associated with the company’s farthest BACK ISSUE #82 a resurre“Bronze cted Age AdEvents!” am WWith arloextensive ck do coverage their dofathe mndest to thwart the Mad Titan.

The InfiAvengers/Defenders nity GauntletWar, end s witcrossovers, h Than os Wars, defeCrisis’ ated and retired to a farm cosmic reaches. But it also made a sort sense that he would revisit two JLA/JSA Secret cosmic characters most associated to him: Adam Warlock and Thanos.

30th anniversary, Legends, Millennium, Invasion, Infinity Gauntlet, ful Infinity Gauntlet. and Adam Warlock the possessor of the all-power and more! Featuring the work of SAL BUSCEMA, DICK DILLIN, There was one slight problem, though—Adam Warlock and Thanos I n o n e o f h i s f i r s t a c t s u p o n b e c o m i n g NexTODD t up McFARLANE, is 1992’s TGEORGE he Infin iPÉREZ, nitty W a r .

JOE STATON, LEN WEIN, omnipoMARV tent,WOLFMAN, Adam WMIKE arloZECK, ck uand sesmore. the Plus Infan iniAvengers ty Gauvs.ntlet to cast out the good had been dead since 1977 (Warlock in Avengers Annual #7, and Thanos the n-One Annual #2), both killed by Starlin himself. next month in Marvel Two-in and evilDefenders aspectcover s ofbyhJOHN is peBYRNE. rsonality in an effffort to become a being (deity?)

(84 FULL-COLOR pages) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1193

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