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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!

THE RETRO COMICS EXPERIENCE!

Edited by MICHAEL EURY, BACK ISSUE magazine celebrates comic books of the 1970s, 1980s, and today through recurring (and rotating) departments like “Pro2Pro” (dialogue between professionals), “BackStage Pass” (behind-the-scenes of comicsbased media), “Greatest Stories Never Told” (spotlighting unrealized comics series or stories), and more!

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“Incredible Hulk in the Bronze Age!” Looks into Hulk’s mind, his role as a team player, his TV show and cartoon, merchandising, Hulk newspaper strip, Teen Hulk, villain history of the Abomination, art and artifacts by SAL BUSCEMA, JOHN BYRNE, PETER DAVID, KENNETH JOHNSON, BILL MANTLO, AL MILGROM, EARL NOREM, ROGER STERN, HERB TRIMPE, LEN WEIN, new cover by TRIMPE and GERHARD!

“Tryouts, One-Shots, & One-Hit Wonders”! Marvel Premiere, Marvel Spotlight, Marvel Feature, Strange Tales, Showcase, First Issue Special, New Talent Showcase, DC’s Dick Tracy tabloid, Sherlock Holmes, Marvel’s Generic Comic Books, Bat-Squad, Crusader, & Swashbuckler, with BRUNNER, CARDY, COLAN, FRADON, GRELL, PLOOG, TRIMPE, and an ARTHUR ADAMS “Clea” cover!

“Robots” issue! Cyborg, Metal Men, Robotman, Red Tornado, Mister Atom, the Vision, Jocasta, Shogun Warriors, and Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, plus the legacy of Brainiac! Featuring the riveting work of DARROW, GERBER, INFANTINO, PAUL KUPPERBERG, MILLER, MOENCH, PEREZ, SIMONSON, STATON, THOMAS, WOLFMAN, and more, behind a Metal Men cover by MICHAEL ALLRED.

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“Batman’s Partners!” MIKE W. BARR and ALAN DAVIS on their Detective Comics, Batman and the Outsiders, Nightwing flies solo, Man-Bat history, Commissioner Gordon, the last days of World’s Finest, Bat-Mite, the Batmobile, plus Dark Knight’s girl Robin! Featuring work by APARO, BUSIEK, DITKO, KRAFT, MILGROM, MILLER, PÉREZ, WOLFMAN, and more, with a cover by ALAN DAVIS and MARK FARMER.

“Bronze Age Fantastic Four!” The animated FF, the FF radio show of 1975, Human Torch goes solo, Galactus villain history, FF Mego figures… and the Impossible Man! Exploring work by RICH BUCKLER, JOHN BUSCEMA, JOHN BYRNE, GERRY CONWAY, STEVE ENGLEHART, GEORGE PÉREZ, KEITH POLLARD, ROY THOMAS, LEN WEIN, MARV WOLFMAN, and more! Cover by KEITH POLLARD and JOE RUBINSTEIN.

“‘80s Independents!” In-depth looks at PAUL CHADWICK’s Concrete, DAVE SIM’s Cerebus the Aardvark, and RICHARD AND WENDY PINI’s Elfquest! Plus see ‘80s independent comics go Hollywood, DAVID SCROGGY remembers Pacific Comics, TRINA ROBBINS’ California Girls, and DENIS KITCHEN’s star-studded horror/sci-fi anthology Death Rattle. Cover by PAUL CHADWICK!

“Let’s Get Small!” Marvel’s Micronauts, The Atom in the Bronze Age, JAN STRNAD and GIL KANE’s Sword of the Atom, the rocky relationship of Ant-Man the Wasp, Gold Key’s Microbots, Super Jrs., DC Digests, and Marvel Value Stamps. Featuring the work of PAT BRODERICK, JACKSON GUICE, ELLIOT S! MAGGIN, BILL MANTLO, AL MILGROM, ALEX SAVIUK, ROGER STERN, LEN WEIN, & more. Cover by PAT BRODERICK!

“When Comics Were Fun!” HEMBECK cover and gallery, Plastic Man, Blue Devil, Marvel’s Star Comics imprint, VALENTINO’s normalman, Bronze Age’s goofiest Superman stories, and the Batman/Dick Tracy team-up you didn’t see! Featuring MAX ALLAN COLLINS, PARIS CULLINS, RAMONA FRADON, ALAN KUPPERBERG, MISHKIN & COHN, STEVE SKEATES, JOE STATON, CURT SWAN, and more!

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TwoMorrows. A New Day For Comics Fans! BACK ISSUE #78

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“Weird Issue!” Batman’s Weirdest TeamUps, ORLANDO’s Weird Adventure Comics, Weird War Tales, Weird Mystery Tales, DITKO’s Shade the Changing Man and Stalker, CHAYKIN’s Iron Wolf, CRUMB’s Weirdo, and STARLIN and WRIGHTSON’s The Weird! Featuring JIM APARO, LUIS DOMINGUEZ, MICHAEL FLEISHER, BOB HANEY, PAUL LEVITZ, and more. Batman and Deadman cover by ALAN CRADDOCK.

“Charlton Action Heroes in the Bronze Age!” DAVE GIBBONS on Charlton’s WATCHMEN connection, LEN WEIN and PARIS CULLINS’ Blue Beetle, CARY BATES and PAT BRODERICK’s Captain Atom, Peacemaker, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt, and a look at Blockbuster Weekly! Featuring MIKE COLLINS, GIORDANO, KUPPERBERG, ALAN MOORE, PAT MORISI, ALEX ROSS, and more. Cover by AL MILGROM.

“Flash and Green Lantern in the Bronze Age” (crossover with ALTER EGO #132)! In-depth spotlights of their 1970s and 1980s adventures, MARK WAID’s look at the Flash/GL team, and PAUL KUPPERBERG’s Lost GL Fillins. Bonus: DC’s New York Office Memories, and Green Lantern: Ganthet’s Tale by LARRY NIVEN and JOHN BYRNE. With BARR, BATES, GIBBONS, GRELL, INFANTINO, WEIN, and more. Cover by GEORGE PÉREZ.

“DC Bronze Age Giants and Reprints!” An indepth exploration of DC’s 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULARS, plus: a history of comics giants, DC indexes galore, and a salute to “human encyclopedia” E. NELSON BRIDWELL. Featuring the work of PAT BRODERICK, RICH BUCKLER, FRANK FRAZETTA, JOE KUBERT, BOB ROZAKIS, BERNIE WRIGHTSON, and more. Super Spec tribute cover featuring classic art by NICK CARDY.

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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

Many of us who have read comic books for decades suffer from “event fatigue.” When the hyperbole blasts about how the newest multi-hero crossover epic will forever shape the lives of its characters, we chuckle, roll our eyes, and realize that the latest secret crisis is just another of a long line of secret crises designed to sell comics, and that “forever” only lasts until the next new idea comes along. Yet that is the nature of superhero comics. Publishers’ worlds are so heavily populated with characters that the simple threats of the past—a mobster, a spy, or a nutcase with a super-weapon and a passion for bank robberies—no longer cut it. The fate of New York, or the United States, or Earth, or the cosmos, must hang in the balance until a gaggle of heroes—sometimes joined by villains!— narrowly saves the day. During the Golden Age, the focus of the men in suits whose publishing houses and sweatshops cranked out comic books was merely to release the next issue to satiate a demand. What few “events” actually occurred during that era—such as the Sub-Mariner fighting the Human Torch, or the inaugural gathering of the Justice Society of America, or the first meeting between Superman and Batman—had limited fanfare, especially when compared to today’s info-drenched culture. As you’ll read in this issue, you might credit DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz with launching the “event comic,” when he first paired the Silver Age Flash with the Golden Age Flash in 1961. These fast friends met again, and again, and from their team-up

Michael Eury

emerged similar encounters between two generations of Green Lanterns and Atoms, but most notably between the Justice League of America and Justice Society of America, the two super-teams whose annual crisis would unite them for a summer treat for readers. And thus the event comic was born. This issue, we take a look back at the events which stirred up fandom during the 1970s and 1980s. For those of you too young to have read these comics when they were first published, try to imagine the excitement experienced by readers during these days of business-as-usual storytelling, when a slugfest between our cover stars the Avengers and the Defenders or when the worlds-blending Crisis on Infinite Earths really elevated pulses and sales. The stories covered in the following pages surely rocked my adolescence—and I know the same can be said about many BI readers. Before we get started, however, I must give a nod to perhaps the BIGGEST event of 1970, one of the first defining moments of the Bronze Age: Jack Kirby leaving Marvel Comics for DC Comics. Since TwoMorrows devotes an entire magazine to “the King”—The Jack Kirby Collector—there’s no article about this event in this issue. But back then, when fanzines and comic-cons were rare, the word of Kirby’s evacuation from the House of Ideas spread across schoolyards and newsstands. DC dropped “Kirby is Coming!” teasers in various books to build the enthusiasm, then unleashed a salvo of house ads as bombastic as the King’s art and imagination. Now, that was a comicbook event!

TM & © DC Comics.

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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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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

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

Bronze Age Events Issue

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Assembled! Courtesy of Heritage, Romita original art to the cover of The Avengers #118 (Dec. 1973), featuring the conclusion of the Avengers–Defenders War. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

probably about a month or two before it became my job to sell the Avengers. So I was protective of them. I wanted them to look good, and show that they did belong.” The two teams quickly put their misunderstandings behind them—they had to, as Dormammu struck, sending an agent to collect the six pieces of the Eye, which allowed the demon lord to merge his dimension with Earth. Ordinary humans began to transform into monsters, and it was up to the combined group of heroes to travel into Dormammu’s realm to stop him. In Avengers #118, artist Bob Brown gets special accolades on the splash page for taking on a herculean effort, drawing not only both teams, but a multitude of guest-stars, as seemingly all of Marvel’s heroes (and even a few villains) pitch in to protect Earth while our heroes enter Dormammu’s dimension. Nick Fury, the Fantastic Four, Luke Cage, and even Thanos get in on the action! Over in Dormammu’s dimension, the Watcher shows up, so you know this is a big deal. Englehart says, “That was me early on, living in that reality, thinking, ‘Well, it’s big enough if—we’re still only ten years into this thing—if the Avengers and the Defenders are gonna fight it out for the fate of the universe with these gods and all this kind of stuff, other people would notice. Other people would react to it.’ You know, I’m sure that was true every month in every book, but for the climax of that thing, I wanted to go big. So having all those other guys show up— for the one panel—just trying again to give you some scope, to make it as big an event as I could make it.” The heroes struggle and look to be defeated, but a combination of efforts from the Scarlet Witch and Loki (of all people) wind up destroying Dormammu—at least for a little while. Everyone returns home safe on the project. “Steve and I had a great and sound. And comics were never working relationship. His writing and the same! my illustrating just seemed to click. The Avengers–Defenders War has I’m very proud of the body of work sal buscema been reprinted repeatedly; there are we did together. As a matter of fact, several different trade-paperback I still receive compliments to this day © Marvel. about the books we did,” Buscema states. When asked versions and volume 2 of The Defenders Marvel Masterworks about the Hulk–Thor battle, and whether he might have and volume 12 of The Avengers Marvel Masterworks liked to have seen ol’ Greenskin take it, Buscema have both the Defenders and Avengers issues for the remarks, “As you surmised, Hulk–Thor would be my complete story. Fans seemingly can’t get enough of this tale. favorite, but no one beat Thor in those days.” Even today it’s tremendously THE WRAP-UP fun to read—and isn’t that Clearly, the Defenders dominated the battles. One what you want out of a big wonders which team really should have been calling extravaganza like this? itself “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” at this point! Was it Englehart’s plan to have the Defenders come out on Many thanks to Sal Buscema, Steve top? “Not really, not really. But it kind of broke that Englehart, and Roy Thomas for sharing way. And part of my overall thinking was, if the their time and insights. Avengers lose every fight, nobody’s going to think, KAREN WALKER is stuck in the ’70s ‘Wow, they’re really weak and useless,’ because they’re and loving it. She is one half of the Avengers, but the Defenders were the new team on the team that proudly produces the block ... and it was my job to sell the Defenders www.bronzeagebabies.blogspot.com.

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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.

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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TM & © DC Comics.

The Council of Living Stars banishes one JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #82 of its own, the manic-depressive Aquarius, (Aug. 1970) reducing it to nearly powerless energy to “Peril of the Paired Planets” drift through the universe, where it grows JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #83 even more psychopathic. Thus the dawning (Sept. 1970) of the rage of Aquarius eventually finds its “Where Valor Fails … Will Magic way to Earth-Two. Absorbing the energy Triumph?” of Starman’s cosmic rod and the power of Writer: Denny O’Neil. Artists: Dick Dillin one of Dr. Fate’s spells, Aquarius regains and Joe Giella. Editor: Julius Schwartz. his strength and toys with the citizens of Justice League of America: Superman, a major city. The Justice Society, along with Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Dinah (Black Canary) Lance’s husband, Green Arrow, Black Canary, the Atom, detective Larry Lance, battle Aquarius. But Hawkman. Justice Society of America: the star’s powers have reached a cosmic Superman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Red Tornado, level, and Aquarius sends all of Earth-Two to the Flash, Green Lantern, Dr. Fate, Johnny oblivion, its entire existence hanging by a Thunder and his Thunderbolt, Hawkman, thread in the memories of the remaining members of the JSA, who are the Spectre. Villain: Creator2. sheltered in a life-sustaining bubble conjured by Dr. Fate. Unknown to The story opens with the Superman Aquarius, Fate is able to send the android Red Tornado across the dimen- of Earth-One flying uncontrollably over sional barriers between Earth-One and Earth-Two, in hope that the only Metropolis. He eventually crashes through remaining JSAer can bring the Justice League of America to the JSA’s aid. the pavement, where he lands unconscious This was a nice setup for the climatic battle in JLA #74, a battle unlike on a subway rail. The JLA is notified and he is any other depicted in JLA before. The JLA travel to Earth-Two and are transported to the JLA satellite for treatment, forced into a skirmish with their friends in the JSA, who Aquarius has where it is determined that magic is involved brainwashed to attack them. Since Earth-Two Green Lantern’s power ring in his fall. Suddenly, Batman collapses. The has been depleted after a two-week long stay in the bubble, Hal (Green scene shifts to a one-page explanation of Lantern) Jordan easily subdues him and uses his power ring to bring Earth-One and Earth-Two (my first such Aquarius to them. Aquarius responds by sending a deadly spheroid to explanation; I had no problem following destroy our heroes, and Black Canary becomes trapped as it threatens to it). Now on Earth-Two we shift a few hours fatally roll over her. Seeing his wife’s life threatened, Larry breaks free into the past, where the Red Tornado of Aquarius’ mind control and rushes to Dinah’s aid, leaping in investigates the arrival of a front of the spheroid to take the blow himself, sacrificing his mysterious spaceship. He is life. Meanwhile, the JLA and JSA are successful in bringing captured and brought to Creator2, a cosmic contractor Earth-Two back to reality. Aquarius escapes. who intends to destroy Earths-One and -Two and then use It doesn’t get any more heartbreaking than the empty space to construct a new planet. A powerful these words: “—a large world is saved … and a magnetic device is installed in Reddy’s head, and the small world, a private world of love and devotion, android is positioned in the transition zone between ends forever!” Coupled with the sequential visual dimensions where he acts as a conduit bringing the of Black Canary’s growing agony that her husband two worlds together. is dead, it is one of the most dramatic scenes in Creator2 then unleashes web-snares to subdue the superhero comics up to that time. Even though JSA, a potential threat to his plans, and “matrix corrections” Larry Lance was not a familiar character, you to accomplish both Earths’ destruction. The web-snare couldn’t help but feel Dinah’s devastating loss. fells the Superman of Earth-Two (at which point the The combined JLA and JSA eventually defeat Superman of Earth-One begins his rampage, as there dennis o’neil Aquarius, of course (the GLs lead Aquarius into is a link between the two); Dr. Mid-Nite is downed the anti-matter universe where he is promptly (at which point Batman collapses); and the Flash of destroyed), and a mourning Black Canary chooses to leave Earth-Two Earth-Two is ensnared (and down goes the Flash of Earth-One). Earths-One for Earth-One to start a new life. and -Two brush together, and opposites shimmer into view, igniting “A few years ago,” recalls writer Martin Pasko, “I reread several fear in the populace. The JSA hold an emergency meeting to discuss a JLA/JSA stories when I was asked to write an introduction for one of course of action (the Spectre attends this meeting; keep that in mind). the volumes of DC trade paperbacks that collected the team-ups Champing at the bit, Starman soars off to find their missing friends. chronologically. I was surprised by how much more I appreciated JLA On Earth-One, Green Lantern and Green Arrow answer Hawkman’s #73–74 than when it first came out, when I’d had my usual, hypercritical summons; the Atom learns via computer that Earth-Two is being pulled comments about them published in the letter columns. What into Earth-One’s dimension; GL confirms that the transition zone is closing; impressed me most was the refreshing contrast between Fox’s scripts Atom considers any possible link between the two; and Black Canary, as heavily rewritten by Julie—all plot-plot-plot, gimmick-gimmick- formerly of Earth-Two, considers herself that link and contemplates gimmick, starring superheroes with interchangeable (or non-existent) suicide to save both worlds. Thus ends JLA #82, and it would be five personalities—and Denny’s attempt at giving the characters emotional years before I read the concluding installment. lives and extracting drama from their feelings. I began purchasing comic-book back issues in 1975, and my first order “That probably sounds like a strange remark to the younger readers, through Richard Alf’s outfit in San Diego included Justice League of America because what I seem to be heralding as an achievement is simply #83 (not to mention JLA #92). Alf ran an advertisement in DC comics at Writing 101, and we take it for granted in comics today. But back that time and I probably selected him because San Diego was closer to then, at least in the DC books edited by the ‘old guard’ like Julie, Pasadena, California; I most likely would receive the comics I ordered sooner Mort Weisinger, and Murray Boltinoff, it was a novelty. The idea of than those unfamiliar cities advertising from the East Coast. I was finally Black Canary leaving Earth-Two to move to Earth-One to get over able to read how two Earths survived (it was obvious they had, of course, her grief at the loss of her husband was a development motivated but I didn’t know how). Creator2 has had it with the JSA thwarting his plan of by a personal human drama, rather than a science-fiction gimmick. building a new world by destroying Earths-One and -Two so he unleashes That was almost revolutionary in JLA and, on rereading it, I thought additional snare nets on the entire JSA in their secret sanctuary. One by one it was nicely executed for its time. So was Denny’s treatment of Red the Society members fall, and when Hawkman is ensnared his counterpart Tornado—specifically, the whole why-am-I-not-supposed-to-have- collapses. But it is Green Lantern who suffers the greatest setback. He is feelings-just-because-I’m-an-android shtick.” on the verge of rescuing the Red Tornado (who he calls the JSA’s “pet

Splitting Headache The Spectre’s valiant sacrifice, from Justice League of America #83 (Sept. 1970). Original art by Dick Dillin and Joe Giella, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions. TM & © DC Comics.

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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! TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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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.

TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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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. TM & © DC Comics.

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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

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.”

Manhunters Everywhere! Courtesy of Heritage, original cover art (on Duo-Shade board) to Millennium #3, by Joe Staton and Bruce Patterson. TM & © DC Comics.

MILLENNIUM “One of these people has waited 1000 years to betray us!” It was an enticing hook for the annual crossover: Every hero in the DC Universe was being spied on by a cult of killer androids. But this cosmic premise started out with a more down-to-earth idea. As writer Steve Englehart put it in Millennium #5, “I started wondering about the normal people in the DC Universe.” Of course, the DCU tended to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary… Millennium’s format was rather unusual for American comics in 1987: It was released as eight weekly issues over two months, with multiple tie-ins across the line. As Robert Greenberger recalls, “By the time of Millennium, there was a little industry fatigue, especially once Marvel followed DC’s lead with their own annual events. As a result, both [companies] were struggling for ways to be different. Condensing the crossover to eight weeks with a weekly comic as the spine was certainly original and daring.” DC’s confidence was reflected in an increased number of tie-ins, with 37 crossovers essentially making Millennium a 45-part story. As Steve Englehart told Andy Mangels in Amazing Heroes #126 (Oct. 1, 1987), he wanted to make every tie-in count. “My personal feelings were that this is a forty-five part story, and that all the parts of it would have to function as a unit to make the story work to its best advantage. From the start, when I sat down to plot the thing, I figured out which characters were to be featured each week, and then wrote the story with that in mind. If the characters were to be seen the following week, I would set something up in advance. I plotted it as if all the crossovers mattered.” Millennium #1 (Jan. 1988) starts on “an ordinary day in the DC Universe,” as Guardian of the Universe Herupa Hando Hu and Zamaron Nadia Safir appear at the Green Lantern Corps’ Citadel. Having foretold that the next race of immortals will be born on Earth, Herupa and Nadia are preparing for the emergence of the Chosen, ten beings who will lead humanity to its next evolutionary leap forward. Trying to prevent this new age are the Manhunters, an evil race of androids that preceded the Green Lantern Corps. The heroes of the DC Universe pledge to protect the Chosen and ensure the advancement of the human race. Striving to present as diverse a group for the Chosen as possible, Englehart introduced ten people from around the globe: aborigine Betty Clawman, Japanese businessman Takeo Yakata, Shanghai citizen Xiang Po, Russian functionary Nikolai Latikov, Caribbean-born London resident Celia Windward, Iranian Salima Baranizar, South African racial separatist Janwillem Kroef, gay Peruvian Gregorio de la Vega, and Hal Jordan’s Alaskan sidekick Tom Kalmaku. Englehart originally planned to name the Teen Titan Terra as the tenth member, completely forgetting that she’d been killed off in 1984’s Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3. Amusingly, Englehart had Herupa and Nadia also forget that Terra was dead, showing that even cosmic-minded immortals could be out of touch with current events on Earth. Replacing Terra in the Chosen was the Floronic Man, a villain who had menaced Swamp Thing and the Justice League in the recent past. At the end of Millennium’s first issue, another complication is revealed: Each hero in the DC Universe is being spied on by a Manhunter. In many cases, this kept the heroes too distracted to protect the Chosen. Englehart let each book’s creative team choose who to reveal as Manhunters, leading to several different approaches. Some books (such as the canceled Booster Gold or The Outsiders) unmasked long-standing supporting cast members as Manhunter spies, some (like Blue Beetle) revealed that their Manhunters were already-established villains, while others (such as Batman) settled for temporary substitutes, like an android double of Commissioner Gordon. The Superman books went even bigger,

with Clark Kent’s childhood friend Lana Lang and most of Smallville being revealed as Manhunter sleeper agents. Flash Wally West was shocked to discover that his own father was a Manhunter, while Wonder Woman showed even Mount Olympus wasn’t safe, as the god Pan revealed himself as an android duplicate. The spies weren’t limited to the present day, either, as the Legion of Super-Heroes and the Young All-Stars dealt with Manhunters in both the future and the past. (Reports that First Lady Nancy Reagan was a possible Manhunter have been neither confirmed nor denied.)

GIBSON IS CALLED, STATON IS CHOSEN Like Legends before it, Millennium underwent a switch of artists before it got underway. Initially, Ian Gibson, artist of Halo Jones in the UK’s weekly 2000AD, was set to draw the series. Eventual artist Joe Staton remembers, “I was brought in out of the blue well into the project. [Editor] Andy Helfer was planning for Ian Gibson to pencil and ink the whole thing and I was peacefully going along with Green Lantern [Corps] as usual.” Although DC was eager to use its newly recruited British talents wherever possible, Gibson’s distance from the US created some concern. As Steve Englehart told Amazing Heroes, “The point was brought up that Ian wasn’t really up on all the goings on in the DC Universe, and would probably not have a sense of all the characters: who they were, and why they were doing what they were doing, and what their personality is like. Joe Staton is very good at that.” Staton recalls today, “This was before the days of scans and FTPs and the like, and it quickly became apparent that to get things back and forth to Ian in England on the tight schedule wasn’t going to work. Andy had worked with me a lot and knew that I could turn things around as fast as needed.” It was decided that Ian Gibson would provide finishes over Staton, rather than doing the penciling himself. “I imagine Ian wasn’t pleased with the way things worked out,” Staton says, “but he stuck with it and we got it done. He deserves a lot of credit for that.” Englehart had written his story in advance, but the artistic switch and the weekly release schedule added up to a fair amount of deadline pressure for Staton. “There Bronze Age Events Issue

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Back Issue #82