By Kevin N. Davis
One of my greatest delights is finding an issue that has no special distinction other than just being a terrific issue. Not a key issue. Not the first appearance of a major character. Not an industry-altering event. Nope, just a great stand-alone issue. Justice League of America # 114 (Dec. 1974) is just that sort of an issue. There is so much fun packed into this issue that I hardly know where to begin.
I guess the cover is as good a place as any to start. As you can see, my copy is pretty worn out… a testament to how often I go back and reread it. Anyway, the cover is emblazoned with all sorts of tag lines describing the awesomeness inside, and believe me, it doesn’t exaggerate. This issue boasts 100 pages chock full with three stories, puzzles, games, quizzes, and even a mystery villain!
The main feature is a Justice League story called ‘The Return of Anakronus’. Of the three stories in this issue, it is the only one that is an original. In it, the members of the Justice League are hosting a telethon for some undisclosed charity. Throughout the story, the heroes are heard mentioning how tired they are from answering phones for hours on end. It’s great. Just imagining these powerhouses who have gone toe-to-toe with Despero, Starro, and Darkseid being fatigued from taking phone calls is… well, it’s just great.
Meanwhile, a villain from their past takes Snapper Carr hostage in an attempt to extort the donation money the JL had collected. (For those who may not know, Snapper Carr was a non-powered kid who hung out with the Justice League in sort of a mascot role, a la Rick Jones or Jimmy Olsen.) This ray-gun wielding baddie calls himself Anakronus and tells Snapper a story of how he singlehandedly defeated the League years ago. Apparently Anakronus has fallen on hard times, however, because he needs money. To this end, he forces Snapper to call the telethon’s pledge line and relay the message of his demands to the Justice League. Snapper uses a clever trick to warn the phone-weary Green Lantern of his peril and the League quickly arrives to save the day. There is a twist of an ending regarding the true identity of Anakronus. I won’t spoil it here, though, because I encourage everyone to track this issue down and read it for themselves.
The second story in this issue is a real treat. I’m not going to write a lot about it because I simply can’t do it justice (pun intended). However, I will say without hesitation that this nine page story alone is worth tracking the issue down. It’s called ‘Just a Story’ and was written and drawn by Howard Purcell. It features no super heroes, but is a great example of American noir in comics. Its dark tone and array of interesting characters always reminds me of Will Eisner’s The Spirit and even of late pulp fiction.
Let me give you a little background. In the 1940s, DC (or more accurately DC’s sister company, All-American Publications) published a title called Comic Cavalcade. This was an anthology style book featuring reprinted and original stories of various Golden Age heroes (especially Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and The Flash). There was also original non-super hero material in Comic Cavalcade, usually funnies, westerns, science fiction, and crime stories. In 1946, artist and writer Howard Purcell began a series in Comic Cavalcade called ‘Just a Story’. This series was a delightful potpourri of sci-fi, historical fiction, and crime noir. If these are genres that interest you, I can’t recommend Howard Purcell’s work enough. These books can be a little pricey these days, but the stories are worth their weight in gold. Fortunately, this issue of Justice League of America usually goes for less than five bucks. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to Purcell’s work, and the little story featured in this issue is absolutely one of his best.
The third story is a true classic. It’s a reprint of Justice League of America # 29-30 (Aug. – Sept. 1964) called ‘Crisis on Earth-Three’. Looking at the splash page above, you can see that it features the Justice League of Earth-One and the Justice Society of Earth-Two. As villains of the story, a troupe of villains from Earth-Three are introduced, aptly named the Crime Syndicate of America. The rogues are Superwoman (complete with her own golden lasso), Owlman, Ultraman, Johnny Quick, and Power Ring. I’m sure that even the most casual comic reader will quickly deduce who they are evil versions of.
Like in previous multiverse stories, Earth-Three is an almost exact copy of Earth-One except that history has unfolded slightly differently. On Earth-Three, Columbus discovered Europe, England won independence from the United States, and President John Wilkes Booth was assassinated by an actor named Abraham Lincoln. Naturally, the heroes that we know on Earth-One grew to be villains on this backward world. They attack and easily defeat the Justice League and then head off to Earth-Two to tackle the Justice Society. After imprisoning the JS, the League takes another crack at the Crime Syndicate, this time edging out a victory. There is also little twist at the end of this story, as well as a true Silver Age resolution involving the heroes deciding the best fate for the captured villains. It’s awkward, it’s hokey, it’s brilliant.
Three solid stories should be more than enough for one issue, right? Nope. Peppered throughout this issue are even more goodies. There’s a Justice League crossword puzzle. There are trivia games (see the picture above). There is a gallery of JLA members of the past. There is even a matching game about the boots worn by various members of the League (this one is trickier than you might think).
Taken altogether, this is a fantastic issue. It’s entirely self-contained, so even if this was the first comic you ever read, you wouldn’t be lost. It’s appropriate for readers of all ages. It is a wealth of information regarding Silver Age DC characters. And the stories are all great. It’s an issue you can – and probably will – go back and enjoy time and again. What can I say? Get thee to the back issue bins and track down this treasure. I promise you won’t regret it.
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