Justice League Task Force #17 (November, 1994)

Philly. Mystery man: can't catch a break.

Gypsy teased "The Martian's a little too hip to fifties cop shows," and in the privacy of her room, talked to her dead parents about her friends and recent choices. "J'Onn's looking out for me. He's no you, Dad. But not for lack of trying. He's a kind man. Wise... but a little dusty on affairs of the human heart. He must know I'm mad that he drafted me onto a team with Despero..."

Numerous attempts were made on the life of Vandal Savage by a paramilitary group, so the immortal villain made his way to the JLTF for help. He kept a list of his descendants/future organ donors which had been compromised. Since the Justice League owed him a favor following "Judgment Day," and the people on his list were imperiled, he called in his marker against the heroes.

"Savage Legacy · Chapter One: Parts is Parts!" was by Mark Waid, Sal Velluto, Jeff Albrecht & Romeo Tanghal.

Justice League Task Force #0 (October, 1994)

After the Overmaster and his Cadre's supposed "Judgment Day" upon the Earth and the crisis in time dubbed "Zero Hour," a mass of loosely affiliated heroes were left to determine what would be the future of a team claiming the title of "Justice League." Having recently led an IMF-style special missions force of metahuman agents selected on a case-by-case basis, J'Onn J'Onzz saw a more important objective to be met by a permanent roster.

As writer Mark Waid told Wizard Press in 1994's Beyond Zero Hour: A Comprehensive Look at DC Comics, "J'onn J'onzz's take is he is the only surviving member of the Justice League still with the team, and he remembers the days when there were five of them, fairly new and fairly young at what they were doing. So he recruits several young characters and essentially becomes their mentor and is teaching them the ropes of what they are doing. He recruits Gypsy, who has been a member of the team off and on for a while. He recruits the Ray, who is our only big name in Justice League Task Force, and he recruits Triumph, who is a shakeout of Zero Hour continuity that survived the Zero Hour ravages. Triumph was actually a member of the team that was to become the Justice League of America. He was there for their very first case, and because of what happened in that case there was a time blip that removed him from history. He has now been brought back into the time stream walking around going 'Hey, I was a charter member.' And no one remembers him, including John. So here is a guy who has been yanked completely out of time... He was supposed to be the first and the best in the current heroic age; that was his destiny. He was a rookie then who, because of this case, was cheated out of a chance to make a name for himself, and now when he comes back, he is still a rookie, but the world is much different."



Waid continued, "John's team has taken up residence on an island off the coast of the Carolinas. We pulled this out of my first Justice League story, which was Justice League Quarterly #5, a story in which Professor Ivo, who was the constructor of Amazo and a big robotic building, had constructed his own island... and had populated it with robots and storefronts and made his own little town. It is the perfect training ground for a bunch of young heroes because it is like their own little Hogan's Alley-- the FBI's training ground. There are all these lifeless robots running around, so there is no threat of danger, but they can really cut loose with their powers in real war situations." As J'Onn J'Onzz himself put it, "In memory of the late Ice, who cured him of his freakish grotesquerie and reformed him, he bequeathed this isle to the League. Given its wide-open setting, I believe it to be the perfect training ground for the League members of tomorrow."

Despite his cavalier attitude toward the robots of Ivotown, J'Onzz's first recruit into the new JLTF was L-Ron, formerly a sentient robot whose electronic mind had been imprinted over the brain of Despero, "the galaxy's greatest scourge." The incredibly powerful fuchsia fascist's alien body could now be re-purposed for justice. Next came Triumph, who was living in a Colorado cabin provided by J'Onzz until he could figure out life in the modern world. In Chicago, Gypsy had taken up with Bronze Tiger, and had serious misgivings about working with J'Onn again, yet still joined. In Philadelphia, the final recruit was the light-energy powered Ray.

"The Gathering" was by Mark Waid, Sal Velluto & Jeff Albrecht

DC Comics 1993 Editorial Presentation: Justice League Task Force

I couldn't get a good scan of the art on this page, but I had better luck taking a picture, though there's some slight warping of the image as a result. I don't believe Blitz ever turned up, and the entry features a logo for the book that was discarded. Speaking of cards, do you have your membership handy?

Even the mighty Justice League needs a little extra help, sometimes. When a mission requires expertise and experience that just can't be found within the Justice League, JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE is there. Be prepared for constant surprises as the greatest heroes of the DC Universe team up for the ever-changing missions. JLTF is Mission: Impossible with super-heroes!

Led by the Martian Manhunter and assisted by former JLA member Gypsy, Justice League Task Force uses a rotating membership drawn from inside and outside the current JL lineup, recruiting at need those heroes best suited to handle a given mission.

Structured in story arcs of varying length, JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE will have the added distinction of using different writers for each arc, a la the enormously popular BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT. Penciller Sal Velluto (former artist of Valiant's X-0 Manowar) and inker Jeff Albrecht (Marvel's Namor; Dark Horse's Robocop: Prime Suspect) form the regular art team for what promises to be an exciting and unique book.

Nightwing guest-stars in the first story arc, written by David Michelinie (Amazing Spider-Man), in which the Justice League Task Force tackles a power broker who has set up a drug cartel in South America. Unfortunately, the drug lords have hired some formidable protection— a nasty new super-villain called Blitz.

The Task Force coordinator is career politician Hannibal Martin, who gives orders from behind the scenes, much as Maxwell Lord does for the JLA. JLTF is accessible to new readers and free from back stories. The series also gives readers the chance to see people who may never be Justice League members interact with the group.

DC Comics 1993 Editorial Presentation

• Overview @ DC Bloodlines
• The Atom @ Power of the Atom
• Justice League America @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• Justice League International @ Justice League Detroit
• The Killing Machine @ ...nurgh...

Twenty Years Later...

The very first post to this blog eleven years ago was a now probably all-too-familiar bit of self-mythologizing monologuing on the five year gap since my old WebTV page was active, and I did a decent timeline of events on our fourth anniversary. "Our?" Forgive the royal "we." I've had some help over the years on both of these Martian Manhunter web presences, contributing to a few dozen of the 2,777 published pieces still available online, but trust that this has mostly been a numbingly solitary affair. I managed to keep up with (mostly, with catch-ups to fill in the gaps) daily blogging from September 1, 2007-November 11, 2014, a little over seven years in total. However, give or take a half year or so, I've been doing this sort of thing with the Sleuth from Outer Space for about two decades. Forgive me for being a bit maudlin, but that's not a little depressing. Maybe that's why I only managed to knock out a paltry three posts on the month of the "tin" year. Besides, I realigned my priorities to focus on the Alien Atlas' anniversaries instead of my own, and I'm still pretty proud of the podcasts Martian Manhunter's 60th Anniversary Special, parts one and two.

Ah, podcasting. That's what did the old girl in. I'd only heard a handful of the things when the primary inspiration for The Idol-Head of Diabolu blog, Rob Kelly's The Aquaman Shrine, co-launched The Fire and Water Podcast with our buddy Shag. As with the Shrine, I knew I wanted one of those too, though it took me a few years to screw up the courage to ask my friends about it (after giving up on anybody ever asking me to do one.) Truth to tell, comments were growing few and far between even then, as the golden age of blogging had already passed, but any notions of continuing a daily blog were squelched by the demands of a weekly podcast. It's worth noting that the Shrine ceased daily blogging on November 09, 2016, with a farewell post over a year later, and that was a far more accomplished and popular endeavor than I've ever had.

Not to brag, but I smirked a bit while grazing old posts when I saw one commentating 100,000 page views in '09. Google currently credits the page with 1,432,231. On the one hand, it took Blogger several years before they started their count, and my original counter no longer exists, plus my own constant refreshing while editing likely accounts for 400K. Still, I guess there's something like an accomplishment in suckering a million people into glancing at your blog while stealing a piece of art from me that I borrowed from some copyrighted periodical or commissioned from an actual artist. Maybe those seven years in solitude (plus the 2-3 on WebTV) weren't a total waste... though I'd trade them all in for something creative that's mine instead of free publicity for a corporation's neglected intellectual property. Mothers, tell your children, not to do the things I've done.

Anyhow, I wish I'd been drinking heavily while writing this post instead of just sounding like I had been. Point is, I'm back to daily for a little bit (One week? No more than a month, at best.) to celebrate my China year with the Martian Marvel, plus to do some scripting ahead of a crossover podcast and to motivate myself to promote original art I've cruelly had collecting dust for a long while now. By the way, if you think I had the foresight to take a screen capture of the blog on its first day, you're giving me way too much credit. I cobbled together a vague approximation of it based on the Internet Wayback Machine, Blogspot's header image album, and an early rare picture of myself lifted from old comments. A co-worker took the pic while I was wearing a white vinyl jacket, a stripper's garter as a headband, and holding a glass wand to affect a Flash Gordon vibe. I had a life before blogging, you guys.

2001 J.L.A.: Justice For All Unused Cover Concept

For the project that became JLA: Liberty and Justice (2003) as seen in Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross. I would have sworn I'd already run this, and none of my other planned posts went up this month, so here you go.

Podcast- Dial H For Hero: Silver Age Part Two (1967-2000)

Episode #33

Look for us on iTunes, ShoutEngine or directly download an art-tagged MP3 from the Internet Archive

This episode wraps our belated coverage of JLMay2018 with the second halves of both the Silver Age event and Robby Reed's adventures in House of Mystery, as well as following the H-Dial across several additional decades of wielders. Writer Mark Waid makes a couple of cameo appearances, as well...

JLMay 2018-- Silver Age (2000) Podcast Crossover Event
Agamemno reaches Earth as the incredible event begins! Gathering some of the JLA's greatest foes --- Lex Luthor, Sinestro, the Penguin, Catwoman, Mr. Element, Dr. Light, Chronos, Black Manta, and Felix Faust --- to help him in his plan to conquer the Earth, Agamemno switches the minds of the villains with those of their nemeses! Can the heroes foil the plot before the would-be conqueror prevails? You asked for it-- and you got it! A STAGGERING SUPER STRUGGLE stretching across this month's DC COMICS! Dig what's Coming!

From here follow JLMay 2018 to these fantastic podcasts! Each will cover a different issue of SILVER AGE and each will come out in May! And don’t forget to use the hashtag #JLMay2018 when discussing on social media!

JLMay 2018

1. Silver Age #1 [Justice’s First Dawn]
2. Silver Age: Justice League of America [Coffee & Comics Podcast]
3. Silver Age: Challengers of the Unknown [Relatively Geeky Presents]
4. Silver Age: Teen Titans [Super Mates]
5. Silver Age: Dial "H" for Hero [Idol Head of Diabolu]
6. Silver Age: The Flash [The Longbox Crusade]
7. Silver Age: Doom Patrol [Waiting for Doom]
8. Silver Age: The Brave & The Bold [Comic Reflections]
9. Silver Age: Green Lantern [The Lanterncast]
10. Silver Age: Showcase [Batgirl to Oracle]
11. Silver Age: Silver Age 80 Page Giant [Chris & Reggie’s Cosmic Treadmill]
12. Silver Age: Silver Age Secret Files and Origins [Fire and Water]

Martian Manhunter in...

• Silver Age #1 (July, 2000)
• Silver Age: Justice League of America #1
• Silver Age: Dial H for Hero #1
• Silver Age Secret Files & Origins #1
• Silver Age 80-Page Giant #1

We enjoy dialogue on the red planet, so here are our non-telepathic contact options:

• Tweet host Diabolu Frank directly, or probe @rolledspine as a group.
• Email Diabolu
• If the main Idol-Head of Diabolu blog isn't your thing, try the umbrella Rolled Spine Podcasts.

Silver Age 80-Page Giant #1 (July, 2000)

Since Green Lantern Hal Jordan had managed to restore the Justice League of America to their own bodies, the heroes now had to deal with the repercussions of Batman's plan to smear their name while villains possessed their forms. Worse, the crooks had disabled the entire Green Lantern Corps while employing the combined might of the Oan central power battery, the Absorbascon, and a prismatic jewel from Krypton. With this assortment, they knew everything that took place on Earth, including the secret identities of the super-heroes and the whereabouts of their loved ones. The heroes tried to gather their friends for safety, including Policewoman Diane Meade, at the hidden Gorilla City.

On the streets of Moscow, the Russian Army tried to capture Martian Manhunter and the Flash to prevent their presumed plot to conquer the planet. Within the Kremlin, the country's leaders had been de-aged to childhood by a newly empowered Chronos. J'Onn J'Onzz and other heroes burst in to combat the fiends, but Mr. Element doused him in napalm. Gardener Grayle and the Metal Men sacrificed the last of their power to rescue the Alien Atlas, who in turn saved the Scarlet Speedster from a temporal trap. Yet, the heroes lost more than they gained, down seven comrades to temporarily drive out two foes.

More heroes faltered, until only eight remained. An off-hand comment by Green Arrow made Martian Manhunter think of Robby Reed and his H-Dial, but he couldn't share his idea with his fellows. While J'Onn shielded his mind against the Absorbascon, the League went on a suicide mission to the lair of Lex Luthor in Metropolis. When they were on the verge of defeat, the Alien Atlas returned to attack the Injustice League. This was actually a distraction play, as Robby Reed quietly guided the fallen heroes' fingers to employ his H-Dial. Each JLAer became a temporary new hero unfamiliar to the villains, and between the element of surprise and teamwork, the day went to the good.

J'Onn became the teleporting Go-Go, very necessary when Agamemno suddenly returned, embodied in the artifacts. Although Thanagarian Hawkmen and a restored Green Lantern Corps played important roles, Go-Go ripping the Absorbascon and Kryptonian jewel out of Agamemno surely contributed mightily. The Corps used the Absorbascon to erase the heroes' secrets from the minds of their friends and foils. Agamemno was taken prisoner by the GLC, and Robby thanked J'Onn for letting him play in the leagues, at least once. However, it was hinted that Robby would get one more chance in an as yet untold story.

"S.O.S. to Nowhere!" was by Mark Waid & Eduardo Barreto.

Silver Age Secret Files & Origins #1 (July, 2000)

Prior to the events in the main crossover, Agamemno was depicted conquering a world by pitting its populations against one another. This was just another in a series, but among his victims was one who challenged him with legends of a Justice League mighty enough to defeat Agamemno. This peaked his interest, and though the League's home world was not known in this place, they knew of a past encounter with Kanjar Ro. Him, Agamemno knew of, and captured his enemies Hyathis, Kromm, and Sayarr as a token of appreciation for directions to the League. After his multiple defeats at their hands, Kanjar Ro was only too happy to help, and warns of the need to be especially careful with the three most powerful heroes: J'Onn J'Onzz, Green Lantern, and Superman!

Meanwhile, the Justice League of America were on another alien world, following up on a priority one alert that had been sent to them by Hal Jordan. The team split up to investigate, and J'Onn J'Onzz soon felt "something... familiar... a powerful psychic force." J'Onzz threw caution to the wind in pursuit of this force, and was swiftly captured alongside Superman, Aquaman, Batman and Green Lantern by Despero. "The ancient race that ruled this star cluster eons ago used this world to bury their countless dead. I think it will make a fitting tomb for all of you, as well. Don't worry, I'll be ensnaring the others shortly."

Green Arrow was still free as he gazed from what he thought was a safe perch, but he was detected by Despero, and prevented from firing on the Kalanorian by his hypnotic third eye. However, the Emerald Archer could fire a strobe arrow at his mesmerized teammates, freeing their minds so the rest could follow. Martian Manhunter, eye ablaze, angrily affirmed "No Despero, not a second time. You caught me off guard before, but now I've prepared a mental screen to protect us all from your trance. I think it's time to surrender!" Despero tried to escape, but his illusion powers failed him against Superman's x-ray vision, while the Atom delivered a knockout punch.

Disguised as a statue, Agamemno observed that this League was just what he needed for his plans of widespread conquest...

"The Silver Age" was by D. Curtis Johnson, Michael Collins & Vince Russell

2018 Gypsy Comicpalooza Commission by Janice Tauro

As has been the case for the last several years and doing no small harm to my stress levels or general well being, I approached convention season with an ambitious project in mind. Despite it's steadily "San Diegoing" its way out of showcasing actual comic book talent in a show call Comicpalooza, it's still my home town convention... and the place where I can most easily juggle crazy schemes like Aliens 30th Anniversary character commissions signed by the actors who portrayed them, or numerous jams, some still unfinished for three years and counting (though I've made progress.)

While gathering prospects for this year's (and almost certainly the next as well's) project, I stumbled upon the Journey Bunny booth. The artist had some lovely work available for a very reasonable price, plus she and her table mate were as friendly and welcoming as could be. I gave her a stack of reference for different projects I've been working on over the years, but ultimately her favorite subject was Cynthia "Cindy" Reynolds. Gypsy is of course late of the Detroit Justice League and Justice League Task Force, but more recently adapted to live action as a reoccurring character on CW's The Flash.

Tauro only had time for a bust, so she opted to having Gypsy turning invisible around the edges. However, what remains is a lovely watercolor on sturdy paper, with mysterious eyes and windswept hair. Tauro had a beaming smile every time I saw her, and I have one as I look at this great piece. My only regret is that I didn't have her take part in a jam I was working on instead, with another favorite heroine, because I paid a "name" artist an exorbitant amount of money for something I liked fractionally as much as this. Maybe I can talk her into painting over it next year?

Journey Bunny

• ArtStation
• DeviantArt
• tumblr
• Twitter
• Facebook

2017 Roh Kar Jam Sketch Detail by Allen Bellman

Allen 'Al' Bellman was a staff artist at Timely during The Golden Age of Comics. The majority of his work was on Captain America Comics and Marvel Mystery Comics, and he drew characters like The Patriot, Cap, Sub-Mariner, The Whizzer and Human Torch. He's probably best known for his "Let's Play Detective" strip. He'd appeared several times at Houston's Space City Cons, and I tried to angle for a commission. At the time, he was only working on characters he'd been associated with back in the day (the same answer Jim Steranko always gives me, not to mention Frank Brunner,) and I have always made a point of not doing that very thing. Well, that and I get all this Martian Manhunter stuff that nobody living ever drew before I hit them up.

I was at the 2017 Charlotte Heroes Convention, and I was specializing in new and ongoing jam pieces at that show. I saw Bellman once again, as usual with his wife (decked out in a Captain America themed get-up.) They're adorable. Anyway, for whatever reason, Mr. Bellman was amenable to not only doing a "golden age" character from a company he'd refused to work for (DC,) but to do it as one of the finishing touches on a jam. I'd always wanted to see his take on Roh Kar, First Lawman of Mars, and he seemed genuinely honored and anxious about joining the artists who'd previously worked on the collaboration. I think he said something about being afraid of messing it up, but to me this was absolutely the capstone on two years of effort with a joyful, luminous take on the first Manhunter from Mars! It's the only part of the piece that is drawn solely in pencil, and I briefly considered having it inked, but it would be a travesty to alter Bellman's shading and linework. Personally, I think it's his best work, but I'm kinda biased!

If you'd like your own commission, click here!

Podcast- JLMay 2018: Silver Age Part One (2000)

Episode #32

Look for us on iTunes, ShoutEngine or directly download an art-tagged MP3 from the Internet Archive

JLMay 2018-- Silver Age (2000) Podcast Crossover Event
Agamemno reaches Earth as the incredible event begins! Gathering some of the JLA's greatest foes --- Lex Luthor, Sinestro, the Penguin, Catwoman, Mr. Element, Dr. Light, Chronos, Black Manta, and Felix Faust --- to help him in his plan to conquer the Earth, Agamemno switches the minds of the villains with those of their nemeses! Can the heroes foil the plot before the would-be conqueror prevails? You asked for it-- and you got it! A STAGGERING SUPER STRUGGLE stretching across this month's DC COMICS! Dig what's Coming!

From here follow JLMay 2017 to these fantastic podcasts! Each will cover a different issue of SILVER AGE and each will come out in May! And don’t forget to use the hashtag #JLMay2018 when discussing on social media!

JLMay 2018

1. Silver Age #1 [Justice’s First Dawn]
2. Silver Age: Justice League of America [Coffee & Comics Podcast]
3. Silver Age: Challengers of the Unknown [Relatively Geeky Presents]
4. Silver Age: Teen Titans [Super Mates]
5. Silver Age: Dial "H" for Hero [Idol Head of Diabolu]
6. Silver Age: The Flash [The Longbox Crusade]
7. Silver Age: Doom Patrol [Waiting for Doom]
8. Silver Age: The Brave & The Bold [Comic Reflections]
9. Silver Age: Green Lantern [The Lanterncast]
10. Silver Age: Showcase [Batgirl to Oracle]
11. Silver Age: Silver Age 80 Page Giant [Chris & Reggie’s Cosmic Treadmill]
12. Silver Age: Silver Age Secret Files and Origins [Fire and Water]

Martian Manhunter in...

• Silver Age #1 (July, 2000)
• Silver Age: Justice League of America #1 (July, 2000)
• Silver Age: Dial H for Hero #1 (July, 2000)

JLMay 2017

• Justice (2005)

JLMay 2016

• JLA: Day Minus-One (1977)
• JLA: Day Zero (1994)
• JLA: Day One (1961)
• Secret Origins Podcast: Justice League of America
• JLA: Year One #10

We enjoy dialogue on the red planet, so here are our non-telepathic contact options:

• Tweet host Diabolu Frank directly, or probe @rolledspine as a group.
• Email Diabolu
• If the main Idol-Head of Diabolu blog isn't your thing, try the umbrella Rolled Spine Podcasts.

Silver Age: Dial H for Hero #1 (July, 2000)

"Imagine-- if you can-- that with the simple spin of an alien dial, you could transform yourself into a super-hero! Robby Reed possesses such a device and uses it to battle evil-- even though he never knows which hero he'll become or what powers he'll possess whenever he decides to--"

Dial H For Hero

Littleville, Colorado is established as the home of Robby & Gramps Reed, along with their housekeeper, Miss Millie. The small city had been plagued by the super-human hoodlums the Thunderbolt Gang, but Robby and his magical H-Dial hoped to stop them once and for all in his latest heroic form, the darkness generating Twilight (who strongly resembled the Marvel heroes Cloak and The Shroud, but with the powers of DC's Shadow Lass.)

In a Post-Crisis revision of his origin story, it was revealed that Robby determined that his H-Dial had inscribed upon it Interlac characters from the 30th Century language used by the Legion of Super-Heroes. After weeks of study based on information from a future weapon once confiscated by Superman that made the news, Robby was able to figure out the rotary-style dial had ten letters on it that translated as A-D-E-H-I-L-N-O-R-V, but he only needed to concern himself with four of them to become a hero.



After busting some T-Bolts, Robby bolted to the school bus for a field trip. His friend Joey had a flier that he tried to hide from the orphan about a father-son "Olympic" event at Littleville High School. Robby didn't remember his father at all, and Joey was surprised that he seemingly wasn't even curious about the man. The class arrived at Fort Masterson, the military base that housed the latest technology, a "Computer Ordinance Macro-Accelerator." Unbeknownst to them, the form of the super-villain Dr. Light was also lurking outside its gates. In truth, this was J'onn J'onzz, trapped in the body of the Justice League of America's foe. J'onn was unaware of the extent of evil Dr. Light was getting up to in his Martian form, but was reluctantly following Batman's plan to smear "himself" and create resistance to the compromised League.

Using Arthur Light's various technological projectors, J'onn created a hologram to appear as the Martian Manhunter and attack the base. "Moons of Mars! I didn't expect children here! Now I must plan my 'rampage' with extra care!" Even more surprising was a figure among the school kids, "What? Can it be--? I know that boy! That's Robby Reed! I recognize him-- though it's been years! I haven't seen him since... since the funeral." More than a decade earlier, Jack Reed had served on the Middleton Police Department before he and his wife were murdered by gangsters. Robby's grandfather soon after moved to Littleville, where Robby eventually found the H-Dial he now used to become the Pyronic Man to defend the base.



Despite no longer physically being a Martian, J'onn J'onzz reacted poorly to a flaming cage. Recovering, the Manhunter created holograms of Superman, the Flash and Green Lantern to distract Pyronic Man and the military forces. Robby decided to dial up another hero, something he could not do so immediately in his earlier appearances in 1960s House of Mystery comics. Then he was oddly surprised to become a giant, even though his very first H-Dial transformation was into Giantboy. Unable to function safely in his unnamed giant form (another break from the old strips,) Robby quickly cycled through a quadruplet identity (also unnamed) before settling on an old form, Radar-Sonar Man. Finally, this form managed to destroy "Dr. Light's" equipment, forcing J'onn/Arthur to discreetly strip off his villain costume to escape in plain clothes. In the aftermath of the assault on the base, no one seemed to notice him simply walk away. The Manhunter had accomplished his goal, as the military sent out an alert that the Justice League had gone rogue.

J'onn remained proud of the son of Jack Reed, but wondered what motivated him to super-heroism. In an epilogue, we learn that Gramps Reed refused to ever speak of the man whose crusading had cost the life of his (unnamed, fridged) daughter, encouraging his grandson to focus on the present and his scientific pursuits. Miss Millie felt that Robby's constant disappearances of late were related to a quest to understand his father, and Scrabble tiles resting on a table in Robby's lab shack were shown to spell out "D-A-D."

"The One-Man Justice League" was by Mark Waid & Barry Kitson

Silver Age: Justice League of America #1 (July, 2000)

Agamemno's body-swapped villainous JLA get up to some especially nasty business. This includes vomiting on one another, causing schools of sea life to devour each other as a laugh, massacring an entire miniaturized Daxamite city under foot, stealing the Oan central power battery, and rendering dozens of Green Lantern Corpsmen corpses, man. At one point, Dr. Light as Martian Manhunter is sexually propositioned by Catwoman as Black Canary after he flew her back to her apartment to feed her cats. "You're wasting your time, my amorous companion. Physics ace Arthur Light has always been more interested in test tubes and Bunsen burners than the fairer sex!" Clearly Brad Meltzer never read this story, or maybe consent is just a turn-off for Dr. Light? Technically, Catwoman is suggesting the sexual assault of both their borrowed bodies, so maybe she just phrased her request ineffectively?

Martian/Light's other major contribution to the issue was using his ability to turn himself yellow to choke the decorated Green Lantern Ares Bandet of Xarda to death (while partially assuming an anachronistic Natural Martian form.) Also, Martian Vision is apparently capable of destroying a whole mound of GL power rings (stolen at super-speed by the Flash/Mr. Element.)

Given the viciousness reflected in this synopsis, you probably shouldn't be surprised that "The League Without Justice!" is credited to Mark Millar, Scot Kolins and Dan Panosian, although this was before Millar built his career on that sort of cynical sadism. Personally, I can't take it seriously enough to be offended, since this story is a retcon that was only barely in continuity before being forgotten by a universe later rebooted anyway. It's a broadly satirical trifle, so you might as well roll with it, although the cutesy Ty Templeton cover smuggles a (literal) gut punch (of an old lady) underneath its deceptive retro presentation.

Silver Age #1 (July, 2000)

Agamemno was a yellow-skinned, symmetrically dysmorphic humanoid alien would-be conqueror created by Mark Waid to serve as the inciting antagonist for a retconned adventure set in the early days of the Justice League. You'd think he'd have learned his lesson with Triumph, but somehow Agamemno had even less staying power.

Supposedly, Agamemno's father was the first sentient being to spring from the "Big Bang," who was supposedly killed by other, lesser, jealous beings. At least, that's the story Agamemno told Lex Luthor, as he appeared before the corrupt businessman upon arriving on Earth. Agamemno lacked a physical form, and so would animate whatever matter was handy to create a simulacrum of himself for corporeal affairs of that type. Agamemno sought beings powerful enough to help him exact revenge for his father's death, and the terran Justice League of America appeared to be the perfect candidates. However, they didn't appear to be morally aligned for such a matter, so Agamemno offered to switch their essences out with terrestrial criminals, so long as they were willing to serve his ends. Small groupings of villains associated with the League or its individual members ganged up on our heroes to facilitate the body swaps. Black Manta and Dr. Light staged an attack on Atlantis, drawing the attention of Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter...

"Thanks for responding to my JLA signal, J'Onn. Under the circumstances, two on two seems fair!"

"My pleasure, Arthur! This shouldn't take long!"

Unbeknownst to them, Agamemno was waiting in the wings with a fourth fiend, Mr. Element. "According to Agamemno, fire is the Martian's weakness! He no doubt believes he's safe from flame on the ocean's floor-- but with my weapon, I can turn that nearby coral-- into pure sodium, which burns burns underwater!" The crook next extracted the oxygen from the water around the Sea King, suffocating him unconscious. Black Manta observed, "Make a note, Light. From this point on-- you might want to lay off the matches!" Similarly, Superman, Batman, Black Canary, Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, and Green Arrow body swapped with their corresponding adversaries Luthor, the Penguin, Catwoman, Element, Sinestro, Chronos, and Felix Faust. The displaced Leaguers were secured at their Secret Sanctuary with the help of a duped Snapper Carr. However, "Felix Faust" was able to create a bow with a spent umbrella of "The Penguin," then guide "Catwoman" in firing a trick arrow he's secured before the body swap (as Faust's eyesight was comparatively poor.) The resulting explosion helped the team gain access to Sinestro's power ring, and then freedom.

Batman/Penguin decided that the team's best course of action was to swiftly ruin the reputation of the Justice League, to put Earth on guard against its former protectors. J'Onn J'Onzz bemoaned that rolling back his and Superman's efforts at acceptance by the planet, but deferred to the Dark Knight. Meanwhile, Snapper Carr called in the reserves to help him recover the missing "villains," including the Teen Titans, the Challengers of the Unknown, Metamorpho, Elongated Man, the Doom Patrol, and the Blackhawk Squadron...

"Pawns of the Invincible Immortal!" was by Mark Waid, Terry and Rachael Dawson. Silver Age was a minor event running throughout a publication month involving one shots that helped re-secure trademarks for a bunch of old DC titles while piggybacking relatively moribund period properties onto the success of JLA. This story was fine, I guess. It was never my bag, obviously, and it still bums me out that three Leaguers got stuck with villains that were not from their rogues gallery. I'm sure that was a concern both commercially and for expediency, since it would have eaten up a lot of pages to explain who, say, the Human Squirrel, the Ape Archer, and Socks Slade were.

Supposing... The Samachson Estate Reclaimed John Jones?

2016 Martian Manhunter - John Jones detective sketch card art by Brendon & Brian Fraim

I had an odd and very minor dream last night wherein I was flipping through the Diamond Previews comic book ordering catalog. In the IDW section, there was a tiny image of J'Onn J'Onzz flying at the reader, and I vaguely recall it being connected to an Artist's Edition reproducing original pages from Justice League of America. When I woke up, I got to thinking that it might be a fun thought experience to consider whether Martian Manhunter had the sort of mobility to appear in such an ad. I'll try not to take too long, because he really doesn't, and the legal weeds are awfully tall in even considering it.

Beginning in the latter half of the 20th Century, a lot of Golden Age creators began challenging “work made for hire” contracts with early comics publishers based on their independent contractor status, and the general tendencies of everyone involved in the industry for having a poor understanding of copyright law. Basically, everybody was racing to cash in on a hot fad, paperwork was sloppy, and no one was taking a long view at the longevity and value of comic creations. Bob Kane has arguably been the most successful at these renegotiation encounters by quietly and cunningly making it worth National Periodical Publications wile to pay him off and afford him broad creative credit for the Batman franchise. Kane's rights claims provided DC Comics with a shield against other involved talents, since they would first have to go through Kane to get to DC, significantly muddying the legal waters. Considerably less successful have been the creators of Superman, who waged very public war against National for full ownership of the property quite early on, and have been met with numerous devastating defeats in the courtroom. However, there have been successes in that respect, as when Pete Morisi secured copyright on Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt, which was sold by Charlton to DC Comics in the 1980s without his consent or involvement. The two parties negotiated an amicable divorce of intellectual property, and Thunderbolt was most recently published by Dynamite Entertainment under a licensing agreement.



The creation and ongoing rights to J'onn J'onzz are unlike any of those cases, though. The concept of a Manhunter from Mars had already been developed a year before his creation by an entirely different creative team in another National title. The only individual involved with both incarnations was Jack Schiff, a National editor, and the premise appeared in a Batman comic story dutifully credited to the aforementioned Bob Kane. The Samachson Estate would have to overcome the burden of proof that J'onn J'onzz was not a derivative work of another National property developed by one of their employees and the studio of a listed creator they had a firm contract with. The best case scenario would be the estate securing credit to Joe Samachson for co-creation and some sort of royalty or stipend. Given that just such a credit began appearing in the 1990s contemporaneous to a bunch of these reversion/termination filings, it's possible a settlement of that sort already occurred.

Having established the realities and reasonable assumptions on the matter, I can now delve into wild, ridiculous speculation. Suppose, against all odds, at least some of the rights to J'onn J'onzz were wrested from DC Entertainment? Again, I have to stress that despite multimedia adaptations and a degree of name recognition, Martian Manhunter is of extremely modest value in general and especially when separated from the DC Universe. Most of his stories were unambiguously written by hired hands and have inextricable ties to DC property. There's a very good chance that DC would simultaneously control their version of J'onn J'onzz and jealously guard against any of their concepts turning up in a competing incarnation. Even if Joe Certa's estate were to piggyback onto copyright claims, there would be a whole other conflict over National employee Jack Miller's role in the overwhelming majority of solo J'onn J'onzz stories published before 1968. Ironically, National's ownership of Martian Manhunter is more solidly bedrock than over any of their big three trinity of iconic heroes. What would either of J'onn J'onzz's established creators gain from a separation?



Joe Samachson is the credited writer of "The Strange Experiment of Dr. Erdel," "The Case Of The Magic Baseball" and "The Man With 20 Lives." What do those stories give you to work with?

1. The character of John Jones/J'onn J'onzz, though likely not the name "Manhunter from Mars" due to the earlier Batman story.
   
   
2. A much more binary White Male John Jones / Green Male J'onn J'onzz, since variations on that model could be argued as derivative of DC stories, and you'd want the most recognizable version of the concept to exploit.
   
3. Most of J'onn J'onzz's long established look and powers. In the Silver and Bronze Ages, J'onzz was much more limited in his abilities than the version we know today, which hews closer to the original conception.
   
   
4. A strip likely called "J'onn J'onzz," since Edgar Rice Burroughs' people would probably take issue with "John Jones of Mars" being too similar to their more famous John Carter.
   
   
5. Professor Mark Erdel and the Robot Brain. One of these concepts has been killed off before the end of the initial story, but a story engine could be developed around John Jones bringing things to Earth or transporting himself to other spheres through the power of the Robot Brain. More importantly was the notion of its reaching "other dimensions," a premise never explored in the later strips that opens up enormous options for classic sci-fi/fantasy "looking glass" scenarios across "space-- time-- or the fourth dimension!" Erdel could also serve a similar role as Professor Emil Jennings in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, leaving behind a treasure trove of gadgets that could fuel stories. He was after all a "world-famous scientist." For what, exactly?
   
   
6. Emphasis on J'onn J'onzz as a scientist, an element almost immediately dropped in the Jack Miller stories. Proper deductive reason and the scientific method could be applied to stories in place of the logic leaps that came to define the DC strips.
   
   
7. A greater sense of exploration. Reflecting Samachson's body of work outside comics, Jones could be more of a globetrotter and connoisseur of cultures. Why would he police one U.S. city indefinitely? Would he perhaps be more of an interventionist, stamping out corruption wherever he found it to aid his adoptive world toward its own Great Evolution? Unimpeded by a shared universe, he could topple governments and openly conflict with the mores of the western world? Or perhaps follow some variation on the Prime Directive, and vow only to work anonymously within the established framework of terrestrial customs?
   
   
8. The de-emphasis of Mars itself, as the world was little explored in the early strips, and scientific progress has rendered assertions from those strips unlikely. Perhaps J'onzz comes from a far future Mars, or one from a parallel dimension? It may be best to stress his role as an extraterrestrial visitor over an implausible and trademark impacting Martian. Regardless, Mars is treated like a utopia in the first strip, which is a difficult thing to explore, and all paths to dystopia are well trod at DC.
   
   
9. Lt. Saunders as an ongoing adversary. Saunders was John Jones' boss in the earliest stories, but was never well defined and swiftly replaced by Captain Harding. Jones needs a Lex Luthor more than he does a Perry White, plus Saunders comes off as rather oily in his debut. Maybe he finds some of Erdel's devices or gets exposed to some alien energy, or perhaps he's just a corrupt cop that stymies Jones' pursuit of justice without actually breaking the law himself?
   

It's all just idle speculation, given the aforementioned rationals for why this would never happen, but I thought you might join me down this particular rabbit hole on an April Fool's Day/Easter combination holiday...