Justice League of America #160 "Crisis from Tomorrow!"

Justice League of America #160 Nov 1978
"Crisis from Tomorrow!"
Gerry Conway, story - Dick Dillin & Frank Mclaughlin, art - Dick Dillin & Dick Giordano, cover

The story starts off with Superman, Wonder Woman & Flash all on the Cosmic Treadmill and dragging along Huntress, Elongated Man, Dr. Mid-Nite, Hawkman & Star-Spangled Kid. We get a one page recap and then we are in 3786 where the Lord of Time is really really worried. Just then the five heroes from the past (Jonah Hex, Viking Prince, Miss Liberty, Black Pirate and Enemy Ace) all attack the Lord of Time's castle.

The five manage to break down the castle door but the super smart computer grabs a T-Rex from the past to attack the five. Jonah's pistol makes a ZAROOM sound effect (must be hollow point bullets). As Enemy Ace attacks the dino, the remaining four use this chance to rush the castle. But the computer pulls in several hundred reptilian apes from the future and all five are defeated.

Now the Lord of Time's only hope of stopping his own creation is for the JLA to show up. Back on Earth, Aquaman is talking to the doctor taking care of the fallen JLA/JSA members. He ends up going to get some special equipment.

Back in the future, the runners on the Cosmic Treadmill slam into a a wall in time. They can't find a way through until Wonder Woman throws Superman like a javelin through the wall. This, however, knocks out Superman. Our heroes find the LoT's castle and Hawkman is shot out of the sky by lasers. Wonder Woman is the next to fall, getting hit by another laser. The Flash vibrates part of the castle wall to dust and gets inside but is attacked by a pterodactyl and is knocked out.

The super computer states that the heroes will fall within 8 minutes and the stoppage of time will start in 9 minutes. A huge robot from the future beats the crap out of SSK, Huntress and Dr. Mid-Nite. The Elongated Man, emoting about how he is outclassed manages to trip the robot and it falls apart. He then finds the computer and the Lord of Time. E-man decides to short circuit the computer using...himself?!?!?! The thing blows up and Ralph Dibny saves the day.

Epilogue: Everyone is healed thanks to blah blah blah yakkity blah blah..

Statistics for this issue:
Men killed by Jonah: None
Jonah's Injuries: He gets knocked out by reptilian apes from the future. ( Do I actually add this to Jonah's Injury list?)
Timeline: Well, in these two issues Jonah winds up in 1978 and 3786.

Again, for a Hex story, it sucked. Here is all of Jonah's dialogue:

Justice League of America #159 "Crisis from Yesterday!"

Justice League of America #159 Oct, 1978
"Crisis from Yesterday!"
Gerry Conway, story - Dick Dillin & Frank McLaughlin, art - Rich Buckler & Dick Giordano, cover

It's hard to understand why this book was published around the same time as the Jonah Hex Spectacular. It's like they had to balance the best Jonah Hex story with the worst Jonah Hex story.

Oh lord, where do I start? I wanted to love the JLA during this time and I suffered through the Dick Dillin art. I never ever enjoyed anything that this man drew but this was the annual JLA/JSA team-up, so I had to buy it.

Also, Jonah Hex was on the cover. I slammed down my 50 cents and dove into the book. Then I threw up in my mouth...a lot. But I shouldn't attempt to sway the jury on this one.

The JLA & JSA are meeting in Club 22 on Earth-1. There is a lot of partying and emoting, some of which I will describe here:

• Batman, looking at Huntress wonders what it would be like to get married and wonders if he envies his Earth-2 counterparts retirement or his child?
• Green Arrow & Hawkman get drunk and become all palsy-walsy
• Elongated Man gives publicity advice to the Star-Spangled Kid
• Oh, the wall explodes and Superman has a chance to shout "Who are THEY?!?!?!"

Then we break to 3786 in another dimension. The Lord of Time is talking to his huge living computer. The computer is telling the LoT that it has successfully nabbed 5 people from the past and dropped them in July 15, 1978. LoT rattles on about being able to use the computer to build this refuge outside the time-stream where he could work his horrible plans. Plans that include learning how to stop time itself. Of course, LoT orders the computer to stop time and then realizes that he can't recind the order or tell the computer to put things back. The stoppage of time will result in.... something too horrible for the LoT to even think about.

LoT then devised a plan of snatching 5 heroes from the past, give them super-powers and have them attack the JLA/JSA.

We return to 1978 to see a tri-plane, two flying horses and a flying viking ship cause the building to collapse onto the JLA/JSA and defeat them. Then we are introduced to Viking Prince, Jonah Hex, Enemy Ace, Miss Liberty, & The Black Pirate. They all recount how they were abducted from their own times, brought together and then ordered to fight our heroes. They also talk about how they can understand each other but they also heard a voice that gave them orders, but none of them can remember what the voice said. The five heroes do a minor freak out and Miss Liberty suggests they go to a place she knows where they can figure this out.

Moments later, Superman busts out from under the rubble of the collapsed restaurant. He helps uncover several of the other heroes. Oddly some of them seem to suffer from some kind of Conway-Coma. Wonder Woman of Earth-1, Black Canary, Green Arrow, & Hawkwoman are all taken to a nearby hospital, while the remaining heroes follow a chronal energy trail that Superman has detected.

Flash, Huntress, Dr. Mid-Nite, Elongated Man & Wonder Woman (Earth-2) pile into Wonder Woman's invisi-jet while Hawkman, Superman and the Star-Spangled Kid fly alongside. They end up at Valley Forge and end up getting attacked by Viking Prince and the Black Pirate riding a flying Viking Boat. Viking Prince manages to lay the smackdown on Flash and Black Pirate cuts down Wonder Woman and Elongated Man. Superman, Hawkman & SSK end up on the losing end of Jonah Hex, Enemy Ace & Miss Liberty. The Huntress and Dr. Mid-Nite don't fare well either.

At the end, all of our heroes are unconscious and the five from the past are sent to 3786. The five are placed on a statis-shelf outside the LoT castle and everything fits into the LoT's plan. LoT knows that when the JLA/JSA suffers a beatdown, they rally and come back stronger than ever. He is banking on them being able to defeat his computer because in five hours the computer will stop all of time and it will never get started again.

Statistics for this issue:
Men killed by Jonah: It's a JLA book!!! zero
Jonah's Injuries: None, he's a guest star
Timeline: Who really cares?

This story stinks, but you want to know about Jonah, don't you? Here is all of Jonah's dialogue:


Yup, that makes me want to rush out & start reading Jonah Hex.

Next Issue: Believe it of not, it gets worse. Yup, they bring in a toad-frog from Hell.