Justice League of America - Issue 37
Featuring the twin menaces of Evil Johnny Thunder and altered timelines
The Justice League (aka the Justice League of America, aka the JLA, aka Justice League International, aka Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)) is a collection of the DC Universe’s greatest heroes (and also Green Arrow).
I talked about why I love the JLA in this piece here. Now I’m breaking down each and every issue of the comic book, from their very first appearance, with Atom-sized summaries. Enjoy!
PREVIOUSLY
The JSA is back, baby! Thanks to their Snapper Carr-equivalent, Johnny Thunder, a 1940s era bow tie-wearing nitwit who can access infinite cosmic power via a magical thunderbolt, simply by uttering the magic word ‘Cei-U’ (pronounced ‘Hey, Siri’, ‘Okay, Google’, ‘say you’). Johnny wonders if he has an Earth-One counterpart, which is the superhero equivalent of googling yourself. Turns out there is an Earth-One Johnny Thunder, and he’s a career criminal with zero hesitation about hijacking an omnipotent djinn. Upon gaining control of this all-powerful genie that grants literally any wish, however, Evil Johnny decides his first move should be a modest crime spree. But when the Flash intervenes, Evil Johnny’s response escalates from ‘petty theft’ to ‘retroactive genocide of an entire superhero team’, erasing the Justice League from history so nobody’s around to arrest him. Meanwhile, back on Earth-Two, the rest of the JSA are having the mildest possible crisis - their Johnny is late - and Dr Fate’s crystal ball locates him on the version of Earth-One that no longer has any superheroes in it. The JSA’s response to walking into a power vacuum is instant and shameless: they cosplay as the JLA, apparently on the theory that nobody will notice six entirely different body types under a cape. Evil Johnny catches on and sends the Thunderbolt back in time to change history once more, granting the JLA’s powers to his band of hoodlums, just in time for an end-of-issue cliffhanger. Once again, top tier stuff. Genuinely fun superhero comic book nonsense.
Fun With Comics!
MVP
It’s Johnny Thunder’s Thunderbolt. All that needless hand-wringing from Jor-El, and the time-travelling Thunderbolt effortlessly prevents the explosion of Krypton with simple matter transfusion. Wake up, Jor-El! You idiot!
(As a bonus, I also love how easy it is for the Thunderbolt to erase Batman from Earth-One history. One good punch to the jaw early in his career and he’s tapping out of the entire crimefighting business. Because, as DC comics have long maintained, Bruce’s vow to avenge his parents’ murder was always just a childish flight of fancy.)
Oh, and here’s the time-altered Justice League the Thunderbolt brings into existence at the end of the issue. An absolute tour de force of history-altering nonsense from this magical time-altering imp! Look at the moustache on gangster Flash! Wonderful!
Top Panel
Absolutely torn on this one too. I love Dr Fate in this panel, talking about ‘smoking out’ Johnny Thunder like he’s a cockroach infestation.
But I also love the idea of Bats patenting ‘flying tackles’. Fucken billionaires, man.
Villain Cryptic Crossword Clue
Would the JSA ever hunt holy djinn? Unlikely. (4 ,6, 7)
Next Issue: THE JLA IS BACK!