Twice-Told-Tales: Satellite Crisis

A variety of arch-fiends and master criminals have found their sinister schemes squelched by the Worlds’ Greatest Heroes, those worlds being Earths One and Two. However, it was two mental masterminds who very nearly succeeded in destroying the Justice League and Justice Society… aboard the League’s own orbiting satellite headquarters! Who were these men, and how did they compare to this corrupt contemporaries? Let’s see!

Both Hammond and Romaine were opportunistic criminals who stumbled upon the means to transform themselves into immortals with the power to control the minds of those with weaker wills than their own. While Hammond prime adversary was Green Lantern of Earth-One, just as Roger Romaine’s main obstacle was Mister Terrific. 

Hammond reflected on various prominent villains who menaced the Justice League, each of whom had an Earth-Two counterpart that fought either the combined Justice Society and/or its individual members. 

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These menaces included, but were not limited to:

• Despero & Kulak
• Kanjar Ro & Blakfu
• Professors Amos Fortune & Zobar Zodiac
• Silver Age & Golden Age Key
  
• Androids Amazo & Akhet

Eventually, each hatched similar schemes whereby they took control of a super-powered agent while aboard the Justice League’s satellite, with the intend of turning said agent against their arch-enemies and their foes’ teammates.

Hector tried this first, dispatching the artificial life form known as the Shaggy Man to attack the Justice League aboard their satellite. The resulting conflict, after Hammond through his pawn overwhelmed all the League save one, led to the satellite falling out of orbit and nearly crash landing on Earth-One. Thankfully, the sole hero who hasn’t succumbed to Hector’s agent of destruction was Green Lantern, who saved the satellite and shrunk down the Shaggy Man!

Roger was the next to try this technique, mind-controlling his world’s Flash to attack the speedster’s Justice Society teammates along with their Justice League allies aboard the League satellite. The twin teams were able to stabilized the satellite’s decaying orbit during the conflict, thanks in part to the combined efforts of the Green Lanterns of two Earths. These two men along with their costumed colleagues uncovered the true culprit, Romain, who slayed Mister Terrific out of revenge for the humiliating defeats dealt to him by the Defender of Fair Play. The malevolent murderer fled back to Earth-Two, never to reappear.

The missing element in Hammond and Romanine’s criminal calculations was the indelible fidelity of honor, friendship and trust which ensures that the heroes will always… eventually… triumph over vile villains opposing them.

Untold Tale of the Justice Society: Mission in Space!

In late summer of 1975, the Greatest Superheroes of Twin Earths were called away to other worlds, facing ancient adversaries that threatened parallel planets. In both instances, each team defeated these foes one by one, until the true malevolent mastermind was revealed behind-the scenes, powered by a stellar stick in a ploy to lure these champions to their doom using fin-head spacemen.

On Earth-One, members of the Justice League were transported to Rann-One by the scientist named Sardath using his Zeta Plus Beam, in order to assist his future son-in-law Adam Strange in battling old gigantic enemies in the form of: a ray-gun, the bird Kalulla, the metallic Borg, and the Cloud Creature. All of these creatures were manufactured by Kanjar Ro, a villain who battled both Strange and the League in the past. 

On Earth-Two, members of the Justice Society were teleported via celestrial energies at the Mount Pride Observatory* while tracking down missing member Starman. On another world in space, most likely Rann-Two, the Society members battled stellar beings designed by their immortal adversary Vandal Savage** to resemble constellations Andromeda and a giant winged horse, Orion and a giant dog, and Sagittarius and a giant eagle (and later, characters modeled after those on Earth’s broadcast television airwaves). Savage accomplished this by utilzing Starman's old Gravity Rod. With these stellar beings, Vandal built green Kryptonite suns for the planet Colu-Two to orbit.***

While the space mission of the Justice Society was accomplished without any serious threat to life, such was not the case with the Justice League. For a time, it seemed as if Leaguers Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Black Canary and Elongated Man had perished, until Adam Strange noticed that they had been transformed into black spheres. Using Kanjar Ro's Energi-Rod to reverse the process, the five heroes along with their fellow members and Strange were able to defeat Kanjar Ro, removing the threat he and his minions posed.

During to the Society's own mission in space, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Starman were likewise able to outmanuever Savage, when Starman used his prototype Cosmic Rod to overpower Vandal's stolen stick. Concurrent to this, six other members of the Society were dealing with a threat posed by the Injustice Society of the World and their minion, the empowered Cary Bates. Bates, a comicbook writer on Earth-Prime, accidentally ended up on Earth-Two when he used the Earth-One Flash's Cosmic Threadmill left behind on Cary's world. Seeing the potential to create sinister scenarios using his creative storytelling techniques, Bates was manipulated by the Wizard into leading the Justice Society into a trap while battling their Injustice adversaries. Mentally controlling Wonder Woman, Doctor Mid-Nite, Hourman, Johnny Thunder, Wildcat and Robin, Bates had each hero pose as a member of the Injustice Society. Then, when Bates' coworker and fellow writer Elliott S. Maggin journeyed to Earth-One with six members of the Justice League. he found his former friend now a vile villain. The League defeated those whom they thought were the Injustice Society, seemingly killing them.

The Leaguers remained on Earth-Two**** to protect it until the remaining Society members returned from space. As for those six seemingly deceased heroes, they were  in fact all comatose under the effects of Cary Bates, a process reversed by the Spectre, visiting his homeworld after having previously migrated to Earth-One. Together, the League and Society defeated the supervillains, and Bates with Maggin returned to Earth-Prime (a similar battle between the Justice League and Injustice Gang later took place on Earth-One).

* While this tale initially was told in a post-Crisis Earth, during the period of the early 1950s, it has been witnessed that tales on that composite world had a basis in adventures on Earths One and Two. As there were two fin-headed space heroes involved (Adam Strange and Starman), various energy beings used as pawns (Strange's old inhuman adversaries in the cloud etc. and the 3 constellation entities), spawned by evil enemies (Kanjar Ro and Vandal Savage) using stellar sticks (the Energi-Rod and Gravity Rod), with teleportation to and from Earth to other parts of the universe (via Zeta Plus Beams from Sardath's laboratory and cosmic rays from Starman's Mount Pride Observatory), involving remaining members of the Society (Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Starman) not present during the Injustice Society case... it seems logical that this is the untold tale of the Justice Society in space in 1975. 

**Soon after this tale, Vandal Savage attempted to restore his immortality while visiting Earth-One. He made this planet…. probably Rann-Two... as a staging ground to build Colu-Two and its two suns a year later. We know he was still in his phantom state as Earth-Two Flash mentioned to his counterpart that he just learned of Vandal’s condition (which was an untold tale… this tale!!!). Afterwards, Savage lured Superman and the Justice Society to Colu-Two via ancient Camelot!

***Undoubtedly, the stellar beings which Vandal enlisted into service on Rann-Two as constellations were the Sun-Thrivers, whom he forced to build for him Colu-Two’s twin green Kryptonite suns.

**** Of those remaining members of the Justice Society during these contemporaneous tales of Savage on Rann-Two and the Injustice Society, six heroes were present on Earth-Two though not active at this time. Atom was recovering from injuries in a previous crossover, Sandman had self-imposed amnesia of his dual identity (in order to deal with the trauma of his sidekick Sandy's current condition), Mister Terrific was focusing on his career as a Gateway City college professor, Superman and Batman were busy raising a cousin and daughter respectively. As for Doctor Fate, he was dealing with his old foe Khalis' return in the city of Boston.

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Secluded Subterranean Stellar Species

The Omega Men and their mortal foes the Gordanians only occasionally ventured to Earth-One. These beings infrequently interacted with that world’s heroes including members of the Justice League (such as Green Lantern and Superman) and the New Teen Titans (including Robin and Kid Flash). In contrast, the Sub-Men and their rival race known as the Underlordians migrated permanently to Earth-Two’s subterranean realm, and battled members of the Justice Society (such as Green Lantern and Superman) and the All-Star Squadron (including Robin and Johnny Quick).

While the Omega Men were biologically diversified sister species with common traits residing on the Vegan worlds, the Sub-Men were genetically homogenized species with identical traits from their Vega’s parallel planets. As to the reason why the Sub-Men and Underlord’s empire left their native star system and took up residence underneath Earth-Two, this is yet to be told.

Gordanians had been shown exercising dominion in the Vega system when the Earth-Two Batman and Robin previously visited them, whereas that alien species’ doppelgängers in Earth-One’s universe were subservient to the Citadel. It appears a faction of Gordanians under Ayrn the Underlord's rule attempted to expand their empire to Earth-Two, perhaps enslaving the Sub-Men whom they brought with them. Their counterparts likewise invaded the New York City of Earth-One, beaten back by Robin and his New Teen Titans allies.

Another subterranean species that seemingly migrated to Earth-Two’s cavernous world below the surface were the Mole Men. Led by King Blakfu, a recurring enemy of Wonder Woman, as he was the counterpart of Kanjar Ro who repeatedly fought the Justice League of Earth-One, he and his minions were from the Antares star system. Kanjar Ro was exiled by his people while Blakfu retained rule over a small faction. His people sought greener pastures in the Sol system. 

While the Omega Men prospered upon their return to the Vega system, the Sub-Men became stagnate after initially regressing to a barbaric state, when the supervillain Ultra-Humanite found them. After exploiting them as hired henchmen for a time, sending them to distract members of the All-Star Squadron, once they served their purpose Ultra had most of them incinerated.

As for the Gordanians and their Citadel overlords, they met crushing defeats at the hands of both the Omega Men and their allies the New Teen Titans. Their cosmic twins led by Ayrn the Underlord likewise was humbled while battling the Justice Society of America, although he and his people were allowed to continue to exist within their underground metropolis. It seems quite likely that these creatures had previous encountered Blakfu’s Mole Men, as they both resided the arctic tundra. 

Another alien race attempting to colonized Earth-One was the Aquarians, who three times attempted to demolish the city of Fairfax in order to implement climate change, which would allow their species to exist on that world. Motivated by the pending loss of their own homeworld due to their sun turning super-nova. Each time, they were thwarted by the power personas of Chris King and Vicki Grant, who could Dial H For Hero. Their counterpart race in Earth-Two's universe were amphibious creatures drawn to that world by the Master Summoner, who were opposed by Doctor Fate along with his Justice Society allies.

A common factor as to the allure for these aliens to move to Earth-Two is its key location within its universe, as attested to by the oldest humanoids of that dimension, the Buddak. That said, Earth-One likewise during the 20th century became a refuge for extraterrestrials. Only in those instances, these came from different planets, such as the millions of miniaturized shrunken Kryptonians in the bottled city of Kandor, and political dissidents from Qward in the Anti-Matter universe now on Earth-One.

Twice-Told-Tales: Conquerors Cloning Cronies

Kanjar Ro lorded over the planet Dhor in the Antares solar system, while Blakfu ruled the secret underground world below Earth-Two. Both warlords, with their strange eyeballs, inventive minds, thirst for power, and enmity towards their Earths’ Wonder Woman and a pair of blonde aviators (Adam Strange of Earth-One and Steve Trevor of Earth-Two*) made for memorable and formidable foes.

Kanjar Ro devised the means of separating the aura around individuals’ bodies, including his own, to create minions designed to do his bidding. The initial one of these was a clone of himself, the first Dhorian he had mastery over since his dictatorship on his home world was overthrown. He then uses his auralikron device on his old enemies, Wonder Woman and her Justice League of America colleagues as well as Earth-One itself! The villain’s arch-foe Adam Strange discovered his scheme and helped the League defeat Ro (also aided by Kanjar’s aura-clone, resentful to have been left behind in the original’s Rann prison).

King Blakfu developed the mechanism to irradiate  humans with glowing auras using photonic chemicals, allowing both he and his Mole Men to see their female slaves. Ensnaring Wonder Woman and her allies from Holliday College, the girls eventually freed themselves and helped Blakfu to regain his vision. Relenting in his goal of global domination due to his Queen’s influence, Blakfu and his Mole Men were then cut off from the surface world by Steve Trevor and the American military (this would lead the Mole Men to further resent humanity).

Neither Deleon Kanjar Ro nor King Blakfu would repent of their evil ways, as each repeatedly** launched attacks on the heroes of Earth using their forces, cunning tactics and creative gadgets.

*  Neither the Steve Trevor of Earth-One nor Adam Strange’s Earth-Two counterpart, Hop Harrigan, ever had opportunity to meet Kanjar Ro/Blakfu.

** Kanjar Ro had a total of six battles with the Justice League, a seventh engagement with Leaguers Hawkman and Hawkgirl along with Adam Strange, and an encounter with the Super Friends (as well as appearance in the Crisis on Infinite Earths). King Blakfu and his Mole Men interacted with Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor as well as the Holliday Girls on four occasions. (Vandal Savage’s repeated conflicts with the Justice Society compensated for those tales that involved Kanjar Ro beyond the number of those experienced by Blakfu).

Twice-Told-Tales: Devious Duplicates Developed Deviously

Two of the most prolific adversaries that the Greatest Superheroes of parallel planets ever faced were Kanjar Ro and Vandal Savage. Although their counterparts on each other's world were different villains, during a series of  schemes these twin terror's actions mirrored one another, It began shortly after they were both defeated approximately the same time, at the hands of the Justice League and Society respectively.

Both malicious masterminds hatched plots whereby they utilized stolen super-science in their attempted conquests of their respective universes  while achieving vengeance versus their bitter foes. These pawns would be directed towards a quintet of both teams' members. While Kanjar Ro's sinister spawn replicated  the Leaguers... Vandal Savage's approach was to eliminate his foes in the Society once and for all.

Thinking these beings would lead the two teams into traps, the second half of their plans were hatched when Ro utilized his Energi-Rod to shift Earth-One from its orbit closer to where he was located while on the planet Rann; and when Savage utilized a mysterious wand exerting his influence over his adversaries (Vandal Savage's true counterpart was Kru-El the Kryptonian, who mostly resided in the Phantom Zone, although on one occasion battled the Justice League).

Kanjar Ro's true counterpart was the dictator known as Blakfu, king of the Mole Men*. Utilizing paralyzing electrical currents and other weaponry similar to his counterpart, Blakfu like Kanjar Ro made as a recurring the Wonder Woman of his Earth. Only instead of facing Wonder Woman’s allies in the Justice Society, he made enemies of the girls of Holliday College.

With such awesome power in the palms of their hands, and with their hated foes permanently out of the picture, they would've been successful in this regard. However, despite their incredible intellect and bountiful resources, it was the ego of these two villains that ultimately go the better of them at the end of the day. 

Kanjar Ro was outwitted by the superior strategies of his arch-enemy archaeologist Adam Strange, protector of Rann. This was the second of two tries at defeating Strange and the League early in their costumed careers.

Savage found his second solo foray versus the Society fail after the intervention of his first superhero foe, Green Lantern. This attempt took place shortly after Vandal had briefly captured and held that team comatose in his Mammoth Cave hideout. 

During these twice-told-tales, the villains of the piece found their failures mirrored in one another. The assembled Justice League quickly overpowering Kanjar Ro in his throne room, while Savage himself was surrounded and vanquished at an undisclosed location. In fact, this was first hinted at previously as being an untold tale. Both Kanjar-Ro and Vandal Savage years later would have two more consequences battles versus the League and Society, but those are tales left to be told for another day!

* Blakfu with his Mole Men appeared in Wonder Woman #s 4, 35, 47, and 57.  Kanjar Ro with his minions appeared in Justice League of America #3, 24, 120-121, 138-139. Three additional appearances of Kanjar Ro versus the Justice League mirrored Savage's three known battles with the Justice Society.

Meddling Monarchs Menace Meta-Humans

Hyperspace bridges the gap between vast expanses of space, allowing voyagers to travel from their section of the galaxy to new worlds. Kanjar Ro used a cosmic boat to accomplish such a feat, and journeyed to Earth-One. Recruiting the Justice League of America to battle the competing sovereigns of his solar system: Kromm of Mosteel, Sayyar of Llarr, and his arch-foe the Queen of Alstair known as Hyathis. Instead, all four villains were taken from their worlds and exiled on a meteor-world. He would escape several times over the years, using such devices as the gamma metal gong and the energi-rod.

Kanjar Ro had an Earth-Two counterpart in the dictator named Blakfu, king of the Mole Men. Utilizing paralyzing electrical currents and other weaponry similar to his doppelgänger, Blakfu like Kanjar Ro made  as a recurring the Wonder Woman of his Earth. Only instead of facing Wonder Woman’s allies in the Justice Society, he made enemies of the girls of Holliday College. 

In the parallel universe of Earth-Two, the tyrants vying for power in the same solar system included Hydara of Hyper-Neptune, Kafta of Hyper-Uranus, and Thermo of Hyper-Pluto. Their plans were spoiled by the intervention of hyper-space traveling Justice Society of America, exiled from Earth-Two by Nazi master engineer Hans Gootsden.

In fact, later ladies of both Earths would also achieved this same scientific success, the counterparts Enrichetta Negrini of Earth-One and Lana Kurree of Earth-Two. But before we consider them, let's learn more about the prominent people the Justice League and Justice Society members met during their hyperspace travels.

Hyathis went on to be the ruler of the hawkworld of Thanagar, while Hydara remained on his native planet as its sole sovereign. Meanwhile, Kromm and Kafta, Sayaar and Thermo were each one-note-wonders quickly defeated. Another tyrant the Society faced in Solaris the Meteor Man was the doppleganger of the Appellaxian ruler who sent his meteor minions versus the Justice League in their origin tale. 

Queen Desira of that same solar system found a counterpart in the flying female named Dwyanna Ral of Llorth. Desira's once winged daughter Eve of Eveland likewise had a doppleganger in the flying Maya from the other-dimensional world of Floria. Desira and Eve had led their Venusian people who were similar to the Florians, although considerably smaller and without the need of wings to glide through the air. Maya was enslaved in the schemes of her former foe Jason Woodrue, aka the Plant-Master who himself would later become the Floronic Man and a foe of the Atom.

Research scientist Lana Kurree seemingly tapped into hyperspace thanks to some type of mutant  mental abilities. Unlike her Earth-One counterpart Enrichetta who relied on mechanical means to produce this effect, Lana was able to pull both herself and others through time and space. This led to a series of adventures throughout various centuries and locales involving herself, her fellow Holliday College alumni the Holliday Girls, and Wonder Woman. One identity she assumed was Norman Servelia, in a tale involving… a meddling monarch, like the aforementioned alien ones!

Research scientist Enrichetta Negrini developed a hyperspace warping device that pierced the barrier between her world, Earth-Two and the Anti-Matter Universe. Thankfully, her employer Ray "Atom" Palmer along with his teammates of the Justice League and the Justice Society were able to reverse the effect before all three realities were destroyed by the mindless monarch the Anti-Matter Man.