September 1942 . . .
The Spectre was watching. He couldn't be seen by mortal eyes but he was on the Earthly plane because this was a special day. The day that the Justice Society of America was reforming. The Spectre hadn't been too pleased that they had taken a hiatus less than a year after forming, but Aphrodite - who had convinced the team that a hiatus was a good idea - assured the Spectre that no harm would come of this temporary situation. It turned out that she was right. The substitute team, which included the mighty thunder god Thor, had done a more than adequate job filling in for the vacationing JSA. But these interim heroes had their own personal agendas and were not in it for the long haul. Nor did they gel as a team the way the real JSA did. So the Spectre was glad to see them go. The day was here for them to leave and for the true Justice Society to do the job the Spectre had planned for them. There was a war on and it was time for everyone to get back to work.
Sentinel was the first of the JSA to arrive back at the mansion of Miss Venus. It was his nature to be prompt. He was met by Hawkman who was representing the interim team. He and Hawkwoman had waited for the old members to arrive, to pass back the torch, before the pair departed themselves. Most of the other interim members had already returned to their lives. Starman had gone back to Opal, and Thor had been recalled back to Asgard. The Whizzer and Miss America had left for the west coast. Aside from the Hawks, only Aquaman remained to meet the returning heroes.
"I'm sorry that Thor is gone," Sentinel said. "I wanted to thank him again for his help against that Solomon Grundy character."
"You fought a guy named Solomon Grundy?" Hawkwoman asked incredulously.
"It's a strange tale," Sentinel said.
"I'll bet," she replied.
"I turn the reigns of the JSA over to you, Sentinel," Hawkman said.
"At least until Cap gets back," Sentinel said. "Thank you very much for all you've done. We greatly appreciate it."
"Nonsense, it was our pleasure," Hawkman said. "But all good things, et cetera, et cetera. We must be going. Say goodbye, my dear."
Hawkwoman pinched Hawkman's rear. "I love it when you tell me what to do."
"Please!" Hawkman snapped, embarrassed.
"Bye bye," Hawkwoman said to Sentinel. Then she grabbed Hawkman by the hand and led him out. "C'mon, handsome. Come fly with me."
The Hawks left. Sentinel looked at Aquaman. "Are you staying?"
"Just until Namor arrives. I told my brother I'd remain until he returned and I intend to keep my word to the letter."
Sentinel nodded. A man after his own heart.
Dr. Mid-Nite had slipped in as they spoke. He was anxious to see the dynamic as the heroes reunited. Did they miss each other?
"Gentlemen," he said.
"Doctor! Welcome back. Good to see you again."
"And you, Sentinel."
Flash arrived next. He and the Sentinel exchanged warm greetings. Dr. Mid-Nite had noticed that Flash and Sentinel had developed a close friendship over time.
Hippolyta arrived and immediately went to look for Miss Venus. The Human Torch, who had been staying at Dr. Horton's house, returned. He looked around for the Black Canary. Dr. Mid-Nite questioned him about his activities during his time off.
Captain America entered, along with Bucky. Bucky was in intense training to become the new Star-Spangled Kid. But for the moment, he had a blue costume with a bandit mask over his eyes. He didn't really like it, but he knew it was only temporary and he was anxious to appease Cap. The other members took a keen interest in his progress.
Namor arrived. He got a friendly greeting but he was not in a good mood. He saw Aquaman.
"Greetings brother," Aquaman said. "You are well I trust."
"I am fit," Namor said. "You look well, brother. Thank you for taking my place here."
"It was the least I could do," Aquaman said. "But now I must be going. Be well and victorious, Namor."
"And you, Arthur."
Aquaman left. Namor looked around. "Where is Hippolyta?" he asked.
Flash pointed. Namor headed in that direction. He wondered what he could say to Hippolyta. That he had not gotten his royal mothers approval to marry. That he had failed in his Trial by Deed to win the right? He was charged with finding the escaped traitor Krang, but had not been able to do so.
Worst of all, how can he tell her about something even more disturbing . . . Lady Dorma! He couldn't deny an attraction to her. It would be dishonorable to Hippolyta to marry her when he was feeling even slightly tempted by the fruit of another.
Namor found Hippolyta kneeling to her goddess, Aphrodite, a.k.a. Miss Venus.
"Oh, my apologies." Namor said.
"Not at all, Prince Namor." Miss Venus said. "We are done here. You two go ahead and speak. And by the way, it's good to see you again."
Namor bowed as Miss Venus exited. Hippolyta rose and approached Namor.
"Hello, my handsome prince. It is pleasant to see you again," she said.
"And you, my lovely Amazon queen. It is always a pleasure to lay eyes upon you."
Namor struggled for some way to tell Hippolyta that the marriage may have to be indefinitely postponed.
"Namor," Hippolyta said, "I have something important to tell you."
"Please, proceed," Namor said. "And then I have something to tell you."
"I must say this bluntly, Namor. I cannot marry you."
Namor's jaw dropped.
Back in the other room . . .
The team members were talking and updating each other on their activities over the summer. Black Canary came in. She was arm-in-arm with the Angel, much to the Human Torch's dismay. She smiled and greeted everyone. She particularly wanted to talk to Miss Venus about the gift she had given the Canary - the sonic scream. Human Torch watched the Canary longingly. She saw him and gave him a hug.
"Hello, Jim," she said.
The Torch couldn't explain the feelings he got when she touched him. "H . . . hi."
The Angel stood apart from the others. Neither he nor the Black Canary mentioned that he had been exposed to radiation and that the famous Doc Savage had injected him with a micro-organism that would save his life but possibly cause a genetic mutation.
Unseen, the Spectre watched the Angel. Here was a soul that would soon be in torment. Angel was also soon to be a critical figure in the war between the light and dark.
Dr. Fate arrived. Only he could see the Spectre. He looked at the ghostly figure but gave no sign of acknowledgment or recognition. Obviously, the Spectre wanted to observe unseen and so Fate pretended that he wasn't there. Fate, a mystery to his fellow JSA members, got a less enthusiastic greeting that everyone else. He knew the JSA found him a bit creepy and so he wasn't surprised by their lukewarm reaction.
The heroes talked a while longer. Dr. Mid-Nite eagerly took in every detail of their conversations. After all, the psychology of heroes was one of the main reasons he joined this fellowship. Namor and Hippolyta came back into the room, not looking happy. Then it was time for Captain America to call the meeting to order.
"Welcome, everyone," Cap said. "I'm glad that you're all back. It's good to see you. I hope everyone's time was as well spent as mine. I'm proud to say that our young recruit, Bucky, is doing extremely well in his training."
Everyone except Dr. Fate and Namor applauded. Namor did give a nod of approval. Fate did nothing.
"As our first order of business," Cap said, "I'd like to introduce, for those of you who don't know him, the Angel. He is our new government liaison."
Most of the group had met him before and gave him polite congratulations. The others were surprised by this news but had heard of the Angel and knew that the others vouched for him. The Human Torch did not like the idea of Angel being around all the time, or the fact that Black Canary was sitting so close to him and smiling at him so affectionately.
Unseen by all but Dr. Fate, the Spectre stood behind the Angel. Dr. Fate knew that this meant that the Angel had some destiny but he had no idea what.
"Does anyone have any pressing business before we begin?" Cap asked.
"Yes," the Torch said, rising, "I want to talk about the Creature Commandos."
"That's a good point," Sentinel said. "We can't leave them imprisoned in the basement forever."
"We don't have to," Human Torch replied. "We can let them go."
"They tried to kill us!" Flash exclaimed.
"They were manipulated by Ares," Torch countered.
"And who's to say that if we let them go, that they won't do the same thing again?" Sentinel asked.
"I promise they won't," Torch said. "I talked to them. I understand them."
"They and the Torch are alike," Dr. Mid-Nite explained. "They are his people. Maybe he has formed a connection with him."
"Maybe," Cap said. "But it's too risky. They're too dangerous to take chances with."
At that moment, Miss Venus entered. "Excuse me, everyone. But I may have a solution to all this."
The estate of Michael Jupiter was as grand and lush as ever. It was filled with exotic plants and animals. Miss Venus appeared, accompanied by the Creature Commandos, who were still in stasis in their energy prison: Dyna-Mite, Sub-Zero Man, the Human Bomb, the War-Wolf, the Heap, the Glob, the Missing Link, and Orca the Killer Whale.
Along with Miss Venus was the Human Torch, who insisted on coming along; Black Canary, who was worried about the Torch ever since she rejected him; and Angel, who was talked into coming by Black Canary. The four of them looked around at the estate.
"It's as nice as Flash said it was," Black Canary said.
"I just hope that this Michael Jupiter is more trustworthy than Flash says he is," Angel added.
"You can trust him," Miss Venus said. "He won't lie to me. He's my cousin."
"Another god?" Black Canary asked.
"We're on your side, my dear," Miss Venus said. "Didn't I give you a super power?"
"Yes, you did. And I trust you. But I don't know if I trust him."
"Than just trust my judgement," Miss Venus said.
Something streaked by at super speed. It reminded the JSA members of Flash, only not quite as fast. It stopped. It was Michael Jupiter, a.k.a. Hurricane, the demi-god who owned this estate.
"Welcome to my home," Jupiter said. "Where all things - human, god, animal, or android - are welcome. I call it my Abode of Life. All kinds of life."
"Cousin," Miss Venus acknowledged. "Thank you for allowing us the use of your estate."
"Not at all, dear Aphrodite," Jupiter said. "I owe both you and the JSA. I want to clean the slate and start again. I hope that giving a home to your Creature Commandos will be a start."
"We should release them now," Human Torch said.
"Yes, you're right," Aphrodite said. "Allow me."
She waved her arm, and the stasis field disappeared. The Creature Commandos were free! They poised for battle, confused and unsure of who to trust. The Angel was nervous about all this. He didn't trust the Commandos or Jupiter. But the tenser he got, the more this strange, uncomfortable feeling came over him. A tingling in his skin and a headache.
Michael Jupiter approached the Creature Commandos, intending to be friendly. But the Commandos were in self-defense mode. Missing Link lashed out at him, knocking him down. Sub Zero Man started creating an ice shield.
I knew it! thought Angel. He had suspected an attack from the Commandos and now he was getting one. He pushed the Black Canary aside and stepped in front of her to protect her. Dyna-Mite confused this with an attack on himself and the Commandos. He launched his tiny frame and smashed into Angel's face. Angel fell, stunned.
The combination of pain, fear and adrenaline was causing the Angel's heart to pound and his blood to flow faster. The micro organisms inside him moved faster . . . and the mutation he feared had almost begun. His skin was on fire and his head was pounding. He felt heavier. He also felt stronger. But his thoughts were becoming muddled.
Human Torch stepped forward. "Wait! Stop! It's me! Your friend! Your brother!"
The Commandos hesitated when the Torch interceded. "Where are we?" Dyna-Mite asked, "Who are these people?"
"This man is Michael Jupiter. He owns this estate. He is offering it to you. You can live here in his guest cottage."
The Commandos were confused by this offer.
"A home!" the Torch said. "We're offering you a home. A nice home. You can live here in peace, as long as you like. And in the meantime, you can learn about humanity. About what you want to do with your power. You can figure out your place in the world. I'll help you. So will some Dr. Horton."
The Creature Commandos hesitated. Their experience with organic beings had taught them to be cautious. But they trusted the Human Torch. And the offer was a good one.
Angel, however, was not feeling well. He felt like his insides were going to blow up. "Excuse me a minute," he said and slipped into the bushes.
Everyone else was looking at the Commandos. "What do you say?" the Torch asked.
"Maybe it's us causing them consternation," Jupiter said. "Shall we leave them alone for a time, Aphrodite?"
"Yes, let's," she answered.
The two gods disappeared.
"I'm going to go and look for Angel," Black Canary said, walking away. The Torch forced himself not to think about her and the Angel together. He concentrated on the Commandos. "Please, accept our offer!"
Angel was wandering through the hedges. His thoughts were jumbled. His body was burning with a strange energy. What was happening to him?
Distracted, he inadvertently walked into the section of the estate where the dogs were chained up. A dog lunged at him. Angel jumped backwards in alarm. He rolled out of reach of the dog. The animal strained at the leash to get to him but it's chain wasn't long enough. However, the dog had done enough damage. It pushed the Angel's rapidly beating heart past the point of safety. The micro organisms went wild. The mutation began!
Angel felt himself getting larger. His muscles got bigger and harder! His skin turned a stony grey color. His voice turned into a savage growl! He couldn't think any more! Everything was slipping away . . .
He didn't hear Black Canary coming through the brush looking for him!
"All right," Dyna-Mite said, "On behalf of the Creature Commandos, I accept your offer."
"Great!" the Torch said, smiling. His smile vanished when he heard Black Canary scream in fear.
"Dinah!" he yelled and burst into flames. He flew to her aid.
The Black Canary was running. There was a nightmare at her heels and she was terrified. She heard it's pounding footsteps behind her. And they were getting louder. It was catching up. "Angel! Torch! I need some help!"
Human Torch flew into view. "What's wrong, Dinah?"
She pointed backwards. "Hell's coming three steps behind me!"
Something was crashing loudly through the bushes. Whatever it was, it was big. A massive fist appeared and casually knocked a tree aside. And then the Torch saw it!
It was basically humanoid in shape. But large! Seven feet tall, and massively muscled. Its skin was grey and the head was slightly neanderthal. It's incredibly huge muscles bulged with very movement. It reeked of power! It gave a savage roar when it saw the Torch.
"What is that . . . that hulking beast?!" Torch asked.
"I dunno," Canary said. "But keep that . . . Hulk away from me!"
"I'll protect you!" Torch said.
The Torch created a wall of flame between the hulking creature and the Canary.
"Stay back!" the Torch ordered, "I don't want to hurt you!"
The monster roared again and marched through the fire without wincing. The two JSA members were aghast. "Stay back!" Torch ordered again. It didn't obey. It kept walking towards the Canary.
"All right, I warned you!" Torch snapped, throwing a fireball at the grey hulking monster.
The monster looked at it's chest as the flames hit but it didn't seem to be hurt. But it was getting mad! It ripped a tree out of the ground and swung it at the Torch. The Torch barely avoided it. He used his flame to incinerate the tree. Then the Torch concentrated his flame into a massive burst of heat and fire. The blast exploded against the grey beast, who roared, but the Torch couldn't tell if it was roaring out of pain or just anger.
Suddenly, the monster used it's powerful leg muscles to launch itself into the air. The Torch was so surprised that he hesitated. The beast tackled him out of the air, and dragged him to the ground. The Torch was helpless in the grip of the powerful beast. The Torch increased his flame to try and make the monster let go. But it only made the beast angrier. The hulking creature grabbed the Torch in a bear hug. He started to squeeze. The Torch felt his android body being crushed. In another second he'd be destroyed.
But then the hulking monster was stunned by a blast of explosive energy in the back. The monster dropped the Torch and looked around at this new attacker. The Human Bomb had opened his face mask and unleashed one of his explosive blasts. The Human Bomb let loose with a second burst. The grey hulk staggered back a few feet and teetered on his heels. But it didn't fall. It just raised it's fist and screamed an enraged cry to the heavens. The rest of the Creature Commandos flanked the Human Bomb.
"I don't know who you are," Dyna-Mite said, "but you're messing with our friend!"
Suddenly the grey hulking beast slammed it's fists to the ground. The whole area quaked. The Commandos were thrown off their feet. The grey hulk charged forward. The largest of the Commandos, Orca the Killer Whale, was able to keep his balance. He met the hulking grey monster and they exchanged blows. Despite Orca's protective blubber, he was battered by the incredible power of the attacking grey monster. Before the others could act, Orca was knocked halfway across the estate. He crashed to the ground, hard! Only his blubber saved him from destruction, but he was deactivated for a time.
The strongest of the Creature Commandos, the Missing Link, tried to go toe-to-toe with the grey enemy, but had no better luck. The Link was damaged so much that he fell to the ground. The android's self-repair circuits strained to repair it.
Dyna-Mite built up an ample amount of kinetic energy and launched at the grey hulk. The monster's chest expanded for a second and then it blew out some air, which was like a gale force wind. Dyna-Mite was blown out of sight.
The Sub-Zero Man tried to encase the enemy beast in ice but the grey hulk shattered the icy prison. The Human Bomb was about to open his mask again, but the monster grabbed him and slammed him into the Sub-Zero Man.
War-Wolf tried to rend the monster's flesh but it's claws were inadequate to pierce the unbreakable grey skin of the beast. The monster slapped the War-Wolf away.
The Glob oozed his way up the hulking monster's leg, towards it's head, and tried to smother it. The monster pounded on itself and tried to get the Glob off. It didn't work. The Glob tried to cut off the hulking beast's air. In an unthinking panic, the grey hulk leaped into the air as high as it could go. He shot two hundred yards straight up. Then he fell. When he hit the ground, the impact was tremendous. The hulking monster himself was only stunned by it, but the Glob was scattered all over the lawn. It would take time to reassemble himself.
While the grey monster was rising, recovering from the impact, the Heap grabbed him. The grey beast roared as the Heap began to drain away his life force. Frantically, the Hulk lashed out. One slap staggered the Heap. A solid punch put the Heap out of the fight.
The Creature Commandos had done their best, but the grey hulking monster was too much for them. Perhaps too much for anyone! Black Canary was desperate, being the only one still on her feet. She shouted with all her voice, and unleashed her sonic scream! The grey behemoth clutched it's ears in pain. Finally, Black Canary thought, something hurt it. It can be hurt!
But it wasn't stopped. The creature reached it's hand into the ground and pulled up a clump of dirt and pebbles. With unbelievable force, the monster threw his handful of earth at the Canary. Such was the grey beast's power that the impact of the dirt and pebbles knocked the Black Canary unconscious.
The victorious monster lumbered over to Black Canary and looked down at her. At first it was angry because this small female had hurt it. But when it got a better look at her . . . It stopped! It studied her. There was some sense of familiarity, and a dim affection. The monster wouldn't hurt her. The Hulk tensed his massive leg muscles and leaped away.
Soon, Miss Venus and Jupiter returned. They didn't know what had happened, but they ministered to the wounded Black Canary and summoned Dr. Horton to repair the droids.
The monster crossed several heavily populated areas and some rural ones, leaping leaps of up to a half mile across. Many people saw it. The next day, newspapers would call the beast . . . the rampaging Hulk!
Eventually, the Hulk came to a stop in a quiet glen, somewhere in the hills. He sat, trying to think clearly, trying to remember who or what he was. Suddenly, he caught sight of something. Something white and ghostly.
The Spectre! The Hulk roared at the ghostly figure, warning it off. The Spectre waved a hand. "Be at peace, Thomas Halloway. I give your soul a reprieve from it's torment."
The Hulk suddenly began to mutate again. He shrank, and returned to the form of Thomas Halloway, the Angel.
Angel looked up at the Spectre. "Thank you. It was like being in Hell!"
"Very close, Thomas Halloway."
"Who are you?"
"I am the Spectre."
"I've heard of you from the JSA. Will this transformation happen again?"
"It will."
"Can you . . . cure me?"
"That is not for me to do. Your fate is part of the tapestry that Kismet has woven."
"Why me? Why is this happening to me?"
"Because, Thomas Halloway – It must be."
"It isn't fair!"
"No, it is not."
The Spectre vanished. An Angel cried.
Next issue: Next issue: The Enchantress springs her trap on the JSA, and Namor battles the rampaging Hulk! It's all in Justice Society of America #15!