August 31st, 1943
Captain America was badly outnumbered! The Hell's Wind cult poured over him like a plague of locusts. Any normal man would have fallen to the overwhelming numerical superiority of the demon worshiping cultists. But this was Captain America, and he did not give up, and did not stop fighting as long as there was breath in his body! He struggled valiantly against the forces that threatened to destroy him and his friends.
Cap's allies were not doing well at all. The Flash, the Unknown Soldier, the Star-Spangled Kid, Uncle Sam, Sergeant Fury, and the Howling Commandos had all fallen to the devastating emotion-altering power of the demonic creature known as Misery!
Misery, a half-demon, laughed as he fed on the suffering of the America heroes who had fallen under his spell of despair. Only Captain America had been able to resist the spell, due to his indomitable strength of will, but that left him alone against Misery's cult of worshipers.
"This is a great day!" Misery said, ecstatic with a sense of triumph, "I get to kill the legendary Captain America, and avenge myself on my old 'friend', the Flash! Ah, the fates are kind today!"
Further off in the woods, Jeb Stewart, in his Haunted Tank, observed the situation with field glasses. Things were not going well. He couldn't fire any more tank shells into the cult encampment, because his fellow Americans were too close to the bad guys. He hesitated, wondering what to do next. Just then, he spotted something. Some sort of haze of mist and light, something that seemed . . . mystical!
Not long ago, Dr. Fate had recruited Thomas Halloway to go to Cap's aid. Using his magic powers, Fate transported Halloway to Cap's location. But it was not, technically, Halloway's help that Fate needed. It was Halloway's bestial alter ego who was desperately needed now. Dr. Fate had sent the rampaging Hulk to rescue Captain America!
The Hulk found himself in the enemy encampment. He was confused, unsure of what was happening. The Hulking beast focused his limited attention on Captain America, who battled the robed cult members.
"Men try to hurt flag man," Hulk growled. "Flag Man is Hulk's friend! Hulk smash men!"
The monstrous Hulk stomped toward the battle. Everyone heard him coming from yards away. Captain America was glad to see the powerful behemoth. The cult, however, had a different reaction! They were terrified. Despite their loyalty to Misery, the sight of the rampaging Hulk bearing down on them chilled them with fear. They panicked and fled, running in all directions. The Hulk swatted a few of them away. The rest were gone before Hulk could reach them.
"Bah!" Hulk rumbled. "Puny humans run away. No challenge for Hulk."
"Thank you, Hulk," Captain America said. "I'm glad to see you. I need your help."
"Hulk will help Flag-man."
Cap pointed to Misery. "He's the enemy, Hulk. He's a bad man. Smash him!"
Hulk raised his massive fist. "Hulk smash!"
Hulk stomped toward Misery. Misery backed up, intimidated by the hulking gray giant. In a desperate attempt to save himself, Misery turned his emotion-altering power on the Hulk, hoping to overwhelm him with an overdose of feelings.
It was a mistake. The Hulk was already perpetually saddened by his existence. He spent most of his time exiled to Vulcan Island or the Hidalgo Valley of the Vanished. He was lonely. And when he was lonely, he responded with anger . . . by hitting things!
Hulk's huge fist slammed down on the slim figure of Misery. Misery's half-ectoplasmic form splattered all over the encampment. Misery was reduced to a puddle of greenish goo, mixed with red human blood. The evil demon known as Misery was destroyed!
Everyone else present was freed from his spell. They all came to their senses and looked around, trying to get their bearings. But before they could ask any questions, their attention was drawn to the roaring behemoth. The Hulk was still enraged, roaring his anger at the world to the heavens!
"Hulk, please, calm down," Captain America said, approaching the Hulk slowly, calmly. "We're all your friends here."
The Hulk roared such a loud, savage roar that Captain America was knocked off his feet. The Hulk kneeled into leaping position, and with a thrust from his powerful legs, he jumped high into the air. He landed several hundred yards away. A few more such leaps took him beyond the horizon and out of sight.
"What have we unleashed?" Captain America asked.
"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Uncle Sam said. "If I'm correct, his trajectory will take him to Italy. It serves Mussolini right."
"Thanks for watchin' my back, Cap," Nick Fury said.
"Glad to do it, Nick," Cap answered. "I should thank our mystery friend who came out of nowhere to help us. Say, where did he go?"
The Unknown Soldier was gone, as mysteriously as he had arrived.
"Too bad, I wanted to thank him," Cap said. "Look, here comes Lt. Stewart. We should thank him, too. Star-Spangled Kid, activate the JSA signal. Let the rest of the team know that we've found the Flash."
"It's great to be home," Flash said.
The Mansion of Miss Venus, Headquarters of the JSA: Washington, DC
Dr. Fate, Wonder Woman, the Human Torch, Toro, and the Blue Diamond were all present when word came that the Flash had returned. Everyone celebrated. Even Dr. Fate seemed moved by Jay's safe return. The Blue Diamond, a close friend of the Flash and his replacement on the Justice Society, remained very calm, but a slight grin crossed his face.
The Moon
The Sentinel hovered above the moon, still using the awesome power of his ring to burn a hole in the time-stream, hoping to find the missing Flash. Jay and Alan were very close. He had no intention of giving up on his friend.
Just then, a spectral apparition appeared near the Sentinel. It was a vision of Dr. Fate.
"Stop what you are doing, Sentinel," Dr. Fate said. "Flash has returned to us. Captain America just gave us the news."
Sentinel smiled and stopped his assault on time. He was glad it was over. He was exhausted by the effort.
"Is Jay all right?" he asked.
"He is very well," Dr. Fate replied.
"That's wonderful!" Sentinel said, relieved. "I can't wait to see him again. Thanks for giving me the news, Fate."
The vision of Fate disappeared. A smiling Sentinel returned to the Earth.
A short time later, after Flash, Cap, and company had been magically returned to the JSA manor, the whole team gathered around to greet Jay Garrick. Wonder Woman gave him a big hug.
"Welcome home, my good friend," the Amazon queen said.
"I missed you too, Polly," Jay said.
Alan Scott put an arm over Jay's shoulder. "If you ever do this to me again, I'll beat the living daylights out of you."
"I'll try to avoid a repeat performance," Jay said. "And thanks for what you did. Burning a hole in time. Who'd have thought of that except you?"
"You knew about that?"
"In a way, that's what saved me," Flash said. "I'll tell you about it sometime. Later."
Flash saw the Blue Diamond standing across the room. He walked over to his friend. "Hey there, big guy."
Blue Diamond put a hand on Flash's shoulder. Flash gave him a friendly hug. "Good to see you, old buddy."
"You too," Blue Diamond said. "Listen, I need to talk to you. I've . . . well, I've replaced you."
"Replaced me?"
"I'm sure there's room on the JSA for the Flash to return," Sentinel said. "Right Cap?"
"Absolutely," Cap said. "There's no one who deserves to be here more than you, Jay."
"Then, I suppose that means I'm out?" Blue Diamond asked.
"Why should you be out?" Flash asked. "There's no reason that the JSA can't have a twelfth name on its roster of full time members."
"No, I suppose not." Cap said, "I see no reason why a twelfth member should be a problem."
"Well, now that that's settled, I have to go," Flash said. "God knows what Joan has been going through these last few weeks. I have to see her."
"Sure, you go on," Cap said. "And it's great to have you back."
Flash waved an affectionate wave and zipped out of sight. Captain America addressed the team.
"We may have another problem," Cap said to the group. "It concerns the Hulk! He should be in Italy by now."
"So, what's the problem?" Uncle Sam asked.
Italy
The Hulk was rampaging through the countryside, slowly making his way toward the more metropolitan areas, the big cities. The Italian fascist military was mobilizing to hold the line against the approaching threat. Eventually, after ruining a few small towns, the Hulk reached the defense line formed by Mussolini's troops.
They immediately opened fire on the Hulk. A barrage of bullets and tank shells battered the monster, but none of it stopped him. He waded through the assault. The Hulk tossed tanks aside, crushed jeeps and swatted soldiers away. They were no match for the gray behemoth.
The Italians were in retreat. The Hulk continued his march toward Mussolini.
Asgard, home of the Norse deities
In her secluded palace, Amora the Enchantress watched the events in Italy in her magic reflecting pool. She could see that nothing the humans could do would stop the Hulk from reaching the metropolitan center of Italy, and Mussolini himself. She knew that if the Italian ruler were slain, the Dark Council would be irate. Mussolini was key to their plan.
As she was thinking this, Loki, the god of evil, appeared in her palace. Loki had long been used as the Earthly agent of the Dark Council. He advised Adolf Hitler, in the guise of the Black Llama. Now, the counsel had charged him with stopping the Hulk. Loki, however, knew that the Hulk had fought his brother Thor three times, defeating him once, and battling to a draw on the other occasions. That being the case, Loki had no intention of tackling the Hulk directly. There were others who could do the job for him.
"Greetings, lovely one," Loki said to the beautiful goddess. "As always, it is my pleasure to lay eyes upon thee."
"Well met, Loki," Amora responded. "I imagine that thou art here on an errand for the Dark Council."
"Aye, fair lady," Loki replied. "Thou art nearly as wise as thou art enchanting."
"I thank thee, sir," she answered. "And what wouldst thou have me do?"
"I would ask thee to release thy servant, the brutish creature Solomon Grundy."
"Grundy is thy creation, Loki," she said, coyly. "Why ask my humble self for aid?"
"Grundy is a slave to thy beauty," Loki stated. "He wilt do anything for thee. Speak, and he will slay the Hulk for thee."
The Enchantress shook her head. "Nay, milord. Thy creation is flawed. Grundy hath proven no match for the beast who mortals call the Hulk. Thou wouldst be better served with a more powerful pawn."
"Have you one in mind, dear Amora?"
"Aye, Loki. I do indeed."
Mount Olympus
On the towering peak of the timeless mountain, the clamorous sounds of battle were heard. Two powerful gods were in the midst of a tumultuous fight. One of them was Strife, nephew to Ares, god of war, and a skilled soldier in his own rite. The other was the mighty Hercules, son of Zeus, prince of power! They fought in the name of their families. Hercules' father Zeus was a member of the White Council, while Ares was a soldier of the Dark Council.
"Have at thee, pawn of Ares!" Hercules yelled. "My matchless mace shall soon make thee cry 'Hold, Enow'!"
"Not so, thou boastful, blustering buffoon!" Strife said. "My skills were learned from the god of war, and my armor forged by Hephaestus himself. Thy muscle and mace cannot defeat such a combination!"
"Thy skills are in need of improvement," Hercules said. "And thy precious helmet does not protect thy jaw, cowardly one!"
A blow to the jaw floored Strife. The nephew of Ares crawled away, giving himself a few moments to recover. He climbed back to his feet. "Thou darest call Strife a coward! I, who has the blood of the god of war himself? I, who has been raised in the noble arts of war? A coward?"
"Aye!" Hercules replied. "What other name could there be for an obsequious pawn, licking his Uncle's boot, hiding behind the armor of Hephaestus, and making sneak assaults on my royal personage? I call thee a base coward!"
Enraged, Strife threw his sword at Hercules. Hercules swatted it away with his mace. "So, thou speakest not, but instead, thy temper goads thee to rash action."
Strife realized that he had made a mistake. He decided to surprise Hercules with a quick frontal assault. He charged Hercules, slamming his shield into the powerful prince. Hercules grabbed the shield. He struck Strife in the jaw again, and then yanked the shield from Strife's hand.
Hercules tossed the shield away. "Now, boy, we close on even terms. Hand to hand, muscle against muscle. And know thee that none can stand against the good right arm of the prince of power!"
After a few moments of close combat, Strife realized the Hercules was correct. He was no match for the power of his opponent. Hercules got him in a bear hug. He felt like he was going to burst from the indescribable pressure. A few moments more, and Hercules would wreck a terrible vengeance on him!
But before Hercules could finish with his opponent, a strange light began to shine over the two.
"Ho! What shimmering vision doth gleam before mine eyes?" Hercules asked. "Is it some villain come to aid the unworthy Strife in this battle? If so, he will find Hercules no easy prey!" Hercules tossed the defeated Strife aside, prepared for his next challenge.
To Hercules' surprise, a beautiful woman came out of the glow. "Nay, tis no threat!" Hercules said. "It is naught but a mere woman. Speak, female! What doth thou here on this lonely crag?"
"In the hallowed halls of Odin, they call me the Enchantress," the goddess said.
"Thou art indeed enchanting, damsel," Hercules said. "But what is thy purpose in Olympus?"
"I have journeyed from fabled Asgard to witness this clash of tempestuous titans," the Enchantress said. "I salute your great victory. As a token of my admiration, I extend thee this goblet, filled with mead from the table of Odin himself. Please drink."
"With gratitude I accept thy tribute, beauteous one," Hercules said. "The combat hath left me with a thirst most ravenous."
Hercules drank. The Enchantress smiled. Hercules had no idea that he was drinking a love potion. It took only moments for the Prince of Power to feel the effects of the Waters of Eros.
"What ails me?" Hercules cried. "A fire rages in my very brain!"
Hercules teetered, dizzy. When he recovered his balance, the first thing he saw was the face of the Enchantress. She smiled seductively. "Hello, Hercules," she said.
"Thou art . . . most beautiful . . . " Hercules muttered, confused.
"Tell me, doth thou know why thou art here on this windy mountain top?" Amora asked the entranced Olympian.
"Nay, milady. I know not," Hercules said. "Wait! Now I begin to recall! I have come because of my love for thee!"
Excellent! the Enchantress thought. He is spellbound with love for me. He will do what I command.
"My brain doth swim, awash in confusion, and I know not why," Hercules said.
"Dwell not on thoughts of your distress, my lord," Amora said. "But think rather of the Enchantress, and of my distress!"
"Your distress, my lady?"
"I have been wronged, my lord," she said.
"Wronged?" Hercules said, suddenly angry. "By the cloven hooves of Pan, this will not stand! Speak the name of he who hath wronged the beloved of Hercules, and sentence him to death!"
The Enchantress hid a smile. Perfect. The waters of Eros have done their work well. Hercules has no thoughts except love for me. He will obey my every command, my merest whim. In my hands, he will be the ultimate weapon. He will destroy the Hulk! And perhaps much more!
Sentinel returned to work. As president of a chain of radio stations, he was a busy man. Especially since he was moonlighting as a super hero. The disappearance of Flash had distracted him lately, but since that was over now, it was time to catch up on some work as Alan Scott.
Later that day, Alan was in a meeting with some of his executives. One of the things that came up was the vandalism. Someone had been vandalizing big businesses and leaving Harlequin cards at the scene. The vandals most recent target was one of Alan Scott's companies.
"Do the police have any leads?" Alan asked.
"Apparently not," one of his employees said. "They've been hunting the culprit for weeks and haven't come up with a thing."
"They think that we may still be in danger of another visit," one exec said. "According to a Detective Riley, the culprit sometimes targets the same company twice. She might hit one of your business interests again tonight."
Alan nodded. "Might she, indeed?"
Hulk had reached the city of Florence, and was cutting a brutal path through it. Not far away, Hercules and the Enchantress appeared in the city.
Hercules looked around, smiling. "Ah, too many days have passed since Hercules did walk amongst mortals and savored the sounds of adoration. We are near Rome, where I was once was hailed as a great champion!"
"But forget not the purpose of our journey, my lord," the Enchantress reminded him. "Revenge! Here, thou shalt use thy legendary strength to deal most harshly with he that did insult thy beautiful Amora."
"Fear not, my Love. Hercules shall avenge thine honor."
People ran from the Hulk as he continued onward, wrecking everything in his path, still enraged by the power of Misery. Finally, he came across someone who did not run. It was a tall, muscular figure, with a beard and mustache. A prince of power!
Hulk roared a warning for the big man to get out of his way, but the Olympian was not impressed. "Hold, monster! Thou doth have business with the son of Zeus. Thou hath dared to profane the honor of my beauteous Amora with thy unworthy hand, and so thou must feel the vengeance of Hercules!"
The Hulk stomped up to the Prince of Power. Both prepared to strike. Hercules beat the Gray Goliath to the draw, striking first, with a blow to the jaw that would have felled a Redwood tree. But the Hulk absorbed the blow with little more than a roar. Hercules realized that he had underestimated the brute's strength. Before he could rectify his error, the Hulk struck. Hercules was sent sailing across the street and through the wall of a building.
The Hulk grunted and continued on his way. He didn't see Hercules climb out of the hole. He charged the Hulk, tackling the brute from behind. The Hulk tried to throw him off. Hercules lifted the Hulk and body-slammed him to the street. He gave the Hulk a few disdainful blows to the torso, as the Hulk climbed angrily back to his feet, growling an animalistic growl.
"Make this easier on thyself!" Hercules said. "Thou must see that I am thy superior!"
"Sue-Pier-E-or?" Hulk mimicked, trying to understand. It finally dawned on him. "You said you are better than Hulk?"
"Aye, monster! No one can equal the matchless muscles of Hercules!"
The Hulk roared with furious rage. "You are not better than Hulk!" The monster hit the ground, causing a shock wave that threw Hercules into the air. The Hulk struck a stolid blow while the Olympian was still in the air. Hercules was sent sailing upward, and onto a roof.
"No one is better than Hulk!" the behemoth bellowed.
The Hulk continued on his way. But Hercules was far from finished. He leapt down from the roof. Cupping his hands together, he brought them down in a mighty blow as he landed atop the Hulk. The Hulk fell. Hercules pounded on his stunned form for a few seconds. The Hulk grabbed his ankle and yanked his foot out from under him. Hercules fell. The Hulk leaped on top of him, stunning the Prince of Power. Grabbing a car, the Hulk slammed it on top of the Olympian. The Hulk jumped on top of the wrecked car and drove Hercules into the ground.
Confident that the fight was over, the Hulk stalked off, already forgetting about Hercules. He was premature! The ground started to shake under the Hulk and suddenly the sidewalk burst out from under him. Hercules stepped out of the dark pit.
"Thou art a worthy foe, monster!" Hercules said. "Quite a challenge for the greatest warrior in all of Olympus! Let us battle again, brute! Hercules will prove that he is the stronger!"
"No one is stronger that Hulk!" the creature said.
The Hulk and Hercules threw punches at the same time. Their fists collided, creating a shock wave that rocked the area for nearly a half-mile.
WXYZ Radio, in New York
Night was falling. Most of the employees had gone home. Police had increased drive-by patrols in the vicinity, due to the possibility of a second attack by the mysterious vandal.
Hovering high above the building, was the Sentinel. He was hoping that the vandal would return. He wanted to catch the guy who was sabotaging his company. If he showed up, the Sentinel would capture him easily enough, he believed.
After two hours of boredom, the Sentinel saw someone moving quickly across the rooftops. He swooped down to get a better look. To his surprise, the vandal was a woman, and a pretty one. She had red hair, and a great figure. Her sexy outfit looked like a cross between a French maid and a clown. She had a pointed hat and Peter-Pan shoes. Her "cat's eye" glasses were reflective, so he couldn't see her eyes.
"All right, lady, don't move!" Sentinel ordered.
The woman was surprised to see him, but recovered from the shock very quickly. "Ah, a stud super-hero. You're the Sentinel, aren't you?"
"How'd you guess?" Sentinel answered, "And you are . . . ?"
"The Harlequin, honey."
The Sentinel nodded. "I should have known by the outfit and by your calling cards. Well, 'Harlequin', you're coming with me. Cooperate, and I won't have to get rough with you."
"I like it rough!" she said. "Come on, tough guy. Get rough with me!"
Sentinel found himself feeling embarrassed at her unladylike outburst. She clearly wasn't anything like the society girls that Alan Scott spent time with. Hoping to get this over with quickly, he created a giant hand out of the Starheart energy of his ring. The hand grabbed the Harlequin and held her immobile. "You're coming with me whether you like it or not."
"Your place or mine?" she asked, seductively.
Again, Sentinel was embarrassed. But worse than that, he saw his newly created energy hand start to become slightly transparent. He was having to concentrate harder to maintain it. He than realized that the ring was almost out of power. He had used so much power trying breach the Time Stream - more energy that he had used since he fought Dobj Xio last year - and so the ring was running out of juice much sooner than usual.
Harlequin noticed that the Sentinel was momentarily distracted. She decided to take advantage of the moment. Her glasses started to glow an eerie glow. The light they emitted shined into the Sentinel's eyes. The ring-wielding hero felt dazed and confused. He got dizzy and almost lost his balance.
When he regained his senses, Harlequin was nowhere in sight. He looked around and saw her leaping onto a nearby roof. He tried to fly after her, but his ring started to fizzle out. He was forced to run after her. She was too fast for him, however. She got away!
When the Sentinel got back to the WXYZ building, he realized that he had been fooled. The Harlequin must have doubled back, because there was a big graffiti message on the wall . . .
'Was it good for you, too?'
Sentinel angrily tried to erase the message with a giant pencil eraser created by his ring, but it was out of power. He cursed himself for being caught like an amateur. What a bonehead move, he told himself!
"You'll see me again, Harlequin! I guarantee it!"
The two-man war between Hercules and the Hulk showed no sign of slowing down. They were both berserk with rage! Nothing but the death of the other would satisfy either of them now. The momentum shifted periodically. First one combatant would have the upper hand and then the other would get the advantage. They had leveled half of Florence!
Hitting each other at the same time, they knocked each other to the ground. The both quickly got back up. They paused for a moment, studying the other for a sign of weakness, and finding none.
"Hulk waiting, Her-Coo-Leez!" the gray monster said.
"Here I stand, Hulk!" Hercules answered.
The monster took two more steps forward-hurtling himself, reaching out with massive arms! The bulging sinews of the Prince of Power meet those brawny arms. Mammoth muscles snap and flex over the bodies of two mythic forms! Both grind to a sudden halt, an impasse!
Locked together in their deadly death grip, their sweat slicked faces are only inches from each other. They can feel each other's breath. The two titans are like an unmoving sculpture of seething, unbridled force! For ten minutes, they hold their pose, each straining futilely to break the status quo. Twenty minutes . . . thirty . . . an hour, and still neither shows any signs of tiring.
JSA HQ in Washington, the mansion of Miss Venus
Miss Venus - a.k.a. Aphrodite - received a message from Mount Olympus. It warned her of a problem, concerning Hercules and the Hulk. Using a magic crystal orb, Miss Venus was able to see the events happening in Italy. She witnessed the fierce battle of power between two titans of strength. She knew that she had to do something about it. The Hulk was a valuable tool in the JSA's war against the Nazi super agents. And as for Hercules, he was the son of Zeus, a member of the White Council. His death could have dire consequences also. This battle had to be stopped!
Back in Italy
The Hulk was getting an advantage, at long last. His strength increased as his anger did. As the battle had dragged on, the Hulk had gotten more and more enraged. His strength grew. Slowly, inexorably, he started to push Hercules back. Hercules was shocked. Never before had anyone ever equaled his legendary strength. Now, he found himself being outpowered by a simple-minded brute.
With a final, incredible shove, The Hulk pushed Hercules back, across the street. The Olympian fell to the sidewalk. Hercules gaped in amazement at his beastly foe.
"Tis beyond belief!" Hercules said. "Never would the son of Zeus had believed this to be possible. Can it be that there is a being stronger than myself?"
The blow to his pride, combine with the berserk rage of battle, had caused the love spell on Hercules to weaken. His thoughts were starting to come back into clear focus. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Aphrodite was doing her best to break the spell. She was the goddess of love. She hated potions that induced fake love. She had long ago invented spells to cancel out such love spells. With great concentration, she helped lift the veil of artificial love from the Olympian prince.
Hercules came back to his sense, freed of the spell. He couldn't remember where he was or why he was there. "Zounds! What madness is this?"
He saw the Hulk across the street, crouched, poised for battle. The creature growled menacingly. Hercules didn't recognize him, but he interpreted the Hulk's posture as a threat. "What strange creature is this that doth challenge the mighty Hercules?"
Before they could resume their battle, they were interrupted by a group of unexpected super-beings. These powerful agents of the Axis powers were called the Iron Legions.
Captain Nazi; The Icicle; The Iron Kaiser; Master Man; The Reaper; The Flaming Skull; Sumo; The Roman Gladiator! They were all loyal to their countries. Germany. Italy. Japan.
"You've caused much damage in my country, invaders!" the Italian super-being Roman Gladiator said. "That ends now!"
The eight Iron Legionnaires attacked en mass. Captain Nazi flew directly at the Hulk, adding momentum to his super strength. He was stunned when he bounced off the Hulk's dense form. The Hulk punched Captain Nazi, sending him sailing over the Horizon. The Icicle tried to encase the Hulk in a frozen cube, but the Hulk broke out easily. The brute struck the ground, and the shock wave send the Icicle sailing through the air. The Icicle came down hard, hitting his head. The Reaper used his scythe, which shattered against the Hulk's indestructible hide. The metal man known as the Iron Kaiser slammed his metallic bulk into the Hulk, but his form was no match for the harder form of the Hulk. The Hulk dented the Kaiser's metal body with one blow.
Sumo and Master Man, having seen the Hulk before, had no intention of tackling him again. So they went after Hercules.
To their dismay, they found Hercules' strength to be comparable to the Hulk's and so were easily defeated. The Roman Gladiator used his magic sword against Hercules. The sword only made a small wound. Before the Gladiator could strike again, Hercules knocked him unconscious. The Flaming Skull, a frightening skull-faced being, who was covered in flames, spit fire out at the Prince of Power. Hercules winced, but the blaze didn't stop him. Hercules had once walked into the volcano inferno home of Hephaestus, god of fire. These little flames would not make him yield. The Flaming Skull was defeated by the might Olympian.
The Hulk and Hercules, who had found themselves working together, stood alone on the battlefield. They sized each other up, wondering what to expect next.
Suddenly, Miss Venus appeared between the two. She had the Black Canary with her. Hercules recognized Aphrodite immediately, even in her mortal attire. "Ho, cousin. What bringeth thou hence? A battlefield is no place for thee."
"I came to end this useless farce, cousin!" Aphrodite said.
The Hulk hesitated, recognizing the Black Canary. Even through the haze of his mystically induced fury, the sight of the beautiful Black Canary evoked a feeling of warmth and affection.
"Hulk, it's me, Dinah," the Canary said gently. "Do you know me?"
The Hulk hesitated and slowly nodded. "Yes. Hulk recognizes pretty blonde girl. Hulk likes pretty blonde girl."
"I like you too, Hulk," she said. "And I want you to look at me. Just think of me. Don't think of anything else, except me. Can you do that?"
The Hulk didn't understand why, but he looked only at her. Looking at her gave him a good feeling. It made him happy. As he looked, Aphrodite cast a spell of love and contentment over the gray monster. The Hulk became calm, peaceful. He started to change, to revert back to the small, human form of Thomas Halloway.
"Thomas!" the Canary yelled, and hugged him. Thomas was confused, but the Canary's arms around him made him feel better.
"What transpires here, cousin?" Hercules asked.
"I'll tell you another time, Hercules," Aphrodite said. "Just let me transport you back to Olympus, and send these two back to America. Then I'll tell you the whole story."
"Good enow," Hercules answered.
Watching from several blocks away, in hiding, the Enchantress fumed with ire at the defeat of her plan. "These Justice Society mortals are beginning to annoy me. They must be dealt with. And I will do so! So speaketh the Enchantress!"
She disappeared, returning to her castle in Asgard. Aphrodite transported the heroes away. All that was left was the spoils of war.
Next: The Enchantress is not through with the JSA yet, and she joins with the mysterious Answer to set up the heroes for an unpleasant end. Things get worse when recruit the mighty Executioner to help them. All this and Plastic Man, next month in JSA Secret Files #1.