New Year's Day 1944 . . .
The JSA members were celebrating the beginning of a brand new year. Each celebrated in his or her own way. Some celebrated it as a festive occasion, and others saw it as a time to reflect.
Flash spent the day with his wife, Joan.
Dr. Mid-Nite went on a trip with some fellow psychiatrists.
Doctor Fate was called on by the Lords of Order to be on special duty for this important day.
The Sub-Mariner did not celebrate the New Year, since the Atlantean calendar was different from our own.
Black Canary visited relatives, taking the opportunity to escape her problems with the new metamorphosis of the Hulk.
As for the Hulk himself, he was very hurt by the Black Canary's refusal to spend the holiday with him, and went off by himself to brood.
The rest of the JSA met at the mansion of Miss Venus. Captain America, the Star-Spangled Kid, the Human Torch, Toro, Wonder Woman, the Fury, and even non-member Plastic Man got together for a holiday gathering. They had no family to speak of. All they had, in this place and time, was each other.
The radio played and food was consumed and everyone present did their best to appreciate what they had. Bucky and Toro had a great camaraderie, and the Fury enjoyed their company, especially Bucky's, who she was attracted to. Plastic Man could have fun anywhere. The Torch tried to get his mind off the Black Canary, and Captain America just tried to relax and see that everyone else was happy.
As for Wonder Woman, she was glad to have a little time to think. Lately, she had been beset by an overabundance of admirers. Namor, Toro, Plastic Man, and Johnny Thunder. All of them had amorous intentions. Namor and Johnny Thunder were not in the mansion currently. Toro and Plastic Man seemed to be caught up in the revelry of the event and hadn't pestered Wonder Woman in over an hour, to her relief.
She had something else to think about. Something had come over her lately. A new man had come into her life and she was having trouble dealing with him. He appeared at the doorway of Miss Venus' mansion unexpectedly, late one December evening. His name was Steve Trevor, and he was the handsomest man that Hippolyta had ever seen.
Two weeks earlier . . .
While Captain America and the group of teen heroes, led by the Star-Spangled Kid, decorated the Christmas tree, Wonder Woman answered the door. Who was calling so late, she wondered? She opened the front door and gasped. Never had a man taken her breath away before.
"Hi," the man said. "My name is Steve Trevor. Major Trevor, United States Air Force." He was a tall, blonde man with classic features and intense blue eyes. He seemed to be in excellent shape.
Hippolyta realized that she was staring. Pull yourself together, Hippolyta. You're a Queen, for Zeus sake. He's only a man, after all.
"H . . . Hello Major," she stammered, her heart beating faster, "I'm . . . "
"Wonder Woman," he said. "I know. It's an honor to meet such a great woman. I must say, you're much more beautiful in person."
Wonder Woman felt a rush of euphoria when he complimented her. Normally, she didn't like that kind of thing, but this time, she was thrilled by the comment. He thinks I'm beautiful!
"What . . . What can I do for you, Major?" she asked, in an uncharacteristically meek voice.
"Sorry for the late hour," Steve said. "I'm here to see Captain America."
He's so handsome, Hippolyta was thinking, until she realized that he was asking for Cap.
"Oh, yes, of course," she said. "Please, step right this way."
"Call me Steve," he said.
Wonder Woman felt a quiver of excitement, and chided herself for the girlish indulgence. After she introduced Steve to Captain America, she stood back and let the two men talk. She couldn't take her eyes off of Major Trevor. I've never wanted to kiss a man so badly! she thought.
Wonder Woman relived her first meeting with Steve Trevor and felt quite foolish in retrospect. Worse still, she had met him two other times since then and each time, she acted just as silly as the first time. Why did he have this effect on her? Is it just his looks, she wondered? Why did he make her quiver?
In another place, a place unlike Earth . . .
"I told you I could do it," Eros said proudly. "I can make anyone fall in love with whomever I choose."
Eros, God of Love, looked smugly at his diminutive companion, who had a yellow suit and a derby. The devious dwarf seemed to be enjoying the show. "It's a good start," the little man said, "making Wonder Woman go all gooey over some schlemiel in uniform."
"That was an obvious innovation," the young god Eros said. "Since so many of those heroes are already infatuated with the Amazon - Namor, Toro, Plastic Man, and Johnny Thunder - it seemed like the best way to mess with those pompous mortals, who disgrace us all by having god-like powers."
"Their powers ain't nothing compared to mine!" the little man said, "I'd love to mess with them. But I gotta get out of the 5th Dimension to do that! And only one guy I know of can arrange that!"
"Then I will get to work on him next," Eros said. "I'll manipulate him into releasing you in no time."
"And when he does," the dwarf said. "I'll put the stupid, smug Justice Society through their paces!"
Back in the JSA mansion . . .
Wonder Woman stood lost in thought, as the party continued. Her concentration was broken by a knock on the door. Was it him? She waited nervously, as Bucky answered.
Her heart skipped a beat. It was him! Steve Trevor.
"Hiya, Steve," Bucky greeted. "How's tricks?"
"Doing swell, kiddo," Steve Trevor said. "Captain America around?"
"Hey, Cap, Major Trevor wants to see ya!" Bucky called.
Cap crossed the room to meet Steve. Steve Trevor had been assigned to Cap as his personal pilot, chauffeur, and bodyguard. Whenever Cap was required to travel, Steve Trevor was to be there, ensuring that he completed his trip safely.
"Good of you to come on a holiday, Major," Cap said, "Sorry if I took you away from anything."
"No big thing, sir," Trevor said. "I had no big plans. Besides, duty comes first. So, what's the scoop?"
"I have to appear at a function later on," Cap said. "Regulations require that you be the one driving me."
"Roger on that, sir," Steve Trevor commented. "I'm your loyal retainer."
Wonder Woman felt her heart beating faster. Why did he have to be so handsome? She opened a drawer and pulled out some lipstick. She quickly applied it and checked her hair in the mirror. I can't believe I'm acting like this! she thought.
Aphrodite had re-appeared and was watching all this in amusement. "Somebody's got a crush."
Hippolyta was embarrassed that Aphrodite had caught her primping for a man. "I do not have a crush!"
"Of course not," Aphrodite said, with a big smile. "Of course not."
She slipped away. Hippolyta felt stupider than ever.
Steve looked over at Wonder Woman. "Ah, there you are. I was hoping you'd be here, Your Highness. Seeing you is always the highlight on my visit."
Wonder Woman felt the warmth in her cheeks and knew she was blushing. She was hesitant to even look him in the eye, because he made her feel like a shy schoolgirl. "Hello Steve," she said, in a trembling voice. I'm quivering again!
"I never told you how impressed I was at the way you saved the Panama Canal from Von Bach," he said.
Just tell me I'm beautiful again! she thought. "Thank you, Steve. I . . . I . . . Well, thank you."
"I hope this isn't disrespectful," Steve said, "but given it's a special occasion, I wanted to give you this."
To her amazement, he grabbed her, pulled her close and kissed her. As he pressed his lips against hers. Hippolyta was stunned, and momentarily reduced to helpless compliance. To her shock, she actually enjoyed his masterful handling of her.
Steve released her and she stood overwhelmed, her knees weak. "Happy New Year, Your Highness," he said, and returned to Cap. Wonder Woman was speechless. Please do that again!
Miss Venus was back again, smiling. "You quivered."
"I did not!" Hippolyta protested.
"Of course not."
Johnny Thunder was waiting for a flight out to his palatial home in Badnisia. He was looking forward to seeing the royal family again. And he was hoping to get Mom's advice about love. Maybe she, being a queen herself, could give him some advice about wooing Wonder Woman.
Ever since he was a small boy, spirited away from his New York home, because he was the "chosen one", descended from ancient kings, and destined to be the heir and protector of Badnisia, he had loved his adopted mother and respected her advice. She hadn't steered him wrong yet.
Johnny stepped into the men's room. While he was there, a flash of light surprised him. He turned to see the regal, fair-haired form of Eros the Olympian god of love. "Hello, young Mr. Thunder."
Johnny was not the brightest fellow, not the best guy to have around in a crisis. He looked nervously at the newly arrived god. "W-Who are you? What do y-you want?"
"I have come to make your fondest wish come true," Eros said. "I can see to it that Wonder Woman falls hopelessly in love with you."
"You can?" Johnny yelled, excitedly, "How?"
"By using your powerful servant, the Thunderbolt."
"But that won't work," Johnny said. "My Bolt can't make her fall in love. Don't you think I asked?"
"Not without a little bit of assistance," Eros said, holding up a heart shaped talisman. "Use this."
Johnny took the talisman. "So, what do I do with it?"
"Just call your Thunderbolt."
Johnny nodded. "Cei U!" he shouted, summoning his 5th dimensional genie, the Thunderbolt.
The pink mystic being known as the Thunderbolt appeared. "How can I serve you, master John . . . "
The Thunderbolt was cut short in mid sentence by the sight of the talisman. He knew what it really was.
"Oh no!" the Thunderbolt cried. "Master Johnny, you must get rid of that! Quickly!"
"No chance, Bolt," Johnny said. "This is my ticket to romance!"
"It's nothing of the kind!" the Thunderbolt said. "It just allows the door from the Fifth Dimension to remain open long enough for someone to follow me out! You must get rid of that before someone follows me out of the mystic dimension."
The warning came too late. The grinning little man in yellow popped into view. "Too slow, Ytz, my old pal. I'm here. Ah, a new world to pester!"
Johnny Thunder stood, confused by all this. His Thunderbolt was afraid, knowing the power of this new arrival. "Master Johnny, you must command me to act, before he . . . "
Again, the warning came too late. The diminutive newcomer attacked the Thunderbolt with unimaginable mystic power. The Thunderbolt, unable to act without a command from his master, was overcome, and forced back into the 5th Dimension. The little man closed the dimensional door permanently.
"Cei U!" Johnny shouted in fear, realizing that he had made another blunder. "Cei U! Hey, Bolt!"
"He's not coming," the little man said, "I just locked the door, and no one else is coming from my old dimension while I'm still in this one."
"I-I'm calling the Justice Society!" Johnny announced.
"Oh, shut up!" The small stranger said, and turned Johnny into a gold Oscar statue. "That's better."
Eros watched, amused, "And now?" he asked.
"Now, I bring a little humor to this ugly little rock called Earth," the little man said. "It's gonna be fun!"
"You promised to start with Earth's heroes!" Eros reminded him. "They have to pay for daring to have such power! Power that sets them among us Gods! It must not be tolerated! I can't do anything to them directly. If I did, Zeus would have me sealed in stone for eternity. But you can! You promised!"
"Oh sure, I keep my promises," the little man said. "It's my one redeeming feature. I'm gonna shake up this town, and I'm gonna start with the Justice Society!"
Back at the JSA HQ . . .
Bucky, Toro, the Torch and the Fury were sitting together around the radio, talking and listening to music. Plastic Man had ducked out to the kitchen, to satisfy his seemingly endless appetite. Cap was getting ready to leave. As for Wonder Woman, she was standing near the door, talking to Steve Trevor.
She hung on his every word, and soon began to realize that she was laughing like a giddy teenager at all his anecdotes. Why does this man drive me wild? And when is he going to kiss me again?
"When we get back from this trip, could I possibly see you?" Steve asked, "Socially, I mean."
Wonder Woman tried not to show how excited she was. "Yes Steve. I'd like that."
Across the room, Toro was noticing how attentive Hippolyta was being to Steve, and he didn't like it. Just then, the door opened and in came someone Wonder Woman didn't want to see.
The Sub-Mariner entered. He saw Hippolyta and smiled. "Ah, my beautiful Amazon queen. It is a pleasure to feast my eyes upon your beauty again. Come, let me embrace you."
Wonder Woman was awkward and stiff as Namor hugged her. She looked over his shoulder at Steve, who was watching this with an unpleasant look on his face. Wonder Woman pulled herself away from the Atlantean Prince. Namor was surprised.
"It is . . . agreeable to see you again, Prince Namor," Wonder Woman said, coldly. "The others are over there. Why don't you join them? I have to talk to the Major."
The Sub-Mariner looked indignant. He looked at Steve Trevor with intense dislike, but complied with Wonder Woman's request to join the others. She looked at Steve, feeling guilty, as if she had been caught in some adulterous affair. "It's all over between Namor and myself, Steve. I want you to know that."
"He doesn't seem to know that," Steve said.
"He knows. He just won't accept it," she said. "But I'll make him accept it. My life is mine, to do what I please. With whom I please."
Steve brightened up. "I hope I can fit into those plans, somewhere."
Wonder Woman felt herself trembling again. Oh, stop it, Hippolyta! she thought. Then she said, "I'd like nothing better, Steve."
Cap entered the room, carrying an overnight bag. "Whenever you're ready, Major."
"Right, Captain," he said, and looked at Wonder Woman, "I'll see you when I get back, your Highness."
"I'll be looking forward to it," she said, blushing again.
Just then, Cap's overnight bag began to stretch and ooze with a life of its own. "What in the world . . . ?"
The bag reshaped itself into an ostrich, which began running around the room. Cap looked angry. "Plastic Man, I don't have time for games. Kindly stop this tomfoolery."
But to Cap's shock, Plastic Man returned from the kitchen, holding a chicken leg. "You called, Cappo?"
Cap suddenly changed his mood from annoyed to alarmed. Something was happening, and his instincts told him to beware. "Everybody stay sharp! We have a problem!"
"Let me reign in this wild bird," Wonder Woman said, tossing her lasso and roping the ostrich. "Got it!"
The ostrich turned back into an overnight bag. The assembled group heard a cackling laugh which seemed to come from everywhere and no where. The whole room suddenly came alive. Furniture started moving, walking, even dancing. Pictures floated around the room, and mocking faces appeared in the walls.
"What insanity is this?" Namor yelled.
"It's just a bit of fun, you pompous, pointy-eared, flat headed sea monkey!" a mysterious voice echoed.
"Who dares speak to me that way!" the enraged Atlantean shouted.
The little man manifested himself in the center of the room. In his yellow suit and derby, he floated several feet above the floor, smiling a mischievous smile. "I dare, you big dope."
"Who are you?" Cap asked.
"Call me Mr. Mxyzptlk."
"Could you spell that?" Plastic Man asked.
"I don't think I will," the little man said.
"What do you want?" Cap asked.
"Just to liven things up around here," Mxyzptlk said. "You heroes are so stuffy. You didn't even laugh at the dancing sofa. Everyone laughs at the dancing sofa. It's a classic! But not a peep from you super duds!"
"I have had more than enough of this!" Namor yelled, and lunged at Mxyzptlk.
"Temper, temper, water wimp," the little man said, as Namor tried to grab him. He turned Namor's arms and hands into rubber. The sea prince was shocked when his two limbs droop like wet spaghetti.
"By Neptune!" the Sub-Mariner cried. "Am I losing my senses? This can't be!"
"Wanna bet, micro brain?" Mxyzptlk said, chuckling.
Human Torch threw a fireball at the little intruder, but it turned to posies and did no damage.
Miss Venus had returned to the room. She immediately knew what they were up against. "Be careful, all of you! He's a dangerous Imp from the 5th Dimension, a dimension of magic. His power is limitless! He can alter time, space and reality at his whim!"
"Ah, respect!" Mxyzptlk said. "I don't get enough of that. I deserve it!"
"Get to the point!" Cap insisted. "What do you want here?"
"Actually, I was hoping for a little witty repartee, but I can see that I'm not going to get any of that from you boring stuffed shirts." He looked around the room and his eyes settled on Wonder Woman. "Ah, now here's something to put steam in a fellows stride! Hi there, gorgeous! Call me Mxy. Wanna go somewhere quiet and start necking?"
Hippolyta frowned. "If this 'necking' is what I think it is, I certainly do not!"
The imp appeared directly in front of the Amazon Queen. "Pucker up, cutie!"
To her astonishment, she felt herself doing just that, and then found herself in an unwilling lip-lock with Mxyzptlk.
"Leave her alone!" Steve Trevor yelled.
Wonder Woman managed to pull herself away from the imp. "Steve, please, stay out of this!"
"Such a chivalrous gentlemen, protecting the lady!" Mxyzptlk said. "Let's see how gallant you are when I turn you into a baboon." He pointed at Trevor.
"No!" Wonder Woman said, throwing herself protectively between Steve and the imp. "Don't you hurt him! I'll kiss you if you want, but don't hurt Steve!"
Namor heard the tone of concern in Hippolyta's voice. He heard her fear that Trevor would be hurt. And Namor didn't like it one bit! She would kiss an enemy to protect this man?
"This is a touching scene," Mxyzptlk said. "I'm just gonna cry, I tell ya."
While Mxyzptlk was distracted, Cap slide over to Venus' side. "This guy is too strong for the few of us. Can you bring the cavalry?"
"I'll do so at once," Venus said, preparing to vanish.
"No need for that," the imp said, having heard the conversation. "I'll fetch them for you."
In an instant, the rest appeared. Flash, Sentinel, Dr. Mid-Nite, Black Canary, Wildcat, Hulk, and Dr. Fate . . . They were all present and accounted for. And all in costume, as well.
"What's happening?" Sentinel asked.
Cap pointed to the imp. "That, my friends, is Mr. Mxyzptlk. And he's more powerful than he looks."
"I know of this chaos inducing fiend," Dr. Fate said. "We must all beware! His abilities are beyond your mortal ken!"
"That's telling 'em, Doc. Well, introductions are over," the little imp said. "Time to play."
With a snap of his fingers, the whole team vanished. Only Steve, Miss Venus, and Mxyzptlk remained.
"What have you dome with them?" Steve Trevor asked.
The imp rubbed his hands together, in a gesture of excitement. "Just sent them somewhere that they could learn to appreciate laughter a little more. I sent them somewhere . . . looney!"
In an animated landscape of talking animals, where the normal laws of physics do not apply, Mr. Mxyzptlk presents . . .
(Fanfare, theme song)
Starring: Cat of America. Wonder Wabbit. Prince Norman the Sea Lion. Baa Baa the Can Eating Kidd. Flashing Frog. The Senti-Pede. The Furry. Plastic Mamba. Doctor Moose Knight. Doctor Ferret. The Blonde Canary. The Hippo Torch, and Burrow. Krazykat. The Rampaging Tusk.
Narrator: "In the Castle of Critters, headquarters of Just a Squadron of Animals, Cat of America, leader of the worlds greatest heroes, calls a meeting of his team of . . . "
"Oh, shut up!" Cat of America (an American shorthaired tabby) yelled at the Narrator. "I have important super-hero stuff to attend to. Ten-Hut, team! We have problems! The Unjust Squad of Animals has challenged us to try and stop them from poisoning nuts and berries in forests all over the country."
"Gasp!" Flashing Frog (a swamp frog) gasped. "That's bad!"
"I concur!" Senti-Pede (a centipede, with a ring on one of his hundred legs) said.
"They must be stopped!" Wonder Wabbit (a snowshoe rabbit) said.
"So what are we waiting for?" The Hippo Torch (a hippopotamus) said.
"Let's kick some butt!" Burrow (a mole) said.
"Watch your language, son," Doctor Moose Knight (an Alaskan moose) said.
"I agree with the boy," Norman the Sea Lion (a sea lion) announced. "Let us thrash the vermin!"
"Yeah!" Baa Baa the Can Eating Kidd (a goat) said.
"They're asking for it," the Furry (a fox) stated.
"Tusk smash!" Tusk (a Bull Elephant) said.
"That's tellin' 'em Tusky!" the Plastic Mamba (a snake) added.
"We're all in agreement," the Blonde Canary (a Canary) said.
"Right," Cat of America said. "There's no more time for talk. Those felonious fiends must be taught a lesson in goodness immediately. We must break into teams and give them what for!"
"Let's do it!" Krazykat (a black cat) yelled, eagerly.
Everyone was psyched up and ready to rush out, except Doctor Ferret, (obviously, a ferret) who knew that something was wrong here. "Wait!"
"What's wrong, Doc?" Cat of America said, "We have bad critters to thrash!"
"Critters?" Dr. Ferret said, "No, we should not be fighting 'Critters'!"
"What do you mean?" Wonder Wabbit asked. "Who else would we fight?"
"Humans," Ferret said.
Everyone laughed. The idea was ridiculous.
"Humans!" Plastic Mamba said, mockingly. "What have you been smoking, Doc?"
"Humans are a myth," Dr. Moose Knight said. "Like dragons. They don't exist."
"They do exist!" Dr. Ferret said. "We should be humans! We were human!"
"Tusk not understand?" the powerful pachyderm said.
"Neither do the rest of us," Krazykat said.
"I assure you!" Doctor Ferret said. "This is not the real us! We are humans!"
The team of talking animals refuted this belief, in a loud fashion.
"Wait!" Cat of America said, "He's right! I remember! I'm Captain America! I'm not a damn cat! And we shouldn't be in some cartoon world. Look at this place! The bright colors, the two dimensions. The floor feels like rubber and we bounce when we walk! This is not right! We're people! We don't belong here!"
While the rest of the team began to feel the vestiges of their memory rise, Cat of America disappeared.
Captain America reappeared in the mansion of Miss Venus. He was happy to see the real world again, and even happier to see that he wasn't a cat anymore. Steve Trevor and Miss Venus greeted him.
"Are you all right?" Miss Venus asked.
"Don't worry about me," Cap said.
"Where are the others?" Steve asked. "Is Wonder Woman all right?"
"She's a rabbit."
"Excuse me?" Trevor asked.
"Later," Cap said, and he approached Mr. Mxyzptlk, who was still floating blissfully in the room.
"You are absolutely no fun at all," Mxyzptlk said. "I turn you into a cute, fuzzy, talking, anthropomorphic kitty cat, in a fun Looney Toons world, and you haveta go and spoil it with that big speech. You and Dr. Dull ruined a great moment of comic genius."
"My heart bleeds for you, Mxyzptlk," Cap said. "Let's get down to business. You like playing games? Fine! But let me know the rules?"
"Rules?" the imp asked, surprised by the request.
"Yes, rules," Cap said, "We humans are of race of competitors. We compete for everything. But one thing we've learned is that a game has to have rules. It makes things more fun and much more challenging."
"Rules, huh," Mxyzptlk mused. "Okay, I'm willing to give it a try. Let's see. Hmmm. Ah, I've got one! You have to try and get me to say my name backwards. If I can do that within twelve of your hours, I'll return to the 5th Dimension permanently. But if you can't, in the time allowed, you go back to cartoon world forever, and I have your world to play with for all eternity."
"High stakes," Cap said. "Can I have my team back to help me? You can always send them back again."
"Why not?" Mxyzptlk said, and with a gesture, brought the team back.
The whole JSA returned, back in their human forms.
"I've never been treated so . . . " Namor began.
"Quiet!" Cap ordered. Namor didn't like being ordered around but he reluctantly obeyed.
"Catch me if you can," Mxyzptlk said, and floated out through the wall.
"Everyone outside!" Cap said, and the team responded.
Outside, Mxyzptlk hovered in the air, a hundred feet up. His voice echoed for miles. "Looks like a cloudy day. Lets bring them down for a closer look, shall we?"
The magical imp turned the clouds to stone and the giant boulders fell towards the city of Washington DC.
"They'll destroy the city if they hit!" Black Canary yelled.
"Sentinel! Fate! Move!" Cap commanded.
Sentinel and Dr. Fate flew to the air and used their combined powers to try and stop the falling mountains of rock. Fate turned some of the rocks weightless and they floated back to the sky. The Sentinel used his ring to catch some of them, but there were so many that he was starting to feel overtaxed. He wondered if even he and Fate could stop them all.
One of the stone clouds passed Fate and the Sentinel and got very near the city. The Hulk grunted and leaped into the air with fantastic force. He hit the stone cloud like a cannonball, shattering it into a thousand tiny pieces. The Flash ran at super-speed, yanking people out of the path of the falling pieces, while the Human Torch and Toro tried their best to incinerate the falling rocks before they hit the ground. Wonder Woman batted stones away from buildings and people with her bracelets. Plastic Man turned into a trampoline and deflected some of the debris. The Sub-Mariner used his strength to catch some of the larger ones.
Cap nodded, proud of his team. They had succeeded, and no one was injured. But this wasn't over!
"What sort of fun and games can I get into next?" the little Imp asked, looking around for a new target.
Sentinel landed, having deposited the stone clouds on the bottom of the river. He was mentally fatigued from the exertion.
Flash rushed to his side. "You feeling up to helping me out with a wild plan?" Flash asked.
"I'll be fine," Sentinel said. "What's the plan?"
Meanwhile, Mxyzptlk was turning the streets to quicksand, causing pedestrians and cars to sink into the muck. The JSA members rushed to the rescue. All but the Flash and Sentinel, who had another agenda. The Flash confronted Mxyzptlk. "I wasn't here when you were introduced. I need to know your name if I'm to make you say it backwards."
Mxyzptlk thought about it for a second, wary of a trick, but his overconfidence in his power and lack of respect for human intelligence caused him to make an unwise decision. "The name is . . . " he began.
Before he could complete the sentence and say his name, the Flash ran at a certain speed, faster than sound, which has been known to cause a distortion for sound waves. Meanwhile, the Sentinel had used his magic ring to create a giant tuning fork and a gramophone speaker. The combined effect of the three sound altering tactics caused a unique sound/time distortion. The total effect made sounds echo backwards. Words reversed themselves.
When Mxyzptlk said his name, the sound waves reversed and the word came out backwards. "Kltpzyxm."
"Yes!" Flash said. "I wasn't sure it would work. It was all theoretical."
"It was a good theory," Sentinel said to the Flash, as the two men high-fived.
Mxyzptlk realized that he'd been tricked. He threw his hat to the ground and ranted, spitting out 5th dimensional profanities.
"We had an agreement," Cap said to the imp. "Are you going to live up to your part of the bargain?"
"I keep my promises," Mr. Mxyzptlk said. "It's my one redeeming feature. All right, human. You win this one. I underestimated you. But eventually I'll find a loophole, and when I do, I'll be back . . . you pathetic little human fleas are gonna pay!"
Mxyzptlk faded from sight. As he did, the effects of his magic faded with him. The clouds turned back to vapor and the streets turned back to asphalt. The furniture stopped dancing.
In the airport men's room, some people where studying the gold Oscar-like statue of the youth with the bow tie. Suddenly, Johnny Thunder reverted to his human form. "This has been a rotten day!" he whined.
Later, Cap congratulated the Flash on his quick thinking and then the JSA members dispersed. The Flash returned to Joan, and the others went back to where they had been. Cap and the team members who had been at the party returned to the mansion. Steve Trevor, Fury, and Plastic Man accompanied them.
"I'm beat," Bucky said. "Getting turned into a cartoon really takes it out of me. I'm turning in."
Everyone else agreed that the party was over and it was time to rest. Cap patted Steve Trevor on the shoulder. "Ready to go now, major?"
"Ready, Captain," Trevor said, and then smiled at Wonder Woman. "Walk me to the car, your highness?"
Wonder Woman smiled. "I'd be happy to accompany you, Steve."
Steve extended his arm. She gladly took his arm and accompanied him out. Toro, Plas, and most especially Namor, watched this, and none of them were very happy. Miss Venus watched this. She was an expert on love, and she knew that sometimes it could lead to the fall of a great thing. Just like Camelot. She couldn't help but worry.
Next issue: A Valentine's Day special. The Sentinel courts Harlequin. Wonder Woman moves closer to Steve Trevor, despite the objections of her other four admirers. Captain America meets an old flame. Plus, the return of Max Mercury! All this, and the Blue Diamond finally springs his long-planned trap.