The all-powerful ghostly being had come to Earth, the planet that was once his home. But that was back when he was Jim Corrigan. That was back when he was alive. Before the Great Presence made him into the spiritual embodiment of Justice . . . The Spectre!
The ghostly white Spectre, in his emerald cloak, stood on a mountaintop and looked out on all the world. He was in every country and looked into every soul. There was so much evil to be fought. So much justice needed to be served. Could this human race be saved?
Another mystical being joined the Spectre on the hilltop. Dr. Fate set down on the peak, next to the powerful Justice Spirit.
"I can guess the thoughts that plague you, Spectre," Fate said. "You worry for this race which we are both tied to and sworn to protect. You wonder if they can be saved."
"I wonder if they are worthy of salvation, Fate," the Spectre said. "So base and debauched. So much evil! This Hitler, for one!"
"A vile creature," Fate said, "but not representative of the entire race. Most of the mortals are only guilty of being weak. But there is a seed of greatness in them. We have seen people achieve this greatness. Don't be too harsh with them, Spectre. They are evolving."
"But into what, Fate? They can become beings of great and powerful good, or of unimaginable evil. That is, assuming they survive at all. I pity these mortals. Their greatness is wasted under the veil of their weakness. And this war . . . "
"A war instigated by beings beyond their ken," Fate pointed out. "Instigated by the Dark Council."
"It was very easy to drive them to war," the Spectre said. "They do it all the time, without a nudge from the gods."
"True, but in this case, I believe we have seen more heroism and bravery than we have evil."
"You're an optimist, Fate," the Spectre said. "I cannot be. I must view reality as it is and judge impartially. When this war is over, who will be judged?"
"Will the war rage for much longer?" Fate asked.
"I foresee another two years, Earth time," the Spectre said. "But the conclusion is veiled from me. The future is uncertain. There are so many possible paths that could be followed, and I cannot tell which will be the final destiny of this race."
Fate looked out at the Earth and sky, the sun shining off his golden helmet. "In the meantime, the war is going well. Italy is falling, a piece at a time and will soon be totally in allied hands. It started to fall when the mortal Generals Montgomery and Patton invaded, taking Palermo, Sicily, and other cities. The incursion of the Hulk into Italy, and the damage he caused, began a domino effect that has hastened the final fall of Italy. Mussolini has been ousted."
"When the war ends, I will bring him to Justice!" the Spectre said.
"He was important to the Dark council, but now he is nothing," Fate said. "And there is more good news. The Sub-Mariner has done considerable damage to the German U-boats in the Atlantic. British General Montgomery has driven Hitler's vaunted Africa Corps all the way back across Northern Africa, with the valuable help of Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Weapon X, and some jungle man. Africa will soon be lost to the Third Reich."
"It is fortunate that Hawkman and Logan are immune to the effects of the Spear of Destiny," Spectre commented.
Fate nodded. "Wonder Woman prevented General Von Bach from destroying the Panama Canal. And Captain America's frequent successful sabotage missions behind enemy lines have been the best thing for the morale of the troops in the European Theater of war. And so you see, there is reason for hope."
"Yes, we can always hope, can't we," the Spectre said. "Even the gods can hope. The Earth is a Temporal Nexus Point, crucial to the future of the universe. We must hope for the best. And now, excuse me, Fate. I sense that there is something that I will need to do very soon. Judgment cannot be delayed. I go."
The Spectre vanished. Fate remained for a time, until the Lords of Order summoned him. There was always so much work to do. So much evil to fight!
Back in the USA, in the mansion HQ of the JSA . . .
Captain America had just called in the troops. He wanted everyone assembled and ready. Namor and Toro had been injured by a strange creature, which seemed to mimic their abilities. Wonder Woman's sidekick, the Fury, was missing. Cap had an overall bad feeling about all this. The Human Torch had gone on an errand to retrieve some unspecified "extra fire power." Cap didn't press the issue. He trusted the Torch.
As Cap waited for the others to arrive, Plastic Man made another of his unscheduled appearances in the mansion of Miss Venus. He was carrying flowers for Wonder Woman.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Plas said, "The man of a thousand shapes is back. No autographs, please. I come bearing gifts. Hi there, my pretty Polly? I stole these posies from the nicest garden I could find."
"Please, not now, Plastic-Man," she said. "Things are tense at the moment."
"Tell me how I can help ya, Wonder Babe," Plas said. "Like a nice massage?"
"Plastic Man!" the Amazon Queen snapped, angrily.
"Sorry, my little Honeysuckle Rose," Plas said. "I'll be serious. Tell me what to do. I'm yours to command, oh beauty queen."
Namor stood up, irate. "We must have words, Plastic Man. She is not 'your' Polly. She is my Hippolyta!"
"Oh yeah, pointy ears!" Plas snapped back. "Well, you've got a flat head!"
"Stay away from my woman!" Namor roared.
"Should we duel for her?" Plas asked, turning his arm into a rapier.
Toro, lying on a sofa, still injured from the battle with the creature earlier, was listening to this. Oh, just great! he thought, dismayed. Not only do I have to compete with the prince of Atlantis, I also have to contend with this rubber maniac!
Namor marched toward Plastic man. "You wish to fight for Wonder Woman's hand, then so be it!"
Namor threw a punch at Plas, but the pliable hero was too flexible and quick to be caught by such an attack.
"Temper, temper, Princey," Plastic Man said. "Naughty, Naughty!"
Wonder Woman stepped in between the two. "Stop this!" she ordered, forcefully. "The Fury is missing and a powerful enemy is stalking us. This is no time for your testosterone filled antics! We should act like a team!"
Namor pointed at Plastic Man. "This fool is not one of us! He is not a member of the Justice Society!"
"Oh sure, bring that up!" Plas quipped, with a mock indignant tone.
"True, he's not a JSA member," Captain America said, annoyed. "But he is an ally, and we may need his help. So just holster your ego and deal with your personal problem later. After we take care of this mimicking monster, you two can beat the living tar out of each other for all I care. But for right now, behave yourselves!"
Plastic Man saluted. "Aye, aye, Cappo!"
Namor sneered, but eventually saw the wisdom in Caps words. "Very well, Captain. I will hold off on punishing this buffoon. But the very minute this crisis is over . . . "
"Promises, promises," Plastic Man quipped.
Bucky the Star-Spangled Kid, was watching all this from a seat in the corner. "And I thought I was immature," he chuckled.
Soon, other members of the team showed up. The Black Canary and Dr. Mid-Nite arrived. Even reserve member Starman, who happened to be in the area on personal business, answered the call. The Blue Diamond called to say that he would be late.
Wonder Woman paced. She was concerned about the Fury. Was Helena all right? Where was she?
Captain America was wondering about the location of the Sentinel, who had not responded to the summons. Was he in danger was well? Where was he?
Meanwhile, across town . . .
Sentinel stood on a rooftop, facing the Fury, who was poised to attack him. Behind her stood the woman who was controlling her actions. The mentally imbalanced Harlequin had used her Hypno-Goggles to mesmerize the young heroine, using her as bait for the Sentinel. Now, she had commanded Fury to act as bodyguard against the Sentinel. She even commanded the Fury to kill herself if the Sentinel got passed her. The Fury, having no will of her own, was forced to obey. She stood protectively between the Sentinel and Harlequin.
As for the Sentinel himself, he had also received a dose of Harlequin's hypnotic power. In his case, however, the Harlequin thought it would be more fun to toy with the stalwart hero by filling his brain with an obsessive love for her. The Sentinel had become consumed with thoughts about the Harlequin since their last meeting. He wanted her badly. But he tried as best he could to fight the urge, and do his duty as a hero and protector of the people.
But the passion for her was already affecting his better judgment. He had ignored Captain America's emergency summons, because he received a message from Harlequin. He'd been looking for her, and even learned her identity of Molly Maynne. As soon as he received her signal, he raced to see her, not knowing what he'd do once he got there.
The Harlequin's warped, unfathomable thoughts were a maze of divergent ideas. She enjoyed creating chaos. She hated corporate America. She enjoyed turning the Fury into an obedient slave. She hated broccoli. And most of all, she was attracted to this Sentinel. And he was helplessly drawn to her. A powerful and noble hero, handsome as well, was under her spell, lost in love. This is great! she thought.
"You called me here," the Sentinel said, trying to sound emotionless. "What is it you want, Molly?"
"I should be asking you that," she said. "You've been looking for me, haven't you?"
"I believe you had something to do with that," the Sentinel said. "You know what I mean."
"You're saying, 'you made me love you', is that it?" she asked. "Now why would I do such a thing?"
"Why have you turned young Fury here into a zombie?" he asked. "You enjoy this stuff."
"But she makes such a cute zombie," Harlequin countered.
"Why not let her go and let the two of us talk privately?" Sentinel said to Harlequin.
"I think I like having a buffer," Harlequin said. "I'm so insecure."
"Let's get on with this, Molly," Sentinel said. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Us!" she said.
The Sentinel was surprised. "Us? What do you mean?"
"I want to talk about our future!" she said, smiling.
The Answer was reprogramming the mimicking creature he had built and dubbed the Carbon Copy Man. He had been watching on the crystal ball given him by the Enchantress and seen the android do well in its initial outing. The Answer was pleased. Now, with a few final adjustments, he sent the Carbon Copy Man to destroy the Justice Society.
"Go!" the Answer ordered his creation. "Kill my JSA partners. Do it in the name of my precious Amora!"
Captain America decided not to wait for the Sentinel any longer. He started the meeting. Bucky, Toro, Namor, Black Canary, Dr. Mid-Nite, Starman, Plastic Man, and Wonder Woman listened attentively to the living legend.
"All right, here's what we're going to do," Cap said. "We're going to search for the Fury. We'll split into teams. The search will encompass . . . "
Just then, they heard a crash, as if something had smashed through a wall. "Follow me!" Cap ordered.
They ran to the rear of the mansion. In the library, they saw a creature standing in front of a hole in the wall. It was a four-part combo of Namor, Hippolyta, Bucky, and Toro in his flaming form.
"That's it!" shouted Wonder Woman. "That's what we fought earlier!"
"Who are you?" Cap asked. "Can you speak?"
As it stood silently, the Carbon Copy Man was sensing their biological presence and using that to activate duplicate powers already imprinted in it by the Super-Cell, which had been provided by the Grandmaster.
Suddenly, the Carbon Copy Man's appearance changed. It became an amalgam of Cap, Bucky, Toro, Namor, Starman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Wonder Woman, and the Black canary. It was like a composite photo made up of bits and pieces of each of the JSA members present.
"What on Earth . . . ?" Cap wondered.
"You . . . must . . . be . . . destroyed!" the creature said.
"How rude!" Plastic Man snapped.
"Its intentions seem fairly clear," Wonder Woman said.
"It only seems to have copied the powers of the JSA members," Dr. Mid-Nite noted. "Not Plastic Man's."
"Good spot!" Cap said to Mid-Nite. "You're right. So we JSA members will lead the charge. Plas, wait until we distract him then take your best shot!"
Plastic Man saluted, acknowledging his cooperation. Cap led the JSA members to the attack. All except Wonder Woman. Before she could charge into battle, her three suitors all jumped in front of her, protectively. She couldn't get past. "Stop that!" she yelled. "Out of my way!"
While half the team was concerned with protecting Wonder Woman - who really didn't need their protection - the Carbon Copy Man took advantage of the distraction, and hit them with powers equal to their own. He held off Namor with Toro-like flame. Singed, Namor had to go to the pool to recover. The enemy used Starman-like gravity powers to make Cap's shield too heavy to lift. Dr. Mid-Nite and Bucky were battered by strength equal to Namor and Hippolyta. And it was immune to Toro's flame and so was able to wade through Toro's own fiery offense and slap down the boy.
The way was clear for Wonder Woman to finally take the battle to the creature. She did her best to hold it off as long as she could, giving the others time to act.
Black Canary unleashed her sonic scream. Since the Carbon Copy Man now had Namor's increased hearing, this attack stunned the creature. Plastic-Man figured that this was a good time to attack, and shaped himself into a triceratops-like creature with big horns, and rammed into the Carbon Copy Man.
Cap, minus his shield, joined them, urging them on. "Keep it up! Don't let up on him!"
The Carbon Copy Man staged a quick comeback, combining Toro's heat with Namor's electric eel powers and unleashed it. It stunned Cap, Black Canary and Plastic Man. Wonder Woman was also stunned but still conscious. The Carbon Copy Man pummeled her. She put up a fight but she was at too much of a disadvantage. She was losing.
Namor returned from the pool, recovered and at full strength. The first thing he did was to scoop Wonder Woman out of the fight and carry her to a safe place. Hippolyta was livid.
"Stop protecting me!" she yelled. "I am the Queen of the Amazons, and I don't need any man's protection!"
Before she could react, Namor yanked her lasso off her hip and looped it around her. "What are you doing?" she demanded to know.
"I command you to stay out of this fight!" Namor commanded.
"Great Hera!" she cried. "Bound by my lasso, I must obey!"
Namor hog-tied the Amazon and left her lying on the floor. He then launched himself back into the fray and attacked the Carbon Copy Man, although he didn't seem to have a prayer.
Wonder Woman muttered angrily, as she struggled to free herself from the lasso. "Arrogant, pig-headed . . . "
Namor was easily defeated. The creature then came after Wonder Woman. Before she could free herself completely from the lasso, the Carbon Copy Man grabbed the end. "Merciful Minerva!" Wonder Woman gasped, "Now I'm in his power!"
The Carbon Copy Man yanked the lasso and spun the still bound Wonder Woman around in the air like a propeller, finally slamming her into the floor. She had the air knocked out of her and passed out.
Sentinel listened to Harlequin talk, aroused by the sound of her voice, by the way she tossed her red hair, by her legs . . . by everything about her. He wanted her!
"Think what you and I could do together," Harlequin said. "Your power and my screwy ideas. We even have the blonde tramp here to use as we see fit. We could change the world! We could destroy all the corrupt robber barons and make the world better for the little people. The people like my father."
Sentinel wondered what Harlequin would say if she knew that he was one of the corporate raiders she hated so much. He tried to reason with her. "I'm sorry about what happened to your father, Molly, I really am, but what you're doing won't help anyone. Destroying buildings kills innocent bystanders inside. Crushing cops is pointless since they're the blue-collar guys you're trying to help. Believe me, Molly, this is not the right way to go about this. Think about it and you'll see I'm right. If you'll just release the Fury and come with me. I promise I'll give you a forum for your grievances, so you can make social change within the law. Please, don't make me fight you!"
Harlequin seemed to waver for a moment. Something he said seemed to affect her. "I . . . I need to think," she said. "I need to be alone. Just go away. I'll find you again. We'll talk again. But not now! Just let me alone!"
"All right, I'll let you go. But what about the Fury?" Sentinel asked. "Will you let her go?"
Harlequin looked at the entranced girl, hesitating. "All right," Harlequin said, finally.
Harlequin looked into the Fury's eyes and the Hypno-Goggles flashed to life, flooding the Amazon-in-training's mind with impulses. Suddenly, the Fury when limp and fell in a swoon.
Sentinel ran to catch her. "What did you do to her?"
"Relax, handsome," Harlequin said. "If I had released her and let her stay awake, she'd have snapped my neck like a brittle little twig. So I made her sleep. She'll be fine. Take her home. Just keep her away from me. Because if she comes after me, either she's gonna kill me or I'm gonna kill her."
Sentinel nodded, having given his word to let her go. "Get going, before she wakes up," Sentinel said.
Harlequin smiled a seductive smile, fully aware of the effect it had on him. She knew he was tormented with love for her that he couldn't control. "See you soon, stud. I'll be in touch."
Blowing him a kiss, she leaped from the roof onto another, lower roof and vanished into the shadows like a cat.
"Yeah," Sentinel said. "I'll see you soon."
He picked up the sleeping Fury and carried her back to JSA HQ.
Flash had ended his hiatus, and was returning to the JSA. He was happy to be seeing his old friends again. He planned to invite them all to another Thanksgiving party.
Then he heard the noise, a sound he was very familiar with . . . the sound of battle! Something was definitely wrong. "Some things never change!" he muttered, and raced inside.
Once he entered, and quickly searched the house until he reached the library. There, he saw the amalgam creature standing over the unconscious forms of Captain America, Bucky, Toro, Namor, Black Canary, Dr. Mid-Nite, Starman, Plastic Man, and Wonder Woman.
The Carbon Copy Man spotted him, instantly analyzing him and copying his speed powers. Part of his body became a copy of the same part of Flash's body.
"You . . . must . . . be . . . destroyed!" it said.
It charged at the Flash. Although the scarlet speedster was taken by surprise, he managed to evade the initial attack. A chase began. At first, it was limited to the house, then the yard, then the whole block, quickly expanding and expanding. The Flash tried several counter attacks, but the Carbon Copy Man had greater speed, since it also had Wonder Woman's speed, and seemed to be pre-programmed with a knowledge of the Flash's methods of attack and had defenses prepared. Also, it had the powers of several other JSA members. The Flash was on the defensive, trying to stay away from it until he could come up with a possible attack strategy.
Just then, the cavalry arrived. The Human Torch returned, leading a group of reinforcements . . . The Creature Commandos!
Dyna-Mite. The Sub-Zero Man. The Living Bomb. The Heap. The War-Wolf. Orca the Killer Whale. The Glob. The Missing Link.
Androids all, created by Phineas T. Horton, and trained in combat by the immortal warrior called the Hurricane. Their months of training would finally be tested, in battle with another android, one of immense power. They joined the fight in the vacant lot down the street from the JSA manor.
At first, the mimicking enemy was too quick for the Commandos and the Torch to target. But the Flash managed to use his special power to siphon off some of the Carbon Copy Man's speed. The amalgam creature was prepared for this and managed to block the Flash from totally stealing all its super-speed, but it did slow down enough so that the greater number possessed by the Commandos could surround it.
The Human Torch and the Creature Commandos swarmed over the Carbon Copy Man. Dyna-Mite bounced with kinetic energy, firing himself at the enemy like a bullet. The Sub-Zero Man tried to freeze the creature. The Living Bomb unleashed explosive force. The Heap tried to absorb its energy. The War Wolf slashed at it with razor-sharp claws. The Glob tried to ooze inside the amalgam creature through any orifice. Orca and the Missing Link battered at it with their considerable size and strength.
The Human Torch let loose with a fury of fiery vengeance, leading the Commandos with an authority that would make even Captain America impressed. He was determined to destroy the Carbon Copy Man.
Flash, the Torch, and the Creature Commandos fought the Carbon Copy Man to a draw, until the Sentinel returned, carrying the Fury. Instantly, the Carbon Copy Man added him to his amalgam form and copied his powers.
Although Fury was still asleep, the Sentinel rushed to join the fray, after putting the Fury in a safe place. The Sentinel released the incredible power of the Starheart from his magic ring.
But something went wrong. The only thing the Sentinel seemed to be able to create was images of the Harlequin. She was all that was on his mind, and he couldn't erase the vision of her from his thoughts after having seen her only minutes ago. He was still hot with passion. And so, since his ring made his thoughts solid, he could only create various images of his fantasy girl, the Harlequin.
While he tried to focus his thoughts, the Carbon Copy Man utilized his own Starheart power and blasted the distracted Sentinel, knocking him unconscious. Then, using the incredible powers of the Sentinel and the other JSA members, the Carbon Copy Man proceeded to plow through the Creature Commandos as if they were children.
The Torch angrily made a beeline for the enemy, but was blasted out of the air. He and the Creature Commandos were then trapped in a green energy cage. That left the Flash alone again, facing off against the seemingly unbeatable monster. He was faster than the beast now, but it was still very powerful and slowly regaining its lost speed. Soon, it would be faster than the Flash again. The Flash wished he had help.
As if in answer to a prayer, Dr. Fate appeared.
"Glad to see you, Doc," the Flash said. "This thing is no friend of ours!"
Dr. Fate nodded and raised his hands to cast a spell. But before he could act, the Carbon Copy Man copied his power and retaliated with equal paranormal energy. The Two magical beings clashed. The Flash tried to help Fate, but the creature was so powerful, it didn't seem like anything could stop it.
Dr. Mid-Nite had awoken and was watching the fight from afar. He had studied the creature and he thought he had spotted a weakness. He noticed Captain America recovering and getting to his feet.
"What's the situation?" Cap asked.
"I think I have a strategy," Dr. Mid-Nite said, "The creature only seems to be able to copy the powers of members of the Justice Society and no one else. He wants to destroy the JSA."
"How does that help us?" Cap asked.
"What if there were no JSA?" Mid-Nite suggested.
Cap immediately grasped onto the idea. "Doc, you're a genius!"
Cap got within earshot of the Carbon Copy Man. "By my authority as leader of the Justice Society of America, I officially disband the team. The JSA no longer exists!"
The Carbon Copy Man hesitated, as if it didn't know what to do next. It was supposed to kill the members of the Justice Society. But now there was no Justice Society. What was it to do now?
While the Creature debated, locked in a logic loop, Dr. Fate used his power to disrupt the Carbon Copy Man's systems. The android teetered, damaged. Flash had an idea to finish off the monster.
Running around the world at the speed of light and increasing his mass, he rammed the Creature at near-infinite mass, sending it hurtling through the sky, badly damaged. It came down in a secluded area near the docks. The area was condemned and due for demolition.
The Carbon Copy Man crashed to the ground, his systems severely impaired. The Flash followed his trajectory and arrived just at the monster hit the pavement. The speedster then proceeded to vibrate through it, turning the monster into a giant accelerated particle bomb.
The Carbon Copy Man exploded in a huge blast, destroying most of the buildings in the area that were going to be bulldozed anyway. The Flash outran the explosion. He watched, making sure that the flying debris didn't reach any residential areas. No one was hurt, but explosion scared the hell out of a lot of people.
"I have a lot of explaining to do," he mumbled.
Later . . .
Captain America, Flash, an army representative, and the local police were discussing the explosion. Dr. Fate had vanished again, as usual. Starman volunteered to use his gravity power to carry the damaged Torch and Commandos back to Dr. Horton's lab for repairs. Dr. Mid-Nite was seeing to the injuries of the other members. Fortunately, no one was badly hurt. The Blue Diamond showed up late.
"I see that I missed something," he said.
"You're in time for the clean-up," Flash said, patting his buddy on the shoulder.
Meanwhile, Wonder Woman scolded Namor. "How dare you?" she shouted. "If you ever dare to do such a thing to me again . . . "
"You are beautiful when you're angry," Namor said.
Hippolyta threw up her hands. "Hopeless!" She noticed that Toro and Plastic Man were also staring adoringly at her. This does not bode well, she thought.
The Star-Spangled Kid checked on the Fury who was just waking up. He filled her in on everything. She was unhappy with her performance. "I'm sorry I ran out on you," she said, embarrassed. "I wasn't afraid. I just wanted to get some help."
"It's okay," Bucky said. "I know. You're a swell warrior. You'll be a great addition to our junior JSA."
"We need a better name than that," the Fury commented.
"I have to agree," Bucky replied.
Meanwhile, Namor tried to charm his way back into Wonder Woman's good graces. Toro and Plastic Man let their dissatisfaction be known by their expressions.
Black Canary noticed that Dr. Mid-Nite was watching this disapprovingly. "What's up, Doc?" she asked. "You have the look of a college Professor who caught his prize student cheating."
Dr. Mid-Nite shook his head. "I can see a big problem coming. Three people in love with the same woman."
"Three?" the Canary asked. "I only know about Namor and Plas. Whose number three?"
He glanced over at Toro but said nothing. "I prefer not to comment. But I see trouble coming."
Later . . .
Everything settled down. Everyone welcomed the too long absent Flash back, especially his friend the Blue Diamond. The Sentinel was also very close to the Flash and welcomed him back warmly. Cap thanked him for his impressive contribution to the fight. In return, the Flash invited them all to a Thanksgiving Party.
Thanksgiving, 1943 . . . The home of Jay and Joan Garrick.
The entire JSA was there. All twelve regular members, including the newest member, the Blue Diamond. Plus, there were auxiliary members Starman and Wildcat, also in attendance. Team liaison Uncle Sam was there, as was their sometime ally Plastic Man. The Fury attended as well.
Everyone had a good time, even though Wonder Woman had to break up a few near fights over her, between Namor and Plas. Toro remained cool, keeping his love a secret from all but the observant Dr. Mite-Nite, and Hippolyta herself, who suspected his feelings for her. The day, on the whole, was a success.
As usual, Cap was asked to say a few words. He stood and looked around at his extended family. He loved these people. At times like this, even Cap felt choked up. Before he could speak, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Joan said.
Cap waited until she returned before he spoke. Joan opened the door, and gasped, stepping back, alarmed. In stepped a huge, hulking figure, seven feet tall and heavily muscled. He wore a gray suit, and had gray skin.
"I knew you'd all be here," the gigantic newcomer said in a deep, familiar voice.
Everyone rose in shock.
"Thomas?" the Black Canary said, stunned.
"Holy cow," Bucky said. "It's the Hulk!"
"And he's wearing a suit!" Plas added.
The Hulk stood calmly in the doorway, as big and powerful as ever . . . and yet, something was different. He was more graceful, looking dapper in his suit. He held his hat politely in his hand. He smiled at the Black Canary.
"Hiya, honey," the Hulk said. "I'm home. And I'm not the man you remember."
Black Canary stood with her jaw hanging in amazement. Even Dr. Mid-Nite was taken aback. "You're talking like Thomas, but you're in the Hulk's body," he remarked.
"Like I said, things have changed," the Hulk said. "I got brains as well as muscle now, and the world had better look out!"
No one knew how to respond.
Later that evening, one of the Flash's guests arrived in the secret lair of the Answer. This particular JSA member actually was the Answer. He had assimilated more data about the team from their Thanksgiving party. Every minute with them was a fountain of information. And knowledge is power. He had lots of ammunition against his allies now. Although the Carbon Copy Man had failed, he had a plan B that was even more dangerous and diabolical than the first plan.
He smiled. Very soon now, he would destroy the JSA for the Enchantress. The man who called himself the Answer . . . but who was better known as the Blue Diamond . . . would win the Enchantress' favor by killing her enemies, including, unfortunately, his old friend, the Flash.
"Even the Flash must die," the Blue Diamond said. "It's the only answer!"
Next: A JSA Christmas Special! Find out what’s up with the Hulk, and where it will leave the Black Canary. The Sentinel/Harlequin relationship moves to a new level. The three-way rivalry for the affections of Wonder Woman heats up, when new players join the game. Bucky forms his new team. The Hulk goes to South America to battle El Monstro. Ninja come to America to kill Captain America. The Judo Master, Wildcat and Johnny Thunder guest star in Justice Society of America #31!