Patriot Act

This very entertaining episode features several rank & file Justice League members - none with any natural powers - forced to take on a Superman-level villain.

There is something endearing about these not-so-super superheroes trying to rise to the occasion. Everybody likes the idea of being "super," but when it comes down to brass tacks, there's no hero like an underdog.

Still, my favorite part of the episode is at the beginning, when they substitute for Superman at a parade. The assignment is humiliating, and the crowd's disappointment makes it worse still. Thank goodness the fast-talking western hero Vigilante gets his fellow heroes to show off a little!

This is one my favorite episodes of JLU. All the featured heroes have their roots in the Golden Age. The opening black and white sequence features Spy Smasher, a hero created at Fawcett Publications (along with Captain Marvel). The band of heroes substituting for Superman at the parade are Green Arrow, Stargirl, S.T.R.I.P.E., Vigilante and the Shining Knight and the two sent in as reinforcements are Speedy and the Crimson Avenger. This group is a modern incarnation of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, the second oldest assemblage of heroes in comics history, with Stargirl substituting for the Star-Spangled Kid and the modern incarnation of Stripesy. And the four kids who keep butting in are the Newsboy Legion: Big Words, Gabby, Scrapper and Tommy.