Compiled By View Obscura Comics
10. Justice League of America #72, June 1969 Issue - DC Comics
Price $30.00 USD - Order Here
Script by Denny O'Neil, pencils by Dick Dillin, inks by Sid Greene.
The Justice League have just finished a prototype statue commemorating their departed comrade the Martian Manhunter, and their discussion on how to improve on the design is interrupted by the sudden arrival of the Red Tornado arriving from Earth-Two. However, before he can tell the Justice League why he has come from Earth-One, the alarm goes off and the Justice League goes off into action telling the Red Tornado not to budge until they come back. They end up in Midway City where they are met by Hawkgirl who takes the JLA to the museum to see that Hawkman has been turned into salt, as well as everyone in the area. They have the police cordon off the entire part of town and Green Lantern erects a cover over the city to prevent the salt statues from being dissolved by rain.
Batman spots a man fleeing the scene and goes after him, his attempt at apprehending the man is interrupted by a gang known as the Gruesome Ghouls . Their leader is interested in knowing that the man Batman is after was responsible for everyone in the city being transformed into salt wants the man for himself and they try to jump Batman. The Caped Crusader is saved from a pile on when the Flash intervenes. Batman takes the man he was after and brings him to Justice League headquarters. There, the man introduces himself as Marmaduke Mantick, who was a collected of ancient parchments. He explains that one night he followed the instructions for an ancient spell and summoned a Chthonic demon. The Demon told him to go to Midway City and touch the Philosophers Stone that they had on display there. When Mantick went there he found himself drawn to the stone and broke into the display case to take it. He would be opposed by Hawkman and during the struggle Chthonic demons would appear and they changed everyone but Mantick into salt statues. Finishing his story, Mantick tells the heroes that the Philosophers Stone can be used only once every thirteen days. As such the Justice League decides to keep Marmaduke under constant watch as the cordon of Midway City continues.
Later, Hawkgirl is captured by the Gruesome Ghouls who send a letter to the Justice League demanding that they turn over Mantick to them in exchange for Hawkgirl. The Justice League sends Superman disguised as Mantick to the meeting place and allows himself to be "captured" before revealing his true identity and making short work of the crooks, freeing Hawkgirl, and turning the gang over to the police. The Justice League then spends the rest of the thirteen days resuming their normal civilian lives.
9. Star Wars #2, September 1977 Issue - Marvel Comics
Price: $25.00 Order Here
Screenplay by George Lucas. Adapted by Roy Thomas. Art by Howard Chaykin and Steve Leialoha.
Princess Leia is in the hands of the evil Empire and the sinister Darth Vader. Now it falls on farm boy Luke Skywalker to seize his destiny and rescue her, and save the galaxy. But he can't do it alone. Luckily he'll get some help from old Ben Kenobi, once a great Jedi Knight known as Obi-Wan, Han Solo, a cocky ace pilot and all around scoundrel, Chewbacca, the hulking wookie and loyal co-pilot to Han, and the droids who hold the key to the Empire's defeat, C-3PO and R2-D2.
8. Star Wars #3, September 1977 Issue - Second Printing - Marvel Comics
Price $7.00 Order Here
Screenplay by George Lucas. Adapted by Roy Thomas. Art by Howard Chaykin and Steve Leialoha.
The evil Galactic Empire tests its ultimate weapon on Princess Leia's homeworld with devastating results. Meanwhile, Ben Kenobi begins Luke Skywalker's training in the ways of the force. However things take a turn for the worse when the Millennium Falcon is captured within the unrelenting grasp of the Death Star's tractor-beam. Now, it's up to this small motley band of heroes to mount a daring rescue attempt of the Princess from within the very bowels of the Empire's most powerful weapon.
7. Justice League of America #73, August 1969 Issue - DC Comics
Price $20.00 USD - Order Here
Script by Denny O'Neil, pencils by Dick Dillin, inks by Sid Greene.
The Council of Living Stars, a group of sentient star-suns, banishes one of its number, a psychopath named Aquarius, greatly reducing his powers. Set loose to wander the semi-sentient Aquarius would find himself drawn to Earth-Two.
Meanwhile, on Earth-One, the Justice League of America has time to finally listen to why the Red Tornado has travelled to Earth-One. He explains to them the events which have recently unfolded on Earth-Two: One night Ted Knighter would observe the arrival of Aquarius through his telescope. Finding the star mass suspicious he would change into his identity of Star Man and go to investigate. The creature would be drawn to Star Man's Star Rod and would take it from the hero using it to incapacitate him. As it would happen, Dinah Drake and her husband Larry Lance would be coming by to bring Ted a meal when suddenly Star Man would fall in front of them, prompting Dinah to change into the Black Canary. Before she can do anything Larry suddenly goes mad for a brief moment and tries to attack her. Realizing that this is a bigger problem than she can handle she calls in members of the Justice Society to come to her aid. Answering her call are Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Dr. Fate, and Dr. Mid-Nite.
A long the way each hero has to fight off a difference menace created by Aquarius: Green Lantern battles an animated florescent light, Dr. Mid-Night has to deal with a temperamental child suddenly gifted with super-human strength, and Dr. Fate has to fight a flaming raincloud. Green Lantern, Dr. Fate and Dr. Mid-Night arrive on the scene just in time to witness Aquarius use the Star Rod to restore his original strength and personality and they are shocked to find that he is a psycho path who wishes to create disorder all over the globe before destroying the universe. At this moment Superman, Wonder Woman and Red Tornado showed up on the scene. When Superman tries to stop Aquarius, the Man of Steel is knocked out by a blast of magic from the star rod.
6. Superman #226 - May 1970 Issue - DC Comics
Price $22.00 USD - Order Here
Script by Leo Dorfman, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by George Roussos.
Superman is affected by Red Kryptonite while watching the movie King Kong. As a result, he grows to giant-size, has his intellect dulled for a time, is incapable of speech, and goes on a rampage duplicating that of King Kong in the movie. Later, when the effect wears off, Superman transports Titano from the past to help protect his secret identity from Jimmy’s and Lois’s suspicions.
Clark Kent gets an interview with scientist Dr. Carl Cathcart, who dies during the session and passes on the key formula of his last invention to him. As a result, Kent is guarded round the clock by American agents, which makes it difficult for him to perform super-deeds, and is later captured by enemy agents who wish to pry from him the secret of the formula.
5. Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (1954) #155, January 1973 Issue - DC Comics - Grade NM
Price $25.00 USD - Order Here
Script by Leo Dorfman, pencils by Kurt Schaffenberger, inks by Vince Colletta.
Jimmy Olsen tries to help Terry Dean and a bunch of underprivileged kids keep a storefront university going in the face of a crooked housing commissioner trying to shut it down.
4. Detective Comics (1937-) #449 - July 1975 Issue - DC Comics
Price: $5.00 USD - Order Here
Script by Elliot S! Maggin, pencils by Ernie Chan, inks by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.
Commissioner Gordon summons Batman to help him solve a problem involving four slaughterhouses each losing a herd of cattle. The Commissioner got an anonymous tip about a fifth attempt to occur that night involving a cattle boat. Batman spots the normally unused Refugee Island Ferry in transit and presumes it to be part of the smuggling. Batman boards the boat and is confronted by Tad Wolfe who is about to shoot Batman when his gun misfires. Batman catches him, bringing him to a police station where Tad's brother, Zach, refuses to post bail. That night Batman dreams of an encounter with a New Mexico medicine chief he met during his training to become Batman. The dream ends with a clicking noise and the imagery forming a gun. Batman poses as 'Slicker' and gathers information about Zachary Wolfe . He redresses as Batman and confronts Zachary in his warehouse. Zachary orders all his truck drivers to immediately stop and empty their trucks which allows all the stolen cattle to run free. Batman and the police help corral the cattle. Batman realizes the dream was his subconscious pointing out to him that Tad Wolfe had purposefully misfired by placing his wedding band in front of the gun's hammer. Batman deduces Tad was the anonymous informant.
3. Superman (1939 1st Series) #219 - August 1969 Issue - DC Comics
Price $15.00 USD - Order Here
Script by Cary Bates, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Jack Abel.
An alien race has to model itself after Clark Kent, and conducts an operation on Earth to make the mild-mannered Kent appear brave, and Superman a coward.
Sunspot activity causes a heat wave in Metropolis and a hole in the Phantom Zone, enabling the villainous Vor-Kil, a klurkor-fighting criminal, to escape. Superman lures him back into the Zone with the help of Jimmy Olsen.
2. Batman (1940) #136 - December 1960 Issue - DC Comics - Grade VG/F
Price $100.00 USD - Order Here
Script by Bill Finger, pencils by Sheldon Moldoff, inks by Charles Paris.
The Joker, listening in on a television lecture by Batman, hears the caped crusader mention that ancient science believed in four elements--earth, fire, air, and water--but modern science has rejected this belief, and modern science has made it impossible for criminals to escape the law for long. The Joker, incensed, challenges Batman by mail to a duel of wits, as he commits crimes based on the ancient elements. He sends as a clue to his first crime a bottle of air. Under analysis, it proves to have traces of burned kerosene, leading Batman to believe the Joker intends to rob a plane of its airmail. This proves to be the case, as the Joker scoops up mail at the airport with a giant vacuum cleaner, then reverses the suction to blow the approaching Batman and Robin into the air. They cling to the lines from a passing blimp and are safe, but the Joker makes a clean getaway. Subsequently, the Joker capitalizes on an earthquake to loot an amusement park and later traps Batman and Robin in a ring of fire shot from the mouth of a huge Joker-faced sky-sled. He taunts them with the information that he is to steal the Linden Necklace next, worn by Jenny Linden in her musical comedy-performance of The Arabian Nights. The performance takes place on a floating stage, suiting the Joker's crime-pattern. With an acrobatic stunt, Robin is able to flip over the fire-ring and drive the Batmobile through to convey Batman out of harms way. Then they arrive on the floating stage in time to thwart the jewel robbery and to trap the Joker in a huge genie-bottle prop. Batman remarks that the Joker forgot a fifth element--the element of surprise.
1. Star Wars #4, October 1977 Issue - Marvel Comics
Price: $25.00 USD - Order Here
Screenplay by George Lucas. Adapted by Roy Thomas. Art by Howard Chaykin and Steve Leialoha.
While Luke, Han, Leia, and the rest try desperately to escape the confines of the Death Star, Ben Kenobi stands face-to-face with the deadliest Sith Lord the Dark Side has ever produced, Darth Vader! As the two bitter enemies duel to a stalemate with lightsabres, the old jedi soon realizes that for Luke, and the galaxy for that matter, to go on, he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.