Justice League #202 (May 1982), written by Gerry Conway and drawn by Don Heck, is a fun issue that tells a well-constructed story, but I gotta pause to make fun of the first page before discussing the story itself.
This story is set in a time when the JLA all shared their secret identities with one another. Batman is in space, repairing a component of the JLA satellite. No one, other than Hawkman (who is also on satellite duty) can see him. WHY is he wearing his cowl in space? How much money did it cost to design and build a space helmet that would fit his cowl? Does he expect to run into a cowardly, superstitious space mugger who will be frightened by the Batman cowl? No one can see you in space, Bruce! Give yourself a break and take off the mask!
Of course, the reason is that he looks cooler with the mask on and readers will readily identify who he is. And this is appropriate. But I'm just not sure there's a good in-universe reason for it.
Anyway, something goes wrong with the repair. Batman is knocked out and flung into space. A hole in the satellite means it begins to decompress inside.
Hawkman sends out an emergency signal. What follows are a few pages that I expect might have been added because the main story didn't fill 25 pages. But, if so, it's expertly done filler. We see what Wonder Woman, Red Tornado, Atom and Zatanna were doing just before responding to the signal. We also see why other JLA members don't respond--they are either too busy (Superman is chasing a comet; Aquaman is helping a damaged ship,etc) or don't hear the signal. Flash, for instance, was taking a shower. It's a nifty little sequence that helps add a little verisimilitude to the DC Universe.
Once aboard the satellite, the heroes plug up the hole. In the meantime, though, Batman's drifting body has disappeared from the scanners.
The heroes head out in a shuttle to search for the Caped Crusader. They pass through a barrier that takes them behind a cloaking field and discover a huge alien ship. The ship defenses activate and the heroes spend a few pages battling tentacles, lasers and missiles before getting inside.
Once inside, a robot tells them that the "doctor" is busy right now. The helpful robot also explains what's going on.
200,000 years ago, an alien explorer--a bear-like being named Ursak--was travelling to different worlds. When he stops on a world inhabited by primitive cavemen, he's injured in an attack and his automatic medical equipment is damaged. So he puts himself in stasis and calls for help.
The hospital ships takes millennia to trace the signal and, when it arrives, mistakes Batman for Ursak. So the emergency medical treatmen Batman has been receiving turns him into a alien hybrid with super strength and an unstable outlook on life.
The JLA tries to subdue him, but get their butts handed to them. Soon, only Hawkman is still standing. But he's been studying the ship and is able to lure crazy-Batman into a trap, knocking him unconscious with an electrical surge that also disables the hospital ship.
So far, we've had a well-written and well-drawn science fiction adventure. Gerry Conway then manages to give the tale a nicely ironic ending. The ship is reactivated and realizes its mistake. Batman is cured. AND we also learn that Ursak did not come to Earth, but to another planet. The signal sent back to his homeworld had been distorted and brought the hospital ship to the wrong place. It continues on its journey to find Ursak while the JLA members wonder how Ursak will feel when he learns he's been in suspended animation for 200,000 years.
It's a strong story from start to finish. The action scenes allow each JLA member to have their moments; Hawkman solves the problem with brains as well as brawn; and the saga of Ursak gives it all a strong science fiction feel that works very well.
Next week, we'll head back to 1942 and visit Bulletman.
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