Justice League Of America #170

Justice League Of America #170

(June, 1979)

"While a World Lies Burning"

Cover by Dick Dillin, Dick Giordano

Artist: Dick Dillin

Inks: Frank McLaughlin

Colors: Jerry Serpe

Writer: Gerry Conway

Letters: Ben Oda

Five members of the Justice League are on trial for illegally imprisoning Ultraa, the sole superhero from a parallel world known as Earth-Prime. The proceedings that are taking place at the United Nations building in New York have barely started, when they are violently interrupted by the star witness himself.

Ultraa, seemingly unprovoked, attacks his own lawyer, who suddenly transforms and splits into several floating entities calling themselves the Over-Complex. The alien collective reveals that the trial is nothing but a distraction to keep the League occupied while the oceans dry and the world burns in flames. Not only that, the creatures have also eliminated Superman, the most powerful hero of this Earth.

Batman, who is in the JLA satellite on monitor duty, discovers that Earth's atmosphere has become saturated with oxygen, and this surplus is igniting fires around the planet. The Flash is badly injured when the Over-Complex escapes the U.N. building. Green Lantern stays behind to take care of him in what could be his very last moments. Ultraa and Red Tornado go after the alien collective, while Wonder Woman is on a desperate search for the missing Superman. The Leaguers not involved in the trial are all over the world trying to contain the fires, which leaves only the Caped Crusader to find a solution to the problem at hand.

Wonder Woman rescues Superman from the bottom of the sea, badly hurt, but still alive. The Man of Steel explains that the creatures are using electrolysis to capture hydrogen from the oceans, and the residual oxygen has been accumulating in the atmosphere causing the fires. Once Superman and Flash are tended to, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern reconvene with Red Tornado, and together, track the Over-Complex to Ultraa's last known position.

Batman finds the space vessel used by the collective to dry the oceans, and successfully hurtles it out of the Solar System. Green Lantern uses his power ring to reverse the global electrolysis process and replenish the stolen water, but the dangerous manipulation of hydrogen has fatal consequences for the Over-Complex after their underground base explodes. Finally, Ultraa and the League put the past behind, and make amends after realizing they were being manipulated by the alien creatures.