Vibe and the Family Steel in Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues

Twin titans of hubris tussle! Today we'll be spotlighting the two least popular male members of the Detroit Era Justice League as represented by the fan fiction paint shop of the blogger known only as Ross! So far, Paco Ramone's only outing has been in this dance-off with the Disco Dazzler, but how about Steel? Only cameo appearances of the Heywood clan on the blog so far, and not even Detroit's Hank III, just Commander Steel and Citizen Steel in group shots...

• The All-Star Squadron and Spider-Man
• The Thing and The Justice Society of America (Modern Age)

...More Lost Team-Up Issues...

• Captain Atom @ Power of the Atom
• John Henry Irons: Steel @ DC Bloodlines
• Wonder Woman and Captain America #219 @ Diana Prince
• Captain America vs. the JLA @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

2007 Commander Steel convention sketch by Uko Smith

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"an 11x14 marker rendering I did of Steel at a new show called XcapeCon in Birch Run, Michigan "

1977 Steel, the Indestructible Man #1 Cover Concept Art

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Click on the picture for a lot of deductive reasoning behind this unpublished Heck art, which appears to have been a concept later split into elements of the actual cover and splash page from Steel's debut!

1984 Vixen, Vibe, Gypsy, and Commander Steel Postcard by George Pérez

One of my greatest frustrations with this blog has been my inability to acquire a quality scan of this rare piece of Detroit Justice merchandise for discussion. Muchas muchas gracias go out to Shag Matthews of Firestorm Fan and Once Upon A Geek for sending in these lovely front and back scans of his own postcard! I contrasted them up a bit to clear away a quarter century of paper jaundice, but these big bad boys are otherwise all him!

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The newest members of the JLA: Vixen... her magic amulet grants her the abilities of any animal. Vibe... a kid from the slums, he has the uncanny power to project vibratory energy. Gypsy... she's mystery personified-- with chameleon powers. Commander Steel... he's the grandson of the first Commander Steel-- with all that hero's powers, and more.

Much like the debut image of the "New Justice League of America" from the 1984 DC Sampler #2, this card was clearly put together while the concept was still being hammered out. Hank Heywood III seems to be in the final phase of his first Chuck Patton costume (which looks fantastic under Pérez's pen,) but he's being addressed by his granddaddy's rank of "Commander." I also find it funny that his description is just as a grandson of an obscure hero, as if anyone knew what Steel could do. Why not just call him the "cybernetic superhuman legacy of a World War II hero?"

Second up was Gypsy, who received a succinct description, but Pérez's detailing just brings out the ludicrous awfulness of her design. I've said it once and shall repeat, I think the JLD would have at least been Outsiders respectable if not for the inclusion of Gypsy and Vibe, who on appearance alone rendered them laughingstocks.

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Next is Vibe, who at least dropped his "Mego Molt" from the Sampler pin-up. Not even Pérez can make this guy respectable though, and his vato bandana looks more like he's a sidekick to the Duke in Hondo or something. Those dishwashing gloves have a flair that draws unwanted attention, as well.

Finally, the Vixen has dropped her one-off domino mask, but Pérez didn't get the memo that she does in fact have pupils. I don't miss the Wolverine hair, but I dug the braids, and really miss the strands of hair Patton gave her that ran parallel to her eyes (giving the illusion of cats-eyes.) It's funny to see Hank all smiles and Vixen the dour one. Still, it proves my point that Steel and Vixen projected the intensity needed to sell a hero team, while Gypsy and Vibe projected rejected extras in Angel "High School Honor Student By Day. Hollywood Hooker By Night."

Despite my mocking, this was a nifty design that incorporated the JLA shield and stars and bars. I expect I'll get my own postcard sooner or later, because this is one worth having.

The Top Ten Steel Covers (Heywood Family Edition)

Even before the U.S. entered World War II, scientist Henry "Hank" Heywood saw it as his duty to enlist in the military in order to punch evil Nazis. Heywood got blown up real good doing just that, but his mentor helped put him back together again as the first metal endoskeleton-enhanced cyborg super-hero. Dubiously advanced science even by comic book standards couldn't save Steel from an early cancellation, but his adventures continued in other period series.

In 1984, grandson Hank Heywood III was transformed against his will into a new Steel, and helped establish the Detroit-based Justice League. The conservative Hank Sr. did not approve of the team, and set about dismantling the group. Estrangement and a dead grandson eventually followed, until Commander Steel's years in limbo were ended by an attempt to bump sales on Eclipso by including the old man in a massacre.

In the 1990s, a completely unrelated Steel legacy was begun by John Henry Irons, for whom I've also created a cover gallery.

A few years back, Nathan Heywood saw most of his clan wiped out by anachronistic evil super-Nazis, and gained powers of his own to continue the Steel legacy of middling importance and maximum angst.

10) Steel, the Indestructible Man #4 (September, 1978)

I just like how massively Kirbyesque Commander Steel is here.

9) All-Star Squadron #9 (May, 1982)

Color holds are winning here.

8) Justice Society of America #11 (February, 2008)

While all eyes are on the Golden Age Superman, Nathan Heywood seems pensive about his relative stature.

7) Infinity, Inc. #19 (October, 1985)

The ultimate Commander Steel as manipulative polarizing bastard cover.

6) Justice League of America #244 (November, 1985)

The original and second generation Steels locked in titanic familial conflict!

5) All-Star Squadron #13 (September, 1982)

Commander Steel, drawn by Joe Kubert, leading the A-SS. 'Nuff said.

4) Justice League of America #260 (March, 1987)

The brain death of Hank Heywood III/Steel II.

3) Justice League of America #245 (December, 1985)

The rending of Steel II's original costume in a battle royal with his granddad in the midst of the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

2) Steel, the Indestructible Man #1 (March, 1978)

Sure, it's by Don "Blech" Heck, but this cover is still a dynamite debut!

1) Justice Society of America #7 (July, 2007)

Alex Ross' much ballyhooed painting of Citizen Steel.

Honorable Mentions:
Cancelled Comic Cavalcade Volume One (Commander Steel)
Cancelled Comic Cavalcade Volume Two (Commander Steel)
Commander Steel figured prominently on both these pseudo-covers to xeroxed copies of unpublished comics that fell victim to the DC Implosion. Material featured here that was produced for Steel, the Indestructible Man was eventually reworked into some issues of All-Star Squadron.
Justice League of America #235 (Steel II)
Justice Society of America #14 Variant Cover (Citizen Steel)

Justice League Animated Style Commander Steel Custom Figure

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I've been neglectful of this blog in general, and Steel specifically, so I'll try to ramp up the coverage this holiday season. Here's Victor Kraven's custom Commander Steel page, where he discusses his base and motivations for the toy.

2006 Dale Eaglesham Steel Sketch

Click here to enlarge.

I've dug Eaglesham's work for years, so I was happy to see him finally get some recognition through the popularity of the Justice Society of America relaunch. They introduced yet another luckless Henshaw in that book, who assumed the moniker "Citizen Steel," but this ain't him. Whether it's Commander Steel without the fin or Hank Jr. with grandpa's eagle chest emblem, I'll leave up to you. Great piece though, eh?

For more, vist Dale Eaglesham.com.

Pérez/Ross on Justice League Detroit in Crisis On Infinite Earths!

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Welcome to Justice League Detroit's first ever inter-blog crossover event! Masterminded by The Irredeemable Shag of Once Upon a Geek, this is likely the first salvo in his pipe dream plot to form a DC Blogger's League. He'd also like to direct you to his own blog, Firestorm Fan, dedicated to the sorta/kinda honorary member of the JLD. There you'll find the Nuclear Man as drawn by George Pérez and painted over by Alex Ross. The piece was produced for the 1998 Crisis On Infinite Earths Hardcover, which I discussed at the link.

Aside for my crumby J'Onn J'Onzz-related jam piece above (hi Jemm!,) Shag provided me with all of the scans to follow. They did not include Detroit Leaguer Aquaman, who will be far better represented at Rob Kelly's The Aquaman Shrine. Also, because of the length of this post, I moved commentary for Martian Manhunter & Gypsy to my other Detroit-related blog, The Idol-Head of Diabolu. I don't know if anyone will be handling short-term member Batman, but peppered throughout this post are links to the other blogs featuring portions of the Pérez/Ross artwork.


We'll start with Steel, who's a walking crisis of his own. You see, he's pictured in his very busy original costume, which was shredded during Crisis On Infinite Earths and replaced with a more open model. However, artists couldn't keep the suit straight, so Steel goes back and forth between outfits for much of the mega-crossover. Thankfully, Pérez and Ross nailed the character by having him crying and flailing about, as Hank Henshaw Jr. was emo when emo wasn't kewl.

Steel II and his World War II-era grandpappy Commander Steel are among the favorite super-heroes of Luke, who hosts a blog for their fellow right-winger Hawkman called Being Carter Hall.



Let me just say first off that I'm really glad it's Rip Hunter: Time Master in the grip of a tentacle monster, because I'm just not prepared for Zatanna hentai. Second. I miss C'hp. Third, even though I know it made her look like a Scarlet Witch knock-off, I really miss this George Pérez designed costume for Zee. It was what she was wearing when I first met her, and in the immortal words of Blue Devil, "Y'know, there aren't many women who could get away with wearing a bug on their head... but on you it looks terrific." I also dig the gigantic Shaniqua "Z" earrings. I do wish Zee looked less frightened though, as she's usually so well composed.

Fans of Zatanna should already be familiar with DC Comics' great legacy of sorcerous beings, including the one spotlighted at Rob Kelly's I am the Phantom Stranger blog, whom Zee infrequently teams up with... usually in group shots during crossovers, where the writer wimps out and shorthands "and here's what the mystics did to help in the crisis!"



Just look at that headshot of Vibe-- as smug as ever in the presence of far greater heroes... and by that I mean Steel, The Indestructible Man and the flippin' Viking Commando! Is it any wonder Ollie Queen always wanted to slap Paco's soul patch off? Speaking of Green Arrow, there's part of him just below here, though you can get a better view at Adama's Dispatches from the Arrow Cave!



I can't say for certain, but I suspect Sue Dibney was especially "pleased" by the visual of her husband being ridden by a sword-bearing Travis Morgan, the loincloth wearing Warlord of Skartaris! As opposed to Zatanna, I prefer this purple and white costume, rather than the classic red and blue suit most know him from. The latter color scheme is WAY overused for super-heroes, while this one is fairly unique. Plus, the Elongated Man was never dynamic enough to rate such a forceful scheme, which is too closely associated with a certain Scarlet Speedster he co-starred with for years. Spectral redundancy, ya'll! I'm sure we can all agree both these costumes are better than the the number with the domino mask, though. Define "drab"?

For more on E-Man's pal the Flash, check out Kelson's Speed Force blog, featuring a Crisis On Earth Blog Entry! Also, did you know Julius Schwartz once stated that, had he known DC Comics owned Plastic Man, he'd have never bothered to oversee the creation of Elongated Man? To follow the original stretchable hero, see Rick's Plastic Man Platitudes. Also, there's a a "red skies" crossover at Daniel Taylor's not-quite-E-Man-specific "An Ear -- in the Fireplace!"



We'll close out with my favorite female Detroit member, the vivacious Vixen! She comes off a bit more feral than was true of the character here. Even though Mari always seemed intended as the "Wolverine" of the group, in truth she was more like the flirtatious Tigra from the Avengers. However, Vixen was a much deeper and plain better character overall, in my opinion. The problem is, modern writers have gone so far the other way as to make her downright sedate, ala the X-Men's Storm. Could someone please offer these people copies of Vixen's wonderful appearances on Justice League Unlimited?

Playing nine degrees of separation to close things out, some of Vixen's very few solo guest appearances ever were in Animal Man, an oddball super-hero title written by Grant Morrison. Even stranger was Morrison's take on the Doom Patrol, for whom Doug has recently started a blog. Rick's also got something brewing at Mail it to Team-up, and is responsible for the promotional video below!

2009 DC Universe Classics Series 8 Commander Steel Action Figure

Save the world (and your collection) with these ever-popular heroes! From Mattel and the DC Universe, this exciting batch of 7-inch scale Action Figures features brilliant colors, tons of detail, and plenty of articulation. Plus, each amazing character comes with an extra accessory that enables you to build a special bonus figure, Giganta! Don't miss out on this exceptional assortment! In stores April, 2009!

Justice League of America #261 (4/87)

Professor Ivo: Continued to be conflicted by his own murderous actions, seeing visions of himself in a padded room. The Ivo in a straight jacket thought Amazo was a silly name, was saddened "A Martian killed my son," but felt he couldn't himself have killed anyone. "Murder is a sin. Bad. Bad." The Ivo in a tux continued to argue with his android "psychiatrist," before deciding to trigger its self-destruct mechanism.

Dale Gunn: Drank a toast to Steel with the boy's grandfather and Martian Manhunter. Watched J'Onn J'Onzz toss his drink to the floor, cursing "Damn it!!" As the Martian slumped against a wall, Dale explained, "J'Onn? Listen to me. I knew Hank since he was just a kid. I've been working with his grandfather for more years than I'd care to count. We're all hurting, but there's nothing to be gained by throwing fits. Hell, what I know of you-- this just isn't your style."

Martian Manhunter: Answered, "My style? Dale-- you don't know what my style is. And neither does Ivo. I've never wanted blood so badly in my life."

Commander Steel: After analyzing the android that killed his grandson, devised means to track other androids with the same power source.

Martian Manhunter: "Before this day is out, Hank will be avenged."

Dale Gunn: Halted J'Onn J'Onzz's intended departure to deliver a speech. "I thought the name of your team was the Justice League... not the Revengers. Justice means you find the ones responsible for what's happened, and you let the law take care of it. Revenge isn't justice, J'Onn. You know that. Revenge goes against everything you and the Justice League stand for."

Martian Manhunter: "The League is dead, Dale-- or hadn't you noticed?"

Vixen: Continued to stalk New York's rooftops. "Dead. Can he really be dead? Steel? My friend? If he's dead, it's my fault. I knew what the situation was. G. Gordon Godfrey turned the whole country against us. Yet I let Steel go out there... No... It's not my fault. It's Ivo's fault. And I'm going to find that murdering scum-- and he's going to pay." Dropping to a subway entrance, a group of bums made their way toward her. "Predators. They think I'm a woman. They think I'm something that can be taken, used, and discarded. But I'm not a woman. I'm Vixen. I'm a panther. An elephant. A vulture. A snake. I'm whatever animal-spirits I need to be to hunt my prey. To hunt-- and kill."

Vixen continued to wrestle with her bestial drive and more reasoned humanity. "I'm not an animal. I'm Mari McCabe. I'm a fashion model. I'm a woman." This didn't stop her from roaming barefoot in a New York sewer, beating rats to death as an aggression vent. Finally, Vixen located the underground headquarters of Professor Ivo, who greeted her with a poisoned meal. While Ivo was terribly civil, Vixen offered him a variety of means by which she could kill him, and threw tainted coffee in his face. "I'll feast on your dead flesh... How stupid do you think I am! You think I'll just sit here like a good girl and drink my cup of hemlock?"

While Vixen battered the immortality-ravaged Ivo, a dozen of his pretty shirtless androids appeared to wrestle her to the ground. Vixen destroyed several of them, but their programming was altered to specifically target her weaknesses. She was drowned in numbers.

Martian Manhunter: "IVO!!" J'Onn J'Onzz smashed his way into the Professor's lair, who stammered, "No! Not you! You're one of the real ones! You always beat me!" J'Onzz emphasized, "To a pulp." Learning of Vixen's plight, the Manhunter barreled through all but two of the Ivos before the Professor came to a realization. "Oh, of course! He's a green man from Mars. And Martians can't abide fire." The Professor then lit up J'Onzz with a tricked-out lighter. "I knew I carried this with me for a reason. You can't hurt me now, Green Man... Now I would deeply appreciate it if you'd die."

Vixen: The two remaining Ivos could find no pulse, heartbeat or respiration, but just as they were prepared to certify she had expired, Vixen came alive. She smashed the pair.

Martian Manhunter: "You turned your back on me, Ivo. A very big mistake... You have the audacity to ask for mercy? You've got a lot to learn, Professor. And I'm going to teach you. Right now. I'm going to teach you about pain. About fear. And death... I can't. Dammit-- I can't."

Vixen: "I can!!" Vixen tore Professor Ivo's head off... not clean, as various wires and other mechanical bits left it dangling. "This 'droid was extremely sophisticated. It even mimicked the scent of a living man." She caught the real Ivo's scent behind a door, and found those visions of the Professor in a padded cell were factual.

Professor Ivo: "He escaped from Arkham Asylum, built an army of androids, even created a near-perfect duplicate of himself to fool the authorities with in case he was discovered. And yet, he was totally insane." The androids' minds modeled after Ivo's, they too were filled with madness and conflicting impulses, and locked away their own imperfect creator in a new cell. "Indeed. He pushed them to murder. While his soul burned in shame."

Martian Manhunter: "I find it impossible to hate someone so filled with remorse... so lost and anguished. And I feel such a need to hate. Such a deep need... Mourning. And forgiveness. And something more... I see it so clearly. Let the President and his orders go to hell. Let every man, woman and child in this nation come to loathe us. But, in order for Steel and Vibe's deaths to have any meaning-- the League must continue. Politics and opinion shift. Tomorrow we may be heroes in the eyes of the world again. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that we are duty-bound to do our job, despite praise or blame. Fate took me from my homeworld... brought me to this earth for a reason: To help. To fight for what's right. For justice. And, for the sake of justice, the League must never dissolve. We've got to go on.

Vixen: "I looked inside myself these past few days. I saw a demon... a demon that had to be exorcised. And I did exorcise it. Vixen died... For the first time in my life... I'm truly, wholly-- Mari McCabe." Mari wasn't sure if G. Gordon Godfrey wasn't right, considering the violence that surrounds super-heroes, and the deaths of her friends. "We choose to live like this! We choose this bloody path! There are a million ways to help people, to make the world a better place... ways that don't have anything to do with fists and suns and corpses... I don't intend to beget any more violence in this lifetime, JJ. I want to be free of the animal, and embrace the human. Maybe the League should continue. But it won't continue with me... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so... judgmental."

Martian Manhunter: Tried to convince Vixen to remain, but acknowledged her path led elsewhere, and hugged her goodbye. J'Onn stared into a monitor bank at the Secret Sanctuary for a time... into the faces of the departed Gypsy, Vibe, Steel, and Vixen. An emergency signal sounded, and the Manhunter from Mars was off.

Gypsy: Retired from super-heroics to return to her family and school, for now.

Vibe: Family in mourning, including a younger brother who will develop similar powers.

Steel: Grandfather shut off life support, but for good?

Vixen: Her hiatus from the life will be short, but she will return in very different company.

The Creators: J.M. DeMatteis did wonderful work here, and his take on madness hints at what would become one of his most famous stories, the Death of Kraven the Hunter. It's no wonder editor Andrew Helfer asked him to stay on for the Justice League relaunch. Bob Lewis provided inks in a style reminiscent of Terry Austin, which set him apart from any of the others on this arc. This was some of Luke McDonnell's best work, but his style would soon change with his moving on to Suicide Squad. These were not the characters or situations one would expect to close out over two decades of JLA comics, but the story was well told regardless

J’Onn J’Onzz’s Nicknames of the Issue: "JJ" -Vixen
"J'onn." -Dale Gunn, Commander Steel
"J'onn J'onzz." -Ivo
"Green Man" -Ivo

Who's Who Vol.XXII: Steel (12/86)

Steel II is a character I didn't care for on first reading. Then, on second try, I still didn't care for him. Third time was the charm, as it was then I began to realize the potential of the character.

Hank Heywood II, like his grandfather, was a sort of roughhewn, inexperienced, right wing Captain America. In Hank Sr.'s case, that made him a bit redundant in the midst of the WWII bravado typical of Golden Age-styled super-heroes. With Hank Jr. though, it made him an intriguing anomaly. Here's this Reagan Era neophyte in a minority-skewing, lefty super-hero team based out of bombed out Detroit, Michigan. He was the stiff, sure, but also the sensitive Colossus sort under his rigid exterior. He had his own secret headquarters in "The Bunker," access to Heywood Industries gadgets and fortunes, the L.O.S.T. aircraft, a mentor in Dale Gunn, and adversaries/legacy tied to Commander Steel. Of all the new Detroit members, he was the one most ready made to stand on his own as a viable soloist.

Steel was also ahead of his time: Among the first of many old school super-heroes to loosen up by shedding a skullcap... the first to have a cybernetic endoskeleton, ala Steve Austin or "the Terminator," allowing him to take horrific battle damage... among the rare heroes with a clear political ideology... and of course he served on the prototype for misbegotten new line-ups replacing beloved super-hero teams. Steel's career is like a blueprint for '90s comics. All he needed was a brown bomber jacket, useless pouches, and a big gun.

So let's all shed a tear for the lost opportunity that was Steel. He certainly would have.

Art by Chuck Patton & Larry Mahlstedt

Justice League of America #260 (3/87)

Professor Ivo: Continued to be conflicted by his own murderous actions, seeing visions of himself in a padded room.

Vixen: Rented Orson Welles' "A Touch of Evil" and tried to take Hank's mind off things with pleasant conversation. Argued with Hank that the President's ban prevented their doing anything more, but was told her she sounded like the Manhunter. "Well, with Batman out of the picture, the Manhunter is the senior member of the team, and--" Hank became more forceful, grabbing hold of Mari's arms. "Take your hands off of me, Steel-- or I swear I'll dismantle you." The pair relaxed, and Mari explained, "...when it comes down to it, Mari McCabe is as big a fraud as Hank Heywood. I'm Vixen. I'm a hunter... a fighter. But all the breast-beating and self-pity in the world won't change anything." Hank decided to become Steel, and while Mari tried to stop him at first, soon relented. In fact, unable to keep Steel in check, Mari went on the hunt for Ivo by herself, though in plain clothes.

Steel: Couldn't stand idly by at Mari's apartment with Ivo on the loose. "Dammit, Mari! A friend of ours was murdered-- and because of that idiot G. Gordon Godfrey-- our hands are tied! Where's the sense in that? Where's the justice?" Mari threatened Hank when he got grabby, and things cooled down. "Funny. You got mad-- and called me Steel, not Hank. And that's who I really am... Steel, the unstoppable cyborg. Strong enough to give Superman a run for his money. But of course I can't use my strength. The President won't let me." Hank stormed off into a bedroom, and emerged in his Steel costume. Mari thought he was out of his mind, but Steel demanded, "Away from the door, Vixen-- or I'll dismantle you."

Walking the streets of New York in broad daylight, Steel expected to attract Ivo's attention. That and more, as Steel was dismayed by the fear and disrespect that greeted him from the G. Gordon Godfrey-influenced public. Police arrived and drew down on him. Steel gave a somewhat effective speech extolling the virtue of costumed heroics, until he attacked an Ivo android dressed as NYPD, dissipating good will in favor of panic. Steel hauled the manipulative automaton to a discrete alley to extract information, but received only head games and energy blasts. Steel valiantly pressed the Ivo into reaching critical mass with its energy projection, absorbing the resultant explosion with his own body to protect bystanders. Steel was severely damaged when found by the Martian Manhunter, in terrific pain, and barely conscious. "Got to go b-b-back... to... De... Detroit... Got... t-t-to go... home..." Hank Heywood Sr. cried as he found his grandson too badly damaged to function on his own, and eventually turned off his life support.

Martian Manhunter: Was attacked by the Ivo he found at Gypsy's house. "I don't want to fight you, android... There is no reason for this! 'Though your creator, Professor Ivo, sent you to slay Gypsy-- you spared her life! You have proven that you can transcend your programming-- and think independently!" The Ivo argued that Gypsy was harmless, while Manhunter was among those responsible for turning Ivo into "a reptillian grotesquerie!" Manhunter tried to explore the Ivo's mind to determine its master's location, but was hobbled by its lunacy. Out of gratitude for its sparing Gypsy, Manhunter tried reason one final time, and the Ivo tried wringing his Martian neck. "It... won't be that easy... machine... You won't do to me... what your "brother" did to-- VIBE!" Having boxed its head off, the Ivo still claimed Manhunter was responsible for Paco's death. Manhunter angrily pounded at the dismembered android, demanding it "SHUT UP!!"

Manhunter disallowed Gypsy from rejoining the former League members, requesting, "Please Gypsy... no tearful farewells. It's not the Martian way." Still, he turned back toward the girl and received her affectionate goodbye.

On finding what was left of Steel, among police offers who couldn't figure out what to do with him, Manhunter proclaimed, "You-- do-- nothing!" Manhunter knelt down to cradle the agonized Steel in his arms, intent on carrying him home to Commander Steel. The police thought otherwise. "And are you going to stop me? No-- I didn't think so." Manhunter tried to comfort Hank Sr., but learned there was nothing that could be done as the plug was pulled on Hank Heywood Jr. J'Onn, head in hand, despaired for the loss.

Gypsy: Looked on as Manhunter tore the Ivo that had befriended her to pieces, learning from taunts that Vibe had been killed. Intended to pursue Ivo with the Justice League, but was flat refused. Manhunter believed that the law was right, that the situation was too dangerous for her, and that she needed to focus on her family. "You've been away from them for too many months, away from the normal life you deserve... I know that you're all strong... that you love each other... and that, together-- you'll find a way to heal your wounds." Gypsy cried and hugged J'Onn goodbye.

The Creators: J.M. DeMatteis gave Steel a stronger and more character-specific send-off than Vibe. There are more precious moments between characters here than I'd be inclined to detail further, but am happy to applaud. Luke McDonnell continued to be passed round robin amongst inkers, this one being Steve Montano. The results were average, aside for a lovely page with a prowling Vixen.

J’Onn J’Onzz’s Nicknames of the Issue: "JJ" -Steel, Gypsy
"J'onn." -Steel, Commander Steel
"J'onn J'onzz." -Ivo
"The Manhunter." -Steel, Vixen
"Manhunter." -NYPD
"Mr. J'onzz." -Gypsy's Mom

Steel, The Indestructible Man Vol.1, No.2 Review Link

Luke over at El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker has a synopsis of Steel #2 up... click anywhere in this message to check it out!

Baron Death

Click To Expand

I can't write a comprehensive history of Steel, The Indestructible Man's first villain, as I only own his first appearance. Still, good luck funding reference anywhere to Baron Death, absent from the web when not confused with Commander's Steel's other major foe, Baron Blitzkrieg. As I understand it, Steel supplied the acid the concentration camp prisoners of the sadistic Nazi commandant Reiter eventually used to blind and scar the future Blitzkrieg. That Baron in turn brainwashed Steel into an assassination attempt against FDR, and one wonders if perhaps there were after-effects, given Heywood's troubled later life. Regardless, that was another baron.

Baron Tödlich and his henchman Bruno attended the German medical conference in August of 1939 where Doctor Gilbert Giles and his student assistant Henry Heywood mounted a disasterous presentation. Heywood had developed a biological "retardent" that allowed damaged limbs and organs to be replaced surgically without rejection. No, the rejection instead came from the German scientific community. "How may you Americans accomplish what the Reich's finest surgeons cannot?" The men were declared frauds and were demanded to leave the country. Tödlich however was not so blinded by nationalism. "I believe Doctor Gilbert Giles... He may prove useful to us, someday-- when we make our-- visit-- to America!" Heywood noticed Tödlich as well, but didn't care for the sight.

A few months later, off the shore of Long Island, a black U-Boat fired a torpedo-shaped missile at the shoreline. A hulking figure rode atop it, then drug the device with him onto the beach, where he met with three Fifth Columnists. "We were told to expect a weapons drop from off-shore... but nothing was said about a new saboteur... Particularly one dressed as flamboyantly as you!"

"Ignorance excuses your insubordination this time, schwein. No warning was given of my arrival because my mission is an ultra-top secret... known only to Hitler and Göring themselves! As for my costume, it will prove necessary! And as for my name-- IT IS BARON DEATH! You will find the name most appropriate once you have used-- these! Experimental weapons to be tested here in America for their effectiveness against the U.S. military machine! Each machine gun may fire up to two hundred rounds a minute-- four times as fast as the fastest American gun! If these weapons work, Germany will use them to smash America-- and then the world! Heil Hitler!"

That same night, Hank Heywood uncovered saboteurs while in boot camp, and was caught in a near fatal explosion. Months later, he had transformed into the cyborg super-hero Steel, and his first tussel was with some of Baron Death's men. "We have a mission, to steal American weapons for comparison with our exprimental ones..." These men carried only conventional machine guns, whose bullets bounced right off Commander Steel. Essentially defenseless, Steel made short work of the trio, and left them for the MPs. Baron Death would have to be dealt with at a later date.

Steel, The Indestructible Man Vol.1, No.1 (March 1978)

The story was titled "From Hell Is Forged ...A Hero!" I was wondering "what the hell" myself, so at least that's one question sorta-kinda answered. I mean, not only did this nostalgic World War II patriotic throwback arrive too late to cash in on the Bicentennial celebration, but coming after Watergate, he just seemed naively trite. Heck, even "The Six Million Dollar Man" had been cancelled the same month as this first issue's cover-date. Maybe Conway's prior run on Captain America was too brief for his taste, or perhaps Commander Steel was intended to be the first dedicated super-hero of Earth-1? Regardless, he saw cancellation after a scant five issues, based as much on lack of creative merit as the general casualty of all "DC Explosion" titles that were snuffed by economic reality.

As depicted by Gerry Conway and Don Heck, remarkable Princeton biology student Henry "Hank" Heywood visited Munich, Germany, a city and nation he spends four panels venting against. Comparing Nazism to the Black Plague, and rightly disparaging Prime Minister Chamberlain's appeasement policy, Heywood moaned in his journal "God, I wish I'd never let Doctor Giles talk me into coming with him to this German medical conference... Why did we ever bother? The Germans won't even listen to the Doctor's discoveries..." As one, the German doctors decried Giles as a fraud... or actually, as five, their balloons somehow more hateful than Heywood's journal entries. Heywood and Giles exited the auditorium as German professionals pumped their fists and demanded their departure from Der Fatherland.

On their way to the airport, Heywood spied a pair of Brownshirts beating an elderly "Juden pig!" Hank let his own fists do the talking from there: "Forget the old man, Ludwig-- WHY DON'T YOU TRY STARTING WITH ME?" The Jew thanked Hank for his foolish bravery, then pulled a Yinsen, drawing Goosestepper fire while the hothead escaped.

The pair returned to the States in August of 1939, where Doctor Giles was met by his daughter, Hank's horse-faced girlfriend Gloria. The fiery mare presented Hank with a newspaper announcing Hitler's invasion of Poland. "Then that madman's going to spread his hate across Europe... maybe the world! There'll be more old men like that Jew in Munich... Perhaps... millions!" Dr. Giles didn't feel this needed to be America's war, but Heywood's vision of the future compelled him to enlist. "Why I chose the Marines, I'll never know. Maybe because they were the toughest... maybe because of old Victor McLaughlin* movies... or maybe because the young intellectual had something to prove to himself." Gloria Giles neighed heartily at this turn, "Play soldier if you want-- but don't expect me to be waiting when you're finished with your toys!" In her defense, Heywood was quoting scripture at her to validate his decision.

Heywood drowned his sorrows with his boot camp buddies at a local bar, but was gripped by self doubt on the lonely walk back to base. "Maybe Gloria's right. I have been playing this like Gary Cooper playing Sergeant York... Am I kidding myself? Grand-standing-- for my own ego? NO! This is something I believe in!" Just then, Heywood spied Ratzi saboteurs planting dynamite along the base perimeter, and introduced one's face to his knee. Another was dealt a hay maker right into an explosive plunger, blowing the lot of them to kingdom come. Oopsie-doodle.

Investigating troops scraped up what was left of Heywood, who miraculously survived. "Regaining consciousness was like slipping into a vat of boiling oil. Everything hurt so much, I could barely see straight... until I saw Gloria..." The poor thing was in tears over her hurtful parting words, while her father discussed with Hank the pseudo-science the pair specialized in that would make Heywood whole again. "Every day, there were operations... and more operations! Using the bio-retardent[sic] we'd developed together during my years as his student, Giles rebuilt my ravaged body from the skeleton up... First there was steel alloy tubing to replace pulped bone in my arms and legs and ribcage... Then a metal casing to protect my skull... and micro-motors in all my joints to help me move all that steel... Then more substitutions-- an artificial lung for the ruined one... and back-up devices to aid my damaged heart... and finally, most-- most painfully, the bio-retardant was used to induce skin-regrowth over the burned areas... covering the whole patchwork contraption with a flesh that made it my own..." By November on '39, Heywood had gone from invalid to superman. The new lung could sustain Heywood for a half hour underwater, he was super-strong, and nigh impervious. These breakthroughs remained a secret.

"I returned to duty, but with a hitch. Because of my recorded 'medical disability,'
I'd be a desk jockey..." Gloria continued to fume and threaten Heywood; "She hates war-- and so do I. But I'm still going to do my part somehow--" Heywood fashioned a uniform and dubbed himself Steel, The Indestructible Man! "This outfit may be colorful, but it's also far more-- flexible steel alloy, not strong enough to protect an ordinary man from gunfire-- but just tough enough to give me a crucial edge!" Steel then stole weaponry from the Westchester Federal Armory that he could later modify for his own purposes. First though, he happened upon yet another group of Fifth Columnists on his way out. "It's no movie, Nazi-- and I'm no Clark Gable!" Steel chuckled as he brutalized the baddies, going so far as to use the body of one to strike another. "Ever go bowling, friend?"

"Slipping away was easy-- a ten foot leap, and a 50MPH dash into some convenient foliage... Maybe this is why I survived the bomb-blast, to fight rats like the boss of those saboteurs... Baron Death! ...I'm going to use those powers and abilities in my own private war, until America wakes up to the menace of Hitler and Stalin and Tojo and Mussolini. It may be a lonely war, it may be unpopular just now-- but it's got to be done, and I'm the guy cut out to do it!"

Also of note, an interesting article on the anachronistic costumes of 40's retconned characters, including Steel, Baron Blitzkreig, and more.

* Presumably, he meant Victor McLaglen.

Who's Who Vol.V: Commander Steel (7/85)

Just to keep things from getting too heavy with text, and to post something before it's too far removed from relevancy, here's the bio page for right-wing nutjob and former Detroit benefactor/frienemy Commander Steel. Click the pic for full information.

Justice League of America #246 (1/86)

Steel: Returned from his adventure at the end of time to learn grandpa had evicted him and his teammates from the Bunker. Slapped an armored Dale Gunn around before reaching his still bedridden kin. Commander Steel apologized for his great many wrongs, and explained his tossed the League out to get a fresh start elsewhere. Hugs. Said goodbye to Vibe's sister. Moved to New York. Got a job as a gym instructor.

Dale Gunn: Threw "fight" with Steel, but still stayed behind in Detroit to look after Hank Sr.

Vibe: Goodbye to family. Beat up rival gangs with powers one more time. Moved. Spilled chocolate shake on self as non-comic anti-relief. Jobless and essentially homeless.

Elongated Man & Sue Dibney: Stuck living in Westchester while housesitting for vacationing friends.

Zatanna: Flirted with Dale one last time. Chatted with J'Onn on the flight. Moved back into her sublet earlier, unaware of the ashen fate of her leasee.

Vixen: Explained on the flight to New York how her years of modeling were just a facade before realizing her true purpose through the Tantu Totem. Showed off her lavish apartment, and took in a roommate.

Gypsy: Talked Vixen into letting her move in.

Martian Manhunter: This being a Conway tale, even the heart & soul of the JLA questioned the League's future after leaving the Bunker and relocating to New York. Showed his sense of humor by boarding his team on a commercial flight in full costume. Chatted with Zee...
"I was not aware you gave credence to dreams, Zatanna."
"Mystics live part of their lives in dreams, J'Onn. The dreamworld is a pathway to past and future."
"On Mars we had few mystics. We put our faith in science... a faith that was our undoing, in the end."

Later explained to his charges that jobs were now in order. "When I first came to Earth years ago, I took a job as a police detective in Metropolis. With my Martian powers, I was quite successful. It is a small matter to recreate the credentials I used then..." Perhaps, but the elapsed time made "John Jones" retirement age, so that he was forced to take up with Burt Biloxi's Special Investigations, a low rent operation.

The Creators: The aforementioned Conway shot past character development into full-bore British soap opera tedium. Luke McDonnell sells the "realism" in a way Chuck Patton couldn't possibly. Bill Wray should have continued inking him for the rest of his career.

Most Embarrassing Vibe Quote of the Issue: "Hank... mi hermano... you feelin' all right? Your abuelo, he didn't jump on you?"

Justice League of America # 244 (11/85)

Dale Gunn: Piloted a borrowed NASA space shuttle 22,300 miles above the Earth.

Sue Dibney: Called shotgun.

Vixen: Marginally more useful than Sue Dibney.

Elongated Man: Acted as a ladder in a telescoping spacesuit to allow the Detroit Leaguers access from their space shuttle to the remains the JLA Satellite. Tried to explain the Multiverse to a disbelieving Paco.

Vibe: Talked jive. Blinded. Tried to talk more smack to Infinity Inc., but told by Zatanna, “Choke it down, Vibe. Choke it down.”

Gypsy: Coddled Vibe, who’d beem inadvertently blinded. “Zatanna, what did you do? Haven’t you done enough?”

Zatanna: Channelled sunlight into the Satellite’s storage cells, providing power enough for a year, and presumably drawing the eventual attention of Red Tornado. Healed Vibe and defended Detroit against baseball-sized hail.

Steel: Abandoned by Manhunter when the Alien saved the rest of the team. Tortured by his grandfather and Mekanique to make him “strong, as I was strong.” That pair also turned on the Infinitors, who were themselves rescued. Steel Junior upon release beat his grandfather into a short coma, eyes filled with tears.

Martian Manhunter: As Gypsy chided the deluded Vibe, who was calling for a rematch with infinity Incorporated, J’Onzz stated, “Your opinion is noted, Vibe. However, as current leader of the League, I must trust my own judgement.” He later said of his birthplace, "Perhaps if we had "freaked" when there was a fight, my young friend, Mars might still be a living planet...instead of a barren wasteland. You must learn to choose your battles wisely--as have I, at great cost." Employed the reinvigorated satellite’s capabilities to travel to Earth-2. He then led the Justice Society of America against the rogue hero they’d believed dead and his mechanical assistant, a foe they’d anachronistically faced decades previously. Just as that matter was resolving, “The ears of my people evolved from the thin air of Mars. I... hear something, despite the layers of soundproofing that protect the Bunker... a storm... and human cries...”

The Creators: Gerry Conway sent Commander Steel well past the point of redemption, though there would be some equivocation to come. Joe Staton continued what was becoming a tradition of having entirely inappropriate artists stiffly render a team of supposedly cool young heroes.

Most Embarrassing Vibe Quote of the Issue: “You think jus’ ‘cause I’m a kid from el barrio, I don’t know spit?”

Infinity Inc. #19 (10/85)

After his terrible first outing as team leader against Amazo (nevermind the rampant deaths and his general impotence in the JLA Classified retcon “A Game of Chance,”) J’Onn J’Onzz and his team sorely needed to save face. This was not to be, as Hank Heywood Sr. had journeyed to his former home Earth-2 with the aid of the mysterious Mekanique to deceitfully enlist the services of Infinity Incorporated against his squatters at the Bunker. Before the League could explain away the original Commander Steel’s manufactured rational for conflict, the senior Heywod launched an offensive, dragging the offspring of the Justice Society of America into the thick of it. While it was clear the Detroit kids were pulling their punches, they were still punked in fast and furious fashion, proving once and for all they could in no way lay claim to being true to the legacy of the Justice League of America.

Steel: Tried to make peace in the midst of his grandfather’s spurious accusations, only to be sent flying by an unwarranted blow from Commander Steel. Well okay, Jr. did toss grandpa out a window in a previous appearance, but getting jabbed in the throat with an elbow more than evened that score. Finally downed by a girder to the face, the last Leaguer previously standing before being rescued by the Martian Manhunter.

Zatanna: Knocked out cold when Steel Jr. slammed backwards into her. Victim of a gratuitous heiny shot that is doubly offensive for its lack of arousing quality. Happenstance doomed Detroit League with her handicap.

Elongated Man: Thought Vibe’s breakin’ skillz were “terrific!” Busted a lame gag, then quizzed, “Aw, where’s that famous Martian sense of humor, J.J.?” Confronted accusers (and copped a feel off Zatanna’s tush,) demanding, “That’s enough from you and your teenage gang, Heywood!” Trussed the Fury with his durable elastic form, before being rendered comatose when the daughter of the Earth-2 Wonder Woman landed from a considerable leap skyward.

Vixen: Tried to tear a chunk out of Silver Scarab, son of the Earth-2 Hawkman, before falling to his energy blast while distracted.

Gypsy: Punched the Fury in the back of the head while invisible, but detected by Northwind and left dangling off the side of a building.

Vibe: Break-danced. Dealt both Green Lantern’s daughter and Northwind respectable blows before Jade recovered to pound him.

Martian Manhunter: When asked by Zee what he thought of Vibe’s busting a move, “Such antics are not to my tastes, Zatanna...” After their home invasion, Jade was shocked to find, “Huh? My God-- a green man!” Manter deadpanned, “You should talk, young lady!” There’s that famous Martian humor, Ralph. Once Commander Steel’s abuse turned from verbal to physical, Manhunter tried to intervene, but was blasted backward by Mekanique. He was then throttled by Nuklon, loose kin to the Golden Age Atom, who proved his command of variable density was at this time better than a Martian’s. Only stunned (as should be modern readers at this travesty,) Mekanique recognized the danger still posed by “the Alien,” and presented him with, “FIRE! My only-- nemesis--!” Sorry, Professor Hugo. “As for J’onn J’onzz, he has powers besides mere flight and super-speed. Powers to be carefully husbanded in adversity. And one of them-- is Martian Lungpower! The unconscious JLAers are blown away from the scene of their ignominious defeat-- as if they were but straws in a tornado. And a truly invisible Martian will soon join them-- so that they may fight another day.”

The Creators: Since Gerry Conway and Alan Gold were credited as consultants, one assumes the gave their blessing for writer/editor Roy Thomas’ pet team to completely own the Detroit League. Maybe they wanted to show their team’s human fallibility, but in truth this just proved their detractors right, that the characters they were writing were not what their fans wanted in a Justice League. This character mass assassination was abetted by new penciller Todd McFarlane, whose developing style made for characters that looked like they were inflated and storytelling made difficult by an overemphasis on design elements. J’Onn J’Onzz caught a nasty case of Spawn-Cape as well, looking like the drape over the sides of a parade float.

J’Onn J’Onzz’s Nicknames of the Issue: “J.J.” – Elongated Man.
“Greenie.” – Silver Scarab.
“Green Man.” – Jade & Fury.
“Alien.” – Commander Steel and Mekanique.

Most Embarrassing Vibe Quote of the Issue: “You’ll be sorry for that, amigo! Very sorry!”

JLA Classified #22 (Early July, 2006)

Martian Manhunter:”This team has a long way to go before it achieves the coherence it needs. [The elder Leaguers] and I can provide guidance--but only if you hear us. To that end, I’ve brought you four here [Biskotasi Peak in Ontario,] to train together on unfamiliar tasks, far from the Detroit streets you usually inhabit. It’s my intent to improve your trust in each other, and in yourselves.” Well, not just that, “...as my telepathy allows me to listen secretly—to your innermost thoughts... It’s up to me to make sure you all get better.” Also, to fix burgers, though Vixen asserted that using a portable, flameless electric stove is neither camping nor cooking. Anyway, thank retroactive continuity for explaining the lack of Martian mental powers for most of Conway’s run and those ugly JLA signal rings.

Steel: Had a nightmare his now mustachioed grandfather and Dale Gunn held him down fully conscious before ripping into him for the operations that turned him into a cyborg. He awakened from his revere en route to a hike into the Canadian woods, presumably after the mission against Amazo. The peace and quiet made Steel inconsolable, as his body was in constant pain from its modifications. He smiled and put up a false front for his teammates, though for readers, the angst was endless. Like his grandfather, he secretly acknowledged to himself “Second-stringers, third-stringers, and rookies. The Justice League has gone to hell.” Also, he thought of J’Onn J’Onzz, “He learned English pretending to be a cop... but he was pretending. Who knows what a Martian feels inside?” Henshaw was raised to be a hero like his grandpa, so he ran maneuvers with his team, despite his loathing of their status and his own. Later in the evening, members of the Royal Flush Gang tracked the team down and used mood-altering playing cards to cause the Martian Manhunter to attack Hank. Though Henshaw never landed a single blow in his brief row with the Manhunter, he was clever enough to deduce the cause of the attack and rush the Gang with an uprooted tree trunk. In the melee, he accidentally crushed Queenie and Ten of Clubs with rolling boulders. Hank was only too happy to gloat to himself over his decisive move, showing no remorse other than being part of a League characterized as losers by, of all people, the Royal Flush Gang.

Dale Gunn: Only up for a dream sequence this time out.

Vixen: Hopped around tirelessly for most of the issue. Came on to Vibe due to a mood-altering card, only to be backhanded by a close-fisted Paco.

Gypsy: Joined Vixen and Vibe against Steel in maneuvers, but the only panty shot was hers. Nearly asphyxiated by a playing card.

Vibe: You already read it, except the part where he got decked by Queenie before her untimely smooshing.

Zatanna, Elongated Man & Sue Dibney: Absent. They knew what was good for them.

Aquaman: The main continuity sticking point, as Vibe and Steel are in their second uniforms, both donned after Arthur quit the team. So let’s just pretend that after Aquaman and Mera returned with the League to Michigan, the couple decided to stick around a bit longer to see if they could settle in there. Arthur remained team leader after J’Onn’s disastrous first outing, but suggested the return trip to Canada to encourage team building, including much needed management experience for J’Onn. Oh, and Steel decided to test-drive his new suit, but it got all sweaty with grass stains here, so it was at the dry cleaners throughout Crisis on Infinite Earths. Did I mention a random walleye happened to overhear the Royal Flush Gang plotting to ambush the League, found the Scion of the Seven Seas swimming laps in Lake Erie, and warned him? Also, did I mention Jack Miller didn’t write that?

The Creators: ...It was actually Steve Englehart, clearly having a ball with the type of oddball super-heroes that made him famous. Tom Derenick supplied the gratuitous panty shot, though it’s really always been Gypsy’s fault for wearing a skirt to a knife fight. Derenick recalled Ron Lim and Chuck Patton in equal measure. Jerry Ordway's inks overwhelm a cover pencilled by Mike Zeck of the full camping party.

J’Onn J’Onzz’s Nicknames of the Issue: Still using the full name at times, but Steel, Gypsy and Vixen all drop just "J'Onn" most of the time.

"Big Green" -Vibe.

Most Embarrassing Vibe Quote of the Issue: “C’mon, Jay-El-Lay! Le’s get ‘em!”