Justice League America Annual

Cover Description: Blue Beetle runs from Eclipso as the disembodied heads of, from left to right, Guy Gardner, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Booster Gold watch.

Brief Synopsis: A divided Justice League must handle both Eclipso and the possessed Maxima simultaneously in two different locations.

Issue Summary: As Eclipso broods on the dark side of the moon, Superman calls a meeting of the Justice League to formulate a response to the growing threat. Before joining the meeting, Superman confesses to Wonder Woman that he is concerned about his ability to manage the dysfunctional League. His concerns are soon validated by Maximia's jealousy of Superman's relationship with Wonder Woman, Bloodywynd's distrust of Metamorpho, and (provisional) Green Lantern Guy Gardner behaving like Guy Gardner. Maxima storms out, and Eclipso seizes on her emotions to add her to his growing legion of corrupted heroes. The remaining Leaguers are called away to handle an attack on a nuclear waste facility, leaving Blue Beetle and Bruce Gordon to work on Kord's solar powered Flash Gun.

The nuclear facility attacker is revealed to be Maxima. Even with the combined might of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern, the League has their hands full against her considerable telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Though they are eventually victorious, the underestimate Eclipso, and Maxima is able to mind-control Booster Gold and arrange an escape.

Meanwhile, Blue Beetle is attacked in his workshop by Eclipso himself. Despite the power mismatch, Beetle's acrobatics and intelligence allow him to hold his own. Beetle become suspicious when Eclipso demonstrates several powers that he is not previously known to possess, but he is unable to capitalize on the information. Beetle eventually manages a stalemate, threatening Eclipso with the solar power batteries of his Bug airship. Eclipso flees. A victorious Beetle is ambushed by a mystery assailant, and the shaken Justice League returns home to find their headquarters trashed and Beetle missing. Reveal Potential Spoilers

Booster Gold's role in this story:
Featured (Booster Gold plays a prominent role)

Costume Worn: MARK I power-suit

Issue Notes: The story in this issue ties into the summer-long "Eclipso: The Darkness Within" storyline running throughout the 1992 DC annuals.

This story has been reprinted in:
Superman and Justice League America (2016)

Page 4, panel 1
Booster Gold attends a meeting of the Justice League in the new Justice League Headquarters called by Superman in order to discuss the re-emergence of the villain Eclipso. Others in attendance at the meeting are Bloodwynd, Blue Beetle II, Booster Gold, Fire, Guy Gardner, Ice, Maxima, and Bruce Gordon. This is the first meeting between Booster and Gordon, the world's specialist on Eclipso. It is also the first time Gardner has worked with the League since quitting in Justice League America #63. In that same issue, Fire had adopted a new costume, but here has reverted to her old look.

Page 5, panel 1
SPOILER WARNING!: A character that the league believes to be Metamorpho arrives at the Justice League meeting acting oddly enough to bother Bloodwynd. It will turn out that this character is not Metamorpho, but since no character controlled by Eclipso retains any memory of their activities during Eclipso's possession, there is no reason to include the character's true identity for the purpose of these annotations. Reveal

Page 15, panel 1
Wonder Woman arrives during Gordon's explanation of Eclipso's powers. She joins the rest of the Justice League America, including Superman, who arrived earlier. Wonder Woman's arrival causes some tension between the more emotionally unbalanced Leaguers, notably Maxima and Ice, both of whom feel challenged by Wonder Woman for Superman's affection. It is this interaction that allows Eclipso to gain control of Maxima.

Page 21, panel 4
Booster makes a pass at Wonder Woman that is met with more hostility than is probably necessary. In the past, it has been Beetle obsessed with Wonder Woman while Booster tried to restrain him. In this instance, Beetle is otherwise occupied showing off his solar-powered Flash Gun.

Page 23, panel 1
In a panel reminiscent of the animated Super Friends' Trouble Monitor, Booster draws the assembled Justice League's attention to a giant sized video monitor tuned to CNN. CNN (Cable News Network) gained worldwide acceptance during its 24-hours-a-day broadcast of the Persian Gulf War in 1991. In 1996, CNN would be purchased by Time/Warner, the same parent company that has owned DC Comics since 1969.

Page 25, panel 1
The Justice League America arrives at the Diablo Azul Nuclear Waste Facility in order to prevent a disastrous occurrence. The Spanish name of the facility translates to the English "Blue Devil," which is also the name of an unusual DC character with a truly cult following that for years pushed for the character's inclusion in the Justice League.

Page 46, panel 6
For the third time in his career, a mind-controlled Booster Gold attacks a fellow hero: Wonder Woman. This time the controlling culprit is Eclipso, who directly controls Maxima and is indirectly using Maxima's psychic powers to manipulate Booster's actions (thereby pulling off the dreaded double mind-control!).

Page 47, panel 5
POWER DOWN: Freed from Eclipso/Maxima's control, Booster is surprised as Maxima uses her mental control over metal to "melt [his] blaster's surge protectors!" This apparently leads to an overload that causes minor damage to Booster and unknown damage to his left bracelet.

Page 54, panel 4
HIS STORY: Guy Gardner asks Booster for details about the future of Superman. Booster dodges the question. At this point in Booster's history, it has yet to be revealed whether he knows the ultimate fate of Superman or any other twentieth-century DC Universe hero.

Page 55, panel 1
Booster returns to the Justice League Headquarters along with the rest of the Justice League America only to find that it has been destroyed along with Blue Beetle's Bug. The Bug pictured is Beetle's original DC Universe Bug, not the redesign shown in the aforementioned Justice League America #63. A lot happened in that issue! (The Dan Jurgens-drawn Justice League America #63 featuring redesigns for Fire and the Bug was released only two months earlier, too late for artist Dave Cockrum to incorporate in this double-sized issue that would have required a longer production schedule.)