Plot
Darkseid makes a wager with the mysterious Phantom Stranger that he can turn humanity against its heroes. To win the bet, Darkseid sends his minion Glorious Godfrey to Earth,[2] where Godfrey uses the sound of his voice to control people's minds and turn them against Earth's heroes. To further his scheme, Darkseid sends a fire elemental called Brimstone to Earth to defeat the Detroit-based Justice League along with Firestorm and a time-traveling Cosmic Boy.[3][4] Darkseid also arranges for the cyborg villain Macro-Man to be killed by the mystic lightning that Captain Marvel uses to change into Billy Batson,[5] and Captain Marvel is blamed by the media for Macro-Man's death. Batman suffers his own loss when Robin (Jason Todd) is trampled by a mob.[6] Fearing widespread panic, Ronald Reagan (commander-in-chief at the time of publication) declares martial law and bans all superheroic activities in America.[7] This angers several members of Reagan's department of defense, who - at the behest of Amanda Waller - activate "Task Force X", a.k.a. the Suicide Squad.[8] Recruiting a team of expendable imprisoned supervillains, Waller has the Suicide Squad destroy Brimstone.[9]
Doctor Fate is forced to intervene when Godfrey invades Washington, DC.[10] Fate organizes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Guy Gardner, Black Canary, Changeling, The Flash, and the Blue Beetle to oppose Godfrey. They are joined by Martian Manhunter, who responds to a JLA distress call from the President. They manage to defeat Godfrey's forces, including Darkseid's cyborg Hounds of War. The masses are subsequently freed from Godfrey's power when Robin gathers an army of children untouched by his powers to serve as a human shield between the heroes and Godfrey. Godfrey strikes one of the children, and the shock frees the mob from his power. Godfrey is defeated when he steals Fate's helmet and puts it on, rendering him mindless. In the aftermath, Martian Manhunter, Batman, Blue Beetle, Guy Gardner, Black Canary, Captain Marvel and Fate form a new Justice League. Superman and the Flash decline membership, stating that they will assist if needed, Wonder Woman quietly exits and Changeling opts to remain with the Teen Titans.
