In Justice League #54, the new JLA takes on a new version of longtime DC unattached villain, Eclipso. Of course, Eclipso debuted in House of Secrets #61(Au'63) and lasted until #80 (O'66). He was remembered for three main reasons. One, from #63 to #67, he had artwork from the great Alex Toth. Two, he twice encountered HoS's other character and one of Mister Silver Age's forum's unofficial "mascot", the forgettable Prince Ra-Man, the Mind Master in #76 and #79. And lastly, he fought Batman in the camp classic Brave & Bold #64 (Ma'66). And that was that for our Hero and Villain in One Man, save for the occassional reprint.
However Eclipso made his Bronze Age comeback in Justice League of America #109 (F'74), courtesy of Len Wein, Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano's "The Doom of the Divided Man!" Though it is remembered mostly for Hawkman's (temporary) resignation from the team, it brought Eclipso directly into the DC Universe. In #106, John (Red Tornado) Smith gets a job as a lab assistant to Doctor Bruce Gordon, though few readers made little not of it. That all changed when Gordon, bringing a badly damaged Tornado to the JLA Satellite is forced to tell the heroes that he has had Eclipso trapped inside him for years. He was subjecting himself to "controlled light transmissions" to stop the intense pain caused by the Demon of Darkness trying to get out of him. Unfortunately the machine overloads and explodes, and worse, three Eclipsos (Eclipsi?) emerge from Bruce Gordon's body! Apparently Gordon left Eclipso's signature black diamond laying around so RT is quickly defeated and the trio escape.
After relaying all this to the JLA, Batman (of course) discovers that the two extra Eclipsi are drawing energy from the Earth itself and after 6 hours, will cause its destruction. Gordon has some idea of where to find Eclipso so, in their time-honored tradition, the JLA splits into three teams to take on three Split-Faces. It is worth noting that Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter are not active members during this period, the Red Tornado is incapacitated and Superman and Green Lantern are placed on "planetary patrol" to prevent any disasters from happening due to the energy drain. So Eclipso is not exactly taking on the strongest that the JLA can muster.
In the Mid-Atlantic, the Atom and Black Canary swim down to Poseidon Lab, where underwater pollution is studied, where they are attacked by Eclipso #1's henchmen! He got those fast! And with matching scuba-gear, too! The arrival of Aquaman quickly takes care of them but the Dual Devil is another matter as he now is resistant to bright light, his one prevailing weakness. Fortunately he can't prevent a flying fish from knocking away his diamond and is easily captured. That was one tough flying fish who didn't even get an honorary membership!
At the same time, Batman and the Flash are racing toward another pollution research facility, G-Lab in Death Valley, California. Batman is clearly running the show and calling the spots (of course). After dealing with a death-ray and more henchmen in the same color jumpsuits (someone had a sale that day!), the JLA pair confront Eclipso #2 who is also immune to bright light and has a force field, to boot! Flash causes the field to implode and defeats him.
Simultaneously, at a flying city held up by giant heliocopter blades (Where is it? Why is it? It's never explained. It's just there!), Hawkman, Green Arrow and the Elongated Man, the latter two supplied with Thanagarian anti-gravity belts, battle yet more henchmen now equipped with jet-packs and laser-guns. Does this guy think ahead or what? They face Eclipso #3 whose force field keeps the heroes and a flock of Hawkman's birds at bay. Luckily, he's not immune to Green Arrow's mouth who goads him to drop the field and gets a boxing-glove arrow for his trouble!
The JLA reunites with the Triple Terror and learn that he (they?) planned to blackmail the world with over-pollution (in the 6 hours it had left) but now decides that taking over the satellite is a better one. The three merge into a Giant-Eclipso and smack around our heroes, then grabs the now-three black diamonds to destroy them. But as soon as he focuses his power through them, there is a tremendous burst of super-intense light and Eclipso is gone, driven back into Bruce Gordon's body! The reason for this is Batman (of course) deduced that only Eclipso could create a light bright enough to defeat him and so treated the black diamonds, off-camera, to trap him again. As opposed to, I don't know, have Superman take him to the sun or something! Some people just like being the center of everything!
Now that the JLA knows Bruce Gordon harbors a menace inside him, you would think that they would keep an eye on him. Sadly that's not the case. Also you would think that Eclipso would get a rematch and sadly, that, too, never happens!
I would like to note the ads that appear in this issue are great as well. There's one for a B-B gun "every boy dreams about!". Another for Chinese stamps. One for Pop-o-Matic Games by Kohner, the only one around today is Trouble! With a list of seven department stores that no longer exist! The classic "Insult that Made a Man of Mac!"! Previews of a Ruldolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer tabloid, 100 Page Super-Spectaculars and Swamp Thing! Plus the back cover's "Ready Rangers" gear that fascinated me as a child which I never saw in a store!
Next, Eclipso battles another, though decidingly different, team!
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Next, Eclipso battles another, though decidingly different, team!
Man, I can't remember who that is exactly. I believe it is either the Metal Men or Challengers of the Unknown