I probably shouldn’t be buying these DC and Marvel grab bags at my LCS, but sometimes I can’t help myself. Three bucks for five comics that are in meh condition or aren’t really key issues? Yeah, you would too.

So this George Perez cover on a pretty beat up copy of Justice League of America #202 from 1981 was staring out at me from the front of what proved to be a whole bag full of Justice League/Society comics. This is from the satellite era of the League and one that was definitely before my time (I would have been about 3-1/2 when it came out), but it’s also the era that I associate with the Super Friends, which was a cartoon fixture of my childhood. I own a few issues from around here (and have read #200 on DC Infinite) and I can see why it’s a really well-loved era.

This is a one-and-done issue that involves Batman making repairs to the satellite then getting captured by a race of aliens who turns him into one of them. The Justice League then comes to their rescue, learns that they are part of a race that had observed Earth during prehistoric times and is back in orbit because they’re waiting for some rendezvous or signal. However, it’s all one big misunderstanding and everything goes back to normal at the end.

In fact, there’s something very Star Trek about it.

Anyway, you’d think this would be kind of a cop out, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like Gerry Conway’s writing and while Perez didn’t pencil the book, Don Heck and the inking team (Brett Breeding and Friends) do a really solid job with the all-satellite setting, the look of the alien races, and the issue’s action. Had I plucked this off the stand as a kid, I would have been captivated by the mystery of what happened to Batman on the cover, as well as how the story plays out. It’s some serious Bronze Age goodness.

Keep, Sell, Donate, or Trash?

Keep.