Eclipsed - Part 1
A fire team of soldiers looking for someone named Fassan finds something else, an ancient evil. The evil is in the form of a purple jewel. It is guarded by Mophir, a man with long gray hair, but the soldiers overcome him. Burns, one of the soldiers, takes the jewel while the others aren't looking. Something ethereal emerges from the jewel and takes possession of Burns' mind.
Flash gets himself into a bit of trouble with a television personality, G. Gordon Godfrey. Godfrey picks on Flash for using his popularity to make commercials for Lightspeed Energy Bar. Flash is quick to anger and, despite warnings from Green Lantern, confronts Godfrey on live television. Godfrey is a master manipulator and makes a fool of the Flash as he questions the altruism of the Justice League.
Burns uses a grenade to bury his teammates in the tomb where they found the jewel. They are left there to die but Mophir escapes. Burns makes his way to a testing range where he interferes with the test of the Anti Fusion Device (AFD). Burns is stopped but the purple jewel falls into the hands of General McCormick, who is in charge of the testing range. Burns doesn't remember a thing but now the general is possessed.
Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash keep an eye on Godfrey from a distance. Their focus changes when General McCormick shows up at a power plant. He has heard about the Justice League and wants to harness their power. He starts to destroy the power plant. Flash and Green Lantern deal with the fire he sets while Wonder Woman takes on General McCormick.
Mophir makes his way to the United States in search of the purple jewel. He seems to want to set things right.
Wonder Woman defeats the general. She picks up the jewel and it takes possession of her. Flash shows up ready to help. He notices that something is amiss but doesn't question Wonder Woman about why she almost killed the general.
Thoughts
I only have the vaguest of recollections of this story. I recall Mophir but that's about it.
The Flash also works on another commercial but he ends up quitting before the shoot is done. He doesn't care for the product. Artie Bauman, the Flash's agent, is played by Brian Doyle Murray and is very eager to sign Wonder Woman. She is disgusted by Artie when she meets him.
The Flash shows Green Lantern what he spent the money he made on, a van. It colored red and gold, like his costume. The Flash suggests that he and GL could go on a road trip together as the Hard Traveling Heroes, a reference to Denny O'Neill and Neal Adams run on Green Lantern in the early 1970s. The Hard Traveling Heroes of the 1970s were Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and Green Arrow (Oliver Queen).
There is a sideways reference to Seduction of the Innocent by Dr. Frederick Wertham made by Godfrey. He pulls out a book called The Innocent Seduced and quotes it's author Dr. Frederick. Godfrey also accuses the Justice League of having a negative impact on marriage. He claims that since the League has been around 50% of marriages have ended in divorce and the other 50% in death.
G. Gordon Godfrey (aka Glorious Godfrey) is voiced by Enrico Colantoni. This story is the one and only appearance of Godfrey in Justice League. He also appeared in Young Justice.
Eclipso (who dresses just like General McCormick when he attacks the power plant) and Mophir first appeared in House of Secrets 61 (Jul/Aug 1963). It is Mophir's one and only non-flashback appearance in a comic book. Eclipso had a regular feature in House of Secrets that ran until the series was canceled in 1966 after issue 80 was published. The series was revived a few years later in 1969 without Eclipso. I've read one or two stories that Eclipso has appeared in but he is one of those villains who I never really got.
This is a fun episode, even if it is just the Flash, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman. Batman, Superman, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter are nowhere to be found. I am hopeful that part two will be as satisfying as this one was.
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