The Terror Beyond - Part 1
A heavily Armored US Army unit finds Solomon Grundy and throws everything they've got at him. They almost have him beat when Aquaman shows up on the back of a giant sea snake. Aquaman attacks the soldiers and then quickly retreats, taking Grundy with him.
Aquaman takes Solomon Grundy to see Dr. Fate who uses his magical abilities to learn about the brute's origin. His name was Cyrus Gold. He was a gangster decades ago. He was killed by rivals who dumped his body in a swamp. The swamp was imbued with magic and eventually Cyrus Gold returned as the soulless being known as Solomon Grundy.
Superman, Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl Find the remnants of the US Army unit that Grundy and Aquaman demolished. They learn from the soldiers about was happened. They decide to go looking for Aquaman once they hear that he was involved. They head to Atlantis but stop along the way to stop a sea monster from destroying an ocean liner.
The three Leaguers make their way to Atlantis only to discover that Aquaman isn't home. They learn from Mera that he has gone to see Dr. Fate. They leave Atlantis and travel to Dr. Fate's tower. They get there just in time to see Dr. Fate casting a spell. They interrupt the ceremony. Superman gets into a fight with Solomon Grundy. Wonder Woman takes on Aquaman. Hawkgirl attacks Dr. Fate because her mace, as demonstrated earlier in this episode, seems to be effective against magic.
Dr. Fate banishes the other two pairs from his tower. He opens a portal that Superman and Solomon Grundy pass through. It takes them to Egypt. Aquaman and Wonder Woman are sucked through another portal but this one takes them to Easter Island. All three pairs fight but they are eventually brought back together in Dr. Fate's tower just in time to learn what the ceremony they interrupted was to prevent Ikthulu, an ancient evil, from invading Earth.
Thoughts
Solomon Grundy resembles the Hulk in appearance, not withstanding the fact that he isn't colored the same way. The Army commander who is leading the military unit that is after Grundy resembles General Ross. The unit seems very much like the Hulkbusters, who first appeared in Incredible Hulk (1968) 148 (Feb 1972) and continued to appear frequently in his series for the rest of the 1970s.
The death of Cyrus Gold is more or less shown on screen. He gets gunned down although he is shown in silhouette when the bullets start flying. It wasn't terribly gruesome but it isn't something normally shown in cartoons.
There is even more Marvel homages in the assemblage of heroes in this episode. I had to have it pointed out to me but it was clear to me once it was pointed out. Dr. Fate, Aquaman, and Solomon Grundy are basically very similar to the original members of the Defenders: Dr. Strange, Sub-Mariner, and the Hulk.
Hawkgirl's mace proves to be very powerful in this story. I don't recall if this is the first time that has been pointed out.
I like how this episode builds. I especially like the focus on the trio of Aquaman, Grundy, and Fate. It is a nice change of pace.
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