Menace of the Atom Bomb!

Justice League of America #14

September 1962

In a Nutshell

The Atom has joined the Justice League! The Leaguers have no idea who he is, but they voted for him anyway. In their defense, the Atom also has no idea who the Atom is. Amos Fortune has recruited a team of villains to rob the heroes of their memories, and it’s up to the Mighty Mite to set things right in the League’s first bowling themed adventure!

Roll Call

Once again, the League find themselves hypnotized by the bad guys, so the contributions are slim.

  • The Atom is the undisputed star of the show, single-handedly rescuing the entranced Leaguers from Mister Memory’s atomic bowling ball. He even manages to hijack Green Lantern’s power ring while it’s still on his finger, a feat I don’t recall any other hero duplicating. For his impressive debut, Ray earns a bonus Saving the Day point.

  • The Martian Manhunter locates and captures Amos Fortune. J’onn invites the Flash along, but the Scarlet Speedster doesn’t actually do anything.

  • Batman has the worst time of it in this issue. Not only does he fail to contribute to Fortune’s defeat, he actually spends the first half of the issue working for the bad guys. Batman is revealed as the mysterious Mister Memory, who recruits a team of villains to rob the League of their memories. I’m tempting to give him a negative rating for doing more harm than good, but since most of the team were likewise hypnotized in this story, I’m going to let it slide.

  • Superman doesn’t even bother to show up until the shouting is over, but his last minute appearance means he gets to sneak in an undeserved appearance credit.

The Scorecard

The League grows to ten members with the Atom’s introduction. John’s capture of Amos Fortune puts him in tied first place with Green Lantern for contribution credit. Aquaman almost goes for his third issue without a cover appearance, but can be just barely seen peeking out over Hal's shoulder.


Team Member


Tenure

Cover Appearances

Story Appearances

Contribution Rating

Green Lantern

17

17

100%

17

100%

13

76%

Martian Manhunter

17

15

88%

17

100%

13

76%

Flash

17

17

100%

17

100%

12

71%

Aquaman

17

15

88%

17

100%

11

65%

Wonder Woman

17

17

100%

17

100%

11

65%

Superman

17

3

18%

15

88%

9

53%

Snapper Carr

17

1

6%

17

100%

8

47%

Green Arrow

11

10

91%

11

100%

5

45%

Batman

17

3

18%

15

88%

4

24%

Atom

1

1

100%

1

100%

2

200%

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