This page was published in November 1960, penciled by Mike Sekowsky and inked by Bernard Sachs. Although my collection includes pages from The Brave and The Bold issues 29 and 30 that feature The Justice League in their initial tryout adventures, there is something special about owning a page from issue # 1 and it’s been a long time goal of mine to obtain one. Such pages have rarely hit the market so it was a huge surprise when Heritage auctioned off six of them in November 2025 followed by another five in March 2026. I was fortunate to win this page featuring my favorite character Green Lantern in action. First issue factoids: • There isn’t an issue number on the cover due to DC managements’s belief that vendors might be hesitant to carry a brand new start-up series. • This issue consists of 5 chapters and 26 pages. • The case gets underway when Flash meets dimensional travelers Jasonar and Saranna who have sought refuge on Earth in order to develop a weapon that can defeat Despero, a tyrant who has enslaved their home planet Kalanor. • Flash uses his signal device to summon his fellow Justice League members for help. • Clark Kent and John Jones are shown in their civilian identities while receiving Flash’s alarm. • Despero is introduced and will go on to become a recurring JLA adversary. The third eye located in the center of his forehead gives him various psionic powers. • The cover by Murphy Anderson features Flash playing chess against Despero using chess pieces that represent the six other JLA members. • The chess match-up concept would be repeated on 1980 and 1992 Justice League covers. • Anderson drew a version of the chess match featuring Marvel characters for the cover of the 2001 Heroes Con program guide. That drawing depicted Loki playing chess against Thor while Iron Man, the Hulk, Ant-man and the Wasp are frozen in seated positions around the table in the same way that the original Justice League members were. • While Flash is relegated to playing chess inside JLA’s The Secret Sanctuary, the off-world chapter team-ups pair Wonder Woman with Superman, Green Lantern with Aquaman, and Batman with J’onn J’onzz. • Letters about the first issue published in the JLA Mail Room in issue three made positive comments about the Superman and Wonder Woman team-up and suggested the idea of a romance. • Snapper Carr proves his worth for the second time in the initial four JLA adventures by defeating Despero using Jasonar’s just completed energy-absorbing machine. • Flash and Snapper are both immune from Despero’s mind control because they had absorbed protective energy from Jasonar’s dimensional travel machine.
