The Stars, Like Moths...!; Whatever Will (or Did) Happen To...Rip Hunter-Time Master last edited by ltjfleetwood41 on 07/20/18 10:35AM View full history

    While on an archaeological dig, Hawkgirl sees a chamber with Kryptonese inscriptions and contacts Superman for help in "The Stars, Like Moths."

    The Stars, Like Moths...!

    Intercepting an urgent call for her husband, Shiera Hall journeys,from Midway City to the Rocky Mountains, for a rendezvous with Doctor Irwin Wright. On an archeological dig, Doctor Wright has uncovered a relic, likely of extraterrestrial origin. Hall recognizes the inscription as Kryptonese, the long dead language of Krypton. Hall, as Hawkgirl, summons Superman via her Justice League communicator. Superman immediately recognizes the room as an old Kryptonian antechamber, and reveals a hidden door leading to a secret laboratory. Activating a holographic recording, Superman learns that the lab belongs to Var-El, his Great Grandfather. Var-El came to Earth to pursue scientific research, illegal on Krypton. Var-El held to a theory that all energy in the universe was naturally attracted to itself, as well as other energies. Var-El believed that said energies pooled together in another dimension, an "X" dimension, that served as a kind of universal solar energies storage system. Var-El constructed a Cosmic Iris, giving him the means to monitor this theoretical dimension. Var-El's presence on Earth clues Superman into how his own father, Jor-El, knew what world to send his only son. Superman requests a moment alone to ponder his history. As Hawkgirl exits the laboratory she comes under attack by Var-El's robot sentry. With a quick flash of heat vision, Superman incinerates the sentry.

    Superman discovers Var-El's Cosmic Iris, and opens it. His is astonished at what he sees. Drawn to a deafening roar echoing out of the antechamber, Hawkgirl returns to investigate. Instantly she is caught in a powerful gravity pull, that drags her towards the Cosmic Iris. Hawkgirl counters the gravitational pull by activating the anti-gravity element on her belt. The Man of Steel, however, was drawn inside. Shards of red sun matter drain away Superman's powers, an effect countered to some degree by the shards of yellow sun matter also floating in the void. All are drawn inexorably toward the burning core of the X-Dimension. Superman momentarily finds purchase on a bit of meteor, but it too is being pulled into the core. As the temperature rises around him, Superman finds himself under attack by enormous raptors. Hawkgirl dives into the Cosmic Iris, and tries to call the raptors off. The creatures do not heed her commands. While Hawkgirl battles against the raptors, Superman does his best to keep the meteor he's standing on between him and the raptor. Suddenly, the raptor breaks off it's attack. Superman has been drawn too close to the burning core. With the meteor vaporizing all around him, Superman prepares for the end. At the last second, Hawkgirl. with wings afire, grabs the Man of Steel and pulls him back through the Cosmic Iris, and out of the "X" Dimension. With the Cosmic Iris closed, Superman resolves to fill in Var-El's laboratory, to keep anyone from ever finding the Cosmic Iris again.

    Whatever Will (or Did) Happen To... Rip Hunter... Time Master

    With engineer/mechanic Jeff Smith napping, someone breaks into Rip Hunter's headquarters and steals the back-up time sphere. The thief is revealed to be one John Charles James, a former college classmate and rival of Hunter's. After discovering a suitable power source for their time sphere, Hunter and Smith beat out James for a $50,000.00 endowment. The last Hunter had heard of his rival, James had been drummed out of Ferris Aircraft, in the midst of a scandal. Gathering with Bonnie and Corky Baxter, Hunter and Smith pursue James in the time sphere. Hunter tracks James to Maryland, in the year 4784. Immediately, Hunter and his crew are taken prisoner by the native inhabitants. Before they can be executed, Hunter convinces his captors that he is not working in concert with James. For reasons unknown, James has stolen the nexus gem, responsible for channeling the city's heat and light. Hunter, and his crew, retrieve another Nexus Gem, from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Hunter next tracks James to New Mexico, in the year 3709 B.C. Encountering a group of primitive tribesman, Baxter administers aid when one of them suffers a heart attack. Suddenly, the back-up time sphere materializes, barreling into Hunter, and his crew. James abducts Smith, at gunpoint. Hunter follows James to their old college campus, where James plans to destroy Hunter's time sphere, preventing Hunter from winning the grant money. With Hunter's arrival, James flees in the back-up time sphere. Baxter rams the time sphere into the back-up, bringing it down. With James defeated, Hunter pilots the time sphere back to the present, towing the back-up time sphere behind them. Hunter discovers that the power element of the back-up sphere is missing. Hunter realizes that the power source that he and Smith discovered, all those years ago to power their time sphere, paradoxically came from the back-up time sphere.

    Notes:

    • "The Stars, Like Moths...!" written by Roy Thomas, plotted, penciled and inked by Jim Starlin, colored by Gene D'Angelo and lettered by John Costanza.
    • "Whatever Will (or Did) Happen to... Rip Hunter... Time Master" written by Mike Tiefenbacher, penciled by Alex Saviuk, inked by Vince Colletta, colored by Jerry Serpe and lettered by John Costanza.
    • This issue contains the Hostess Superhero Ad, Wonder Woman versus "The Robot Master".
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