Justice League of America #94
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeJustice League of America #94 is the debut of Merlyn (Arthur King), the bow-wielding contract killer who would become Green Arrow's defining archenemy and, decades later, the direct inspiration for the central villain of The CW's Arrow television series. The issue is equally notable for the connective tissue Mike Friedrich stitched across DC continuity: by merging Neal Adams's Society of Assassins from the Deadman run in Strange Adventures with Denny O'Neil's League of Assassins from the Batman titles, and then explicitly naming Ra's al Ghul as their ultimate master, Friedrich made a narrative link that has defined Ra's al Ghul's criminal empire for more than half a century — in comics, animation, and live-action film. Deadman's guest-star role, with Boston Brand possessing Aquaman's body for much of the story, also gave the character his most prominent mainstream team-book showcase since his original Strange Adventures run ended.
In "Where Strikes Demonfang?", the Sandman takes on a cunning and deadly foe as he investigates the mysterious kidnapping of a celebrated actress and the staggering $500,000 ransom demand. Written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Bert Christman, this 1971 installment of Justice League of America delivers a tense, atmospheric mystery with a touch of supernatural intrigue. The cover, a striking collaboration by Neal Adams, captures the story’s eerie mood with dramatic flair.
In "The Tarantula Strikes," the Sandman faces off against a cunning and deadly foe as he investigates the mysterious kidnapping of a famous actress and the bizarre $500,000 ransom demand. With the stakes rising and the trail growing more tangled, the hero must outthink a foe who’s always one step ahead.
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The lead story, 'Where Strikes Demonfang?', was scripted by Mike Friedrich and penciled primarily by Dick Dillin, with Joe Giella on inks — the regular Bronze Age JLA creative team working under editor Julius Schwartz. What makes the issue's production distinctive is that Neal Adams contributed only four pages (the splash and select villain-focused pages), yet delivered them roughly three weeks after the rest of the book was completed, according to Friedrich's own account; those Adams pages include his only interior story artwork on the Justice League of America series. The issue was published as part of DC's 'Bigger & Better' 25-cent, 52-page giant format, which Schwartz filled out with two Golden Age reprints: a Sandman story from Adventure Comics #40 and a Starman origin story from Adventure Comics #61 — the latter being that character's first appearance.
Trivia · 9 facts
- First appearance of Merlyn (Arthur King, a.k.a. the Dark Archer), created by writer Mike Friedrich and artists Neal Adams and Dick Dillin — Green Arrow's principal archenemy in DC Comics.
- Merlyn is introduced as a master archer and League of Assassins contract killer assigned by the Sensei to assassinate Batman, establishing a personal rivalry with Green Arrow when the two archers clash directly.
- The story explicitly ties Neal Adams's Deadman-era villain the Sensei and his Society of Assassins to Denny O'Neil's League of Assassins and Ra's al Ghul, creating a unified criminal hierarchy that has remained part of DC's Batman mythology ever since.
- Deadman (Boston Brand) appears as a guest star, possessing Aquaman's body for much of the adventure — his most prominent appearance in a team book since his original run in Strange Adventures concluded.
- Neal Adams drew only four interior pages (the splash and select villain scenes), his sole story-art contribution to the Justice League of America series, alongside his painted-style cover; the remainder of the art is by Dillin (pencils) and Giella (inks).
- Published in DC's 25-cent, 52-page 'Bigger & Better' giant format, edited by Julius Schwartz; the issue went on sale September 14, 1971 with a November 1971 cover date.
- The issue's back pages reprint the Golden Age first appearance of Starman (from Adventure Comics #61, by Gardner Fox and Jack Burnley) and a Golden Age Sandman story (from Adventure Comics #40, art by Bert Christman).
- The lead story has been collected in Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 5 (2011), the Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 (2017), the Justice League of America: The Last Survivors of Earth collection (2019), and the Deadman Omnibus (2021); select Adams pages are reprinted in DC Universe Illustrated by Neal Adams #1 (2009).
- Merlyn has since appeared across DC continuity in Identity Crisis, Infinite Crisis, Forever Evil, and DC Rebirth's Green Arrow, and was the basis for Malcolm Merlyn (played by John Barrowman) in the TV series Arrow.
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Adventure Comics #40 (1939), Adventure Comics #61 (1941)
Reprinted in Batman #656 (1972), DC Universe Illustrated by Neal Adams #1 (2009), Showcase Presents: Justice League of America #5 (2011), Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus #1 (2017), Justice League of America: The Last Survivors of Earth #[nn] (2019), Deadman Omnibus #[nn] (2021), Super Adventure Comic #57
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