Justice League #7 – “Justice League … International” – Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis/Kevin Maguire/Al Gordon
This one starts with Guy Gardner waking up in JLA headquarters after being punched out by Batman last issue. Guy is half out of it and crawls under a console to retrieve his ring, but hits his head on the console and knocks himself out again. Elsewhere, Dr. Fate has taken Gray Man (and the rest of the Justice League) to another dimension, where Gray Man finds himself confronted by the beings responsible for making him what he is, the Lords of Order. Apparently, the Lords of Order thought they were rewarding Gray Man by
making him responsible for collecting dream essence from dying humans (and making him live in a colourless world without emotions), but he’s come to see it as torture. The Lords of Order take back their “gift” and Gray Man crumbles to nothing, finally at peace. Dr. Fate brings the others back to Stone Ridge and tells them he’s wiped the memories of all the townspeople (who have recovered from Gray Man’s manipulations). Fate takes off (as does the Creeper), leaving Batman a little pissed off. This resolution of the ongoing story does seem almost perfunctory, like they were wrapping it up so they could get on with 
the main premise of this issue, which is expanding the Justice league into an international team. To that end, Max Lord meets J’onn J’onzz at the United Nations and hears about the new plans. J’onn thinks it’ll benefit humanity to have more Leaguers around the world, but Max is still focused on good PR for the team. J’onn learns that Oberon is part of the new order. Meanwhile, Oberon’s pal Mr. Miracle is on monitor duty, which really pisses off his wife, Big Barda. He welcomes the original Green Lantern, who’s come to warn the team what an asshole Guy is (like they haven’t already figured that out). J’onn discusses things with Max and Oberon and it looks like someone is
watching them on a monitor … or something, since it seems to be computerized. Superman tells the President he thinks expanding the League is a good idea. At HQ, Guy’s second head injury has had a profound effect, turning him from a complete prick to a Pollyanna type who’s relentlessly cheerful and saccharine. GL, Mr. Miracle, and Captain Marvel can’t believe it, but apparently it’s true. We see the eavesdropping computer again, this time calculating the odds the UN will agree to the JLA expansion; the odds are apparently nil, so the computer decides to stack the deck by activating a satellite in space that 
shoots a death ray down toward Earth. The League gets ready to respond, taking a STAR Labs shuttle into orbit. (I’m not sure why Superman or Green Lantern couldn’t just zip up there and handle it, but whatever.) Max seems surprised by the satellite strike, but also seems to know who—or what—is behind it. The satellite is made of no known Earthly material and resists all their attempts to destroy it. Batman notices a camera (an Earth-made camera), but when he checks it out his space-suit gets shredded. Strangely, he doesn’t die … something protects him from the airless cold off space. Mr. Miracle realizes
the satellite is acting like some training programs in New Genesis, putting trainees up against a potentially deadly threat, but protecting them if they fail. Miracle goes right into the death ray (where he sees another camera) and shuts it down. That makes all the UN representatives change their minds about expanding the League (although some of them wonder where the video feed came from). After a heated debate, the UN Security council votes to sanction the League as an international peacekeeping force, operating almost as an 
independent city-state, with embassies all over the world. Batman wonders if that’ll put them at the beck and call of the UN member countries, but most of the team are happy about the change (even though they’re getting two new members they didn’t ask for: Captain Atom and a Rocket Red). Dr. Fate sends word that he won’t be joining and Captain Marvel decides he’s not ready for the big leagues yet. Batman also steps aside, saying the high profile doesn’t mesh with his preference for operating in the shadows, and recommends J’onn as the new leader.
Infinity Inc. #44 – “In the Midst of Death” – Roy and Dann Thomas/Vince Argondezzi/Tony DeZuniga
This one starts with six Infinitors (Jade, Obsidian, Northwind, Nuklon, Wildcat, and Mr. Bones) arriving in New York to check Hall Manor for any sign of Fury or Silver Scarab. Northwind has told them Scarab is the reincarnation of an ancient evil conjured by Setekh (Egyptian God of Death) and now seeks to destroy the Earth with the Eye of Ra. They get in touch with their teammates in Egypt, who got their asses kicked by the Eye (and the treacherous Dr. Rock, who’s another incarnation of
Hawkman’s old enemy Hastor) last issue. Northwind’s destiny is to stop Scarab’s plan and he has some new powers to help him, which he demonstrates by burning away the façade of Hall Manor to reveal a newly-constructed pyramid beneath. Their powers can’t get them through the enchanted walls, so Nuklon and Bones pull one of the stones free. Wildcat gets mugged and the rest follow her inside, where they’re attacked by beast-headed men. Nuklon heads deeper to find Fury and Northwind follows, saying it’s up to him to defeat Scarab. They find Scarab with Fury tied to a statue that he threatens to topple and crush her if they attack. Northwind challenges Scarab, who 
lets the statue go. As the other two fight, Nuklon wedges himself under the statue to keep Fury from being crushed, but she’s given up after seeing what Scarab has become and urges Nuklon to just let her die. Outside, Jade intercepts Hastor and the Eye of Ra, but she can’t hold the Eye back with her power pulses. In fact, the Eye ends up using her own power against her, dragging her along as it approaches the pyramid. The Infinitors finish off the beat-men and head inside, where Northwind and Scarab are still fighting. Nuklon finally convinces Fury to use her strength to bust loose and together they toss the heavy statue aside. The team gathers, but before they can attack Scarab, Hastor shows up with the Eye. Scarab begins an incantation
designed to bring about worldwide destruction, but the Eye goes nuts, catching on fire, flinging Hastor away, and dragging Scarab behind as it takes off. Northwind leaves the others to put out the fires and chases the Eye. He lets Scarab know that the Eye turned on him because he didn’t completely eradicate Hector Hall’s humanity from the world … part of Hector resides in the unborn baby in Fury’s womb. Scarab falls from the sky, landing hard, and Northwind recites a spell that makes the Eye go dormant again before he sends it back to Egypt 
with another incantation. When they open Scarab’s armour, there’s nothing inside, not even a dead body, so Hector is gone completely. The hold a small ceremony a few days later to say goodbye and Northwind tells the others he’s heading back to Feithera to find a mate and take over as leader of his people. The Infinitors leave and a woman in a robe (it’s probably Hastor, but I’m not 100% sure) approaches the grave, picking up a small metal scarab beetle that scuttles out of the ground.
Young All-Stars #6 – “The War Within” – Roy and Dann Thomas/Brian Murray, Howard Simpson, Michael Bair/Malcolm Jones III, Bob Downs
Last issue, Iron Munro, Fury, and Flying Fox were captured by Axis Amerika and dragged off to Catalina Island. This issue opens with Dyna-Mite (driven by Betty and Ronnie, two girls the All-Stars picked up) finding Sandy and Neptune Perkins to let them know what happened and get some help. Firebrand and Tarantula have taken off, so Neptune sends Betty to find them and asks Ronnie to take the rest of them to Santa Anita so they can recruit some extra
help. That turns out to be Miya (Tsunami) Shimada, who’s reluctant to help because her family are being treated like criminals (held in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans) even though they haven’t done anything wrong. But when she hears Kamikaze has taken her place in Axis Amerika, she decides to help the All-Stars. As they get close to Catalina, Gudra, Sea Wolf, and Kamikaze attack their plane. Neptune tackles Sea Wolf into the ocean and Tsunami grabs Kamikaze, who she knows from Japan and isn’t too fond of. The rest of Axis Amerika have Munro, Fury (who’s changed back to her regular non-
powered form), and Flying Fox restrained, planning to kill them and put them on a plane that’ll be set to crash in Long Beach. Neptune knocks Sea Wolf out underwater, which transforms him back to human form, while Tsunami lives up to her name by smashing a tidal wave into Kamikaze, sending him flying off to get his marbles back. Ubermensch taunts Munro, saying that they have a lot in common and mentioning that Munro is the son of Hugo Danner (and grandson of Abednego Danner), but refusing to explain how he knows that. Sandy and Dyna-Mite bring their crippled plane in and crash it into Axis Amerika’s dirigible, bailing out at the last second. They figure they’re
outclassed, but in a desperation move, Dyna-Mite slams his ring together with the one belonging to his dead partner, TNT. That causes an explosion that stuns Axis Amerika and damages the concrete that’s holding Munro. He busts loose and goes after the Axis villains. Fledermaus ties Dyna-Mite up and Gudra tries to kill him, but Munro leaps in front of the kid to protect him. Fury gets pissed off enough to break her chains, but her anger takes her beyond her usual super-powered form, turning her into the demonic blood avenger, Tisiphone. She hurls Gudra away, but her blood fury is so strong that she sets her 
sights on her own teammates. Fledermaus tries to kill Sandy and Tsunami arrives in time to knock him out. They all pile on Tisiphone, but she tosses them off, knocking the plane over onto Fledermaus’s unconscious body. Munro holds on to Tisiphone and brings her back to reality, talking her out of her fury and letting her turn back into Helena Kosmatos. Flying Fox says Helena’s righteous anger usually turns her into Fury, but if her family is threatened she could turn into Tisiphone again … and the All-Stars are her family now. Sandy thanks Tsunami for saving him and apologizes for being such a prick, which is nice but seems a little too quick. Great Horned Owl freaks when he realizes his
son is dead and swears vengeance on the Young All-Stars. When Helena wakes up, she doesn’t remember being Tisiphone and the others don’t tell her. A few days later in New York, the mayor introduces the Young All-Stars and opens a baseball game with them and some older All-Stars. But nobody knows Tigress (who looks like the villain known as Huntress) is watching and planning to disrupt the fun.