Justice League of America, Vol. 1 – Issue 177

Aquaman tackles the crew of a Russian trawler as they steal whales in breach of UN regulations but when the crew end up in the water, they turn into statues. At the same time, The Atom helps rescue a scientist’s daughter from the gang holding her hostage only to have them turn into similar statues. In Star City, Green Arrow and Black Canary break up a neo-Nazi bikers meeting only to find the head biker has become a statue which, unlike the others, attacks him. Having broken an airplane hostage situation, Batman and Superman are attacked by statues of miniature castles which they barely manage to defeat. Checking with Zatanna aboard the JLA satellite the heroes hear of each others’ problem and realise they have all been fighting against giant chess pieces. Elsewhere, unknown to them, Despero forces the Martian Manhunter to play a deadly game of chess where the stakes are the lives of the League or the Martian exiles.