Justice League of America, Vol. 1 – Issue 178

Meeting at the JLA satellite to discuss their recent battles with life sized chess pieces, the League are attacked by a Bishop that manages to beam aboard. Eventually defeating the living statue, the League investigate it and discover that it was more powerful than the League combined and had actually let them win. Elsewhere, the Martian Manhunter plays chess against Despero; the hero is forced to use the living statues while Despero uses the League themselves. The alien despot holds the Manhunter hostage as well as the population of Mars II, forcing the hero to choose between his friends and his race. Manhunter attempts to continue playing but when his piece invades the JLA satellite he finds it abandoned. Despero, facing a forfeit of the game, finds his own pieces disappearing with the exception of The Atom who stands revealed as the genuine article. The rest of the League – transported to Despero’s ship by Zatanna who had figured out the clue left by Martian Manhunter – appear and battle Despero’s chess army before defeating him once more. The League later celebrate with the Manhunter on Mars II though Green Arrow mourns his inability to help the common people of Star City.