Wonder Woman, Vol. 1 #293 (1982)

Countdown to Chaos / A Judgment Rendered
At Titans Tower, Raven is conversing with Wonder Girl when she abruptly starts screaming in extreme pain. Alerted by her cries, Starfire flies into the room to help, but Raven collapses in agony in spite of Donna and Kori's efforts. Seriously worried, both friends resolve to take her to Paradise Island for treatment. On Themyscira, Paula von Gunther examines Raven. Queen Hippolyta reveals that the source of her pain is in another Earth: Raven is an empath, and that world's pain is so big it's affecting her across the dimensional barrier. The only way to cure Raven is to stop the pain at the source before it kills her within one hour. Starfire declares they will do whatever it takes, a reaction Hippolyta had anticipated. The Amazons have already prepared a cosmic portal, attuned to Raven's emanations. Wonder Girl and Starfire hop into the portal. Somewhen else, the Adjudicator is watching, via his orb, Wonder Woman and Lois Lane to have chat over a cup of coffee. Once again, he finds himself intrigued by that world's heroes. Nevertheless, he's about the perform the final test. With one gesture, he makes his starship materialize. He teleports inside and sends Death out. The chosen world is a peaceful Earth named Earth-I because the inhabitants have become immortals. The dimensional maelstrom spits Starfire and Wonder Girl out right in the Death's path. Having been contacted earlier by her big sister regarding the Adjudicator and his minions, Donna recognizes the Horseman and both girls realize he's the cause of Raven's pain. Death swings his scythe down on Starfire, but when it's stopped by Kori's thunderbolts, he merely goes on his path in pursuit of easier prey. Starfire accosts him while Wonder Girl keeps innocent people out of his reach. Wonder Girl learns of Earth-I's nature from a local and realizes why their collective horror is resonating with Raven across the dimensions. Overhead, Death has shot Starfire down but Wonder Girl manages to stop Kori's fall safely. Still, Death has decided they are a pest which must be looked after without further ado, and flies towards them. Donna and Kori are too weakened to fight or flee. However, the citizens of Earth-I come between them and Death, resolute to shield them. Out of universe, the Adjudicator observes that scene and finally understands why those Earths haven't self-destructed so far. Adjudicator recalls Death. Back on Earth-One, Raven comes around. Pleased, Hippolyta prepares to fetch Donna and Kori back when Raven also vanishes. At the same time, Wonder Girl, Starfire, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Zatanna, Madame Xanadu, Black Canary, Huntress, Power Girl and Phantom Lady vanish from their respective Earths. Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Zatanna, Wonder Girl, Starfire, Madame Xanadu, Black Canary, Huntress, Power Girl and Phantom Lady have been teleported in the Adjudicator's starship and encased in energy diamonds. Maybe because they all have been bathed by Adjudicator's multi-hued energy beams, they can hear and understand his thoughts clearly: he has already made his decision on the fate of the four Earths, and he intends to save the heroines who opposed his servants as specimens of the four Earths he intends to destroy. Horrified, Wonder Woman hits over and again her prison's walls. But neither her super-strength, nor Supergirl's or Power Girl's nor Zatanna or Raven's spells have any effect on their cells. Meanwhile, they keep hearing the Adjudicator's reflections. He has decided it must be their capability for self-sacrifice which allow humans to survive against all odds. He finds it intriguing enough he considers for one second to spare those Earths for further study... but he is not interested in researching. He readies himself to blast all Earths across the Multiverse into oblivion. The group of heroines rages against against their prisons, even knowing their struggle is useless. Wonder Woman, though, has an idea: Diana makes her Lasso vibrate through the inside of the diamond at super-speed before twirling it back inside and making it solid. The excessive tension shatters the solid encasement and Diana leaps onto solid ground. The Adjudicator decides she is too dangerous to spare, and shoots her eye beams. Wonder Woman deflects his beams and her enemy summons back his Horsemen. Nonetheless, Diana had redirected his blasts towards the crystals holding Supergirl, Powergirl, Starfire and Wonder Girl, who breaks Huntress out. The five heroines drive the Horsemen back and away from Wonder Woman. Annoyed, Adjudicator blasts them all down and changes his mind: he'll anihilate the heroines together with their homeworlds. Wonder Woman can feel herself and her friends slowly dissolving into nothingness. Still she has a last-second, desperate idea: as the Adjudicator ignores her, she vibrates her Lasso back into solidity and encircles his neck. Then she demands to know who set him up to be judge, jury and executioner. The Adjudicator replies her Lasso is nothing to him, but her question arouses his curiosity. As Adjudicator tries to recall how and why he became a judge of worlds, Wonder Woman holds onto her Lasso. Her connection with Adjudicator through the Lasso has made her stop fading. Her fellow heroines also grab the far end of the lariat, becoming solid again. Suddenly, the Adjudicator remembers: he was given that mission many eons ago by an overseer who hoped it would keep him out of mischief. Stunned, the heroines listen to him musing about some alien race giving him an array of worlds to play with, as long as he didn't bother them with his thoughts again. He realizes they'll sense he's thinking about them and will come to punish him. Angrily, he declares it is all their fault and he will destroy them and their Earths first. Nonetheless, a shocked Wonder Woman realizes the truth at last: he isn't a judge of worlds. He is a lunatic whom his keepers let play with worlds they didn't care for so he didn't bother them again. It's because that the space-faring Leaguers hadn't ever heard of him. Even more furious, the Adjudicator is about to blast them all into oblivion, when he is teleported away by his keepers. The heroines are solidifying at the same time the Adjudicator's starship starts fading. Zatanna teleports the heroines back to their proper Earths just in time. The Themysciran princesses, Supergirl, Zatanna... appear on Paradise Island, and Donna hugs Diana. She has never prouder of her big sister.
Release Date: 1982