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It begins with a question.  Simple, really: "How did he lose his hair?"

The person asking is Vic Sage, a TV reporter from Hub City, but he's not doing an on-air piece.  He's having a conversation with Ralph Dibney, the Elongated Man.  Did I say "begin"?  Because this is well into the decade, near the end of it, really, 1967.  Ralph has already made his name, and his twitching nose has become world famous, by then, but Vic, at least the one no one knows, the one without a face, is one of the few persons alive who can give the quirky detective a run for his money.  His question concerns Lex Luthor.  Ralph's been wondering why the Justice League of America, easily the decade's biggest story, came together, and Vic asks in return, "How did he lose his hair?"  Vic answers every question with another question.  He just never stops asking.  He's not the kind of guy who keeps friends.  At first, Ralph is mystified.  All he really wanted was brag about being offered membership, something he's sure Vic is never going to receive, something he and Sue can joke about when they have Vic over for dinner, because Ralph's a clown even if he's the greatest superhero detective the world will ever know; rumor has it he conceived the stretching gimmick mostly to drive clients his way.

Of course he bites.  "Do you know?"

"Did you hear about Van-Zee?"  Of course Ralph had.  Van-Zee was another Kryptonian, like Superman, so much like Superman that Lois Lane actually confused the two for long enough that Sylvia DeWitt, a socialite who yearned to be Lois but never had the reporting skills for the gig, decided Van-Zee was good enough for her, and they got married before settling on Venus.  The difference between Lois and Sylvia was about the same as Van-Zee's inability to live up to Superman's legacy; it takes drive to be Superman, as it turns out, not to mention a certain amount of distracting aloofness, which sort of comes with the territory. 

Vic, of course, doesn't mention why Van-Zee is significant, but it's enough for Ralph to realize Lex Luthor, by most accounts a millionaire philanthropist, is probably the elusive madman who has been plaguing Superman throughout the decade.  But what does that have to do with his hair?

"Trick question: Was Superman a part of the Justice League's first adventure?"  When the alien parasite Starro came to Happy Harbor, it triggered the convergence of Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, the Flash, and Green Lantern, all the major superheroes who'd appeared in the wake of Superman.  Ralph knows Superman wasn't a part of this adventure, except that he offered the new team his blessings.  So technically no.  And yes. 

He also knows Superman had nothing to do with the spectacular circumstances in which Allen Adam was transformed into Captain Atom at the height of the nuclear arms race during the Cold War, thus inadvertently becoming one of the decade's defining figures.  It wasn't long after this, actually, that Ralph first assumed the Elongated Man identity.  He investigated Adam's story and found that it checked out. 

The Justice League, meanwhile, battled another amazing enemy, Professor Ivo's android Amazo, who could duplicate the powers of each member, and then later still another would-be conqueror from space, Despero.  Ralph first became aware of Vic Sage when he learned the reporter had been questioning whether or not Lex Luthor had been drawing these aliens to Earth in an effort to discredit Superman, the world's most famous extraterrestrial.  Vic's response?  "Would that really be out of character?"

Then he asks, "Have you heard of the Phantom Zone?"  Ralph professes ignorance, but then looks into it and discovers that a young Superman had encountered it, only to learn that one of Krypton's greatest villains was trapped there, General Zod.  For the first time, Ralph wonders if Vic is asking for him to look into Superman's past to puzzle out the present's menace, Lex Luthor.  He discovers that Green Lantern's greatest enemy comes from his past, too: the evil Sinestro, who had once been a member of the Green Lantern Corps.

Vic asks Ralph if reality is the same as it ever was, and to illustrate he asks if Ralph heard about the time the Flash met the Flash, in the fateful day Keystone City was discovered at the other end of Central City, twenty years after it seemed to have vanished from existence.  Ralph has no idea what to make of this at all, but he'll be reminded of it soon enough.  Vic asks him something easier, to investigate someone named Pete Ross in Smallville, whom Ralph learns is a childhood friend of another reporter, Clark Kent, whom Vic suggests could in fact be Superman.  Faster than a speeding bullet?

Green Lantern is confronted by Star Sapphire, whom Vic suggests is really Carol Ferris, Hal Jordan's girlfriend.  That's nothing compared to the Justice League meeting the Justice Society, the full-blown version of the Flash meeting his inspiration from another Earth.  Villains with identity issues, Eclipso and Dr. Polaris, appear.  Ralph asks a question for a change, about whether or not the new Teen Titans are a junior Justice League, to which Vic replies, "Who is Donna Troy?"  Green Lantern strikes again, helping Sinestro's successor, Katma Tui, realize her devotion to the Corps.  A third Earth appears, introducing the Crime Syndicate, evil versions of the Justice League.  Ralph asks if there's an evil Elongated Man.  Vic replies, "Where's Zatanna's father?"  Aquaman marries Mera upon settling concerns about her citizenship with disgruntled Atlanteans.  The Riddler strikes Gotham City for the first time in twenty years.  Buddy Baker becomes Animal Man.  The Cluemaster challenges Gotham City.  Vic and Ralph agree that Riddler and Cluemaster have nothing on them, but of course Vic asks, "Have you seen the Batman?"  Ralph takes a break to attend the Flash's wedding to Iris West, although Vic tells asks him, "Did you see the Reverse-Flash there?"  He also wonders if Ralph cares for the idea of Plastic Man, to which Ralph replies, "He's fantastic."

There's a Batgirl in Gotham when Vic officially enters the scene at the same time as the Blue Beetle.  After the Flash races Superman, Ralph asks, "Who won?"  Vic replies, "Does it matter?"  And then, "Did you ever have the feeling you were inhabited by a Deadman?"  Ralph learns that Lois Lane has quit her romantic obsession with Superman.  Vic only says, "Who's creepier than the Creeper?" right after wondering what will become of Guy Gardner, the man who would be Green Lantern.  Then Vic asks Ralph, "Do you know who Julius Schwartz is?" And has he seen Wonder Woman's new costume?  Another trick question, as it turns out.  She's become a spy.  What about Superman's Vietnam adventure?  Or the Justice League's war on Mars?  And, "Who is the Phantom Stranger?"  Who will stop Green Arrow?  Did Abel forgive Cain?  Who will follow Black Canary into the League?  Will the madness of Jean Loring end peaceably?  What drove Snapper Carr to leave the Justice League?

Ralph says..."Enough questions, Vic.  I get it.  I investigated Lex Luthor.  Turns out he's from Smallville.  Can't tell you how hard it was to nail that.  Lex really knows how to stretch the truth.  Clark Kent is Superman, and Clark and Lex were once friends.  Lex inadvertently became a fan of his best friend after Clark became Superman, but their friendship ended forever when Superman asked Lex to study the deadly Kryptonite meteor, and it poisoned him, which among other things caused him to lose all his hair, not to convincing him that Superman had sought to eliminate the one person in the whole world who could expose him for what he really was."

"Did he ever suspect?"

"That's the funny part," Ralph says.  But the Question is no longer there.

Adapted from DC COMICS YEAR BY YEAR: A VISUAL CHRONICLE, based on entries from
SUPERMAN'S GIRLFRIEND, LOIS LANE #15, 80
THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #28, 30, 54, 85
SPACE ADVENTURES #33
ADVENTURE COMICS #271, 283
THE FLASH #112, 123, 165, 179
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1, 12, 21, 22, 29, 71, 75, 77
GREEN LANTERN #7, 16, 21, 30, 59
SUPERBOY #86
HOUSE OF SECRETS #61
DETECTIVE COMICS #327, 351, 359
HAWKMAN #4
AQUAMAN #18
BATMAN #171
STRANGE ADVENTURES #180, 205
PLASTIC MAN #1
BLUE BEETLE #1
SUPERMAN #199, 216
SHOWCASE #73
WONDER WOMAN #178
THE PHANTOM STRANGER #1
TEEN TITANS #22
DC SPECIAL #4
THE ATOM AND HAWKMAN #45
(1960-69)