Story: "The Wheel of Life" (23 Pages)

Credits: James Robinson David S. Goyer (plot)
David S. Goyer (script)
Stephen Sadowski (pencils)
Michael Bair (inks)
Ken Lopez (letters)
John Kalisz (colors)
Heroic Age (color separations)
Peter Tomasi (edits)

Feature Characters:

Sentinel
Flash I
Wildcat II
Wonder Woman I (Hippolyta)
Sand (Sanderson Hawkins)
Atom Smasher II
Black Canary II
Starman VII
Hourman III

Guest Stars: Scarab
Hawkgirl II (last in JSA: Secret Files and Origins #1/1)

Supporting Characters: Star-Spangled Kid II
Kent Nelson (as a spirit)

Villains: Mordru
The Sons of Anubis

Other Characters: An unnamed child (first appearance; the reincarnated soul of Hector Sanders Hall; last seen as the Sandman in Sandman Vol. 2 #12)
The Fate-child's mother (see second Comment for #44)

Synopsis:

The Star-Spangled Kid, while impressed by the Sandman museum that Sanderson Hawkins (Sand) has collected, is annoyed not to be admitted to the meeting of the other heroes, which Atom Smasher can sympathise with, though little else. Inside the meeting room, Scarab explains to the heroes that Sandman and Fate were killed for information about the reincarnation of Dr Fate - he also tells them that a being called the Dark Lord has been slaying agents of chaos and order, including Kid Eternity, Kestrel and perhaps the Gray Man. The heroes are split into three teams, each seeking one of the possible reincarnations - as they do so, Scarab disappears into a vortex, followed by the Star-Spangled Kid, who is suspicious of him.

In Tibet, Sand, Sentinel and Hippolyta battle with some more of the Sons of Anubis, but discover the child they seek is not the new Dr Fate. Starman, the Flash and Black Canary come to a similar lack of conclusions in Venice. In Vancouver, Atom Smasher, Wildcat and Hourman discover that the chuild they seek is guarded by someone wearing the costume of the former JSA member Hawkgirl, who flees at their approach. After discovering that they are not acting at cross-purposes, the four of them are attacked by the Dark Lord, Mordru, who takes the child.