Power of the Atom Podcast #611

Victory Day

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• Joining the Justice League?
• By Roger Stern, Graham Nolan, K.S. Wilson and more!
• From DC Comics's Holiday 1988 cover-dated Power of the Atom #9 & Justice League International #24!

Counting a Maxwell Lord Bonus Book, in the third story from Justice League International #24 by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, Kevin Maguire, & Joe Rubinstein, the team has a post-Invasion super-hero party at the New York Embassy. It doubles as a recruitment drive for a second European-based division. Everyone seems happy to see a "real" Green Lantern in Hal Jordan, especially Hawkman. Hal himself is pleased to see Ray Palmer and Ralph Dibny, saying it felt like old times. He's got his back to Katar and doesn't reference him, so it's almost as cold as when Ray says "Too bad Flash couldn't be here." Wally West was standing right there, but Elongated Man sort of consoled "He means the real Flash, Wally." Meanwhile, Hawkwoman was on the other side of the room with Ice being sexually harassed by the Creeper.

The Atom sat on Hal Jordan's shoulder in silent agreement as the Corpsman assessed "This isn't the League I know." Hawkman thrust his finger angrily in the general direction of the group, warning that they should burn their J.L.I. invites if they knew what was good for them. Katar continued to excoriate the undisciplined, self-indulgent, irresponsible, foul-mouthed, immature misfits. The Thanagarian hoped that his circle of men of character and fortitude would be a good example to this lot. Atom piped in with the defense "Aw, c'mon Katar-- they can't be that bad. J'Onn seems pretty proud of this bunch." Hawkman countered that the Martian Manhunter had changed too, singing and dancing on the front lawn while looking like Gumby when he thought no one could see him.

When some temporarily shrunken Khunds were spontaneously restored to regular size, they unwisely confronted the heroes, and Atom was one of the many metahumans tripping over themselves to round the aliens up. Having served his role of disgruntled fan proxy to the hilt, Hawkman finally took this moment to quit loudly and directly to J'Onn J'Onzz's face. It would have been really cool if Hawkwoman had stayed on without her lesser half, but she would have soon enough been rebooted from the team regardless. Meanwhile, shameless Elongated Man took the opportunity to sign-up for Justice League Europe.

Back in his home title, J'Onn J'Onzz strikes an Uncle Sam pose to declare that he wants Atom for the JLI. Ray's already declining at the top of the following page. Palmer starts off on the "it's not you, it's me" tip, but without any provocation slides right into "but actually, it is you." The Atom thinks that there are too many bozos and jerks on the team, and when Guy Gardner leads a drunken conga line into the room, Ray asks "Didn't we used to fight guys like him?" Sure, Ray's life is a mess and he hasn't settled into his old life again, but mainly he doesn't want to spend time with guys with the manners of Attila the Hun who would make ring projection bunny ears behind the Martian Manhunter's back. The Atom wasn't tolerating the open disrespect for himself and J'Onn, so he trips Guy so that he lands on his fanny and spills his beer.

Hal Jordan jokes that Ray Palmer should have been a Green Lantern, since the Atom wasn't afraid to interrupt Batman's own hard pitch to reclaim a classic Justice Leaguer. Looking at Guy and G'nort, Ray figures the Corps is in even worse shape than the League. If you want evidence that Hal's a moron, he took career advise from The Atom, star of exactly two short-lived solo series in the past sixty years, and the last one was three decades ago. But then, Hal saw financial stability in being one of the anchor series in Action Comics Weekly, soon to be reclaimed as a Superman solo monthly.

The Atom jumps out a window to escape this asylum, drifting near-weightlessly on the winds between New York skyscrapers. His newfound Al Pratt-style atomic punch allows him to rip the rear chassis off a drunken driver before he plowed into a celebratory parade. A cop alerts the Atom to a nearby riot, so Ray rides a tossed bullhorn before growing to talk sense into the crowd. Failing that, he racks a guy, as you do. Batman shows to congratulate the Mighy Mite on his nutcracking, and the JLI takes it from there.

Alpheus Hyatt accepts a collect call, and the Atom is back at Ivy University. Tricked by call forwarding, Ray walks right into a surprise welcome home party. Enrica Negrini used his return from Australia as an excuse for the celebration he didn't get when he unexpectedly came back from Brazil. Ray surrogate father, adventurer Ted Ralston, even flew in from the Andes. Norman Brawler pitched Ray on an expanded edition of his biography for the Warner Books paperback edition. Ray was never one for big parties, so he snuck off to brew some decaf coffee before planning to sneak out the back. He'd been looking for his ex-wife, Jean Hoben, who stumbled in looking for her own cup of java. They spoke for the first time since Ray'd come home, and it was the first Jean had heard of the deaths in Morlaidh. By the end, everybody was crying as the former couple embraced, including Enrica, who stumbled upon them. Jean's current husband Paul, recently chastized for hitting the booze too hard at the gathering, was quite the sullen boy as well...

Justice League International,Hawkman,Green Lantern,Hawkgirl,Elongated Man,Jean Loring,POTAcast,Power of the Atom,Ray Palmer,

Power of the Atom Podcast #610

Eye of the Storm

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• Invasion! Aftermath Extra!
• By Roger Stern, Graham Nolan, K.S. Wilson and more!
• From DC Comics's Holiday 1988 cover-dated Power of the Atom #8, plus Starman #6 & Invasion #3!

The Alien Alliance Invasion attempt has ended in victory for Earth. In Starman #6, Will Payton helps save the Sydney Opera House, then hears a voice of congratulation. The Atom soon grows to assign a face to the disembodied voice and shake the neophyte Starman's hand. The pair bond over being reluctant super-heroes who nonetheless served mankind when called upon. Will had heard about Ray's book and wondered if it had any heroism pointers, but Palmer admitted that it was more a blueprint for what not to do in the trade. Most especially, the Atom warned Starman against revealing his secret identity. Since both books were written by Roger Stern, Ray's voice was consistent, and since it was drawn by Tom Lyle, so was my level of enthusiasm for the art.

In a hard-sell of the Atom in his own book, the least effective was to entice new readers, the splash of Power of the Atom #8 tells everyone about how the Mighty Mite was first hero on the ground and among the last wrangling stragglers. I'm guessing Tasmania Devil doesn't count since he was beaten off-panel on his home turf. Anyway, Ray was floating on air currents, heard a cry for help, and lifted debris using his size and density altering powers as a wedge. A Khund took potshots during this effort, and Atom didn't like that, so a beating was delivered. The authorities took the Khund away in chains, so my first question was where did they come up with Khund-sized neck shackles, and my second was what happened to all those Alien Alliance P.O.W.s? Like, are they still here? Were they returned to the Khundian empire in exchange for Blasters? Were they repatriated to Australia?

Amid the rubble of Brisbane, Chronos was gathering alien weapons off the bodies of dead Khunds. A Thanagarian took offense to this, and took a shot. Chronos timed out on that, and when the Thanagarian landed to assess for presumed disintegration, David Clinton gave him that love touch. By which I mean Chronos touched his shoulder from behind and aged him to death. I have to assume Thanagarians never fully recovered from the Equalization Plague if one got outflanked in personal combat by Tricky Dick.

Power Girl and Green Lantern were also helping to shore-up the battle damaged Sydney Opera House, so that's probably how the Atom came to ride on Hal Jordan's shoulder back to a military base. Even got his costume repaired via power ring. Don't get used to palling around with old school Justice Leaguers, Ray. The quality of your team associations is going to drop markedly going forward. Soldiers look on at the desiccated corpse of the Thanagarian, pinned to a wall by his wings, tagged with the note "Atom-- The Truce Is Over. -C." It was really thoughtful of Chronos to sign the letter, given the breadth of the Atom's rogues gallery. Then again, he signed with the letter "C," and the entirety of them are c-list, so there's still some potential for confusion. When Ray accidentally pulled off Hawkman's honor wings a few issues ago, it was a set-up for this limp fakeout. Such is the sorry state of affairs known collectively by the title "Power of the Atom."

Meanwhile, Jean Hoban called Norman Brawler's house in hopes of an update on Ray, but Enrica Negrini answered. I swear that name sounds like something they'd come up with on a sitcom when a character's about to get busted for pretending to be an exotic foreigner. I don't remember answering phones while visiting other people's houses back in the cordfull days of landlines, maybe they do things differently in Italy, and Jean asks if this is Enrica who answered. She then does one of those drawn out "Yee-e-s" and identifies herself as "Doctor Negrini," so it's like the Donna Reed show where Jean Loring is playing both parts using mirrors. Dahwktoohr Negrini doesn't know anything, but wonders to herself if Jean is overly concerned about the well-being of a man that she swore to love, honor, and protect for the rest of her life and was still married to a couple or three years ago. I guess we're still two decades away from Silver Linings Playbook blowing away the myth that people still have feelings for their significant others after the end of a relationship. This one page went a long way in turning me off on Enrica Negrini, but I do have to remind myself that she was talking to Jean. Who knows what kind of crazy was coming across that doesn't translate to the page, or how much her being the worst brings out the worst in others?

Both Ray Palmer and David Clinton managed to separately make the 15-21 hour trip back to San Clemente, CA in the span of that conversation. When authorities refuse to investigate a power local figure on the say-so of a man who wears his underwear on the outside, the Atom commits the actual crime of breaking into Clinton's house. There's a gauntlet of technology and thugs in riot gear for the Tiny Titan to overcome while Clinton watches it all on closed-circuit television from his yacht. When that fails, as he surely knew it would, he just remote detonates his own house to get the Atom. How do you figure that turned out? Or when Chronos and his henchman buddy go to check the site of the explosion in full costume? Sure, Atom could have figured a away to follow the signal to the yacht, but instead he'll just let Chronos come to him and serve knuckle sandwiches at the picnic. And again, set up, Chronos eventually gets his hand on Atom's shoulder, which Atom rightly guessed would be immune to the rapid aging effect because of the white dwarf matter, based purely on a hunch. He offers no evidence as to why that would be, and it was an extremely stupid and dangerous way to bait Chronos into taking exactly one punch before his evading with time-jumping again, but comics. Bad comics. Anyway, a bomb goes over and fries Chronos' suit a few minutes into the future, and then catches up to Ray with an inverted final splash page explosion.

You can't say that DC didn't try to push the Atom during his brief and unexceptional run. The series tied multiple issues into the Invasion event, and as a reward, Bart Sears drew Atom on Superman's shoulder dead center on the cover of the final issue of the mini-series. I still manage to miss that fact nine times out of ten while looking at said cover, but I was actively looking for the perhaps too Tiny Titan this time. Twenty pages into the-- ugh-- third eighty-page issue, the Atom can be seen riding Amanda Waller's shoulder after dropping Chronos off at Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary in Louisiana. The negative-image gene bomb dropped by the Dominators causes humans with the metagene to trigger uncontrollable power spikes, compromising a prison filthy with them. As a dude who gets his abilities from a suit, the Atom gets drafted to help "neutralize" inmates "any way possible." When Task Force X voluntary agent Nightshade is affected, Atom asks "Ms. Waller" how she wants him to proceed. It's rendered moot relatively quickly though, as the affected metagene-actives soon grow gravely ill. It all gets resolve without any more Atom action to cover, so come back next week when I finally close the loop on April Fool's Month and my covering of this series up to my recent guest appearance on the Justice League International: Bwah-Ha-Ha Podcast...

Chronos,Jean Loring,POTAcast,Power of the Atom,Ray Palmer,Hawkman,Green Lantern,Nightshade,Power of the Atom Podcast,Post-Crisis,

Power of the Atom Podcast #606

What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?

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• Featuring Hawkman and Hawkwoman!
• By Roger Stern, Dwayne Turner & K.S. Wilson!
• From DC Comics's November 1988 cover-dated Power of the Atom #4!

Years ago, my buddy the Irredeemable Shag bought a set of Power of the Atom off eBay or something and tried to blame me for recommending them when his read-through fared poorly. I've never read this series before. What I have read, I would never recommend. When I made a guest appearance on his Justice League International: Bwah-Ha-Ha Podcast this week, he also tried to take me to task for slagging Roger Stern's work on the Will Payton Starman series. I read a few issues of each, they were lousy, and I frankly don't need to eat the entire meal if the first few bites taste like a dish sponge pulled out of a drain in a truck stop diner kitchen. The issue we're covering today is one of the ones I bought decades ago, when I was collecting Hawkman appearances. To say that it was better on the second read is damning with faint praise.

I had my own Hawkman reboot and redesign in mind way back in the day. My take was an acknowledgement of previous continuity, but with a new Hawkman in a different setting with a redesigned costume. Focus on telling stories that I felt were clearer, isolating the hero from the greater DC Universe to explore what I felt were his strengths. Boil off the accumulated crud and get back to the inherent appeal of the property.

Not so much with the Atom. Besides never having a multi-arc "run" on a series in mind, the truth is that I don't think the Atom property has inherent appeal. Pop culture was filthy with shrunken people narratives in the 20th century, and there's a good half-dozen tiny super-heroes to choose from. The Atom only matters because of who his creators were, and when he was created, and how he was one of the foundational Silver Age science heroes when Julie Schwartz offered the first true shared universe of DC properties in the 1950s. If you're not emphasizing Ray Palmer's unique flavor of shrinking heroes and his connections to the Justice League of America, there's not much else to sell readers.

So the issue opens with Ray Palmer telling the story of how he was warned as a child of a dangerously rocky gorge near a waterfall in his home town that he could now safely dive into because he was action figure sized. It's a nice human moment, but also has this weird meta quality of making The Atom feel like a trifling figure in a shallow pool. Three pages of story are devoted to Potter's Gorge, as Ray somehow fails to recognize that the low-flying bird he bounded out of the water to ride is in fact a very large and muscular man with a bird-themed helmet who co-starred in the same comics as Atom's for decades. It makes Ray look incredibly dense in a non-white dwarf matter way, and Hawkman having his honor wings ripped out of his helmet for the entire appearance does him no favors either.

I read the Shadow War of Hawkman mini-series, the one-off special that followed, and about half a year into the ongoing series before losing interest. That volume of Hawkman last one issue less than Power of the Atom, so I wasn't the only reader who felt that way. I would have benefited from a few pages of recap of the Hawk's Shadow War and the resolution I'd missed. We got three pages of recap alright-- but of the previous Atom issues instead. Apparently, all those Hawkman fans that powered a whole seventeen issue run a year earlier would require orientation on the four glacially paced stories of this run, as if there was no crossover between the Hawkman and Atom audiences. What's worse is Hawkman keeps talking about all they'd lost and how ashamed they were of their home world of Thanagar, without readers ever being context of what events led them to that state. Frustration and apathy were probably not what the creators of this title should have been shooting for.

Ray Palmer's life was a mess of his own creation because he'd outed his double life most publicly, and he was seriously considering taking the C.I.A.'s offer as their agent under a new identity. Hawkwoman especially thinks its a terrible idea, as the couple had just broken ties with an authoritarian regime that they'd disagreed with. At least, that's what I could gather from the context in the dialogue. Anyway, the Hawks had been staying at a friend's place in New Orleans while on vacation from having a title, though they were appearing in Justice League International by this point. It would have been a really good idea to discuss their experiences with the JLI, but everyone gets distracted by their room getting tossed by crooks. Among their missing belongings were their melee weapons and a pair of spare flight belts.

In this incarnation, the Hawks were sleuths who'd once had a perch in Detective Comics, but here they just follow the energy signature on their belts. You'd think we'd get some aerial combat with crooks wearing the belts, but when the Hawks locate the thieves, a positive-gravity trap is sprung instead. Their old foe I.Q. had planned the whole thing as a booby trap, but had not reckoned with their having the Mighty Mite in tow. Despite his advanced technology and presumed high intelligence, the Tiny Titan suckers I.Q. into damaging his own equipment and leads him right into the Hawks' custody. Even though I.Q. dressed like a dandy pre-World War II aviator, I'm still going to claim this as another case where the Atom fights dudes with weapons in street clothes.

Cut to another page of mildly homoerotic foreshadowing of disgraced former president Tricky Dick Nixon and his lumbering houseboy planning a confrontation with the Atom. Cut back to our heroes, also in casual wear, just spending the day together. Shayera Hall and Ray Palmer are a couple of jokesters gently ribbing unyielding rigid straight man Katar Hol, and that's the best part of the book. Ray expresses that the Halls' open cooperation and understanding is in sharp contrast to his own failed marriage, and that as part of his desire to emulate their healthier lifestyle, he would also try to do the work of navigating his new life as a public figure. Frankly, as expected, the combination of the Atom and the Hawks as old friends was greater than the sum of the parts of another low stakes outing in this title.

Chronos,Hawkgirl,Hawkman,Ray Palmer,POTAcast,Power of the Atom,Power of the Atom Podcast,Post-Crisis,

Silver Age (July, 2000)

In Central City, early in their careers O.G. science bros Barry Allen and Ray Palmer double date with Iris West and Jean Loring at a local diner. The nerds dominate the dialogue, leaving the lassies to pass out in each others' arms. A radio broadcast is interrupted by word of a Mr. Element sighting in the diamond district, giving our heroes another excuse not to deal with their issues with women. The Atom and The Flash suit up, and the Tiny Titan is swiftly playing punch face with his foe Chronos. The time bandit marched on, however, and joined Mr. Element in crafting a particularly nasty hourglass-themed trap for the Scarlet Speedster that the Mighty Mite had to smash like a bullet. It all proves to be a distraction, as the Atom is immobilized by a pair of tiny energy bubbles. "What's the matter, Atom? Can't reach your glove controls? How do you make a clock ineffective, little man? You take away its hands!"

The aliens Sinestro and Agamemno were also party to this villain shindig, all part of a plan to swap bodies between members of the Justice League and their best known antagonists. The champions are briefly jailed at the Secret Sanctuary, but soon escape to plot against themselves to prevent the compromised Justice League from using their revered status to infiltrate global powers. The Atom/Chronos is the most on board with Batman's plan to frame the "Justice League" and smear their reputations, specifically pointing out the resources afforded to Superman/Lex Luthor in that department. (Silver Age #1, by Mark Waid, Terry and Rachael Dawson.)



Chronos/Atom proves himself among the least polluted ersatz Leaguers. He vomits on Element/Flash's back after a super-speed jaunt, and peeks under the mask to learn Atom's secret identity, but otherwise is fairly well behaved. Chronos/Atom locates Jewel Kryptonite sought by Agamemno in a shrunken Daxamite city held by a deactivated Briainiac on an underwater ship. "Three-time loser David Clinton" is distressed by his being hero-worshiped by the Daxamites, who see "The Atom" as their last best hope to return to normal. Chronos/Atom is unwilling to abandon them once he's served Agamemno's plot, as he's "a thief-- not a monster!" However, Lex Luthor/Superman has no qualms about massacring the entire city under his boot of steel to prevent any other super-beings showing up on Earth, and Clinton is ultimately shamed into joining in on the stomping.  
(Silver Age: Justice League of America, by Mark Millar, Scot Kolins and Dan Panosian.)



Snapper Carr alerted contemporaneous heroes about the Secret Sanctuary jailbreak, as the "Justice League" was preoccupied with completing their nefarious missions for Agamemno. Word reached Challengers Mountain, where its defenders used the internet and closed-circuit cameras to locate the Flying Sundial of "Chronos" as he's breaking into Ivy University. Ray Palmer was looking to use Professor Hyatt's time pool, which would require shrinking himself, but he inadvertently shrank the Challengers when they crashed into his lab. Even at doll size, the team prove a headache to "Chronos," until the Challengers' brain Walter "Prof" Haley determines through his delicate resistance that they had actually been fighting The Atom! Ray declares Haley the smartest person in the world, and they'll need it. The Challengers had only 15 minutes to return to normal size or else they'd explode, plus creatures from the future had begun crawling out of the time pool! The latter problem is resolved, but not with enough time to fix the former. Yet, the time pool is on their side, as "Chronos" lowers the Challengers into it to buy time. The heroes are restored, but not before seeing visions of their (sometimes dire) future selves, as well as the strange, unfamiliar heroes who will help them combat the body-swappers.
(Silver Age: Challengers of the Unknown by Karl Kesel, Drew Johnson & Randy Elliot)



Chronos in the Atom's body joined the majority of the "Justice League" on a trip to Thanagar to acquire the Absorbascon. They were attacked by "Sinestro," who managed to use the Oan central power battery to cause the heroes and villains to revert back to their original bodies. Unfortunately, this also provided the Injustice League access to connect the Absorbascon to the power battery, which through the engineering of Lex Luthor and Chronos, allowed the villains to overcome Hal Jordan and the entire Green Lantern Corps.
(Silver Age: Green Lantern by Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson & Joe Rubinstein)

Dr. Light joined the majority of the "Injustice League of America" on a trip to Rann to bind their acquired artfacts into a new body for Agamemno. While Rann suffered their presence, on Earth, Deadman gathered a team of previously unaffiliated period heroes into a 7 Soldiers of Victory revival to address this building crisis. Arthur Light was seen taunting and shattering the shield of Gardner Grayle during his lone adventure billed as "Shining Knight." Metamorpho came to the rescue, replacing Grayle's shield and activating a freeze ray built into his unfamiliar power armor that incapacitated the cowardly Light. However, Chronos and friends continued to utilize the artifacts to thwart capture and to betray Agamemno, claiming his power as their own.
(Silver Age: Showcase by Geoff Johns & Dick Giordano)



Flashback: Prior to the start of the event, Agamemno watches the Justice League of America on an alien world to determine their mettle. The Atom was paired with Aquaman, who was concerned about leaving Earth protected in the League's absence. Ray offered the Doom Patrol as at least a temporary substitute, but Aquaman dismissed them even more quickly than he did Atom's concerns that what Arthur was about to dive into might not be water as we know it. Aquaman soon went missing, leaving the Mighty Mite alone to locate another Leaguer. He finally found Black Canary, who attacked him until she realized Despero doesn't change sizes. For the record, she's not a natural blonde. Soon enough, the real Despero was located, a Canary Cry destroyed his means of teleporting away, and the Tiny Titan delivered the knock-out punch. None of this is particularly relevant to the larger story, but Atom doesn't have much to do in the resolution of that, and I wanted to add another nice picture before we wrapped this up.
(Silver Age Secret Files & Origins #1 by D. Curtis Johnson, Michael Collins & Vince Russell)

The nigh-omnipotent Injustice League threatened our heroes' loved ones, so among others, Jean Loring was rushed to Gorilla City in Africa for hiding. When that failed, the heroes went on the offensive, but a miniaturized Elasti-Girl & the Atom couldn't even overcome a mouse trap constructed by Catwoman's new purple power ring. Near defeat, the vision of future heroes finally came true, as Martian Manhunter brought Robby Reed and his magical H-Dial to transform the League into new identities. The Atom became the robotic Mod-Man, and Thanagarian Wingmen also joined the fray, but the day was mostly won by J'Onn J'Onzz, Deadman, and a revived Green Lantern Corps.
(Silver Age 80-Page Giant #1 by Mark Waid & Eduardo Barreto)

1999 Hasbro Justice League of America Monopoly Game Atom “The Batcomputer” Cards

It's been a lot of years since I missed my opportunity to buy the swell JLA-themed Monopoly game at a reasonable price, and it's even been over three years since The Irredeemable Shag did a spotlight article on his copy. The Atom didn't have a major role in the game, which stopped at the inclusion of the first expansion member Green Arrow, but I figure it's about time to do a post on his appearances on its “The Batcomputer” cards. The Super Friends equivalent to “Community Chest” cards offer the Tiny Titan to "Referee the Race of the Century," and enjoy when a "Grateful Millionaire Makes Donation in Your Name," plus Hawkman and Chronos are worked in on "Help Bring a Villain to Justice." They're pretty boss, and hey, if you really want to play the game as the Mighty Mite, you can always throw this guy on the board. Speaking of which, you can see all of Shag's tubular scans here!

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Fred Hembeck

Click To Expand & Enlarge


Hembeck! kicks it Maguire style with an old school twist. The entire founding Justice League of America, including early inductees Green Arrow and Hawkman, plus Snapper Carr. "Remember us?" Well, I kind of remember the Atom joining between Ollie and Carter. How about that, Fred?

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.


ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

2014 "Fan-Casting DC's HAWKMAN & THE ATOM" by Ryan Daly

Ryan "Count Drunkula" Daly of the Black Canary blog Flowers & Fishnets has played casting director for a Warner Brothers The Atom & Hawkman film! In fact, he's done such a great job, I'd rather let him do all the talking. As you can see from the link list below, Daly has done a lot of fan casting, but I feel this one is his best to date. Check out his heroes and villains casting sheets! Also, dig around in the links below for related offerings, such as Emile Hirsch as Al Pratt, Diora Baird as Giganta, Rossif Sutherland as Red Tornado and Gerard Butler as Deathstroke!

Count Drunkula Casting Department

• Superman Family
• Superman Supporting Cast
• Superman Foes 1
• Superman Foes 2
• Batman Family
• Batman Supporting Cast
• Batman Foes 1
• Batman Foes 2
• Batman Foes 3
• Wonder Woman
• Flash Friends
• Flash Rogues 1
• Flash Rogues 2
• Doom Patrol
• Firestorm Fans
• Firestorm Fiends
• Green Lantern Core
• Green Lantern Corps
• Green Lantern Cretins
• Green Lantern Corpses
• Green Arrow
• Martian Manhunter
• Shazam!
• Teen Titans
• Young Justice
• Titan Terrors
• Justice League
• JLA villains
• JSA 1
• JSA 2
• JSA 3

Justice #12 (August, 2007)

The Atom was set to shrink Gorilla Grodd to nothingness if he tried anything funny after he was given back the exhausted yellow power ring that had previously been unlocked for his use by Sinestro. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor had its power battery shrunken and hidden in a pouch on his person as a failsafe from Brainiac. The Tiny Titan shouted "finally" as he restored the battery to useful dimensions. While the Martian Manhunter worked with the villains to stop nuclear missiles from incinerating the planet, the Atom was more concerned with water. Solomon Grundy had punched out an exterior wall of the city-sphere, which was submerged, so the whole "town" was rapidly flooding.

In Scarecrow's city, Red Tornado blew fear gas away from the citizenry, then determined that Brainiac had escaped by shifting his "primary program to another body." Zatanna teleported Superman and Red to the Toyman factory the Hawks had destroyed, where they found Brainiac's consciousness temporarily resided. Brainiac explained that he was trying to recreate Colu by turning humans into nanite-infested automatons, then disappeared to another location. Tornado had an internal monologue about the limitations of Zatanna's powers, which made no sense in context, since the creators had to give Red a cybernetic tracking connection-amabob to Brainiac for him to have any story mileage. Meanwhile, Zee was providing transportation across all the literal mileage covered (and Zee also seemed to track Brainiac independent of Red, so so much for that.) At other locations, Brainiac tried to convince RT to turn on the humans, like a dime store Ultron talking down to the Vision.



"Chapter Twelve" was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite. Justice was kind of a modern deconstruction of an old cartoon, but it doesn't stand up very well to deconstruction its own self. The Atom had a fairly large role in the story, including a spotlight issue, but his arc consists of getting hurt, worrying his wife, fighting a Wonder Woman foe, saving his wife, and carrying the weight of science stuff for the heroes. "Love and protect your (psycho bitch adulteress) wife." That's deep, yo. Red Tornado served the Red Tornado role of getting violently torn to pieces to establish a threat against his team and then serving a minor, dubious role in evil's defeat. Red got to have a weird forced relationship with a Superman villain who was doing the same thing with Aquaman on the DL, and he got to hold Brainiac's ship after it had already been shrunk and frozen. It's the costumed equivalent of holding your girlfriend's purse at the mall. This comic was basically watching someone else play with action figures. The bad guys attack, and the good guys retaliate. It's stupefyingly simplistic, but hey, painted Atom in an important role. Yay.

Continue the story through these character-specific posts:

• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Batman, Elongated Man, Aquaman, & Zatanna @ Justice League Detroit
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• Coda @ DC Bloodlines

Justice #11 (June, 2007)

The battle at the "Hall of Doom" continued. Giganta held up against the onslaught of Martian Manhunter, Metamorpho, and Red Tornado. The last hero broke off his attack to pin down a weakened Bizarro with tornado winds, but Hawkman and Hawkgirl took his place with Giganta. Green Lantern Hal Jordan, off battling Sinestro at another location, substituted for an omniscient narrator for no good reason other than a lack of craft by considering Giganta's "rage at being confined. She is an animal. Maybe like we all are. But maybe we can learn something where she cannot. There's always someone stronger. Someone smarter. Someone bigger." Elasti-Girl tapped Giganta on the shoulder, then sucker punched her, a gigantic butt cracking the pavement seemingly the closing of all hostilities.

Reunited with their supporting casts thanks to the efforts of Green Arrow and Green Lantern John Stewart, Jean Loring lovingly cradled the Atom against her face. Red Tornado chatted up Kathy Sutton, as the Hawks did Midway City police commissioner George Emmett.

"Chapter Eleven" was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite.

Continue the story through these character-specific posts:

• Wonder Woman & Wonder Girl @ Diana Prince
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Aquaman, Elongated Man, Zatanna & more @ Justice League Detroit
• Green Lantern, the Doom Patrol, & more @ DC Bloodlines

Justice #10 (April, 2007)

Previously in Justice

The Atom flew about with his jetpack and raygun at a veritable Hall of Doom, performing reconnaissance on the super-villains gathered there. "They're everywhere. Brainac's nanotechs are swarming all over the place. I think I'm too small to be detected by Brainiac's worms. And the shielding seems to be cloaking me from Grodd's mind. But I'm still not small enough to get past Luthor's force field. That's why Brainiac can't control Luthor." As Batman had predicted though, the Mighty Mite wasn't mini enough to escape the robotic flying worms after all.

The time for discretion ended, an army of heroes burst onto the scene. The Tiny Titan blasted and kicked at the "worms," while the armored Hawkman and Hawkgirl contended with Solomon Grundy. Giganta grew out of her black formal dress into a leopardskinned force to be reckoned with. Red Tornado was in the mix, but disappeared into the periphery for most of the battle, until joining in against Giganta.

Batman eventually confronted Lex Luthor, who stood unconcerned in his force field. "Why do you bother, Bruce? There's nothing you could build in that top secret cave of yours that could break through this." The Dark Knight said he was merely seeing how far along the Tiny Titan had come in dismantling Luthor's tech. "The Atom? Where is he?" Professor Palmer grew to a visible stature in front of Lex's face before punching him right in it. Standing over the fallen genius, Ray noted the scheme was "Your idea, Mr. Wayne. You know, I'm going to feel bad having to go back to calling you Batman after this is all over."

"Chapter Ten" was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite.

Continue the story through these character-specific posts:

• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Wonder Woman & Wonder Girl @ Diana Prince
• Aquaman, Elongated Man & more @ Justice League Detroit
• Flash, Doom Patrol, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary & more @ DC Bloodlines

Justice Volume Two (2007)

Comatose, Ray Palmer survived his wound and was transported to the hospital. While he lay unmoving in his bed, breathing through a respirator, Jean Loring watched over her him. "Come back to me, Ray. Please. I don't know what I'll do if you're not in my life. I love you so much. I know I said I didn't want you to be the Atom anymore. But if that's the only way I can have you, it's okay. I just want you back. Please." Tears streamed down her face as Jean held Ray's arm. She had uncovered his waist, revealing a size-altering belt underneath...

Midway City Museum burned, its faux-Egyptian pillars crumbled. From within a sheltering sarcophagus, Carter and Shiera Hall finally emerged. They could both hear J'Onn J'Onzz contacting them telepathically. "It was Toyman, J'Onn. Toyman did this. But why?"

"It wasn't just him, Hawkgirl. It was all of them."

"Get back in bed, Mr. Palmer. You've been shot. You have to rest." Ray argued with Jean, explaining that no member of the Justice League had answered his signal, and that he was likely not the only target of a potentially lethal attack. Jean rebutted that both the League and herself need him at his best.



A statuesque red-headed nurse agreed with Ray's wife from the door of his hospital room. Loring left the hospital to get some sleep, explaining that she would swing by in the morning before work, because she's an icy bitch. This allowed the nurse the opportunity to give Ray another pillow, held tightly over his face. The nurse was pissed Ray wasn't dead by her bullet earlier, and really blew up when he reached for his size-altering belt. Literally, her body began to warp and expand like something out of Akira, smashing the hospital room in hopes of hitting the Atom.

The Mighty Mite didn't recognize Giganta as he dive-bombed her eye, sending the Wonder Woman villainess through a wall and down the side of the building. Giganta almost hit Jean along with her car as she landed hard on the street below, proving God's benevolence only extends so far. The Tiny Titan then hopped on his wife's shoulder. "I'm okay, honey. But I think I'm bleeding again."

Presumably, Jean muttered obscenities while calling her claims agent, as the Atom wondered if he was the last living Leaguer. Ray worried for the missing Green Lantern, Aquaman and the rest, considering this threat to friends and family "the high cost of doing the right thing." Ray managed to reach Wonder Woman in her invisible jet, who confirmed the Atom's suspicions, and directed him to meet at the team's secret rendezvous site...



Meanwhile, Carter and Shiera Hall changed into their Thanagarian gear to fly with the Martian Manhunter to Metropolis, where the Sleuth from Outer Space had tracked Toyman. Hawkman thanked J'Onn for his help, noting this would be his first visit to the city. Hawkgirl said the same.
"It better be."
"Ha. Don't worry Carter. Everyone knows you're my Superman."

The Manhunter from Mars left for other business, while the Hawks forced their way into a darkened warehouse. "Carter? ...Just in case. I love you." The pair was suddenly surrounded by a store's worth of demented killer toys. "Oh, yeah. I love you, too." Medieval weapons smashed modern distractions, until the Hawks uncovered a factory building Brainiacs by the dozen...

The Justice League Satellite exploded in space, leaving Captain Marvel and Superman unsure of Red Tornado's fate. As it turned out, Zatanna had previously used her magic to send the android to Doc Magnus for repairs, as the Metal Men looked on. Magnus managed to reactivate Red Tornado, who repeated "I found Aquaman."



Doc Magnus, having rebuilt Red Tornado, contacted Wonder Woman in her invisible jet with the android's report. Batman had betrayed the League, causing Tornado's dismantling and the destruction of the Justice League satellite.

As Hawkman ruthlessly smashed Brainiac bodies, Hawkgirl agreed with the Martian Manhunter that a conspiracy was afoot. Katar dropped a bomb down a Brainiac's throat, then hauled his wife through an exit before it exploded. "Next time, tell me. It's not a plan I can be a part of if I don't know what you're doing." Dismissing his partner, Hawkman caught one of the many worms raining down with the debris.

Red Tornado was joined by the Metal Men at the rendezvous point outside Superman's fortress of solitude. Batman greeted him with an extended hand and an apology. "I understand. We are all slaves to our programming." The Atom was presumably present or en route...



The Atom had been studying the artificial worms found by his present friends Hawkman and Hawkgirl at the Fortress of Solitude. When Superman reported the involvement of Brainiac, it cinched the deduction the little buggers were alien in design. Millions of the critters had been inside the Man of Steel, controlled in tandem by a single extant intelligence. "That mind would need to be amplified well beyond even the specifications on Brainiac in the League's files. These machines seem to have limited capabilities for independent operation as well. They really are genius in their simplicity.

Green Lantern Hal Jordan finally made his way to the Fortress of Solitude, as a relieved Atom standing on Captain Marvel's shoulder offered, "I can't believe it. We all survived."

Red Tornado was in a sort of monitor womb, and announced that everybody's supporting cast had been kidnapped, including Jean Loring and Reddy's gals Kathy and Traya...

"Justice, Vol. 2," collecting issues #5-8 of the 2005 mini-series, was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite.

Justice Volume One (2006)

Hawkman and Hawkgirl fell blazing from the sky, wings afire like Icarus...

Alex Ross may be able to paint some pretty pictures, but he's also a manchild stuck in the Bronze Age, constantly re-staging the same apocalyptic fantasy fictions. In the Justice maxi-series, where he dolled up Dougie Braithwaite's pencils and had his indentured scripter Jim Krueger on bass, the world once again went kablooey because of super-heroes with feet of clay. Of course, it's only a prophetic dream, just like in Kingdom Come, but at least the (unseen) Ray Palmer got a nice nod within...

"The Atom survives the day, I think. He becomes smaller than the flame, seeking an infinity of possibility between the molecules of the material world. Perhaps in him, perhaps in the Atom, humanity will live on. But that may give him too much credit. To survive, he must become next to nothing."

Yeah yeah, but don't forget the part where every other hero for sure bites it! Well, except Superman, but I guess that's a hell of a lot better than Ray's usual ranking in the super-hero hierarchy! Anywho, there's a surprisingly untiny Tiny Titan appearance in a double page spread group shot from the issue, courtesy of forced perspective. It looks like the Mighty Mite is evading Plastic Man's oncoming cranium...



From the Justice League Satellite, Red Tornado monitored the Earth. The android was alerted that his teammate Aquaman had gone missing, and passed the word along to Batman. The Dark Knight was occupied by a case involving the Riddler, who had stolen sensitive League data from the Batcomputer. Batman suggested Red Tornado contact the Martian Manhunter to investigate the Sea King’s disappearance until his own time freed up. The Tornado complied, returning to watching news reports of known super-villains turned humanitarian benefactors, offering extraordinary breakthroughs to the citizens of the world…

The entirety of the Justice League Satellite’s surveillance technology was unable to locate Aquaman. Red Tornado, as part of his duty as monitor, deployed the Manhunter from Mars to investigate. In the course of his search, the Sleuth from Outer Space also vanished, prompting the Tornado to rise to his artificial feet. “J’Onn? J’ONN? First Aquaman, now Martian Manhunter. Not a… Computer? Enhance southern South America.” Red Tornado followed up on reports from marine ships of unusual sea life migration patterns. Off the coast of Argentina, a pattern emerged—crosshairs that pinpointed the Sea King’s location. “You’re a clever man, Arthur.”



A figure had arrived through the teleportation tubes while this was going on, and made its way to Red Tornado, who anticipated the arrival. “I’m glad you’re here. I found Aquaman. He’s trapped in Argentina. Must be nice to have a psychic rapport with two-thirds of all life on Earth. I didn’t expect to be relieved for another two hours. What’s…?”

Suddenly, Red Tornado rose up from his seat and wrapped his own fingers around his neck. “What’s happening? Help me! I don’t know what’s… you need to shut me down!” The Tornado ripped his own head off, then continued tearing his body apart with his mechanical hands. “Someone’s controlling my motor functions! HELP ME! Why won’t you help me?!” Red Tornado’s bits and pieces lay on the monitor room floor, sitting in his internal fluids.

From his home in Ivy Town, Ray Palmer watched conservative commentator Jack Ryder on television, discussing “more reports of acts of miraculous and surprising philanthropy” from the world’s super-villain community…



The Legion of Doom began truly knocking down dominoes, claiming Earth's super friends had abandoned her, while covertly attempting to murder their alter egos.

At the Midway Museum, curators Carter and Shiera dodged the potentially lethal fire of replica prop planes. Making their way toward maces, the Hawks smashed the tiny aircraft. Above their heads, a giant Toyman marionette hovered...

A woman in sunglasses wearing camouflage carried a bag with her on a rooftop adjacent an Ivy University science building. The woman constructed a sniper rifle, then aimed it at a room where Professor Ray Palmer was working on a computer. The distraction of a phone call caused Palmer to shift his body just in time to avoid his brains spilling across the monitor, but the bullet wound in his right shoulder left a mess all its own. While Palmer bled out on the floor, the anxious voice at the other end of the phone line asked, “Ray? Is something wrong? Ray?”

“Call… ambulance. Call Carter.”

Tearfully, Jean Loring dialed another number on her cell phone. 22,800 miles above the Earth, Red Tornado’s severed head sat on a counter, teleportation technology at the Justice League Satellite disengaged…

"Justice, Vol. 1," collecting the first four issues of the 2005 mini-series, was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite.

2010 Hawkman Minimalist Movie Poster by Nakul

Click To Enlarge


Minimalist Movie Posters

• Aquaman
• Doctor Fate
• Martian Manhunter
• Wonder Woman
• Nakul's Technocarta Poster Gallery
• 30 Awesome Minimalist Superhero Posters by Anthony Ocasio

Justice League of America #1-2 (April-May, 2013)

A.R.G.U.S.' Amanda Waller feared that the Justice League might turn from a lawful peacekeeping collective into superhuman fascists, and set about creating a government sponsored countermeasure. Through whatever means necessary, the heroes of the Justice League of America would loyally serve the interests of the U.S., and each member would be selected as an opposing force against a matching hero in the ungoverned League. Her first recruit was Hawkman, and she explained to field leader Colonel Steve Trevor "His clashes with the authorities have been escalating. That's good for us. Hawkman will accept our invitation under the pretense that the U.S. absolves his current record and grants him diplomatic immunity to continue carrying on his hunt however he likes." The cover story was "Katar Hol is a police officer from the planet Thanagar hunting alien fugitives and the humans working for them on Earth... There's one other thing. He prefers using maces and swords to ray guns and laser rifles. We have no idea why." All Waller was concerned about was that she had someone to check Aquaman.

Putting theory into practice, Hawkman ran down a human criminal accused of trafficking women and children. The Winged Wonder kept calling the perpetrator "Byth Rok," since that's the name Hawkman intended to use in the official arrest record to explain brutalizing the creep with his morningstar...



Meanwhile, the mysterious leader of a Secret Society of Super-Villains continued his recruiting efforts, which almost included a spy dubbed "Dark Hunter," who in the end barely escaped the Society's clutches into the custody of A.R.G.U.S. Oliver Queen had taken on the role at the request of Colonel Steve Trevor, but his injuries prevented Queen from telling what he knew. Trevor and Amanda Waller discussed the situation outside of Queen's surgical suite, with the Wall in a rush to pit her new League of America against the Society as a test of their mettle.

The savage Hawkman arrived at the new headquarters of the League in Washington D.C., ahead of a press conference where President Obama would officially announce the team. The young hero Vibe asked if he was okay.
"Why?"
"You're covered in blood."
"It's not my blood."



After a long beat, Vibe scooted his chair further away from Hawkman. Col. Trevor arrived and told Hawkman that he would need to get cleaned up. Sometime after meeting the press, the team climbed aboard a jet bound for the Kielder Forest in Northumberland, England, where Green Arrow had been found. "If the Secret Society is hiding in these woods, why don't we knock down some trees, make some noise and get their attention?" Trevor thought that unwise, since the League knew virtually nothing about what they were up against. Then Katana vanished, Catwoman disappeared, and something unseen flew past the group. A golden lasso caught Trevor around the neck like a noose. "Steve," said a figure who appeared to be Wonder Woman, "You shouldn't have come here." She was flanked by approximations of Superman and Batman...

"World's Most Dangerous, Chapters One-Two" was by Geoff Johns & David Finch. There was a Captain Atom reference in the second issue, when Vibe saw a chair in the meeting room with a "C" on it and thought he might be joining. Turned out the chair was meant for Catwoman, though. If they really wanted to take on the true Justice League, they'd have gone with Captain Atom.

New 52's Day

• The Green Team: Teen Trillionaires #1 @ DC Bloodlines
• Col. Steve Trevor in Justice League of America #2 @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• Martian Manhunter in Justice League of America #3 @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Vibe #3 @ Justice League Detroit

#1 Hawk, man?

Since I've been torturing readers of my Martian Manhunter blog with my horrible old redesign attempts for months now, I decided it was about time that I inflict the same trauma across my other blogs. Above is a series of three teensy color tests for a Hawkman costume, as well as a head sketch doodle of Katar Hol, likely done around 1995. Yes, it's filler, but it beats a single post per week, right? Right? No?

Pooping on the DCU

• Batman @ Justice League Detroit
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Nightwing @ DC Bloodlines
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman

Justice League #18 (May, 2013)

In the wake of "Throne of Atlantis," it was decided that the Justice League needed to expand its membership to include more dedicated full time heroes on the roster. Cyborg had become a nexus point for electronic information passing throughout the world, and used this facet of his abilities to create "The Grid," a directory of active super-heroes that he could directly contact as needed. In Pittsburgh, Firestorm was approached to join via an MP3 player, while in Baltimore, Cyborg used a billboard to assist and enlist Black Canary during a fight with Copperhead. Zatanna received a cell phone call in San Francisco, while the Atom was thanked for her help in Boston by her computer monitor during a class at Ivy University. The lot were joined for a recruitment drive aboard the League's satellite by Black Lightning, Blue Devil, Element Woman, Goldrush, Nightwing, Platinum, and Vixen. However, only Cyborg knew of Atom's existence, although Superman detected her tiny heartbeat as she lurked among the collected heroes.

The Metal (wo)Man Platinum was brought in by Cyborg as a test drive and favor to Doctor Will Magnus, but she malfunctioned and began attacking people. Magnus pleaded with Cyborg to save her precious "responsometer," so Vic Stone had the idea to have Firestorm convert her liquid platinum shell into water. Lacking coordination, the small responsometer was left to fall toward the ground as the rest of Platinum dissipated. The Atom made her debut before other heroes catching the responsometer before it could be damaged. A surprised Flash asked "Where did she come from?" The still shrunken Atom lifted her goggles up to her brow and said with a wry grin "Hi guys. Is it too late for tryouts?"



In a later meeting with the core seven Leaguers, Cyborg explained, "The Atom's real name is Rhonda Pineda. I invited her, but I wasn't sure she'd show. She's a little shy... an unsung hero. Something shut down one of Atlantis' bombs in Boston... It took me a few days to sort through the security cameras and the sat feeds. I didn't even see her at first. But she was there on the battlefield with us." Cyborg tracked her down, and along with Firestorm and Element Woman (who had also performed well against Platinum,) the Atom formed the trio of new members inducted. There was no time for celebrating though, as someone had hacked the League's computers and stolen files on their entire five year history...

"The Grid" was by Geoff Johns and Jesus Saiz. It was a mildly entertaining issue, with Black Canary dropping in a disparaging line about the absent Hawkman's lack of professionalism. So far, I've liked Saiz's take on the Pineda Atom best.

New 52's Day

• Col. Steve Trevor in Justice League of America #1 @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• Vibe #2 @ Justice League Detroit
• Martian Manhunter in Justice League of America #2 @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• The Movement #1 @ DC Bloodlines

Justice League of America's Vibe #1-2 (April-May, 2013)

While employing the young Detroit-based hero Vibe as a P.O.V. character for the launch of a new J.L.A. line of books, Hawkman was brought up several times. In the debut issue, a head shot was used as part of a collage/montage/thingamajig introducing the team. In the second issue, ahead of being made aware of who his teammates would be, Vibe researched known super-heroes on the internet. "You don't think Hawkman will be there, do you? It says he's a cop from Thanagar who's now working with A.R.G.U.S. to uncover extra-terrestrial fugitives." Vibe's brother Dante noted "Hawkman's a cool name," unlike "Vibe." Later, Hawkman joined Colonel Steve Trevor, Katana, Vibe, Stargirl, and Martian Manhunter in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. for a press conference allowing President Barack Obama to announce the formation of the Justice League of America.

The stories were written by Geoff Johns & Andrew Kreisberg, with Pete Woods & Sean Parsons as the primary artists.

2008 “The Winged Defender” Hawkman color art by Imbong Hadisoebroto

Click To Enlarge


BongzBerry

• Aquaman @ Justice League Detroit
• Captain Marvel @ DC Bloodlines
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince

Justice League #17 (April, 2013)

The reserve of heroes called by Cyborg to fight back the Atlanteans recovered from the explosion and continued on their mission. Perhaps late arrival Zatanna contributed to the renewed vigor of Vixen, Firestorm, Black Lightning, Black Canary, Hawkman, and Element Woman off-panel? The Nuclear Man continued to struggle with team dynamics, turning the floodwaters to steam that inadvertently blinded and choked the other heroes. One heroine who was more than holding her own was the new Atom, who quietly disarmed the explosive devices Ocean Master had intended to sink the city with. "You're welcome."

The Justice League and Mera had arrived by that point, with Aquaman taking point. Ocean Master tried to drown everyone in a tsunami, but Mera held it back long enough for Zatanna to turn it to ice. Aquaman beat his brother until he abdicated the throne, which turned out to be Vulko's plan all along. Vulko surrender the scepter he had used to command the Trench, King Arthur ordered Atlantis to stand down, and Ocean Master was sent to Belle Reve Prison.

Back at their satellite headquarters, Batman called the Justice League together for a new initiative. "We need to do what we haven't done before... We open our ranks." At A.R.G.U.S., Amanda Waller saw a similar need. "Atlantis's (sic) attack is the event we needed to push this operation through, Colonel Trevor... The world's skeptical. They want another team. They need one." A third mysterious meeting was taking place elsewhere, as a villain looked over snapshots of DC rogues. "The opportunity is now. It's time for recruitment... starting with the Scarecrow."

"Throne of Atlantis, Chapter Five" was by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and Paul Pelletier with Joe Prado, Oclair Albert and Sean Parsons.

New 52's Day

• Talon #1 @ DC Bloodlines
• Martian Manhunter in "Security Detail" @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Steve Trevor in Justice League #17 @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• Vibe in Justice League of America #1 @ Justice League Detroit

Aquaman #16 (March, 2013)

Ocean Master had captured Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman-- sentencing them to be eaten alive deep underwater by the Trench. Aquaman was off in search of them, while Cyborg underwent voluntary surgery to replace his lungs in order to carry the fight under the sea. In the meantime, Cyborg activated a list of prospective candidates for Justice League membership he'd been discussing with Batman. The Vixen, Firestorm, Black Lightning, Black Canary, and Element Woman were shown slowing Atlantean forces in their misguided assault on the surface world. A tiny voice warned "Get down, Hawkman!" It came too late, as he and the other heroes were caught in an explosion. A miniature silhouetted figure moved amongst the unconscious party. "Hawkman? Hawkman, get up! Why did I leave my guild for this?" Cyborg completed his procedure under his father Silas Stone and his associate T.O. Morrow, then journeyed with Mera to help Aquaman in the Trench...

"Throne of Atlantis, Chapter Four" was by Geoff Johns, Paul Pelletier, and Sean Parsons.

New 52's Day

• Martian Manhunter in Justice League of America #1 (2013) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• National Comics: Eternity #1 @ DC Bloodlines
• Superman Annual #1 (2012) featuring the Manhunter from Mars @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Talon #0 @ DC Bloodlines
• Vibe #1 @ Justice League Detroit
• Wonder Woman in Action Comics #14 @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman