Jean Loring
Encyclopedia
Jean Loring is a fictional character
in comic book
s published by DC Comics
, formerly associated with superhero
the Atom for whom she was a supporting character
and primary love interest. She first appeared in Showcase
#34 (September–October 1961), created by Gardner Fox
and Gil Kane
. The character appeared continually in minor roles until the 2004 storyline Identity Crisis, in which she suffered a mental breakdown and murdered Sue Dibny
, wife of the Elongated Man
. This would later lead Loring to assume the mantle of the supervillain
Eclipso
.
in Ivy Town
began at almost the same time that her boyfriend, Ray Palmer, became the Atom
. Jean encountered the Atom who often helped in her cases many times before learning that he and Ray were the same person.
In Atom and Hawkman #45 (October–November 1969), Jean was abducted and driven insane by the sub-atomic Jimberen race. Although quickly freed from the Jimberen by the Atom and Hawkman, Jean remained insane until Justice League of America (vol. 1) #81 (June 1970), when she was cured by the equally insane alien Jest-Master.
After Jean was kidnapped by T.O. Morrow, Ray went into an interdimensional search to retrieve her, asking for help from Flash
, Supergirl
and Wonder Woman
. This event would direly affect Jean, but it would also lead to their marriage
. For a few short years, they were happy – then Ray’s adventurous life began taking its toll on their marriage and they divorce
d, supposedly after Jean had an affair with another man, and Ray found them.
Despite the occasional high-profile case, notably her one-time defense of the Justice League of America
in Justice League of America (vol. 1) #77 (December 1969), Jean did not truly come to national prominence until the divorce. Jean soon re-married and with her new husband, Paul Hoben, opened up a law office in Calvin City. She eventually returned to Ivy Town without him and established the firm of Grabemann, Loring and Ross. In general, Jean was not involved in criminal law
anymore and attended to more mundane matters such as the administration of the estates of Carter Hall
and David Clinton
. She made exceptions, though, as in her defense of Risk
of the Teen Titans.
Jean suffered a mental breakdown
as revealed in the 2004 miniseries Identity Crisis. Wanting to resume her relationship with Ray, she comes to believe that the surest way to do this would be to endanger another loved one of a hero, sending all of the superheroes running back to their spouses and other relatives (including Ray). Using one of Ray's old costumes, she shrinks herself and enters the brain of Sue Dibny
(the Elongated Man
's wife). She attempts to cause a minor stroke but accidentally applies too much pressure to Dibny's brain, killing her. Panicking, and unwilling to go to jail, she uses a flamethrower to badly burn Sue's body and departs. Unbeknownst to even Sue's husband Ralph, Sue had been pregnant.
In an attempt to divert suspicion away from herself, Jean fakes an attack on her own life by tying up and gagging herself, and then make it seem like she is about to be hanged. She sets up Captain Boomerang
to attack Jack Drake
, the father of Tim Drake, the third Robin. Loring has a gun left for Drake so he would be able to kill Boomerang in self-defense, leading everyone to believe that Boomerang had been the killer; she had hired a cheap killer on the grounds that someone cheap would be so useless against a prepared target that Jack would only have to pull the trigger and he would be perfectly safe. Both men kill each other, leaving Tim an orphan.
As she had originally planned, during all the trauma, Ray returns to her. However, she accidentally gives herself away by asking about the "Protect Yourself" note that had been sent to Jack Drake, something that only the killer would have known, and which Batman
had removed before reporters had arrived. Ray subsequently has her institutionalized at Arkham Asylum
after hearing her explanation.
Later, Green Arrow
tells the Flash
that Black Canary
had visited Jean in the Asylum, and reported that Jean was so drugged that she kept fiddling with her hospital bracelet, calling it a wedding band.
(aided by the actions of the Psycho-Pirate
and Alexander Luthor
of the former Earth-3) manipulates Jean into becoming his new host so she could seduce the Spectre
into destroying all of the magical beings in the DC universe
(see Day of Vengeance
).
Thanks to Eclipso's actions, the Spectre goes on a mass-murdering rampage, killing over 700 magicians. With all their lives in danger, a group of mystics band together, forming the Shadowpact
. They recruited Black Alice, a girl who has the ability to steal a person's magical powers for a short amount of time, leaving the being powerless in the process. The Shadowpact uses Black Alice's power to strip the Spectre of his own, leaving him defenseless. They then attempt to kill the Spectre while he is powerless. The plan hits a snag, as without his powers the Spectre is nothing but an empty spirit, leaving him unharmable.
During her brief possession of the Spectre's powers, Black Alice uses them to help fellow Shadowpact member Nightshade
send Eclipso into a perpetual orbit
around the sun
, weakening Eclipso's powers. However, Eclipso's incapacitation did not help the Shadowpact with the Spectre, who continues to wreak havoc and ends up killing the ancient wizard Shazam
.
After the Spectre kills Nabu, the last and most powerful of the Lords of Order
, the Presence's attention is finally drawn to him, and the Spectre is forced into a human host
, finally stopping his mad rampage.
, Ralph Dibny approaches the Spectre as part of his quest to restore his wife Sue to life, promising to fulfil any bargain demanded of him in order to accomplish this. The Spectre, desiring revenge on Eclipso
, but rendered incapable of taking it owing to his then-lack of a host (the Spectre had given Crispus a year to be by himself before he became his new host), orders Dibny to punish Eclipso in return for his wife's life; Dibny, temporarily granted the power of the Spectre, takes Eclipso back to the point at which she (as Jean Loring) murdered his wife and, restoring Jean's sanity, intends to trap her in a permanent time loop and force her to watch herself murder Sue Dibny over and over for all eternity. But the now-sane Loring tearfully begs for forgiveness and Dibny, affected by her pleas, his sense of compassion and his own feelings on watching his wife's death, finds himself incapable of completing his pact with the Spectre. He thus returns Eclipso to her orbit around the sun.
In Countdown to Final Crisis
Eclipso tries to corrupt Mary. Feeding the young girl mistrust and lies, Jean manages to sway Mary from the side of the heroes, corrupting the young girl into her follower. Mary Marvel rebels, and refusing to be given to Darkseid
as a concubine, strips Eclipso of her black diamond and blast herself unconscious and powerless in space, fleeing away. Eclipso retrieves the diamond and attempts to kill Mary, only to find that she is too strong for her. During the battle, Mary calls down the magic lightning bolt, removing Eclipso's power from Jean. In Countdown to Mystery #4, following Mary and Eclipso's battle, the black diamond chooses Bruce Gordon as a host. Jean is shown falling into the ocean near Themiscyra and a shark is seen approaching her.
that Jean Loring had died, since he can hear the voice of Death
, which is later revealed to be Nekron
, the "black personification" of it. In the Blackest Night storyline, on the night of the superhero's memorial day, her widower, Ray asks Hawkman to visit her grave to be honored as a fallen member of the community, but Hawkman refuses because of what she did in Identity Crisis.
Jean is reanimated (off-panel) as a member of the Black Lantern Corps
, wearing a costume based on her Eclipso persona. She kills Damage
from behind, ripping out his heart as Ray stares in shock. This final kill helps the Black Rings reach a power level of one hundred percent, thus bringing about the rise of Nekron. Jean then uses Ray's own technology to shrink him, Mera
and herself into the reanimated Damage's ring. While inside the ring, she relates to Ray and Mera Nekron's origins: that he is the guardian of the darkness that existed before the light entered the universe. Jean is then possessed by Deadman
, who had followed the trio into the ring, who forces her to release Ray and Mera, allowing them to return to normal size.
Jean then confronts Ray, who has recently been deputised into the Indigo Tribe
, tormenting him with a recreation of her murder of Sue Dibny, and summoning Black Lantern versions of the minuscule tribe Ray had befriended in the Sword of the Atom series to attack him. However, Ray manages to fight back, using his indigo staff to combine the green light of willpower with the indigo light of compassion, using them to destroy Jean and her ring.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, formerly associated with superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
the Atom for whom she was a supporting character
Supporting character
A supporting character is a character of a book, play, video game, movie, television or radio show or other form of storytelling usually used to give added dimension to a main character, by adding a relationship with this character...
and primary love interest. She first appeared in Showcase
Showcase (comics)
Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing...
#34 (September–October 1961), created by Gardner Fox
Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....
and Gil Kane
Gil Kane
Eli Katz who worked under the name Gil Kane and in one instance Scott Edward, was a comic book artist whose career spanned the 1940s to 1990s and every major comics company and character.Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, and...
. The character appeared continually in minor roles until the 2004 storyline Identity Crisis, in which she suffered a mental breakdown and murdered Sue Dibny
Sue Dibny
Susan "Sue" Dearbon Dibny is a fictional character from DC Comics associated with the Elongated Man. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in Flash vol. 1 #119...
, wife of the Elongated Man
Elongated Man
The Elongated Man is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC universe. He is a reserve member of the Justice League. His first appearance was in The Flash vol. 1, #112...
. This would later lead Loring to assume the mantle of the supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
Eclipso
Eclipso
Eclipso is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. The character is the incarnation of the Wrath of God and the Angel of Vengeance that turned evil and was replaced by the Spectre...
.
Lawyer, wife
Jean Loring's career as an attorneyLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Ivy Town
Ivy Town (comics)
Ivy Town is a fictional city set in the DC Universe. It was created in 1961 by Gardner Fox and Gil Kane.-Publication history:Created in 1961 by Gardner Fox and Gil Kane, it served as the main backdrop to many of the stories published by DC Comics featuring the adventures of the second Atom...
began at almost the same time that her boyfriend, Ray Palmer, became the Atom
Ray Palmer (comics)
The Atom is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero introduced during the Silver Age of comic books in Showcase # 34 . He was named after Raymond A...
. Jean encountered the Atom who often helped in her cases many times before learning that he and Ray were the same person.
In Atom and Hawkman #45 (October–November 1969), Jean was abducted and driven insane by the sub-atomic Jimberen race. Although quickly freed from the Jimberen by the Atom and Hawkman, Jean remained insane until Justice League of America (vol. 1) #81 (June 1970), when she was cured by the equally insane alien Jest-Master.
After Jean was kidnapped by T.O. Morrow, Ray went into an interdimensional search to retrieve her, asking for help from Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
, Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
and Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
. This event would direly affect Jean, but it would also lead to their marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
. For a few short years, they were happy – then Ray’s adventurous life began taking its toll on their marriage and they divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d, supposedly after Jean had an affair with another man, and Ray found them.
Despite the occasional high-profile case, notably her one-time defense of the Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
in Justice League of America (vol. 1) #77 (December 1969), Jean did not truly come to national prominence until the divorce. Jean soon re-married and with her new husband, Paul Hoben, opened up a law office in Calvin City. She eventually returned to Ivy Town without him and established the firm of Grabemann, Loring and Ross. In general, Jean was not involved in criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
anymore and attended to more mundane matters such as the administration of the estates of Carter Hall
Hawkman
Hawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in 1940....
and David Clinton
Chronos (comics)
Chronos is the name of several fictional characters of DC Comics, both supervillains who take their name from the Greek personification of Time and have the ability of time travel and can manipulate history.-David Clinton:...
. She made exceptions, though, as in her defense of Risk
Risk (comics)
Risk is a comic book character appearing in publications from DC Comics.-Origins:Raised in the Colorado community of Cosmos, Cody Driscoll has lived alone with his mother in one of the worst trailer parks. His father died when he was just six months old...
of the Teen Titans.
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
as revealed in the 2004 miniseries Identity Crisis. Wanting to resume her relationship with Ray, she comes to believe that the surest way to do this would be to endanger another loved one of a hero, sending all of the superheroes running back to their spouses and other relatives (including Ray). Using one of Ray's old costumes, she shrinks herself and enters the brain of Sue Dibny
Sue Dibny
Susan "Sue" Dearbon Dibny is a fictional character from DC Comics associated with the Elongated Man. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in Flash vol. 1 #119...
(the Elongated Man
Elongated Man
The Elongated Man is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC universe. He is a reserve member of the Justice League. His first appearance was in The Flash vol. 1, #112...
's wife). She attempts to cause a minor stroke but accidentally applies too much pressure to Dibny's brain, killing her. Panicking, and unwilling to go to jail, she uses a flamethrower to badly burn Sue's body and departs. Unbeknownst to even Sue's husband Ralph, Sue had been pregnant.
In an attempt to divert suspicion away from herself, Jean fakes an attack on her own life by tying up and gagging herself, and then make it seem like she is about to be hanged. She sets up Captain Boomerang
Captain Boomerang
Captain Boomerang is a fictional character in the . A supervillain traditionally portrayed as an enemy of the Flash...
to attack Jack Drake
Jack Drake
Jack Drake is a fictional character from DC Comics books, specifically the Batman titles. Jack is the father of Tim Drake, formerly the third Robin and the current Red Robin.-Initial history and family:...
, the father of Tim Drake, the third Robin. Loring has a gun left for Drake so he would be able to kill Boomerang in self-defense, leading everyone to believe that Boomerang had been the killer; she had hired a cheap killer on the grounds that someone cheap would be so useless against a prepared target that Jack would only have to pull the trigger and he would be perfectly safe. Both men kill each other, leaving Tim an orphan.
As she had originally planned, during all the trauma, Ray returns to her. However, she accidentally gives herself away by asking about the "Protect Yourself" note that had been sent to Jack Drake, something that only the killer would have known, and which Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
had removed before reporters had arrived. Ray subsequently has her institutionalized at Arkham Asylum
Arkham Asylum
The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, commonly referred to simply as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital in the DC Comics Universe, usually appearing in stories featuring Batman...
after hearing her explanation.
Later, Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
tells the Flash
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
that Black Canary
Black Canary
Black Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...
had visited Jean in the Asylum, and reported that Jean was so drugged that she kept fiddling with her hospital bracelet, calling it a wedding band.
Infinite Crisis
While she is institutionalized, the supernatural entity known as EclipsoEclipso
Eclipso is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. The character is the incarnation of the Wrath of God and the Angel of Vengeance that turned evil and was replaced by the Spectre...
(aided by the actions of the Psycho-Pirate
Psycho-Pirate
The Psycho-Pirate is the name of two DC Comics supervillains, dating back to the Golden Age of Comics.-Charles Halstead:Charles Halstead is a minor character who first appears in All-Star Comics #23, created by Gardner Fox and Joe Gallagher...
and Alexander Luthor
Alexander Luthor, Jr.
Alexander Luthor Jr. is a DC Comics character who turned from a hero to a villain. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Alexander has a prominent role in the DC Universe storylines Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis....
of the former Earth-3) manipulates Jean into becoming his new host so she could seduce the Spectre
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
into destroying all of the magical beings in the DC universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
(see Day of Vengeance
Day of Vengeance
Day of Vengeance is a six-issue comic book limited series written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano and Walden Wong, published in 2005 by DC Comics.-Publication history:...
).
Thanks to Eclipso's actions, the Spectre goes on a mass-murdering rampage, killing over 700 magicians. With all their lives in danger, a group of mystics band together, forming the Shadowpact
Shadowpact
The Shadowpact is a group of magic-based heroes who fought against the Spectre in the 2005 limited series Day of Vengeance, published by DC Comics. They are a sort of Justice League for the supernatural elements of the DC Universe...
. They recruited Black Alice, a girl who has the ability to steal a person's magical powers for a short amount of time, leaving the being powerless in the process. The Shadowpact uses Black Alice's power to strip the Spectre of his own, leaving him defenseless. They then attempt to kill the Spectre while he is powerless. The plan hits a snag, as without his powers the Spectre is nothing but an empty spirit, leaving him unharmable.
During her brief possession of the Spectre's powers, Black Alice uses them to help fellow Shadowpact member Nightshade
Nightshade (comics)
Nightshade is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. Created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Captain Atom v2 #82 originally published by Charlton Comics.-Charlton Comics:...
send Eclipso into a perpetual orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
around the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
, weakening Eclipso's powers. However, Eclipso's incapacitation did not help the Shadowpact with the Spectre, who continues to wreak havoc and ends up killing the ancient wizard Shazam
Shazam (comics)
Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. He is an ancient sorcerer who gives young Billy Batson the power to transform into the superhero Captain Marvel...
.
After the Spectre kills Nabu, the last and most powerful of the Lords of Order
Lords of Chaos and Order
The Lords of Chaos and Lords of Order are complementary groups of supernatural entities with godlike powers that appear in DC Comics. They have also been retconned into the histories of Amethyst, Doctor Fate, Kid Eternity, the Phantom Stranger, Shazam and Hawk and Dove...
, the Presence's attention is finally drawn to him, and the Spectre is forced into a human host
Crispus Allen
Crispus Allen is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Greg Rucka and Shawn Martinbrough created the character in Detective Comics #742 . Allen later went on to be one of the main characters in Gotham Central...
, finally stopping his mad rampage.
52
In Week Twenty-Seven of 5252 (comic book)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
, Ralph Dibny approaches the Spectre as part of his quest to restore his wife Sue to life, promising to fulfil any bargain demanded of him in order to accomplish this. The Spectre, desiring revenge on Eclipso
Eclipso
Eclipso is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. The character is the incarnation of the Wrath of God and the Angel of Vengeance that turned evil and was replaced by the Spectre...
, but rendered incapable of taking it owing to his then-lack of a host (the Spectre had given Crispus a year to be by himself before he became his new host), orders Dibny to punish Eclipso in return for his wife's life; Dibny, temporarily granted the power of the Spectre, takes Eclipso back to the point at which she (as Jean Loring) murdered his wife and, restoring Jean's sanity, intends to trap her in a permanent time loop and force her to watch herself murder Sue Dibny over and over for all eternity. But the now-sane Loring tearfully begs for forgiveness and Dibny, affected by her pleas, his sense of compassion and his own feelings on watching his wife's death, finds himself incapable of completing his pact with the Spectre. He thus returns Eclipso to her orbit around the sun.
Countdown
Blue Beetle #16 shows Eclipso kidnapping a baby with huge raw magical abilities and attempting to corrupt it into a new host for herself. The combined efforts of Blue Beetle and Traci Thirteen foils her plans, steering her attentions toward Mary Marvel herself.In Countdown to Final Crisis
Countdown to Final Crisis
Countdown, known as Countdown to Final Crisis for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book limited series published by DC Comics. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of the last issue of 52...
Eclipso tries to corrupt Mary. Feeding the young girl mistrust and lies, Jean manages to sway Mary from the side of the heroes, corrupting the young girl into her follower. Mary Marvel rebels, and refusing to be given to Darkseid
Darkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
as a concubine, strips Eclipso of her black diamond and blast herself unconscious and powerless in space, fleeing away. Eclipso retrieves the diamond and attempts to kill Mary, only to find that she is too strong for her. During the battle, Mary calls down the magic lightning bolt, removing Eclipso's power from Jean. In Countdown to Mystery #4, following Mary and Eclipso's battle, the black diamond chooses Bruce Gordon as a host. Jean is shown falling into the ocean near Themiscyra and a shark is seen approaching her.
Blackest Night
In Green Lantern #43, it is confirmed by Black HandBlack Hand (comics)
Black Hand is a DC Comics supervillain and a recurring foe to Green Lantern. He first appeared in Green Lantern #29 and was created by John Broome and Gil Kane...
that Jean Loring had died, since he can hear the voice of Death
Death (personification)
The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...
, which is later revealed to be Nekron
Nekron
Nekron is a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by DC Comics, specifically those related to Green Lantern. Created by Mike W. Barr, Len Wein and Joe Staton, the character, who exists as an embodiment of Death, first appeared in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #2...
, the "black personification" of it. In the Blackest Night storyline, on the night of the superhero's memorial day, her widower, Ray asks Hawkman to visit her grave to be honored as a fallen member of the community, but Hawkman refuses because of what she did in Identity Crisis.
Jean is reanimated (off-panel) as a member of the Black Lantern Corps
Black Lantern Corps
The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of revenants appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The group is composed of deceased fictional characters that seek to eliminate all life from the DC Universe.-Publication history:...
, wearing a costume based on her Eclipso persona. She kills Damage
Damage (comics)
Damage is a DC Comics superhero who first appeared in a comic book of the same name during the Zero Hour crisis. He is the son of the original Atom Al Pratt. He has been a member of the Titans, the Freedom Fighters, and Justice Society of America....
from behind, ripping out his heart as Ray stares in shock. This final kill helps the Black Rings reach a power level of one hundred percent, thus bringing about the rise of Nekron. Jean then uses Ray's own technology to shrink him, Mera
Mera (comics)
Mera is a fictional undersea queen that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Aquaman #11 , and was created by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy.-Publication history:...
and herself into the reanimated Damage's ring. While inside the ring, she relates to Ray and Mera Nekron's origins: that he is the guardian of the darkness that existed before the light entered the universe. Jean is then possessed by Deadman
Deadman
Deadman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 , and was created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino.-Publication history:...
, who had followed the trio into the ring, who forces her to release Ray and Mera, allowing them to return to normal size.
Jean then confronts Ray, who has recently been deputised into the Indigo Tribe
Indigo Tribe
The Indigo Tribe is a fictional organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They debuted in Green Lantern vol. 4 #25 and were created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver.-Fictional group history:...
, tormenting him with a recreation of her murder of Sue Dibny, and summoning Black Lantern versions of the minuscule tribe Ray had befriended in the Sword of the Atom series to attack him. However, Ray manages to fight back, using his indigo staff to combine the green light of willpower with the indigo light of compassion, using them to destroy Jean and her ring.
Other versions
- Jean Loring makes an appearance in Alex Ross' JusticeJustice (DC Comics)Justice was a twelve-issue American comic book limited series published bimonthly by DC Comics from August 2005 through June 2007, written by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger, with art also by Ross and Doug Braithwaite...
. She called her husband Ray Palmer when he was shot by GigantaGigantaGiganta is a fictional character, a red-haired super-villainess appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. A longtime enemy of Wonder Woman and an occasional foil for The Atom, Giganta possesses the superhuman ability to increase her physical size and mass, effectively transforming into...
. She sat by his side in the hospital. She is among the sidekicks and loved ones attacked by the Legion of Doom.