Justice League: Cry for Justice
Encyclopedia
Justice League: Cry for Justice is a seven-issue comic book
limited series
, written by James Robinson, drawn by Mauro Cascioli, and published by DC Comics
in 2009. It follows the adventures of a spin-off Justice League
, led by Justice League veterans Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
and Green Arrow
, and composed of Starman (Mikaal Tomas), Congorilla
, Freddy Freeman
, the Atom (Ray Palmer), and Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)
. They are seeking a more proactive stand for seeking justice following the apparent deaths of long-standing Justice League members Batman
and Martian Manhunter
during the Final Crisis
event.
Robinson explained that, "Hal Jordan decides that he wants a pro-active team. This team will go after the equivalent of the FBI's most wanted list, sometimes in different countries, sometimes through time. It's a nice eclectic team of established teams and some oddball characters I've thrown in." He also said that, "The difference is, the Justice League of America is all about the League, it's a family. While this is about justice. It's all about bringing in the bad guys."
It was later announced, in an interview with Robinson, that the planned on-going series would be changed to a seven-issue mini-series, the first issue of which went on sale July 1, 2009.
confirms this, explicitly saying that, "J'onn's death will have repercussions... when the rage and anger is channeled by some of the big guns, especially Hal Jordan."
In Justice League of America vol. 2, #32, Hal and Oliver have a disagreement with Black Canary
, the wife of Oliver and current chairwoman of the Justice League, over the formation of the "new league".
. Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi team up to beat Killer Moth
for information about the theft of some of Ray's technology. After being tortured by Palmer, Killer Moth reveals that the person who hired him was Prometheus
. Starman (Mikaal Tomas) is distraught over the death of his boyfriend, Tony, who died when a group of villains attacked S.T.A.R. Labs
. In Africa, Congorilla
mourns the loss of his tribe and the death of Freedom Beast
.
Starman and Congorilla meet and decide to find Shade
. In Central City
, Jay Garrick meets up with the Atom and Shazam
to investigate the theft of cosmic treadmill
technology from the Flash Museum
. Green Lantern and Green Arrow defeat a group of villains that includes Prometheus, and are joined by Ray Palmer, Shazam, and Supergirl
.
Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Ray proceed to question Prometheus, but soon learn that it is Clayface
impersonating him. They realize they have fallen into a trap just as a bomb goes off. At his headquarters, the real Prometheus brags to I.Q.
that he has a plan in mind larger than his foes realize. Prometheus also revels at having killed members of the Global Guardians
, Tasmanian Devil
, Gloss
, and Sandstorm.
Freddy Freeman
manages to save the others from Clayface's bomb. Deciding they need help, they go to the Justice League of America. Jay Garrick races home to find the Shade waiting to speak to him. Congorilla and Starman seek out Animal Man
for help.
On the JLA satellite, the League has issues with Green Lantern and Green Arrow. The Guardian
arrives with a device he recovered in Metropolis
that the team discovers is a teleporter. Suddenly, Red Arrow
shows up with his right arm ripped off. The others race to help Red Arrow, while Supergirl confronts Red Arrow's attacker, Shazam.
Shazam reveals that he is actually Prometheus and swiftly takes out each of the heroes as he makes his way to the JLA computer room and nearly reaches his goal when the Shade confronts him. He is delayed long enough for a wounded Donna Troy
to beat him unconscious. Prometheus reveals that this has all been about hurting the heroes. He has placed devices in each of their home cities that will teleport the cities through time and space, leaving the people alive but lost. He says he will give up the location of each device if they let him go. When Green Arrow refuses to let him go, Prometheus states he has already started the countdown and Star City
is the first target to activate.
Star City is in chaos as the heroes arrive and discover that the teleport device malfunctioned; instead of moving Star City elsewhere, part of the city was demolished. In the ruins of the city, Green Arrow finds the body of Lian, Red Arrow's daughter, crushed under a building. Across the country, the various heroes are unable to disable the devices. With time running out, Green Arrow relents and tells the heroes to let Prometheus go. Prometheus tells them how to defuse the devices and then teleports away.
Shortly after the Blackest Night conflict, Prometheus is in his lair planning his next moves. Hearing a noise, he turns to see Green Arrow, who fires an arrow between Prometheus' eyes, killing him instantly.
Justice League: The Rise and Fall was released in March 2010, along with a four-issue series called Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal.
A story arc from Green Arrow vol. 4, #31-32 (2010), called "The Fall of Green Arrow", also shows the ramifications. A new Green Arrow series was launched under the Brightest Day
banner in August 2010.
Robinson later wrote a one-shot entitled Starman/Congorilla, which was released in January 2011 and featured the resurrection of Tasmanian Devil following his death at the hands of Prometheus.
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...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, written by James Robinson, drawn by Mauro Cascioli, and 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...
in 2009. It follows the adventures of a spin-off Justice League
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....
, led by Justice League veterans Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
and 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...
, and composed of Starman (Mikaal Tomas), Congorilla
Congorilla
Congorilla, originally a human character known as Congo Bill, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and Vertigo Comics. Originally co-created by writer Whitney Ellsworth and artist George Papp, he was later transformed into Congorilla by Robert...
, Freddy Freeman
Captain Marvel Jr.
Captain Marvel Jr. is a fictional character, a superhero originally published by Fawcett Comics and currently in the . A member of the Marvel Family team of superheroes, he was created by Ed Herron and Mac Raboy, and first appeared in Whiz Comics #25 in December 1941.Captain Marvel Jr.'s...
, the Atom (Ray Palmer), and Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)
Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)
Kara Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and related media, created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino. As Supergirl, Kara Zor-El serves as the biological cousin and female counterpart to DC Comic's iconic superhero Superman, created...
. They are seeking a more proactive stand for seeking justice following the apparent deaths of long-standing Justice League members 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...
and Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
during the Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
event.
Publication history
James Robinson and Mauro Cascioli announced that they would be starting a new Justice League series at Wizard World LA 2008. Robinson stated that this series would be about "justice and seeking justice, rather than responding to emergencies, letting the problems come to them, and being almost entirely reactive." Robinson revealed that the team would be brought together by a murder, and that it would be tied to Final Crisis.Robinson explained that, "Hal Jordan decides that he wants a pro-active team. This team will go after the equivalent of the FBI's most wanted list, sometimes in different countries, sometimes through time. It's a nice eclectic team of established teams and some oddball characters I've thrown in." He also said that, "The difference is, the Justice League of America is all about the League, it's a family. While this is about justice. It's all about bringing in the bad guys."
It was later announced, in an interview with Robinson, that the planned on-going series would be changed to a seven-issue mini-series, the first issue of which went on sale July 1, 2009.
Foreshadowing from previous series
In Final Crisis: Requiem, Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen contemplate the implications of having J'onn's killer run free. Writer Peter TomasiPeter Tomasi
Peter J. Tomasi is an American comic book editor and writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. As an editor, he oversaw numerous books featuring the Justice League, including books starring various members of that team, such as Batman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and the Flash...
confirms this, explicitly saying that, "J'onn's death will have repercussions... when the rage and anger is channeled by some of the big guns, especially Hal Jordan."
In Justice League of America vol. 2, #32, Hal and Oliver have a disagreement with 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...
, the wife of Oliver and current chairwoman of the Justice League, over the formation of the "new league".
Plot
After a heated argument with the other members of the Justice League about bringing villains to justice, Green Lantern and Green Arrow quit the Justice League to hunt for villains who were part of the Secret SocietySecret Society of Super Villains
The Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
. Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi team up to beat Killer Moth
Killer Moth
Killer Moth is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Batman #63 published in 1951. Killer Moth originally wore a garish costume with striped purple and green spandex, orange cape and a moth-like mask....
for information about the theft of some of Ray's technology. After being tortured by Palmer, Killer Moth reveals that the person who hired him was Prometheus
Prometheus (comics)
Prometheus is the name of three fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.The first Prometheus debuted in New Teen Titans vol. 2, #24 and was created by Marv Wolfman and Eduardo Barreto . The second version debuted in New Year's Evil: Prometheus Prometheus is the name...
. Starman (Mikaal Tomas) is distraught over the death of his boyfriend, Tony, who died when a group of villains attacked S.T.A.R. Labs
S.T.A.R. Labs
S.T.A.R. Labs, is a fictional research facility, and comic book organization appearing in titles published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Superman vol. 1 #246 , and was created by Cary Bates and Rich Buckler.-Publication history:...
. In Africa, Congorilla
Congorilla
Congorilla, originally a human character known as Congo Bill, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and Vertigo Comics. Originally co-created by writer Whitney Ellsworth and artist George Papp, he was later transformed into Congorilla by Robert...
mourns the loss of his tribe and the death of Freedom Beast
Freedom Beast
Freedom Beast is a fictional comic book character in the DC Universe.-Fictional character biography:A South African by birth, Freedom Beast was born Dominic Mndawe. His first appearance was in Animal Man #13...
.
Starman and Congorilla meet and decide to find Shade
Shade (comics)
The Shade is a comic book character developed in the 1940's for National Comics. Debuting as a villain, the Shade was best known for fighting against two generations of superheroes, most notably the Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the Flash...
. In Central City
Central City (DC Comics)
Central City is a fictional city that appears in stories published by DC Comics, and is the home of the Silver Age version of the Flash, Barry Allen. It first appeared in Showcase #4 in September-October 1956.-Location:...
, Jay Garrick meets up with the Atom and Shazam
Captain Marvel Jr.
Captain Marvel Jr. is a fictional character, a superhero originally published by Fawcett Comics and currently in the . A member of the Marvel Family team of superheroes, he was created by Ed Herron and Mac Raboy, and first appeared in Whiz Comics #25 in December 1941.Captain Marvel Jr.'s...
to investigate the theft of cosmic treadmill
Cosmic treadmill
The cosmic treadmill is a fictional time travel device in the DC Comics universe. The treadmill first appears in The Flash #125 written by John Broome.-Origins:The treadmill was first seen in The Flash #125 written by John Broome...
technology from the Flash Museum
Flash Museum
The Flash Museum is a fictional museum that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The museum is dedicated to the superheroes sharing the alias of the Flash, with its primary focus on Barry Allen...
. Green Lantern and Green Arrow defeat a group of villains that includes Prometheus, and are joined by Ray Palmer, Shazam, and Supergirl
Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)
Kara Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and related media, created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino. As Supergirl, Kara Zor-El serves as the biological cousin and female counterpart to DC Comic's iconic superhero Superman, created...
.
Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Ray proceed to question Prometheus, but soon learn that it is Clayface
Clayface
Clayface is an alias used by several DC Comics fictional characters, most of them possessing claylike bodies and shape-shifting abilities. All of them have been enemies of Batman.-Publication history:...
impersonating him. They realize they have fallen into a trap just as a bomb goes off. At his headquarters, the real Prometheus brags to I.Q.
I.Q. (comics)
I.Q. is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Mystery in Space #87 , and was created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino. I.Q...
that he has a plan in mind larger than his foes realize. Prometheus also revels at having killed members of the Global Guardians
Global Guardians
The Global Guardians is a team of fictional DC Comics superheroes whose members hail from countries around the world. The concept originated in the Super Friends Saturday morning cartoon, in which several heroes were added to the Justice League to give it more ethnic diversity.-History:The...
, Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil (comics)
Tasmanian Devil is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is unrelated to the Looney Tunes character, although both characters are owned by Time Warner. He first appeared in Super Friends #7...
, Gloss
Gloss (comics)
Gloss is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Millennium #2 , and was created by Steve Engelhart and Joe Staton.-Fictional character biography:...
, and Sandstorm.
Freddy Freeman
Captain Marvel Jr.
Captain Marvel Jr. is a fictional character, a superhero originally published by Fawcett Comics and currently in the . A member of the Marvel Family team of superheroes, he was created by Ed Herron and Mac Raboy, and first appeared in Whiz Comics #25 in December 1941.Captain Marvel Jr.'s...
manages to save the others from Clayface's bomb. Deciding they need help, they go to the Justice League of America. Jay Garrick races home to find the Shade waiting to speak to him. Congorilla and Starman seek out Animal Man
Animal Man
Animal Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily “borrow” the abilities of animals...
for help.
On the JLA satellite, the League has issues with Green Lantern and Green Arrow. The Guardian
Guardian (DC Comics)
Guardian is a comic book fictional character, a DC Comics superhero, created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. He first appeared in Star Spangled Comics #7...
arrives with a device he recovered in Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
that the team discovers is a teleporter. Suddenly, Red Arrow
Roy Harper (comics)
Roy Harper is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was known for over fifty years as Green Arrow's teenage sidekick Speedy. He first appeared alongside his mentor in More Fun Comics #73...
shows up with his right arm ripped off. The others race to help Red Arrow, while Supergirl confronts Red Arrow's attacker, Shazam.
Shazam reveals that he is actually Prometheus and swiftly takes out each of the heroes as he makes his way to the JLA computer room and nearly reaches his goal when the Shade confronts him. He is delayed long enough for a wounded Donna Troy
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 , and was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani...
to beat him unconscious. Prometheus reveals that this has all been about hurting the heroes. He has placed devices in each of their home cities that will teleport the cities through time and space, leaving the people alive but lost. He says he will give up the location of each device if they let him go. When Green Arrow refuses to let him go, Prometheus states he has already started the countdown and Star City
Star City (comics)
Star City is a fictional city that appears in stories published by DC Comics, best known as the traditional home of the superheroes known by, or affiliated with, the shared alias of the Green Arrow...
is the first target to activate.
Star City is in chaos as the heroes arrive and discover that the teleport device malfunctioned; instead of moving Star City elsewhere, part of the city was demolished. In the ruins of the city, Green Arrow finds the body of Lian, Red Arrow's daughter, crushed under a building. Across the country, the various heroes are unable to disable the devices. With time running out, Green Arrow relents and tells the heroes to let Prometheus go. Prometheus tells them how to defuse the devices and then teleports away.
Shortly after the Blackest Night conflict, Prometheus is in his lair planning his next moves. Hearing a noise, he turns to see Green Arrow, who fires an arrow between Prometheus' eyes, killing him instantly.
Follow-ups
The entire mini-series is said to be a herald toward James Robinson himself taking up writing in the regular Justice League of America title.Justice League: The Rise and Fall was released in March 2010, along with a four-issue series called Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal.
A story arc from Green Arrow vol. 4, #31-32 (2010), called "The Fall of Green Arrow", also shows the ramifications. A new Green Arrow series was launched under the Brightest Day
Brightest Day
Brightest Day is a year-long comic book maxi-series that began in April 2010. The story follows the ending of the series Blackest Night and how the aftermath of these events affect the entire DC Universe.-Plot:...
banner in August 2010.
Robinson later wrote a one-shot entitled Starman/Congorilla, which was released in January 2011 and featured the resurrection of Tasmanian Devil following his death at the hands of Prometheus.
Collected editions
The series has been collected into a single hardcover volume:- Justice League: Cry for Justice, 232 pages, June 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2567-5