In the Super Friends days Superman and Batman are best buddies. Calling each other “chum” and going off on adventures together in comics as well as cartoons. This complete and utter friendship upon reflection… really does not make a whole lot of sense.
The two men are opposites in almost every conceivable way.
Superman gets his powers from the sunlight. Batman works at night as urban myth. Superman instills hope. Batman instills fear. Superman is invulnerable. Batman is completely human.
However, there are some similarities between the two men.
Both lost their parents. Clark was too young to know his real parents and had a surrogate family growing up. Bruce saw his father and mother gunned down in front of him in Crime Alley. Both have very strong senses about right and wrong. Clark’s was instilled by his midwestern upbringing and Bruce’s instilled by his father’s example and his desire to make sure what happened to him never happens to another child.
Superman will do anything to protect his friends and so would Batman. Their methods however do not always compliment each other. Superman favors “by the book” actions, while Batman is not afraid to dangle a crook over a ledge to get some information. Superman frequently jumps in head first relying on his invulnerability and powers to protect him. Batman plans, he calculates, he does his homework, and he strikes when and where he can be the most effective. While Superman is the bulldozer, Batman is the laser.
With that in our minds we turn to the largest schism in the Justice League’s history, when Batman quits the JLA.
Batman’s right hand man at Wayne Enterprises, Lucius Fox, was in the country of Markovia when a civil war broke out. Lucius was captured by the rebels. If you were Batman, what would you do? You would get your friend, the invulnerable juggernauts of the Justice League and you would go get Mr. Fox, wouldn’t you?
Not so fast. The Justice League in Batman’s absence promised the United Nations that they would not interfere with what is going on in Markovia as it is an internal country matter and had not spilled over into inter country conflict, which the JLA rarely got involved with anyways.
Batman is incensed. He tells the JLA off, flips them the Bat-Bird and leaves the JLA satellite in disgust.
So, now you are Batman, you have to invade a country and extract one man. How do you pull off this bit of Bat-Magic? Better yet, how do you pull off this bit of Bat-Magic AND piss off the Justice League at the same time?
Simple answer. Only two characters had previously turned down Justice League membership. Call them to help you out.
First up is Metamorpho, the Element Man. Adventurer Rex Mason was doing some Indiana Jones business in an Egyptian tomb and was exposed to some magical rays from The Orb of Ra. The rays caused him to go to sleep and when Rex Mason awoke, he was an elemental freak. He had the power to create any element naturally found in the body. Sounds dumb right? Have you seen all the elements in your daily vitamins? Go ahead, look. There is some wicked cool elements in that list. Phosphorus is my personal favorite.
Rex did not react to this change very well and was labeled all sorts of words most of which are synonyms for “freak.” Rex’s long time girlfriend Sapphire Stagg stood beside him however, much to the chagrin of Sapphire’s overprotective father Simon Stagg.
Rex rejects the JLA’s offer of membership and appears off and on in guest starring roles until this book where he finds a place on Batman’s team.
Second is Black Lightning, Jefferson Pierce, who holds the distinction of being DC’s first black super-hero with his own title in the 1970s. Riding the wave of blaxploitation, DC introduced Black Lightning who wears a fake afro and affects a ghetto/street accent when he’s a hero, yet in his secret identity, Jefferson is a high school teacher, educated and eloquent. Black Lightning has the ability to generate electricity from his body.
When he was approached by the JLA, they tested him under duress to see if he would snap and he didn’t. The ruse revealed Jefferson said some choice things to the JLA about their lack of faith and that he didn’t want to join their “jive turkey” club anyway as he did more good in Suicide Slum in Metropolis than in space. An argument that would be repeated by Green Arrow and Batman later.
The Outsiders introduced us to three new heroes as well.
Halo is a girl who Batman finds in some ruins and she is unconscious. When she wakes up she freaks out and a halo of light appears around her body. Halo can cover her body in energy of different colors that all have different effects.
- Red Aura = Heat Beams
- Orange Aura = Force Beams
- Yellow Aura = Bright Light
- Green Aura = Stasis Beams
- Blue Aura = Illusion Power
- Indigo Aura = Tractor Beam
- Violet Aura = Makes Halo Unconscious.. hmmmm?
Katana is a mysterious woman of Japanese descent who assassinates one of the rebel leaders in front of Black Lightning and then disappears in the night. She carries a Japanese katana and appears to be highly skilled in martial arts. While Katana is alone there is another disembodied voice near her, but we do not know who it is or where it comes from. This gives Katana an air of mystery as well as an automatic conflict with Batman.. she WILL kill if she deems it necessary. Operating basically via the Code of the Bushido or Samurai code, Katana appears blood thirsty and vengeful.
Geo-Force is Prince Brion Markov of the recently usurped Markov family. Brion was receiving his powers, the “Geo-Force” that is his family’s birthright from Dr. Helga Jace. Brion has the ability to create lava blasts from his hands to propel him through the air and he has the strength of the Earth itself. Brion is killed by the villain of the piece, Baron Bedlam and put in the ground, which nurtures Brion and brings him back to life.
The heroes win of course and a new team is forged with Batman as the leader. His own Justice League to mold in his own image. Take that Supes!
Meanwhile… it’s really interesting that Geo-Force should appear at this time, because over in Titans…Terra is rising.
Next Time: War Heroes!
