Justice Riders
Encyclopedia
Justice Riders is a 1997
Elseworlds
prestige format
one-shot, from DC Comics
, written by Chuck Dixon
, with art by J.H. Williams III.
The story involves the Justice League of America recast in assorted roles in the Wild West. Wonder Woman
is a Marshal, Booster Gold
is a Maverick
-style gambler, Wally West
is an outlaw, wrongly accused for the death of Barry Allen
. Ted Kord is an inventor wearing a pair of antennae. Guy Gardner
is a Pinkerton
detective hunting Flash. Hawkman
and Martian Manhunter
also appear. There is also a cameo at the end by Clark Kent
, as a dime novel
writer.
Maxwell Lord
is the villain, prefacing his eventual unmasking as a criminal mastermind out to destroy meta-humans in actual DC continuity years later.
US Marshall Diana Prince's hometown, Paradise, is destroyed by Professor Felix Faust, an alcoholic "sorcerer" who also murders Diana's mentor, Sheriff Oberon. She vows to avenge Paradise's townspeople and asks for the help of Wally West, the Kid Flash, a gunslinger with above-average reflexes; and Katar Johnson, a Cheyanne Indian warrior also known as "Hawkman", who can fly with artificial wings. They then set to El Inferno, the headquarters of Faust's employer, railroad baron Maxwell Lord. On their way there, they are attacked by mechanical gunslingers sent by Lord and saved by Michael Carter, the Booster Gold, a mercenary outfitted with powerful guns by a eccentric inventor, Ted "Beetle" Kord. They agree to join Diana in their quest.
As they near El Inferno, the Justice Riders are joined by J'onn Jones, an old friend of Diana's and an Alien searching for Lord's "secret weapon". They are followed by Guy Gardner, a Pinkerton Agency private investigator who wants to arrest Kid Flash for the death of a lawman called Barry Allen. Upon arriving at El Inferno, the Justice Riders face off against Lord, Faust and their mechanical soldiers. Diana, Hawkman, Jones and Kid Flash destroy the robots while Booster Gold and Blue Beetle fight Gardner. Suddenly, they are attacked by Lord, piloting a powerful war machine called the Lordevastator.
El Inferno is nearly destroyed in the battle, but Diana manages to destroy the Lordevastator. Lord claims that he is Earth's rightful heir and reveals that he has been destroying several small towns such as Paradise to open way for a railroad that will allow Lord to transport his war machines to strategic points of the United States and slowly take over the world. Diana kills him while Kid Flash and Gardner, who were fighting each other, briefly team-up to shoot Faust, who tried to kill them with a shotgun. Gardner agrees to allow Kid Flash to escape this one time, but vows that he'll capture him eventually before riding off. Kid Flash decides to hide in Mexico, while Hawkman returns to the Indian reserve where he lives and Jones uncovers the source of Lord's advanced technology: A Dominion Alien trapped in a cage. He decides to return the being to its homeworld, while Diana returns to Paradise intending to rebuilt it and Booster Gold searches for new jobs in Alabama. Blue Beetle returns to his old town and sells the story to dime writer Clark Kent in order to use the money to finance his inventions.
And thus, the Justice Rides ride together into the sunset one last time. Meanwhile, back at the ruins of Paradise, Faust rises from the death once more, revealing himself to truly be a supernatural being.
multiverse
.
1997 in comics
-January:*Avengers #3 - Marvel Comics*Captain America #3 - Marvel Comics*Fantastic Four #3 - Marvel Comics*Iron Man #3 - Marvel Comics-February:...
Elseworlds
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...
prestige format
Prestige format
Prestige format is a term coined by DC Comics and later came into wider use to refer to a square-bound comic book with cardstock covers. A prestige format comic book is usually longer than a normal, stapled 32-page comic...
one-shot, from 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...
, written by Chuck Dixon
Chuck Dixon
Charles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
, with art by J.H. Williams III.
The story involves the Justice League of America recast in assorted roles in the Wild West. 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....
is a Marshal, Booster Gold
Booster Gold
Booster Gold is a fictional DC Comics superhero. Created by Dan Jurgens, he first appeared in Booster Gold #1 and has been a member of the Justice League, DC Comics' all-star team of heroes. The character is initially depicted as a glory-seeking showboat from the future, using knowledge of...
is a Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
-style gambler, Wally West
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....
is an outlaw, wrongly accused for the death of Barry Allen
Barry Allen
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is the second character known as the Flash. The character first appeared in Showcase #4 , created by writers Robert Kanigher and John Broome and penciler Carmine Infantino. His name combines talk show hosts Barry Gray...
. Ted Kord is an inventor wearing a pair of antennae. Guy Gardner
Guy Gardner (comics)
Guy Gardner is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He is a core member of the Green Lantern family of characters, and for a time was also a significant member of the Justice League family of characters.He was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in Green Lantern...
is a Pinkerton
Pinkerton
Pinkerton may refer to:*Pinkerton , a 1996 album by Weezer*Pinkerton, Ontario*Pinkerton National Detective Agency, a detective agency founded in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton*Pinkerton Academy, a high school in Derry, New Hampshire...
detective hunting Flash. Hawkman
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 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...
also appear. There is also a cameo at the end by Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
, as a dime novel
Dime novel
Dime novel, though it has a specific meaning, has also become a catch-all term for several different forms of late 19th-century and early 20th-century U.S...
writer.
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a shrewd and powerful businessman who was very influential in the formation of the Justice League International in DC Comics.-Before the League:...
is the villain, prefacing his eventual unmasking as a criminal mastermind out to destroy meta-humans in actual DC continuity years later.
Plot
1873.US Marshall Diana Prince's hometown, Paradise, is destroyed by Professor Felix Faust, an alcoholic "sorcerer" who also murders Diana's mentor, Sheriff Oberon. She vows to avenge Paradise's townspeople and asks for the help of Wally West, the Kid Flash, a gunslinger with above-average reflexes; and Katar Johnson, a Cheyanne Indian warrior also known as "Hawkman", who can fly with artificial wings. They then set to El Inferno, the headquarters of Faust's employer, railroad baron Maxwell Lord. On their way there, they are attacked by mechanical gunslingers sent by Lord and saved by Michael Carter, the Booster Gold, a mercenary outfitted with powerful guns by a eccentric inventor, Ted "Beetle" Kord. They agree to join Diana in their quest.
As they near El Inferno, the Justice Riders are joined by J'onn Jones, an old friend of Diana's and an Alien searching for Lord's "secret weapon". They are followed by Guy Gardner, a Pinkerton Agency private investigator who wants to arrest Kid Flash for the death of a lawman called Barry Allen. Upon arriving at El Inferno, the Justice Riders face off against Lord, Faust and their mechanical soldiers. Diana, Hawkman, Jones and Kid Flash destroy the robots while Booster Gold and Blue Beetle fight Gardner. Suddenly, they are attacked by Lord, piloting a powerful war machine called the Lordevastator.
El Inferno is nearly destroyed in the battle, but Diana manages to destroy the Lordevastator. Lord claims that he is Earth's rightful heir and reveals that he has been destroying several small towns such as Paradise to open way for a railroad that will allow Lord to transport his war machines to strategic points of the United States and slowly take over the world. Diana kills him while Kid Flash and Gardner, who were fighting each other, briefly team-up to shoot Faust, who tried to kill them with a shotgun. Gardner agrees to allow Kid Flash to escape this one time, but vows that he'll capture him eventually before riding off. Kid Flash decides to hide in Mexico, while Hawkman returns to the Indian reserve where he lives and Jones uncovers the source of Lord's advanced technology: A Dominion Alien trapped in a cage. He decides to return the being to its homeworld, while Diana returns to Paradise intending to rebuilt it and Booster Gold searches for new jobs in Alabama. Blue Beetle returns to his old town and sells the story to dime writer Clark Kent in order to use the money to finance his inventions.
And thus, the Justice Rides ride together into the sunset one last time. Meanwhile, back at the ruins of Paradise, Faust rises from the death once more, revealing himself to truly be a supernatural being.
Earth-18
This world is part of the new post-Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
multiverse
Multiverse (DC Comics)
The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
.
Publication
- Justice Riders (by Chuck DixonChuck DixonCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
and J.H. Williams III, DC Comics, 63 pages, January 1997, ISBN 156389257X)