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Menagerie (comics)
Encyclopedia
Menagerie is a name shared by two anti-hero
es in the DC Universe
, both members of The Elite
. The two are Puerto Rican
sisters who are linked with a symbiotic
alien weapon crèche, called symbeasts. Both were created by Joe Kelly
and Doug Mahnke
.
Pam first appears in Action Comics
#775
(March 2001). Sonja first appears in JLA
#100 (August 2004
). The sisters' surname has never been revealed.
#775, Manchester Black
states that the rogue Men in Black
(from the Department of Extranormal Operations
) once picked up the dregs of society, turning them into weapons and selling them off to the highest alien bidder. Pamela was bonded to an "alien warrior crèche" (or symbeasts). The beasts could be controlled to be used as weapons or to assemble into other shapes. The tale of Pam's first contact with these beasts has never been told, nor has any light been shed on the days before she met the villainous Manchester Black.
Black recruited Pam to be a member of his group of extremely powerful metahumans called the Elite
. This group took it upon themselves to "free the Earth of scum." They abided no laws and thus quickly came into conflict with Superman
during their first mission in Tripoli, Libya. They quickly dispatched Superman then disappeared. Superman called them to a showdown on Jupiter's moon, Io, where they seemingly killed the Man of Steel. But Superman returned triumphant. He managed to poison Menagerie and disabled the others as well. The Elite were delivered into custody, but soon released by President Lex Luthor
.
Now a government operative, Black began shadowing the Man of Steel. He betrayed Luthor and reassembled the Elite one last time. During an assassination attempt on Luthor, Menagerie revealed to Superman that the Elite were acting against their wills. For her betrayal, Black induced a stroke in her, putting her in a permanent vegetative state.
, took it upon herself to clear the family name and reassembled the Elite as a force for good. As Sister Superior she convinced Pam's sister, Sonja to assume control of the alien creche as the second Menagerie. Vera then approached the JLA
with a proposition to form a sort of black op
s JLA team: the Justice League Elite
. With her deep cover experience, Vera envisioned a team that could use unconventional means to combat unconventional threats.
Vera did not realize was that Menagerie's intentions were not pure. Sonja's hatred of Manchester Black became a hatred of the Elite. Sonja saw this as her opportunity to kill Vera's dream, so she played along and joined the team. This Elite became a sort of "not-exactly-sanctioned don't-ask-don't-tell covert operations unit." Their mission was to hunt and eliminate extranormal threats to the Earth before they went public. In their first mission, Menagerie secretly coaxed Coldcast
into killing the foreign terrorist dictator, Hi-Shan Bhat. Coldcast retained no memory of the act, and no other members were present.
Menagerie laid low during the fallout, and put effort into her personal relationship with Coldcast. The two had become lovers and were drawn together by their shared affection for Pam. Then while most of the Elite went underground, Vera was finally fully overtaken by the disembodied Manchester Black.
While Black threatened Earth with a Fourth World
god, Menagerie went mysteriously missing, and Coldcast was arrested by the JLA for Bhat's murder. In their absence, the Elite's coordinator, Naif al-Sheikh
, had found DNA evidence linking Coldcast to the deed. Coldcast confessed to the murder and was taken to the Slab prison.
In the Slab, Coldcast was visited by the spirit of the recently departed Manitou Raven
. Raven's magic dislodged something in Coldcast's mind and he vomited up a heap of Menagerie's symbeasts. Free from their control, he began remembering that he had been coerced by Menagerie into killing Bhat. Menagerie herself was nowhere to be found, and Coldcast rejoined the others.
It seemed Menagerie's sabotage was complete. But Manitou Raven's power led them to victory over Manchester Black. Coldcast was exonerated and the team tracked Sonja to Costa Rica. She was outnumbered and taken into JLA custody. On the Watchtower
, she was deprived of the aliens and began a gradual separation they hoped would sever her connection to the beasts. It seems this will take some time, as she could only bear to be a short distance away from the creche.
Sonja also once used them to spy on a place of residence from afar by implanting a literal "bug" on the window. Also, she created a fascimile of a drug once from the secretion of one of her creatures for a specific "bait and switch" operation. Another creature had a bite that could force its victims to tell the truth. According to Vera Black
, there was also a creature among the creche that could create bioelectric bursts. Menagerie had acidic blood as well and Sonja often allowed herself to get hurt by her opponents as a combat tactic.
The beasts have a sympathy for Pam's bloodline, as they readily bonded to her sister Sonja when Pam was incapacitated.
It was said that the members of the original Elite all possessed Palmer Metahuman (PM) ratings which rivaled Superman.
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
es 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...
, both members of The Elite
The Elite
The Elite is a team of super-powered anti-heroes appearing in stories published by DC Comics. The team took early influences from The Authority....
. The two are Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
sisters who are linked with a symbiotic
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
alien weapon crèche, called symbeasts. Both were created by Joe Kelly
Joe Kelly (comics)
Joseph "Joe" Kelly is an American comic book writer, penciler and editor who has written such titles as Deadpool, Uncanny X-Men, Action Comics, and JLA...
and Doug Mahnke
Doug Mahnke
Douglas "Doug" Mahnke is an American comic book artist and penciller.-Biography:Mahnke's first prominent work was for The Mask, and he has since worked for DC Comics on JLA, Batman with writer Judd Winick, and Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein with Grant Morrison...
.
Pam first appears in Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#775
What's so funny about Truth, Justice & the American Way?
"What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" is a story that appeared in Action Comics #775 as published by DC Comics in March 2001....
(March 2001). Sonja first appears in JLA
JLA (comic book)
JLA was a monthly comic book published by DC Comics from January 1997 to April 2006 featuring the Justice League.-Publication history:The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books by the mid-1990s prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team on a single title...
#100 (August 2004
2004 in comics
-February:*February 6: Marvel Enterprises and Electronic Arts announce a multi-year agreement in which EA will develop a new generation of fighting video games pitting Marvel superheroes against a new, original set of EA heroes....
). The sisters' surname has never been revealed.
Pamela
The first Menagerie was a Puerto Rican woman named Pamela (last name unrevealed). While the origins of her powers are unclear in Action ComicsAction Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#775, Manchester Black
Manchester Black
Manchester Black is a fictional character, and an antihero in the DC Comics universe. He was created by Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke in Action Comics #775, .-Fictional character biography:...
states that the rogue Men in Black
Men in Black
Men in Black , in American popular culture and in UFO conspiracy theories, are men dressed in black suits who claim to be government agents who harass or threaten UFO witnesses to keep them quiet about what they have seen. It is sometimes implied that they may be aliens themselves...
(from the Department of Extranormal Operations
Department of Extranormal Operations
The Department of Extranormal Operations is a fictional government agency in the DC Universe appearing in several comic books published by DC Comics. It was co-created by Dan Curtis Johnson and J. H...
) once picked up the dregs of society, turning them into weapons and selling them off to the highest alien bidder. Pamela was bonded to an "alien warrior crèche" (or symbeasts). The beasts could be controlled to be used as weapons or to assemble into other shapes. The tale of Pam's first contact with these beasts has never been told, nor has any light been shed on the days before she met the villainous Manchester Black.
Black recruited Pam to be a member of his group of extremely powerful metahumans called the Elite
The Elite
The Elite is a team of super-powered anti-heroes appearing in stories published by DC Comics. The team took early influences from The Authority....
. This group took it upon themselves to "free the Earth of scum." They abided no laws and thus quickly came into conflict with Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
during their first mission in Tripoli, Libya. They quickly dispatched Superman then disappeared. Superman called them to a showdown on Jupiter's moon, Io, where they seemingly killed the Man of Steel. But Superman returned triumphant. He managed to poison Menagerie and disabled the others as well. The Elite were delivered into custody, but soon released by President Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
.
Now a government operative, Black began shadowing the Man of Steel. He betrayed Luthor and reassembled the Elite one last time. During an assassination attempt on Luthor, Menagerie revealed to Superman that the Elite were acting against their wills. For her betrayal, Black induced a stroke in her, putting her in a permanent vegetative state.
Sonja
Upon Black's apparent death, his sister, Vera Lynn BlackVera Black
Sister Superior is a fictional character from DC Comics. She is the sister of British anti-hero Manchester Black, and a member of the JLA offshoot known as Justice League Elite.-Fictional character biography:...
, took it upon herself to clear the family name and reassembled the Elite as a force for good. As Sister Superior she convinced Pam's sister, Sonja to assume control of the alien creche as the second Menagerie. Vera then approached the JLA
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....
with a proposition to form a sort of black op
Black op
A black operation or black op is a covert operation typically involving activities that are highly clandestine and often outside of standard military protocol or even against the law.-Origins:...
s JLA team: the Justice League Elite
Justice League Elite
Justice League Elite was a twelve-issue comic book limited series published monthly by DC Comics in 2004 and 2005. The title was created by writer Joe Kelly and penciller Doug Mahnke....
. With her deep cover experience, Vera envisioned a team that could use unconventional means to combat unconventional threats.
Vera did not realize was that Menagerie's intentions were not pure. Sonja's hatred of Manchester Black became a hatred of the Elite. Sonja saw this as her opportunity to kill Vera's dream, so she played along and joined the team. This Elite became a sort of "not-exactly-sanctioned don't-ask-don't-tell covert operations unit." Their mission was to hunt and eliminate extranormal threats to the Earth before they went public. In their first mission, Menagerie secretly coaxed Coldcast
Coldcast
Coldcast is a fictional anti-hero that as appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. He was a member of both incarnations of the The Elite before joining Justice League Elite...
into killing the foreign terrorist dictator, Hi-Shan Bhat. Coldcast retained no memory of the act, and no other members were present.
Menagerie laid low during the fallout, and put effort into her personal relationship with Coldcast. The two had become lovers and were drawn together by their shared affection for Pam. Then while most of the Elite went underground, Vera was finally fully overtaken by the disembodied Manchester Black.
While Black threatened Earth with a Fourth World
Jack Kirby's Fourth World
"The Fourth World" is the popular name given to a metaseries of interconnecting comic book titles written and drawn by Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics from 1970 to 1973. The characters and concepts were later integrated into the DC Universe....
god, Menagerie went mysteriously missing, and Coldcast was arrested by the JLA for Bhat's murder. In their absence, the Elite's coordinator, Naif al-Sheikh
Naif al-Sheikh
Naif al-Sheikh is a fictional character, a Saudi superhero in the DC Comics universe and a former member of Justice League Elite. Created by Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke, the character first appeared in Justice League Elite #1 ....
, had found DNA evidence linking Coldcast to the deed. Coldcast confessed to the murder and was taken to the Slab prison.
In the Slab, Coldcast was visited by the spirit of the recently departed Manitou Raven
Manitou Raven
Manitou Raven is a fictional character and superhero from DC Comics. Manitou Raven was known to shout "Inukchuk!" when he cast spells. This is a reference by writer Joe Kelly to Apache Chief from the Super Friends animated series. Like Apache Chief, Manitou would shout this phrase in order to...
. Raven's magic dislodged something in Coldcast's mind and he vomited up a heap of Menagerie's symbeasts. Free from their control, he began remembering that he had been coerced by Menagerie into killing Bhat. Menagerie herself was nowhere to be found, and Coldcast rejoined the others.
It seemed Menagerie's sabotage was complete. But Manitou Raven's power led them to victory over Manchester Black. Coldcast was exonerated and the team tracked Sonja to Costa Rica. She was outnumbered and taken into JLA custody. On the Watchtower
Justice League Watchtower
The Watchtower is the name of various bases used by the Justice League of America in DC Comics and various other media. It has been portrayed in DC comics as a building on Earth's moon, and as a space-station in orbit in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon.The Watchtower debuted in JLA #4 during...
, she was deprived of the aliens and began a gradual separation they hoped would sever her connection to the beasts. It seems this will take some time, as she could only bear to be a short distance away from the creche.
Powers and abilities
The alien symbeasts have shown a variety of effects and uses when used by either Pam or Sonja. The symbeasts can be assembled to shift over the host to form various shapes and weapons such as claws, spikes or whips. Most commonly, they form around the body and take the form of wings, enabling Menagerie to fly. She can also instruct them to take other forms, or detach from her body and attack an opponent independently.Sonja also once used them to spy on a place of residence from afar by implanting a literal "bug" on the window. Also, she created a fascimile of a drug once from the secretion of one of her creatures for a specific "bait and switch" operation. Another creature had a bite that could force its victims to tell the truth. According to Vera Black
Vera Black
Sister Superior is a fictional character from DC Comics. She is the sister of British anti-hero Manchester Black, and a member of the JLA offshoot known as Justice League Elite.-Fictional character biography:...
, there was also a creature among the creche that could create bioelectric bursts. Menagerie had acidic blood as well and Sonja often allowed herself to get hurt by her opponents as a combat tactic.
The beasts have a sympathy for Pam's bloodline, as they readily bonded to her sister Sonja when Pam was incapacitated.
It was said that the members of the original Elite all possessed Palmer Metahuman (PM) ratings which rivaled Superman.