Ancient World’s Finest
DC’S oldest superteam gets ready for its movie debut in Black Adam: The Justice Society Files
AHEAD OF THE ROCK’S BIG-SCREEN debut as the Destroyer of this World in October, DC Comics is releasing Black Adam: The Justice Society Files, a new four-part miniseries set in the cinematic continuity. Written by Cavan Scott and drawn by a variety of artists including Scott Eaton, Maria Laura Sanapo, Travis Mercer and Jesus Merino, the main feature in each issue focuses on a different member of the historic super-team: Hawkman, Cyclone, Doctor Fate and Atom-smasher, brought to life respectively by Maxine Hunkell, Pierce Brosnan and Al Rothstein in the movie. “The overarching theme is that we get to see Hawkman reforming the Justice Society, or at least putting out the feelers to heroes new and old,” says Scott, who’s a long-time fan of the super-squad. “The Society is such a cornerstone of the DC Universe, and for me personally, Hawkman and Doctor Fate were part of my introduction to the DC superhero pantheon. Both remain two of my favourite characters, so it’s been fascinating to see them reinterpreted for the film. And as a lifelong James Bond fan, I’m in double-o heaven to have now written a comic with Pierce Brosnan on the cover!” With the writer noting that “there’s an old-time serial feel to Adrianna’s story, so even though it isn’t set in the ’40s, there’s a nod to the adventure stories of the time,” Bryan Q Miller and artist Marco Santucci are collaborating on the back-ups, which chronicle the journey of Teth-adam (aka Black Adam) from ancient Egyptian slave to all-powerful anti-hero. “Our tale is about the dangers of history repeating itself, as told through events that happen in ancient Kahndaq with Teth-adam and his son, Hurut, in parallel to some shenanigans with Adrianna Tomaz and her family in present-day Kahndaq,” explains Miller, referring to Black Adam’s wife, aka Isis. “We meet Adrianna in a very unexpected place at the top of the Black Adam film, so this was a really fun opportunity to backtrack through the breadcrumbs that got her there. There’s also a little bit of Teth family stuff, but we were careful to not – no pun intended – steal any of the film story’s thunder.” With both scribes promising “some fun little Easter eggs,” expect to find some intriguing links between Scott and Miller’s respective scenarios. “The main element is the coming of Black Adam, which is something that runs through all of my stories,” teases Scott, who also explores the background of some of Black Adam’s filmic adversaries. “Gentleman Ghost – or at least a new version of James Craddock’s otherworldly villain – is the main villain of the Hawkman issue, and [crime syndicate] Intergang turn up a few times in the run. Behind Hawkman, long-term readers may see a few familiar concepts from elsewhere in the DC universe.” “And while Cavan gets to play with the JSA side of the coin, I’ve got Intergang making a mess of things for Adrianna and her family in Kahndaq,” adds Miller, who hints at neat references “for fans who know about Intergang.”