DC Teams: O, P, Q

Old Justice

Created by Peter David and Todd Nauck

   

Old Justice was created by a sub-committee led by U.S. Senator Neptune Perkins (D-Hawaii) in response to growing concerns about the dangers of teenage metahumans. His associate in the endeavor was former boyhood colleague, Dan Dunbar (formerly Dyna-Mite) and raised concerns about child endangerment and labor laws. (Young Justice #16) Together they recruited several others with child adventuring in their pasts:

• The Cyclone Kids (Amelia "Sisty" Hunkel-Jibbet & Mortimer "Dinky" Jibbet). As children, the Cyclones played hero with Sisty's mother, the original Red Tornado. Sisty was a model until her adventuring resulted in facial lacerations. She then married her former playmate, Dinky. The Cyclones believed that the Red Tornado was dead, but she had in fact entered the witness protection program. Recently she rejoined society as the JSA's museum curator and presumably reconnected with Sisty and Dinky.» FIRST APPEARANCE: All-American Comics #24 (Mar. 1941)
• Dyna-Mite was the former sidekick of TNT until the elder hero's death. Dan continued to serve with the Young All-Stars and All-Star Squadron throughout World War II.» FIRST APPEARANCE: Adventure Comics #56 (Nov. 1940)
• Doiby Dickles was a longtime associate of the original Green Lantern. He married Princess Ramia of the planet Myrg, but was forced to flee when that planet was invaded by the planet Gren. Ramia was forced to marry Prince Marieb in a peace agreement, and Doiby fled for his life.» FIRST APPEARANCE: All-American Comics #27 (June 1941)
• Merry the Gimmick Girl (Merry Pemberton) is the adopted sister of the original Star Spangled Kid. Merry married reformed criminal Brain Wave (Henry King), but reportedly committed suicide after her husband returned to crime. This was a cover; she had a mental breakdown and survived a terrible ordeal and was eventually reunited with her son Henry Jr. (Brainwave II)» FIRST APPEARANCE: Star-Spangled Comics #81 (June 1948)
• Neptune Perkins was also a member of the All-Star Squadron. He became romantically involved with Tsunami. Tsunami has led Perkins to believe that her child, Indigo is his daughter.» FIRST APPEARANCE: Flash Comics #66 (Aug. 1945)
• Sweep Second (Thorndyke Tompkins) is a former "Minuteman," one of Hourman's boy sidekicks. He too tried to continue his adventures, but ended up in jail.» FIRST APPEARANCE: Adventure Comics #56 (Nov. 1940)

Old Justice began by working behind the scenes, to shut down the group of super-teens called Young Justice. They first attempted to strongarm the support of Young Justice's mentor, the Red Tornado. The elder heroes blackmailed a judge (a former super-villain) into leniencey on a case involving the Tornado's daughter, Traya. The result was that the Tornado ordered YJ to cease their activities when media scrutiny intensified. Things worsened for the teens after they invaded an APES (All-Purpose Espionage Squad) facility to rescue one of their members. (Young Justice #17)

In truth, Old Justice was also being manipulated into creating chaos among metahumans. The mastermind of this plot was the Contessa (Erica Alexandra del Portenza), ex-wife of Lex Luthor and head of the criminal organization called the Agenda. Her... agenda was simple: to strike at the world's premier heroes by degrading their younger counterparts. The Agenda assembled its own group of super-powered teens called the Point Men. After this, Old Justice began to take note of coincidences in recent events. (#18-19)

With the news media as witness, a heated argument resulted in a scuffle between the groups. Wonder Girl called a rally in Washington D.C. to air grievances and appeal to the public for her group's freedom of expression. Her pleas impeded the Contessa's public opinion campaign, so she moved onto "plan B" — Klarion the Witch Boy. Both Merry and Doiby were starting to suspect that they were being manipulated (they had also been recieving directives via mental telepathy). They agreed to join Wonder Girl's rally, which drew heroes of all ages to the Capitol. There the Contessa played her ace-in-the-hole, a sleeper agent called Match, a clone of Superboy who had infiltrated YJ and fed information to Old Justice about their activities. Klarion was excited by the chaos and cast a mischievous spell that reversed the ages of all the heroes present. (Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1)

To try to reverse the spell, "Starwoman and the Junior JSA" accompanied Merry and Doiby back to the planet Myrg (in a spaceship designed by Pat Dugan), where they hoped to acquire a "de-aging gun." It was not a smooth ride: Merry berated "Starwoman" (Courtney Whitmore) for stealing her brother's (the Star-Spangled Kid's) cosmic converter belt. Though successful, Doiby was forced to flee Myrg. (Sins of Youth: Starwoman and the Junior JSA #1)

They'd gotten the gun but it failed to reverse Klarion's spell. In the end Klarion himself restored everyone's ages after he was betrayed by the Contessa. (Young Justice: Sins of Youth #2) The Agenda's operatives were mopped up but the Contessa escaped. Afterwards, all parties sat down to settle lingering issues. Old Justice conceded that heroes both young and old were responsible for their own actions. And Senator Perkins finally agreed that it would be impossible to successfully pursue legal action against Young Justice for the (Young Justice #20)

Old Justice presumably disbanded after this. Young Justice helped Doiby Dickles return to Myrg, overthrow its ruyler Marieb, and reunite him with with his princess bride, Ramia. (Young Justice #25-28)

Merry was reunited with her son, Henry, after he was freed from possession by Mister Mind. (Hawkman v.4 #25) The Cyclones also learned that their mother, Ma Hunkel, was still alive and had been in witness protection. (JSA #55) Neptune Perkins was killed in battle againtst the Society. (Infinite Crisis #3)

» FIRST APPEARANCE:  Young Justice #16 (Jan. 2000).

» FEATURED APPEARANCES: Young Justice #16–20 • Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1-2 • Sins of Youth JLA Jr. #1 • Sins of Youth Starwoman and JSA Jr. #1

» SEE ALSO: All-Star Squadron • Red Tornado I • Stargirl • Star-Spangled Kid • Young Justice

Olympian Gods

» SEE: Stand-alone profile

The Omega Men

Created by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton

» SEE: Omega Men section

» FIRST APPEARANCE: Green Lantern #141-143 (June 1981)

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:  Action Comics #535-536 • Blue Devil #18 • DC Comics Presents #89 • Green Lantern #161 • New Teen Titans v.1 #24-26, Annual #1 • New Teen Titans v.2 #15-18 • Teen Titans Spotlight #15

» SERIES:

• Omega Men, 38 issues (1983-86)
• Omega Men v.2, 6-issue limited series (2007)
• The Omega Men, 12-issue limited series 2015)

Onslaught

» SEE: Jihad

The Outsiders

Created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo

At one time, Cosmic Teams featured an entire section for this team. Its chronology is retired but the information can still be accessed online.

» FIRST APPEARANCE:

• Team 1: Brave & Bold #200 (July 1983)
• Team 2: Outsiders v.2 #1 (November 1993; #1-alpha and #1-omega were released at the same time and follow different characters)
• Team 3: Outsiders v.3 #1 (August 2003)

The People's Heroes

» SEE: Heroes of Russia

The Point Men

During a take over at Project Cadmus, the Agenda created a special section named "Area X." Inside Area X the Fourth World creatures known as Simyan and Mokkari. Following in the footsteps of their mad scientist creator, Dabney Donovan, they cloned their own race of super-heroes, the Point Men. The Point Men are a group of teen-aged clones directed by the Agenda. Their members included:

• Blank Slate is a ghost with teleportational and phasing abilities.
• Blockade is their strongman, with rock-hard skin.
• Gray Lady (Wendy) is their leader; a winged harpy, she can fly and functions as their leader.
• Groundswell has control over the earth.
• Serpentine (Joey) is a lizard-like disciple of the god Quetzalcoatl.
• Short Cut is a teleporter.

Unbeknownst to the Point Men, the Agenda was a criminal organization bent on subverting the metahuman community. The Agenda's leader, the Contessa (Erica Alexandra del Portenza), first sent these teens into battle against Young Justice, after the former attempted to retrieve one of their member from a government facility. (Young Justice #16) The Contessa would have preferred the Point Men capture the members of Young Justice, but was content to use her clones to stimulate unrest. The teams clashed repeatedly when Old Justice began their crusade against child heroes. (#18) The Point Men were even sent to assault Wonder Girl's mother, Helena Sandsmark, but were thwarted by the new heroine, the Empress. (#19)

They returned to trouble Superboy, who was wanted for kidnapping at the time. After this confrontation, the director of Cadmus introduced the Point Men to the media. (Superboy #73)

Rudely, the Contessa chose this chaotic time to reveal to the Point Men their origins as clones. She considered them merely a pilot program and expendable. The Point Men were confused at first and continued to take orders from the Agenda. But recently they have begun operating independently, even teaming up with their former enemies to attack the nation of Zandia. (#49-51) The hero Groundswell also appeared with the Point Men during the Agenda affair. He is a creature made of earth and is apparently not a member of the group.

Thanks to Taylor Keating

» FIRST APPEARANCE:  Team: Young Justice #18. Contessa: Superman: Man of Tomorrow #1

» FEATURED APPEARANCES: Superboy #73 • Young Justice #18-19, 49-51 • Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1-2, JLA Jr. and Starwoman and JSA Jr.

The Power Company

Created by Kurt Busiek & Tom Grummet

The Power Company was born five years ago in the determination of it's founder, Josiah Power. During the invasion of the alien alliance, Power (like many humans) discovered he had hidden powers. When the Dominators detonated their "Gene Bomb," Power's erupted with energy in the middle of trying a court case. This incident branded him a freak and destroyed his career as an attorney. Seeking solace, he enlisted with people who claimed to be a social action group but was in fact a criminal organization. They imprisoned him until eventually he was freed by Superman and the JLA. (P.C.: Josiah Power)

Thereafter, he vowed to put his new powers to good use. He decided to form his own group of metahumans in a business venture dedicated to security, recovery and investigation. The money generated by his clients would also allow his partners and associates the luxury of pro bono work. He recruited three partners (co-owners) and three associates (employees). Power's first partner by Kirk DePaul (Manhunter VI), the last surviving clone of Paul Kirk (Manhunter II). His other partners are the orphan-turned-magician/rock star, Witchfire. His associates include former villain and powerhouse, Bork and Hong Kong stuntman, Striker Z.

With this core team together, Power tried to recruit the former navy aviator, Skyrocket, as field leader. She was reluctant at first, but was drawn into battle against the Strike Force, Dr. Cyber and the Dragoneer. Following this, she deemed the group worthy of her participation and signed on. (#3) Soon they were soon joined by another associate: Sapphire, a runaway with powers from an alien gem. (#4) She and Bork soon became roommates.(#5)

Years before, Power was employed by Biospheer. This company got into trouble when their food additives began causing deaths. This attracted the attention of Green Arrow and Black Canary. When it was announced that BioSpheer would retain the services of the Power Company, Green Arrow again intervened to ascertain that everything was above board. (#6) Tragedy struck soon after the fledgling company was founded. Josiah Power suffered a gunshot wound from a former legal opponent which left him in a coma. His absence threw affected client confidence and so the remaining partners decided to add another temporary associate: Firestorm (#8-11)

Tension continued to grow between Skyrocket and the other two partners. Having come from a "selfless" heroing career, Skyrocket was frequently frustrated by Witchfire and Manhunter's more materialistic approach to heroism. Her pro bono work led her into several conflicts with the Cadre. This band of super-villains was contracted by Dr. Polaris to steal technological parts. Their ultimate target is S.T.A.R. Labs — a Power Company client. (#1, 5, 8-10) After much effort, Polaris was finally brought down by freeing the Controller he had enslaved. During this clash, Josiah awakened from his coma (#13), but was still too weak to return to work.

After this, Garrison Slate, the founder and CEO of S.T.A.R. Labs assumed the position of Interim Administrator. Both Firestorm and Bork quit the team, and Witchfire took a leave absence (she'd discovered that she was only a homunculus!). The remaining team was tricked by an operative of Dr. Cyber, Ariadne, into following her into a trap. Witchfire returned to lead the remaining members on the search for the team. They acquired the help of Jennifer Elizabeth Barbara Stuart, a test pilot for S.T.A.R. She inherited a strange crystal from her grandfather, J.E.B. Stuart. He'd discovered it during World War II when he manned the so-called Haunted Tank. Jennifer inherited his mantle and manned a new, high-tech Haunted Tank which helped defeat the Dragoneer and free the Power Company. All but Firestorm returned to the team, and Josiah reassumed control of the company. (#16-18)

Recently, Kirk De Paul was killed by Mark Shaw (Manhunter III). Shaw was under the influence of his old government superiors and acting in the guise of Dumas, killing all other Manhunters. De Paul's corpse was identified by Josiah Power. (Manhunter v.3 #11-12)

Witchfire shed some of her selfish ways and joined mystics from all over during the Spectre's rampage against magic on Earth. (Day of Vengeance #1) She joined the Phantom Stranger's army of mystics in rounding up the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, and was briefly possessed by Lust. (Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special)

At some point, Skyrocket left the Power Company, which she revealed to Superman. (Action #842)

» FIRST APPEARANCE:  JLA #61 (February 2002)

» SERIES: Power Company, 18 issues (2002-03). Note: In addition to the premier issue of the series, there were seven one-shot issues spotlighting each member.

» SEE ALSO: Power Company Chronology + Annotations

Primal Force (aka The Leymen)

Text from Fanzing.com (defunct) • Written by David R. Black 

» FIRST APPEARANCE: Primal Force #1

» SERIES: Primal Force, 15 issues (1994-95)

Primal Force was a series that was one of four (with Starman, Manhunter and Fate ) to be launched after the conclusion of the Zero Hour mini-series.

The Leymen is actually the name of this super-group whose adventures appear in Primal Force. For the past two thousand years, a group of ten men known as the Leymen have been led by a man named Maltis. The Leymen's duty has been, an always will be, to band together in times of global imbalance and protect Earth from the forces set against it. After the event known as Zero Hour, the remaining members of the previous group of Leymen decided to retire. Their time had passed, and a new team of Leymen would be called. While performing the ritual to summon the new group, Maltis requested that the Earth bring him not just ordinary humans, but superheroes. The Earth itself chose which heroes would become Leymen and brought Maltis five relatively unknown heroes. There were supposed to be ten members, but this was the first time that less than that number responded to the call the join the Leymen. This was also the first time that a woman had been chosen to join the group.

Comprised of Claw, Golem, Jack O' Lantern, Meridian, and Red Tornado, the team would battle the supernatural and dark forces that sought to spread evil across the Earth. Other heroes, those who did not answer the original call to join, would also come forward to defend their planet in its time of need. These latter heroes included Black Condor, Nightmaster, and Willpower. And now, on to the Who's Who entries!

Black Condor

Membership

Psyba-Rats

Created by Chuck Dixon • Parts of the text adapted from the work of Craig Young

The Psyba-rats were originally a team of kids capable of stealing information for hire. In their first recorded adventure, they were hired to hack into a satellite owned by the Wayne Foundation. As the team began their operation, they were interrupted by Robin. Fearing discover, the entire team free-jumped from the top of the Wayne Building to escape the Boy Wonder.

Thier boss, the Collector was aggravated and worried that the Rats might have left clues that Robin could trace. The Collector ordered his men to kill the Rats, but as they opened fire, the team member known as "Megabiter" (Michael Wasko) knocked Razorsharp (Rae Sharp), out of the way and gave his life so the team had time to escape. As the team scattered into an abandoned construction site, they escaped the henchman but ran afoul of a much worse enemy. Earth had recently been invaded by a parasitic race of aliens who collected human spinal fluid for their master. Some of the aliens' victims were transformed by the attacks, their dormant metagenes activated.

One such alien was encountered by the Rats' Channelman (Chester Channel). When Rae rushed to his aid, she too fell prey to the alien. Luckily another member, Hackrat (Reginald Hackman), managed to escape and saved Channel and Rae. The next morning Rae began to feel as if her arms were on fire. After an angry outburst she found that her arms could be transformed into razor-sharp knives. As if this weren't surprise enough, Channel found that he was broadcasting from inside a television screen while his body lay comatose. He was now able to exert control over television and computer systems. Rae was horrified and vowed revenge against the Collector for his role in this chain of events.

Soon they were confronted againby Robin, who helped them take the Collector down. Rae and Robin both saved each others' lives that night, and the experience left the Rats changed. They even made Robin an honorary Psyba-Rat. (Robin Annual #2)

Rae, Hack and Channel were next secretly hired by a T. Clyde Ponttefract for one million dollars. He asked the Rats to break in and install a virus, which was meant to test his own security. They were successful but not happy to find that they'd been tricked into the job. (Showcase '94 #3-4) Two years later Robin found himself in competition with the Psyba-Rats for information on Catwoman. (Catwoman #25)

Next they were in hired by an anonymous client to break in to the headquarters of Young Justice and purge the systems of all information on "Magellan Imports." Rae and Hacker managed to download everything onto disks but Arrowette destroyed them with her arrows. When Razorsharp finally encountered Robin, the fighting was halted and Rae apologized, claiming that she didn't know Robin was involved with Young Justice. She went on to explain the team's commission and Robin quickly traced Magellan Imports back to the Rats' mysterious client: Blockbuster. Instead of getting information from the Young Justice's computers, Blockbuster received a virus that completely wiped his systems. (Young Justice #8)

Next the Rats stole a formula from the Branchwater family for Consolidated Food Labs.The Branchwaters, along with the Collector (apparently an old foe of the Rats), attempted to retrieve the formula. In the course of this, Channelman's body was killed, but he lived on in digital form. The Branchwaters hired two cyborg assassins, Neela and Arbie, to follow them to Addad, a mythical well in the Middle East. They discovered that the formula was for Zesti Cola and the caves around the well collapsed during a firefight. They escaped. (Psyba-Rats #1-3)

Recently, amid the crisis brought about by Alexander Luthor, Razorsharp was killed in battle againts Superboy Prime. (Infinite Crisis #7)

Output (Cullen Thane, deceased)??

» FIRST APPEARANCE:  Robin Annual #2 (1993)

» FEATURED APPEARANCES: Catwoman #25 • Showcase '94 #3-4 • Young Justice #8

» SERIES: Psyba-Rats, 3-issue limited series (1995)