DC’s Earliest Version of Justice League Dark is the Most Powerful Ever – Armessa Movie News

An early version of Justice League Dark is the most powerful version of the team ever. Today, no one questions the existence of a team comprised solely of magic users such as Zatanna and John Constatine, but in the mid-1990s, the concept was still unheard of–that is until 1995’s Underworld Unleashed: Abyss: Hell’s Sentinel #1. This special one-shot, which tied into the publisher’s Underworld Unleashed event, introduced a team of sorcerers and other supernatural characters 16 years before Justice League Dark made its debut. And this early version of the team was its most powerful incarnation as well.

DC Comics has a rich tradition of supernatural/horror/magic-based characters, stretching back to Golden Age icons such as Zatara, the Spectre and Doctor Fate. Many more have joined the ranks over the years, including Zatanna, John Constantine, Etrigan, the Phantom Stranger and many more. When Underworld Unleashed hit comic shops in 1995, no team of magic users existed in the DC Universe–they all seemingly worked alone. Part of this was due to an embargo placed on DC characters appearing in Vertigo titles, which kept them from crossing over into the mainstream DC Universe; this rule was relaxed in the late 2000s and eventually the likes of Swamp Thing and Constantine were hanging out with Superman and Batman. This move no doubt led to the creation of Justice League Dark–but years before, the publisher experimented with a supernatural team using the characters available to them.

This Was a Powerful Prelude to Justice League Dark

Underworld Unleashed: Abyss: Hell’s Sentinel #1 was written by Scott Peterson and illustrated by Phil Jimenez and JH Williams III. The Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott–at the time calling himself Sentinel, must rescue his wife Molly (the former Harlequin) from Neron; Molly sold her soul to the demon lord in exchange for her youth. The Phantom Stranger appears to Alan, telling him if he wishes to see Molly again, he must venture into Neron’s realm in Hell to retrieve her soul. Alan realizes he cannot do it alone, so he recruits several of DC’s most powerful sorcerers to his cause: Zatanna, Jason Blood, Deadman and Jared Stevens, who at the time held the mantle of Doctor Fate. Alan leads the team into Hell, where they also recruit the Spectre. Along the way, they fight hordes of demons as well as the souls of the damned. Alan Scott and his compatriots make their way to Neron’s realm; there, Alan offers his soul in exchange for Molly’s. Neron agrees to the deal, and the issue ends with Alan Scott, a prisoner of Neron.

Despite the team’s mixed success in achieving their goal, this proto-Justice League Dark not only proved the concept could work, but was perhaps also the most powerful version. This team counted the Spectre and the Phantom Stranger among their ranks; neither of these two ever joined Justice League Dark. The Spectre is the embodiment of God’s wrath and there are seemingly no limits to the Phantom Stranger’s powers, which gave this team an advantage. Alan Scott gave the team a boost in power as well–but it was not enough to save him from Neron.

A few years later, in the Day of Judgment event, readers met the Sentinels of Magic, a team of magic users sharing some of the same members seen in Hell’s Abyss. The Sentinels of Magic shared several adventures together, but it never caught on with fans the way Justice League Dark did. One of the best concepts to come out of the New 52, Justice League Dark is a powerful team, but an earlier version was perhaps the most powerful.