Founded during the Silver Age of Comics, the Justice League brought together the defining DC heroes of that era. Among their number included The Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and the Martian Manhunter. Joining forces with Aquaman, Wonder Woman and occasionally Superman and Batman, the League kept the DC Universe safe from threats as diverse as Despero and the Crime Syndicate. In time, more heroes, such as Green Arrow, Hawkman and Zatanna will find their way to the League. Yet, for every Flash and Green Lantern, there have been Justice League members who failed to make an impression.
As the Justice League’s lore took shape in the decades that followed, it would become a “Who’s Who” of the publisher’s icons. Nearly every hero in the DC Universe has had a stint in the Justice League. Now, DC is rewriting the League’s history, introducing a seemingly long-lost recruit from the team’s early days in a preview for Detective Comics #1109.
DC Introduces Prion, the Long Lost Justice League Member
Detective Comics #1109 is written by Tom Taylor and drawn by Mikel Janin. The preview opens with a mysterious young hero named Prion finding his way to Wildcat’s training gym. There, in addition to Wildcat, are Green Arrow, Black Canary and Batman. The heroes are wearing their older costumes, indicating this is a flashback to an earlier point in their careers.
In the preview pages shared here, Prion makes a huge impression on readers. He is aware that Batman is tracking him, but was able to short out the device. Prion was also able to give Batman the slip while the latter was tracking him. Prion is cagey in discussing his past and life outside his heroic identity. He finally gets in the ring with Green Arrow, holding his own against the Emerald Archer. Prion then gets a good swing against Green Arrow.
Prion Seems Like the Ideal Hero to Join the Justice League
Even Batman is Impressed by Prion
The preview ends there, leaving readers hanging on the identity of Prion, as well as his powers, but it is apparent there is much more to him than fans are told. Batman asked where Prion went when he eluded him. Prion was coy in his answer. He also deflected questions about his secret identity, saying that who he is without his mask “is not someone I want to talk about.”
This statement raises serious questions about Prion and his motivations. He talks a good and noble game to Wildcat and company, and even Batman is impressed by him. Prion is able to effortlessly dodge Green Arrow’s punches, and eventually lay him on the ground. Wildcat seems especially taken with Prion, but it remains to be seen what he is hiding, and why.
Another chilling possibility is that Prion becomes a villain.
Yet even more disturbing is Prion’s final fate. Prion is seen, so far, only in a flashback sequence to the League’s early days. There has been no mention of Prion in the present day, indicating something bad is going to happen to him. It stands to reason that Prion’s shady past will come back to haunt him, and whatever he is hiding is why fans have not heard of him since. Another chilling possibility is that Prion becomes a villain.
Prion Has a Predecessor in the Justice League: Triumph
Prion Must Take Care to Not Have the Same Fate as Triumph
This is not the first time DC has unveiled a long-lost Justice League member. During 1994’s Zero Hour: Crisis in Time crossover event, the publisher introduced Triumph. It was revealed that Triumph gathered the founding members of the Justice League and led them into battle against time-manipulating creatures. During the battle, Triumph was “erased” from the timeline, causing everyone to forget him, but thanks to the temporal shenanigans of Zero Hour, he was restored.
However, Triumph’s return did not go well. The world, and the Justice League, had moved on without him. Friends and lovers he had known had grown old and even died in some cases. Triumph tried to make a go of it in modern times, but his inexperience worked against him. In time, he came to resent his fate, feeling he was robbed of his destiny.
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The Justice League is considered to be DC Comics' greatest team of heroes, but more than a few iconic crimefighters have refused to join.
And now, DC is introducing another lost Justice League member in Prion, and he may very well share the same fate as Triumph. Like Triumph, Prion has lots of potential. In Prion’s case, he may be even more powerful than Triumph. Prion’s ability to lose even a skilled tracker like Batman, as well as being able to counter his gadgets is impressive. Yet DC may also be setting Prion up for a major fall from grace, and if so, he could become the Justice League’s most powerful foe yet.
Detective Comics #1109 is on sale May 27 from DC Comics!
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