The back story to the Justice Society world, continues with Black Adam - The Justice Society Files: Cyclone #1, this time with the youngest member! The cover features the photo of actress Quintessa Swindell playing Cyclone with her face in the background. “Freaks and Heroes” is by writer, Cavan Scott, and artist, Maria Laura Sanapo. Previous art by Sanapo includes Sensational Wonder Woman #5 (2021). The opening has a splash page of a time, “Then” which shows the childhood drawing of Hawkman and Dr. Fate with pencils, pens, and a nibbled sandwhich on the side! We see the young Maxine Hunkel working on her drawing. Then, showing her gran the picture with her flying alongside the others.
Then, we see the older Maxine walking the streets of an unknown city while listening to music on her phone through earbuds. She first appeared in Justice Society of America #1 (2006). Maxine briefly thinks of her origin being infected with nanites by a scientist. This would be T.O. Morrow who had kidnapped her at age 6 and transformed her. She is tossed a free apple by the vendor, Mr. Coates when she hears a scream. Maxine races around a corner to see smoke and checks on a mother and her young son. A car slams into the street and Maxine offers the apple to the boy. A double page splash has two plain clothes police officers having their guns drawn on a bulky superhuman lifting up a truck over smashed vehicles!
The angry super powered man tosses the truck at them and Maxine activates her powers. Still, she ends up sweeping up the detectives as well. The out of control superhuman rips up a street light to smash at Maxine who manages to leap away. A crowd forms around her as they point out that the man is a local named Elijah. There is the stunned eyes of a young girl. Elijah throws the pole, but Maxine is able to jump away with the girl. He screams like some Hulk, but Maxine unleashes her Cyclone powers sending him smashing into a building. Detectives King and Rojah arrest the boy, now normal and scrawny, while Maxine faces the crowd. Then, she is met by her hero, Hawkman, who tells her about a drug named Tar that gives people temporary super strength. He asks her to join the Justice Society, but she runs away!
The second chapter of “Lost & Found” by Bryan Q. Miller and Marco Santucci picks up again with young Hurut in ancient Kahndaq. At night, he slips into a tent to steal a dagger. Teth-Adam awakens in the morning to find his dagger is gone and that the whips of slavers were cut with his dagger! We find those severed whips in a display case of modern Kahndaq. There is Adriana Tomaz and Professor Hassan looking at the artifact she took at the docks. It hums with the same power as her necklace. He mentions a device used to scan objects and mentions that it came from Markovia. This is the fictional European country introduced in Batman and the Outsiders #1 (1983). Professor Hassan is able to identify it as Eternium which Adrianna says is “Lanat” in ancient Kahndaqi. He notes this why Intergang is looking for it. Adriana goes to her lecture where her students ask why there are terrible reminders like the broken whips. She agrees with them when three familiar men in coats, one has a mask, appear. Intergang! Adriana’s adventures are not over.
Four Eternium Pieces out of Five!
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