JLA Draft

[Koete]

Fantastic.

[Stavros]

Kilowog

[Venneh]

As Suave is sitting out this round, Tom, you're up.

Also, well done, British Tom.

[Stavros]

I wanted a Green Lantern and my team had no aliens. Kilowog is so much more badass than Hal, or even John Stewart.

[Tom BITD]

So apparently my laptop, in its continuing, slooooooooow death throes, have chosen to swallow the document where I was writing my story segments whole...which means my final choice will not have one, but I should hopefull have one for the villain round.

Needless to say, the final member of this version of Justice League Task Force is

Ice!

Why? Because she's discovered recently (yes, I do not acknowledge the Dick New reboot) that she has a very, very dark past--just like all of our members--and John Henry and Guy are hoping to help her cope with said dark past....plus we need someone who's, ummmm, sunny and bright in this room full of glowerers, right? Right?

[Missy]

I love your team, Tom! I would read any comic with Guy, Ice, and The Demon!

[Venneh]

Niiice.

--

Bane and Power Girl weren't exactly happy with the long ride in the back of an air-conditionless Humvee in the blistering desert heat, much less the fact that they were riding with each other. But Oracle had refused to let them recruit this one alone, and the boy didn't exactly have the greatest reputation for... stability, especially with the information that she had uncovered about his recent activities.

Shiruta had once stood proud, but now it was barely standing in the aftermath of all it had gone through in recent years. The soldiers refused to go any closer after a certain point - its current inhabitants had quite the reputation. Power Girl and Bane made their way into the ruins, and as they went deeper beneath the city, they noticed a dim, flickering light.

"...Osiris?"

As they came closer, they could make out an oil lamp lighting a statue of Black Adam. They could also make out the silhouette of the young boy sitting curled up in front of him

Neither Bane nor Power Girl were entirely sure about how to approach him. The statues were more than a bit of a sore subject for the boy, as were what he'd done recently in order to try and bring them back with Deathstroke, much less his recent falling out with his sister.

"Why are you here?"

"We're here to help," Power Girl offered.

Osiris laughed darkly, bitterly. "Help me? There is no helping me. Not after what I've done."

Bane was the one to step forward. "You'd be surprised, boy."

Osiris turned to regard him. "And can you undo the blood on my hands?"

"No. No one can erase the past, not entirely. But, we can show you how to atone. How to try and put a new foot forward."

A pause. "And can you help me restore my brother-in-law? Will you?"

Kara tried not to react. Oracle had mentioned that this would probably come up. Black Adam still had much to answer for. And they didn't even know if would be something that would be possible, much less that they'd let Osiris have him back if they could even do so.

Bane bowed his head a bit. "I do not know if this is something that is even possible. But I know if there is something we can do, we will try."

Well. Not quite the truth, but not quite a lie, either.

Osiris' eyes flickered back to where Kara stood in the shadows. "Very well. I accept."

In the aftermath of his recent resurrection, Osiris is searching for a way to resurrect his brother in law, and return to his sister's good graces. In Oracle's team, he seems to have found what he's looking for...

(Obviously, this completely ignores BA being alive and well over on Preston's end. )

[Missy]

Instead of Enchantress, I came this close to choosing Osiris. Ultimately, though, it came down to my team needing a woman.

Speaking of ignoring other people's continuity, what if we want our villain to be someone who's on another person's team? Do the same draft rules apply to foes as they do to heroes, or can a villan be a hero-ish on one book and a villain in another?

[Venneh]

I think unless explicitly stated in our stories, assume that each book occupies its own part of the multiverse?

[You Know Who]

You know what I love most about this draft? Everyone is completely ignoring DCnU characters, because they suck so fucking bad.

Shut up and read Swamp Thing, Batman, or Animal Man. I chose Animal Woman based on her portrayal as a child in the latter book.

My final hero pick:

http://www.google.com/search?q=phantom+lady+kingdom+come&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=0u9XUOD8GKaH0AXju4HQBA&biw=1024&bih=672&sei=2e9XUKCMMoid0QXmn4DIDA#biv=i|6;d|VXkfgAbkyiuHNM:

Phantom Lady. Still around, but in phantom form, a la Kingdom Come. I did consider making Swamp Thing my final hero, but I already had two green-skinned members on my team.

My no-doubt-controversial villain pick:

http://www.google.com/search?um=1&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=B_JXUK2rJ8-p0AX7tYGwAg&ved=0CFAQBSgA&q=damian+wayne+batman&spell=1&biw=1024&bih=672#biv=i|4;d|Ur1etvmIzq46LM

Ibn al-Xuffasch, a.k.a. Damian Wayne. Still in good shape now thanks to the Lazarus Pits.

[Venneh]

But what Power Girl and Bane could not hear in the moment that Osiris accepted their offer was the whispering in his mind. "Yes, boy, accept them. They will be... useful, to us. They will be able to help me help you restore your brother in law and restore you into your dear sister's arms. And even if these ones and your peers cannot help us, then the Oracle will. All you need to do is be accepted into their ranks, and get us close enough to find what we need."

What the worm in his brain failed to tell him was that, of course, he couldn't give a shit about Osiris' petty issues. But, convincing him that he did care, and the boy's own desperation to be accepted and his wish for redemption did make him a far more... pliable host than others. All he needed to do was get close to the Oracle, really. And then, he would be able to break free of this petty form once more...

Mr. Mind. Sometimes he's a catepillar who infests your brain. Other days he's a Lovecraftian hellspawn determined to eat the multiverse. No big thang.

[Koete]

[James D.]

Sorry for the delay. I've had many things going on and haven't had much time for this. My last two picks:

Deadman

Madame Xanadu

[Tom BITD]

Okay, never got a chance to write up a story segment, and wasn't sure if you wanted the villain for the first arc as a whole, or the first issue. The idea is that someone is weaponizing some of automaton-style DC baddies and using them on innocent populations around the world to 'advertise' their services (issue one would feature Chemo, for example), and our guys would be deactivitng these threat while trying to locate who would do this....

And untimately they'd find....

wait for it...

Mallah and The Brain!

....because a gorilla in love with a disembodied brain...what's not to love?

(And because I love taking weird, silly concepts and making them legitimately scary)

[Molly]

Huntress, Jason Todd, Frankenstein and Starfire sat together, around Scott Free's kitchen table. Todd had his head down on the table, as Huntress sat, fiddling with her crossbow, beside him. Frankenstein was silent and Starfire looked from person to person, trying to gauge personalities.

Starfire: It is most fortuitous that all of us should come together like this to solve such a frightening issue!

Star smiled broadly at Huntress, who finally looked up at her.

Huntress: Uh... Sure is.

Frankenstein looked to Starfire, clearly a little uncomfortable, before looking away rapidly.

Frankenstein: Destiny had no part in this, those who seek to defend the weak will always find one another, child.

Starfire: I am sorry, sir. Did I do something to offend you?

Frank stared out the window, before shaking his head.

Frankenstein: No--

He stopped.

Frankenstein: Can you please cover yourself up or something?

Starfire looked to Huntress, who despite her own less than modest clothing, looked positively prudish compared to Starfire. Huntress shrugged, and Todd lifted his head.

Todd: He was born in the 1800s and you're dressed like a stripper, Star. He's uncomfortable with the female form.

Frankenstein: I am not uncomfortable with the female form! I have a wife!

Todd: Estranged wife.

Frankenstein: Many women have known the love of Frankenstein!

In the other room, The Question and Mr. Miracle sat together, as Free stared intently at his motherbox.

Mr. Miracle: Okay, I've programmed Mother Box to follow the stream of the atoms back to their source. It should only take a few minutes to figure out where this was manufactured.

The Question: Thank you again for your help.

Mr. Miracle: Of course, why should my wife have all the fun?

Question and Miracle shared a laugh, before the motherbox pinged. Miracle looked at it and frowned.

Mr. Miracle: Bad news.

The Question: I expected as much.

Mr. Miracle: They're being made in Khandaq.

The Question: …Outstanding.

In the desert nation of Khandaq, rain was rare, but not unheard of. A thunderstorm, however, was something that only occurred in the winters. And a thunderstorm like this, well, this was a once in a lifetime event. Rainwater coursed through the empty streets as lightning flashed in the sky.

Behind a chain link fence, a factory smoked, black. It had smoked for twenty four hours, every day, for the last month. Trucks had come and gone, dropping supplies and hauling away weapons, moving through the otherwise locked gates. A truck was moving crates of weapons out, and in the dark night, even the well trained eyes of the guards missed the small figure following behind the truck, so close. Once outside the gate, the small figure ran, stumbling through the mud and water. It was a child, a girl, maybe eight, painfully thin, wearing little more than rags. She ran and stumbled, breath ragged. Finally she collapsed, dragging herself along the mud, finally giving up on a slightly drier patch of sidewalk. She looked up, to see what was keeping the rain off of her. It was Black Adam, his body still frozen in stone. Tears welled in the girl's eyes, as she cried out in Khandaqi.

Girl: Come back to us, king. Khandaq needs you... He's killing us...

Lightning flashed, pouring down from the heavens into the statue. Rage and hate and life surged through Black Adam for the first time in years. His hand went to the child's head, and she looked up at him.

Black Adam: ...Your prayers were heard.

He leapt into the air, flying toward the factory, the air scorching in his wake.

Soaring through the air above Khandaq, Black Adam was filled with rage. Isis's death had changed his outlook on the world, but Khandaq still needed him, and he loved his people. The people of Khandaq has survived so much, war, famine and disease, drought and death. And he had brought them prosperity, he had given those people a life beyond that pain. His heart, hard as it was, hurt to see Khandaq like it was. In the time he spent frozen, someone else had moved in, and the violence had restarted, the city was torn to pieces and scorched, and there was not a single person in sight. His homeland needed him, and the source of all of that strife sat on the edge of the city, billowing smoke into his sky.

Black Adam: That tumor is the source of this blight on my people. It shall not stand a second longer.

As electricity crackled across his skin, Adam dove toward the factory. Space and time folded and a shock, loud as thunder echoes through the air, sending Adam spiraling to the ground. The heroes bounded out of the Boom Tube, the first to notice Adam in the mud was Question.

Question: ...And of course we run into him.

Question turned to Huntress.

Question: Uncuff Todd, depending on his mood, we're gonna need all the bodies we can throw at this.

Adam rose into the air, all bluster and rage.

Adam: You dare stop this righteous action?

Finally feeling in his element again, Frankenstein drew his sword.

Frankenstein: Righteous action? Teth Adam, You have infected this world with these vile weapons! Prepare to face Frankenstein's Justice!

Adam paused, before repeating the word 'justice' to himself, but it was too late, Frankenstein had lept into action, swinging his sword at Adam's head. Adam took a moment, before slapping Frankenstein out of the air.

As Frankenstein crashed to the mud, Adam looked down and saw a face, or a lack thereof, that he knew. Adam lowered himself to the ground and stood before the Question. Red Hood, Huntress, Mr. Miracle and Starfire all stood at the ready, willing to attack if they had to.

Adam: You there, Sage. You have returned to Khandaq, why?

Without a hint of his true fear, The Question spoke truthfully.

Question: Someone here is making weapons that have ended up in the hands of people all across the world. We're investigating that.

Adam stared into the faces of the people surrounding him.

Adam: Whomever this is... this man has enslaved my people, and I shall not allow him to still live. If you wish to aid me in this, then aid me. If not, step aside.

Question: I've aided you before, Adam, and I'm willing to do it again, but we'll need your help with something, when this is all over.

Adam: You have my word, Sage.

[SuaveStar]

Chronos.

[Stavros]

I choose the Injustice Society (roster tbd post draft) but their leader is GRODD.

[Molly]

You're a monster, Tom.

[Stavros]

But he comes with a combat spoon! How could I NOT take that?

[Stavros]

Btw, quick correction, I said Injustice Society, I actually mean Legion of Doom. Got my evil teams mixed up. Which means I get this-

[SuaveStar]

Btw, quick correction, I said Injustice Society, I actually mean Legion of Doom. Got my evil teams mixed up. Which means I get this-

If you don't have the voiceover man say "Meanwhile at the hall of doom..." at some point, then this entire draft has meant nothing.

[Professor]

Crime Syndicate (Owlman with the rest of the roster TBD.)

[Missy]

If you don't have the voiceover man say "Meanwhile at the hall of doom..." at some point, then this entire draft has meant nothing.

[dc20willsave]

DAMMIT PROF!!! I nearly went this entire draft without someone grabbing my pick until now. Plan B then...

[Molly]

Vandal Savage.