JLA Draft

[Koete]

The simian sleuth.

[James D.]

The two magic-wielding powerhouses stood in the field pondering their next move.

Fate: Perhaps, to strengthen our forces against this chaos force...why don't we take in a show?

Captain Marvel: ???

[Elsewhere...]

A woman speaks...

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, for my final illusion, I shall cause this entire building to disappear."

[Oohs and ahs and chatter fill the auditorium]

"Ekam siht ertaeht hsinav otni eht diov!"

[sure enough, the entire building disappears and though the audience is still in their seats, they have a 360-degree view of the outside of the performance hall. Wild applause ensues.]

"Pretty cool, huh? But I think the people who own this place will be kind of upset if I don't bring their multi-million-dollar theatre out of the void. Gnrib eht ertaeht kcab ot sti lamron ecalp!"

[[The theatre returns and the audience gives the magician a standing ovation as she thanks them and exits the stage. Backstage, she enters her dressing room and from the shadows of the dimly lit room comes Fate's voice.]]

Dr. Fate: You should be careful when transporting structures of such enormity into the void. Your magic might not be strong enough to bring it back.

Zatanna: Something I can help you with, Fate? Or are you just here to swing your helmet around? Well, that, and the shiny thing on your head?

Captain Marvel: I think what Fate means is that we have a major problem right now and we need your help.

Zatanna: Hello, Cap. What is it? Does Golden Boy here really want me to help?

Captain Marvel: It was his idea to recruit you.

Zatanna: Perish the thought.

Dr. Fate: Listen, child, despite your obvious inferiority to my powers, you can be useful to us. This is hardly the time for a petty argument when Mordru is preparing to unleash the full onslaught of his chaos legion on this plane of reality.

Captain Marvel: Mordru?!?

[Fate gives a resolute nod to him.]

Zatanna: ...Consider me signed up.

[Missy]

Assuming, like the DCnU, the DC Universe is merged with the WildStorm Universe, I choose:

Union!

[Molly]

Jim Gordon put a lot of trust in Batman, and even, against his better judgment, he went along with most the things that the Dark Knight asked of him. But even he had his reservations about this. Gordon looked to the Huntress and to the Question, his eyes tired and his voice raw. Granted, it was approaching 3 A.M., and the depths of Arkham Asylum were daunting, even in daylight.

Gordon: He's down this hallway. Are you sure you want to deal with him?

Huntress nodded, and The Question remained silent.

Huntress: We don't like it much more than you do, but no one knows more about the underworld's shipping routes than he does.

Gordon chewed the end of a toothpick thoughtfully.

Gordon: And with that alien hog-leg you showed me, you need to move fast. I understand, I just don't know how much I like him being loose.

The Question placed a hand on Gordon's shoulder, in a gentle reassuring manner.

Question: I promise, he'll be minimally armed and under constant surveillance.

Gordon: I understand that, but we really twisted the arms of the doctors and judges on this one. I had to call in a couple of decade old favors. If he hurts innocents, I'm telling you, heads will roll.

Huntress: His first, I swear. I'll make that plenty clear to him.

Gordon stopped in front of a cell, and slid a key into the lock. He pulled open the heavy, rusted metal door and a head full of black hair looked up. The Question stepped into the cell with a silver briefcase under his arm, and looked to Huntress and Gordon.

Question: Shut the door, give me a moment alone with our young friend.

Gordon began to protest, but Huntress stopped him.

Question: I'll trust you both not to listen in.

The door slammed shut and locked, leaving the only light from a bare bulb in the center of the room. The Question stepped to the bed, and gestured at the figure seated there.

Question: Get up.

The figure didn't budge, his head still hanging low. The Question growled again.

Question: I said get up.

Finally, the man on the bed made eye contact with him. Jason Todd just smiled.

Todd: Batman can't get me to follow orders, what chance do you have?

Without a second movement, Vic Sage put his left foot on the right side of Jason Todd's face. And Todd found himself on the floor.

Question: I don't think Batman did that. I'm not playing, kid. Get. Up.

Todd scrambled at The Question, all rage and muscle. With a grace belying his size, The Question simply sidestepped him, before planting an elbow in the back of his skull.

Question: I'm trying to get you out of here, but I have no objections to you leaving on a stretcher, Jason.

Todd pushed himself off the floor.

Todd: What do you want?

The Question handed a folded piece of paper from his pocket to Todd. Todd opened it, and looked it over.

Todd: It's an alien weapon. Not Gordanian, Thanagarian or from the Fourth World, though. Hell, it doesn't even look like any of the usual black market stuff you see the geeks using.

Question: I know. And every single gun runner I know of is shipping these somewhere. And here's the really fun part. These weapons aren't going to supervillains. I don't know where they're coming from or where they're going. You ran the black market in Gotham, Jason. You know the underworld better than anybody else alive. I want your help.

Todd grinned, albeit grimly.

Todd: That ain't it. There's a pile of computers that can give you every piece of information I have, the Batcave, the Watchtower, Checkmate. Why are you really here?

The Question stayed silent for a minute.

Todd: If I'm gonna help you with this trafficking ring, I want to know everything. Last time there were secrets around me, I got killed.

Question: That's why. Because you died.

Todd: Yeah, so, what?

The Question shifted his weight back and forth, nervously.

Question: So did I. But, unlike you... No one remembers me dying. I had cancer, I died on the mountain trail to Nanda Parbat... and when the Black Rings came, I rose. But that's not how I came back... I just woke up in my bed. I need to know how you came back.

Todd looked over The Question. His blank mask hid none of his emotion.

Todd: Ra's Al Ghul threw my happy ass in a Lazarus Pit. I'm not thinking that's what happened to you, though, is it?

Question: I don't think it is.

Todd nodded.

Todd: Fine. I'll come with you and Huntress, but only to get out of Arkham.

The Question slid the case to Todd.

Question: Two rules. One, I'm in charge, one hundred percent. I'll listen to your input, but my word is final. Two... No killing unless there is literally no other alternative.

Todd opened the case and lifted a Red Helmet out.

Todd: Not my favorite, but I can work with it.

Jason Todd has been through more in two decades than many men go through in their entire lives. Born into the wrong side of Gotham, Jason learned early to lie, cheat and steal. As bold and reckless as only a child could be, Jason came to the attention of Batman when he attempted to steal the hubcaps from the Batmobile. Impressed with the youth's ability, and trying to save him from a life of crime, Batman took Todd in and trained him as the second Robin. Todd's tenure as Robin was marred with conflict with Batman, as the boy was reckless, headstrong and even a little cruel. It was also brought to a violent end, when the Joker beat Jason to death with a crowbar and blew him up. Death, however, was not the end for Jason Todd. Ra's Al Ghul placed the boy in a Lazarus Pit and returned him to the world of the living, though the pool's chemicals has a devastating effect on Todd's psyche. Todd returned, driven to stop the criminals that had killed him, through any means necessary. Todd also has more than a few issues with the surrogate father that never avenged his death. Todd is a talented martial artist, trained with nearly every weapon conceivable by both Batman and the League of Assassins. Todd is a bit bulkier than Dick Grayson and tends to rely less on finesse and more on brute strength, due to his size and temperment.

[SuaveStar]

I really hate you Preston

[dc20willsave]

Personally, James's pick kinda shows me that if I want to pick up a Mage, I need to do it soon or else I'm going to be stuck with Lois Lane that one time she became a witch in the Silver Age.

Professor is up to bat.

[Dread]

Hahahaha! I suspected somebody might pick Red Hood before me, but Union? Fuck...

[Missy]

Were you really going to choose Union? Wow! I thought I was the only one who might choose him, so I almost went with someone else this round -- someone who has a very good chance of getting nabbed soon. Oddly, though, something told me to go with Union earlier than later.

Sorry, Des!

[Dread]

No, it's no problem at all. He wasn't on my short list, but he was on a list of alternates for characters already picked. Nice choice.

[Stavros]

Wildstorm is open? That adds at least 3 people to my list.

[Venneh]

So, does this include Vertigo or not?

[Molly]

I really thought about using the Midnighter in my Jason Todd spot, but Red Hood fits my story better.

Hannah: I think it depends on the story when it comes to Vertigo. Like, Swamp Thing is on the table, where Jesse Custer is not.

[Stavros]

Vertigo characters who have been explicitly linked to DC continuity and could realistically be explained as a part of the JLA. For example, Constantine can qualify, he's met DC main characters and operates as a hero of sorts. Dream of Sandman fame however would have no use for being part of the JLA, his interest in human affairs is fleeting and on a completely different level. He or one of his siblings might interact with DC characters but they wouldn't join a superteam, it's simply too small a way of thinking for them. On the outside of that characters from non-DC related series like Y: The Last Man wouldn't qualify because there's nothing linking them to the DC universe.

Does that seem fair?

[dc20willsave]

Wildstorm was rolled into the DCNu and before that, parts were established to be part of the New 52. Vertigo... much more iffy. I would say parts of Vertigo that were previously part of the DCU are yes but the second someone tries to add Bandit or The Saint of Killers to their team, I'm shutting that down.

[Venneh]

That seems reasonable, yeah. And no, Death wasn't anywhere near the shortlist.

[Koete]

In case anybody was wondering, Swing With Scooter can be linked to pre-Crisis continuity.

[Molly]

Sometimes, you're my favorite, Chris.

[You Know Who]

On the outside of that characters from non-DC related series like Y: The Last Man wouldn't qualify because there's nothing linking them to the DC universe.

So much for my plan to have Spider Jerusalem lead my futuristic Justice League against We3 or the entire cast of Ex Machina.

[Dread]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who got that reference.

[Dread]

My original idea was to have Brother Power the Geek construct the greatest heroes he'd ever heard of including Prez, Teenage President. Scooter was on that list.

[Koete]

I'm still deciding whether or not to make Malibu one of my picks.

[Molly]

Brother Power showed up in Brave and The Bold, with Batman a few years back. In continuity!

[Professor]

Raven

[Missy]

A few posts up, when Des and I were talking about Union and how I chose him over another character I should have named because I knew she'd get grabbed soon, Raven was that character. Damn. Damn. Damn.

[Molly]

I was pretty shocked it took her this long to go.