''Justice Riders'' is a

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

Elseworlds

prestige format American comic book tropes are common elements and literary devices related to American comic books. Continuity Comics continuity almost-always refers to the existence and use of a shared universe, although any comic can have internal contin ...

one-shot, from

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

, written by Chuck Dixon, with art by

J.H. Williams III James H. Williams III (born 1965), usually credited as J. H. Williams III, is an American comics artist and penciller. He is known for his work on titles such as ''Chase (comics), Chase'', ''Promethea'', ''Desolation Jones,'' ''Batwoman'', and ' ...

. The story involves the

Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceive ...

recast in assorted roles in the Wild West.

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

is a Marshal,

Booster Gold Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in '' Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has been a member of the Justice League. ...

is a

Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...

-style gambler, and

Wally West Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. ...

is an outlaw, wrongly accused of the death of Barry Allen.

Ted Kord Theodore Stephen "Ted" Kord is the second Blue Beetle, a superhero who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later picked up by DC Comics. This version of the character was created by Steve Ditko and first appeared as a back-up feature i ...

is an inventor wearing a pair of antennae.

Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to: * Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut * Guy Gardner (character) Guy Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic ...

is a Pinkerton detective hunting Flash. Hawkman and

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...

also appear. There is also a cameo at the end by Clark Kent, as a

dime novel The dime novel is a form of late 19th-century and early 20th-century U.S. popular fiction issued in series of inexpensive paperbound editions. The term ''dime novel'' has been used as a catchall term for several different but related forms, r ...

writer.

Maxwell Lord Maxwell Lord IV is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in '' Justice League'' #1 (May 1987) and was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire. Maxwell Lord was ...

is the villain, prefiguring his eventual unmasking as a criminal mastermind out to destroy meta-humans in actual DC continuity years later.

Plot

In 1873, US Marshall Diana Prince's hometown, Paradise, is destroyed by Professor

Felix Faust Felix Faust is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Justice League of America #10'' (1962), created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. He is depicted as an mystic sorcerer obse ...

, an alcoholic "sorcerer" who also murders Diana's mentor, Sheriff Oberon. She vows to avenge Paradise's townspeople and asks for the help of Wally West, the Kid Flash, a gunslinger with above-average reflexes; and Katar Johnson, a Cheyanne Indian warrior also known as "Hawkman", who can fly with artificial wings. They then set to El Inferno, the headquarters of Faust's employer, railroad baron Maxwell Lord. On their way there, they are attacked by mechanical gunslingers sent by Lord and saved by Michael Carter, the Booster Gold, a mercenary outfitted with powerful guns devised by an eccentric inventor, Ted "Beetle" Kord. They agree to join Diana in their quest. As they near El Inferno, the Justice Riders are joined by J'onn Jones, an old friend of Diana's and an alien searching for Lord's "secret weapon". They are followed by Guy Gardner, a Pinkerton Agency private investigator who wants to arrest Kid Flash for the death of a lawman called Barry Allen. Upon arriving at El Inferno, the Justice Riders face off against Lord, Faust and their mechanical soldiers. Diana, Hawkman, Jones and Kid Flash destroy the robots while Booster Gold and Blue Beetle fight Gardner. Suddenly, they are attacked by Lord, piloting a powerful war machine called the Lordevastator. El Inferno is nearly destroyed in the battle, but Diana manages to destroy the Lordevastator. Lord claims that he is Earth's rightful heir and reveals that he has been destroying several small towns such as Paradise to open way for a railroad that will allow Lord to transport his war machines to strategic points of the United States and slowly take over the world. Diana kills him while Kid Flash and Gardner, who were fighting each other, briefly team-up to shoot Faust, who tried to kill them with a shotgun. Gardner agrees to allow Kid Flash to escape this one time, but vows that he'll capture him eventually before riding off. Kid Flash decides to hide in Mexico, while Hawkman returns to the Indian reserve where he lives and Jones uncovers the source of Lord's advanced technology: a

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 192 ...

alien trapped in a cage. He decides to return the being to its homeworld, while Diana returns to Paradise intending to rebuild it and Booster Gold searches for new jobs in Alabama. Blue Beetle returns to his old town and sells the story to dime writer Clark Kent in order to use the money to finance his inventions. The Justice Rides ride together into the sunset one last time. Meanwhile, back at the ruins of Paradise, Faust rises from the death once more, revealing himself to truly be a supernatural being.

Earth-18

This world is part of the new post-''

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...

'' (2005) Multiverse, designated Earth-18. It is visited again in DC's ''

Convergence Convergence may refer to: Arts and media Literature *''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen *Convergence (comics), "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics: **A four-part crossover storyline that ...

'' (2015) crossover, where evil versions of Hawkman and

Hawkwoman Hawkwoman is the name of several superheroines all owned by DC Comics and existing in that company's DC Universe. They are partners, and sometimes spouses or lovers, of the various versions of Hawkman, and share many features with the character Ha ...

from '' Flashpoint'' (2011) savagely attack its heroes.

Publication

* ''Justice Riders'' (by Chuck Dixon and

, DC Comics, 63 pages, January 1997, )

In other media

*Earth-18 appears in the

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW See ...

crossover event, "

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to Mar ...

". This Earth is home to an alternate version of

Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...

, who has gained immortality through the use of a Lazarus pit."Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two". ''Batwoman''. Season 1. Episode 9. December 9, 2019. The CW.

Notes

References

External links

Kid Flash profile

Review at Sequential Tart
{{DC Western Characters 1997 comics debuts Elseworlds titles One-shot comic titles Justice League titles Western (genre) comics Fiction set in 1873