The Justice League is DC’s greatest team of superheroes ever formed, uniting the likes of Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, The Flash, and so many more. And in the highly anticipated nine-issue series Justice League: Endless Winter, comic fans will finally get to see the formation of the very first ancient Justice League.
The Justice League: Endless Winter series makes its debut this December as it unleashes the intimidating and archaic villain named the Frost King. Like many other foes the Justice League has faced over the years, the Frost King is one who’s determined to control the world, beginning with small ecosystems, and eventually extending his reach out to the biosphere across the globe. But aside from being introduced to a frigid new supervillain (who happens to be a Norse god), fans are eager to witness the first group known as ‘Justice League Viking,’ detailed at length by artist Andy Lanning and writer Ron Marz during their recent NYCC panel.
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First off, Lanning and Marz can’t help but admit the exciting news that the Justice League: Endless Winter series will be revolving around the story of the Justice League Viking team. During the panel, Marz emphasized the desire to give DC fans something new, even when it comes to seasonal events.
“Superhero stories are, by their very nature, cyclical. So if you can bring something new to the table, present something to the audience they haven’t seen before, you feel like you’re doing your job. In this case, it’s what we ended up calling the Justice League Viking. Which is essentially what the Justice League looked like 1,000 years ago, in the 10th Century.
“That is Hippolyta, who is of course Wonder Woman’s mother. Black Adam, from the Shazam mythology. Swamp Thing, from the Swamp Thing mythology. And Viking Prince, who is obviously a classic adventure DC character… Then you do the same thing you did in 11th Grade English, you compare and contrast. How does the Justice League Viking deal with this threat? And how does the Justice League in the present day deal with the same threat, but amped up. A recurrence of the same threat, but made much more powerful, and much more dangerous to the world at large.”
Although the Justice League Viking team is in many ways an archaic version of the current Justice League, each member of the JLV are given completely different looks to resemble something barbaric. These names Hippolyta, Swamp Thing, Black Adam, and even Viking Prince are familiar and have appeared throughout various DC comics. But Lanning and Marz are finally going to shed a massive spotlight on their individual history, which is stimulating especially when one considers Viking Prince’s background story – or lack thereof. For those unfamiliar with Jon Haraldson a.k.a. Viking Prince, they’re in good company. Much of the Viking Prince’s backstory has remained veiled, but based upon Lanning and Marz’s comments, it’s clear that the veil is about to be lifted.
Once again, the idea of cyclical is brought up during the interview, with artist Andy Lanning explaining how Endless Winter will carry the spirit of the Justice League into the past, and not just the future of the DC Universe:
“It’s this notion, that heroes in any time period would get together to tackle a threat that was big enough. That the Justice League, as a notion, is a cyclical thing. Throughout time and going forward into the future, there will be iterations of the Justice League, because heroes have to band together when the threat is big enough.”
Lanning brings up a great point about DC Comics as well as comics in general, the idea that there will always be a need for a band of powerful superheroes to join hands and fight a frightening evil – which is an idea that also reflects reality… one can’t fight evil alone. Knowing the great artistry and narrativity involved in the making of the Justice League: Endless Winter series, excited fans have even more reasons to look forward to this upcoming chilly adventure.
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