A Little Bit about the Team
Justice League Dark is a fairly new team when compared to its counterpart. First appearing in Justice League Dark #1 (September 2011), this team originally featured Constantine, Zatanna, Deadman, Shade, and Madame Xanadu, although many others joined in after the first issue. Created by Peter Milligan, this team was tasked with handling situations involving the supernatural as well as the paranormal.
The Justice League Dark uses the House of Mystery as their base of operations. It belongs to John Constantine who states he won it in a poker game between Father Time and Doctor Occult. He did lose the house at one point to Zatanna when he was kicked out as a team leader. However, the House in time calls back for the return of Constantine.
Spin-Offs
Speaking of Zatanna and Constantine, J.J. Abrams is actually working on a spin-off for both of these characters. Who will play them is still up in the air, but it does seem like Matt Ryan will reprise his role again. Rumors have been floating around of a Constantine 2 movie in the works with Keanu Reeves. Although Keanu has stated he would love to work on part 2, I doubt it will come to fruition with all of the projects currently on his plate. As for Zatanna, Serinda Swan might be coming back, but I have also heard that Emilia Clarke is in the running for the same part.
Books to Grab
Saga of the Swamp Thing #37
Here we have the first appearance of the one and only John Constantine a.k.a. The Hellblazer. He is definitely one of my favorite characters above all. He is a con man, warlock, and powerful occultist with a full arsenal of magic at his disposal. This anti-hero was born in Liverpool, whose birth was marked by the death of his mother. His father, Thomas blamed him for her death, becoming an alcoholic in order to cope. John ended up leaving and joining occult circles in London. One night while in Newcastle, he saw an abused child named Astra, conjure up a demon. This demon took revenge on Astra’s father and all who abused her, but in the end, would not leave.
John being John convinced everyone to help him conjure his own demon to stop Astra’s demon. However, it backfired and he was not able to control him. At this point, the demon left and took Astra with him to hell. This incident has haunted John for all his life. Currently, a 9.8 has an FMV at about $1,000 but you can snatch up a 9.4 for $300.
Hawkman #4
This book features the first appearance of the one and only Zatanna. Zatanna is a magician who has real magical powers that she inherited from her father. She has also been known to have a few romantic interests with Constantine being the more predominant one. DC also retconned her back story to include knowing Bruce Wayne in the past, with her father being the one to teach him the art of escape. With her being heavily involved in the JLD and soon her own show, this is a nice key to grab now. However, these are not cheap by far. With only 3 9.8's in the CGC census they have an FMV of $17,000. WAY out of my league! But if you can find a good looking 2.5, they are holding steady at $300.
Strange Adventures #205
The first appearance and origin of Deadman a.k.a Boston Brand as well as the first time narcotics were shown with the approval of the Comics Code Authority. Boston Brand was a trapeze artist who was murdered by someone known as The Hook. When he died a Hindu god named “Rama Kushna” gave him the power to live again in spirit form while being able to possess any living being. This was all done so that Deadman (the name he used while performing), could seek out justice for his murder. Rama Kushna maintained a city well known to all DC fans, Nanda Parbat, the same home base of the League of Assassins and Ras’ al Ghul. Like the books above, high grades demand a high FMV. Although a 9.6 has an FMV of $6,250, you can still grab a 6.0 for under $300.
Shade the Changing Man #1
A fugitive from a militant planet Meta from another dimension is next on our list. Framed for treason and sentenced to death he ran away to Earth with a stolen Miraco-Vest. Shade, real name Rac Shade, was able to create a force field and project an illusion of a grotesque version of him with the power of this vest. Shade made a few transitions going from DC to Vertigo then back to DC. He has worked with the Suicide Squad on multiple occasions and joining the Justice League Dark. Throughout the life of this character, he has been killed off numerous times being brought back through multiple versions.
Thankfully this book is ripe for the picking. Even though I can't see it being a grail or reaching prices seen here from others, it still is a decent grab. You can grab a 9.8 for only.... wait for it.... $160. See not too bad on the wallet at all.
Doorway To Nightmare #1
Madame Xanadu makes a first appearance in this book. She has an awesome back story based on Arthurian legends. Her full name was once Nimue and is the youngest sister of Morgaine Le Fey and Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake. It is unknown if it was her or Vivienne, but one of them bore a son to Kon-Sten-Tyne, who is an ancestor of none other than John Constantine. Her history has been tied with many of the characters we have here. She had a relationship with John Zatara, Zatanna’s father, and Spectre, as well as possibly being an ancestor to Constantine.
I personally like this book and the prices aren't too high at all. Even though a 9.8 has an FMV of $525, you can grab a 9.6 for just $160. Like Shade, I don't see this book skyrocketing at all, but still a nice piece to have in the collection.
Honorable Mentions
I chose to include only the original group. Although I believe the project that J.J. Abrams is working on will include more iconic characters, this is an introduction for those who never dove into JLD. Other books I would say everyone should look into are:
The Demon #1 - First Appearance and origin of Etrigan the Demon
House of Secrets #92 - First Appearance of the Swamp Thing, Alex Olsen
Swamp Thing #1 - First Appearance and origin of The Swamp Thing, Alec Holland
There you have it! Some great grabs to get you all ready for the upcoming Justice League Dark series. According to some sites, it will be featured on HBO Max
Hope you all enjoyed! What do you think about the future of these programs? Let me know below!
Till Next Time, Happy Hunting!
