Sir Justin (DC)

Sir Justin is a male comic superhero who features in DC Comics.

Biography

Pre-Crisis

Sir Justin

When the criminal mastermind called the Hand learned he was dying he broke out a number of criminals, and planned a once in a lifetime crime for each of them, but warned them they would be opposed by their arch0-enemies, who he'd taunted to top them in the morning's paper. Green Arrow and Speedy, Crimson Avenger, Shining Knight, Vigilante, Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy all responded, taking the Hand's threat seriously. The heroes met in the Gotham City auditorium, where the Han broadcast a video informed them where their arch-enemies would be committing crimes. The mysterymen decided to take care of their own, and report to each other in a week on their progress. Red Dragon and his gang flew to Wamona valley, the home of a tribe of Native Americans. Dragon gunned down their chief, and following Hand's information, told them he was fulfilling the prophecy of the Wendigo, a spirit of the air that would descend from the heavens. The valley had a rich supply of radium, and Red Dragon forced the natives into servitude, mining for him. The Hand led Shining Knight to him, and after convincing the tribe that Dragon was a false god he led them to revolt. The Dragon attacked the rebels with a tank, but the Knight repelled him. He tried to flee in a plane, but the Knight disabled it and brought him to justice. Shining Knight encouraged the tribe to sell the radium at a fair market price, fulfilling the prophecy of a stranger from the sky that would bring them glory. The rest of the villains failed, and the Hand decided to destroy the heroes himself to preserve his legacy. He contacted them via video, and gave them the address of his hideout, daring them to defeat him. Just then he got a call from his doctor that a new surgery could cure him. He realized he'd acted rashly, but his pride demanded he destroy his foes. The mysterymen made their way through all his booby-traps until they penetrated his sanctum. He aimed an electric beam at them, but Vigilante shot it down, electrifying him. The heroes realized the good they did teaming up, and decided to form the Seven Soldiers of Victory. (Leading Comics v1 #1)

Sylvester Pemberton's father brought him to a bank to learn about finance, even though he protested that it was interrupting his anthropology studies. Criminals Captain Bigg, Brain, Falseface, Hopper and Rattler posed as city workers, and broke a water main. The hydraulic pressure wrecked the bank's wall, and they robbed it, affording their escape by changing clothes and impersonating police officers. Sylvester told Pat that there had to be some mastermind behind such a crime, and team-up of notorious criminals, so they resolved to call a meeting of the Sreven Soldiers of Victory. The Soldiers followed a trail of gunpowder the criminals' truck left behind, and it led to a train station. They discovered film reels from the crooks mastermind, the Black Star, who directed them to split up for his planned crime wave. The Soldiers split up to the locations the villains were headed. Shining Knight went to New Orleans to pursue Falseface. Falseface and his crew disguised themselves as memorial statues to commit a robbery. With all the bizarre costumes at Mardi Gras they blended right in. Dressed as clowns they attempted a train robbery, but the Shining Knight was had arrived and foiled the crime, even though the gang escaped. They later posed as Mardi Gras officials and told the Knight they were awarding him best costume. They led him to their hideout and opened a trap door that dropped the Knight and his steed Victory in a net. They covered him in lime, which started to harden, and Falseface told the Knight he' soon be a statue. They left for the big score, and Shininbg Knight managed to free himself and leap into a water tank that dissolved the lime. J.J. Ennis called a meeting of Mardi Gras officials to make sure they could keep his valuable Star Sapphire safe during the celebration. Falseface and his gang posed as police officers guarding Ennis' house and held up the officials. The Shining Knight was expecting them, and quickly rounded up the hoods. The other criminals failed, but Black Star had that planned all along. One Mr. Wilkins knew his secret, and told the assembled Soldiers that he once worked at a chemical firm that discovered a ray that could enlarge any organic life. They decided it was too dangerous to exist, so they hid each of the radium-elements needed to make the beam, and hid them in a useless object. Their clerk Mowse had observed them, and took the identity of the Black Star to reassemble the elements, using his henchmen's crimes as a distraction. Black Star used the ray on himself, and challenged the Soldiers to meet him at his castle. The heroes fought their way past giant birds, rabbits and insects before confronting the villain. Stripesy knocked him cold, and he fell in front of the black light ray, being enlarged until his body crashed through the earth and he was crushed by his own weight. The Seven Soldiers were thrilled by another victory for justice. (Leading Comics v1 #2)

Oliver Queen and Roy Harper were testing out a two-way radio when Roy saw men dressed as Alexander the Great, Nero, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun and Napoleon robbing a national bank. The villains of history disabled Roy, and Khan made off with his two-way radio. Oliver came to Roy's aid after they disappeared, and from the two-way transmissions they realized the men weren't dressed as historical characters, they actually were them. They called a meeting of the Seven Soldiers, and the radio revealed that the men had been plucked from the past by mad scientist Dr. Doome, who was building a time machine to penetrate the future and rule the world. To complete it he needed several rare metals, and dispatched his partners to find them. The Soldiers split up to tackle each of the historical figures. Genghis Khan and Doome's goons went to Alaska on a boat to steal a platinum shipment, and when the Shining Knight arrived in Alaska he met a down on his luck fisherman named Bill Bates, who bet his fellow fisherman he could catch a fish as big as any they'd ever seen. The Knight took an interest in him, and pledged to help him. One of the betters once saw a whale, and even though the Knight knew whales were mammals he resolved to help Bates catch one. The Knight pursued Khan's ship on his flying steed, and sent Bates to stand by in his boat. Shining Knight found Khan's ship hidden in an icy crevasse, but when he confronted the villains they thrashed him, and sunk him in the icy waters, but he used his sword to scramble to the surface. The Knight speared a whale, and it crashed Khan's ship, and he returned to his own time to avoid imprisonment. The Knight gave Bates the whale to win his bet. After all the villains were foiled the Soldiers tracked Doome to his headquarters, and he used his time machine to flee into the past. The heroes followed, finding themselves in 1200 BC during the Greek sack of Troy. Doome had convinced the legendary Ulysses that the Soldiers were enemies, and he sent his troops against them. When Ulysses saw how valiantly the Soldiers fought he knew they could not be villains, and ordered his troops back. Doome fled to the present, and Speedy had the presence of mind to take a time scepter with him, so the Soldiers returned to their own time. In desperation Doome tried to send himself into the future, but without the rare metals he still needed the machine exploded. The Soldiers were unsure if he made it, but knew that if he did there would be heroes like them in the future to take care of business. (Leading Comics v1 #3)

Post-Crisis

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.

When Sue Dibny, wife of Elongated Man, was horrifically murdered, an understandably sympathetic Sir Justin came out of retirement and went hunting for the culprit with Vixen, Captain Marvel, and Firestorm. During the course of a battle with Shadow Thief, the villain stole Justin's sword and stabbed Firestorm with it. The sword was destroyed by Firestorm's heat, and the doomed hero exploded shortly afterwards, surviving just long enough to fly out of range of any people or structures. Deeply anguished at his inadvertent role in Firestorm's death, Sir Justin has not been seen since that night. (Identity Crisis v1 #5)

He came to be one of the heroes recruited by Jay Garrick to help fight Prometheus. (Justice League: Cry for Justice v1 #4)

An army of Earth’s heroes, including Shining Knight, appeared to take Superboy-Prime down during the Sinestro Corps invasion of Earth. The heroes focused on wrecking his armor, because after a year on Oa, and away from a yellow sun his Kryptonian body still wasn’t at full strength, and his armor collected sunlight. Superboy bragged that once the sun rose on Earth he’d be at full power. Superboy was battered by Wonder Girl and Wonder Woman, who blamed him for Superboy’s death, as well as Supergirl and Power Girl, who blamed him for the death of the Superman of Earth-2. As the fight went against him, Superboy broke down in tears. He tried to wipe them away, saying that it was impossible for boys to cry, and then whining that no one ever thanked him for sacrificing his Earth to save the multiverse. The battle lasted until dawn, and he flew into the sunrise. As he achieved full power he declared himself the one, true Superman. The Guardians arrived with Sodam Yat, the new Ion, and pitted him against Superboy-Prime. (Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman-Prime v1 #1)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Sir Justin

Notes

• The Sir Justin Shining Knight was created by Creig Flessel where he made his first appearance in Adventure Comics v1 #66 (September, 1941).

In other media

Television

• In Justice League Unlimited, the Sir Justin Shining Knight appeared in the setting of the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Chris Cox. This version is a member of an expanded Justice League. Sir Justin primarily makes numerous non-speaking appearances throughout the series and a minor speaking appearance in the episode "Task Force X". In his most notable appearance, "Patriot Act", he and several non-powered Leaguers fight General Wade Eiling after the latter turns himself into a monstrous super-soldier to eliminate metahumans. While his allies are almost killed during the fight, Sir Justin fights until his actions inspire a group of civilians to protect him, causing Eiling to realize he was the only metahuman involved in the fight and leave.
• In Stargirl, the Sir Justin Shining Knight appeared in the setting of the DC Universe live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor Mark Ashworth. This version is a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory and initially appeared as Blue Valley High School janitor, Justin. In the episode "Shiv Pt. 1", he uses his enchanted sword to save Stargirl from Cindy Burman. In the episode "Shining Knight", he receives recurring visions and seeks out Pat Dugan, Rick Tyler, and Beth Chapel for help. After hallucinating them as Dragon King and his drones, Pat talks Justin down and reveals to his allies the latter's true identity as Shining Knight. In the two-part season one finale, "Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.", Justin assists the Justice Society of America in thwarting the Injustice Society's plans before leaving to find other surviving members of his team.

Appearances

• Adventure Comics v1: (1941)
• Leading Comics v1:
• Identity Crisis v1:
• Justice League: Cry for Justice v1:
• Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman-Prime v1:

External Links

• DC Database Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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