DC Comics Announces Justice Society One-Shots Leading up to Black Adam Movie
DC will launch a series of one-shots centered on the Justice Society of America, set in the world of DC Films and featuring characters to be seen in Black Adam. The first such special, coming in July, will be Black Adam – The Justice Society Secret Files: Hawkman #1, featuring a lead story from writer Cavan Scott, penciller Scot Eaton, and inker Norm Rapmund. A back-up feature centering on Adrianna Tomaz will be written by Bryan Q. Miller and feature art by Marco Santucci. In the film, Hawkman is played by Leverage star Aldis Hodge, while Adrianna (whose original superhero name was Isis, but that's unlikely to be used in the film) is set to be played by Person of Interest's Sarah Shahi.
Changes to the characters' origins in the 1990s and early 2000s gave Hawkman and Black Adam strong ties to ancient Egypt, and it's clear from the synopsis for the one-shot that at least some element of that will carry over, with Tomaz's story centering around museums and antiquities. Like the upcoming prequel series for The Flash, this story will bring in properties from the comics that may or may not make it into the movie, including Intergang and the Gentleman Ghost.
DC recently announced that Black Adam will get a solo comic series later this year, as well.
Here's the official solicit text for both stories in Black Adam–The Justice Society Files: Hawkman #1, along with the cover by Kaare Andrews:
Long ago, Hawkman was the leader of the Justice Society, but what is he now? Still a hero, or another relic in a museum? Everything changes when he finds himself haunted by not only the past, but also the vengeful spirit of a wayward thief. Will this Gentleman Ghost be the death of Hawkman or will he deliver a warning from beyond the grave? The road to Black Adam begins here.
Also in this issue: As a pivotal moment in the life of Teth-Adam and his son Hurut begins to unfold in ancient Kahndaq, modern-day Kahndaq meets a new hero—antiquities professor by day, "cultural recovery specialist" by night, Adrianna Tomaz. And unfortunately for Adrianna, she's about to "liberate" a sacred totem from the wrong interested party—Intergang!
Joining Dwayne Johnson in Black Adam are Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo (To All the Boys I Love Before, Charlie's Angels) as Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell (Trinkets, Euphoria) as Cyclone, Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz, and Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye, Mamma Mia!) as Doctor Fate. Uli Latukefu (Young Rock), Marwan Kenzari (The Old Guard, Aladdin) Mohammed Amer (Ramy), James Cusati-Moyer (Prodigal Son), Bodhi Sabongui (Legends of Tomorrow) have also been cast in currently unknown roles.
"Black Adam is a disruptor in the DC Comics world, and it has to be a disruptor in the way that we make a superhero movie," director Jaume Collet-Serra previously revealed to Total Film. "I like to be challenged, and I wanted to create new technology, so we developed the way that [Adam] moves, the way that he flies, his costume. And then it trickled down to every other character and the movie itself. But there was always the goal – to be new and unique in the storytelling and in every aspect of it."
Black Adam is expected in theaters on October 21.