Written by Chuck Dixon.
Art by JH Williams III; Mick Gray; & Lee Loughridge.
Cover Art by John Van Fleet.
SUMMARY:
DC Comics released this 64-page Elseworlds one-shot in 1997. Set in the American Old West, the Southwestern desert frontier town of Paradise is annihilated by an unknown inferno. Devastated by its loss, town sheriff Diana Prince abandons her prized badge and vows to avenge her fellow citizens, including her diminutive deputy, Oberon. To effectively challenge her mysterious adversary, Diana first must recruit a trusted strike team, some of whom she has evidently encountered before.
Joining her are: Native American shaman Katar Johnson (Hawkman); an adventurous gambler Booster Gold; young Wally West (Kid Flash) – literally the fastest gunman alive; fantastical inventor Beetle (Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle); and an enigmatically green-hued John Jones (Martian Manhunter). Wildcards include immortal outlaw Felix Faust; snarky Pinkerton sleuth Guy “Kid Baltimore” Gardner, who is hunting down West for Marshal Barry Allen’s murder; and even a skeptical yet mild-mannered dime novelist/scribe named ‘Colonel Kent.’
Reaching the ominously secluded base known as ‘Helldorado,’ Diana Prince’s makeshift vigilante force must face sinister railroad baron Maxwell Lord’s futuristic technology in a deadly showdown. It appears that the odds (and sheer numbers) this time are heavily stacked against justice.
Note: This reality’s Diana Prince briefly returns in 2007’s DC Countdown: Arena mini-series.
REVIEW:
Considering this art squad’s collective talent, it isn’t a surprise that consistently appealing visuals present The Justice Riders’ best asset. As to writer Chuck Dixon’s derivative storytelling, one can readily spot ideas lifted from The Terminator, Westworld, Wild Wild West, and, of course, The Magnificent Seven, among other Westerns, for his plot devices. Aside from predating Wonder Woman & Maxwell Lord’s mutual vendetta by nearly a decade, Dixon contributes too few original ideas of his own, including a dubious reliance on clichéd Old West slang.
Hovering somewhere between quickly forgettable and average, The Justice Riders delivers a quick read, with virtually zero gore (in terms of kid-friendliness). Consumers are just better off finding it within an Elseworlds collection with other DC alternate-reality tales. Specifically, this title can be found in 2016’s DC Elseworlds: Justice League, Volume One – which was subsequently re-released in 2024 (in both trade paperback and digital formats).
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
None.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
