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"In the Dark, Part One: Imaginary Women": Madame Xanadu reads the cards, and looks into the future. It looks back, portending great wickedness, and she fears that the future will be no place for innocence.

Quote1 Easy, no. But possible. Because this is my territory. Spells, Hocus Pocus, demons. It's meat and drink to me. Quote2
Zatanna

Justice League Dark #1 is an issue of the series Justice League Dark (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 2011. It was published on September 28, 2011.

Synopsis for "In the Dark, Part One: Imaginary Women"

Madame Xanadu reads the cards, and looks into the future. It looks back, portending great wickedness, and she fears that the future will be no place for innocence.

Elsewhere, a disoriented June Moone wanders the streets, and is suddenly terrified by the appearance of a horrifying demon. She escapes into a diner, hoping there's a sporting event on the TV to remind her of boring, everyday life. Unfortunately, the patrons are all mesmerized by live news coverage of what appears to be 34 women who bear a strong resemblance to June herself, all standing in the middle of the freeway, and getting killed by oncoming traffic.

Meanwhile, Shade, the Changing Man's Meta-Vest alerts him to the fact that his presence is required elsewhere. His companion, Kathy, would like him to stay, begging him to ignore his vest's pull. She says, if he loves her even just a little, he will stay. Ultimately, she decides to leave him, because she needs to have a future. Suddenly, she begins to melt away, and she realizes that she has only been one of the M-Vest's reality-warping illusions. Sadly, Shade says his goodbyes and moves on.

On a deserted farm lies the sanctuary of the broken witch; the Enchantress. Her mad spells are affecting nearby towns where a shower of books in a dead language kill six people; cows give birth to mechanical meat slicers, prompting a farmer to shoot himself; a local power station threatens to explode when it gains consciousness and gets bored.

The Justice League deduces the Enchantress' involvement, and sends Superman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg to investigate. Meanwhile, Batman and Zatanna try to determine why the Enchantress is causing such havoc.

Cyborg is sensibly nervous about facing a powerful magic user, and his feelings prove valid, given the horrifying visage they encounter at the farm house. They find themselves surrounded by millions of sharp teeth, floating in a whirlwind. They are powerful enough to cut Superman to ribbons. They barely escape with their lives.

Zatanna decides to go herself, given that she has magic abilities, and the JLA does not. Batman insists on accompanying her, but she responds that the world can't afford to lose him, meanwhile, it could get along fine without her. She casts a spell to bind his feet, and he becomes trapped in the wiring in the floor as she leaves without him. He shouts after her that she is not stable enough to face the witch on her own.

In London, John Constantine suddenly finds himself falling through the sky as a result of some magical vortex created by Zatanna.

Meanwhile, June Moone finds her way to a specific apartment. When the woman inside answers the door and sees June looking distraught, she asks whether the girl is in some kind of trouble. June responds that she thinks she is, and that she is looking for Deadman, who happens to be in the room, listening unseen.

Shade arrives at Madame Xanadu's shop, and finds her collapsed on the floor, mumbling incoherently. He finds drugs in her hands, and warns her to stop doing so much of it. She explains that it's the only thing that takes her mind off of the future, as she stares into it again, seeing all of her friends dead at the hands of the Enchantress.

Appearing in "In the Dark, Part One: Imaginary Women"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Concepts:

  • Madness (Behind the scenes)
  • Magic

Notes

Pandora Justice League Dark 001

Pandora appears.

  • Pandora makes a cameo appearance in this story, as she does in every #1 published as part of The New 52. She can be seen observing the fight against Enchantress. This is directly following her first appearance during Flashpoint.[1]
  • This issue is reprinted in The New 52: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition.



See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

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