- Superman and Wonder Woman barely escaped their encounter with a strange, half-human beast... and according to our monitor board, our friends The Flash and Elongated Man weren't so lucky.
- — Zatanna
Justice League of America #221 is an issue of the series Justice League of America (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1983.
Synopsis for "Beasts"
There is a new night spot in town that caters to the extremely rich - the Arena. Those with deep pockets and low morale have the opportunity to witness a savage, merciless, sporting event patterned in the style of Roman gladiatorial combat. The patrons howl with delight as blood from the arena victims sprays across their faces.
At Metropolis Harbor, Superman and Wonder Woman engage a group of armored men who had just stolen from top secret equipment from S.T.A.R. Labs. The heroes are surprised when a giant whale-man named Gargantus emerges from the bay and assists the thieves. Wonder Woman is knocked for a loop and nearly drowns, but Superman resuscitates her.
In Central City, the Flash encounters a group of similarly dressed men, though these thieves are aided by a charging rhinoceros-man. The Rhino-man gores the Flash and smashes him into a wall.
The Elongated Man is in San Francisco raiding a fencing operation in the Chinatown district. He is attacked and severely injured by a flock of birds with eerily human eyes.
Back in New York, Firestorm encounters a cat-woman named Reena burglarizing the Empire State Building. After a brief scuffle, Reena surrenders to him and asks him for sanctuary. He brings Reena back to the Justice League Satellite where she reveals the nature of the Ani-Men that have been attacking various League members.
In Luxor, Egypt, Katar Hol is on a dig when his crew is attacked by giant scorpion-men. He changes to Hawkman and attacks them, but is felled by one of the scorpion-men's poisonous stingers.
At Repli-Tech Industries, a scientist named Doctor Lovecraft reports to his master, the Ani-Man known as Maximus Rex. Quivering in fear, he tells Rex that Reena has betrayed them.
Appearing in "Beasts"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Reena (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Ani-Men (First appearance)
- Doctor Lovecraft
Other Characters:
- Ahmed
- Dave
- Rick
- Sammy
- Suzie
- Ted
Locations:
- Central City, Missouri
- Egypt
- Justice League Satellite
- Metropolis
- San Francisco, California
- New York City
- The Arena (First appearance)
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Story continues next issue.
- Aquaman, Firestorm and Hawkman appeared last in The Flash #329.
- The Elongated Man, the Flash and Zatanna appeared last in Justice League of America #220.
- Hawkwoman appeared last in Justice League of America Annual #1.
- Superman appeared last in Superman #392.
- Wonder Woman appeared last in Wonder Woman #312.
- Maximus Rex's real name is revealed next issue.
- The Flash's battle against the Rhino-Man is recapped in Justice League of America #223.
- Martin Stein appears in this issue only as a disembodied head.
Trivia
- Doctor Lovecraft is likely named after gothic horror novelist H.P. Lovecraft.
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Justice League of America series
- Images from Justice League of America Vol 1 221
Recommended Reading
- Justice League Recommended Reading
- Justice League of America (Volume 1)
- Justice League of America (Volume 2)
- Justice League of America (Volume 3)
- Justice League of America (Volume 4)
- Justice League of America (Volume 5)
- JLA (Volume 1)
- Justice League (Volume 1)
- Justice League (Volume 2)
- Justice League (Volume 3)
- Justice League (Volume 4)
- Justice League International (Volume 1)
- Justice League International (Volume 2)
- Justice League International (Volume 3)
- Justice League Europe (Volume 1)
- Justice League America (Volume 1)
- Justice League Task Force (Volume 1)
- Justice League Quarterly (Volume 1)
- Justice League Dark (Volume 1)
- Justice League Dark (Volume 2)
- Extreme Justice (Volume 1)
- Justice League Elite (Volume 1)
- Justice League Odyssey (Volume 1)