Brad Meltzer's script for the new Justice League of America #1 incorporates a vast array of characters, both well known and obscure, as well as a whole lot of past continuity. Here's a handy guide (with some spoilers, so beware) for newer readers...
Regular covers: Placing the two regular covers together to form one image, the characters depicted are as follows:
Front row, from left: Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Arsenal, Black Canary, Red Tornado, Black Lightning, Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman.
Middle row, from left: Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Power Girl, Captain Marvel, Supergirl, the Phantom Stranger, Huntress, Green Lantern John Stewart, Captain Atom, Cyborg, Hawkman, Big Barda, Vixen, Hawkgirl, the Flash (Bart Allen), Green Arrow and Zatanna.
Back row, from left: Batwoman, Fire, Nightwing, Firehawk, Ion, Metamorpho, Mr. Miracle, Hourman, the Manhattan Guardian, Mr. Terrific, the Blue Beetle, Dr. Fate, Donna Troy, the Martian Manhunter, Firestorm, Dr. Light and Dr. Mid-Nite (with his pet owl, Hooty).
It's interesting to note that the final versions of these covers differ from earlier scans released as advance promotion for the series. For example, in an early version, Booster Gold stood where Big Barda can now be found. The Question was in the slot occupied by the Martian Manhunter in the final version. Tempest (formerly known as Aqualad) been replaced by Mr. Terrific, and Karate Kid of the Legion of Super-Heroes has been removed and not replaced. The Red Tornado and the Flash have traded places, and the hooded Green Arrow has replaced Elongated Man. Black Lightning's spot was original occupied by John Stewart, and BL (sporting his 1970s/1980s look rather than the new design) was instead tucked in behind Captain Atom in the original.
Other changes: Arsenal is now in the Green Arrow's original position, and Aquaman was originally in the slot occupied by Guy Gardner in the final version; Gardner was originally in the back, beside Mr. Miracle. Batwoman wasn't in the original; in her slot instead was Animal Man. In the original, Fire wasn't aflame, and Arsenal stood where Nightwing can now be found. Adam Strange also made an appearance in the original cover art, just in front of Mr. Miracle; he has been replaced by Hourman.
Page 1: If you don't know who these three characters are, stop reading.
Pages 2-3: Writer Brad Meltzer has acknowledged that the final scene in Justice League of America #0 and this scene, in which the member selection process is done with the use of still photos of various heroes, were inspired by the cover of All-Star Squadron #1, published in the early 1980s.
Page 4: Dr. Will Magnus is an expert in robotics and the creator of the heroic Metal Men. He was for a time transformed into a Metal Man himself after the destruction of Gold, but that was either retconned or his humanity was restored.
The dormant android on the table is, of course, the Silver Age Red Tornado. The creation of Dr. Thomas Oscar Morrow (Dr. T.O. Morrow... so clever), he was designed to infiltrate the Justice Society and destroy it from within. Instead, he became the hero he was pretending to be and sacrificed himself to protect his teammates, a recurring motif throughout his history. He later joined the Justice League of America. He has wind-based powers. He flies by controlling tornadoes and can propel tornado-like force at specific targets. He created a secret identity of John Smith to experience life as a human being. During his membership in the Justice League, it was discovered that he was in incarnation of a tornado-like elemental from the planet Rann, and later, he was elevated to the status of Earth's air elemental. (For more detailed information, check out his WIKIPEDIA ENTRY).
Kathy Sutton was the Red Tornado's love interest in the 1970s and 1980s. Together, they adopted a refugee child named Traya (who turns up later in the issue).
The "Hal" mentioned in the second panel is obviously Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan, and "Bruce" is probably Batman, indicating Sutton knows the identities of the Tornado's JLA teammates. Happy Harbor (mentioned in the third panel) was the small community where the Justice League's first headquarters -- a secret cave -- was located.
Page 5: The shiny female figure is Platinum, a member of Magnus's Metal Men, boasting a new design. She is inquiring about Sutton's success in forming a romantic relationship with an artificial being because she has forever pined for Magnus, who has paid her no attention over the years.
Page 6: Mentioned in the first panel are Skeets and a Superman Robot. Skeets is the late Booster Gold's computerized pal, a flying library of historical knowledge from the 25th century. As for the Superman Robot, Superman created a number of robot helpers in his own image. Apparently, there's an artificial lifeform grapevine.
Panels two through six are reprinted from Justice League of America v.1 #106, written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano.
Page 8: The crossword clue is a riddle. Is this a hint about the identity of the villainous mastermind behind the plot? In the second panel, a third robotics expert is mentioned along with Magnus and Morrow: Ivo. It's a reference to the immortal Professor Anthony Ivo, who created the power-absorbing android Amazo as well as the short-lived JLA member Tomorrow Woman.
Page 11: Deadman is Boston Brand, a circus aerialist who was murdered in the middle of his act. Instead of passing onto the afterlife, he wanders the world as a ghost, able to take over the bodies of the living and communicate. The living cannot see or hear him in his spectral form.
Page 12: Other Green Lanterns are suggested for membership other than Hal Jordan. They're Kyle Rayner (now known as Ion) and John Stewart. The Flash depicted in the picture is apparently Wally West, but his status is unknown following the events of the Infinite Crisis. The current Flash is Bart Allen, formerly Impulse and Kid Flash, whose aging process was accelerated during the same incident that claimed Wally. Bart went from being a teenager to a 20-year-old in a span of minutes. Jay Garrick is the Golden Age Flash, who is still active and is a member of the Justice Society.
Page 13: The picture is of Lian Harper, Roy (Arsenal) Harper's daughter (her mother is assassin/super-villain Cheshire). Roy refers to Hal/GL as his uncle because he was the ward of Ollie (Green Arrow) Queen, Hal's best friend. Roy was Speedy, Green Arrow's teen sidekick. He later shed the teen archer identity and became Arsenal, all-around expert marskman/super-hero. The "Dinah" who taught Roy how to fight is Dinah Lance, AKA the Black Canary, an expert martial artist and super-heroine.
Page 14: "Reddy" is a nickname for the Red Tornado. The tongue-in-cheek reference to cross-country travel by truck is an acknowledgement of the "Hard-Travellin' Heroes" era of Green Lantern/Green Arrow, a stint on the title in the 1970s written by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams during which the two emerald heroes tackled social woes as opposed to super-villains.
Page 15: Everything is pretty self-explanatory here. Apparently, the former Signalman is addicted to the emotion-controlling powers of other super-villains such as the Scarecrow and Psycho-Pirate. The Silver Ghost was an old enemy of the Freedom Fighters in pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity. Plastique was a Quebecois terrorist turned villain turned hero (and now apparently villain) with explosive powers. The Electrocutioner is a bloodthirsty vigilante turned villain with electrical powers (suprise).
Pages 16-17: The probability-altering Tao Jones (pictured at left, art by Todd McFarlane and Tony DeZuniga) was a member of the villainous Helix, a group that opposed Infinity Inc. The Ultra-Humanite is an enemy of the Justice Society. Mento is a member of the Doom Patrol, who uses a special helmet to give himself mental powers. Trident is a villain who faced off against the New Teen Titans in the 1980s. Dr. Impossible is a new villain. Mr. Miracle is the world's greatest escape artist, a New God from New Genesis who was raised in the harsh, evil environment of Apokalips. Mother Boxes are living computers given to benevolent New Gods; think of a divine PDA with unlimited power.
Page 18: Multiplex was a Firestorm villain who could create duplicates of himself to overwhelm a foe or to multitask in a big way. Deadman also refers on this page to Red Tornado's origins as a Rannian air elemental, known both as the Tornado Tyrant and Tornado Champion.
Page 20: The first two panels are self-explanatory. The third features Vixen, who possesses a magical talisman that grants her the abilities of any animal she can imagine. Katana is the Japanese, sword-wielding member of the Batman's one-time team, the Outsiders. Rex is Metamorpho the Element Man. And Kimiyo is Dr. Light II, the heroic one, as opposed to the villain who had the name first. Buddy is Animal Man, who can also mimic the abilities of animals. Animal Man, Vixen, Dr. Light II and Metamorpho have all been members of various incarnations of the Justice League.
In the final panel on this page, the "tank" in question is clearly Hawkman. Victor is a reference to Cyborg, currently of the Teen Titans.
Page 21: The Question is a non-powered, street-level hero whose mask makes it appear as though he has no face at all. Blue Devil is a mystically empowered hero who is currently a member of the Shadowpact. Firehawk is a nuclear-powered heroine who is currently partnered (in more ways than one) with the second Firestorm.
Page 23: Deadman has never been depicted as being a magician or conjurer of any kind. Seeing him casting a spell to allow Red Tornado's soul to inhabit a body is foreshadowing.
Page 26: Felix Faust is a sorcerer and a longtime enemy of the Justice League.
Page 29: Platinum is joined by her teammate, Gold of the Metal Men. He was destroyed, but he got better, it would seem.
Page 30: Traya refers to "Uncle Snapper." She means Lucas "Snapper" Carr, one-time sidekick to the original Justice League. He later became a villain. Then a space-faring hero. Then best friend to the Hourman from the 853rd century.
Page 33: The man responsible for "killing" Gold and Platinum is revealed to be the afore-mentioned Dr. Impossible.
Page 34: Instead of using a Boom Tube to teleport, as other New Gods do, Dr. Impossible apparently uses a quiet "Hush Tube." And continuing the opposite speak, instead of a Mother Box, he has a Father Box.
"There's a reason they grabbed Reddy in both Crises." Red Tornado was manipulated and destroyed both during the Crisis on Infinite Earths and the Infinite Crisis.
Page 35: Red Tornado's official invitation to join the original Justice League is framed on the wall.
Note: New information has been provided since the original publication of these annotations and has been incorporated.
