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David Graves is a DC Comics supervillain, and enemy of the Justice League. He was created by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, and first appeared in Justice League (vol. 2) No. 6 (April 2012) during "The New 52".
| David Graves | |
|---|---|
 Graves as depicted in Justice League volume 2 #9 (July 2012). Art by Jim Lee (penciller), Scott Williams (inker), and Alex Sinclair (colorist). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Justice League (vol. 2) #6 (April 2012) |
| Created by | Geoff Johns Jim Lee |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | David Graves |
| Team affiliations | Asuras |
| Notable aliases | Graves |
| Abilities | Uses spirits to feed off of people's misery |
Creation
editDavid Graves was created by Justice League writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee. Johns described Graves as inverting the "hero's journey" narrative device, illustrating how a villain would go through a twisted version of it and become a major threat for the Justice League.[1]
Fictional character biography
editDavid Graves was a historian and published author, interested in fringe history. He wrote a series of books, on subjects such as Atlantis, the miracles of Fatima, the Nazca Lines, and how they could affect the modern world. During the very first adventure of the Justice League, David, his wife Jennifer, and his two children, Jason and Emma, were attacked by Darkseid's forces. Accepting what he believed to be his fate, and covering his children's eyes for their inevitable death, Graves and his family are saved by the superheroes that would eventually become the Justice League. Believing that the superheroes were a modern incarnation of the gods of antiquity, he set out to research a book about the heroes. It became his most popular title, "Justice League: Gods Among Men".[2][3] Within a year of the formation of the Justice League, Graves had developed an unspecified malady which left him trapped in a wheelchair and unlikely to last another year. Faced with the knowledge that his family was gone and the heroes were not going to save him, he snapped, shot his doctor, and vanished. Four years later, David Graves returns completely unrecognizable from his former self, with the faces of his children on his inner forearm. Vowing to destroy the Justice League for their hubris, he then breaks into The Black Room, which is A.R.G.U.S.' secret storage facility where they keep the world's most powerful mystical items, stealing the Orb of Ra.[4][5]
Later, he writes in his journal the best way to destroy the Justice League would be through their public liaison Steve Trevor, whom he mails a copy of his book.[6] Graves interrogates Key, Weapons Master, Scarecrow, Cheetah, Captain Cold and The Scavenger to discover the league heroes weakness. He then kidnapped Steve Trevor and tortured him. Graves got Trevor to break by threatening to kill his family.[7][8]
Powers and abilities
editGraves is able to use spirits to feed off of people's misery, an ability derived from the Asura gods. He was able to take on most of the Justice League by using their inner fears against them.
References
edit- ^ "Johns Prepares "Justice League" for Graves". Comic Book Resources. June 10, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ Justice League (vol. 2) #6 (April 2012)
- ^ "Justice League #6 Review". IGN. February 29, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ Justice League (vol. 2) No. 9 (July 2012)
- ^ "Justice League #9 Review". IGN. May 16, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ The New 52 No. 1
- ^ Justice League (vol. 2) No. 10 (August 2012)
- ^ "Justice League #10 Review". IGN. June 27, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.