The Adjudicator

[Fuzzy Mittens]

So back in 1982, there was an arc that spanned Wonder Woman issues 291, 292, and 293.
In it, this all powerful being arrives to judge the Earth across every reality in the multiverse, with the power to erase all of them at once in but an instant should it so choose. So this being called 'the Adjudicator' created a series of trials which had Wonder Woman, Madame Xanadu, Zatanna, Supergirl, Phantom Lady, Power Girl, Huntress, Black Canary, Raven, Starfire, and Wonder Girl working to combat this foe.

It was this epic storyline with Wonder Woman facing one of the most overly powerful beings in the DC universe yet I don't see many people talking about it.

[AmiMizuno]

Simple we aren’t seen the villain since and because Dc doesn’t often takes away Diana’s big fights

[WonderScott]

Considering the Monitor and Anti-Monitor and later revamp of Nekron, it's a shame that the cosmic Adjudicator got shoved off in some corner to be forgotten like other seminal Wonder concepts. (E.G. Duke Dazam being the first DC multiversal villain or Villainy Inc. being the first team of villains.)

I didn't read it, but I think Orlando used the Adjudicator in his Justice League of America run, IIRC. He's been good about using Wonder foes - he used Queen of Fables in that title too.

[Stanlos]

So back in 1982, there was an arc that spanned Wonder Woman issues 291, 292, and 293.
In it, this all powerful being arrives to judge the Earth across every reality in the multiverse, with the power to erase all of them at once in but an instant should it so choose. So this being called 'the Adjudicator' created a series of trials which had Wonder Woman, Madame Xanadu, Zatanna, Supergirl, Phantom Lady, Power Girl, Huntress, Black Canary, Raven, Starfire, and Wonder Girl working to combat this foe.

It was this epic storyline with Wonder Woman facing one of the most overly powerful beings in the DC universe yet I don't see many people talking about it.

The JUDGMENT IN INFINITY arc is one of the best of the PreCrisis WW stuff. Jiminez did an all girl team up storyline shortly after OWAW. But no one has touched the Adjudicator thus far. Given DC's Powers That Be and how little they think of WW I think we are better off that way. It would be likely they would diminish him in some way. Wonder Woman has PHENOMENAL villains (the most powerful and threatening of the lot) but they are not used.

[John Venus]

Read this story arc recently. Fun stuff. I think I heard about it on this forum (though not on this forum).

[John Venus]

The JUDGMENT IN INFINITY arc is one of the best of the PreCrisis WW stuff. Jiminez did an all girl team up storyline shortly after OWAW. But no one has touched the Adjudicator thus far. Given DC's Powers That Be and how little they think of WW I think we are better off that way. It would be likely they would diminish him in some way. Wonder Woman has PHENOMENAL villains (the most powerful and threatening of the lot) but they are not used.

Yeah, the 'cosmic villain who can easily wipe out worlds/universes with a thought' quote is very filled in already.

I think there is potential in the Adjudicator since the twist is that spoilers:

he's not an objective judge but a mad being and putting him on the task of judging various worlds is their equivalent of keeping a child occupied by giving them a shiny new toy

end of spoilers. I wouldn't mind a modern day retelling or a sequel to the original.

[Primal Slayer]

Didn't the tv series also do a similar story?

Would make for a good reboot of the character.

[Sebastianne]

Didn't the tv series also do a similar story?

Would make for a good reboot of the character.

Yeah! The two episodes Judgment from Outer Space, also the WW Evolution mini take this concept.

[Largo161]

I was reading the book at this time. I remember being excited about all these gals getting together. I’d have to revisit the arc to tell you what I thought of the story. I can’t remember much about it. Was it Dan Mishkin and Don Heck or Gene Colan?

The Adjudicator’s name pops on this board every once in a while. But in general nothing from this era gets discussed. We talk about Marston and then jump to Perez. Part of it is the demographic age of the posters here, I’m sure.

[Fuzzy Mittens]

The Adjudicator’s name pops on this board every once in a while. But in general nothing from this era gets discussed. We talk about Marston and then jump to Perez. Part of it is the demographic age of the posters here, I’m sure.

Tragically true. Ive read the entirity of the pre crisis era myself, and it has quite a number of good stories to it. Mod Era was of course a big moment. That whole 'visit to earth 2' period was a little surreal. The twelve labors anthology writer thing. The weird parade of random writers trying to rejiggle Wonder Womans status quo until Conway came in with an idea that actually stuck. With Mishkin carrying the ball to the finish line.

[Mel Dyer]

Considering the Monitor and Anti-Monitor and later revamp of Nekron, it's a shame that the cosmic Adjudicator got shoved off in some corner to be forgotten like other seminal Wonder concepts. (E.G. Duke Dazam being the first DC multiversal villain or Villainy Inc. being the first team of villains.)

I didn't read it, but I think Orlando used the Adjudicator in his Justice League of America run, IIRC. He's been good about using Wonder foes - he used Queen of Fables in that title too.

I think some of us forget that Lex Luthor would be a delusional physicist, tinkering with some chemicals, in a basement, today, ..if some writers and editors didn't do anything interesting, with him, and respond to fans, asking to see more him. All of the greats - Loki, Darkseid, Thanos, Doctor Doom, Galactus, Ras Al Gul - they all had to get started, somewhere, ..and they didn't become fan-favorites, overnight. Sometimes, it feels like we don't want to give Wonder Woman's antagonists, the same chance...

And yeah, we're tired of reading this word, but...development, development, development. Nothing cool in comics happens, without it.

This forgotten corner, you mentioned, is very popular, with WW villains, like the Jude. It's like an exclusive resort.

[Largo161]

Hmmm…checking the credits on this arc, I see it was plotted by Paul Levitz and scripted by Roy Thomas. Of the late Bronze era runs, Thomas’ short stay was one of my favorites. I think I’ll reread this arc.

[SiegePerilous02]

Tragically true. Ive read the entirity of the pre crisis era myself, and it has quite a number of good stories to it. Mod Era was of course a big moment. That whole 'visit to earth 2' period was a little surreal. The twelve labors anthology writer thing. The weird parade of random writers trying to rejiggle Wonder Womans status quo until Conway came in with an idea that actually stuck. With Mishkin carrying the ball to the finish line.

I've read a few stray issues from the Bronze Age, and it's interesting how a lot of the stuff from the Conway-Thomas-Mishkin era ended up being re-worked into Perez's foundation. We had more savage red-headed Cheetah who let her hair flow freely, Circe was brought back as an antagonist and there being a prophecy concerning Diana, the Silver Swan was introduced, we had another new tribe of Amazons, etc. I don't think we would have a lot of what we did in the Perez run without all of this stuff coming first.