KNIGHTS OF JUSTICE
(of Earth-93121)
Membership: Breeze, Brick, Darren, Gallop,
King
Arthur (Arthur King), Lance, Lug,
Phil, Tone, Trunk,
Wally, Zeke (all Earth-93121)
Purpose: Pledge fairness to all, protect the
weak and vanquish evil
Affiliations: Elaine,
Guinevere,
Lady of the
Table, Merlin, Camelot and its inhabitants (all Earth-93121)
Enemies: Axe,
Bash,
Blackwing,
Lucan,
Morgana,
Slasher,
Viper,
Warriors of Vulcan's Forge (all Earth-93121)
Base of Operations: Camelot, Earth-93121 (ca.
Middle Ages)
First Appearance: King Arthur and the Knights
of Justice#1 (December, 1993)
History:
(King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (fb) - BTS)
- Arthur King was captain of the Knights American football team that
also included Breeze, Brick, Darren, Gallop, Lance, Lug, Phil, Tone,
Trunk, Wally and Zeke.
(King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1) - In
Pennsylvania, Arthur scored the winning touchdown in an exhibition
match pitting the Knights against the Vipers team. He was cheered by
his team and they were celebrated by sportswriters. The Knights team
boarded
their coach bound for a big Manhattan game but a fierce storm erupted,
causing driver Lug to drive slower, despite his teammates' jokes.
However, a spell had been cast through time by the wizard Merlin,
guided by the
mystical Lady of the Table, who sought twelve heroes to substitute the
twelve captive Camelot knights and king; this spell found the football
team and acted as a portal. The spell pulled each team member
individually back
through time to Merlin's chamber in Camelot during the Middle Ages,
where Merlin and Elaine greeted the confused sportsmen.
(King Arthur and the
Knights of Justice#2) - The Knights huddled and agreed to listen to
Merlin, who gave his account of evil sorceress Morgana generating stone
warlord
servants to take over Camelot after imprisoning the original King
Arthur
and his knights. Merlin stated that the footballers were to act as
surrogates for the real knights. Using magic, Merlin transformed the
footballers' clothes into their individual armors, and assigned them
the quest of rescuing Queen Guinevere. Merlin showed them the round
table that would aid them in their battles; the new knights recited the
oath to receive the power: "We are
the Knights of Justice, we pledge fairness to all, to protect the weak
and to vanquish those who are evil!" On horseback, Arthur led
the charge, which included two horse-driven war-carts,
against Morgana's forces besieging Castle Camelot. Warlord Slasher
knocked back several knights until a joint counter-attack made him
fall.
Warlord Blackwing then swooped, but was broken apart by Arthur's
magical
sword. Helped by Merlin's map, the knights rode toward Morgana's
castle, but were briefly waylaid by the powerful Warlord Lucan. Nearby,
Warlord Viper distracted Lance and Trunk with an illusion of Guinevere
and the two fell into a sorcerous trap: a chasm that acted as a magical
passageway to Morgana's castle. The other knights ran to investigate
the pit, but Arthur
resolved that he alone would rescue his teammates.
(King Arthur and the
Knights of Justice#3) - Trunk and Lance were chained up by Morgana and
her soldiers. Meanwhile, Arthur berated himself, despite his teammates'
support, but Merlin mystically advised Arthur to use his magical shield
to manifest the Dragon
of Justice to fly to Morgana's castle. Soon there, Arthur freed
Trunk and Lance, as well as Guinevere. They were attacked by Morgana's
stone warriors but managed to overcome them. More arrived as Morgana
fled, but Arthur used his sword to collapse the roof so that they could
escape, although Arthur had to fight Viper single-handedly. Arthur,
Trunk, Lance and
Guinevere made it safely outside and flew back to Camelot on the
Dragon, but Arthur feared more battles, while elsewhere Morgana vowed
revenge.
Later, the time-traveling footballers
celebrated their victories with a
feast in Camelot; Merlin encouraged Arthur's distraction with Guinevere.
Comments:
Created by Diane Eskenazi & Avi Arad (animation); adapted by Mike
Lackey (writer), Keith Wilson (pencils) & Evelyn Stein
(inks).
Earth-93121 is the Marvel Comics adaptation of the "King
Arthur and the Knights of Justice" cartoon
(1992-1993) and which also featured a video
game spin-off for Super NES
(1995, North American exclusive) wherein they could return home upon
successfully completing the game.
It's evident that Guinevere thinks time-traveling
footballer Arthur King is her
King Arthur and is oblivious to the substitution, so
I'm guessing that this is a case of omniversal Merlin up to his usual
meddling
hero-kidnapping tricks, including quietly cloaking the football team to
appear like the original Camelot knights.
Back in the 20th Century, Arthur King's football
team, the Knights, beat opposing team, the Rhode Island Vipers (with
green-purple team colors, matching Camelot villain Warlord Viper), the
day before they were whisked away to
Camelot during a storm. Odd little coincidences -- as if the Camelot
adventure could almost have been a dream sequence of Arthur's.
Breeze, Wally and Tone are not named in the comic,
but their armors match their cartoon and game counterparts.
Profile
by Grendel
Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Knights of Justice of Earth-93121 have no known connections to:
- KNIGHTS
- agents of the Baron, use medieval costumes and weapons @ Luke Cage,
Power Man#39
- KNIGHTS in
SATAN's SERVICE
- Satanists in Waxahachie Maximum Security Prison, allied with pastor
to protect him from Zadkiel's assassins @ Ghost Rider VI#24
- KNIGHTs of DOOM
of Earth-Big Town - robots, followed Silver Surfer's lead to attack
heroes of Manhattan under Doom's commands @ Fantastic Four: Big Town#1
- KNIGHTS
of HADES - demons of Mephisto, summoned by Elspeth Cromwell, who
subsequently lost control of them @ Fantastic Four I#276
- KNIGHTS of the
MOON - followers of Plasma, then Nepthys @ Moon Knight III#25
- KNIGHTS of
NEEP - Microverse race (Quarlos IV) of sentient, mobile flora; fire
eyeblasts @ Microverse I#7
- KNIGHTS
of the ORDER of SAINT GEORGE of Earth-Shadowline, wear specialized
armor forged by Abbott @ Dr.Zero#1
- KNIGHTS of
PENDRAGON - allegedly split off from the Order of Tyrana in the
past @ Knights of Pendragon I#1
- KNIGHTS of
WUNDAGORE - servants of high evolutionary, animals evolved into
humanoid form and intellect, trained in war @ Thor I#135
- KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
- guarded bloodline legacy of the Hellbent, maintained Arcane Archives
of all significant data @ Web of Spider-Man Annual#9
- JUSTICE
(Vance Astrovik) - mutant, counterpart of Vance Astro/Major Victory,
adopted identity after released from prison after inadvertent killing
of father @New Warriors I#43
- JUSTICE of
Earth-148611 (John Tensen) - justice agent, mutated by White Event @
Justice I#1
- JUSTICE BRIGADE
of Earth-148611 - vigilantes, idolized Justice, committed mass suicide
after misinterpreting him @ Justice I#21
- JUSTICE WARRIORS
of Earth-148611 - warriors under Tensen's leadership, slaughtered by
Night Warriors of the Winterland @ Justice I#1
- or any other "Knights" or
"Justice" characters/groups
Breeze
Keen on rhyming rap, Breeze was a member
of the Knights football team transported magically back in time to
Camelot. His clothes were transformed into mystical armor with a pike
as his allocated weapon. He formed part of the charge against Warlord
Viper's siege of Camelot and joined in the fights against Morgana's
forces. He stood by the pit that Lance and Trunk had fallen into and
watched as Arthur set off on his dragon to rescue them. After Morgana's
initial defeat, he celebrated with the other knights in Camelot.
In the NES game, he had "cool skill"(??) in battle
and Arthur respected his wisdom; the sphinx was his motif.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (2-3
Brick
Tall with a solid build, Brick was a
member of the Knights football team transported magically back in time
to Camelot. His clothes were transformed into mystical armor. He
formed part of the charge against Warlord Viper's siege of Camelot and
joined in the fights against Morgana's forces. Brick stood by the pit
that Lance and Trunk had fallen into and was firm with team spirit. He
watched as Arthur set off on a rescue, flying his dragon. After
Morgana's initial defeat, he celebrated with the other knights in
Camelot.
In the NES game, he quickly adapted to "Fifth Century
England" and hurled bricks (unlimited in number from his chestplate) as
weapons. Steadfast, the bat was his
animal totem.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (2-3
Darren
Darren was a member of the Knights
football team transported magically back in time to Camelot. He
initially doubted Merlin's claims. His
clothes were transformed into mystical armor with a crossbow as his
allocated weapon. He formed part of the charge against Warlord
Viper's siege of Camelot and joined in the fights against Morgana's
forces. Darren tried to help Trunk against the ferocious Warlord
Slasher, but was defeated. He stood by the pit that Lance and Trunk had
fallen into and watched as Arthur set off on his dragon to rescue them.
After Morgana's initial defeat, he celebrated with the other knights in
Camelot.
In the NES game, he has sharp vision, but often found
trouble. The griffin was his totem.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (2-3
Gallop
Keen to meet women for romance, Gallop was
a member of the Knights football team transported magically back in
time to Camelot. Gallop initially doubted Merlin's claims, but stood by
his team. His clothes were transformed into mystical armor with an
extended mace as his chosen weapon. He formed part of the charge
against Warlord Viper's siege of Camelot and joined in the fights
against Morgana's forces. He stood by the pit that Lance and Trunk had
fallen into and watched as Arthur set off on his dragon to rescue them.
After Morgana's initial defeat, he celebrated with the other knights in
Camelot.
In the NES game, he was a fast runner and master
horse rider, and had the "dog god" Cerebus as his motif.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (2-3
Lance
Lance
was a loyal member of the Knights football team. He questioned Arthur's
decision to make a risky pass in an exhibition football match, but
cheered with the victory. Along with the rest of the Knights football
team, Lance was transported magically back in time to Camelot, but
chided bus driver Lug after the disorienting landing. He went with
Arthur's decision to listen to Merlin. His clothes were transformed
into mystical armor with a long lance that fired blasts as his chosen
weapon. He formed part of the charge against Warlord Viper's siege of
Camelot and was part of the quartet that downed Warlord Slasher with a
teamwork attack. Along with Trunk, he was distracted by Warlord Viper's
magic illusion of Guinevere and fell into a trap. He was quickly
chained up in Morgana's dungeon and beaten by guards. He was rescued by
Arthur and flew back to Camelot on Arthur's mystical dragon. After
Morgana's initial defeat, he celebrated with the other knights in
Camelot.
Lance found Guinevere very beautiful, setting up the
oft-repeated paradigm of Lancelot's attraction to King Arthur's wife.
Often joking, Lance was also known as Lancelot in the
NES game and had a lion motif.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (2-3
Lug
Lug was a stout member of the Knights
football team and was the cautious driver of the team's tour bus. He
was
transported magically back in time to Camelot. His
clothes were transformed into mystical armor with his allocated weapons
being a sword. He formed part of the charge against Warlord Viper's
siege of Camelot and joined in the fights against Morgana's forces. He
looked to Arthur for leadership. Lug later stood by the pit that Lance
and Trunk had fallen into and watched as Arthur set off on his dragon
to rescue them. After Morgana's initial defeat, he celebrated with the
other knights in Camelot.
In the NES game, he was able to throw footballs as
weapons with great accuracy; the octopus was his animal totem.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (2-3
Phil
With a healthy appetite, Phil was a member
of the Knights football team transported magically back in time to
Camelot. His clothes were transformed into mystical armor with a mace
as his allocated weapon. He formed part of the charge against
Warlord Viper's siege of Camelot and joined in the fights against
Morgana's forces. Phil was part of the quartet that downed Warlord
Slasher with a combined attack, hurling his mace. He stood by the pit
that Lance and Trunk had fallen into and watched as Arthur set off on
his dragon to rescue them. After Morgana's initial defeat, he
celebrated with the other knights in Camelot.
In the NES game, he had a flaming mace plus the Sword
of the Panther.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (2-3
Tone
Slimmer in build than his teammates, Tone
was a member of the Knights football team transported magically back in
time to Camelot, but was initially afraid of Merlin's magical lightning
bolt pursuing the tour bus. His clothes were transformed into mystical
armor with
a battle hammer as his allocated weapon. He formed part of the
charge against Warlord Viper's siege of Camelot and joined in the
fights against Morgana's forces. Tone stood by the pit that Lance and
Trunk had fallen into and watched as Arthur set off on his dragon to
rescue them. After Morgana's initial defeat, he celebrated with the
other knights in Camelot.
Tone's hair goes from brown in issue #1 to black by
the end of the series. The symbol on his chestplate was a hammer and
chisel (for building)
In the NES game, he was a blacksmith and builder. He
had a thick (apparently Italian) accent (also shown in the cartoon) and
his animal motif was the serpent.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (2-3
Trunk
Quick
to charge into dangerous situations, Trunk was a member of the Knights
football team transported magically back in time to Camelot. His
clothes were transformed into mystical armor with a battle-ax his
selected weapon. He formed part of the charge against Warlord Viper's
siege of Camelot and joined in the fights against Morgana's forces,
although he was knocked down by the ferocious Warlord Slasher. Along
with Lance, he was distracted by Warlord Viper's magic illusion and
fell into a trap, then quickly chained up in Morgana's dungeon and
beaten by guards. He was rescued by Arthur and flew back to Camelot on
Arthur's mystical dragon. After Morgana's initial defeat, he celebrated
with the other knights in Camelot.
In the video game, he's named Trunk because he lacked
intelligence (as thick as a tree stump). As in the comic, the ram was
his motif.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (2-3
Wally
Wally was a member of the Knights football
team transported magically back in time to Camelot. His clothes were
transformed into mystical armor with his allocated weapons being two
swords slung over his back. He formed part of the charge against
Warlord Viper's siege of Camelot and joined in the fights against
Morgana's forces. He stood by the pit that Lance and Trunk had fallen
into and watched as Arthur set off on his dragon to rescue them. After
Morgana's initial defeat, he celebrated with the other knights in
Camelot.
Unfortunately, Wally was very much a background
character. Furthermore, the cartoon and the NES game version showed
Wally to be a stocky
African-American, but in the comics, Breeze appeared to be the only
African-American on the kidnapped team. The headshot at left is the
only
footballer in the comic who I can't identify, so by process of
elimination, he's Wally.
In the NES game, he deftly handled swords and
daggers, and the falcon was his animal totem.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (2-3
Zeke
The
Asian-American Zeke was keen on science and history, and was eager to
see an exhibit on ancient Gwar warriors from Antarctica. He was a
member
of the Knights football team transported magically back in time to
Camelot. His clothes were transformed into mystical armor with a spear
as his allocated weapon. He formed part of the charge against Warlord
Viper's siege of Camelot and joined in the fights against Morgana's
forces. Zeke was part of the quartet that downed Warlord Slasher with a
combined attack. He gave moral support to Arthur when Lance and Trunk
fell into a pit and were captured. He watched as Arthur set off on his
dragon to rescue them. After Morgana's initial defeat, Zeke celebrated
with the other knights in Camelot.
Zeke was the smart one on the team and was unafraid
of Merlin's time travel spell, but instead focused on analyzing unusual
events.
In the NES game and cartoon, he hailed from the Bronx
and the
hydra dragon was his animal motif.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1 (2-3
Lady of the
Table
Very small in size and mystical in nature, the Lady
of the Table briefly appeared when Merlin was despondent at the evil
Morgana's near victory over Camelot. The Lady of the Table encouraged
Merlin to search the future for twelve new champions to save Camelot.
According to the game manual, she bestowed a knight's
power on him (which included weapon, armor and animal totem) when he
touched the table and recited the oath with all his heart.
--King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1
images:
(without ads)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p23, pan4 (main image)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1, p15, pan4 (football team
outfits)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p9, pan3 (round table)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p17, pan3 (charging as team)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p23, pan4 (Breeze, body)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1, p13, pan1 (Breeze, headshot)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#3, p5, pan4 (Brick, body)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1, p21, pan4 (Brick, headshot)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p12, pan3 (Darren, body)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p3 (Darren, headshot)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p11, pan1 (Gallop, body)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1, p14, pan2 (Gallop, headshot)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#3, p10, pan5 (Lance, body)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1, p18, pan1 (Lance, headshot)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p18, pan4 (Lug, body)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1, p21, pan4 (Lug, headshot)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p11, pan4 (Phil, body)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1, p13, pan3 (Phil, headshot)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p9, pan4 (Tone, body)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1, p16, pan2 (Tone, headshot)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#3, p15, pan3 (Trunk, body)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1, p21, pan4 (Trunk, headshot)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p9, pan4 (Wally, body)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p2 (Wally, headshot)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p18, pan4 (Zeke, body)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2, p3 (Zeke, headshot)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#1, p8, pan3 (Lady of the Table)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#3, p23, pan4 (Camelot civilian
clothes)
Appearances:
King Arthur and the Knights of
Justice#1 (December, 1993) - Mike Lackey (writer), Keith Wilson
(pencils), Evelyn Stein (inks), Tom DeFalco (editor)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#2 (January, 1994) - Mike Lackey
(writer), Keith Wilson (pencils), Marie Severin (inks), Tom DeFalco
(editor)
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice#3 (February, 1994) - Mike Lackey
(writer), Keith Wilson (pencils), Marie Severin (inks), Renee
Witterstaetter (editor)
First posted:
05/09/18.
Last updated:
05/09/18.
Any Additions/Corrections? Please let
me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™
and
© 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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