Justice League of America #253

Issue Details

Synopsis

"Pyre" Despero, proclaiming his godhood, turns a skyscraper into an extinct creature from his planet's past. Gypsy con-fuses it with her illusion power, and the others knock it down by using Elongated Man as a slingshot. As Batman and Vixen discuss Despero's new power, the alien decides to reveal his origin to them. His planet has been totally destroyed by unsafe nuclear reactors, which mutated lower forms of life into intelligent species centuries ago. His ancestors emerged as the dominant species and enslaved the planet, but they were so competitive that they killed off every family except his own. His parents tried to kill each other after his birth, and his father succeeded. Despero killed him in turn when he came of age. Despero ruled for nearly a century, until one of his captive scientists, Jasonar, escaped and gained the help of the Justice League, who defeated him. His most recent defeat sent him to the Flame of Py'tar, an unabated nuclear fire from the holocaust on his planet, where he risked transformation or death. He now stands transformed, able to will whatever he wants into existence, as long as he renews his power in the replica of the Flame which he has created in Gotham City. With the means of Despero's defeat revealed, Batman and Vixen escape to implement the Flame's destruction, but they find their teammates already beaten and unconscious. Origin of Despero