Justice League United #5

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE MIDAYO AND THE WHITAGO  Martian Manhunter has decided to take in the alien child Ultra, despite the danger. Now that they are on Earth again, he and the other members of the united team of heroes have the opportunity to meet Miiyahbin Marten and her friend Heather, who Alanna Strange explains, have just fought a Whitago. Miiyahbin tells of how the Whitago are monsters that were once people who starved to death or went crazy. They are the Bogeymen of the Inuit people. She admits that she doesn't know how she came to have super-powers, but she would like to ask her grandmother about it.   She is interrupted by the sound of Green Arrow's JLA transmitter, alerting him to the fact that Hawkman - who is supposed to have been dead - has triggered it. Faced with two missions, J'onn suggests that Alanna take Miiyahbin and Heather to her grandmother while Oliver leads a team to the Polaris System to investigate the signal. From Rann, Sardath sends a message, admitting that he has been monitoring them as part of his attempts to get Adam Strange and Alanna back on Earth at the same time, on account of the Zeta Loop problem. He has also locked onto the beacon's location, and can send the away-team to it using a Zeta Beam. J'onn, meanwhile, remains behind to look after Ultra.   Upon arriving in the Polaris system, Oliver and company discover that the beacon is coming from a bar where bounty hunters gather.   Miiyahbin sends Heather home before visiting her grandmother with Alanna. When Miiyahbin explains that she saw the Whitago, her grandmother attempts to brush it off, but she can't when Miiyahbin says her word of power and transforms into Equinox. Her grandmother admits at last that she knew this day would come - that being Equinox is her destiny. She takes Miiyahbin's hands in hers and together, they say the word again. Instantly, they are transported to another place between the spirit world and their own. She explains that the power they hold is that of the protectors of the land. They are the Midayos, guided by the seven pillars of Cree life: Love, humility, bravery, truth, respect, wisdom, and honesty. They face resistance in the form of the seven dark pillars of dominion, control, aggression, deception, greed, selfishness, and fear, which are embodied by the Whitago. These two forces have fought since the dawn of creation - and Miiyahbin's father was one of those who was lost to the Whitago. It is important for Miiyahbin to know, her grandmother warns, that the Whitago cannot be destroyed - only stopped from harming others. Her fear of it must be fought with bravery.   Feeling responsible, Miiyahbin takes Alanna to the cave where she last saw the Whitago. As soon as they arrive, Alanna is attacked by it, and Miiyahbin reaches out, trying to reason with it; trying to draw her father out of it. She uses her power to drive away the spirit, and reveals her father's true form. Sadly, he apologizes for putting her through this before fading away to the spirit world. She admits later to Alanna that she feels some relieve after discovering these truths about herself. Alanna comments that perhaps it was in both of their destinies to meet in Moosonee and join the Justice League.   When the pair return to J'onn, they find him surprised to have learnt that Ultra can already speak - but one of the first things the child says is a warning that someone is coming. They are further surprised when that someone crashes through the roof of the bunker, and warns that he has travelled from the 31st Century to kill Ultra - lest the Legion of Super-Heroes die instead.