The Hall of Justice, or simply the Hall, is a fictional headquarters[1][2] appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The Hall of Justice serves as a headquarters for the Justice League.
It was first introduced in the Super Friends animated series on September 8, 1973, and it eventually appeared in comic book titles related to the Justice League, as well as video games and other media. The show was produced by Hanna-Barbera, then a division of Cincinnati-based Taft Broadcasting. Al Gmuer, a key background artist at Hanna-Barbera, designed a building for the superhero headquarters that took inspiration from Cincinnati Union Terminal. Gmuer later complained that his employer Joe Barbera and his development team made the Hall of Justice design into almost an exact replica of the terminal against his wishes.[3][4][5]
Union Terminal was also featured in the 1996 DC comic book series Terminal City.[6] The Six Flags Magic Mountain: Justice League: Battle for Metropolis ride is a replica of the Hall of Justice,[7] and the building initially housing the Hall of Heroes Superhero Museum in Elkhart, Indiana, was modeled after the Hall of Justice, though on a smaller scale.[8]
Design
In 1973, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) acquired rights to the DC Comics characters and partnered with animation company Hanna-Barbera to adapt the Justice League of America comic book for television, changing the name to the Super Friends, and adapting various elements of the comics to be more family-friendly.[9] The producers of the series "wanted a grand headquarters for their heroes".[3] The task was assigned to Al Gmuer, background supervisor for Hanna-Barbera for more than 30 years, with a knowledge of architecture.[3]
Gmuer apparently modeled the fortress after the art deco Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, a train station turned museum.[10]
Appearances
Television
Animation
The Hall appeared in the first episode of the Super Friends series, which premiered on September 8, 1973. The Hall serves as the central meeting point for the Super Friends, and was therefore a primary location for narrative exposition in most episodes of the show; the narrator would typically introduce scene changes to events occurring at the Hall with "Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice...". The phrase, voiced by narrator Ted Knight,[12] became a meme in itself. Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet and the Batmobile would often be spotted resting on the front lawn,[1] near the large fountain and sculpture that were ever present. A main feature of the building is a large central meeting room with a round table surrounded by chairs for the members of the Justice League to meet and confer.[10]
External links
References
- Anthony Couto. Discover the Strange History of DC's Hall of Justice CBR, June 30, 2017^
- Hall of Justice actionfigureinsider.com^
- Alex Shebar. Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice... The Cincinnati Enquirer, Gannett Company, March 25, 2009, retrieved July 8, 2019