Fictional character biography
Justice was a middle-aged DEA agent named John Tensen, whose wife was killed by vengeful members of organized crime. He was undercover at the time of the "White Event", investigating Daedalus Darquill and his son Damon Conquest, who were running drugs out of their front company, Conquest Dynamics. He begins experiencing headaches as his psionic powers manifest. Eventually his cover is blown, and Darquill uses his own newfound parability to remake himself, Tensen, and the others around him into characters from a fantasy dimension, the "Far Place". Tensen's new identity is that of a law-enforcing knight called a "Justice Warrior", who was having an illicit affair with Queen Endolana of the Land of Spring when he was exiled to Earth.[2]
As a Justice Warrior, Tensen has a self-assured, black-and-white sense of right and wrong, supported by his ability to see people's inner auras and thus determine at a glance whether they are good or evil; it is never revealed whether Darquill was able to give him this power for real or the power of suggestion convinced Tensen that he was seeing people's auras, with a combination of simple observation and luck contributing to its accuracy. Using his normal paranormal powers, he almost invariably executes people with evil auras, even if they surrender. His primary mission is to stop Darquill and Conquest, who in Darquill's fantasy are evil wizards from the Land of Winter. He learns Earth's ways while befriending Rebecca Chambers, a DEA agent with a "golden aura" denoting utmost purity, and Arnie, a cab driver. He battles Hounds, soulless creatures created by Darquill.[3] Eventually, Chambers is brainwashed by the Wizards of Winter against Justice. This helps Damon to manipulate Justice into deep despair and anger, and these dire emotions feed a machine constructed by the Wizards to destroy Spring.[4] The wizard Webstral escapes to Earth and, as he tells of Spring's fall and the king's death, heals Justice of the impurity caused by his earlier injuries before perishing.[5]
Before he can return to liberate the land of Spring, Justice finds himself tormented by memories of his real past as John Tensen. He turns to dream therapist Keith Remsen. Darquill sends Chambers to kill them, and Justice is forced to kill her in their defense. He travels to the Far Place and kills Conquest before Darquill again banishes him to Earth. By this time, Remsen has determined that the Far Place is entirely constructed by a comatose Darquill, and shows his sleeping body to Justice as proof. Against Remsen's warnings, Justice kills Darquill in his sleep; this destroys his identity as the Justice Warrior and leaves only John Tensen.[6] Afterwards, Remsen spends months honing Tensen's mental defenses so that he will never again be enthralled.[7] However, whenever Tensen is drugged or fatigued these defenses are weakened, and he once again retreats into his "Justice Warrior" persona, suffering severe audiovisual hallucinations.[8]
No longer able to see good and evil auras, Tensen's ability to see the distinct aura of a paranormal surfaces, and he turns to executing paranormals who abuse their abilities, leaving only his victims' heads and hands intact and drawing the scales of justice in their ashes. He becomes known as "The Justice Killer" by newspapers. During this time, his interest is captured by Miriam Morse, a.k.a. Playback, a psychic who can replay images of crime scenes. The authorities, including the National Security Agency, pursue and catch Justice at Pitt-Aid, a benefit concert.[9] Remembering his roots as an agent for the Department of Justice, Tensen agrees to serve as a special operative of the NSA. They reintroduce him to Playback, now one of his co-agents, and his teenage daughter, Angela, who has the paranormal ability to reanimate the dead. As his first assignment, the NSA tells him to deal with a gang of vigilantes who emulate him. An order from Justice for them to cease their activities is misinterpreted, and they commit mass suicide.[10] This tragedy helps to convince Tensen to end his "Justice Killer" doings and to temper his justice with mercy.[11]
The NSA comes into conflict with Judge Mental, leader of the Forsaken, a group of freakish paranormals hiding at Coney Island. One of Judge Mental's agents blows up NSA headquarters. Tensen kills Judge Mental and his right-hand man, Seraph. Along with Angie and her boyfriend, Victor "Kleenex" Pasko, he then presides over the Forsaken in Judge Mental's place.[12]
