Announced earlier yesterday from the CBC, the upcoming “Justice League United” by Jeff Lemire and Mike McKone is going to welcome an all-new character: Equinox!
Equinox is a 16-year old named Miiyahbin who will debut in “JLU’s” first arc: ‘Justice League Canada’ which will take place in the rural communities of Moose Factory and Moosonee: the two most Canadian names I’ve ever heard of. As of now, not many details about her powers have been explained but they’re said to be related to the seasons which could be really interesting visually.
Not only is Equinox the first Cree superhero, but Jeff Lemire went out of his way to ensure that he represented the Cree culture as correctly as possible, by consulting them in his trips up to Moose Factory and Moosonee where he was teaching classes to grade school kids. In this quote form the CBC interview, Lemire had this to say about the character and her potential legacy, as well as the potential backlash he might face:
“Whether Equinox becomes an enduring character in the DC universe remains to be seen, admitted Lemire, who also said he is cognizant of potential controversy as “a white guy from Toronto” trying to tell a native-inspired story.
However, he said, “If I end up going [north] a few times and teaching kids how to draw or about comics, and 10 years from now some kid from James Bay ends up writing or drawing [his or her] own comics, then none of that other stuff will matter because the project was worth it.”
What a cool guy. We at Multiversity share the hope that Equinox will become an enduring character and can’t wait to meet her when “Justice League United” drops this April. In the meantime, check out some concept art from Lemire below and tell us your thoughts in the comments!
