| JOHNNY SORROW | BIOGRAPHY |
| Created by Geoff Johns and Stephen Sadowski |
Johnny Sorrow
 |
PERSONAL DATA
Occupation: Supervillain, former silent screen actor
Marital Status: Widower, killed his wife Andrea
Known Relatives: Andrea Sorrow (wife; deceased)
Base of Operation: Chicago
Group Affiliation(s): Injustice Society
Gender: Male
Height: N/A
Weight: None in intangible form, unknown as human
Eyes: None in intangible form, Blue as human
Hair: None in intangible form, Black with Silver Streak as human
First Appearance: Secret Origins of Super-Villains 80-Page Giant #1/6 (December 1999)
Creators: Geoff Johns and Stephen Sadowski
| Sorrow simply wants to winess your destruction, Canary. To slander your reputations and create misery and anarchy across the world. Quote taken from JLA/JSA: Virtue & Vice |
OVERVIEW
Johnny Sorrow was a petty criminal, but when one of his gadgets overloaded when he was attacked by Sandy, he was sucked into a strange nether dimension. Here he encountered many ancient beings, who desired no more than to enter our reality, and used him to help bring it about. He then became intangible and semi-invisible and if you saw his face, you died. His first attempt to allow the King of Tears to break through into our world was thwarted by the Justice Society and the Spectre, and he was not seen for many years. Now he is back, as the brains behind the new Injustice Society, sending a number of villains into battle against Wildcat while he stole the King of Tears artefact from Jay Garrick's workshop. He then attempted once more to unleash the King of Tears and basically bring about the end of the world, opposed by the heroes of the new JSA, including the Flash, who sent him back to his own dimension. It was thought that Johnny would never return, but he has, first working with Despero on a plan that set members of the JSA and JLA against each other, and later as the self-declared head of the Injustice Society, not allowing its members to leave.
HISTORY
In 1944, Johnny Sorrow, former silent film actor and now villain, battled the Justice Society of America (Starman, Sandman, and Hawkman), Hawkgirl, and Sandy the Golden Boy (Sanderson Hawkins) in Opal City. Despite being ordered by the Sandman to withdraw, Sandy landed a harpoon on the teleportation device that Johnny Sorrow was wearing. Sorrow was ripped apart and taken to the "subtle realms."
Over the course of the next six months, the King of Tears recreated Sorrow into a horrific form and returned him to Earth. Sorrow hunted down his wife, Andrea, and removed the mask that contained his true form. Upon seeing this form, Andrea dropped dead. Sorrow blamed Sandy the Golden Boy, and hunted him down.
Sorrow found Sandy and abducted him, taking him to Chicago. Sorrow also slayed the Seven Shadows, except for the Scarab, who recruited the Justice Society. The same group, minus Starman and plus Green Lantern and the Flash, attacked with the Scarab, only to all be outdone by the Spectre, who stopped Sorrow and reduced the King of Tears to tears, which Green Lantern contained. Sorrow escaped, and saved the Icicle's life after he was defeated by Green Lantern. (JSA #18, Secret Origins of Super-Villains 80-Page Giant #1/6)
Almost 60 years later, Sorrow recruited the second Icicle with the story of how he saved his father's life, then continued to recruit Geomancer, Count Vertigo, Blackbriar Thorn, Tigress III, and Killer Wasp. They became the new Injustice Society. (JSA #9)
Sorrow then attacked the JSA's headquarters, only inhabited by Wildcat. Johnny Sorrow stole the King of Tears, despite the entire Injustice Society being defeated by Wildcat. Only Blackbriar Thorn failed to escape, having been shattered by a drop down several stories. His wooden body could only take so much. (JSA #10)
Soon after, the Injustice Society struck again; adding to their ranks Black Adam, Shiv, Rival, and the Thinker, who was reborn as a hologram from within the JSA's computers. Elsewhere, Johnny Sorrow revealed to the Scarab his intentions to use the King of Tears to destroy the world. After stopping Geomancer, Killer Wasp, and Count Vertigo, Dr. Mid-nite II, Black Canary II, and Sand (Formerly Sandy) attacked Johnny Sorrow, who apparently killed Dr. Mid-Nite and the Scarab, whom was used by Sorrow to return the King of Tears to the world. Sorrow than took Sand and vanished. (JSA #16-#20)
Due to his blindness, Dr. Mid-Nite survived the vision of Johnny Sorrow's face. Black Adam apparently reformed and lead the new Spectre to the JSA's aid. This time, the King of Tears dispatched the Spectre quickly. However, Mid-Nite vanquished Johnny Sorrow by replaying the image of the face. Sorrow froze, and Jay Garrick destroyed him with help from the speed of Black Adam, who had betrayed the Injustice Society and brought the Spectre, who lost against the King of Tears in a desperate attempt to save the world. (JSA #19-#20)
Yet again, Sorrow turned up. He allied himself with Despero, an apparently deceased foe of the Justice League of America, and attacked Shazam and the Rock of Eternity. Sorrow used the powers he'd been given and froze Shazam, who would have been able to survive had Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Black Adam, and Captain Marvel 3 not tapped his lightning. Sorrow than freed the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man (Pride, Envy, Greed, Anger Sloth, Lust, Gluttony) from the Rock of Eternity.
Despero then took over Lex Luthor's body, and Sorrow possessed seven members of the Justice League and Justice Society, binding each of them to one of the Seven Deadly Enemies. The teams, however, called in their reserves, freed Batman and Captain Marvel (who had stolen Mary, CM3, and Black Adam's lightning), and, with the lightning of Shazam back in Shazam, exorcised the demons. The Green Lanterns captured Sorrow in the ensuing fight, and used his face to rid Luthor of Despero. (JLA/JSA: Virtue & Vice)
Banished from the Earthly plane, Sorrow then sought a way back, and found one in the addled mind of the Wizard. At Johnny Sorrow's behest, the Wizard gathered various members of the Injustice Society to retrieve the Cosmic Key from the JSA's headquarters. The key could bring Sorrow back, but it needed a sacrifice, which was provided by Ragdoll, who tried to betray the team and take the Key for himself. Johnny then declared the Injustice Society back in business, and made it quite clear that none of its members have any choice in the matter. (JSA: Classified #5-#7)
POWERS AND WEAPONS
Johnny Sorrow has been through the abyssal planes twice. Originally, he only had powers as endowed by the devices he stole. After his first time through, his face was horribly disfigured, and, by removing his mask, could kill anybody who could see his face. In addition, he was able now to phase through solids. After the second journey, he gained the talent to reformulate his mask.
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Johnny Sorrow in chronological order click here