HOME | DD

Description
"Deus vult! God wills it!"

Born in late 12th century England, Sir Justin Arthur came from a long and prestigious lineage. His great-grandfather, Richard Fitzroy, fought as a knight under William the Conqueror in the Battle of Hastings and in quelling the rebellion in York, while Justin's own grandfather, Joffrey, was one of the few English knights who embarked on the First Crusade under William the Conqueror's eldest son, Robert Curthose. Since he was a boy, Justin dreamed of becoming a knight like his grandfather, and attain glory and prestige. At the age of 7, he and his childhood friend, Jason Blood, were taken in as pages to Sir William Marshal: the greatest knight in England at the time. Knighted at the age of 20, Justin fought for Richard the Lionheart in the battles against his own father, Henry II of England. For his services, Justin was rewarded and invested as lord of Colchester, in Essex. Yet after Richard was crowned king, Justin decided he would accompany his monarch, and go forth on the Third Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem from the hands of Saladin, the legendary noble Kurdish Sultan. He fought in Richard's army, on a campaign that would last for 3 long years. He was accompanied by Sir Jason Blood, who was betrothed to his older sister, Eleanor.

However, during and after the capture of Acre, Justin saw the truth of what it meant to go on crusade: killing innocent men, women and children, all in the name of Christ. To atone for this, Justin attempted to befriend the local Jews, Muslims and Eastern Christians of Acre, yet he also became more concerned for Jason's wellbeing, as his brother-in-law became colder, more ruthless and violent. And that all came to a head in the form of a tragic incident involving Acre's captured Muslim prisoners. Richard the Lionheart intended to negotiate with Saladin, the exchange all 3000 civilians for the return of the True Cross that Saladin captured at the Battle of Hattin in 1187. To that end, he ordered that his soldiers stand guard over the prisoners in the dungeons of Acre's citadel. Justin earned respect among them when he paid the ransom for two of the civilians: a spice merchant named Yusuf, and his wife Fatima. This act of kindness helped ingratiate him with the local Muslims, and he even thought of going native and settling down in Outremer. However, Jason, blinded by religious zeal, went on a murderous rampage, and killed the remaining men, women and children. Justin tried to stop him, even attempting to evacuate Muslim women and children from the carnage, but to no avail. Upon seeing the prisoners' corpses, Richard was horrified, and ordered Jason be hanged. After this, Justin grew disillusioned in the cause of the Crusades, but he continued to serve his king and fought in the battles of Arsuf and Jaffa. Though the Crusade was a minor victory, Justin felt he would find better success crusading against the Pagan Lithuanians with the Teutonic Knights in Prussia. However, his ship was taken by a storm and sunken in the Arctic Ocean, where he lay in suspended animation until the 21st Century. He woke up in a very strange place, a medical facility in the Hall of Justice in Washington DC: headquarters of the Justice League. During the Crusades, Justin had killed his own share of innocents and committed his own share of sins. He decided to aid Superman and the Justice League, believing that in doing so, he would truly redeem himself by protecting the innocent and the weak, determined to face all intergalactic and supernatural threats to mankind, while also embarking on a new crusade against tyranny and oppression.

In the comics, they were giving Shining Knight all sorts of twists and turns that I didn't even know where they were going with the character, plus there are no historical references to King Arthur, at least to many a historian. Plus, it's commonly accepted that English armies of the Middle Ages didn't really adopt the use of knights until after the Norman Conquest of 1066. So, for this take of Shining Knight, I decided to give him a more historically accurate, and grounded backstory by revamping him as a crusader. The armor that Sir Justin wears is reminiscent of what he wore in the comics, with some modifications. For instance, his helmet now sports a nasal guard to protect his nose and face. The surcoat reaches down to his knees, as does his mail hauberk. His sword's grip is shorter, as he prefers to use it in combination with a shield (which is not shown). As a knight trained in the ways of Medieval warfare, Sir Justin is a great warrior, dedicating himself to the cause of peace and love, bringing justice and mercy wherever he goes. Yet he is also a deeply devout Catholic, hoping that he can someday atone for all the carnage he wrought both in Richard's rebellions, and while on Crusade. Ironically, during a trip to England, he was shocked to find that he was still revered for his service to Richard the Lionheart, and for his countless efforts to protect the Earth, Queen Elizabeth II had him inducted into the Order of the Garter. In combat, Justin uses the typical weapons of a knight of the late 12th and early 13th centuries: the lance, arming sword, axe, mace and dagger. He also prefers to fight from horseback, as he was trained how to ride since he was a boy. After his near-death pummeling at the hands of a mutated general Wade Eiling, Sir Justin decided to make two new panoplies of plate armor, to withstand stronger attacks from more powerful foes.

Disclaimer: Shining Knight belongs to DC Comics, Henry Lynne Perkins, & Creig Flessel.

Description
"Deus vult! God wills it!"

Born in late 12th century England, Sir Justin Arthur came from a long and prestigious lineage. His great-grandfather, Richard Fitzroy, fought as a knight under William the Conqueror in the Battle of Hastings and in quelling the rebellion in York, while Justin's own grandfather, Joffrey, was one of the few English knights who embarked on the First Crusade under William the Conqueror's eldest son, Robert Curthose. Since he was a boy, Justin dreamed of becoming a knight like his grandfather, and attain glory and prestige. At the age of 7, he and his childhood friend, Jason Blood, were taken in as pages to Sir William Marshal: the greatest knight in England at the time. Knighted at the age of 20, Justin fought for Richard the Lionheart in the battles against his own father, Henry II of England. For his services, Justin was rewarded and invested as lord of Colchester, in Essex. Yet after Richard was crowned king, Justin decided he would accompany his monarch, and go forth on the Third Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem from the hands of Saladin, the legendary noble Kurdish Sultan. He fought in Richard's army, on a campaign that would last for 3 long years. He was accompanied by Sir Jason Blood, who was betrothed to his older sister, Eleanor.

However, during and after the capture of Acre, Justin saw the truth of what it meant to go on crusade: killing innocent men, women and children, all in the name of Christ. To atone for this, Justin attempted to befriend the local Jews, Muslims and Eastern Christians of Acre, yet he also became more concerned for Jason's wellbeing, as his brother-in-law became colder, more ruthless and violent. And that all came to a head in the form of a tragic incident involving Acre's captured Muslim prisoners. Richard the Lionheart intended to negotiate with Saladin, the exchange all 3000 civilians for the return of the True Cross that Saladin captured at the Battle of Hattin in 1187. To that end, he ordered that his soldiers stand guard over the prisoners in the dungeons of Acre's citadel. Justin earned respect among them when he paid the ransom for two of the civilians: a spice merchant named Yusuf, and his wife Fatima. This act of kindness helped ingratiate him with the local Muslims, and he even thought of going native and settling down in Outremer. However, Jason, blinded by religious zeal, went on a murderous rampage, and killed the remaining men, women and children. Justin tried to stop him, even attempting to evacuate Muslim women and children from the carnage, but to no avail. Upon seeing the prisoners' corpses, Richard was horrified, and ordered Jason be hanged. After this, Justin grew disillusioned in the cause of the Crusades, but he continued to serve his king and fought in the battles of Arsuf and Jaffa. Though the Crusade was a minor victory, Justin felt he would find better success crusading against the Pagan Lithuanians with the Teutonic Knights in Prussia. However, his ship was taken by a storm and sunken in the Arctic Ocean, where he lay in suspended animation until the 21st Century. He woke up in a very strange place, a medical facility in the Hall of Justice in Washington DC: headquarters of the Justice League. During the Crusades, Justin had killed his own share of innocents and committed his own share of sins. He decided to aid Superman and the Justice League, believing that in doing so, he would truly redeem himself by protecting the innocent and the weak, determined to face all intergalactic and supernatural threats to mankind, while also embarking on a new crusade against tyranny and oppression.

In the comics, they were giving Shining Knight all sorts of twists and turns that I didn't even know where they were going with the character, plus there are no historical references to King Arthur, at least to many a historian. Plus, it's commonly accepted that English armies of the Middle Ages didn't really adopt the use of knights until after the Norman Conquest of 1066. So, for this take of Shining Knight, I decided to give him a more historically accurate, and grounded backstory by revamping him as a crusader. The armor that Sir Justin wears is reminiscent of what he wore in the comics, with some modifications. For instance, his helmet now sports a nasal guard to protect his nose and face. The surcoat reaches down to his knees, as does his mail hauberk. His sword's grip is shorter, as he prefers to use it in combination with a shield (which is not shown). As a knight trained in the ways of Medieval warfare, Sir Justin is a great warrior, dedicating himself to the cause of peace and love, bringing justice and mercy wherever he goes. Yet he is also a deeply devout Catholic, hoping that he can someday atone for all the carnage he wrought both in Richard's rebellions, and while on Crusade. Ironically, during a trip to England, he was shocked to find that he was still revered for his service to Richard the Lionheart, and for his countless efforts to protect the Earth, Queen Elizabeth II had him inducted into the Order of the Garter. In combat, Justin uses the typical weapons of a knight of the late 12th and early 13th centuries: the lance, arming sword, axe, mace and dagger. He also prefers to fight from horseback, as he was trained how to ride since he was a boy. After his near-death pummeling at the hands of a mutated general Wade Eiling, Sir Justin decided to make two new panoplies of plate armor, to withstand stronger attacks from more powerful foes.

Disclaimer: Shining Knight belongs to DC Comics, Henry Lynne Perkins, & Creig Flessel.