The Conglomerate (comics)

The Conglomerate
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Justice League Quarterly #1 (Winter 1990)
Created by	Keith Giffen J.M. DeMatteis Chris Sprouse
In-story information
Member(s)	Templar Hardline Echo Booster Gold Maxi-Man Praxis Jesse Quick Nuklon Gypsy Vapor

The Conglomerate is a fictional DC Comics superhero team. They first appeared in Justice League Quarterly #1 (Winter 1990).^[1]

Fictional background

The Conglomerate is a corporate sponsored superhero team, created by Claire Montgomery as competition for the Justice League International, which is led by her ex-husband, Maxwell Lord. The Conglomerate has had three incarnations, the first led by Booster Gold, and including Praxis, Maxi-Man, Echo, Vapor (Carole Donahue), Reverb (Vibe's brother), and Gypsy. This team initially is hostile towards the JLI (Booster had recently quit the group over his perceived lack of respect from his peers), but the two groups gradually become more friendly. Eventually, the members of this version of the Conglomerate drift away. Booster Gold parts ways with the team during an attack upon New York by Despero. Claire does not want the team to go, as they will only get in the way. Gold, who figures he has enough experience with the League, leaves on his own.^[1]

However, the Conglomerate has an upcoming competition with the JLI, and Montgomery quickly recruits an all-new team, thanks to the dimension-spanning powers of would-be member Norman the Doorman. The new team includes Deadeye, Fiero, Frostbite, Elasti-Man, Element Man, Scarab, and Slipstream, interdimensional heroes who later are revealed as villains from Qward and defeated by the Justice League. Although this Qwardian team did not have a name, it can be assumed that they were another incarnation of the Crime Syndicate of America, as the characters appeared to be counterparts to Blue Beetle, the Flash, Fire, Ice, Green Arrow, Elongated Man, and Metamorpho.^[1]

Current status

The final version of the group is led by the British hero Templar, and features returning Conglomerate members Echo and Reverb (now Hardline), as well as more established heroes Nuklon and Jesse Quick. The current status of this Conglomerate is unknown; however, Jesse Quick (Liberty Belle II) and Nuklon (Atom Smasher) are now members of the JSA. It appears that the team has dissolved.

See also

• Blood Pack
• Hero Hotline
• Power Company
• Captains of Industry

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Beatty, Scott (2008). "Conglomerate". In Dougall, Alastair. The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 86. ISBN 0-7566-4119-5. OCLC 213309017. 

External links

• Conglomerate! at the Comic Book DB