Who's Who in the DCU

Tim, I’ve got nothing here because I’m actually on the phone with my best friend. But it’s a cool good convo. Sadly I can’t hold two at the same time. Why don’t you tell us about your week?

What have I done this week? Umm…Janelle and I got the blades on hockey skates sharpened, I dressed up like Crocket for an 80’s party, I locked my keys in my car while it was running (I’m a genius) and learned that my car can run on a quarter tank of gas for approximately 2 hours and still not run out, I grocery shopped, I worked…a lot, and this very moment I am editing your brilliant prose. So, all in all, a pretty standard half a week in my life.

Hey, wait…your best friend? But I thought…nevermind…sob.

Links (same as last week)

Broken Dial has fun with Youtube.

Beyond the Threshold is consistent.

The DVD Lounge gives you multiples.

Inside Fights never takes a dive.

Machine Gun Funk sees the Swindle Sheet on Mondays?

Moodspins deals with “adult” topics.

Not a True Ending has a gamey musk.

Popcorn Junkies is for the theatre goer in you.

Primetime Pulse has their Top Ten Shows of 2006.

Retro Grading is like a trip down memory lane.

Tailgate Crashers is sporty.

Also check our our DC Boards which sees the return of BABOS!!

Tim, care to link?

I sure enough would. And I’m linking to… Oscar Nominees!. Some worthy, some not. Some snubs, It doesn’t really matter though, because what Oscar Night is really all about is me trouncing Ben Morse’s mom in prediction accuracy.

You hear that Mrs. Morse?! It is on!!!!!!

Books Last Week

Catwoman #63 – I really kind of love Catwoman’s rationale for not calling in help and her relationship with Calculator. But I really love that we’ve got a trip to Metropolis in our future. I’m darn near giddy.

The Spirit #2 – What a fun book! I get Darwyn Cooke art every month? I’m so there. This might be my favorite book to look at. Plus it’s fun and well written.

OMAC #7 – This mini has gone from being surprisingly good to “I’m glad it’s almost over.” But the art is pretty.

Huh…a Bruce Jones miniseries that fell apart? That is so unusual.

52: Week Thirty-Seven – So that’s who Supernova is. Golly. And Animal Man’s alive? Damn, I’m batting .500.

Well, the identity “revelation” was not much of a surprise and did come across a bit like the “revelation” of Hush’s identity (one of Ben’s Wizard cronies even compared it to the same situation…that’s right, Wizard people are biting off me these days). So that wasn’t good. The issue as a whole though, was not bad. It was essentially an info dump, but it was a logical one that pointed to some things that had not initially occurred to me and being surprised is always a good thing.

Green Lantern #16 – Yay, Amon Sur finally gets his due. But it looks like Cowgirl is dead. Maybe. Regardless, this book is way fun.

Batman Confidential #2 – Who’d have thunk that I’d enjoy a Superman book over its Batman counterpart? I wouldn’t have, but it’s the truth. This book is so less enjoyable than it should be.

Omega Men #4 – More good stuff. I’m digging the art and the storytelling. I liked the wrap up of events and about the mystical pieces. And seeing Lianna cutting loose.

Detective Chimp #1 – Rather disappointing. I expected more. It had some cool points, but it just didn’t click with me.

Se7en #2 – Pretty good, but not as good as the first issue and not really worth the wait.

Red Menace #3 – Great cover. Great art. The story is kind of slow, but it was good to see him completely given up on his gig.

Y the Last Man #53 – This was an odd issue. We hadn’t seen this character in way too many issues for us to care about her. But the issue still kind of worked, but it was off.

Sandman Mystery Theatre #2 – Good to see Wes up again and with such vigor. Plus the evolution of the hunt for the sleep gas formula is heating up. Good read.

The Creeper #4 – Boo. This issue wasn’t fun. This issue didn’t look fun. This mini has gone downhill fast. Boo.

Shadowpact #9 – And that’s a wrap. I’m officially done with this book. It was fun while it lasted, but I’d rather spend my money elsewhere.

Aaron only wants credit where credit is due.

I believe it’s the new Atom series that’s “based on a concept by Grant Morrison”. Forgive my ignorance, but I’ve never seen a “byline” like that before. Any idea if there’s a reason behind that uniquely worded “credit” or if that’s just how “credit” is given these days.

Well Aaron, I think that it’s really a mixture of a few factors.

Firstly I think that it is indeed a series based on a concept by Grant Morrison. I’ve never met the gent, but based on what I’ve read about him he seems like the type of guy who, when he gets on a roll, just keeps tossing things out. He’s certainly got more ideas than he’s got time to develop and I’m guessing that this is one such idea.

I also think that Grant’s name sells comics. He’s an “A list” talent in the comics world so attaching his name to a book seems like good marketing.

Ok, so that was just a “couple” of factors. But I think that they’re all valid

Oh, and the preceding answer was based on a question by Aaron Cameron.

Tim, can you think of any other reasons for the credit that Grant Morrison got?

My impression at the time, and I’m not sure if this has been borne out or not, was that DC came to Morrison and asked him if he wouldn’t mind retooling some concepts. Out of that came Seven Soldiers (which he took) and several other ideas. DC liked the other ideas as well, but Morrison said something to the effect of, “Bloody hell, you are overworking me as it is. Don’t you see I’m missing deadlines for the first time…EVER. I can’t write all those.”

DC thought about and decided that Morrison was right, he couldn’t write all those other books. However, the ideas were too good to pass up. And certainly, someone could write them, even if it wasn’t the man that started the ball rolling.

Thus, DC went back to him and offered to, in essence, buy the idea from him for the cost of that extra credit in the beginning of the book.

Shh…a genius is working.

I seem to remember articles more or less alluding to this situation. However, I’ve only seen the “bug” on the Atom book. Did the others fall by the wayside or are they just not ready yet? I do not have the answer on that.

Brock seems to refer to himself as “Number Five”. I’m not saying that makes him crazy or anything, but…

A question about last month’s Homecoming game between the Suicide Squad vs. Team Black Adam. It looks like the Persuader will be out for the season, a pretty amazing trick considering that the dude is living in the wrong millennium. I need details, Mathan! Who is this second Persuader? Is he a modern day predecessor to the 30th century axeman? The original Fatal Five member transplanted to the past? Mark Millar slumming? Number Five needs more input!

That is a very good question. Fortunately I’ve got an answer.

The recently deceased Persuader was once a man by the name of Cole Parker. Cole first appeared in Adventures of Superman #598. Back then Joe was just a disgruntled factory worker who lost his job because of that darn Brainiac 13 upgrade that swept through Metropolis.

Since he was just “Joe Average” he attacked the Daily Planet (which he held responsible for him losing his job) with a fire axe. Naturally he was locked up for his acts.

That has to be the weirdest ending to a statement that started, “Since was just Joe Average.”

But in Adventures of Superman #601, while locked up, a mysterious character visited Cole and gave him the Atomic Axe, which he used to break out and fight Superman. During the fight, Parker cut a dimensional tear and fell into it.

And then he was killed by Osiris. The end.

I find it very interesting that we’ve seen both the Atomic Axe and the Emerald Eye, two weapons associated with the 30th Century’s Fatal Five, in the 21st Century. What’s even more curious is why all of the Fatal Five is battling Batman and Blue Beetle in April’s Brave & the Bold #3.

Oh wait, I’m supposed to be answering questions, not raising them.

Tim, how do you feel about Osiris’ fall from grace?

I see it as yet another example of the bizarre attitude towards superhero-ing that the human members of the DCU possess. Freaking out when Wonder Woman snaps the neck of a seemingly defenseless guy? I get it. I mean, I think she deserves the benefit of the doubt given her years of being heroic and all, but I can understand the reaction. Black Adam ripping a man apart on TV when the man was clearly captured? Of course I understand people being frightened and outraged by that. Black Adam has a history of lethal force and there seemed to be no need for it in that case.

Osiris, on the other hand, flew through a guy that looks like the Persuader does (see at right) carrying a giant axe who just finished, more or less, exchanging in a bizarre almost sexually sadistic situation with Osiris’ sister. You telling me that the common man does not get the difference; that they wouldn’t understand?

If a police officer was in the same situation and killed Persuader via, let’s say, close range shotgun blast, there would be virtually no outcry. I just can’t buy that the DCU has a society that is so sheltered and naïve that they can’t differentiate between excessive force and self defense. And make no mistake, Osiris flying through Persuader was ultimately an act of self defense.

David P. can’t fit the pieces together

Is it true that there were a few discrepancies due to the change in who the villain of Armageddon 2001 was. I recall a JLE issue (in breakdowns I think) where a dream of Cathrene Coberts (JLE’s liaison at the time) featured a psychotic Captain Atom stalking her. Then the next page (with clearly changed dialogue) has them talking about Captain Atom’s death.

I’d have to guess that the issue in question is JLE #31. Y’see Breakdowns was running through both Justice League books at the time. However Armageddon 2001 occurred while Breakdowns was running and just before JLE #31 hit the presses, which might have accounted for some of the discrepancies in the issue.

For those of you who aren’t aware of the infamous story switch-up, Monarch, the villain in Armageddon 2001 was intended to be revealed as Captain Atom. However, that reveal leaked to the fans and DC, wanting to keep the element of surprise, hastily altered the storyline so that Hawk (of Hawk & Dove) would be revealed as Monarch’s secret identity. Fans cried foul and Captain Atom, as a character, never recovered.

Tim, do you think that DC handled the situation the right way?

Absolutely not.

I know that sounds a bit off given my feelings on Booster’s “reveal” in 52 this past week, but hear me out if you please. In “52” I didn’t know Booster was Supernova, it just seemed pretty obvious. However, DC still insisted on playing it as a mystery. Thus, when it was revealed that it was the guy we all thought it was, we were inevitably disappointed. However, if the mystery was strong and it was leaked that Booster was Supernova before the issue of 52 hit stands, I would not begrudge DC that at all. If the story is well-crafted, a surprise being revealed should not bring the house of cards down. It may not be as shocking as you hoped, but people will still enjoy it on the basis of it being a good story.

DC, however, showed a lack of confidence in their own product when they ditched Captain Atom for Hawk as Monarch. They showed, clearly, that the shock was the story, at least in their minds. Thus, a component became the focus. Inevitably, the story was no good as a result, especially since the choice of Hawk was made rather quickly and shoved into the book. (See below for a handy pictorial summary)

= – The Element of Surprise = Possibly a Good Story

WHEREAS

= A Hasty Decision + + Big Shock = No Chance of Being Good

A leaked surprise is not the end of the world. I still enjoy The Usual Suspects even though I know how it is going to end. A weak story with a rushed “new” ending to try and return the surprise, however, is. Imagine The Sixth Sense if, a week before it opened, someone posted the full script online and M. Night, in a tizzy, made it so Haley Joel Osment’s character was the ghost instead. It wouldn’t work and the movie would suffer as a result. However, even if you read the script before you saw it, The Sixth Sense remains one hell of a movie.

So, DC, you messed up.

R. Hardin never forgets

Your whole “7 X 7 Soldiers” thing got me to thinking. DC seems to be on a “let’s revive/revamp a bunch of obscure characters” kick lately, what with Seven Soldiers, Shadowpact, Lex’s Infinity, Inc., and others. So, if you were given an opportunity to do a “Forgotten Heroes” Team Book, where you could choose 7-10 underused, underdeveloped, stuck-in-limbo characters, either alive, dead, or just plain missing, who would you choose? I suppose you could also come up with a premise for their teaming up as well.

Ok, I guess the story starts with John Stewart and Bloodwynd sitting in a coffee shop and just talking. Bloodwynd isn’t the costumed character we saw last, rather he’s sporting dreds and a trench coat, has a goatee. He’s like John Constantine crossed with Coldcast.

Anyway, they’re shooting the breeze and debating the status of Black heroes. It’s a very meta conversation, with John being optimistic and pointing to Cyborg, Mr. Terrific, Vixen and Black Lightning, while Bloodwynd points out that neither of them have had any adventures of late and that Mohammed X is practically unknown outside his neighborhood.

And then Bloodwynd brings up Amazing Man. He points out that Blue Devil and (a) Crimson Fox are operating while people seem to have forgotten about Amazing Man. And John adds that the original Amazing Man was a huge influence on his father. So they decide that given their JLA credentials they could do a bit of looking into Amazing Man.

What they find is that his shards were taken to S.T.A.R. labs and put in storage, where they were filed away. But some enterprising lab tech stole the shards and sold them to collectors as “pieces of an authentic Justice League member.”

Completely disgusted, Bloodwynd and John decide that Amazing Man deserves to rest in peace with honor and vow to track down his pieces. But they decide it should be a group effort.

John wants to contact Amazing Man’s former teammates and other heroes he interacted with to assist, but Bloodwynd disagrees. Bloodwynd sees this as a “Black” issue and that they should focus on Black heroes, after all, if Amazing Man’s colleagues haven’t done anything in all these years, why would John think they’d care now? John reluctantly agrees.

So Bloodwynd contacts Bronze Tiger, Coldcast and Onyx while John recruits Empress and Mohammed X (Mohammed X and John have a heated discussion and instantly become an “odd couple”, while Empress is overwhelmed because he idolizes John.)

Then they go on to retrieve the pieces. Sometimes it’s a simple breaking and entering (perfect for Bronze Tiger, Empress and Onyx) while others require the strength that Mohammed X and Coldcast offer.) Some pieces are held by collectors who live in their parents basement, while others are possessed by people who wanted a piece of a dead Black hero.

But eventually they get all of the pieces and decide to give Amazing Man a proper send off. Bloodwynd suggests Marzal, (a dimension hopping island that’ll be the home to future Legionnaire Tyroc.) Once on Marzal however the pieces reform and Amazing Man returns to life. Before everyone can celebrate he warns them that while he was on the other side, he saw something on the horizon, a threat that they need to stop.

And that’s my team. Empress, Mohammed X, Amazing Man, Bronze Tiger, John Stewart, Bloodwynd, Coldcast and Onyx. (Much thanks to everyone over on the DC’s Version of The Crew from the DC Boards for providing the inspiration.)

Tim, who would be in your band of forgotten heroes?

First, I have to say, that is a pretty neat lineup. I mean, it ruins my Amazing Man revamp and for that I shall never forgive you, but it sounds interesting. I think you can do a little better on Bloodwynd’s new look though, but that’s just me.

As for myself, goodness have you come to the right place for obscure heroes teaming up because man oh man, I love me some obscure heroes.

Now you mentioned Seven Soldiers (or 7×7 actually, but still) so that get me to thinking about Vigilante. Now Vigilante’s not on my team, but he gets the ball rolling. See, the Vigilante has a nephew, Michael Carter, a forgotten piece of continuity. This nephew took on the role of “Swashbuckler” and appeared once, in a Batman story. I have actually already revamped him here but long story short, Vigilante visits Swashbuckler in the midst of the Seven Soldiers story (after he “died” but probably before he appeared to his former enemy as detailed in Bulleteer #3) and tells Swash that the Seven Soldiers are close to fulfilling their destiny and soon there will be no need for them. However, Swash is like his uncle in that it is his destiny to assemble a group of forgotten heroes to face down a horrible threat. Before Swash can ask more, Vigilante leaves him with a cryptic remark about destiny telling him what he’ll need to do and telling him to see the country (or something to that effect).

So, that’s what Swash does. He packs up his stuff and hits the road to round up his “Forgotten Heroes”.

First, Swashbuckler encounters Rafael Sandoval, a former City Council member who pushed too hard against the political machine in his town and was eventually forced out by a more “agreeable” candidate. At a protest that rages into a riot, Sandoval steps up and does what he can to save lives and quell the problem. A gun is drawn and Carter steps in and saves Sandoval’s life. Later, the two meet over drinks, Sandoval reveals he too was a vigilante at one time called El Diablo. Carter, seeing this as the fate his uncle was talking about, begins to pitch Diablo on joining the team. Diablo rejects him and goes home. However, the next morning as Carter is preparing to leave, there is Sandoval waiting for him.

This kind of pattern would be the way things would go for the first few issues. Carter and his ever growing team would wander the US on more or less whim, gut feeling, and dreams and encounter almost, has-been, or never-was heroes along the way.

Not all heroes they would run into would join. For example, in Delta City, the Forgotten would encounter the Heckler who would send them the way of Vext. Vext, of course, cannot be a superhero (as per the rules of his exile) but due to his bad luck “abilities” he will be in possession of Aztek’s helmet which fell out of the sky and struck him a few days before. From there, the team would travel to Vanity where they’d stumble upon a young Dr. Falconer who, upon seeing the helmet, is reawakened to his “true” life as Uno, Champion of the Q Society, the Ultimate Man…Aztek!

Eventually, the team would be made up of Swashbuckler, Aztek, El Diablo, Orpheus (a new hero from Detroit who was inspired by the short-lived Gotham hero), Bloodhound, Bloodwynd (yeah, I get him too), Black Orchid, Deep Blue, the android Hourman, Argus, Xero, and Mystek. They would have also stumbled upon characters like Major Bummer (you know, Lou Martin), Secret, Arrowette, Empress, Onyx, Triumph, and Halo who would not join for various reasons.

A few issues in, at the same time, we (although not the Forgotten until much later) would become aware of a very similar organizing of an obscure group of villains to oppose the forgotten.

It would play out like a non-post-apocalyptic Stand as we’d come to realize that the villains were being moved into place by the Shadow God (working through Aztek’s half brother, of course) as his avatars. Given the nature of the pending crisis, Aztek would move to the front of the pack, causes dissension and jealousy as Swashbuckler feels he is being pushed out of his own team.

In other words, the whole thing would be a big personal indulgence. Hell, I’d probably find a way to work my hometown of Newington (the WU!) into the proceeding when the Forgotten went to Hartford, CT to snag Hourman. But, I’d have a hell of a good time writing it.

And yes, I have a pretty damn good idea who my villains would be too.

Kirk ponders how someone can be dead but not
So first off, I came across an old trade I had: Green Lantern vs Aliens. Half decent for a crossover, started with Hal and the Lanterns fighting the Aliens and imprisoning them on Mogo, only to have them break out after the whole Parallax deal, which had Kyle and a few former Lanterns traveling out there to contain the Aliens and save a downed spaceship and its crew. The story featured a few of the old GLs dying and one which, especially now, caught my eye – Salakk.
Considering he’s in the GL Corps series now, I’m wondering if his death was ever address in the actual GL comics or if this is one of those “It happened in an inter-company crossover so it never really happened” or “Superboy Prime Punched Time” deals.
Also, apart from the Cosmic Egg that Krona was trapped in during JLA/Avengers, has there ever been something from an inter-company crossover that left a lasting impression in the DCU?
Sadly this is a case of “it happened in an inter-company crossover so it never really happened” type affairs. I guess I’m not too sad, because I kind of like Salakk so I’d hate to see him dead.

But yeah, as a general rule those “DC character X meets Company Y’s Character” never happened on the DCU side of things. It doesn’t make much sense for DC to have events pivotal to their line occur in books that they don’t have sole ownership of.

I think that Green Lantern vs Aliens was just an attempt to appease both the Hal and the Kyle fans. It seems very much like a “best of both worlds” type scenario.

As for the Cosmic Egg that played a role in Busiek’s regrettable run on JLA, there was also supposed to be a follow up on the Marvel side of things. But Marvel seems to want to forget that JLA/Avengers ever took place. I mean unless you count Wanda’s insanity, which many attribute to her trip to the DCU.

Tim, what’s your stance on crossovers?

If you are talking “should they count or not”, I tend to lean towards not. My reason being is that it allows the crossovers to take place in a shared universe. I prefer the idea, for some reason, that DC or Marvel heroes could run into each other at any moment as opposed to some sort of cosmic intervention forcing them onto the same plane. However, if one is to add continuity into it, having both universes sync up to a crossover is a bit nightmarish. I mean, each universe has its own continuity problems to contend with; imagine adding in inter-company crossovers to contend with. Thus, “not counting” works nicely for me.

On the other hand, there have been a few that “counted” that I enjoyed. For instance, Stormwatch/Aliens was turned out to be an utterly huge story in the scheme of Stormwatch and led directly into the creation of the Authority. That’s great utilization there. Similarly, DC and Marvel did two Batman/Punisher crossovers in the 90’s that were sent in present continuity so we were able to see Punisher interact with the arguably as violent (and possibly crazier) Az-Bats in one installment and the more controlled, anti-killing Bruce Wayne Batman in the other. Of course, neither had the consequences of Stormwatch/Aliens, but I recall them as being two of the better Marvel/DC crossovers so clearly that approach worked.

There is also the rare crossover that establishes its own continuity. You can see this in the two Spider-Man/Batman crossovers (again, from the 90’s). There were no events in either of them that caused ripples in their respective universes and they are both set in a nether region of continuity that is probably best described as “iconic”. Still, the connected with one another in that the first crossover ended with them being friendly (well, friendly-ish…this is still the 90’s Batman we are talking about after all) and shaking hands. That ending is directly referred to in their second team-up. Thus, no universal continuity, but crossover continuity was established.

However, overall, for everyone’s sake, continuity-less crossovers are the way to go.

Aaron values punctuality

When I started collecting back in the 80s, I remember the occasional title being delayed from one month to the next. In the early ’90s, during the comic speculator boom, I seem to remember delays happening more and more frequently. I imagine this is something that’s not so much a problem, anymore…or is it? (I guess it’s been a problem with the latest Wonder Woman series) And, have there been any notable and/or infamous delays in the middle of a storyline?

Aaron, this is still an issue. Perhaps you’ve heard of a certain little title called All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder? That’s pretty much the most egregious example of a monthly ongoing series. But here are some more examples of late books.

Daredevil/Bullseye: Target – It began in November 2002 and has yet to be wrapped up. I’m pretty sure it was launched to capitalize on the release of the Daredevil movie.

Daredevil: Father – a mini created by Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada. The final issue arrived late last year, eleven months tardy.

Secret War – This mini was supposed to be a huge Marvel event, but lateness not only required rewrites (to fix continuity) but dulled the demand.

Ultimate Hulk vs Wolverine – began in December 2005 and has yet to end.

Civil War – a seven issue, continuity altering miniseries that began last summer is due to end in February. It’s caused delays in other Marvel books as a result of its tardiness.

Wonder Woman – This relaunched title isn’t even bimonthly.

Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do – began in August 2002 and ended in January 2006.

Dark Knight Strikes Again – The final issue of this three issue mini was tardy and many fans felt it wasn’t worth the wait.

Seven Soldiers #1 – This concluding chapter of the Seven Soldiers saga arrived months late.

< b>The Authority & Wildcats – Both of these books were advertised as bimonthly, yet a second issue has yet to arrive in stores.

Fell – This great detective book is leaving me in a lurch, but every issue is a self contained story, so it’s not that big a deal, I guess.

So yeah, Aaron, late books are still an issue. Sometimes it’s the fault lies with the writer (Daredevil/Bullseye, Ultimate Hulk vs Wolverine and sometimes it’s the artists fault (All-Star Batman, Civil War). But late books are here and they’re tolerated.

Tim, what’s your stance on late comic books?

I think, by in large, we waste entirely too much time complaining about late books. Which is not to say I don’t enjoy books shipping on time. However, for me, there is never a week where I can’t go to the comic store and find at least one book to read and enjoy. Thus, if another book doesn’t arrive, it has not really interrupted my enjoyment of the artform of comics nor has it truly inconvenienced me. So when the book arrives, great, but until then, I’ll muddle through.

On the other hand, I am aware that there are a great many people that are bothered by this and that is certainly their right. My tolerance for them is often low, however, because they continue to buy the book. As long as you buy the book you are, in essence, telling the companies that you don’t really care how late a book is. If you are serious about not having late books be a reality, that vote your wallet. Drop the book. Complaining on the internet does not send a message, denying the company some case, does.

Ooo, here Neil comes. Watch out men, he’ll chew you up. He’s got a question about Manhunter. Manhunter!

Have you ever gone into the full history of Mark Shaw, the Manhunter? I’ve picked up two issues of the comic in the quarter bin, but he’s also shown up a few times in Suicide Squad. What’s his story and how did he go out in the end?

Y’know I’m pretty sure that I’ve gone over Mark Shaw before, but for the life of me I can’t find it, which means that I’ll have to do it again.

Mark Shaw began as a public defender who was oddly disgusted at how easily criminals escaped justice. Fortunately his uncle Desmond had been waiting for just the right moment to share some information with his nephew; he knew of a secret cult of crime fighters called Manhunters who fought for justice.

Mark hooked up with the Grandmaster via a lion medallion. He bough the sales pitch and signed up as a Manhunter. That was in First Issue Special #5.

In Justice League of America #140 Mark Shaw turned up again and we learned all about the Manhunters role as the precursor to the Green Lantern Corps. Oh and the Manhunters were revealed to be kind of evil and trying to bring down the Guardians of the Universe.

Naturally Mark Shaw was disillusioned, so much so that he killed the Grandmaster. Sadly the Grandmaster was just an android, so Mark’s bloodlust when unquenched. Mark later adopted the identity of the Privateer and tried to aide the JLA. But then the League found out that Mark was also the Star-Tsar. He was subsequently arrested and put in prison.

It was there that he hooked up with the Suicide Squad. Shaw joined the Squad as the Privateer. Since he performed well on the mission he was granted his release. Once out he reassumed his Manhunter identity, but with a tweaked costume. He was literally a hunter of men, a bounty hunter. He also gained an archenemy in Dumas, a shape shifter. Man, that book rocked.

But sadly that book also came to an end. And in Eclipso #13 it looked like Mark Shaw also came to an end. He was part of the Shadow Fighters who attacked Eclipso’s stronghold and died.

However it was later revealed that the guy in the Manhunter outfit who was killed in Eclipso #13 wasn’t Mark Shaw but some unnamed government agent. The real Mark Shaw was on a mission as Dumas. Y’see apparently, as part of government brainwashing Mark Shaw and Dumas were one and the same.

Mark is currently appearing in the critically acclaimed but cancelled Manhunter title, where he’s about to run into Azrael’s old running buddies.

Tim, do you think there’s any way to save Manhunter?

Definitively? No. But outcry and writing worked once before so that’s a shot. Also, if everyone who buys Manhunter buys two copies instead, the sales spike combined with the letters and outcry might be enough. Do what I do, buy two, take one home and leave the other and the counter for others to flip through and/or take home. Somebody could get hooked that way and then, viola, you one copy has become three in a moment. Sweet no?

I can’t guarantee it’ll work, but it’s worth a shot, right?

Dhaise knows one is the loneliest number

Who in the DCU would you like to see Vic Sage team up with?

I can think of tons of characters, but for purely selfish reasons.

I’d like to see Vic and Bloodwynd or John Stewart team up, if only to see the latter two in action again.

Ooh, Vic and Wally West? Doesn’t that sound like fun?

A Question/Nightwing team up would be interesting, and it’d certainly make Nightwing worth reading again.

Vic Sage and Christopher Chance? That sounds like an amazing book.

I’d be curious to see how an Aquaman/Question team up would be constructed. I mean what could possibly bring those two together and how could they team up?

But I guess if I had to be serious I’d like to see Robin and the Question team up. I think that it would be interesting to see if maybe Vic would rub off on Tim and perhaps take him under his wing.

I’m equally sure that Anarky teaming up with the Question would be a fascinating read. I mean, I’d read that book if it were those two playing chess (and drawn by Norm Breyfogle.)

Sadly since Vic’s literally on his deathbed, it looks like his more apt for a team up with his fellow Charlton hero Blue Beetle.

Tim, are there any characters that you’d like to see Vic Sage team up with?

Vic Sage and Orpheus! Oh…wait…nevermind on that.

Vic taking Spoiler to see Richard Dragon like he did for Huntress. Ahh…right…scratch that too.

Hmm…

This is wildly random and I don’t know why I thought of it, but it was the first idea that came to me. The Question meets Power Girl. Hilarity ensues. I have no idea why they meet or what they do afterwards, but there was something about that that tickled my fancy.

Oh, and for the record, Question/Anarky would be awesome. Especially with Norm laying down images.

Thus we’ve come to the end of yet another column. But we’ll be back next week with more answers and questions possibly including Parallax’s redemption, Chemo and more Azrael?

Someone loved my revamp, didn’t they? Oh man, I am so in!

Be sure to either email me your questions or post them on our incredibly fun thread

“I want to hold you close; skin pressed against me tight.”