Who's Who in the DCU

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Tim, is there any Fall music releases that you’re hyped about?

The most exciting release for me is Jay-Z’s concept/soundtrack (but not really) album American Gangster. I’m so damn looking forward to the movie and that enthusiasm seems to translate to everything. Plus, I recently caught “99 Problems” playing on a college station around here and it reminded me that, wow, I do love that song.

A close second to that, music related, is that there is now an alt-rock station in the CT again. Welcome back 104.1. Whee!

Also of interest to me is the Killer’s B-sides album, the Nine Inch Nails remix album, and the Nick Drake B-side/retrospective album.

And, in a choice no one but me cares about, Graham Colton Band has a new release this week. I interviewed them for my college newspaper and have developed a bit of a relationship with the band, so it’s always great fun to see them release another album.

Links

Broken Dial

Beyond the Threshold

The DVD Lounge

Inside Fights

Machine Gun Funk

Moodspins

Not a True Ending

Popcorn Junkies

Primetime Pulse

Retro Grading

Tailgate Crashers

Our DC Boards is full of talk about Alan Moore’s pitch for Twilight of the Superheroes speculation about Blue Beetle and hate for Hal Jordan.

Tim, are you linking anything this week?

Nah. Instead, I just want to thank everyone who used the message board (like Neil) or e-mailed me (like many others) to express concern in reference to my grandfather. Unfortunately, Gramp did pass away this Thursday morning, in his sleep at the hospital. I appreciate all of your patience in me and I plan to be back on track as soon as feasible.

Sorry to bring down the room…let’s move on, shall we?

What I Read Recently

Action Comics #857 – Um, I really liked the bit with the Sinestro Corps. And I liked the art. But the story left so much to be desired. Did this story have a point other than “I want to recreate Bizarro World”?

Gotham Underground #1 – I really enjoyed this issue. I loved the art. I liked Tobias Whale and the Suicide Squad making an appearance. I liked how both “Sinestro Corps War” and “Salvation Run” where happening. And I liked the lack of “Batman.”

I definitely dug the art and the idea of the book, but closing a waaaaaaay off-model (dialogue-wise) Bane soured it for me. Bane calling anyone boss? Impossible!

Green Arrow Year One #6 – I really, really enjoyed this mini. In fact I’m going to give the next “Year One” (not Metamorpho) a try based on the enjoyment found in this one. Jock and Diggle make a great team. I really liked the “hippies & weed” nod to the past. Really good mini.

Green Lantern Corps#17 – I didn’t mind the multiple art teams approach in this issue. I liked how the GLs interpreted Earth culture. And I liked the payoff of the Guardians sweating “52.” Oh and I liked Kilowog not killing.

The art team I didn’t so much mind, but the book felt…sloppy? Definitely off.

The Flash #233 – I really liked this issue. I like Williams II’s art. I liked Wally’s rationale for giving his kids costumes. I liked Wally dressing down the League, particularly Batman. The back up was nice, but I really don’t like the trend of forcing the notion of legacy. They tried it with Bart’s run as The Flash with Mota (and I barely tolerated it with Mota’s debut.) I didn’t like it when they did it with Alan, Hal and Kyle and I really hope that it works better in this back up. But I’m leery.

Backup? I totally missed the backup. I’ll have to revisit that.

As for the issue itself…still not loving it. At all. Waid has one more issue and then the new writer (whoever that is) so I’ll wait through those two, but after that…things don’t look good.

Interesting sidenote, I dislike Acuna’s art (not wildly, but slightly) and I typically like Williams II’s work. However, for some reason, the switch between the two is so jarring I liked the art in this issue less. I think it is mostly because Williams could not give a creepy otherwordly feeling to the villains like Acuna did and I couldn’t stop cluing into that.

Teen Titans #52 – I loved all of the interactions between the future and present versions of characters. I like Batman’s “told you so” to Tim. I loved Blue Beetle’s appearance. I’m actually enjoying this book for the first time in a long time.

Yes, this is a nice back on track effort. What a relief.

Blue Beetle #20 – Really strong issue. Nice to see the Reach’s, um, reach extended. Great art, powerful tale.

Is he dead though? The end was a little ambiguous on that. Regardless, it is a great book, month in, month out.

Superman-Prime #1 – This issue did so much for Kil-El in my eyes. I’ve always gone easy on him, because I get his frustration. But this issue spelled it out perfectly. It also explained him working with the Anti-Monitor. As a character, it made him so much more interesting.

Ahh, geek rage turned into a character. Good times. Did his girlfriend dress up as Aquaman at the end there? Wow…Kil-El has some wwwwwweird fetishes.

Countdown #27 – I’m glad Jason finally stopped being so goody-goody. Rogues, as enjoyable as always. I loved Chiarello’s Two-Face origin. I miss him doing regular art.

Velocity #1 – I’m a fan of speedsters so I had to pick this up. Maguire’s art is great as always. I loved the homage to The Flash #1 and the props given to Baron and Guice. I kinda hope that she wins.

Loveless #20 – Wow. Atticus finally got his. I love the gray complexity of this title. And while I like Dell’Edera’s art, I do wish that Frusin would stop by for an appearance.

Mark Poa goes back to the future

Can you give us a rundown of the members of Justice Legion A? What was the Resurrection Man’s role in that series? I don’t think it was properly explained in the trade.


Even posing is cooler in the future.

Sure, why not? I can’t imagine a better way to begin the column than with a look to the future. I mean you can’t really get more optimistic than that.

For those not in the know, the Justice Legion A are the bestest superhero team of the 853rd Century. In that era the heroes are so great that they watch over entire planets! Pretty impressive, no?

Aquaman – This hero’s domain is Neptune and he’s got complete telepathic control over water molecules.

Batman – This Batman is pretty much like our Batman; way smart and a supreme physical threat.

Pluto is his realm. Which proves, in my mind, that it is a planet. Suck on that modern day scientists. The future says you’re wrong. PLUTO FOREVER!

Flash – Originally from the 27th Century, John Fox hooked up with Wally in the 20th Century for a spell before deciding to explore the time stream. He eventually ended up in the 853rd and became the Flash of that era. Oh and Mercury is his jurisdiction.

Hourman – Our favorite Hourman is an intelligent machine colony, or as well like to say; an android. After DC One Million, Tyler came to hang out in the 20th Century. But then he selfless sacrificed himself so save Rex Tyler, so that Rex could be the father and husband he never had the time to be. Oh and Hourman had the Worlogog which game him mastery over time…and space!

Starman – Farris Knight, the Starman of the 853rd Century had a kind of big secret, but I won’t spill it for you. He used the Quarvat (just a fancy name for a Gravity Rod, though it’s #3 on the most powerful weapons in the universe.) He hangs out around Uranus, giggle.

Superman – The Superman of that era is just like our Superman, only with Super ESP, force vision and telekinesis.

Wonder Woman – Wonder Woman is on Venus, where the Amazons settled in the future. She’s carved out of marble, living marble, and possesses the spirit of the Goddess of Truth.

Resurrection Man – He’s pretty much the same Resurrection Man, only with tons more experience. In fact he’s the tactician of the team and organizes its missions. DC One Million reinforced the notion that Resurrection Man was going to be a major player in the DCU and eventually the biggest thorn in the side of Vandal Savage.

Atom – Atom is actually from a parallel universe. He messed up there and came here to find he could break his body down to subatomic levels and recombine in as any elemental compound.

Owlwoman – She carries on the legacy of Qward’s Owlman in name only. She’s half human and half Qwardian and all heroic. She can travel the speed of light via components in her costume.

And that’s the Justice Legion A.

Tim, I know you’re a fan, do you have a favorite member of the Justice Legion A?

John Fox, totally. But, like every era, their Batman is BADASS.

Soak1313 is running aground of the International Whaling Committee

Can you give me a background on Tobias Whale? He seems familiar but I can’t quite remember him.

Well Tobias is a tough luck story. Y’see he was once a successful lawyer who had a bit of a drinking problem which led to him driving under the influence and killing a girl on her bike.

He was sentenced to 15 years at Oswald State Correctional Facility. During his time in Oz he was branded with a swastika, raped, became addicted to drugs, had his arms and legs broken, bit off an appendage of a fellow inmate, fell in love with a different fellow inmate, lost both his father and his son in revenge killings, received early release and ended up back in prison.

Oh, wait. That’s Tobias Beecher. You asked about Tobias Whale.

My bad.

First and foremost Tobias Whale is an albino. But he’s got a bit of eye pigmentation, giving him better eyesight than the majority of his albino brethren. He turned to crime early in life and eventually worked his way up to run the 100, Metropolis Division.

(The 100 eventually grew to become the 1,000 and tussled with Booster Gold.)

Since he was in charge of the 100’s drug running operation, it meant that Jefferson Pierce was gunning for him. Especially when one of Jeff’s student was killed, it inspired Jefferson to become Black Lightning.

Whale employed various mercenaries in his battles with Black Lightning, like Merlyn and Syonide. But eventually Black Lightning proved triumphant and Tobias was sent to prison.

But apparently Tobias was hanging out with Miguel Alvarez and Agamemnon Busmalis because he escaped from prison.

Rather than lie low, Whale decided to create a drug that was cheap to manufacture yet incredibly addictive. Aiding him on this quest was a new Syonide (the original had killed herself). Tobias found that the formula for such a drug existed! But it was in the possession of one Violet Harper. Syonide tried to get it, but killed Harper without getting the formula.

Harper was revived as Halo. Once Whale found out about this he figured that she’d still have the formula in the head. But Halo had no memory. Whale was in over his head and headed for parts unknown.

And he’s pretty much laid low ever since.

Little known fact; behind his back Tobias’ underlings called him “Great White Whale.”

Since Great White Shark runs Gotham from Arkham and Tobias Whale seems to mean to take it over things look pretty interesting. Man, I hope when Shark and Whale face off it’s as good as The Squid and the Whale, but obviously more action packed.


Excuse me, Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times, I believe you forgot to mention, “An edge of your seat thrill ride! Can you handle the adrenaline rush?!!!”

Tim, can Tobias Whale ever be more than a Kingpin rip off?

Probably not. But now that he’s appearing in Gotham Underworld, perhaps we’ll find out.

That Bootleg Guy is looking for a man named Steve.

In the muddied continuity of Wonder Woman is there a 2K7 Steve Trevor in the universe anymore? And, whither Cheetah and Dr. Psycho and any other rogue or associate from the silver or bronze age WW with a revamped, retconned existence?

There actually is a Steve Trevor in the current DCU, but he’s much more of a minor character than you’d expect.

The modern Steve Trevor had a minor fling with Wonder Woman, but he’s now settled down with Etta Candy. However when he was younger he was a pal of Nathaniel “Captain Atom” Adams.

As for Wondy’s rogues; there’s not that much depth to it. Cheetah and Dr. Psycho both got revamped for the modern Wonder Woman. And as seen in the recent Wonder Woman Annual nearly every one of her bygone rogues made a revamped appearance. If they’ll have any lasting impact, that’s another story.

Tim, do you have any idea how to “fix” Wonder Woman?

It is a bit of a pickle, isn’t it?

I kind of dug the conceit of Wonder Woman/Diana Prince, Agent of the DEO (or whatever DC organization she belongs to) so I’d see that better utilized. I’d build on Heinberg’s lead and use those villains and make them interesting. Take a look at the Flash’s Rogues evolution and copy that model, really. Strengthen the supporting cast so Diana doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting herself.

Will that fix her though? You got me.

Kirk really wants to hurt us. He really wants to make us cry.

With Zod and crew showing up in Action Comics for what appears to be the first time, it would seem like a major part of the post-Byrne Superman cannon has been rewritten. Specifically, Superman has now never killed anybody. I personally always liked Superman having that one cloud hanging over his reputation, but I’m wondering if you think the rewrite helps or hurts the character?

Are you trying to inflict pain upon me? Do you want me to cry? Is it your intention to rip my heart from my chest and squish it under your heel? Because that’s what you’re doing.

First things first; I’ve got the ability to live in denial. It’s the reason I know that my married ex-girlfriend will come to her senses and get back with me. (Dude, she SO will. You’re a catch!) And that’s how I know that the aforementioned “Superman killing Phantom Zone criminals” story still happened.

I mean I’m more that willing to pretend that Supes reaction to seeing Zod and company was just shock to seeing another person from Krypton, who wasn’t related to him, alive in this universe. He’s seen other Kryptonians from other universes (Kal-L, Kil-El) and he’s killed Kryptonians from other universes. Like those Phantom Zone Criminals (which is actually the name of my street gang, PZCs represent.)

I’ve also got an imagination, so I can imagine that Geoff Johns who, given his age, should have been reading John Byrne’s Superman, was probably regaled by Richard Donner with tales of the Superman that he grew up loving when he worked as Donner’s assistant. And that romanticized notion of the Silver Age Superman is very much what we’re having forced down our throats now.

But much like we’ve had to suffer through the (fill in according to your political affiliation) Administration, eventually someone else will take over and shift the status quo. It’s just a matter of how long it’ll take.

Personally I think that if, hypothetically, DC should someday decide to take the Superman kills Phantom Zone Criminals out of continuity, it’d be a dark day. I mean that was the one time that Superman had to made a tough decision. It was such a powerful issue. And seeing Zod taunt him was so powerful. A story like that, with an icon, could never happen in this day and age.

Sure, Wonder Woman killing Max Lord was a major moment. But it was also a stepping stone on the way to a bigger tale. Superman’s actions weren’t part of a larger picture. Sure there were repercussions, but it wasn’t a plot point.

Today, given the flow of information, DC would fear a backlash and never even broach the topic. Though, it would be interesting, in this era of rendition, to see how far Superman, the American icon, would be willing to go in the name of good.

Tim, any thoughts on this topic?

It is just another thing to be sad about Superman these days. Supergirl, Lex in Battlesuit, so many Kryptonians running around, more Bizarros, delays, and this.

I…I just don’t know how much strain I can handle.

All the world is waiting for That Bootleg Guy and the power he possess(es)

When Wonder Woman was re-launched after “Crisis”, I remember being initially excited (George Perez!), then turned off with all the heavy-handed mythology stuff. Do you remember how the “new” Wonder Woman was introduced into the post-Crisis DCU? Specifically, I’m asking what heroes/villains she interacted with and if there was actually a compelling storyline that brought her back into the DCU after “Crisis”.

Um, the compelling storyline was pretty much her introduction to the DCU. The Diana made her debut in 1987’s Wonder Woman #1. And she didn’t even become “Wonder Woman” by name until issue #4. Even in Legends which was DC’s event mini of 1987, Wonder Woman didn’t make an appearance until the final issue and that’s about as close to hobnobbing with fellow heroes.

The first year of her title was spent giving Wonder Woman some much needed foundation as a character. Amazon culture and society was developed. The mythological angle was fully explored. In her first year the only traditional villain she encountered was the Cheetah and even that was a limited engagement affair.

The relaunched Wonder Woman was largely banked on the fanbase of George Perez. She really had limited interaction with the heroes of the DCU and largely no non-mythological villains appeared.

Even through her second year Wonder Woman as a title was mostly self-contained. As a character Wonder Woman showed up in as part off the Millennium crossover and teamed up with Superman on occasion, but, little of that spilled over into her book.

In fact you’d have to look at Wonder Woman #25 to find a substantial appearance by fellow heroes of the DCU.

And it’s that insular nature and mythological nature that probably turned off a few readers of the book. But George Perez was very intent on carving out Diana’s place in the DCU and giving the character some depth and the book its own vibe.

Some people look back at that time as the glory days of the character and others scratch their head and wonder what the fuss was about.

Tim, do you prefer insular DCU books or books that are very connected?

Can’t there be a balance? (he whined in effectually) I like books like Morrison’s JLA that made use of current happenings in the DCU without needing to tie directly into them (Blue Superman, for instance). I like some connection, but, these days, I worry we are sacrificing story in the name of having everything connect with everything else. Plus, at times, everything is connected, but poorly. For example, Kyle shows up in Countdown in new duds with a ring while he’s still possessed by Parallax in the Sinestro Corps War story? Booo!

Anyway, bit of a tangent there. To get back to my thesis, I prefer a balance. If forced to choose though, I’d probably go insular.

Soak1313 didn’t read our column’s title

At the end of the newest Teen Titans issue all kinds of people show up. I recognize some of them but not all. Care to give a breakdown on who is who?

Who do you think you are? What do you think we do here? Do you think Tim and I just waiting to spill on “who is who?” I don’t recall the job description for this column saying anything about “who is who.” That’s just not how we do things here or what we set out to do. “Who is who”, the nerve!

Yeah…what he said.

But since you’re such a loyal reader we’ll answer your question. And I’ll spell out everyone in case someone doesn’t know who anyone on that page was.

On the flying horse is none other than Shining Knight.

The flying fem with the star shirt and staff is Starwoman.

The flying green lass is Prysm from Dan Jurgens’ run with Teen Titans.

The chap hovering with his arms crossed is The Ray.

Hawk is the crouching woman in the red and white costume.

The rocky looking thing in the black tanktop is Hardrock who used to run with Superboy & the Ravers.

Cyborg is the cybernetic-looking guy.

The green guy crouching behind Cyborg is Animal Man (Who is Beast Boy all grown up, not Buddy with green fur)

Behind Animal Man in the black and purple is Dark Raven

Speedy is the woman in the yellow cloak behind Dark Raven.

The guy in shameful purple and green armor is Lex Luthor.

Visible between Lex’s legs is Pandemic better known as Fever from my favorite version of the Doom Patrol.

Zatara is the dashing gent with the tux, top hat and goatee.

Aquawoman is behind Zatara.

The guy raising his sword is Son of Vulcan.

Crouching in front of Zatara and Son of Vulcan is Batwoman.

Behind Son of Vulcan with the crossbow is Huntress formerly Misfit from Birds of Prey.

Wow…cool, I had no idea on that.

Hovering on the big rock is Terra.

Flying by Lex’s shoulder is Bumblebee.

The giant robot looking thing is Toyman.

Finally perched on Toyman’s shoulder is Flamebird.

Tim, aren’t you worried that we haven’t seen the future Ravager yet?

Not worried, really, since it has been pretty clear to me that Eddie’s future self took her out. Still, I’d like if that were not the case.

Oh, and I’m taking this page as further evidence that these Titans Tomorrow are not the same as the ones from the Johns storyline.

Kirk loves his weekly fix

Let’s say that Countdown either a) ceases to suck as it wraps up or b) remains bad but DC isn’t fazed and a third annual miniseries is launched. Which lower-tier heroes do you pick to anchor the title?

Wow. I’m pretty sure that this question bears the stench of Temporary Mainstay! That’s mainly because my mind began racing once I read it and I came up with so many different directions to take. But we’ll see how it turns out.

Right now I’m pretty sure that this is a book that I’d be willing to jump into on a weekly basis. I don’t have complete plots, but I know how I’d like things to begin.


Resurrection Man – Mitch is trying to enjoy the simple life while doing the occasional good deed. But he’s got two problems; one is that trouble keeps finding him and two is that his powers are less predictable. Now his powers alternate between completely ineffective and so powerful he can’t control them. So Mitch goes on the run because his powers are attracting too much attention and he needs to find out what the deal is.


H*E*R*O Dial – This device returns but this time it’s almost like it’s moving from owner to owner by its own will, and almost like it’s moving toward something. Of course this path of people with powers attracts the attention of the DEO.


Cameron Chase – Chase gets involved to find out why these heroes and villains are popping up out of nowhere. She might occasionally be called in to investigate the aftermath of a Resurrection Man losing control of his powers episode too. But along the way Chase is trying to find out more about her father’s life as a part-time hero by talking to anyone who may have had contact with him or the Justice Experience.


Ambush Bug – Ambush Bug decides to find out where all the fun in the DCU has gone. This means he bumps into Blue Beetle and the Metal Men. But he also checks in other forgotten and neglected characters too.


Kil-El – Off in space licking his wounds after the Sinestro Corps War, Superman-Prime is flying from planet to planet trying to be the hero that he thinks he is but also trying to stay beneath the radar of the Green Lantern Corps. Can he perform enough good deeds to redeem himself and is he humble enough to keep from announcing who he is?


Chronos – Gabriel is going to serve as the back up feature for the first part of the series. Basically he’s going to go back (and forward) in time that witness moments that are “fuzzy” on the New Earth. How did Wonder Woman’s presence affect JLA Year One? How did Bart Allen end up in the 21st Century? What Krypton did Jack Knight visit? Stuff like that.

And yeah, that’s who I think the inevitable follow up to Countdown should focus on.

Tim, who do you think should be in the next year long book?

Mostly me.

But, barring that, here’s my ideas. First it would be more like 52 and less like Countdown in that it would be fairly self contained. Also, hopefully, it would be good.


Tempest– Alive and well thanks to DC Multiverse remodeling, Tempest is off on a journey of self discovery and reconnecting with the one true Aquaman (you know, the one without the sword). Along the way, he runs afoul of mysterious forces trying to manipulate the undersea community behind the scenes. Problem? He’s not sure he disagrees with their goals even as they begin to step up their machinations with deadly results.


Zauriel– Moving back towards his original characterization (more fallen angel in love with humanity, watching over it, less heaven’s clean up man), Zauriel is forced to interact with his past as an increasing number of guardian angels have gone corporeal and killed their charges and, moments afterwards, cannot remember anything about it.


Martian Manhunter– Getting over himself and his “woe is me, I’m so dark now” attitude, Manhunter bites into a mystery to reconnect with his humanity. John Jones returns to the Denver PD and makes waves as he reopens a 15 year old murder case that everyone else claims is already solved.


Red Dart– Out of prison and under heavy watch by an overzealous parole officer, Red Dart is making an honest go of civilian life. However, just when he thinks he’s got it all together, an offer from someone in the community might prove too tempting to resist. As he contemplates it, he finds that his decision might just be a lot more important than he ever imagined.


In the backup, Mr. Terrific and Dr. 13 out-skeptic one another as they investigate the supernatural beings of the DCU.

Well since we began on the future we might as well end on that note too.

Next week’s column might feature the return of our final question. It may also feature your question, so long as you send it my direction.

There are two ways you can accomplish that, you can email me or you can sign up and ask on our thread!

Before I go, here’s my question to you; which characters should be focused on for Countdown’s probable follow up?

“If I see her standing there alone, at the train station three stops from her home.”