Post by Administrator on Oct 30, 2005 15:28:39 GMT -5
Captain Comics
DC Comics and Superman take a U-turn in new series
By Andrew A. Smith / Scripps Howard News Service
Image
DC Comics
The cover to "Infinite Crisis" No. 1 ($3.99, DC Comics) depicts DC's "trinity" of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman at odds with each other, along with other events in the background showing the severity of a "crisis" that will change DC's heroes for years to come.
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"This looks like a job for Superman!"
That familiar phrase goes back to at least 1940, when "The Adventures of Superman" radio show debuted. It's been used jillions of times since, in various media.
But when it was used a few weeks ago in the first issue of a miniseries called "Infinite Crisis," it was in a shockingly new context. And Superman, and the superhero world of DC Comics, is in for some radical change.
Let me share some background to explain why:
Superhero comics got their start in 1938, when the Man of Steel debuted in "Action Comics" No. 1. Hundreds of superheroes followed, most of which were canceled when interest waned in the late '40s.
In the late '50s, DC tried superheroes again, by introducing completely new versions of many of their '40s heroes -- a new Flash, a new Green Lantern, a new Hawkman, etc. To explain away older heroes with the same names, DC said they lived (and always had lived) on "Earth-2," a parallel world, whereas the new heroes resided on "Earth-1." This arrangement included characters who had been published continuously, like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman -- there were Earth-2 versions of these characters, too, to whom stories from the '30s, '40s and '50s were assigned. And just for fun, an annual "crisis" would team the old heroes (the Justice Society) with new ones (the Justice League).
But 20 years ago DC decided their multiple-earth system had gotten too complicated. So in 1985-86, in a maxi-series called "Crisis on Infinite Earths," they merged them all into a single earth. Now, for example, the Earth-2 Flash and the Earth-1 Flash had always lived on the same earth, and had always known each other. Older versions of characters that became redundant were killed or erased from history.
With one exception. "Crisis" writer Marv Wolfman said in interviews that he felt uncomfortable killing or erasing the "Golden Age" Superman, who had started it all. So he sent him off in a Glenda-the-Good-Witch soap bubble -- poof! -- into a "pocket dimension," presumably never to be seen again.
You probably can see where this is going. Because DC is now in the middle of sequel to that first Crisis, called "Infinite Crisis." And what brought us here is recent issues of "JLA" and "Wonder Woman," along with the miniseries "Identity Crisis," "OMAC Project," "Villains United," "Rann-Thanagar War" and "Day of Vengeance," in which:
� It has been revealed that a subset of Justice Leaguers once secretly used magic to alter the minds of some supervillains. It was further revealed that when Batman discovered this conspiracy, they did it to HIM, too! This has resulted in the increasingly paranoid and ruthless Gotham Guardian we've seen in recent years, who -- now that the truth has been revealed -- has quit the Justice League.
� The Dark Knight also created a high-tech satellite called Brother Eye to monitor all super-beings, and created a cadre of super-killers called OMACs for use in emergency. But an evil organization hijacked the satellite, and is using OMACs to off superheroes. Oops! The rest of the Justice League is mighty unhappy with Batman, and many have quit (or been killed).
� Wonder Woman, seeing no other option, killed a supervillain who had Superman under mental control. Unfortunately, Brother Eye filmed this and broadcast it the world over, without context. No one trusts the Amazing Amazon any more -- she's wanted for murder -- and Batman and Superman are barely speaking to her. She has quit the Justice League.
� The supervillains, having found out about the mind-wipe business, have banded together under Lex Luthor. They're now more organized and numerous than the Justice League, and are also killing superheroes.
� Martian Manhunter appears dead, an intergalactic war has broken out and all magic-users are being murdered by The Spectre (under the influence of an evil god). And Superman? He's just being whiny about it all, the big blue baby.
The result? "Infinite Crisis," a seven-issue miniseries that will set the course for DC's superheroes for some time to come. And the first issue, on sale now, is a whopper.
Remember that "Golden Age" Superman I mentioned, who was whisked off to Never-Never Land? Well, how do you think a guy like that, who lived through the Depression and World War II, who set the standard for superheroes from the get-go, would feel about the "current" Superman giving up, Wonder Woman turning killer, Batman being a paranoid sociopath and the Justice League a shambles?
Well, he might say "This looks like a job for Superman!"
That's exactly what he says in "Infinite Crisis" No. 1. And where on Earth -- or Earths -- that is going, I have no idea. But, boy, is it gonna be fun!
DC Comics and Superman take a U-turn in new series
By Andrew A. Smith / Scripps Howard News Service
Image
DC Comics
The cover to "Infinite Crisis" No. 1 ($3.99, DC Comics) depicts DC's "trinity" of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman at odds with each other, along with other events in the background showing the severity of a "crisis" that will change DC's heroes for years to come.
Comment on this story
Send this story to a friend
Get Home Delivery
"This looks like a job for Superman!"
That familiar phrase goes back to at least 1940, when "The Adventures of Superman" radio show debuted. It's been used jillions of times since, in various media.
But when it was used a few weeks ago in the first issue of a miniseries called "Infinite Crisis," it was in a shockingly new context. And Superman, and the superhero world of DC Comics, is in for some radical change.
Let me share some background to explain why:
Superhero comics got their start in 1938, when the Man of Steel debuted in "Action Comics" No. 1. Hundreds of superheroes followed, most of which were canceled when interest waned in the late '40s.
In the late '50s, DC tried superheroes again, by introducing completely new versions of many of their '40s heroes -- a new Flash, a new Green Lantern, a new Hawkman, etc. To explain away older heroes with the same names, DC said they lived (and always had lived) on "Earth-2," a parallel world, whereas the new heroes resided on "Earth-1." This arrangement included characters who had been published continuously, like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman -- there were Earth-2 versions of these characters, too, to whom stories from the '30s, '40s and '50s were assigned. And just for fun, an annual "crisis" would team the old heroes (the Justice Society) with new ones (the Justice League).
But 20 years ago DC decided their multiple-earth system had gotten too complicated. So in 1985-86, in a maxi-series called "Crisis on Infinite Earths," they merged them all into a single earth. Now, for example, the Earth-2 Flash and the Earth-1 Flash had always lived on the same earth, and had always known each other. Older versions of characters that became redundant were killed or erased from history.
With one exception. "Crisis" writer Marv Wolfman said in interviews that he felt uncomfortable killing or erasing the "Golden Age" Superman, who had started it all. So he sent him off in a Glenda-the-Good-Witch soap bubble -- poof! -- into a "pocket dimension," presumably never to be seen again.
You probably can see where this is going. Because DC is now in the middle of sequel to that first Crisis, called "Infinite Crisis." And what brought us here is recent issues of "JLA" and "Wonder Woman," along with the miniseries "Identity Crisis," "OMAC Project," "Villains United," "Rann-Thanagar War" and "Day of Vengeance," in which:
� It has been revealed that a subset of Justice Leaguers once secretly used magic to alter the minds of some supervillains. It was further revealed that when Batman discovered this conspiracy, they did it to HIM, too! This has resulted in the increasingly paranoid and ruthless Gotham Guardian we've seen in recent years, who -- now that the truth has been revealed -- has quit the Justice League.
� The Dark Knight also created a high-tech satellite called Brother Eye to monitor all super-beings, and created a cadre of super-killers called OMACs for use in emergency. But an evil organization hijacked the satellite, and is using OMACs to off superheroes. Oops! The rest of the Justice League is mighty unhappy with Batman, and many have quit (or been killed).
� Wonder Woman, seeing no other option, killed a supervillain who had Superman under mental control. Unfortunately, Brother Eye filmed this and broadcast it the world over, without context. No one trusts the Amazing Amazon any more -- she's wanted for murder -- and Batman and Superman are barely speaking to her. She has quit the Justice League.
� The supervillains, having found out about the mind-wipe business, have banded together under Lex Luthor. They're now more organized and numerous than the Justice League, and are also killing superheroes.
� Martian Manhunter appears dead, an intergalactic war has broken out and all magic-users are being murdered by The Spectre (under the influence of an evil god). And Superman? He's just being whiny about it all, the big blue baby.
The result? "Infinite Crisis," a seven-issue miniseries that will set the course for DC's superheroes for some time to come. And the first issue, on sale now, is a whopper.
Remember that "Golden Age" Superman I mentioned, who was whisked off to Never-Never Land? Well, how do you think a guy like that, who lived through the Depression and World War II, who set the standard for superheroes from the get-go, would feel about the "current" Superman giving up, Wonder Woman turning killer, Batman being a paranoid sociopath and the Justice League a shambles?
Well, he might say "This looks like a job for Superman!"
That's exactly what he says in "Infinite Crisis" No. 1. And where on Earth -- or Earths -- that is going, I have no idea. But, boy, is it gonna be fun!