Broken Frontier

Infinite Crisis is over and the cards have fallen where they may. DC’s “face cards” of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are nowhere to be found, leaving readers with an odd assortment in their hand - A man of the future, haunted by his past, a suicidal widower, a man who follows in the footsteps of Superman, a broken cop, a faceless enigma and a virtual god that is neither hero nor villain. Who are these six tortured souls that begin the tale of DC’s “lost year?”

Michael Jon Carter, Booster Gold

Created by Dan Jurgens for a new series launched in 1986, Booster Gold was DC’s first “corporate” super hero. A disgraced football player from the future, Carter traveled back to the 20th century with the intention of using his future knowledge and super-costume to build a life of luxury for himself. As the superhero Booster Gold, Carter did just that – but also ended up becoming a true hero in his own right. In Justice League #4 (August 1987), Booster was inducted into the League, serving off and on through various incarnations of the team.

Carter recently resurfaced during Identity Crisis and retired from crime fighting, with the exception of a brief reappearance during Countdown to Infinite Crisis. During The OMAC Project mini-series, Booster and “his” Justice League attempted to avenge the murder of his best friend, the Blue Beetle. Booster was unable to avenge his friend however, and with the realization that if he had taken his role as a hero more seriously he may have been able to prevent some of the recent carnage, he left to “go home.” When he returned in Infinite Crisis, Carter seemed to have a renewed sense of purpose, helping Batman organize a team of heroes to defeat the sentient satellite, Brother Eye. Prior to the battle, Booster explained that according to his history, Batman and his allies never located Brother Eye. The effects of Booster’s interference with “history” have yet to be revealled.

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Ralph Dibny, The Elongated Man

The Elongated Man was a super sleuth created by writer John Broome, artist Carmine Infantino and editor Julius Schwartz for The Flash #112 (May 1960). The stretchable hero, who gained his abilities from drinking a potion called Gingold, appeared as a frequent guest-star and ally to the Flash. While his super powers were similar to those of Plastic Man, Elongated Man holds a unique role in the DC Universe as one of the first heroes to do away with his secret identity and to marry his love interest, Sue.

Eventually, Ralph and Sue landed a regular spot as a back-up feature in Detective Comics (lasting from 1964-1969). After several more years as an infrequent guest star, Ralph was inducted into the Justice League of America as of issue #105 (April/May 1973). Elongated Man remained a regular fixture on various incarnations of the Justice League until the mid-1990s. After a making appearances as supporting cast in James Robinson’s Starman and the tounge-in-cheek Justice League spin-off, Formerly Known as the Justice League, Ralph and Sue played key roles in DC’s controversial mini-series, Identity Crisis. 

The series began with the brutal murder of Sue Dibny, setting into motion a series of actions, revelations and revisions to continuity. Through the course of Identity Crisis, it was retroactively revealed that during her and Ralph’s time with the Justice League, Sue was raped by the villian Dr. Light, making him a prime suspect in her death. By the series’ climax, Dr. Light is cleared of the murder, as Jean Loring (a formerly close friend of the Dibny’s and the ex-wife of the superhero, the Atom) is exposed as the true killer. The series ends with Ralph alone, talking to his deceased wife, leaving readers to wonder if the formerly happy-go-lucky hero was coping with his loss the only way he knew how…or if he had indeed been driven mad by grief.

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John Henry Irons, Steel

Inspired by both his namesake, folk hero John Henry, and Superman, Irons took up the spiritual mantle of the Man of Steel following Superman’s death. Created by Lousie Simonson and Jon Bogdanove, Irons was one of the four “replacement” Supermen that debuted in Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993). As the only one of the replacements not claiming to actually be Superman (Irons clearly stated that he wore the red cape and “S” shield in tribute), Irons gained the respect and admiration of Metropolis, as well as Lois Lane and, once he returned from the dead, Superman himself. From 1994 to 1998, Irons starred in his own self-titled series, before becoming a supporting cast member in both JLA and Superman: The Man of Steel. 

With his return to Metropolis, Steel and Superman grew closer, even being invited by The Man of Steel to help design and construct a new Fortress of Solitude. In the ultimate display of trust and respect, Superman revealed his dual identity to Irons, and the two defended Metropolis as partners. Not long after, during the intergalactic conflict known as Our Worlds at War, Steel was killed by the same beast that had slain Superman years earlier. Irons’ legend did not end there however, as the despot Darkseid used a new suit of armor called the Entropy Aegis to resurrect Irons under his thrall. Eventually freed, Irons returned to Metropolis, and passed the mantle of Steel to his niece, Natasha. 

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Renee Montoya

The character of Renee Montoya debuted almost simultaneous in 1992, both in comic books and on Batman: The Animated Series. Originally a beat cop, Montoya was the “good cop” partner of perennial “bad cop” favorite, Harvey Bullock. A loyal supporter of Gotham City Commissioner James Gordon, Montoya earned a promotion to homicide detective and frequently played a major role in the Batman titles. During the infamous No-Man’s Land saga, when an earthquake ravaged Gotham City was quarantined from the rest of America, Montoya formed an unlikely alliance with the criminal Two-Face. The odd pairing seemed to reach Two-Face’s “good side”, Harvey Dent, but ultimately their alliance disintegrated when the villain formed a romantic attraction with her (an obsession that continued even after he public outed her as a lesbian).

More recently, Montoya was partnered with Crispus Allen. When Gotham City degenerated into a series of gang wars, Allen and Montoya came into conflict with a corrupt investigator by the name of Jim Corrigan. After Corrigan’s greed nearly resulted in Allen being drummed out of the force and charged with murder, Montoya began a campaign to expose Corrigan. Realizing his partner’s efforts were bordering on obsession, Allen confronted Corrigan and was killed. Incredibly, Corrigan managed to avoid any consequences to his actions, providing a fake alibi and bribing other officers. Enraged, Montoya stormed Corrigan’s apartment, beating him and drawing her gun on him. Ultimately, Montoya could not bring herself to kill the murderer and instead resigned in disgust from the Gotham City Police Department.

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Charles Victor Szasz, The Question – aka Vic Sage

The Question, who first appeared as a back-up feature in Charlton’s Blue Beetle comic, was created by comic book legend Steve Ditko. Exploring the concepts of objectivism – the idea that all reality is objective and knowledge can be reliably based on observed facts – the Question (and Beetle’s series) only had a brief run from issues #1 (June 1967) to 5 (November 1968). The character primarily laid dormant for close to 2 decades until purchased, along with the other Charlton heroes, by DC Comics in 1985. The Charlton heroes made their DC debut in Crisis of Infinite Earths, although the Question only made a pair of brief appearances. 

The Question first made his most significant mark on the comic world with a solo series that began in 1987. Written by Dennis O’Neil, The Question lasted 36 issues (and 2 annuals) before morphing into The Question Quarterly in 1990 and then quietly fading back into obscurity in 1992. O’Neil fleshed out the Ditko creation, making The Question a cult favorite, exploring various philosophical concepts and establishing a definitive origin. Already established as a crusading television journalist that used a faceless mask to hide his identity when fighting corruption, O’Neil added an abusive past and a frightening experience with hallucinogenic drugs to Sage’s past. 

Over the past decade, The Question has primarily existed on the fringes of the DC Universe. In addition to several guest-appearances, O’Neil revisited the character in a 1997 special (The Question Returns), Bob Layton teamed him up with the other Charlton heroes as a member of L.A.W. (Living Assault Weapons, a 6-issue mini-series in 1999), Greg Rucka paired him with the Huntress (Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood 6-issue mini-series, 2000) and Rick Veitch further explored the psychotropic nature of the character in a 2005 mini-series that may-or-may-not be out-of-continuity. Ironically enough, the character’s most successful appearances have not been in comic books, but as a cast member of the Justice League Unlimited animated series. 

Just as the character experienced a sort of renaissance following Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC seems ready to tap into the Question’s TV popularity in the aftermath on Infinite Crisis.

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Teth-Adam, Black Adam

Black Adam originally appeared as a one-shot villain in Fawcett Comics’ The Marvel Family #1 (1945), by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck. An Egyptian prince chosen to be the successor to the Wizard Shazam, Adam turned on both the pharaoh and his mentor feeling that his newfound power entitled him the right to rule. Banished for thousands of years, Adam returned to battle Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr and Mary Marvel. By the issue’s end, Adam is tricked into saying “Shazam”, causing him to lose his powers and for the natural aging process to quickly catch up with him, reducing him to dust.

DC Comics (who licensed, and later purchased the characters from Fawcett) reintroduced Black Adam first in a 1970s revival, in 1987’s Shazam!: The New Beginning and most recently in 1994’s The Power of Shazam! Adam’s current origin borrows from the original, albeit with a more sympathetic slant. Appointed the hero of the Middle Eastern kingdom of Khandaq, Adam used the powers granted to him to overthrow the country’s tyrannical government, simultaneously freeing his people and declared himself ruler. The Wizard Shazam, believing that Adam had abused his gifts, entombed him, until a killer named Theo Adam resurrected him in the modern day. Bonded, the two Adams clashed with Captain Marvel as Black Adam. Eventually, the two were split, and Black Adam embarked on a heroic career (although he still possessed a very unforgiving view of justice). After a brief stint as a member of the Justice Society of America, Adam formed his own group of extremist heroes to once again liberate Khandaq from an oppressive rule.

Yet again, Black Adam seized control of his homeland, leading it as a benevolent dictatorship. During the Villains United mini-series, Adam was coerced to join the inner circle of the Secret Society of Super Villains. In actuality, the master manipulator of the group, Alexander Luthor Jr. always planned to betray Adam, using him to fuel a device in his mad quest to create a “perfect” Earth. Superboy and Wonder Girl rescued Adam from Luthor, although he was quickly teleported back to Khandaq to repel a Society attack by Captain Nazi.

So, there you have the players. The DC Universe started a completely new game last Wednesday. The only question is, in 52 weeks, which one of these players will be gone?