Broken Frontier

I wanted to use my opening comments this week to draw your attention to the first trade paperback release of Steve Niles and Scott Hampton’s moody and atmospheric Simon Dark series. While we have a "Trading Places" section here most weeks its primary function is to highlight collections that pertain to the back story of characters and events covered in our Continuity Corner musings, not current releases. Simon Dark is a title that may well have slipped under your radars, however, and the eerie and macabre misadventures of Gotham City urban legend Simon and his conflict with the Geo Populus Cult are well worth investing your time and money in. Simon Dark: What Simon Does was released this week and contains the first six issues of the book. Give it a look. You won’t be disappointed...

Spoiler Warning: Read no further if you’ve not had your DC fix this week and don’t want to read about key story elements.

Across the Universe
(A rundown of the week’s releases)

Superman begins to learn the true nature of Braniac in Action Comics #868.

Bruce descends further into madness as the Batman Family frantically search for their figurehead in Batman #679.

Batman Confidential #20 adds the Riddler to the mix as the Batgirl/Catwoman arc continues.

There’s a new Killer Moth in town and he’s definitely not who you think he is! More temporal entanglements ensue in Booster Gold #11.

Checkmate #29 sees the agency team-up with the new Global Guardians as mystical forces threaten to over-run the world.

The Spectre’s mission expands as he brings vengeance to the DCU’s super-villain population in Final Crisis: Revelations #1.

In Green Arrow and Black Canary #11 the true mastermind behind the abduction of Connor Hawke is finally revealed.

Someone is attacking GLs through their families in Green Lantern Corps #27 and the ominous return of a recent foe spells double trouble for the Corps.

Simon Dark #11 gives us plenty of answers and even more new questions as Gotham is attacked on all sides by supernatural forces.

The JLA clash with the Crime Syndicate of Amerika as our three mainstays begin to feel the effects of the Troika’s schemes in Trinity #11.

Wonder Woman #23 concludes Diana’s adventure with DC’s 1970s warrior heroes. Will the price of defeating D’Grth be worth paying?

Finally in Gen13 #21 the kids return to their reality to find it a very different place from the one they left.

The Bigger Picture
(All the developments, hints, clues and teasers for the overarching storylines)

Mystery in Space – Captured aboard the villain’s spaceship, Superman encounters the one, true Brainiac for the very first time. Braniac is collating knowledge of alien cultures, keeping a city from each in a "jar" and then destroying their planets to ensure only he possesses their secrets. Knowledge is power and Superman and Supergirl represent examples of the Kryptonian heritage that Braniac does not want shared with the rest of the universe. It is heavily-implied that Brainiac may have had a hand in the events that destroyed Krypton. (Action Comics #868)

Batman R.I.P. – Batman’s "adventure" on the planet Zur-En-Arrh in New Earth continuity was a hallucination caused by being gassed by old Bat-villain Professor Milo. Seizing on this Bruce created a backup identity for himself in case he ever fell victim to a psychological attack: the Batman of Zur En Arrh. Coincidentally (or probably not given this is a Morrison book) Dr. Hurt picked Zur En Arrh as the trigger word for breaking Batman’s mind after learning of the delusion when Batman took part in the military’s isolation experiment.

As the search for the Dark Knight throw up blanks Robin brings in the Knight and the Squire. In the Batcave Dr. Hurt continues to assume the identity of Thomas Wayne, claiming Alfred is really Bruce’s father. At Arkham Asylum the Joker’s involvement in events becomes more pronounced... (Batman #679)

A Crisis in Time? – When a temporal anomaly wipes Batman from existence Booster and team’s attempts to set things right only exacerbate the situation, creating a Gotham where Killer Moth keeps the streets safe for his criminal brethren. (Booster Gold #11)

The Tenth Age of Magic – The mystical creatures enraged at humanity’s inability to live in harmony with the planet continue their rampage. In South America Checkmate agents Chimera and Fire fight alongside the Global Guardians against Ca Luma, a demonic monster with the traits of a wolf and a scorpion. The August General in Iron disobeys the Black King’s orders to confront another manifestation, Qi-Yu, in China. (Checkmate #29)

As the infestation of imp-demons continues to infect Gotham City we learn more about Simon Dark’s origins and the true nature of the Geo Populus cult. The "Mayor", Gotham’s mystical gatekeeper, who regulates the flow between planes in the city, has been corrupted by a malevolent entity than came into our reality when Simon Dark was created through black magic. He is now seeking to open a dark gateway that will bring a great levelling to Gotham City. (Simon Dark #11)

With the aid of Beowulf, Claw the Unconquered and a semi-repentant Stalker, Wonder Woman ends the threat of the demon D’Grth. (Wonder Woman #23)

The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul – The "League of Assassins" discover they have never met the real Ra’s when Batman provides a holographic recording of the master criminal disavowing all knowledge of them. The person behind the abduction of Connor and the attempt on Oliver Queen’s life was actually long-time Green Arrow bad girl Shado who has been using the League to further her own plans of revenge. (Green Arrow and Black Canary #11)

In Darkest Night... – Green Lantern Saarek, who can speak with the dead, warns the Oan Crypt-keeper Morro that "the dead are cold and with each passing day they grow colder" and tells him his dead brother Marrg prays for his safety in the gathering darkness. On the planet Ater Clementia Mongul escapes his imprisonment by the Black Mercy plants. (Green Lantern Corps #27)

The Religion of Crime – In retaliation for the Martian Manhunter's murder the Spectre extends his holy vengeance to the ranks of the DCU’s metahumans when, in suitably Fleischer/Aparo-esque ways he kills both Dr. Light and Green Lantern villain Effigy. When the Spectre seeks to do the same to Libra he finds himself powerless against the villain and has to settle for killing obscure Titans bad guys the Hangmen (who debuted in Teen Titans Secret Files and Origins #2 in 2000) instead.

Still trying to sever her ties to the Religion of Crime, and her "leadership" of the Order of the Stone, Renee Montoya/The Question attempts to stop their recovery of what appears to be the Spear of Destiny. She is interrupted by the Spectre/Crispus Allen as her old friend tells her it is time she herself was judged. (Final Crisis: Revelations #1)

The Dark Side Club – As Braniac invades Earth his ship hovers over what appears to be a Metropolis branch of the Dark Side Club. Check out the Omega sign on the Zodiac Club on the issue’s last page. (Action Comics #868)

Rounding up... Is tragedy about to strike for one or both of Clark’s parents? There’s more ominous foreshadowing this week. (Action Comics #868)

Earthwatch

Earth-II – The JLA agree to parley with the Crime Syndicate of Amerika to avoid further destruction on this damaged Earth. Red Tornado identifies inhabitants of at least fourteen other Earths in the Multiverse among the ranks of the CSA’s slaves. (Trinity #11)

Earth-50 – When last we saw the Gen13 team two months ago they were jumping through a teleportation device. This week they re-emerge to find time has passed by on Earth-50 and their world is now a devastated wasteland. (Gen13 #21)

"Earth-53" –Talon, the Earth-53 Robin, meets the Tiny Titans in another charming in-joke moment from the Johnny DC line. (Tiny Titans #7)

Continuity Corner
(The whys and wherefores of some of this week’s characters and events)

Final Crisis: Revelations #1: Come on Baby Light My Fire

As we shall see Dr. Arthur Light is not exactly a stranger to death having recovered from been categorically dead on more than one occasion. Many years after his first appearance the retroactive Secret Origins #37 (Feb 1989) established Arthur as the second character to take on that name in the DCU. Originally he had worked at S.T.A.R. Labs with Dr. Jacob Finlay who had created a light-manipulating suit with the intention of becoming a super-hero. When Arthur accidentally killed his colleague he appropriated the suit and embarked on a less then illustrious career as a super-villain. The added bonus was that the suit could be used to ward off Jacob's vengeful spirit who, understandably a little miffed at his killing, sought revenge on Arthur.

Although his introductory tale in Justice League of America #12 (June 1962) pitted him against the big boys of the super-hero scene, in the years to come Dr. Light would slip down the metahuman league tables with alarming speed. Initially, he regularly plagued the JLA and their members but after many defeats he set his sights lower and made the Teen Titans his regular foes.

Eventually he was even drummed out of the Fearsome Five, the super-villain team he founded in New Teen Titans #3 (January 1981), because of his repeated failure.

Light’s lowest moment to date at this point came in his own Dr. Light Bonus Book, a free insert in Flash Vol.2 #12 (May 1988). This story, part of a program of extra material from up and coming creators that ran for a year or so in the late 80s, saw the villain defeated by the new Little Boy Blue and his Blue Boys – a group of non-super-powered children!

His humiliation complete, Light joined the Suicide Squad and showed a desperate desire to fit in and be liked. It says something when even the odious and universally disliked Captain Boomerang seemed to gain greater respect from his team-mates than Arthur could muster. Light served on a number of Squad missions getting over his fear of children when he managed, to his great delight, to kill Sparkler, the youngest member of the Force of July during the Janus Directive crossover.

John Ostrander built on the Secret Origins tale wonderfully during Dr. Light’s time in the pages of Suicide Squad making Arthur a somewhat buffoonish character but never forgetting his darker side. Jacob Finlay’s ghost was still haunting Light at this point and when the Squad found themselves outnumbered and out of their league on Apokolips it was Jacob’s wrathful spirit who suggested to Arthur in Suicide Squad #36 (Dec 1989) that it was time for him to embrace the hero within him and win the respect of his colleagues. Announcing himself as a force for good Arthur sprang heroically into action – only to be instantly cut to ribbons in a blaze of Parademon weapons fire.

Both Dr. Lights found themselves condemned to Hell; Arthur for his long catalogue of crimes and Jacob for his spiteful revenge. Doomed to spend eternity trapped with Jacob was a fitting finale to Arthur Light’s story of ineptitude and bumbling incompetence And there the saga of Dr. Light should have ended. Unfortunately it didn’t.

In Suicide Squad #52 Arthur made his speedy return from Death’s door. Ironically, as a Silver Age debutante Light had been the most high-profile super-villain to contribute to the book’s ever-growing body count. Whether this played any part in his death being so hastily undone is impossible to say but, for this reader at least, this development not only undid the deliciously dark comedy of the character’s demise but also somewhat undermined the core concept of the Squad. In a book where the shadow of death was such an ominous presence a slapstick story that showed how casually it could be undone was not an easy fit.

In Hell Arthur and Jacob found themselves the playthings of the demons Biff A. Stophelies and his sidekick who amused themselves by continually resurrecting the Dr. Light duo in situations that would quickly lead to further ignominious deaths. Breaking free of his tormentors’ cruelty, and securing his place on the mortal plane once again, Arthur attempted to rejoin the Squad. He was rejected out of hand by Amanda Waller.

In his next major appearance in Green Lantern Vol.3 #36 (Feb 1993) Light's persona was significantly different, explained by his escape from Hell’s clutches and time trapped in GL's power battery. He proved a formidable and confident foe to Hal Jordan, would later be handpicked by Lex Luthor as a member of his Injustice Gang (in the Rock of Ages story arc in JLA #s 10-15) and basically became a viable threat for heroes across the DCU once again.

In 2005 the controversial miniseries Identity Crisis put a new slant on Light’s days of less than super-villainy. During the JLA’s satellite era Light had raped Sue Dibny, the wife of JLA member Elongated Man, and then threatened the families of the rest of the JLA. To protect their loved ones the League had removed Light’s memories leaving his intellect seriously impaired in the process. While  this explained his years of repeated failure it also undid any fond memories of Light as comic relief in the pages of Suicide Squad.

Regaining his memories Light became a bigger threat than ever, clashing with heroes like Green Arrow in #s 54-59 of the Emerald Archer’s book in 2005-6 and taking out almost all the Teen Titans single-handedly in Teen Titans #s 20-23 (March-June 2005). As of Final Crisis: Revelations #1 he appears to be "permanently" dead again but death has never been much of a hindrance to Arthur Light in the past...

Action Comics #868: Loving the Multi-Alien

One of the pods housing captured alien species in Brainiac’s ship appears to contain the inanimate body of Ultra the Multi-Alien. Ultra is one of DC’s more infamous Sixties creations, a sci-fi hero who made his debut in Mystery in Space #103 (Nov 1965). One hundred or so years in the future space pilot Ace Arn was simultaneously shot by the ray guns of four alien races transforming each quarter of him into a facsimile of that species and gaining a measure of their powers in the process (see cover below right). Despite despairing at his lost humanity Arn adopted the name Ultra the Multi-Alien and used his newfound abilities to fight crime.

Ultra has been seen a couple of times recently in both Infinite Crisis and the arc that ran in Superman/Batman #s 28-33 (Sep 2006-March 2007). The planet Laroo, destroyed by Brainiac last month was also home to one of the races that, in the DCU’s future, will feature in Ultra’s origin. Interestingly Laroo was portrayed as housing all four species behind Arn’s transformation in Action Comics #867 while Geoff Johns has previously used the Laroo race as villains in his Star-Spangled Kid/Young Justice team-up in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #s 5-6 (Dec 1999-Jan 2000).

Rounding up... Lois Lane explains Supergirl’s presence at the Daily Planet as an interview for a recent run-in with Reactron. This occurred in Supergirl #s 25-26 (March-April 2008). (Action Comics #868)

Chuck Dixon provides a sequel to his Batman/Martian Manhunter team-up in Detective Comics #s 714-715 (Oct-Nov 1997) with the return of time-travelling criminal Wiley Dalbert who debuted in that story. (Booster Gold #11)

Fire mentions "working beside" the Global Guardians in the past which is a strange choice of words given that, under her previous identity of Green Flame, she was a founder member of the team. (Checkmate #29)

Brainiac, like his Silver Age incarnation and his descendant, Brainiac 5, in the post-Zero Hour Legion has a "pet" white monkey called Koko. This one is somewhat more ferocious than the version introduced in Action Comics #242 (July 1958) however. (Action Comics #868)

Trading Places

Arthur Light and the Fearsome Five can be encountered in New Teen Titans Archives #1 while he story behind Dr. Light’s mind-wipe can be found in Identity Crisis, available in both hardcover and softcover editions.

For very brief Ultra guest-shots check out Starman Vol. 8: The Stars My Destination or Animal Man: Deus Ex Machina for another of those blink and you’ll miss it appearances during Buddy's visit to Comics Limbo. There's also the hardcover Superman/Batman: The Enemies Among Us  to consider for plenty of alien on alien action. And the Laroonians' antics involving some of the DCU’s younger heroes can be found in JSA Presents: Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Vol. 1.

Fanboy Moment of the Week

The Spectre meting out justice on Dr. Light is a plot point that was actually first put forward some fourteen years ago. Way back on the letters page of The Spectre #25 (January 1995) one Andy Oliver of Essex, England wrote:

"What about Dr. Light turning up in these pages? The injustice of the forces of Hell sending a murderer back to Earth to wreak yet more havoc would seem to make a mockery of the Spectre’s mission. I can’t see him allowing a situation like that to go on for any length of time. After all, if they’ve sent Light back who’s to say they wouldn’t send [Ostrander/Mandrake Spectre villain] Danny the Reaver back as well?"

Insightful fellow. I like the cut of his jib. Wonder whatever happened to him?

That's it for another week. Until then feel free to post corrections, criticisms and commentary on the Broken Frontier ATDCU message board thread  here. See you in seven days and thanks for reading!