Broken Frontier

It’s a big, big week of major releases so very few opening comments this time around. What I will quickly mention is that the metatextual element that we’ve been predicting here since Countdown to Final Crisis first showed Mr. Mxyzptlk sealing up the Fifth Dimension from the readership, and the rest of the DCU, has finally come to fruition in Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1. Not the most accessible of reads but a fascinating one nonetheless. The basics will be covered here but I hasten to add that my thoughts can only be horribly brief and unreliably speculative.

No change there then...

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)

The Amber Butane Corps, Rama Kushna does Groucho Marx and the real Bug-inspired reason Ted Kord got shot in the head. Where else but Ambush Bug: Year None #2?

Steve Niles and Kelley Jones give us the ultimate Batman/Clayface fight in the freaky frightfest of Batman: Gotham After Midnight #4. Stunningly macabre art from Jones!

Blue Beetle #30 sees Jaime Reyes caught up in the manipulations of La Dama as his investigation into the super-powered border jumpers falters. All this and super-hero mini-golf too!

It’s the end of the road for Selina Kyle in Catwoman #82, the final issue of the series.

What would you do on your last night on Earth? DC Universe: Last Will and Testament #1 examines the final hours for the DCU’s heroes and villains.

Flash’s villains take the battle back to Libra and the Secret Society of Super-Villains in Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #2.

A team of Supermen from across the Multiverse team up in Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1 with the life of Lois Lane hanging in the balance.

Justice Society of America #18 introduces an all-new Magog, albeit with a very familiar face.

Braniac 5 saves the Solar System and there’s a shock in store for Invisible Kid in Legion of Super-Heroes #45.

The battlelines are drawn and established characters make some very surprising choices in Reign in Hell #2.

Can anyone stop the legendary warrior Atlas? Superman #679 has the answer and it may not be who you expect!

In Teen Titans #62 the team is whittled down even further. Meet the new Wonder Dog and prepare to say farewell to yet more cast members...

Those preferring a more innocent take on the teen sidekick super-team should look no further than Teen Titans: Year One #6 as the origin miniseries concludes.

Plotlines come together in Trinity #13 as events on Earth-II coincide with the Troika’s scheming.

And finally there’s more post-apocalyptic drama on Earth-50 in WildCats #2 and over in the Vertigo-verse the history of that DCU mainstay is further recounted in Madame Xanadu #3.

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

The Monitors – In return for saving Lois’s life Superman joins Monitor Zillo Valla and other Superman counterparts on a mission to save the Cosmos. They are being pursued by The Destroyer a.k.a. "Echo of Midnight", an apparent agent of Mandrakk the Dark Monitor (?). According to Valla The Bleed acts as arteries between the 52 universes. The Red Skies associated with DC Crises are, then, a result of The Bleed seeping into each reality. This may explain some of the anomalous travel between worlds as realities crash into each other and also provide some metatextual understanding of the reasons behind the continuity conflicts the DCU experiences from time to time.

The group finally defeat the Destroyer on Earth-51. Finding themselves shipwrecked on the shores of Limbo they discover a library that houses a book that contains all other books. And then things get seriously confusing. Anything in the next two or three paragraphs should be taken as pure speculation...

An analysis of Final Crisis: Superman Beyond and its deeper meanings could fill a series of features in itself but the salient points are that in the beginning, to use a suitably Biblical phrase, all that existed was one Monitor – not a Monitor as we understand the term but an infinite, void-like intelligence. A flaw formed within this otherwise perfect reality/being which the Monitor contained to stop its spread. As the Man of Steel is such an integral part of events here perhaps the flaw begins with his origin in Action Comics #1 and then rapidly grows into a Multiverse of stories from there?

Monitor sent a probe within the flaw to learn more and interact with what it found within. This probe would appear to be the "original" Monitor from Crisis On Infinite Earths. The line referring to the probe being blinded and split in two may possibly refer to his death and the emergence of the Anti-Monitor... And the "scabbing over" of the flaw could be a metaphor for the destruction of the original Multiverse and emergence of the one DCU? Or alternatively be referring to the containment of the Multiverse in the Orrery of Worlds.

The Monitor society is a story that grew from the first probe. I am assuming the COIE Monitor/the probe is written into this history as Dax Novu who "gave his life to chain the beast in darkness". What, if any, relation this imprisoned darkness Mandrakk has to the Anti-Monitor is uncertain. What is clear is that the concept of Superman is integral to the resolution of this Final Crisis, as evidenced by the iconic statue of him, a relic of that first contact with the flaw, that sits at the heart of Monitor society.

This infinite void Monitor that contains the DC Universe as we know it must surely be the Megaverse that was first mentioned way back in the final issue of 52 . (Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1)

Brother Eye-Spy – Brother Eye transforms Cheeks the Toy Wonder into his latest OMAC. (Please don’t e-mail me and question why I included this. It’s irony. Embrace it. It’s fun). (Ambush Bug: Year None #2)

Salvation Run – The two challengers for the legacy of Hellhound, one of the super-villains who died on the Prison Planet, adopt the names Devil Dog and Anubis instead. They are easily taken out by Blue Beetle. (Blue Beetle #30)

As her series concludes Selina’s recent experiences, including the delusional world she imagined in Salvation Run, appear to push her back into her identity as a costumed thief. (Catwoman #82)

The false Rogues, who were part of the army equipped by the Penguin in Gotham Underground with weaponry confiscated from the exiled Salvation Run villains, are brutally killed by the true Rogues after being set upon them by Libra. (Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #2)

The Coming Crisis – As the final battle approaches the heroes and villains of the DCU face what could be their last night. Some, like Wonder Woman and Donna Troy, prepare as warriors while others, like Grace of the Outsiders, seek unlikely solace in religion. In Gotham the Batman Family come together and in Smallville Superman confides in Pa Kent. Perhaps most touchingly of all Challenger of the Unknown Rocky Davis acts as "priest" and confidante to the super-hero community in their time of need.

While many find positive ways to occupy the final night Geo-Force vows to find and kill Deathstroke the Terminator, the man responsible for his sister’s death. He defeats the assassin, leaving him grievously injured but his victory is only the inadvertent result of his own attempted suicide during the battle. (DC Universe: Last Will and Testament #1)

The Religion of Crime – Libra is so intent on getting the Rogues onboard because he knows that Flashes always have an integral role in any Crisis. He needs operatives, then, with experience of combating the Scarlet Speedsters. To this end he has employed the Reverse-Flash to train Inertia. He plans for the Rogues to eventually kill the evil speedster as training for their part in his plans. Hmmm... with Bart Allen allegedly returning from the grave, and Inertia being his clone, could there be a link here? (Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #2)

The Tenth Age of Magic – As Blaze and Satanus continue their assault on Neron’s realm a number of unexpected alliances begin to form amongst Earth’s mystical community. (Reign in Hell #2)

King Lycus, son of Ares, begins a plan of revenge on Wonder Girl by using "Wonder Dog" to infiltrate Titans Tower. The apparently amiable pooch shows an unexpectedly monstrous side when he devours associate Titans members Wendy and Marvin. (Teen Titans #62)

Batman R.I.P. – Robin seeks comfort in some downtime with the Titans to take his mind of Batman’s disappearance and his strained relationship with the Spoiler. (Teen Titans #62)

Rounding up... Jimmy Olsen appears to recognise one of the military conspirators behind Atlas’s presence in Metropolis. This operative has the rank of Colonel. After the events of Superman/Batman #49, wherein Lana Lang betrayed Superman for the good of Lexcorp, Superman’s childhood sweetheart does a rapid about turn and ends up being fired from the company for using its resources to aid the Man of Steel. (Superman #679)

To probably no-one’s surprise Lance Corporal David Reid is mortally wounded in battle with the JSA and resurrected by Gog as the new Magog, as the shadow of Earth-22 hangs over New Earth. (Justice Society of America #18)

Earthwatch

Earth-II – The Crime Syndicate of Amerika’s plan to strand the JLA in limbo is foiled by the Trinity. Superman instead exiles Ultraman, Owlman and Superwoman there. Unfortunately the news leads to widespread rioting on the Anti-matter Earth. And there seems little doubt now that Enigma is Earth-II’s Riddler. (Trinity #13)

Ultraman is also one of the Supermen enlisted by Zillo Valla. (Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1)

Earth-2 – The universally-displaced Power Girl seeks the help of the Earth-2 Michael Holt in understanding her situation. (Justice Society of America #18)

Earth-50 – Majestic sets himself up as ruler of Hawaii on the devastated WildStorm Earth, believing the destruction actually gives this world a chance to be rebuilt as something wonderful. Thinking he is creating a utopia he invites those members of the WildCats team who could become valuable members of his new society to join him there. The WildCats reject him, wishing to save the entire planet not just one elite kingdom. (WildCats #2)

We also visit a multitude of Earths in the first Superman Beyond special as well as meeting the inhabitants of some of the others amongst Zillo Valla's team. These include the Earth-4 "Superman" Captain Adam, a mix of Superman, Captain Atom and Watchmen ’s Doctor Manhattan. It should be noted that all other Multiversal Captain Atoms were purportedly killed by Monarch in the final issue of Countdown: Arena but I certainly wouldn't lose any sleep over that at this juncture.

There’s a spot on the crew for Overman the Nazi Earth-10 Superman although, in keeping with the theme of Countdown/Final Crisis anomalies, his world does not appear to be entirely consistent with the Earth-10 Forerunner visited in Countdown to Adventure. Also aboard Valla’s ship, the Ultima Thule, is the Big Red Cheese himself. The traditional Marvel Family feel of Earth-5 is confirmed with the best depiction of Captain Marvel in a long, long time...

As the Ultima Thule crashes through realities we get scattered looks at a number of parallel worlds. I could be reading too much into this but as the ship journeys from Earth-13 to Earth-6 the crow imagery is very reminiscent of similar imagery in the classic Alan Moore American Gothic storyline in Swamp Thing #s 37-50 in the mid-1980s. Given that Earth-13 is rumored to be the "Vertigo" Earth this would be in keeping with not explicitly depicting those characters as part of the DCU-proper.

Earth-6 has a Marvel-esque feel to it complete with two familiar characters in the forefront who look to be on separate sides of their very own "Civil War"! It's worth mentioning that Earth-8 had a similar tone in the Countdown Presents: Lord Havok and the Extremists miniseries. Earth-17, the new Atomic Knights world, is looking bleaker than ever in its one-panel appearance while Earth-20 is home to versions of Doctor Fate and Lady Blackhawk and has something of a Pulp-inspired feel. Finally, Earth-51 is now known as a graveyard planet where this is no life whatsoever. While this reflects its original destruction in Countdown to Final Crisis it appears to ignore its rebirth as the home of Kamandi’s reality in the final issues of that series. (Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1)

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

DC Universe: Last Will and Testament #1: Terra-Vision

Will the real Terra please stand up? It stands to reason that Geo-Force would have a long-standing grudge against Deathstroke the Terminator. But events in DC Universe: Last Will and Testament #1 re-open that whole can of worms regarding the identities of the various characters calling themselves Terra over the last few years.

For those not versed in Titans lore, Deathstroke once used Geo-Force’s half-sister Terra, who had similar earth-moving powers, to infiltrate the Teen Titans as his spy/agent in a treacherous revenge plot. This concluded tragically in 1984’s classic The Judas Contract story running in Tales of the Teen Titans #s 42-44 and Annual #3. A clearly insane Tara Markov, convinced she had been betrayed by Slade Wilson, managed to accidentally kill herself by bringing an entire building down on her own head.

Fast forward to the early 1990s and a new Terra appeared as part of the Titans spinoff group that would eventually get their own Team Titans book. These Titans were from a future timeline where Donna Troy’s son had become the despotic ruler Lord Chaos. As visitors from the future are wont to do, they came back to our time to stop his birth and avert their timeline.

This "Tara Markov" had been genetically altered by future science to give her the powers of the original version. Post-Zero Hour, however, the Team Titans’ timeline was wiped out, with most of the characters being erased from reality off-panel, leaving question marks over the true identity of the second Terra.

The Team Titans were eventually revealed as being part of Monarch/Extant’s plans to reorder time. However, it turned out the Time Trapper had used a small number of "sleeper" agents to infiltrate their ranks and oppose Extant, including Terra. The clear implication in New Titans Annual #11 (1995) is that the second Terra was, in fact, the original taken from the timeline shortly before her death. Adding to the mystery the original Terra’s coffin was later discovered to be empty.

Learning of the new Terra, Geo-Force initially angrily confronted her in Outsiders Vol. 2 #17 (April 1995) before aiding her in the quest to discover her true identity in Titans Secret Files and Origins #2 (2000). The results of medical tests seemed to prove once more that the second Terra was really the first returned to life. However, Geo-Force lied to "Tara" telling her the tests proved she was not his sister and sparing her the truth that she was really the same person who had callously betrayed her friends and teammates.

Recently, during  World War III, Terra died once again - this time heroically at the hands of the murderous Black Adam. The lack of resulting temporal chaos seems to imply that, despite all evidence to the contrary, she was a separate individual from her predecessor after all.

To add to the confusion a third Terra made her first appearance in Supergirl #12 (Jan 2007). Perhaps the long-delayed Terra miniseries will finally give us some answers - should it ever see print. At this point, however, it seems Brion Markov has changed his mind about who his sister really was. Given that he admitted feeling closer to the second Terra in Outsiders #17 than he ever did his "real" sister one wonders why he didn’t go after Black Adam instead. Perhaps Deathstroke was just the easier option...

Reign in Hell #2: Minor Arcana

Two more obscure characters from DC’s magical past pop up this week. Prince Ra-Man was originally introduced as mystical investigator Mark Merlin in House of Secrets #23 (Aug 1959). In House of Secrets #73 (Aug 1965) he was retooled as Prince Ra-Man after being transported to the dimension of Ra and given occult powers and the body of ancient Egyptian prince. The character continued battling supernatural menaces until he was killed during the Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Like Terra, Merlin/Ra-Man is another character whose current status is shrouded in confusion. Mark Merlin appeared unexpectedly alive again, without explanation, in Detective Comics #779 (April 2003) while a King Ra-Man featured in the Seven Soldiers Zatanna series a couple of years back. And this week in Reign in Hell #2 we see Prince Ra-Man in Hell as Satanus’s Secretary of State. He certainly gets about a bit for a dead guy.

Also given a somewhat darker interpretation is the Yellow Peri, who acts as Dr. Occult’s guide in Hell in the backup story. The Yellow Peri was a very minor magical threat to the Boy/Man of Steel first appearing in New Adventures of Superboy #34 (Oct 1982). She would also eventually turn up in the adult Kal-El’s life in Action Comics #567 (May 1985). In the post-COIE reality she was briefly seen at Booster Gold’s funeral in 52 #18.

Rounding up... The parody cameos come thick and fast in this week’s Ambush Bug entry. For the record they include 1950s/60s sci-fi hero Space Ranger who debuted in Showcase #15 (July 1958), the Flash-loving planet Savoth which appeared recently in a series of backups beginning with The Flash #231 (Oct 2007) and the Martian Manhunter’s best forgotten alien sidekick Zook!

Getting a spot on the cover, as well as the interiors, is Galactus skit Mr. Nebula. Nebula was introduced in the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League America #36 (March 1990), a kind of cosmic interior decorator searching the universe with his herald the Scarlet Skier looking for planets to redesign. (Ambush Bug: Year None #2)

Grant Morrison returns us to the Comics Limbo he introduced in Animal Man #25 (July 1990) where the various Supermen meet a large number of "forgotten" DC characters including Merryman from The Inferior 5 , Ace the Bat-Hound, sundry New Blood, the second Chronos, members of Hero Hotline and the Demolition Team amongst others. Note Merryman's comment about the contents of the library being written by a monkey and the cover to that issue of Animal Man ... (Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1)

The war in Hell also brings legacy characters including the new Ibis and Sargon the Sorcerer back into the spotlight for the first time since their Helmet of Fate one-shots last year. (Reign in Hell #2)

One-time regular supporting character Bibbo Bibowski makes a rare one-panel cameo this week as one of the defenders of Metropolis taken out by the legendary Atlas. A shame we don’t see him more often. He was always my fav’rit. (Superman #679)

Fanboy Moment of the Week

This week we don’t have the usual enthusiastic focus on some piece of obscure continuity or charming comics in-joke that normally runs in this section. Instead I am having one of those Fanboy Moments that we all have from time to time! The kind where you feel a little uneasy at the way a familiar character has been treated or portrayed.

Yet more Titans bite the dust in Teen Titans #62. This time around it was Wendy and Marvin who, like the Wonder Twins before them in the pages of Extreme Justice, graduated to the DCU-proper via the 1970s Super Friends cartoon. Now, granted, it’s a fair point to say that no-one has really seemed to know what to do with them since their reintroduction in Teen Titans last year. However, being ripped to shreds by Wonder Dog, their former animated sidekick, was more Preacher than Johnny DC. As always, let’s give the creators time to see where they go with this but if I were the Wonder Twins I would be nervously looking over my shoulder at this point...

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!