Broken Frontier

It’s the finale this week of the "Origins and Omens" mini-event that took up residency throughout the DC line in February. There’s certainly been plenty to digest although it remains to be seen how literal some of that foreshadowing is. The pick of those teases are discussed below so, as always, take heed of our 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.

The Geoff Johns Roadshow

It's a big week of releases for GJ fans. Kicking off with events for Clark Kent and company, Superman #685 sees the Man of Steel makes the difficult decision to be perceived as abandoning his loved ones on Earth and taking up residence on New Krypton. There are more Legion of Super-Heroes links throughout this issue. Firstly, Daxamite hero, and recent Phantom Zone internee Mon-El’s lead poisoning is cured by a mysterious potion that appears from nowhere in the Fortress of Solitude courtesy of the Legion. Guardian also decides the time is right to free Legionnaire Tellus from the Cadmus Project where he was first shown imprisoned in Adventure Comics Special #1.

The "Origins and Omens" backup establishes a secret identity for Metropolis’s new protector Mon-El. In a touching turn of events he assumes the name of Jonathan Kent, Clark’s "cousin". We can also look forward  to confrontations with both Atlas and fellow Daxamite Sodam Yat, the new Ion, in the months to come.

In Green Lantern #38 events pick up speed with Hal Jordan ending up wielding the powers of Red, Green and Blue Lanterns all in the space of one issue. Other major turning points are Carol Ferris being recruited to the ranks of the Star Sapphires and Sinestro vowing revenge on Mongul for usurping his Corps. While on Okaara the Controllers, the Oan offshoot race once responsible for the GLC wannabes the Darkstars, search for the Orange power source (greed) to form their own Corps. Little do they know there is a prior claimant to it. We can look forward to meeting Agent Orange next month.

In the "Origins and Omens" entry it would appear that John Stewart’s reunion with Katma Tui may not be as idyllic as the foreshadowing in Green Lantern #36 suggested with John’s deceased wife looking set to be a member of the Black Lantern Corps. Soranik Natu moves back to first place in the favorites list as Sinestro’s missing daughter then. I am also intrigued as to why the Guardians are going to put Alan Scott, GL Torquemada and Mordru on trial. The common link between those characters is, of course, magic...

And, on the subject of all things mystical,  Justice Society of America #24 deals with the ongoing conflict between the JSA and the Black Marvel Family. This issue heavily references Jerry Ordway’s Power of Shazam! graphic novel and builds on events in both 52 and The Trials of Shazam. Those hoping that being freed of Desaad’s possession in Final Crisis would have returned Mary Marvel to normal are going to be disappointed to learn that Black Adam’s power is still corrupting her. Can the intervention of the ghost of Billy and Mary Batson’s father restore the Marvel Family to greatness?

There are yet more "Origins and Omens" teases in the last few pages of JSA #24. I’m not sure who the two new recruits to the team are but, as legacy characters, they are following in the footsteps of a famous father and grandmother. I doubt anyone will be surprised to see Magog falling out with the team in the near future but Mr. Terrific’s fate may shock some.

Underworld Unleashed

The war in the netherworld comes to a conclusion in Reign in Hell #8 with its repercussions being felt in Teen Titans # 68 - though given Red Devil’s major role in the conflict in RoH #8 I’m unsure as to why he’s so ignorant of its outcome in TT #68. Hostilities finish with demoness Blaze betraying her brother Lord Satanus and becoming the new monarch of Hell. Lots of plot threads to be followed up here: What is the final fate of Sargon who was left trapped in Hell at Lobo’s mercy? Have the new Ibis and Black Alice really given up their magical identities? What price did Blue Devil pay to escape Hell’s clutches? What next for the reformed and depleted Shadowpact? And just how did Lobo become Neron's prisoner in the first place?

In Teen Titans #68 Kid Eternity and the newly depowered Red Devil take a trip to Hell to discover the truth behind Eddie Bloomberg’s contract with the recently deceased Neron. It transpires that Neron merely unlocked Eddie’s metagene and his powers were not magical (as Niles Caulder of the Doom Patrol surmised back in Teen Titans #36). When Brother Blood briefly stole Red Devil’s powers last issue it rendered the contract void. Although Blaze offers Red Devil a similar deal he decides against accepting when Kid Eternity summons the soul of his Aunt Marla to counsel some common sense to Eddie.

Once again, there are a number of subplots set up for future consideration. I am most interested in Kid Eternity’s account of his torn loyalties between the Lords of Chaos and Order and his confrontation with Order’s Sister Sentry this issue. Didn’t the Tenth Age of Magic begin in Day of Vengeance with the deaths of all the Lords of Chaos/Order bar Amethyst and Mordru? In other developments Wonder Girl’s determination to take down the Dark Side Club would tie in with the "Origins and Omens" flash forwards to Ravager and Static appearances.

We also have a mystery pregnant Titan to consider in coming months – check out the Wonder Woman "Origins and Omens" entry and we have a similar pregnancy puzzler amongst the supporting cast over there. The common ground between the two books is, of course, Wonder Girl... Other things to anticipate include the return of Kid Flash and is that the death of Eddie Bloomberg on the horizon?

Military, Manazons and Mutations

Teen Titan Blue Beetle may be about to embark on a romance with Cassie Sandsmark if Teen Titans #68 is to be believed but in the last issue of his own book, Blue Beetle #36, his concerns are of a more intergalactic nature. Although Jaime succeeds in taking down the former Reach operatives calling themselves the Khaji-Da Revolutionary Army it’s not without a cost. Supporting cast member Nadia dies in the conflict and Jaime’s long-time friend and ally Hector blames Blue Beetle for her demise. In the aftermath both Hector and a scarab belonging to one of the KDRA go missing. Have we just seen the origin of Black Beetle of the Time Stealers  from Booster Gold? After all, Black Beetle hated Jaime in that book because he blamed him for the demise of someone close to him.

Rounding up the remaining books... In Wonder Woman #29 Diana makes the horrifying discovery that Etta Candy is a prisoner of the killing machine called Genocide while Zeus’s quest to establish his "Manazons" takes a brutal turn when he rips out the heart of the god Kane Milohai to use as part of his new champion. In Trinity #39, just when it looks like the Dark Arcana have taken control of reality the Godlike versions of Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman finally return to New Earth from "Earth-Krona" to save the day (?).

The War That Time Forgot #10 finally offers up some detailed explanations as to what has been going on at Dinosaur Island  these last few months. The mutated humanity of the far future has selected each of the kidnapped warriors because they played integral parts in their various wars. In this way they have sought to stop the escalation of warfare that will eventually lead to their nuclear-ravaged future by studying the warriors in this island experiment. It’s all a little strange, though, that no super-powered protagonists apparently had any effect on the timestream... And, finally, for those looking out for more of DC’s historical heroes then Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion #4 guests not just the crew of The Haunted Tank but also Johnny Cloud, the Navajo Ace, of The Losers.

That’s it until the weekend as Gotham comes to terms with Batman’s death, DC’s space heroes return in Strange Adventures and Superman emigrates to New Krypton. Thanks for reading!