Broken Frontier

Ben Raab is back at DC with The Human Race, a new seven-issue mini series that teams the writer with penciller Josue Justiniano. The book is set in the DCU, but doesn't rely much on the universe's continuity, unlike limited series such as The Omac Project, The Rann/Thanagar War or Day Of Vengeance, the latter for which Justiniano also handles artistic duties. 

Unwilling to lose any ground because of all the aforementioned DC Countdown-related miniseries set to debut around the same time, Ben Raab delivers all the info you need on The Human Race.

BROKEN FRONTIER: Human Race revolves around a super-powered group called Delta Chi Delta. What is the group's main objective?

BEN RAAB: Delta Chi Delta exists with one very specific purpose in mind: to protect the future of human evolution… A future which, unbeknownst to the general public, is in jeopardy of suffering an extinction level event unless our heroes can stop it in time.

BF: How was Delta Chi Delta formed?

BR: Upon seeing a vision of the future DCU in which all humankind had been transformed into monsters, the last Greek oracle at Delphi decided to form a secret fraternity that could protect the human race. Thus, Delta Chi Delta was born.

BF: What can you tell us about the individual characters that make up the group? What are their powers?

BR: The fraternity's current incarnation is comprised of three super-powered beings. With an A.I. for a brain and a tough-as-nails attitude, DELPHI is the group's de facto leader. She's joined by the sagely SENSEI, a 300-year old samurai whose mastery of his Qi life-force gives him the body of a 21-year old and a host of energy-related abilities… Then there's NYMPH, the teenage empath/mental manipulator. Finally, and most importantly, there's our main character, ULYSSES ADAMS, the kid carrying the doom of the human race in his genes…

BF: Do some of these different members have any hidden reasons for joining the group, or are they all in it for the same thing?

BR: Though they're all working toward a common purpose, each member of Delta Chi Delta has devoted their life to the fraternity's mission for reasons uniquely their own. Some of those reasons will be revealed. Others, well, you'll just have to read and find out! 

BF: Is the story set in the continuity of the DC universe?

BR: Ulysses hails from a Metropolis suburb called Shuster's Glen that figures prominently into the story, but beyond that, THE HUMAN RACE doesn't rely heavily on DCU continuity at all. So anyone who comes to this cold won't feel left out if they haven't been reading the other DC books. It's a VERY reader-friendly series. To quote Tangina Paris: "All are welcome! All are welcome!"

BF: Will we see any established DC heroes or villains make an appearance over the course of the series?

BR: Yeah, some DCU heroes will make a cameo. Stay tuned!

BF: Is Human Race a completely self-contained seven-issue mini series, or will there be some plotlines remain unanswered that need to be solved in a second mini?  

BR: Without giving too much away, I'll just say that while there's a definite beginning and end to this particular story, there's still plenty of room for the adventure to continue.

BF: How did Justiniano become attached to the series?

BR: Josue and I had worked together a few times before I pitched this series… First, there was the BEAST BOY miniseries, then the 2000 TITANS ANNUAL and most recently the JLA: SHOGUN OF STEEL Elseworlds. He's the guy I wanted for this book all along, and I'm glad we had this opportunity to work together again. He's an awesome artist whose superb work is definitely going blow people away! 

- Frederik Hautain