Broken Frontier

After a couple of busier editions of OFTC, this week’s DCU books were less tied into Countdown’s Bigger Picture than we have been used to of late. But fret not, because that gives us a chance to look at events on Earth-8 in the Countdown Presents: Lord Havok and the Extremists series in a little more detail this time around. Even with a smaller pile of books to focus on please take heed of our Spoiler Warning: Read no further if you’ve not had your DC fix this week and don’t want to hear about key story elements.

Events of late…

In Countdown to Final Crisis #5: The Great Disaster claims Earth as its heroes fall. Buddy Blank secures his grandson’s destiny and his own. The Challengers from Beyond move on to their next destination. And Una gets ratted out, becomes ratatouille, turns a bit ratty... and so on...

Elsewhere in the DCU
(stories from the last week that may, or may not, tie into the Bigger Picture)

Forerunner’s story comes to a natural end (for the moment) in Countdown to Adventure #8.

It’s our last monthly trip to Earth-8 in Countdown Presents: Lord Havok and the Extremists #6.

How do the prophecies of the Blackest Night tie into the secret origin of Hal Jordan? The answers begin in Green Lantern #29.

Is the end of Earth-50 coming? The lead-in to Number of the Beast concludes in Wildstorm: Revelations #6.

Continuity Corner
(interesting tidbits from this week’s issues!)

The Mystery of the Legion – From the Lightning Saga in Justice League of America and Justice Society of America last year onwards, we knew a Legionnaire would die before this storyline played itself out. With Karate Kid already expired, Una looked safe, but this week she is eaten alive by a group of rat creatures. Fans of the character needn’t mourn too hard though, as over in Legion of Super-Heroes #40 another version is alive and well. (Countdown to Final Crisis #5)

In Blackest Night... – The events of Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 (1986) look set to be fleshed out as we learn more about Abin Sur’s last days and his determination to stop the prophecy of the Blackest Night from coming true. (Green Lantern #29)

Forerunner – Having found themselves in an unknown part of space, and their ship powerless after passing through the Source Wall, Forerunner and her crew encounter the alien Ziqu of the Matrioshka Wombworld. In exchange for a power source they agree to escort a newly birthed planet to its place in the universe. After fighting off the scavenger race known as the Tsachians, Forerunner’s DNA is used by the planet as the building blocks for life there. Viza Aziv elects to stay behind and look after this new race of "Forerunners" as her former colleagues return home.

Does the Matrioshka Wombworld have greater DCU significance? Their "world" contains many other worlds within it which are then transported elsewhere in the universe to birth unique new species. Their enemies in the greater scheme of things are the Tsachians, who harvest planets of all their natural resources. "Matrioshka" would appear to be derived from "Matryoshka" as in the Russian dolls that open up to reveal smaller versions of themselves within. (Countdown to Adventure #8)

The Great Disaster – A veritable prequel to Kamandi #1 shows us the origins of Kirby’s Great Disaster and the evolution of the animal men (via the mutated Morticoccus virus in Karate Kid’s blood). We also seem to be on the verge of a far more traditional version of OMAC with this reality’s Buddy Blank looking set to accept his destiny in the final pages of this week’s CTFC. (Countdown to Final Crisis #5)

Earthwatch

Earth-Kamandi – It’s clearly not the New Earth we know and yet, according to Ray Palmer, it should be. Could Earth-Kamandi be a divergent future of New Earth instead? Has something occurred previously in the timestream to create a future New Earth where the Challengers never existed? And what then of Earth-17 from Countdown: Arena which also appeared to be a version of Kamandi’s world (albeit with a super-hero twist)? Has the Great Disaster happened somewhere else in the Multiverse already? (Countdown to Final Crisis #5)

Earth-8 – It’s time to catch up with events on this JLI-inspired world over the last few issues of the Lord Havok miniseries (a story arc that took place largely between Countdown #s 29-27 with a number of flashbacks and a flash forward...). This Earth-8 (not to be confused with the Earth-8 Jason Rusch, Kyle Rayner and Helena Bertinelli were revealed to have once been denizens of in Infinite Crisis) greatly resembles a post-Civil War Marvel Universe, continuing a great tradition of semi-parodying the opposition’s characters that stretches right back to the original Squadron Supreme.

On this world the Extremists are a group of super-humans opposed to the Metahuman Act which requires all super-powered individuals to register and serve in the Meta Militia. Those who refuse end up in concentration camps (where future Extremist Dr. Diehard, a Magneto/Professor X counterpart and leader of the Zen Men, loses his family).The act and its implementation are initially overseen by Tin Man, the President of Angor and, after his murder by Lord Havok, by the Americommando. Based in the European country of Slovekia, the Extremists (Havok, Gorgon, Dr. Diehard, Dreamslayer and Tracer) plan their opposition to Americommando. The brutal war between the Extremists and the Meta Militia is interrupted by Monarch when the would-be multiversal dictator comes looking for more soldiers for his reality-conquering army (as seen in the pages of Countdown).

Although Lord Havok refuses to join Monarch he is, in reality, manipulating events to his own purpose. Monarch joins with Americommando in invading Slovekia in retaliation at Havok’s rejection. Havok has laid a trap for one and all though, leading them into a specially designed area that depowers anyone but the Extremists and allowing him to destroy Americommando and the Meta Militia once and for all.

Having achieved his aims on Earth-8, Lord Havok and his team decide to join Monarch on their own terms. Once again though, Havok proves to be no man’s lackey. Having siphoned off a small amount of Monarch’s power he uses it teleport himself and the Extremists away when the universe of Earth-51 is destroyed during Monarch’s battle with Superman Prime. The Extremists now realise they have an entire Multiverse of Earths to spread their message to... (Countdown Presents: Lord Havok and the Extremists #s 1-6)

Recently I conjectured, in true fanboy speculative style, if the 52 were really the 54 and the question of Angor and the Extremists makes me wonder if the 54 aren’t actually the 55! This version of the super-group, though familiar in some respects, is obviously a radical departure from the team first seen in Justice League Europe #15 (1990). While Maxwell Lord’s time as a cyborg Lord Havok impersonator was Superboy-punched out of continuity in Infinite Crisis Secret Files and Origins, the previous established Extremist stories play such a large part in the Giffen/DeMatteis JLI (with Silver Sorceress and Blue Jay from that version of Angor eventually joining the League) that it’s hard to believe that the original version of Angor isn’t still out there somewhere. To add further weight to this let’s not forget the original Blue Jay himself still exists on New Earth (see Action Comics #s 841-843 for confirmation).

(And for those wondering from past editions of this feature.... No, there was no Tangent Green Lantern on Earth-8, it was Lord Havok cunningly disguising himself in a green cloak!)

Join us next week for the grand finale to Superman’s team-up with the "classic" Legion of Super-Heroes and, hopefully, some answers at last to the mystery of the Legion!