Legion dress-up

One of the on-line fiddly bits I like to play with from time to time is the 8-bit microhero templates you may have seen floating around. I wish I could say where they originated from, but I confess I can't even find the original website I got the template I'm currently using. Apologies for the original artist for not giving due credit. Many of these illustrations are based on those posted at cosmicteams.com, so check them out if you want to see more DC Comics teams in 8-bit form.

The microhero forms are an easy way to dabble in superhero costume design and recreation, and I've recently completed a casual project of illustrating the members of the My52 Legion of Super-Heroes. If you didn't read the original pitch, the idea was that the Legion of Super-Heroes, after resurrecting Superboy and Kid Flash in 'Legion of 3 Worlds', take responsibility for him and invite him into the 30th century to rekindle his heroic spirit and teach him how to live up to the name of Superman (in much the same way they were inspired by legends of Superman themselves).

I spoke a bit in the original post about the membership of my Legion, but I've since dropped Dawnstar and Shrinking Violet. For Dawny, I couldn't find a way to make her stand out from the similarly-powered Comet Queen, and Violet always felt extraneous in a group with someone who could turn invisible or actually shape-shift into a mouse.

So to make my LoSH lineup official, here are my cartoon doodles of the team:

Brainiac 5: A slight tinker  with his purple jumpsuit to make the top cross-button like the classic mad scientist he is. And while I didn't care much for the recent addition of that heavy-looking lab coat, I don't mind the addition of a slighter lab vest he could wear.

Chameleon Girl: This is pretty much the costume she wore when I first met her in 'Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes', but I shaved her head to give her the more alienesque bald Durlan look. I also saw an alternate costume with the wide collar and I liked it so much I added it on.

Comet Queen: I didn't change a thing. Not only does it seem improbable (if not impossible) for her to change the appearance of her mutated comet body, but it completely worked for me when I first saw her and continues to do so now. If anything, I'd like to see her 'comet hair' a little cloudy, especially when she flies, but that doesn't come across too well in 8-bit drawings.

Cosmic Boy: A straight translation of his current uniform as seen in 'Legion of 3 Worlds' and beyond. I did tamper with extending the front grey area down past his belt a bit, that that's just a slight flourish to break up the line.

Duplicate Damsel: Her current costume's a real throwback to her past outfit as Duo Damsel. At first I was unsure why they used the two-tone outfit when she can now create more than two duplicates, but then I said 'meh'. If I were drawing it, I might say that all the duplicates that pop out of her left side are orange and all the ones from the right are purple. That would help single out the original DD in a crowd. I kind of wanted to re-add her old short cape, but didn't. There's still time, I suppose.

Invisible Kid: The current outfit for IK is the most forgettable thing I've ever seen on a Super-Hero and did a total redesign for this project. It's obviously inspired by his classic black and yellow body stocking, but I added some details to break up the uniformity. I also added a hood just because it seemed fitting for a kid who could turn invisible, and nobody else had one.

Kid Flash: To make a fresh start in the 31st century, Kid Flash modified his costume a bit, and I modeled the changes on the character design from the Young Justice cartoon. I think it's hilarious that he keeps the mask, since (almost) nobody else in the Legion bothers with a secret identity.

Lightning Lass: Like Cosmic Boy, a straight translation of her current look in the comics.

Phantom Girl: Around this time I started to notice that none of the women in LoSH have sleeves, so I added some on for Phantom Girl. I wanted to break up the silhouette a bit, since otherwise it's just a colorless body stocking with cleavage windows. I tagged back to her old bell-bottom look, but interpreted them into long-cuff boots rather than bells. Finally, to put some flow into her movements, I added a scarf. Visually I want to see it wafting about on the nonexistent breeze whenever she's intangible.

Polar Boy: Unique among the modern Legionnaires, I hate Polar Boys new look, especially since his classic, Steve Lightle, look was so defining. So I decided to just put him back in that, since the contours and piping actually fit the style of the modern Legion more than many others. I did decide to ditch the silver cap, but rather than give him ice hair (which looked really unimaginative when used recently), I gave him a punkish mohawk of sorts in a frosty white color.

Sensor Girl: Initially I liked that they added some skin to her costume since it makes a neat contrast between the full-face mask and the exposed shoulders and cleavage. After drawing that style, though, I discovered that I missed the angular paneling of her first design and went retro with her. Fortunately the shoulder pads didn't survive, but there may be time in the future to add back some skin for that contrast I mentioned earlier.

Shadow Lass: She's had a lot of costumes over the years, but any attempt I made to move away from her traditional 'bare-minimum' look always left her unrecognizable (which is weird 'cause she has blue skin...) So I tried to keep the bikini look without getting too slutty, mostly trying to achieve this by adding a skirt/butt cape to her costume.

Superboy: Currently he's wearing jeans and a t-shirt and I HATE that look. It really looks like he doesn't care, and that may be the root of the problem the Legion is trying to solve. So step one to get him back on track was to give him a Superman jacket with a little more color to it. A jacket has been part of his costume since his first appearance, but this one is modeled after the one worn by Tom Welling toward the end of 'Smallville.' He's still got the black t-shirt under there, but this is a good first step.

Tellus: No changes here. He's a hulking fish creature who wears a water tank on his face. I can't think of anything that needs changing.

Tyroc: The Legionnaire most in need of make-over from his first appearance and I do declare he got a great one in the pages of the New52 'Legion Lost' series. This is that pretty much verbatim. Why does he have goggles? No idea! Isn't that great?

Ultra Boy: I don't know why I always picture Ultra Boy as kind of a greaser, but there it is. I gave him a pompadour hair-do and took the sleeves off his uniform. Otherwise, this one's mostly inspired by the outfit he wore in the post-Zero Hour Legion.

Wildfire: I came across this version accidentally and fell in love. The visible, churning energy in his body and faceplate say more about this character than anything else. I did add on a fuller chestplate to include the winged star symbol, but otherwise he's all Kirby Dots. Kudos to the designer (as well as the original microhero artist who translated the energy so well). 

Digging the new GL

Despite the existence of a blog intended to stubbornly hold on to fond elements of the pre-New 52 DC Universe, I won't say the New 52 is without redeeming qualities.  Fer instance, I've already stolen (and then changed) the premise behind the new Creature Commandos, and the few issues of Legion Lost I read were quite good (even if the concept didn't fit into the My52 Legion series.)

I finally had a chance to read a sort-of recent Green Lantern crossover called "Rise of the Third Army," and while the story and premise themselves weren't great, it did introduce a character that I really sort of dig: Simon Baz.

That's the Third Army lurking in the background.  Shame it took
such a weak concept to introduce such a strong character.

Although he's, like, the fifth human member of the Green Lantern Corps and joins a group I already found bloated enough to pare off 75% of in my My52 Blackest Night rewrite, I really found myself liking the character a lot.  Far more than I expected to based on the ads I remember seeing for him when he actually first appeared.

Somehow, while introducing a Lebanese-American rookie superhero to the DCU, ace writer Geoff Johns managed to avoid all the pitfalls of making it all about race or focusing too much on the "I'm new, what do I do?" aspect.  Instead, they did what all new characters should receive: a distinct goal, a unique voice, and a strong supporting cast. Right out the gate, Baz showcases how he's affected by post-9/11 bigotry and also how he's moved past it, we meet members of his extended family (and the important jobs they hold that can inspire future plots), and meet a surprising ally in FBI Agent Fed, the only man who believes he's innocent and a potential Jim Gordon-type character for him in the future.  He even starts with a great heroic dynamic as his civilian identity is feared for possibly terrorist acts while his heroic identity can be respected and adored.  Character gold!

Johns even managed to create a fifth Green Lantern character without giving us "just" another Green Lantern.  This GL uses his powers in ways other Lanterns find surprising, and even the fact that he carries a gun (absurd when I first saw the picture), adds to his character as he likes to have a fallback in case the ring doesn't work (as happened to him twice during this storyline).

Out of context, the gun's still pretty ridiculous.

Also, his costume is pretty sweet.  Better than anything Guy, John or Kyle ever wore.  Well done ace artist Doug Mahnke.

So I guess the big challenge now is to decide how Simon Baz will be added to My52.  I'm pretty sure I'd never okay the "Rise of the Third Army" story under my fantasy editorialship (especially since there aren't any Guardians in My52 to start the whole mess), but I can see a time when Hal Jordan is disabled and the ring needs to find a replacement.  Why doesn't it go to known entities like Guy or Kyle?  I dunno.  We'll just say Simon was closest at the time.

Of course Hal will get the ring back and, per my Green Lantern write up, there isn't enough power in the central battery to allow a second GL on Earth.  But because I'm so fond of the character, I'll allow him to keep a depowered ring which will flare to life when Hal is down or calls for backup.

Greatest Heroes on Earth...3

Crime Syndicate

There are a few reasons why this title should be written.

1)  Stories where the villain gets to win can be very entertaining, and Earth 3 is based around the idea of villains winning.

2)  Mirror universe stories are equally entertaining, and Earth 3 has hundreds of stories that can be told about the mirror duplicates of popular mainstream DC characters.

3)  With My52 Justice League shying away from having a Big 3 team of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, the Crime Syndicate is a place to showcase stories that are, more or less, about those three.

As you can tell by that last point, I'm not going to make the Crime Syndicate a simple dark carbon copy of my Justice League.  While there are dark opposites at play here, I don't want this series to feel beholden to what's happening in other titles.  Plus, in a survival of the fittest world like Earth 3, I can't imagine anybody less than Ultraman, Owlman and Superwoman leading the pack.  The CSA also typically includes not-Flash Johnny Quick and Green Lantern expy Power Ring.

That they're currently on the third person to wear the power ring makes me smile and sets up a nice running story a la the drummer from Spinal Tap.

Earth 2 had some weird metaphysics about how good always has to win on our Earth
and evil always wins on their world.  Quietly ignored...

In my pitch for the My52 Justice League, I hinted that Earth 3 would be the origin point for the villain Dr. Impossible and possibly hint at a Final Crisis-like event over there where whatever passes for the good version of Darkseid attacked the Earth.  Although I'm not going to mirror Earth 1 history here too closely, that seems as good a starting point as any, as we can pick up our villainous protagonists trying as they try to reclaim their control of the Earth.  For the first time ever, we get to start on the ground floor(-ish) of the Crime Syndicate take over and watch how they go about it.

Sounds like fun.

The C-Team

Creature Commandos

My52's first re-boot!

Okay, not a re-boot per se, but definitely a status quo change inspired by some further thoughts on my Agents of SHADE pitch.  At the time, the concept was wholly inspired by the New52 series 'Frankenstein and the Creature Commandos' which I thought was a brilliant concept and decided to keep in play. I struggled for a bit on how to differentiate SHADE from the other government super-agencies, like the Suicide Squad or the Department of Metahuman Affairs, and honestly don't think I really nailed it on that front.

But inspiration struck last night which leads to the first major shake-up in one of my My52 titles. Somehow, the inspiration came from seeing the 'A Team'. When the opening monologue starts up with "a crack commando unit..." my mind went 'DING,' and I realized what the Creature Commandos were missing. As well as SHADE.

Imagine Face as the vampire, Murdock as the werewolf, and
BA as Frankenstein.  It writes itself.

Here's how the story goes down:

After working for SHADE for X number of issues, the team learns from a mysterious source that the organization's mission isn't just the policing of the paranormal, but the elimination of it. The Commandos themselves are just one more inhuman group to be exterminated, but only after they've been used as much as possible. The team, of course, is furious and breaks ties with SHADE, going on the run from the organization while still traveling the world saving people from the horrors that are still out there.

Now all those SHADE resources I mentioned before, like the War Wheel and G.I. Robots, are being used to track down the Commandos. The identity of their unknown benefactor starts as a mystery, with some  assumptions that it's the Bride, but when it's revealed that she's still loyal to SHADE, and the lead agent in hunting the Commandos, the team discovers they're actually being helped by SHADE's undercover operative, the Unknown Soldier.

And we get both an Invisible Man character for the
Commandos AND a role for George Peppard.

Task Force X

Suicide Squad

I tossed a coin between the titles "Suicide Squad" and "Secret Six", as I really respect both titles' history of showcasing the personalities and lives of some of the DCU's villains.

In the end, I decided on this title due to its opportunities for a more rotating cast as well as fond memories of Ostrander's work in the 80s and 90s.

The premise can be assumed: Amanda Waller heads up a group of expendable villains on black ops missions, foreign and domestic, nobody is expected to survive. While giving some villains a showcase outside of getting beaten up by heroes, I'd also like to see a return of some of the political commentary that Ostrander did so well.  While there's not much of a Cold War anymore, there are new national headlines such as international terrorism as well as a very divided domestic political body that could stand some focus.

The membership of the Suicide Squad is fairly stable, but it would keep an eye on other comic titles to see if any of those comics feature the arrest of a character Waller would be interested in using for her team.  To kick off, though, I've picked some villains I recall being active around the time of Final Crisis/Blackest Night which would obviously lend their skills and abilities to a covert mission team. I don't want anything too superpowered, though, as that could diminish the feel of a government agent team.

As My52 Suicide Squad starts up, here's who's on the field:

Amanda Waller

Not an operative, but someone who needs to be mentioned first as the no-nonsense head of the Task Force.  She's already been shown to be willing to put Batman in his place, and she's just the person this team needs to call the shots. You'll be happy to know that Waller is still the shorter, fatter block of a woman she's always been, rather than the leggy supermodel version who appeared in the New 52.

Deadshot
He's probably long-since earned his pardon, but he loves being on the team so much he stays on as the team's field leader. The appeal of having an expert shot on a black ops team should be obvious.

Plastique

Another former-member of the team, Plastique was recently highlighted in the opening pages of the new Justice League of America series (at the time of My52).  She'd been teamed with the Electrocutioner in a duo called the Bomb Squad, which is so "clever" I very nearly included him in my Squad as well. Plastique has had years of experience as a "suicide bomber," and her use to the team is obvious.





Dwarfstar
Coming off his high-profile murder of the third Atom, Ryan Choi, Dwarfstar is an absolute sociopath murderer with the powers of the Atom.  His infiltration skills are apparent, and his willingness to end any life once inside makes him a valuable tool.  If anything, Waller might have to work hard to ensure he only kills the target and keeps ancillary casualties to a minimum.

Firefly

A perpetual henchman, Firefly follows orders probably better than anyone on the team. He might get a little too ambitious in his arsonist leanings, but burning things his why he's on the team.  Since I'm pretty sure Plastique can't fly (or at least fly well), Firefly also provides aerial support to the team.




Tattooed Man
I first encountered TM during Final Crisis and sort of dig the thug-theme they've remade him into.  I get the impression Tattooed Man could have been a hero if things had gone differently for him, and I see him as the guy most looking for a chance at redemption, even if he doesn't know it. Power-wise, his tats provide a wide-variety of abilities which make him one of the more adaptable members of the Squad, and it's likely he'll be the one to pull the team out of a jam when things go south.

Cyborgirl

Black ops are becoming increasingly dependent on technology and information, and Cyborgirl covers both bases perfectly.  Her ability to hack a network or provide hi-tech surveillance are just as valuable as her ability to lift a truck or blast an enemy with sonic bursts.

Of course they're still based out of Belle Reve prison, so nothing's changed there.  The only hiccup in the works, and obvious nod to my equal appreciation for Secret Six, is the as yet unidentified new Mockingbird secretly in contact with the Squad members from within the group and apparently trying to undermine Waller's control. Could this be a factor of the divided politics in America I mentioned earlier?  Who can say?

Think Globally, Act Locally

The Global Guardians

So far all modern day My52 titles are based in the United States (which makes sense given the US-centric audience of DC Comics), but I do want to expand the world a little bit and take a look at heroic happening outside of Uncle Sam's territory.  This worked really well for me as a concept during the original Justice League Europe/International run of the early 90s (where the stories were better in many ways than the ones printed in the papa comic, Justice League America).  

Unlike DC's New52 line-up, though, I don't want to dilute the name "Justice League" by adding a number of spin-off titles.  Heck, I didn't even use the title Justice SOCIETY for my JSA pitch.  Fortunately, there's another international superhero agency with a long history in the DCU.

For a number of decades, the Global Guardians operated under the premise that each nation would provide a single superhero to represent them in this world-wide peacekeeping organization.  More than a few were showcases for the trend of foreign superheroes being based on cultural stereotypes, but the majority were original creations who rarely went on to bigger things than being mind-controlled opponents for the above-mentioned JLE.

I honestly can't tell you what the "current" status of the GG is (although I believe they made a sort of appearance in early post-Infinite Crisis Green Lantern comics), but following the Final Crisis and Blackest Night, The Guardians reform with a slightly more limited scope. Despite the grand name, these Global Guardians are super-functionaries of the European Union and are chartered to defend Europe.  They still field one member per country, but only European members are invited.

Alpha Centurion

Probably the most obscure member of the team, Alpha Centurian was a supporting character to Superman back in the 90s, but Lord knows what's happened to him since.  Ol' AC was a centurion from Ancient Rome chosen to journey with an alien visitor to the stars, only to return 2000 years later.  Basing himself in Metropolis upon his return, it's no stretch of the imagination to see him return to Rome and ultimately become Italy's representative to the Global Guardians.

Ice Maiden

Although killed in action during her tenure with the Justice League, Tora Olafsdotter was since clumsily resurrected in Birds of Prey.  Still, can't complain 'cause I love the character and look forward to having her back i the Global Guardians. Politically-aware readers might notice that her home nation of Norway isn't actually a member of the European Union, but that's a pretty soft barrier.

Jack O'Lantern
There's been a lot of people in this costume, but it's still such an iconic look in my mind that he MUST be present regardless of who's in the hood.  The most recent barer of the lantern was an Irish freedom fighter, but I can easily see the government stepping in to separate him from that power and granting it to someone more acceptable to their public image.  It'll be interesting to see how a legacy character develops when he's living in the shadow of all the other people who have died while carrying this seemingly cursed power.

 Crimson Fox

Crimson Fox wasn't on my go-to list for members of the Global Guardians, not the least reason because she's dead (twice!).  Initially a shared identity between two identical sisters, both were killed off over time.  However, I've since grown to appreciate the character's contrast between clawed vixen and cultured businesswoman and can imagine hundreds of ways for her to contribute to the team.  Putting a new woman behind the mask could be as easy as someone wanting to step forward with France's most successful heroine (a member of the Justice League no less) when it came time to represent for the Guardians.









Godiva
I'm a sucker for heroes with seemingly limited powers who still know how to throw down (::cough:: Ant-Man ::cough::) and Godiva's prehensile hair certainly makes that list.  One one level, it's hair.  On the other hand, though, she's like a hot blonde Dr. Octopus, only not limited to just four extra limbs.  And while I'm not normally a fan of cultural stereotypes, I'd totally write Godiva with an exaggerated "stiff upper lip" where nothing phases her.  Contrast a stoic, British can-do attitude with the seemingly lame power of "hair manipulation" and I think we've got a winning character here.

Olympian

Unfortunately he's been depicted as something of a goof in recent outings, but I see Olympian as the heir to some of the greatest heroes of Earth's mythic past and should be shown as such.  The golden fleece he wears was the goal of the Jason and the Argonauts (including Hercules)!  I don't know who's under the horns (although I guess I should figure that out), but he has to be a hero himself.  And the strength and invulnerability the fleece brings him must combine to make him one of the greatest champions of the Mediterranean. 

Jolt
Who?
Jolt was one of the forgettable characters for the short-lived Blasters series following the Invasion mini-.  Originally a Spanish fashion model, she gained the power to create a repellent forcefield around her body due to experimentation by the alien Dominators.  Like with Godiva, I appreciate the limited scope of her powers and look forward to seeing how many different ways they can be applied to crimebusting.  In addition to representing Spain in the GG, she also handily fills the spot of vain thrill-seeker that every team needs. Clearly she's only on the team as a way to promote herself.

Wingman

The Global Guardians grew out of old Batmen of All Nations stories, and I'd be remiss not to include one of those characters in this team.  Of the lot, it was Sweden's Wingman which caught my eye, but imagine my surprise when I learned the character had turned evil in recent Grant Morrison-penned Batman stories.  However, I have just now decided that this Wingman once operated with a Robin-like youthful sidekick named Redbird, and that character, now grown, has decided to reclaim and redeem the name of Wingman.  As you can see from the picture, I've opted for something along the lines of his original, more colorful costume rather than the darker image he'd taken in his later days.  Powerwise, his cape/wings allow him to fly, while his combat training makes him almost the equal of Batman himself.  He's a bit like this universe's Falcon.


The Global Guardians have long been based out of a building called The Dome in Paris, and I see no reason to change that.

I haven't decided if eventually the GG will try to branch out of Europe and attempt to fulfill the nature of their name.  The presence of a representative from Norway shows they're willing to look outside the official EU member nations, and I see them soon attempting to sway a Russian hero into joining, perhaps one of the super-speed characters of Red Trinity...

Comic's riskiest acronym

The All-Star Squadron

Don't expect to see a JSA revival in My52.  I think it's time to retire some of these WWII legacy characters either because of unreasonable age (Wildcat), duplication of characters (Flash and Green Lantern), or nonsensical "legacy" characters (damn near everyone else).  Even the concept of a Justice Society is too much a duplicate of the Justice League and feels unnecessary in my more streamlined DCU, where each title has to provide a distinct feel to justify itself.

So why am I even entertaining this concept even with a name change?  Because honestly many of the characters introduced early on in the series' life are worth keeping active and frankly I don't hate the idea of legacy team members as much as I dislike the rampant idiocy of it toward the end.

Pictured: The Legion of Supe- what?

Presumably having collapsed under their own weight, the JSA will disband, with only a core element of characters remaining who really want to make a difference.  While the JLA mandate is to gather together to face threats to big for them individually, the A-SS are your "full-time" heroes, maintaining an accessible headquarters and making themselves available for people to come to with their problems.

Membership will consist mostly of the more proven 2nd generation JSA characters, those who remain after Wildcat, Flash and  Green Lantern retire, and after the tidal flood of legacy characters is sent back home.

The All-Stars are:

Mr. Terrific

The clear break-out star from the legacy theme of JSA who got in early and proved himself as a viable character many times over.  The writer has to be careful, though, 'cause he can easily tip into Marty Sue territory where he's the best at everything and everything he does is perfect.  In skilled hands, though, Mr. Terrific's intelligence, skills, and technical savvy focus on a brains over brawn approach to crime fighting.

Hourman

Rick Tyler has two superpowers with great storytelling potential: one, he can activate the drug Miraclo to give himself super strength for one hour, and two, he has an hourglass with tachyons in it which grant him visions of one hour into the future.  Nothing but great things from those.  I'm so glad they finally ditched the Miraclo addiction sub-plot to his powers, but I do like that this addiction is part of his history.  It sets himself up as someone who can provide motivational speeches to the downtrodden, and the lives he's saved through positive influence could equal those he's saved through super-powered conflict.  As an added bonus, many of the people he's saved this way around the world have formed a community of "Minutemen" who keep their eyes out for potential trouble and alert Rick if warranted.  Between his Minutemen and his tachyon hourglass, Rick is the best early-warning system the team could ask for.

Liberty Belle

Jesse Chambers has flip-flopped a bit on whether she's Johnny Quick's legacy or Liberty Belle's, with costume and powers changing to suit.  Truth is, I love her in her 40s-inspired Liberty Belle costume, but think she's better with her superspeed powers.  So I'm going to shuffle the deck a bit and combine the two concepts.  While her father activated his superspeed using a complex mathematical formula (which Jesse also used), her mother activated her great strength through the ringing of the actual Liberty Bell.  Jesse has taken a page from both their books and stabilized her powers thusly: Wearing a belt buckle made from the same metal as the Liberty Bell (just as her mother did), Jesse is able to "ring" the bell with a tap of her buckle, activating her superspeed in the same way her dad's formula did.  I can't think of a logical reason why this would be *better* for her, but it works for me.

Stargirl

The first legitimate JSA legacy, Stargirl has dovetailed the legacies of both the Star-Spangled Kid and Starman to become a true success story of the JSA.  Although she started out as a self-interested troublemaker, she's been taught by some of the best and has become a hero that other neophytes can look up to.

Sandman

I'm not trying to backpedal here, but I think Sand's silicone powers got way too much play during his time with the JSA, amping up to the point where he could cause earthquakes.  Fortunately for me, I've decided that his body is starting to heal a bit from his transformation.  He still has silicone-based powers, but now they're only capable of allowing him to transform himself into sand and pass through stone and crystalline surfaces.

For the most part, he's going back to the commando-mode of his early JSA days with his gas mask and sleep gas (his powers sort of make the wire-poon gun unnecessary).  Between his sleep gas and his ability to penetrate nearly any building, he really is the mortal embodiment of the Sandman.  Somewhere along the line he's also going to earn peace when he sleeps.  His prophetic dreams are too similar to the otherwise more interesting future visions of Hourman.

Dr. Mid-Nite

One of my personal favorites from the Society, I like the way he uses medicine as a tool to fight crime.  He's like the exact opposite of the Crime Doctor.  There's a bit of overlap with Mr. Terrific, what with his intelligence, skills and pet owl (akin to the T-Spheres), but I think that just makes them closer friends than competitors.  There are some notable philosophical differences between them, of course, which just makes for a more interesting environment when they work together.

Plastic Man

It's been established that his plastic body has kept him alive for all these years and confirms that he was a member of the Squadron back in WWII as the liaison with the FBI.  Although a lot of attention has been paid to his criminal background in recent years, I think it's time to revisit his FBI potential and not only make him the longest arm of the law, but also get him back into the saddle with the All-Star Squadron.  His gangster background plus his work with the FBI makes Plas the perfect crime-buster.

TNT and Dinah-Might

This is where, after mocking the flood of poorly-thought-out legacy characters, I introduce my OWN legacy character(s) to join the Squadron.  For no other reason than a personal fondness for the characters of TNT and Dan the Dyna-mite (dating to one of the first Superfriends comics I read as a kid), I'll have a new duo discover the science between the explosive-packed rings. In this case, a college professor struggling for tenure finds inspiration in the work of one of his graduate students and the two manage to recreate (more or less) the experiment that lead to the original crime fighters.  In addition to enhanced strength, the two gain explosive punches and rocket-propelled flight.

Something I really have to address when working with these Golden Age legacy characters is how the DCU sliding timeline has grown ever-farther from the anchor point of World War II.  While many of the original JSA-ers had an "excuse" for their slowed aging, many of these new descendants don't.  I was able to put together a solution for Black Canary in my post on her title, and Stargirl's step-father, Pat Dugan, has the convenient time-skip of the time he was lost in time with the Seven Soldiers of Victory.  I can also see a way to time-skip the members of Infinity, Inc. if that becomes necessary.

But in this group, the troublemakers are Liberty Belle and Hourman.  Explicitly stated as the children of WWII heroes, it's getting to the point where even if they'd been born in the 60's (with their parents well into their 40s), they'd be around 50 years old now.  Clearly they're not.  

I'm afraid I don't have a solution for either of these, so it'll have to be something I address in the future.

Just...Dove

Dove

Despite the ever-increasing gaps in my posting habits, my mind is still tuned to My52 and another character who deserves her own title in my fantasy publisher camp.

'Dove' is a simple title, but I like it.  Within these pages we'll continue the story of Dawn Granger as Dove, the mortal representative of the Lords of Order.  Since the character first appeared (and before, since she's a legacy character to the first Dove), Dove has always been paired up with a Hawk, the mortal representative of the Lords of Chaos.  With the previous Hawk (Holly Granger) killed off in Blackest Night, and my BN-changes which skipped the first Hawk, Hank Hall's reincarnation, Dawn currently finds herself Halwk-less, and I'm going to fight temptation and NOT team her up with yet another Lord of Chaos counterpart.

You got it, boss.

A key player in Blackest Night, Dove is ready to take the spotlight on her own, actively taking on the role as an Agent of Order to keep society moving forward and defeating any efforts from Chaos to undermine the peace.  She'll be doing this in two fronts: in her superhero identity as Dove, and also in her involvement in politics as a Congressional aide in Washington D.C. Although not a decision-maker in U.S. politics, she at least has the ear of one who is, and can influence policy whenever she can overcome the petty bickering of her co-workers.  That government thing might be totally out of nowhere, but I remember her (and her partner) being based in Washington during a previous series.  Since then she'd spent a few years in a magical coma and believed dead, but I don't think that invalidates her previous status.

Hawk and Dove were initially created as an experiment between two Lords of Chaos and Order who were in love with each other to see if their methods could ever work together.  As far as I'm concerned, that experiment is a failure.  We've already lost one Dove and two Hawks. Don't expect any cosmic balance to attempt to try again with a new Hawk.  If anything, a spurned and angry Chaos would produce an enemy Hawk to try to take care of his ex-girlfriend's avatar.  In fact, expect T'Charr (the Lord of Chaos) to become a Hera-like power which will produce obstacles to Dove's mission just out of jealousy.

They sort of already did this with a character called

Kestrel, but that was Liefeld and doesn't count.

Super-Human Advanced...something something

Agents of S.H.A.D.E.

Of all the titles introduced in DC Comic's New 52, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. is the one which really caught my attention.  Not only did it star the break-out character from Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory, but it boosted his profile by putting him in charge of a reborn Creature Commandos.  

The concept originated during the pre-New 52 Flashpoint event,

but stuck around in the new continuity.

From there, S.H.A.D.E. only grew cooler as it became the home for a number of other re-imagined war-time characters.  My52 will take a lot of inspiration from this series, but lean a little bit to the side and make it an anthology series akin to my Action Comics and Detective Comics.  In this case, though, the anthology will rotate through all the factions which operate under Father Time and S.H.A.D.E.

While Wonder Woman's Department of Metahuman Affairs acts as the domestic front of superhuman police work, S.H.A.D.E. is more of the CIA of super-crime, working to root out global threats to the United States and keep them from ever seeing the light of day.  We're talking truly gonzo events here, things that would freak out even residents of the normal DCU.

Frankenstein is S.H.A.D.E.'s go-to agent to investigate events beyond human ken, but when things are beyond what he can do with just his gun and sword, he assembles his Creature Commandos, a bizarre assemblage of scientific experiments, freaks of nature, and mysterious entities which coincidentally match Universal's monster library.  My art direction won't go *quite* so far into the gruesome territory as DC's title was, with my vampire looking a bit more Bela Lagosi and the wolf man at least being able to change to human form.

Alberto Ponticelli drew some freakish Creatures, didn't he?

I really like the addition of the Lagoon woman (the original Creature Commandos had a medusa woman), but I'm unsure about the mummy fellow.  Still, I wonder if there are any good concepts for a hunchback commando.

The Bride will also act as a solo agent for S.H.A.D.E., engaging in the occasional assassination mission or mysteriously appearing to help Frankenstein before vanishing again. Undercover work is the job of the Unknown Soldier, a hideously scarred master of disguise, while general grunt work for the organization is performed by an army of unthinking, disposable G.I. Robots.  The presence of a Haunted Tank or Viking Commando are unconfirmed.  

Since Infinite Crisis and One Year Later, S.H.A.D.E. has been closely tied with Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters, but that highly-visible superpowered group has no place in the Men-in-Black Ops of S.H.A.D.E.  On occasions where the two groups do meet, I imagine they'll be butting heads a lot.

Legion Found

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes

As much of a joke as Superboy-Prime became, I was in 100% agreement with his disappointment in how the actual Superboy had turned into a mopey angst-teen.  I'd really enjoyed the solo series he'd had following Reign of the Supermen, but somewhere along the way he lost his fun.

But just as the Legion of Super-Heroes came from the future to teach Clark Kent how to be Superman, they're on hand again to get Superboy back on track.  Their interest comes not just from their legacy relationship to Superman, but also a level of responsibility to him after being involved in Superboy's reincarnation during Legion of 3 Worlds.  So following Superboy's involvement in Blackest Night, the Legion arrives to whisk him into the future for some inspiration training.

Along for the ride goes Superboy's best friend Kid Flash.  Not only was he also resurrected by the Legion, but he's a native of the 31st century and provides a welcome guide to his friend's new home.

A bajillion Legionnaires is a close estimate.

Now, I'm actually more familiar with the post-Zero Hour reboot Legion, but the return of the pre-Crisis Legion just prior to Final Crisis really has me intrigued.  A lot of work will need to be done to keep it from relying too much on nostalgia and accessible to new readers.  Part of the fun in this series will come from keeping a balance of continuing the stories of the classic characters with the introduction of totally new elements to be enjoyed by all.  The presence of the completely 30th Century-ignorant Superboy will provide a convenient reason for Legionnaires to explain elements of the setting for the benefit of new readers, and Kid Flash's perhaps slightly inaccurate "memories" of the 30th century should be amusing as well.

To mark Superboy's new life, he'll be getting a costume again.  I've never liked his t-shirt and jeans look.  Maybe some day I'll sketch up an idea or two, but the direction I'm leaning toward is along the lines of what he wore toward the end of Young Justice. I liked how it stepped away a bit from the totally 90s leather jacket and straps outfit he started with, but kept him in a jacket and with his signature shoulder blazon.  

I'd downplay the French-cut effect on his high-rise pants.

With a team as large as the Legion, it's easier to talk about who I'd take out of the team than it is to talk about who's still in.  Founding members Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad will retire from the team in wedded bliss (although Garth will likely have a hard time NOT involving himself in Legion business), mostly to make room for similarly-powered Tellus and Lightning Lass to stand out.  I'll also be side-lining Mon-El for some likely clever reason because I don't need a second, Kryptonian-powered refuge from the 21st century.

Highlighted membership includes Tellus (I love how his bestial appearances contrasts with his mental-based powers), the variably-powered Ultraboy, the exasperated genius of Brainiac 5, the "ascended fanboy" Polar Boy, the recently up-powered Duplicate Damsel, the visually striking Sensor Girl, the equally-striking but for different reasons Dawnstar, and the even-more visually striking Wildfire.  Chameleon Girl really caught my eye in her recent appearances, so she'll likely replace Chameleon Boy if he's still around, and she and Invisible Kid will need a Phantom Girl and Shrinking Violet to round out the Legion Espionage Squad.  My guilty treat will be the re-inclusion of Comet Queen.  I didn't see her in the recent revival, but she's been a favorite just from the two or three times I saw her as a kid.

Pictured: 1/8 of the Legion of Super-Heroes

One of the things this Legion WON'T do is try to tie into 21st century DCU elements.  No futuristic Green Lanterns, for instance, or visits to the future Thanagar.  The 31st century will contain its own concepts and mythology.

Green and Black

Green Arrow & Black Canary

I was pretty stoked when these characters got married a few years back because, after decades of flirting the issue, the two finally seemed to move to the next step and get a happy ending.  While Wally West remains my family-man superhero, Ollie and Dinah get to be the crimefighting couple.

Haha!  Her wedding "gown" has fishnet stockings. Heheh.

For Ollie's story, his happiness came to a screeching halt with the conclusion of Cry for Justice after he (SPOILERS!) murdered the villain and went on the run from the rest of the Justice League.  Or something like that. Frankly I didn't follow too closely after the story started dismembering heroes and murdering babies.  But rather than leading down the path of outcast murderous vigilante divorcee (like in the post-BN DCU), I'd much prefer a story of redemption.

Fortunately, while the (SPOILER!) murder of Prometheus happened before the My52 launch date and is thus part of my canon, the story of his downfall came after, so I'm able to branch off and have Black Canary talk him away from the path back into the vigilante murderer he had been once before. Because the murder was brought about from extreme grief, there's room for extenuating circumstances to keep him out of jail.  They may not let him back into the League, but they can't keep Dinah from staying by his side.

Dinah's story isn't so rollercoaster-y, which is kind of a shame.  Sure she doesn't have any great hole to dig her out of, but she also hasn't had any major highs to play off of either.  She recently gave up her adopted daughter, Sin, but that works to my advantage because I just want the two of them (Mia's off to the Teen Titans and, if he's still alive, Conner will go roam the Earth or something).

Bye.

Ollie recently lost his mayoral position in Star City, so the two of them set up shop in Dinah's florist shop.  It's not very exiting, but they become strong members of the community they're fighting for.  The new mayor, of course, is as corrupt as they come and GA & BC are declared outlaws and hunted by the police even as they're rescuing citizens.  To fill his days, Ollie manages to politic himself into a City Council position to at least keep his eye on the dirty dealings. 

Something I want to address just for my own satisfaction, though, is to unkink Dinah's timeline. More details when I get to talking about the Justice Society, but I've been trying to come up with ideas to justify the growing time gap between WWII and my sliding timeline, a gap that currently requires Dinah's mother to have given birth at age 60.  I know it doesn't bother everyone, but it's something I'd like to nail down.

For Dinah, I think the solution lies in her pre-CoIE's origin.  Before they were a straight-up mother/daughter legacy, the JSA Dinah had a daughter cursed with a destructive "canary cry" and had to be placed in Limbo for her protection.  Somewhere along the way, Society Dinah transformed her mind into the body of her daughter and joined the League with a new sonic scream.  It was an odd solution to an odd problem, but it was the situation until CoIE came along and made a more linear timeline.  

All this was so she could be young enough to date Green Arrow.  Seriously.

So my ticket to bridging the timeline is to use Infinite Crisis to reclaim a bit of that Limbo story. Now, WWII Black Canary can have given birth in the 1950s (at the decent age of 30 or so), only to discover the Wizard's curse and be forced to place her daughter in Limbo.  Then, during a later adventure, Black Canary II can be rescued from Limbo in time to become a founding member of the Justice League.  Perhaps she's rescued as a baby and allowed to grow up, but I don't exactly have a timeline for all of that worked out yet.