Who’s Editing #5: DC Comics from the Commonwealth

Fire and Water Presents: Who's Editing Episode 5! Canada's own Siskoid and Britain's Ryan Blake open Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #5 and each craft their own line of books based on the heroes found inside. Wait... Colonel Future? Cyclotron?? COLOR KID?!%#&!!!? What the heck?! Well, the boys from the Commonwealth certainly have their work cut out for them...

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Credits:
Theme: "Révolution" by Les Sherpas.

Bonus clip: Marv Wolfman interview, DC Entertainment YouTube channel.

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18 responses to “Who’s Editing #5: DC Comics from the Commonwealth

  1. DC’s October 2020 A-list solicitations

    21st CENTURY COSMIC BOY #1
    Written by ROBBIE THOMPSON
    art by ADAM DeKRAKER
    cover by HEUBERT KHAN MICHAEL
    After being scouted by Holliday College, high school baseball star prospect Rick Quinn was disembarking from the plane to California when he received a shocking telepathic message. Billionaire Steve Dayton had detected a plot against his life by highly trained and well armed mercenaries. Using his Mentopods, he had sought out aid, and stumbled upon Rick reflecting on his secret superhuman ability to control magnetism on a grand scale. Rick was forced to reveal himself in order to save Dayton’s life, and his grateful benefactor has plans for the lad that go well beyond a sports scholarship at a modest university…
    ON SALE 10.07.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    ADAM STRANGE #5
    written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
    art by KHOI PHAM
    cover by NATE STOCKMAN
    The Citadel War is commonly thought of as the end of the totalitarian alien alliance that oppressed the Vega System for millennia. Harry Hokum’s New Citadel Empire was anything but, and Vega remained among the remotest regions of space. That noted, reports of the Citadel’s demise seem to have been premature. Adam’s ship is herded in with a migrant caravan and held in place by Khundian vessels mixed with Shrike Fighters, all seemingly under the command of Throneworlders flying a Citadel banner. Adam doesn’t have enough time left to sit indefinitely at some unannounced arbitrary boundary under a draconian regime. His only recourse may be to locate a coyote to get him across the border… or perhaps more of a Lobo?
    ON SALE 10.07.20

    AMBUSH BUG #5
    written by KEITH GIFFEN & J.M. DEMATTEIS
    art by RONAN CLIQUET
    cover by JOHN BYRNE
    Before Tyson can transport (rubs crinkle at bridge of nose where the migraine starts) Chlorophyll Kid and The Inanimate Stone Boy to Belle Reve, they’re ambushed (my bit!) by Clock King, who has an analog clock for a face. Didn’t he die on his first mission for Waller? And where has she gotten to anyway? And is this Monarch he’s raving about a giant butterfly to go with the rest of these loonies in booties? Anybody have a net handy? What time is it? It’s time to get ill!
    ON SALE 10.21.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    AMETHYST OF GEMWORLD #5
    written by MARGUERITE BENNETT
    art by ARIEL KRISTANTINA & JEEYON KIM
    cover by MARK KUETTNER
    cardstock variant cover by Ogi Moore
    Dark Opal has dragged many a lost soul from other planes to Gemworld. John Chan had spent years losing a battle for control with a corrupt hereditary cancer that forces him to kill, and now he’s been set upon the Princess of this sullied place. Can he overcome his dark impulses before he robs this land of its last hope… and perhaps his own?
    ON SALE 10.28.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    ANIMAL-MAN #5
    written by DAVID BARNETT
    art by JESSE HAMM
    cover by OSVALDO VENTURI
    Buddy Baker has often been haunted by visions of what animals endure for the sake of human wants. Now he’s living his worst nightmare, a near-future dystopia where aliens cultivate and harvest humanity in the most brutally efficient and inhumane manners possible. In a world where his family is little more than a dinner plan, Buddy will need to take extreme measures just to survive. He knows of a place where the Justice League deposit all the undesirable creatures, Monster Rock, and an old acquaintance with access to a hundred-foot tall golden gorilla…
    ON SALE 10.28.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC BLACK LABEL
    AGES 17+

    ARAK #5
    written by RICHARD VAN CAMP
    art and cover by ALECIA RODRIGUEZ
    Pandora guides Arak through the Gate of Sorrows, seeking to free Claw the Conquered and Satarina after centuries in bondage to H’kothadaztlonta Rzahl! Lady Zannah prefers that they stay where she found them, and is ready to kill anyone who would risk unleashing the demonic hordes!
    ON SALE 10.14.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    ARCANE ASYLUM #5
    written by DAVE WIELGOSZ
    art by SUMIT KUMAR
    cover by TIM VIGIL
    VERTISOL CONTINUES! Anton Arcane would like to test whether Zombie Zeke can be ended forever by the touch of Preston Payne, but the Court of Owls make a counteroffer that cannot be refused. Meanwhile, Arcane’s assumed identity puts him in the path of The Architect, who has turned his crusade against the founders of Gotham City toward the Arkhams…
    ON SALE 10.07.20
    $3.99 US | 5 OF 6 | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    ATARI FORCE #5
    written by SCOTT SNYDER
    art by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION
    card stock foil cover by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION
    1:25 variant cover by GENE GONZALES
    1:100 black and white variant cover by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION
    A DC Comics/Dynamite Entertainment co-production! Captain Comet has used the memory-bank in the other-dimensional probe that he discovered to backtrack the world-line leading to Atari Station. En route, he’s attacked by a small armada, but finds an unexpected ally in… Cosmic King? Major Rock Hardy and Captain Ace Gunn are joined by Qabiron & Suli Kholiyyam in search of the planet Maynard and the last surviving clone of Major Havoc, but there are Vaxxian robots in their way and Xybots pursuing from behind! Tarra, Torr, and Bert descend the Elunden Mountains to arrive at the Land of Perpetual Mists. Charley Chuck is the first victim of the Haunted House, and the rest wonder if Agent X can be trusted with the urn fragment! Has Ezekial Vicker scaled the Fandhorn Mountains and passed the Vale of the Dead only for a misstep by Smiley to see them meet their end at the hands of Galsford, the Slaughterer?
    ON SALE 10.14.20
    $4.99 US | 32 PAGES
    CARD STOCK COVERS
    FC | DC
    This issue will ship with four covers.
    Please see the order form for details.

    ATOMIC #5
    written by TOM KING
    art by PETER TEMPLE & MARK BROWN
    cover by RAGS MORALES
    Surviving a fall from Debbie Domaine’s plane, Atom Smasher lands hard in Austanburg. Shaken by the tragic fates that befell its foster countries of Qurac & Bialya, and with the aid of the Earl of Greed, Victor Cypher has enlisted most unexpected defenders for his tiny nation: The Colossal & U-Man. Stranded in Pan Balgravia, Damage is coerced by the Calculator. Ray Palmer attempts to follow Albert and Ethan’s trail, but his Shadowspire lead only turns up one Iota. In Amnesty Bay, Ryan Choi reports on Black Manta to his son Jackson Hyde, and the pair set off to Sub Diego for a meeting with Cal Durham. Cherie Chase hires Eddie Fyers to investigate the murder of her husband Jack, and turns over evidence he’d gathered implicating the late World War II era scientist Terrence Kurtzberger in a decades long conspiracy.
    ON SALE 10.07.20
    $3.99 US | 5 OF 12 | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    ATOMIC KNIGHTS #5
    written by CHUCK DIXON
    art by GRAHAM NOLAN
    cover by KYLE HOTZ
    variant cover by CRAIG YULE
    CONQUEST OF THE BARON EARTH TIE-IN! The Creature Commandos have been more or less permanently deployed to Bulgravia for years, mostly as a deterrent against the boundary-flouting vampiric hordes in the region. Most particularly, the bloodsuckers have gathered in the underground nation of Abyssia, protected within Switzerland and recently led by Mary, Queen of Blood. Having just seen another Blüdhaven in Kasnia, the Super-Human Advanced Defense Executive reunites the Knights with the Commandos to hold the line against Markovia and The Final Reich. The Blood Red Moon cult see opportunity amidst the upheaval, and attack from within, aided by Kid Empty and Pryemaul the (former) Nazi vampire gorilla. Speaking of Nazis, when the Fourth Reich members White Dragon, Green Ghoul, Swastika, Hunter, Reichsmark, Karnevil, & Shadow of War are dispatched to Bulgravia, it’s just another set of monsters due to catch some S.H.A.D.E.
    ON SALE 10.28.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

  2. DC’s October 2020 B-list solicitations

    BABE #4
    Written by MARK RUSSELL
    art by SETH DAMOOSE
    cover by KEVIN SHARPE
    A.C.E. has retained the services of Anica Balcescu as a xeno-vivisectionist. There’s no way Reep can leave his fellow captive extra-terrestrials to perish under her knife, but the logistics of a breakout that large may be beyond their capabilities. The simpler solution would be to kill the so-called “Crime Doctor,” and if the Durlan isn’t willing, can Babe stop Brute from doing the dirty deed himself? Will trying endanger the entire plan?
    ON SALE 10.28.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    BAT-GIRLS #4
    written by KAT HOWARD
    art by MAHMUD ASRAR
    cover by PHIL CHO
    Permanently if only partially debilitated after his near death at the cutthroat hands of Lincoln March, the increasingly unstable Cluemaster is willing to go to new extremes to prove that he isn’t just some second rate Riddler. After his brutal assault of Flamebird crosses the line, Spoiler decides that it may not be enough to simply foil her father’s plots. Triggered by her own brutal torture by Black Mask, will Stephanie take her vengeance too far, and can the Bat-Girls survive without her after already losing Huntress?
    ON SALE 10.28.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    BAT-MITE FAMILY #4
    written by IAN MCGINTY
    art by TY TEMPLETON
    cover by CHRONORIN
    VERTISOL CONTINUES! Our cast of players faces the Mother of all Mud-Packers, Sondra Fuller! But coming at them from the opposite direction, in fine DC Comics tradition, are a buncha A.P.E.S. (All-Purpose Enforcement Squad!)
    ON SALE 10.07.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES | 4 OF 6
    FC | DC
    DIGITAL FIRST

    BATWOMAN #104
    written by MARIKO TAMAKI
    art by TYLER BOSS
    cover by DENNIS CULVER
    VERTISOL CONTINUES! Matt Hagen makes moves to reestablish himself as the Clayface enforcer for the mob, but The Order of the Scythe has other plans, and Batwoman seeks to thwart both! A third party may prove everyone’s undoing, as the Religion of Crime has reclaimed Red Alice, and tasked her with reforming The Unknowns!
    ON SALE 10.21.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    BLACK ORCHID #3
    written by KAMI GARCIA
    art by DAVE GROTE JR.
    cover by ROB HAYNES
    After the original Copperhead was murdered by Deathstroke and the League of Assassins took over Gotham City, legacy “middle child” Nathan Price decided relocation would be in his best interests. Not having left Manhattan on the best of terms with the Terror Titans, Metropolis seemed a decent enough alternate. His miscalculation was that Black Orchid had also recently moved to The Big Apricot, and Sugar Plumm was a big fan of the late metahuman fighter TNTeena…
    ON SALE 10.14.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    THE BLUE BEETLE #3
    written by RAVEN GREGORY
    art by FERNANDO DAGNINO
    cover by ROBERT HACK
    In pursuit of Ted Kord, wearing his Blue Beetle costume, in his former home base of Chicago, is dredging up a lot of ghosts to haunt Jaime Reyes. Captain Atom only makes things worse, summoning the spirit of Dan Garrett in such a familiar way that Booster Gold is even more convinced that he cannot be trusted. Their presence in town is also arousing the concerns of local criminal elements long presumed dead, like The Council. For decades, their empire was so sprawling, no one ever put the pieces together that the same outfit that vexed Nemesis also cloned Paul Kirk and put Supergirl through her paces. But that was a long time ago, before all but one of their operations was outright massacred by metahumans like Black Adam. All they have left is the Windy City, and they’d just as soon bury our heroes under it.
    ON SALE 10.14.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    BLUE DEVIL #3
    written by ELLIOTT SERRANO
    art by KEVIN SHARPE
    cover by PHIL CHO
    VERTISOL TIE-IN! Rook Cinnamon, somehow absent from the cast of This Is Not Checkmate XXX, visits the set with a request of Santi and Captain Cold. She hopes they’re willing to deal with another victim of a devil’s bargain, Annabeth Chamberlain. When a “salesman” talked her brother into accepting a portion of Infernal’s power, the debt eventually transferred to her, transforming her into Brimstone. Checkmate believes that she could be an asset against “The Mud Pack,” and in exchange for services is offering their facilities and fighter craft to a production in desperate need of such frills. It would be easy to miss the details, like Checkmate’s dissolution and the lingering influence of Baron Winters. Also, with Brimstone’s portion of the Dark Multiverse’s Firestorm Matrix dwindling, perhaps she could use a touch of Neron’s demonic energies? She-Devil, anyone?
    ON SALE 10.21.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    BREATHTAKER #3
    written by AKWAEKE EMEZI
    art and cover by MICHAEL BORKOWSKI
    Breathtaker’s clashes with police have made her the prime suspect in a recent string of cop killings. While it’s all that she can do to convince Dr. Clint not to turn her in, his new associate Pieter Cross is almost suspiciously certain of Breathtaker’s innocence. When Breathtaker later stumbles into Dr. Mid-Nite, she learns that he’s convinced the killings are being perpetrated by an innocent woman named Jill Carlyle who’s compelled to murder by a pair of cursed automatics. Once the pair catch up with this Crimson Avenger, they learn that she’s now wholly in control of her executions, and dead set on wrecking vengeance for lives the justice system doesn’t seem to think matter…
    ON SALE 10.14.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    BRONZE TIGER #3
    written by BRYAN HILL
    art by DEXTER SOY
    cover by JJ KIRBY
    VERTISOL CONTINUES! Twice brainwashed into believing himself to be a murderer of highly skilled women with very powerful ties, Ben seeks answers from the Global Organization of Organized Defense with the aid of disgraced former G.C.P.D. Commissioner Jason Bard. No G.O.O.D. comes of it, as they learn Barney Ling had created the fictional agency as a lure to bring Turner and his blood brother Richard Dragon closer to the League of Assassins. Along the way, they stumble upon a host of spy agencies seeking to employ members of “The Mud Pack” as shapeshifting agents, bringing Bronze Tiger face-to-Clayface with former Army soldier Todd Russell…
    ON SALE 10.14.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    BROTHER POWER #3
    written by REGINALD HUDLIN
    art and cover by BART SEARS
    Feeling overwhelmed by “his” life with Rebecca, Deshaun exits Atlanta, searching for someone who can help him return to Earth-23. Using his Multiversal Perception, Brother Power discovers Paul Dekker, the so-called Crazy Quilt, whose existence is a tapestry crossing dimensional space-time. Living simultaneously on three Earths and two time periods, Dekkar inspires Deshaun to attempt his own “bleed,” stumbling into the Gemworld of Amethyst! Too bad that he doesn’t have powers there!
    ON SALE 10.21.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

  3. DC’s October 2020 C-list solicitations

    CATWOMAN: QUEEN OF GOTHAM #26
    written by ERICA SCHULTZ
    art by GENE GONZALES
    cover by JAY ANACLETO
    Clayface card stock variant cover by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
    The White Rabbit card stock variant cover by NEAL ADAMS
    VERTISOL CONTINUES! The White Rabbit makes her move against Donna Selina, while convincing Basil Karlo that it was all his idea. Catwoman welcomes the challenge, as Robin has alerted her of his findings that the League of Assassins want the Clayfaces for their unique soil, which may allow them to establish new Lazarus Pits!
    ON SALE 10.21.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $4.99 US
    FC | DC
    This issue will ship with three covers.
    Please see the order form for details.

    CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN #2
    written by JON RIVERA
    art by BARNABY BAGENDA and ROMULO FAJARDO JR.
    cover by ERIC CANETA
    Cave Carson variant cover by DIEGO SIMONE
    VERTISOL CONCLUDES! Following their recent defeat by Aquaman, the criminal organization Scorpio has been put on its heels. Seeking fresh advantage, they join the hunt for Clayfaces by pursuing Dr. Peter “Claything” Malley. The new Challengers must face down the classic team’s foes, but can they truly live up to the challenge of The Awesome Threesome? Not likely, so the heroes (and anti-heroes) of Gotham will have to join in! Just when things couldn’t get worse, they do, as the eight member “Mud Pack” merge to form a Muck-Zord!
    ON SALE 10.28.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $4.99 US
    FC | DC
    This issue will ship with two covers.
    Please see the order form for details.

    THE CLUB #1
    written by HOWARD CHAYKIN
    art by DAVE BULLOCK
    cover by MC WYMAN
    King Faraday design variant cover by RYAN SOOK
    It’s 1953, and the war is over. The menfolk are back home where they belong, the women are back in the home, where they belong, and nobody wants a bunch of fairies in ballet togs prancing around on rooftops anymore. Okay sure, Henry Heywood spent a bit of a spell in a colorful costume himself, but it was the style of the time. Trust that Hank is all man, and Ike likes him. What neither of them likes are communists and vigilantes, both subversives needing to be put down, post haste. Monitoring their activities is under the purview of the newly formed Central Bureau of Intelligence, and though Hank has to work with the milquetoast Truman-appointee King Faraday, the mechanically-enhanced muscles of the former Commander Steel will still be sweating out confessions and working over suspects. Even though the Justice Society quietly went into retirement rather than trust the government with their “secret” identities, there are still some long underwear types getting up to trouble, and so they get “The Club.” After the pair proved themselves with the sanctioning of ex-Nazis Horned Owl and Usil, Eisenhower gave the green light to expand to a full-time team. Joined by Arnold “Iron” Munro, the “Crime Smasher” Alan Armstrong, and Mr. Americommando himself Harold “Tex” Thomson, the Club’s first assignments include insuring the retirement of the Robotman Robert Crane, putting a stop to the colored provocateur Will Everett’s activities in the South, and more in defense of the greatest nation on God’s earth.
    ON SALE 10.14.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC
    This issue will ship with two covers.
    Please see the order form for details.

    CONQUEST OF THE BARON EARTH #4
    written by PETER J. TOMASI
    art by SERGIO DAVILA
    cover by BRIAN LEVEL
    Despite the success of his unconventional warfare tactics to date, Blitzkrieg is forced to establish a terrestrial theater by Bedlam’s march into Galonia & Toran. With the blessing of Putin, Count Berlin; Captains Nazi, Swastika, & Murder; Doctors Demon, Poison, & Nishtikeit; Baronesses von Todt, Blitzkrieg, & Von Gunther; and Barons Death & Gestapo are positioned in the new headquarters of The Final Reich. Outranked and outflanked, Baron Winters must quietly advance his own agenda while under the thumb of Vlatava’s returned “ruler,” the mad Count Vertigo. A clandestine meeting with Persephone may be just what the Baron needs to solve several problems.
    ON SALE 10.14.20
    $3.99 US | 4 OF 12 | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    CREEPER #1
    written by CHRISTOPHER SEBELA
    art by MARCO CASTIELLO
    cover by JOHN GALLAGHER
    Illegal immigrants take jobs from Americans like Jack Ryder. The guy used to have a top-rated opinion show while managing to keep his habit of turning into a jaundiced lunatic vigilante in his off hours under wraps. But one possession by a Japanese Oni demon, and his life went down the tubes. Far-right talking points drawn from the Kovacs diary may have pushed him to the fringe, but on-air bullhorn racist rants about the Brotherhood of Quetzalcoatl and the Star Chamber drove away advertisers. When Anthem pulls your Bellwether rank and you’re de-platformed from social media, the only way to trend is for kids to film you shouting psychotic babbling about the Bureau of Amplified Animals putting estrogen in Soder Cola on the streets of Seattle. Once you fail to meet the journalistic standards of PWN and you’re a emerald curly hair away from being homeless, you’re not the voice of reason anymore… you’re just another creep. But every mad rabbit hole was just Jack trying to find some way to cleanse himself of this yellow-skinned Oriental contamination! Does he really deserve to find himself in a back alley with his mouth wrapped around the barrel of a gun held by local thug Billy Tockman? Is this what our country has come to, when someone like Jack Ryder isn’t allowed to be an exceptional free thinker in this cancel culture?!?
    ON SALE 10.07.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC

    CRISIS ACROSS INFINITE TIME #4
    written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
    art and cover by DAVID FINCH
    card stock variant cover by DAVID FINCH
    Chronos is captured by The Linear Man Travis O’Connell and taken to Chronopolis, where he is but one of many formerly “criminal” time travelers tasked with hunting down and killing any Legionnaire on sight. As Liri Lee’s screams echo along with the whir of her newly installed cybernetic upgrades, Mordecai warns that their primary and most paramount target is Dawnstar, recently detected en route to 21st Century Earth…
    ON SALE 10.28.20
    $3.99 US | 4 OF 25 |32 PAGES
    CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $4.99 US
    FC | DC
    This issue will ship with two covers.
    Please see the order form for details.

    CYBORG: THE LAST LEAGUER #1
    written by VICTOR LaVALLE
    art by WALTER GEOVANI
    cover by JIM LEE
    Rehab card stock variant cover by IVAN REIS
    Cyborg 1984 variant cover by ROBERT Q. ATKINS
    Victor Stone had to pull the trigger. The war of the New Gods was raging out of control, impacting whole solar systems. Cyborg’s armor had been corrupted by the Anti-Life root kit as a Trojan Horse against Earth. Vic’s soul was compromised by The Exaltation Rubric, as had many of the New Gods’ themselves. The combination of the Lasso of Truth and the telepathic implantation of the Martians’ Life Equations had provided Vic salvation from eternal servitude. The best chance the universe had was the Matricide Gambit, a virus that infected and destroyed all Mother Boxes simultaneously… including the one controlling the Boom Tube bringing the Justice League and hordes of New Genesian zealots home. While the JLA held the line for as long as they could, Victor Stone had to reach the other side, jettison most of his inorganic parts, and detonate his Mother Box-infused cybernetics within the Boom Tube itself. For now, the Fourth World was isolated, but in a cosmos without the JLA, chaos increasingly reigns.

    That was months ago. Vic nearly died, and has endured physical and psychological rehabilitation at S.T.A.R. Labs. The best minds on Earth helped to construct a new cybernetic chassis, including elements of the Apokoliptian Entropy Aegis provided by Dr. John Henry Irons. The revenge of the New Gods is inevitable, and they will assail a world diminished by the loss of its greatest super-heroes. Victor Stone will have to be a better, stronger, smarter Cyborg to meet their challenge, and he cannot do it alone. The Life Equations still repeat in Victor’s mind, and too many add up to the end of all existence. Vic Stone must provide the formula for human survival, as the sole remaining member of the Justice League…
    ON SALE 10.21.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $4.99 US
    FC | DC
    This issue will ship with three covers.
    Please see the order form for details.

  4. DC’s October 2020 Z-list solicitations

    DARKSTARS: THE CORPS OF THE CONTROLLERS #1
    written by JORDAN CLARK
    art by TOBY MAYS
    cover by ARTURO VELASCO
    card stock variant cover by BRIAN DEMERS
    Billions of years ago there was Maltus, home of the original people, so brilliant that they were able to kill the very universe that spawned them without even trying. When the scientist Krona connected the beginning of time to its end, he created a contracting temporal Möbius strip that has steadily choked the life out of all existence. In their shame and desperation, the Maltusians splintered by ideology: the Okaarans, warriors of virtue; the Zamarons, amazons of the stars; the Oans, Guardians of the Universe; and the Metans, Controllers of the Clockwork Universe. In a superior dimension on a shining hill, the Metans held absolute authority, and were cleansed of the pollution from lesser planes.

    However, the Meta-Zone does not exist in an vacuum, and the degenerate lost tribes of Maltus allowed one Crisis after another to diminish the pan-dimensions. Their incompetence and low standards brought trash to the shores of the Zero-Zone, close enough to Meta for its stench to fill the nostrils of the Controllers. This will not stand. Order must be restored with unquestionable and infinite command over these lawless outsiders. For this reason, the Darkstars must be reinstated and availed of all necessary resources to bring the emerging dystopia to heel. Agents will be selected from across the universe based on their being global exemplars in the qualities of Cunning, Mercilessness, and overall Supremacy.

    Ferrin Colos of Zamba. Amanda Waller of Earth. Vril Dox of Colu. Kanjar Ro of Dhor. Lydea Mallor of Talok VIII. Ultraa of Almerac. Synn of Saturn. Prince Rijian of Aegena. Deron Ved of Thangar. Ectreba of Khundia. Lord Defile of Daemon. Will you cast your long shadow over the wretched, obstinate masses? Will you establish dominance amidst the Darkstars?
    ON SALE 10.07.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $4.99 US
    FC | DC
    This issue will ship with two covers.
    Please see the order form for details.

    DEEP SPACE S.T.A.R. SQUADRON BLACKHAWK #4
    written by MARC ANDREYKO
    art by V KEN MARION
    cover by SEBASTIAN “GARNABIEL” ESCOBAR
    card stock variant cover by ERIC NINALTOWSKI
    The expansion of the Darkstar Corps forces the D’amsi to fall back into Cooperative space. While Evane & Tetras have helped Talon with his enhanced battle armor, Tim and Jay are left to fend for themselves on Maltus when the Construct cuts a swath through the densely populated metropolis. Can Talon & Bluejay hold out until the more powerful Blackhawks can reach them?
    ON SALE 10.28.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $4.99 US
    FC | DC
    This issue will ship with two covers.
    Please see the order form for details.

    THE DOOMED #2
    written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
    art by HOWARD PORTER
    cover by DARRYL BANKS
    Lodestone variant cover by BROOKE SNIDER
    Negative Woman memorial cover by CRAIG HAMILTON
    Just as Celsia prepares to rally her squad to pursue The Chief, “Beast Girl” and “Son of Kalki” prove to be demons sent to infiltrate The Doomed by Arani’s mad, mutated father. Kalki’s fixation on the Kali Yuga has brought him into league with the Kobra Cult, and his daughter’s near death encounter has inspired them to seek messengers of the end times through Kalki’s other-dimensional portal… to Earth 3? Meanwhile, The Chief draws on Sasha Bordeaux’s friendship with the late Valentina Vostok to use her government resources to make contact with Lodestone. Ultimately, Rhea Jones only offers a message of… you guessed it… doom.
    ON SALE 10.28.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
    FC | DC
    This issue will ship with three covers.
    Please see the order form for details.

    FLASH XS #763
    written by N.K. JEMISIN
    art by SCOTT KOLINS
    cover by G.W. FISHER
    variant cover by ANTHONY DARR
    Wonder Woman 1984 variant cover by NICOLA SCOTT
    After his nearly fatal race to the “Finish Line,” Wally West has come to terms with the fact that he’s no longer in any shape to continue in the role of Flash. Now he simply has to protect his family and raise his children. Since “The Flashpoint Preemption,” Jenni Ognats has been trapped in the 21st Century with her grandfather and cousin. Though still shaken by the seeming return of her parents amongst the “Legion of Zoom,” XS is ready to take over as the defender of Central City, aided by Wally & Linda’s adopted son Rudy, the new Kid Flash! Their first assignment: protecting Heatwave from Colonel Computron, who accuse him of the murder of Basil Nurblin in Santa Prisca!

    The Flash by the new series team of writer Nora K. Jemisin and prodigal artist Scott Kolins.
    ON SALE 10.14.20
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    FLASH XS #764
    written by N.K. JEMISIN
    art by SCOTT KOLINS
    cover by DEREC DONOVAN
    variant cover by CRAIG ROUSSEAU
    Crime boss Copperhead is struggling to maintain her metahuman workforce, between the resource drain of the conflict in Europe and the increased law enforcement presence. The latter is thanks to the expansive Alien Containment Enforcement internment camp across the bridge in Keystone City. Copperhead comes up with a plan to kill two birds with one stone by organizing a prisoner escape, recruiting any E.T.s that she can make off with. XS and Kid Flash are on hand to stop her, but as a native of a richly extraterrestrial far future, Jenni’s sympathies are not with A.C.E…
    ON SALE 10.28.20
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    MOURNINGSTAR #4
    written by DAVID BARNETT
    art by ANDREA SORRENTINO
    cover by JOHN K. SNYDER III
    The 21st Century has yet to reach Zandia, so the closeted teen Ulu Vakk has grown up knowing that he must keep a very low profile if he’d like to make it to adulthood. A heavily armed immodest woman, a warrior made of stone, and a seeming angel of the Lord barging into one’s humble home is not condusive to such neccessary discretion, and with three zealous armies in pursuit, Ulu may have no choice but to finally show his truest colors…
    ON SALE 10.21.20
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    NIGHTWING’S SPYRAL #75
    written by DAN JURGENS & GEOFF JOHNS
    art and cover by EDDY BARROWS
    variant cover by EDDY BARROWS
    “The Serpent That Strikes From The Shadows” concludes! The Big Brawl in Tokyo! Final battle with the Black Dragon Society! Nightwing vs. Kung! Kathy Kane vs. Dragon Queen! The Tiger vs. Avatar! El Gaucho vs. Samurai! Obscura vs. Seppuku! The Hood vs. Kamikaze!
    Finally returning from his mission in Japan, Dick is confronted with the life he left behind in Gotham City. Lucius Fox informs Grayson that he must now act as conservator of Damien’s inheritance until he comes of age, requiring that he take an active role in guiding Wayne Enterprises. Superman’s would-be savior Edmond Hamilton has also long awaited him. The so-called Colonel Future bears a prophesy about the ruination of Metropolis that Grayson must avert, requiring another major change of scene… but Dick is more concerned with his mail, specifically a letter demanding that he pay back child support!
    Eddy Barrows returns to Nightwing for a special extra-length anniversary issue to complete Dan Jurgens’ run and welcome comics titan Geoff Johns for his next epic!
    ON SALE 10.21.20
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    RED HOOD & THE DARK OUTLAWS #54
    written by SCOTT LOBDELL
    art by PAOLO PANTALENA
    cover by ANDREW ROSS MACLEAN
    Techne & Stealth arrive on Bizarro World aboard a space craft that just may be the team’s ticket home. Brainiac’s daughter is searching for Sector 3601, a needle in the haystack of the cosmos, and hopes to use the remains of Bizarro Computo combined with its Coluan counterpart for the incalculable task. Bizarro warns his friends that “the best is yet to come,” but tensions among the Dark Outlaws are reaching a fever pitch so high that this planet may not be big enough for the three of them! Scott Lobdell completes his years-long run chronicling the adventures of Red Hood in this fairwell issue! The story continues in next month’s BRAINIAC’S 5 #4!
    ON SALE 10.28.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
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    ROBIN IN DETECTIVE COMICS #1028
    Written By JIM RUGG
    art & cover by VINCENZO CARRATÙ
    card stock variant cover by DRAGOS DRAGAN
    VERTISOL BEGINS! Recognizing that he cannot continue his pursuit of Leviathan without a Dark Knight by his side, Damian seeks out a replacement in the Batman of Earth 41, The Midnighter. With an assist from Nightwing, Robin makes contact, as Midnighter offers valuable information on the Department of Paranormal Science Investigations. P.S.I. is only one of a number of covert agencies reacting to Leviathan’s pursuit of members of “The Mud Pack” for purposes unknown. One Batman legacy chases another from the Clayface Family, as the pair make contact with Cassius “Clay” Payne…
    ON SALE 10.07.20
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    S.T.A.R. SQUADRON #5
    written by PETER J. TOMASI
    art by JORGE JIMENEZ
    cover by ROB HAYNES
    Cyclotron variant cover by CHARLES ROUSE-RODRIGUEZ
    Vibe card stock variant cover by DAVE GROTE JR.
    As a safeguard for humanity in the event of a superhuman crisis, Superman had turned his robotic creation Cyclotron over to S.T.A.R. Labs, although only a few personnel were aware of its activation code. While convalescing, Vic Stone had rebooted the Computerized Crimefighter, with modern enhancements. “Alex LeWitt” and his “Cycloclobber” punch were supposedly ready for the fight, but the sensitive information he was programmed with to make him a master tactical weapon against all known superhumans at his time of creation might also make him a greater liability than asset in the wrong hands… such as Baron Bedlam’s, as his new Masters of Disaster seek Cyclotron and the Cadre for their war in Europe…
    ON SALE 10.07.20
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    STRIKEFORCE SUPERMAN #26
    written by ROBERT VENDITTI
    art by DAN MORA
    cover by SEBASTIAN “GARNABIEL” ESCOBAR
    The Guardian variant cover by PAUL SMITH
    Fallen Angel variant cover by J.K. WOODWARD
    Since returning “from the dead,” The Contessa has wielded Project Cadmus to deny her homicidally estranged husband Lex Luthor total control of Metropolis. What more spiteful gift could she give to the city than the cloned return of Lex’s nemesis, the Man of Steel? The icing on the cake should have been the human DNA necessary to craft the Kryptonian-hybrid clone having been collected from The Batman at a crime scene by an unscrupulous GCPD forensic pathologist. Unfortunately, Cadmus had erroneously gathered genetic material from “Thomas Wayne, Jr.” instead. Now, their so-called Composite Superman is on a mad rampage, and even joined by the DNAngels, Strikeforce Superman may not be enough to stop it!
    ON SALE 10.14.20
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    TIGRESS #2
    written by TED NAIFEH
    art by FERNANDO BLANCO
    cover by TIM SEELEY
    SOCIETY OF SHADOWS TIE-IN! It’s already been a struggle for Helena to maintain her Tigress cover amidst the suspicious mafia families. How can she safely stick close to Catwoman when Killer Croc is reinstated as Selina Kyle’s personal bodyguard? For starters, Croc isn’t about to be satisfied as anyone’s servant, but if Tigress can help crown Croc, his ambitions may distract from her duplicity. That said, Croc’s a lot sharper since recovering from forced shock treatments while an illegitimate patient confined in Arkham, and he’s pretty familiar with the extended Batman Family…
    ON SALE 10.28.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
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    WESTERN COMICS GIANT #2
    written by JIMMY PALMIOTTI and AMANDA CONNER
    art by DEAN KOTZ
    cover by DAVE GROTE JR.
    Booker T. Washington hires the outlaw Katherine “Cinnamon” Manser to escort one of his closest associates safely back home to the North. As they’re pursued by a mysterious female gunslinger with twin blazing revolvers, Augustus Freeman recognizes something oddly familiar in his protector…
    Plus these reprint tales:
    • Cinnamon in “Cinnamon” from Weird Western Tales #48 (1970)
    • “Once Upon a Time, in the Wild Wild West… ” from Justice League of America #198 (1960)
    • “Fine Day for a Hangin’ ” from Hawkman #7 (2002)
    ON SALE 10.28.20 | $4.99 US | FC | 96 PAGES | DC

    WHITE CANARY #4
    written by ALEX de CAMPI
    art by PHIL CHO
    cover by ANDY BENNETT
    VERTISOL CONTINUES! C.O.B.A.L.T. believes that the best defense is a good offense. With the aid of the Johnny Williams Clayface and recovered agent Cupid, they strike at both Mayhem and White Canary’s collective. However, the League of Assassins hold a similar philosophy, so the lot of them will be lucky to leave Gotham City alive… and they aren’t that lucky!
    ON SALE 10.14.20
    $3.99 US | 32 PAGES
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    WONDER GIRL #764
    written by MARIKO TAMAKI
    art by TYLER KIRKHAM
    cover by ACE CONTINUADO
    card stock variant cover by MIKE MAYHEW
    Wonder Woman 1984 variant cover by ADAM HUGHES
    Donna’s secret alliance with Ares comes out before she can betray Cronus to prevent the reemergence of the Titans of Myth. Regardless of which side she’s on, Derinoe has convinced Artemis & Cassie that she’s a traitor to the Amazons. Can the self-proclaimed new Wonder Woman shed the aegis of war and convince her sisters otherwise before Gateway City is destroyed?
    ON SALE 10.14.20
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    WONDER GIRL #765
    written by MARIKO TAMAKI
    art by JAMES PAULEY
    cover by PHILIP TAN
    Circe card stock variant cover by JIM LEE
    Wonder Woman 1984 variant cover featuring MOVIE POSTER ART
    Keeping her promise to Cygnus while she’s away in outer space, Donna checks in on Julia Kapatelis. Unbeknownst to her, “Donna Milton” has quietly raised her daughter Lyta in Boston for years, and what little comfort she took in the passing of Princess Diana turns to a frenzied panic. Worse, Cassie decided to trail Donna from Gateway City, offering two targets to the new mother-daughter team of Circe & Lyta…
    ON SALE 10.28.20
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  5. Okay! A Cyclotron Seven team of Canadians!
    In the 1950s!

    There can only be one place they can meet.

    The Diefenbunker.

    I’ll let myself out.

  6. Congratulations to Ryan on a fantastic network debut. And to Siskoid, as ever, for being the most charming of hosts.

    There were so many great ideas this episode, and I learnt a new word, clade! And I must say, acronyms are very popular this month.

    I really like Ryan’s finder take on Cinnamon, and and as for Siskoid’s idea to have her trained by a Ninja, it could be fun to have flashbacks in which she’s being upskilled by someone even she can’t see, because, ninja!

    Ryan’s ideas for Colour Kid, Colossal Boy and Cosmic Boy are just brilliant and gave us the best line of the podcast… ‘However you wanna Kirby it’. I do think, though, that rather than ask people to buy three individual debut issues that together give the big picture, Ryan should kick off his line with an 80pp giant showcasing all three, with teases of other characters.

    I love Siskoid’s Colossal Investigations, too. The way Gim and Yera met was so messed up, I don’t blame the Legion for being a little slow to forgive him for sticking with her afterwards.

    I say ‘Jim Allen’ too – to my mind the original Legionnaire civilian identities were all basically 1950s names misspelt – Irma, Rock, Sally and so on.

    And Ryan is correct, there is indeed a U in COLOUR!

    1. So it’s Colour Kid, Coulossal Boy and Cousmic Boy, correct?

      Speaking of corrections, this isn’t Ryan’s network debut – he’s been on like 4 Gimme That Star Treks and an FW Team-Up – it just feels like it (I kid).

        1. Also pro tip for anyone who finds a guest engaging… At the bottom of these posts are a bunch of labels representing shows, characters and… guests! Click anyone’s name and it should lead you to a list of all their guest spots!

  7. A very interesting episode, gentlemen. Both of you went more high-concept than I would have, and Siskoid went more political than I usually prefer, but surprisingly his more political pitches (Creeper and Congo Bill) were some of my favorites.

    Anyway, here are a few of my own.

    Colonel Future should totally pick up the “Greatest Hero you’ve never heard of” concept that Booster Gold has let go by the wayside. The entry draws attention to two times that Colonel Hamilton’s “visions” led him astray, but those weren’t his only attempts at heroism. To the average person Colonel Future is even more buffoonish than Booster, no better than just a mild annoyance to the Man of Steel, but he has saved the Earth a dozen times, risking his own life every time (quite literally). Still, he is plaqued by self-doubt, always wondering if this will be the time that his “vision” is really only a glimpse at the latest blockbuster disaster movie or some other misunderstanding. Can a man save the world when no one believes in him, even himself?

    Color Kid- I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I think the best way to handle Color Kid is to go full-scale Grant Morrison Doom Patrol level surreal. Some mumbo-jumbo about an ancient collective of beings who are draining the color out of the world. Mass traffic accidents are occurring all over the planet since people can’t tell the difference between red and green traffic lights. Only Color Kid can save the Earth from Mass chaos. Ulu can only affect things on a small scale, though, so he sets out on a world-spanning race against time, trying to save Earth from a bleak, colorless future.

    Colossal Boy- While on an LSH mission, Gim’s cruiser is struck by space debris and he is forced to crash land on an uncharted planet. In the crash, his communication array is damaged. In short, he is stranded. After some quick exploration, he discovers that the native population is a race of giants horribly divided by paranoia and war. His size changing power rendered obsolete (it’ll take him a few arcs to realize that in a world of giants, he technically has the power to shrink Ray Palmer-style), can Gim Allon become the hero this world deserves armed with nothing but his flight ring and Legion training?

  8. Siskoid’s take on The Creeper wins my money. And Mr. Blake’s idea for Colour Kid is very intriguing. I would love to read a story featuring a person that Ulu Vakk has “ignored out of existence.”

    Fun show. Cheers, gents.

  9. Dear Mike,

    I’ve been listening to this show since the beginning, absolutely loving this concept. I decided issue 5 was a good place to start playing along with the hosts, given the low number of heroes and lack of big-name marquee stars. While many of my ideas were similar or inferior to those discussed on the show, I do want to share a few that deviate significantly from what was discussed:

    Colossal Boy: For starters, I decided to eliminate all allusions to the Legion of Super-Heroes and treat each Legion character as his own individual with different themes and tones for each. Colossal Boy is my pick for a young adult romance comic aimed squarely at teenage readers. Gim is handsome enough to be a teen idol and his size-changing powers could be a metaphor for puberty, leading to all kinds of amusing yet relatable comedic embarrassment.

    Cosmic Boy: I see Rok as the star of a tongue-in-cheek space-faring farce, similar to a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. The name is silly, so I say this series should embrace the rediculous and go full screwball comedy.

    Color Kid: This one seemed so obvious to me. Instead of a comic book, make the Color Kid series a coloring book! It’s so simple it can be easilly overlooked.

    Congo Bill: There’s potential here for a globe-trotting Indiana Jones like adventure series here. Like Raiders of the Lost Ark, I would set this one in the 1930s, pit Congo Bill against Nazis, and give the series a retro movie serial feel.

    The Creeper: My take of the Creeper is similar to yours, Mike, but I’m thinking high camp with this one. Jack Ryder (probably not his real name!) is a two-fisted butch man’s man who, as the Creeper, can let his inner drag queen shine! Openly gay superheroes are still rather rare and not many really embrace their sexual identity as part of their superhero persona. The Creeper would be unique in his ability to balance the self-loathing drama often imposed upon gay men by society through the Jack Ryder personal and the glorious campiness of a flamboyantly outrageous superhero character. Perhaps gay men aren’t a large demographic from a marketing perspective, but many of the gay men I know read and collect superhero comics and would probably like a character made just for them.

    As for a villain series, I’m suprised neither host went the same path I did, singling out The Crime Synidate of America. This series looks like a ready-made, prepackaged parody of superhero excess just rearing to go! Get a writer like Garth Ennis who loves outrageous gross-out humor, hates superheroes, and let the sparks fly! This series could be The Boys from the perspective of the super-types themselves, and while that’s not an original idea, it does sound like a potentially profitable one.

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