NEW DOMAIN! Please change any bookmarks to
the new cosmicteams.com!
9
MARCH 2010
» Legionnaire Profiles!
UPDATE: I've done a whole lot of scanning.
You'll find images in almost every profile now. A lot left to do. Most
profiles are quite cleaned up.
Browse the
index.
The current profile is Supergirl,
which is a real challenge, mostly because it had never been written
in the first place. The girl's history is complex! But since she's
slated to be reintroduced to Legion membership, I wanted to make sure
her profile was solid. I started reading the Legion at a time when
she rarely appeared, so I never really considered her much of a member.
But original Silver Age Legion tales used her a lot.
Completed…
More goodies! From Legion #312, I scanned the original…
21
FEBRUARY 2010
So I'm reading John Ostrander's run on Firestorm, and will be adding
more info as I go. I have begun by relocating all the Russian characters
to one document, like I did for the Heroes
of Japan.
This page includes Blue Trinity • The
People's Heroes • Red Trinity • The
Rocket Red Brigade • Soyuz • Stalnoivolk,
the Steel Wolf
…and probably some obscure others you've never heard of! >MORE...
19 FEBRUARY 2010
» Welcome Home Again!
For realz, now Cosmic Teams finally sits on its
own domain (which I've owned for a while now). The old site will
no longer be hosted after February 27.
If you are accustomed to my navigation, or have bookmarks,
the file structure is the same. Only the domain name has changed.
So for example, the old address:
www.mykey3000.com/cosmicteams/jla/jlafaq02.html
is now
www.cosmicteams.com/jla/jlafaq02.html
"So, What Have You Been up to?"
A lot of non-teams stuff, I'm sorry to report. My spare time
goes into maintaining the chronologies here, and into my Quality
Comics research. I am itching
to get back to updating a whole bunch of profiles, though. A lot of
things have updates since the Final Crisis. Have faith!
31 JANUARY 2010
» Recently... New Chronology Additions
What, you don't like spending a million dollars a week, like I do?
Catch up right here with some of the DC titles that tie most closely
to my site.
Here's what was chronology-worthy within the last month. Got
something to add?
VISIT A CHRONOLOGY: JLA • JSA • Legion • Outsiders
New Entries…
| BLACKEST
NIGHT |
| John on Xanshi fights a planet, and an amalgam
GL/BL, Driq of 667. Jean Loring takes Atom and Mera inside the
BL ring, claiming there's no beginning or end to the universe,
only to the life therein. Over eons, the darkness manifested
its own Guardian, Nekron. Nekron "saved" some heroes
from death so that he could use them later to help destroy light.
Deadman follows them. |
Green Lantern #49 (2.10) |
| Blackest Night: Black Lanterns nearly devour the
power battery on Oa. Mogo moves to purge them from Oa, drawing
all living things to himself. He absorbs the BLs into his core
where they disintegrate. |
Green Lantern Corps #44 (3.10) |
| The second guard of Guardians jumps in to help
as Hal reassumes the Parallax: Ganthet retrieves it from the
four earthmen's lanterns. Jason apparently separated from Ronnie.
Group effort defeats the Spectre, who retreats when Parallax
reappears. |
Green Lantern #50 (3.10) |
| Barry outruns the black rings for he and Hal.
Mera is taken by a red ring; Wonder Woman is converted by the
Star Sapphire. Atom by the indigo. Barry by blue. Scarecrow by
Sinestros. Luthor by orange. Ganthet reclaims green power. He
claims all rings are based on Oan technology and can be replicated.
Shows full page previews of the "resurrected" titles. |
Blackest Night #6 (2.10) |
| LEGION |
| Lex agrees to cure his sister, Lena, but then
takes the cure away. Conner must get a prehistoric leaf, get
a Bizarro hair, a bone from Themyscira and something from Atlantis.
When he takes it away, Brainiac steps in to fight Superboy. He
and Luthor teleport away. After, Conner meets with the core Titans.
Luthor plans to try a new clone, using different alien DNA. |
Adventure v.2 #6 (3.10) |
| Starro, Smite and Lyrl fail to stop the BLs. Lyrl
teleports them into a black hole. Broot's new telepathy allows
him to mask the Omega Mens' presence. They find a world with
clues how to kill Starro--a toxin. The Rebels dock at Port Slarvit
for repairs. Strata and Garv quit. Dox retrieves the Gamma Gong
shards, a Dominion gene bomb, and Despero's living head. |
REBELS v2 #12 (3.10) |
| JUSTICE
LEAGUE |
| Blackest Night: Steel and Vibe and Dr. Light rise.
The battle leaves Vixen, Dr. Light, Plastic Man, Zatanna and
Red Tornado broken. |
JLofA v.2 #40 (2.10) |
| After Cry and BL. Dr. Light fails to convince
Vixen to stay. Wonder Woman convinces Troia to rebuild the JLA.
Donna recruits Batman, Cyborg and Starfire. Dick and Hal recruit
Green Arrow; Guardian and Dr. Light invite Mon-El. In 1777, Tomahawk
and his band (Stovepipe, Frenchie, Dan, Anvil) encounter a piece
of future technology. He gets flashes of monsters then Miss Liberty
arrives. She advises taking it to Ben Franklin. Now, Darwin Jones
finds it in the Smithsonian. From it, emerges ??. |
JLofA v.2 #41 (3.10) |
| Supergirl unmasks Shazam as Prometheus. Troia
defeats him with brute force. While he is captive a bomb goes
off in Star City, transporting it somewhere else in time and
space. Before Blackest Night. The text piece explains the decision
not to use Batwoman in the series. |
Justice League: Cry for Justice #6 (3.10) |
| JUSTICE
SOCIETY |
| Mordru returns, free from the Lords of Chaos,
in the Tenth Age of Magic. He possesses the new Dr. Fate as the
JSA sets up shop in the JLA Happy Harbor facility. The team's
mystical alarms sense his presence and they force him out. Mr.
Terrific modifies Mr. America's whip into a powerful weapon.
Kid Karnevil is their prisoner. |
JSofA v.3 #34 (2.10) |
| Mr. Terrific and Dr. Fate free the other JSAers
from various dimensions—inside which they then imprison Mordru. |
JSofA v.3 #35 (3.10) |
| Johnny Sorrow brings back his Injustice Society
(Tigress, Killer Wasp, Wizard, Geomancer, Icicle, Shiv). Rex
Tyler creates Roxy, an A.I. servant. They storm the Strike Force's
Pittsburgh hideout for Stargirl. Power Girl stops Magog from
killing Icicle. Sandman dreams that Sorrow revives the King of
Tears. |
JSA All-Stars #2 (3.10) |
| OUTSIDERS |
| Blackest Night: Terra gets the Outsiders to their ripe emotional
point then strikes. Katana must kill her family. Halo is able
to break the black rings' connections. She then takes out Terra
and is called by some light; she goes to it. |
OUT4 #25 (2.10) |
| Brion returns to leading his country and allies with the Eradicator,
declaring that Markovia and New Krypton now have a non-agression
treaty. Katana and Lightning clash when they go to stop pirates
off the coast. They encounter Captain Fear,whom Katana stabs
through, but he doesn't die. Creeper attracts the attentions
of a strange woman. |
OUT4 #26 (3.10) |
| SUPERMAN |
| 19: Lois is brought in by her father. Jax-Ur saves
Chris, but Nightwing knows his identity and is now indebted to
him. He will have no more aging bouts. Lois quits in order to
pursue her story. Jax-Ur takes genetic information from Chris.
Mon-El recruits Captain Atom, brings him to the JLA Watchtower,
where the new JLA has assembled, including Starfire, Cyborg,
and Congo Bill. |
Action Comics #884 (2.10) |
| 20: Henderson reveals that he has an artifact
belonging to the family of the Silver Banshee (she needs all
seven to end her curse). Lana admits that she is ill to Kara.
Kara touches an artifact and is transformed into a banshee. |
Supergirl v. 5 #48 (2.10) |
| 21: Mon-El asks Superboy to retrieve and repair
his Daxamite rocket from the Fortress. Says he was captive for
a month and tortured. He moves to expose Lane, but Lane moves
first, going public to say that Mon-El's brain was affected.
Perry White brings him to Jimmy Olsen, who survived with Tellus'
help. He stays the night with Billi Harper. After a visit from
Natasha, John Irons wakes up. |
Superman #695 (2.10) |
| 22: Allura's assistant Lyra is killed. Adam Strange
helps investigate. They find a weapon bearing Tam-Or's DNA. They
cannot locate him. Councilor Zo is angered and insults Kal's
mother, who had come up from labor guild. Zod says Tam-Or is
innocent. Tyr-Van leads Kal to Or. Adam mentions that he's joined
Vril Dox. Kal's suprised to be taken to a military facility built
by Zod, experimenting on aliens for their hides. Tam surrenders
to clear his name. Commander Gor catches up with them and accuses
Kal of treason; Zod has returned to duty and ordered execution
on sight. |
Superman: World of New Krypton #11
(3.10) |
| 23: Guardian and Mon-El come to take in Nightwing
and Flamebird, who go willingly. They tell Guardian that Zod
has spies on Earth. Officer Romundi is revealed as Zod's agent,
Car-Vex. She and Jax-Ur share a secret conversation. Car-Vex
destroys the S.T.A.R. lab. A new Squad K suts up. Lane tries
to take the lovers but the Science Police refuse. The JLA bring
Captain Atom to his senses. The last thing he remembers is sacrificing
himself. They call the Shadowpact to help him end Mirabai's reign. |
Action Comics #885 (3.10) |
| 24: Lana dies in the hospital and is entombed
in a cocoon. Supergirl isn't there to help, instead she helps
the Banshee defeat her ancestors. the Banshee disappears, having
collected her artifacts, to search for the rest. |
Supergirl v. 5 #49 (3.10) |
| 25: In the aftermath of Car-Vex's bomb, Guardian
finds Chameleon Boy, who'd been posing as the Science Police's "Control." Lane
offers Romundi (Car-Vex) a spot under him. |
Superman #696 (3.10) |
17
JANUARY 2009
» Crack
Comics Indeed!
This would be a hundred times funnier if it had run in Crack Comics. Tell me: am I wrong to be SUPER SURPRISED to find this in Smash
Comics #13 (1940)? A risque panel from Will Eisner's "Espionage"
starring Black X.
Oh well, I'm sure X didn't mind. You know what they say about a guy
who wears a monocle.
If ya got it…
10
JANUARY 2009
» 
Quality
Number Crunching
I know you like lists. I do too. Check out my accumulated data on
the longevity and chronology of Quality
Comics' heroes.
4
JANUARY 2009
My Quality Comics research, naturally,
encompasses the Freedom Fighters. I finally got around to summarizing their
last mini series and adding details to each of the individual profiles, too.
I am still collecting issues from the 1970s FF series, so that part is incomplete.
I have begun doing my issue-by-issue reading of all Quality Comics by starting
in chronological order. I write things as I read them. I'm not far!
It's going to take a while!
Please
continue to check back on these profiles…
Freedom
Fighters • Invisible
Hood • Magno •
Miss
Cosmos • Neon
the Unknown • Red
Torpedo • Uncle
Sam • Black
Condors • Doll
Men • Firebrands • Human
Bombs • Rays • Phantom
Lady • Red
Bees
PLUS! See/download a panoramic scan of the All-Star
Squadron:
28
DECEMBER 2009
» Shelved
Legion Project? No.
UPDATE: If you tuned in previously, I'm glad
to notify you that this was all a false alarm.
Chris Sprouse himself replied to me and said that the seller of this
artwork was totally wrong. This page was done by Chris as a "preparatory
sketch" for the final panel of Legionnaires #11 (Feb. 1994).
The note at the bottom (which reads reads "Presenting—Kid Quantum!")
was to describe the action on the page.
In my original post, I'd said that this was a cover sketch is by
Chris Sprouse, from unpublished DC comic. The person who posted it
to ebay told me that "Chris
was paid but the book hasn't come out and likely won't." She
also thought it was meant for a Showcase-style book. When listed online,
this person also used the name "Kid
Eternity."
Legion
Fanfare • Chris
Sprouse's blog
13
DECEMBER 2009
These
characters' profiles are a lot of work! I've added a host of Quality and
DC info on both of them, but I still have a way to go, so check back
if you're interested.
And I am going through whole series to chronicle its characters, many of
whom do not have any histories written for them. Right now I'm in
the middle of National Comics, which also includes Wonder
Boy, Merlin, Unknown and G-2.
Most of my recent energies have gone into the long-term building
of the Quality
Comics section. I made a super fun new logo for it (above), inspired
by the Crack Comics logo.
12 DECEMBER 2009
» Recently... New Chronology Additions
What, you don't like spending a million dollars a week, like I do? Who needs
to? Wait until the trades come out then skim and buy if it looks good. I'm
hopelessly addicted.
Here's what was chronology-worthy within the last month. Got
something to add?
VISIT A CHRONOLOGY: JLA • JSA • Legion • Outsiders
New Entries…
| BLACKEST
NIGHT |
| Atrocitus and Larfleeze must unite to fight the B.L.s.
The other allied corpsmen arrive. Saint Walker helps Atrocitus to remember
his lost love, evokes a sense of hope in him. They continue to argue.
Only a bargain will ally Larfleeze. Sayd agrees to give himself over
to him if he helps. Indigo-1 calls her savior Abin Sur. She leads them
to to sector 666, Ryut, where the Black Lantern was birthed. |
Green Lantern #48 (1.10) |
| The All-Lantern Corps head for Earth, where Nekron claims
Barry Allen's death was the first, his rebirth will be the last. Jean
Loring takes the Atom and Mera into a B.L. ring. Dove has power over
them. Donna Troy is infected by them. Black Hand calls Batman back to
life. Nekron's power reaches out to all those who'd died and returned
to life. They are transformed into Black Lanterns, too. |
Blackest Night #5 (1.10) |
| LEGION |
Wildfire and Dawnstar escort Blok to Sorceror's World.
Mysa uses all her strength to hold in Mordru's dark powers, and to use
them for good. She cures Blok's degenerative condition and asks him to
stay, to help keep her on the right path.  Mysa's
wall appears to be imprisoning Raven, Torquemada, Red Devil, Blue Devil,
Alan Scott and Zatanna. Outside there are statues of Amethyst, Evillo,
and Xola-Aq. |
Adventure v.2 #4 (1.10) |
| Superboy-Prime heads for the headquarters of DC Comics
for revenge on the creators who won't "give" him a happy ending.
He slips a black ring on, which brings out his hate and transforms him
into a Red Lantern. His outpouring of emotion destroys the Black Lanterns.
Back home, his girlfriend Laurie returns as a Black Lantern. Conner finds
Lori defacing a doctor's office. He takes her home and discovers that
she is Lex Luthor's neice. Her mother, Lex's sister was left wheelchair-bound
as a girl. Lori's father is dead. Lex arrives then, bearing kryptonite. |
Adventure v.2 #5 (2.10) |
| Lyrl invents a transmatter portal through which Starro's
elite return, transformed into Black Lanterns. Lyrl flees to ask for
his father's help. Dox's solution is to force all the Black Lanterns
and Starro's troops back to their base on Maltus. Dox's Sinestro ring
abandons him. Wildstar and Hakk repair the REBELS' ship. |
REBELS v2 #11 (2.10) |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE |
| 19: Mon-El brings Captain Atom to the JLA Watchtower,
where the new JLA has assembled, including Starfire, Cyborg, and Congo
Bill. NOTE: The new JLA has already formed. |
Action #883 (2.10) |
| Blackest Night: Vibe, Zatara, Dr. Light and Steel
rise from the dead, converging on the Hall of Justice. |
JLofA v.2 #39 (1.10) |
| Bill and Mik arrive at the home of Animal Man, where
Starfire and Donna Troy are visiting. They head for the Watchtower
only to find the JLA is also on Prometheus' tail. Batwoman relates
her encounter with Endless Winter, who died after creating a diversion.
The Guardian intercepts one of Prometheus' devices. Bill senses something
and discovers Red Arrow, whose arm has been torn off by Shazam! NOTE: Includes
backup feature about Captain Marvel Jr. Cameos by Odd-Man, Kull, Crimson
Avenger, Robotman and others. |
Justice League: Cry for Justice #5 (1.10) |
| JUSTICE SOCIETY |
| The mercenaries are defeated. In the battle, All-American
Boy is revealed as Kid Karnevil; he slips away to acquire the dormant
Obsidian—his true mission. Obsidian is given over to Karnevil's unnamed
ally. Mr. Terrific awakes in time to take Karnevil down. The JSA
brownstone is left in ruins. Liberty Belle speaks the truth of their
situation: the JSA needs to split before they break apart. Kid
Karnevil's real name, Jeremy Karne, is first given. |
JSofA v.3 #33 (1.10) |
| A new Dr. Fate's existence triggers his predecessor's
Prophesy Sphere, which distorts reality in JSA HQ. Cyclone remembers
her grandmother's tale from 1939, a meeting with Tex Thompson. Citizen
Steel tunes into mental wavelengths of his mother and brother, still
frozen in metallic form. Amazing Man meets the Olorun, the elementals
who supply his powers. In a test, Markus discovers he can pass his abilities
on to others through touch. Young Wildcat sees his past and discovers
that his mother was also a were-cat. She once helped Ted fight the Huntress.
Charles McNider gave her a drug to help curb her transformations. Ted
Grant then abandoned her "for her own good." Before becoming
Cyclone Maxine once visited the brownstone during an attack by the Icicle.
She uses her powers, which her grandmother doesn't know about. Damage
relives his traumatic past. The effects end when the Sphere is destroyed. |
JSofA 80-Page Giant #1 (1.10) |
| The new team confronts the Novyj Soviet in New
York. Rex Tyler helps them set up headquarters in upstate New York, at
the Star-K Ranch and they begin physical training. Power Girl assures
Stargirl that she's essential to the new team. Cyclone gets a crush on
King Chimera. Sandy Hawkins fights to stay awake. At their press conference,
Arthur Pemberton's Strike Force attacks. He kidnaps Courtney for his
boss, Johnny Sorrow. Sorrow kills Pemberton for trying to extort a higher
ransom. |
JSA All-Stars #1 (2.10) |
| OUTSIDERS |
| |
OUT4 #24 (1.10) |
| SUPERMAN |
| Clark is hired at the Daily Planet, where all reporters
have been banned from Lex Luthor's press conferences. Lois Lane uses
him to sneak into one. There, he's unveiling new exoskeleton. Lois causes
a scene and is knocked off the top of a skyscraper. She's saved by Clark,
in costume. A crowd forms on him. Clark realizes he's let the "cat
out of the bag" and regrets it. Clark meets janitor Rudy Jones.
Ron Troup, Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant also working there. Smallville is Lex's
birthplace. |
Superman: Secret Origin #3 (1.10) |
| 15: Jax-Ur revealed in Iraq, takes some people, lobomizing
them to use as subjects. His base in the old city of Summerian city of
Ur. Nightwing and Flamebird combat Brimstones in Toronto. They set up
apt. in Hong Kong. Chris' powers go amok, he explodes and ages decades.
They bring him to Pillings. Jimmy's girlfriend comes seeking help at
the Planet, Perry agrees to look. Jax-Ur known as Dr. Pillings and visits
Kimiyo at STAR. Brings her a techno-organic seed pod, which birthed the
Brimstones. Perry finds strange code in Jimmy's apt. Major Force tries
to reclaim Atom, but Mon-El shows up to assist him. |
Action Comics #883 (1.10) |
| 16: Allura took a while to warm to Zor-El's affections.
Reactron awaits trial. A mob breaks into the trial and apparently kills
him. In truth its a diversion by Allura to take him elsewhere for torture
for information. |
Supergirl v. 5 #47 (1.10) |
| 17: Mon-El meets Conner Kent in Smallville. There he vows
to bring respect back to Superman's emblem. Martha Kent sews him a new
uniform bearing Superman's shield. Mon-El returns to in time to battle
Bizarro. His friend Mitch reveals that he is another 30th century Legionnaire
in disguise—Tenzil Kem, Matter-Eater Lad. Parasite returns to attack. |
Superman #694 (1.10) |
| 18: Adam strange helps solve the mystery of Mar-Li's death.
Strange headed for Krypton to plead for New Rann, against Thanagar. Evidence
implicates the red sun tool of the labor guild. More of them are dying.
Tam-Or flees, but Kal thinks it wasn't personal, but political in motive. |
Superman: World of New Krypton #10 (2.10) |
| 19: Lois is brought in by her father. Jax-Ur saves Chris,
but Nightwing knows his identity and is now indebted to him. He will
have no more aging bouts. Lois quits in order to pursue her story. Jax-Ur
takes genetic information from Chris. Mon-El recruits Captain Atom, brings
him to the JLA Watchtower, where the new JLA has assembled, including
Starfire, Cyborg, and Congo Bill. |
Action Comics #884 (2.10) |
Follow
my updates on Twitter @CosmicTeams!
12
DECEMBER 2009
I snagged this great page from L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 Annual #2 by Mike McKone.
I love it beause it features nearly every member of the L.E.G.I.O.N.
> VISIT
MY ART GALLERY…
9
DECEMBER 2009
» More Smallville Stuff!
Entertainment
Weekly has posted some more spoiler-ish preview photos—Hawkman & Green
Arrow having a "disagreement" and another shot of Dr. Fate & Stargirl
(a clearer look at them).
And, from before...
Did you see
the preview? This is for the two hour movie event, on Smallville in
February.
Also check out:
The full JSA! Is it: Star-Spangled Kid, Wildcat, The Atom,
Sandman, The Spectre, Flash, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Dr. Fate, Dr. Mid-Nite, Hourman,
Green Lantern, Black Canary, and Mr. Terrific?
25 NOVEMBER
2009
So my main point is this: Just because a sketch
card is "one-of-a-kind" does
not mean that the art is good, or that it is worth something. Naturally,
now that the series has been released, one finds a
zillion of these "rare" sketch cards on ebay. Look at the
art on these and ask yourself: how good is it? Yes, you're allowed to
judge, with your head and your wallet.
I'm in an art-related field, and sensitive to the following statement
but in all truth... in some cases, I could do that. THIS is what you
want to spend $30-300 for? (Don't get me started on all the crap
marketing pieces that Alex Ross puts out there. And Justice was not a good
comic book.)
OK, so I just want to warn y'all—this set is only for JLA suckers like me...
The reality is that some skilled production people + licencing fees =
very pricey, but not very special cards. There is no real value-added text
on these cards, just reproduced artwork. An historical retrospective on the
JLA, this set covers the team's history from 1960–69. 72-card base + 18 Super
Friends Cards + 7 Founding Members + 6 Other Earths Cards.
If you're looking to invest in JLA, I suggest you buy some really nice,
high grade Silver Age books. And
I implore you, don't go paying $30-300 for those godddam sketch cards
on ebay just because they're "rare"; buy one because you truly
like it.
I bought a nice "mini
master set" of these cards which had a promo, a sketch and an autograph
card plus the binder. My vendor was fantastic and all, but the cards themselves
were a total snooze. I didn't even spend any time with them before filing
them away. I guess it's my own sort of blind fandom that sickened me and
led to this rant. Buyers remorse? You better believe it.
16
NOVEMBER 2009
» Justice Society Wallpaper!
How about a JSA pinup by Murphy Anderson? It originally appeared in Justice
League of America #76 (1969), and was reprinted in #110, where I scanned
it. This issue
was a 100-pager, so the binding clips the middle of the illustration :(
This inspired George
Pérez' JLA/JSA pinup that ran in JLofA #195.
Download:
640 x 480 •
1024 x 768 • 1680
x 1050
16
NOVEMBER 2009
» Recently... New Chronology Additions
Here's what was chronology-worthy within the last month. Got
something to add? Still filling this in...
VISIT A CHRONOLOGY: JLA • JSA • Legion • Outsiders •
Crisis
New Entries…
| BLACKEST
NIGHT |
| Blackest Night: Khufu and Chay-Ara are the lovers in the
Sapphires' main crytsal. The Black Lanterns free them, unleashing the
Predator. Indigo-1 arrives to collect Carol and Sinestro with Hal. She
sends her comrade to warn others. Next to Korugar, Sinestro regains control
of his corps from Mongul. He can control the yellow rings. They're then
greeted by Abin and Arin Sur. |
Green Lantern #46 (11.09) |
| Blackest Night: Red Lanterns discover since their hearts
are no longer original, they cannot be taken by BLs. On Ysmault, Atrocitus'
fellows rise, four of the Five Inversions, last survviors of Ryut. Qull,
Roxeaume, ?, ?. Abin Sur attacks on Korugar. Sinestro orders his corps
to cease fighting and protect theri battery. Larfleeze stops fighting
on Odym, confronts his demons on Okaara. He runs into Atrocitus, who
wants the orange battery. |
Green Lantern #47 (12.09) |
| Blackest Night: Arisia meets dead family members. Jade
returns. Sapphire Miri agrees to return Kryb to her home world Vora to
tend her children. They're gone but there's a trail. Salakk takes charge,
as the "Clarissi", second are the "Illustres" (currently
Guy and Kyle). He trumps the Alphas. He orders no more new Lanterns be
recruited. |
Green Lantern Corps #40 (11.09) |
| Blackest Night: Natu sends the infirm of Oa to Mogo. She
and Kyle stand against Jade. BL kids ambush Isamot and Vath. Indigo 2
arrives to help. |
Green Lantern Corps #41 (11.09) |
| Blackest Night: Munk the Indigo says BLs want to channel
emotions of the hearts elsewhere. BL power levels exceed 100% and they
all head for the central battery to "devour will." They GLs
unleash Vice on them but Alpha Lantern Chaselon kills hiim. The BLs attack
him instead and breach his shell. Kyle realizes something about the battery
within Alphas is different. As it explodes, Kyle locks the explosion
in with he and the BLs, and dies. |
Green Lantern Corps #42 (12.09) |
| At JLA HQ, massive villains rise. Ronnie fuses with Jason
and they vie for control. Aquaman returns. Atom takes Mera and Flash
with him through the phone lines. in Gotham, Scarecrow seems immune to
the BLs. Azrael rises but does not attack him. Luthor prepares to defend
himself. Old Dr. Polaris kills the new one (John Nichol). Flash argues
that they three are the big guns at the moment, born to serve well. Atom
and Mera go to Mr. Terrific. Damage is killed by Jean Loring. When BL
power levels reach 100%, they move to Coast City where Scar arrives,
too and raises a black lantern. With it, their avatar, Nekron. |
Blackest Night #4 (12.09) |
| LEGION |
| Conner gets to know Simon better, but ditches him when
he notices Krypto. Lori sleeps in class nearby. 1st app. of their teacher,
Element Lad as his teacher. Krypto rounds up Superboy's rogue's gallery:
Scavenger, Killer Shark, Silversword, Stinger. Conner returns to the
Luthor home to give Krypto Luthor's scent. He seeks Robin for help. Robin
leads him to an old Paris hideout. Luthor orders Brainiac to drop him
off in Smallville. Sun Boy accompanies Polar Boy home to Tharr in pursuit
of Cryo-King, an LSV reject. Cryo-King claims the LSV has their own "espionage
squad" in the 21st century. Polar Boy verifies that he was once
elected Legion leader (Legion v.3 #36). |
Adventure v.2 #3 (12.09) |
| Strata reunited wth Garv and Rocky. The Fleet Admiral
realizes he has no caste any longer. Ciji dubs him Xylon, the first to
take an individual name. He replaces his dot with a LEGION symbol. Kanjar
Ro calls seeking help. Dox sends Adam after his Gamma Gong, one of 3
artifacts he needs (with ones from Kalanor and the Dominion). Dox tells
Lyrl he couldn't risk him being captured. Adam Strange and Comet come
to their aid. Ini the Starro Galaxy, the Omega Men draw undue attention.
The darkstars are enhancing their abilities. The group decides against
calling themselves L.E.G.I.O.N., in favor of R.E.B.E.L.S. Strata, Garv
and Lyrl decide not to go with Dox until they're intercepted by Starro's
Vanguard. |
REBELS v2 #9 (12.09) |
| Vanguard: Smite, Blackfang, Brunt, ?, ?, ?. They learn
Dox has a son. The origin of Starro, the Conqueror. On Kalanor, Despero
resists well the spores, but falls when Starro decapitates him. Astrild
Stormdaughter was taken from her homeworld long ago. On Varidian, she
was a goddess who provided for her people. When the spores came, she
drew strength from her planet but took the life from its inhabitants.
He left her to grieve knowing she had no choice but to his service.
Smite was a tyrant on his own who massacred worlds. . On Parthon, he
fought superhuman monks, the Sodality of Virtue. Upon stalemate, Starro
arrived and gave them cause to unite. When they believed that battle
was a stalemate as well, Starro offered him service, but he'd have
to kill the Sodality. He did and became Starro's general and most devoted
follower. Starro himself was called Cobi, a boy on Hatorei whose people
had planetwide psychic link. brother Andrez. The Star parasites cameand
enslaved the world, but inside, the population was enraged but helpless.
The Starro motherstar was dying and began hatching new queens, and
Andrez plotted to kill them. The remaining queen possessed Cobi, who
then killed Andrez. In rage, Cobi tore the star from his face as he
absorbed the psychic essence of his race. The backlash overwhelmed
the star queen and when it latched onto his chest, it was enslaved
by him. Their combined psychic powers were undefeatable but the "boy" had
total control over the spores. |
REBELS Annual #1 (11.09) |
| Stealth recalls the LEGION'S history. She had no name
of her own, was given the code name Stealth. Didn't know where she was
from. For a time, Dox stayed with her and Lyrl in seclusion but then
he abandoned them. Homeworld Gryx. Bounder is from Cairn. Bounder reports
Lyrl missing. He gave himself ovwer to the High Vanguard (Brunt=stocky)
to spare Strata and Garv. Garv of Dryad. He's fitted with a star after
agreeing to submit, requests he be called Brainiac 3. Stealth kills the
female Vanguard. Harbinger attacks Sinestros and slices the REBELS ship
open. Ciji can survive vacuum, protects others. A Sinestro ring goes
to Dox. |
REBELS v2 #10 (1.10) |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE |
| While trying to warn the JLA about some threat, Blue
Jay falls prey to an unseen attacker in the JLA's trophy room. Vixen
calls the team to Happy Harbor, looking for a reason to continue. Vixen
has broken her leg and Plastic Man cannot hold his shape. They're attacked
by Despero, who has Gypsy. Zatanna arrives but someone else teleports
him away. They return to the Hall of Justice, where Dr. Light has arisen.
NOTE: This follows Cry for Justice. |
JLofA v.2 #38 (12.09) |
| Batwoman watches the heroes. Jay Garrick finds Miss
Martian battling Brick in San Francisco. In Paris, Bill and Starman
track the murderers—Penny Dreadful and Arak. Arak gives up info implicating
Prometheus, targeting Malavar. Prometheus killed many of the apes.
Penny killed Tony when Prometheus stole the Zeta Beamer from STAR.
Penny kills Arak for divulging info, then a stray beam from Mik fries
her, too. Jay collects Mon-El. Rex Tyler in Charlotte, N.C., calls
Hourman, Jay, Liberty Belle to deliver news. Jay visits Argent in St.
Rochg, Manhunter in Los Angeles, Shining Knight in Hub City, The Sea
Devils in Happy Harbor, Mr. America in DC. Ollie fights with Ray about
harsh treatment of criminals (Deadline). The Shade visits Jay. The
JLA call Hal Ollie and Ray to the Watchtower to explain themselves.
Backup piece about Starman. Robinson doesn't want to revive Jack Knight. |
Justice League: Cry for Justice #4 (12.09) |
| JUSTICE SOCIETY |
| All-American Boy casts doubt on King Chimera. Chimera
makes it worse by refusing to cooperate. The villains regroup to try
again to collect their bounties. |
JSofA v.3 #32 (12.09) |
| JSA finds Lord Kobra, and takes out his magicians. Ariadne
is transformed into a snake-creature, then dies. Jessica Midnight is
Checkmate's new Black Queen in Sasha's absence. Kobra escapes to Washington,
D.C. |
JSA vs. Kobra #5 (12.09) |
| The JSA invade Kobra's base in Majorca. Kobra begins
a grassroots recruitment, handing out cell phones across the globe
that will create suicide bombers. Many of his old operatives
die or are captured. Bombers manage to kill the
UN Secretary General and others. Mr. Terrific uses his technology to
fashion an Erdel gate and save President Suarez. He also uses one
of the A.I.s to revive Sasha, cleaning the contamination from her nanotech
systems. |
JSA vs. Kobra #6 (1.10) |
| OUTSIDERS |
| Halo, Katana and Creeper clash with the Man-Bat, who has fled his
civilian life. They manage to capture Croc. Terra rises from the dead |
OUT4 #23 (12.09) |
| SUPERMAN |
| Young Clark Kent breaks his friend, Pete Ross', arm playing
football. He has already confided in his friend Lana about his strange
powers. He'd saved her from a thresher by his invulnerability. He soon
experiences x-ray vision for the first time, seeing through Pete's cast.
When Lana kisses him, it ignites his heat vision. Later for the first
time, his parents decide to show him the space ship he arrived in. December
1 is the birthday he celebrates. The ship activates a holographic image
of Jor-El and Lara. Clark reacts against it, wishing he were normal.
Young Lex Luthor lives with his father and sister. He finds green kryptonite.
The Kents devise a pair of glasses made from his ship that withstand
his heat vision. At a fair, Clark encounters Luthor's kryptonite. Luthor
has studied Dr. ERdel's alien literature. A tornado strikes and he saves
Lana by flying for the first time. On her own, Martha activates the crystals.
He was born in Capital City. She's inspired by their dress to make him
an outfit using his swaddling fabrics bearing the El family crest. |
Superman: Secret Origin #2 (12.09) |
| 10: Vice-Wing Nul and Wing-Master Vetalla Dae prepare
to die but Kal shuts down their reactor and surrenders so they can talk.
They believe the Kryptonians started it. She believes him, helps him
bring the moon back into orbit with Nth Metal. Jemm comes. |
Superman: World of New Krypton #8 (12.09) |
| 11: Lane orders Reactron be part of Squad K. Chris and
Lana meet Lois. Thara and Kara reveal they both still have their blood
bloom petals. Chris draws Squad K away from Lois, and they surrender.
Reactron defies orders and kills Hazard and 2 other Squad K members.
In Mirabai's world, Captain Atom is filled in by Natasha. Their allies
are Aggaro and Danel. She's working as double agent. her official assignment
is to see if Cap regains his memories. But now she sees the problems
in that realm, the oppression, and sided with rebels. To add magic to
his arsenal, Lane allied with Mirabai the Forlorn, a tyrant master sorceress.
She got Cap in the trade. His skin is impervious to magic. He doesn't
remember what happened after he exploded, as Monarch. A man comes to
challenge them, backed by Major Force. |
Action Comics #882 (12.09) |
| 12: When Thara is brought down by Reactron, her Flamebird
powers kick in and she saves them. He's imprisoned in Sunstone and Supergirl
takes hiim back to New Krypton. |
Supergirl v. 5 #46 (12.09) |
| 13: Mon-El is captive on Mirabai's world, held by magic.
Gen. Lane's simian, Dr. Calomar attempts to convert Mon-El to 7734's
cause. Lane meets Natasha (Blake), assigning Major Force to her Project
Breach. After enduring many tortures, he is freed by the Parasite. Together
they escape back to Earth where Mon-El discovers that Luthor and Brainiac's
escape from 7734 has left it in ruins. Lane has no choice but to let
Mon-El go. Guardian's units prepare to fight Bizarro. |
Superman #693 (12.09) |
| 14: Jemm rails against the Kyptonian council for wantonly
playing with the solar system. He has Faceless Hunters in tow. Dae claims
that the Saturnians sided against Thanagar with Rann. He leaves, calmed
by Kal-El. The Thanagarians leave, agreeing to an accord. Council members
argue for and against war with Earth. Among REd Shard, members gossip
about Nar having affections for Kal. More laborers become ill. Zod asks
Kal if he is prepared for war. They're called to councilor Mar-Li's residence
where they find Adam Strange standing over his body. |
Superman: World of New Krypton #9 (1.10) |
3
NOVEMBER 2009
»Cosmic Teams Site Statistics
Here's some trivia for you about my site. My tracking indicates that the
most popular page on my site isn't the one you're currently reading, but
the Index of Profiles. That scares me a
little because I don't think to update that one all the time. (Nothing on
this site is database driven; it's all manually assembled; I know!)
These are the most accessed internal pages, other than the "landing
pages" (those that introduce sections):
These are the most accessed single-character profiles. Sometimes, certain
pages receive healthy ongoing traffic because they are linked in Wikipedia.
Black Adam, Hawkman and Power Girl have always been at the top of this list.
Confusion breeds Googling...
27 OCTOBER 2009
I don't usually go in for these "acetates" you see for sale on ebay (as they're not true original art), but this one struck me—it was originally created for the Legion's second appeance in Adventure #267 (1959).
This is from an issue of Superboy printed in Brazil. It would be no less than a third generation copy. In case you are wondering about the print process... DC would have made a "photostat," or high quality copy of the original black art and sent it to the Brazilian publisher. Then they would have pasted on their logos and text. Then this acetate would have been created in the same was as the first photostat, now including the added text.
> SEE MY GALLERY…
21 OCTOBER 2009—UPDATED WITH PICTURES!
I've decided to break this group and "the Society" ino their own profile. I've added recent events, but don't have time to do scans at the moment. It's a good thing I consider this site a stress reliever, or nothing would ever get done!
"The original Society was secretly organized by Darkseid, who provided them with a hideout called the Sinister Citadel, in San Francisco. Throughout it's early days, the Society suffered from a constant struggle for leadership. ..." > READ…
14 OCTOBER 2009
As my research grows, this section will multiply exponentially in size. It's also accessible from the navigation bars. What began with my hero profiles has become a sort of obsession with the publisher in general. > GO SEE…
14 OCTOBER 2009
» No More Google Ads!
I like Google as much as the next person, but the ad hosting is so not worth it. I decided to try it as an experiment a couple months ago. Let's lay it all out—in two months, I earned less than $3.00 (which they didn't have to pay me, because it's less than their "threshold"). So unless your hits are over a million a month, don't bother. Only a fraction of your revenue comes from page views. To rack up the $$, people actually need to click on your ads.
On top of it, the increased bandwidth, made me incur extra costat my ISP! Ikept the tracking feature, though, which is slick for traffic reports.
6 OCTOBER 2009
I was alerted to the fact that the non-Legionnaires from the TV Superboy comic made a return visit, in Superboy v.2 #15 (1991). >MORE...
6 OCTOBER 2009
What a strange coincidence, that after I start adding to my Samurai profile, a new in-continuity version of this hero is created! In case you missed him, he is from medieval Japan and was introduced in this month's JLA 80-Page Giant.
I have also scanned the original Samurai's origin story > MORE...
30 SEPTEMBER 2009
» Scanning the Star(man)s
I've done a handful of Starmanscans that depict some "elusive" moments in DC history. I'm documenting those fleeting references to Golden Age Quality characters. A lot of people talk about these appearances with question marks trailing, so in case you've wondered, here's the proof! We have here, appearances of the Red Bee, Phantom Lady, the Jester, various heroes in an untold JSA case, and some "memorabilia."
I could use more help though! I don't have original issues of the series, and there are supposedly a few more references. Can anyone help with these?
- In which issue was it said that Doll Man, Darrel Dane, went undercover some time ago and was believed to have been In an insane asylum?
- In Starman #19, can you confirm that the Shade says the Clock's "death" in 1941 was part of an elaborate hoax: "Brian O'Brien told me reports of his death were greatly exaggerated"?
» READ… Quality Heroes Part 1 • Part 2
20 SEPTEMBER 2009
This is an intriguing duo of Quality Comics heroes. They seem to be some of the few who partnered, and fewer who crossed over into other features (namely, Phantom Lady). In fact, the Spider Widow and Phantom Lady had a bit of a rivalry going for the Raven's attentions. > READ ON ...
14 SEPTEMBER 2009
And so should you. Wow, wow, wow. There is no mystery why this book won the Pulitzer. But also, as comics fans, especially if you love the Golden Age, this is a well-researched glimpse inside the life of the young creators of that era. I've never read the Escapist comics which followed from this book, are they good?
Major updates have been slow to come, but I haven't been idle. I've been adding to various profiles from back issues I've bought, and doing a massive amount of research about the history of Quality Comics. I hope to establish a sort of clearinghouse for all things Quality when all is said and done. Though many researchers have interviewed Quality creators over the years, no one has ever really assembled anything specifically about the company. I find it so strange because: (1) the company lived up to its name. Its art especially was top of the line for its day. And (2) it's part of DC yet largely unexplored given the humongous volume that it published. Coincidentally, Kavalier and Clay is heavily inspired by Quality's legacy.
If you want to see my basic research so far, browse Quality Titles and Quality Bibliography.
18 AUGUST 2009
» Quality Comics Heroes
When I stumbled across the Golden Age Comics Downloads, I began downloading ahoy. Then I thought wouldn't it be great to flesh out the histories of some of these really obscure heroes? Certainly, but I didn't realize that we were talking about dozens of heroes here! Nobody has really chronicled this goldmine, which is ostensibly owned by DC. (If they have never used a character, does DC actually have the copyright? Online discussions make my head spin.) Roy Thomas (of course) and James Robinson are probably the two writers who have most mined this stable of charcaters.
I'm picking away at them, doing ones with shorter runs, or those that interest me the most first. I've finished the following three, but have added info for a whole bunch of others, too.
Madam Fatal • USA • The Voice
2 AUGUST 2009
» New JSA Members
With the new creative team, JSA #29 introduced yet more new members. I've got a little bit of information on the legacies of All-American Kid and King Chimera. Have you anything to contribute to these entries?
Mister America • The King
28 JULY 2009
How did I miss this!? This site has perfectly legal downloads of comics that are now in the public domain.
27 JULY 2009
While researching the Obscure Golden Age pages, it struck me how confusing DC's early history was, and might be to others. I created this "family tree" to illustrate show the paths various individuals and companies took to become the juggernaut we know today. > READ ON …
26 JULY 2009
Action Comics and All-American Comics: No DC title holds more significance than Action Comics. Not only did it's premier issue feature the debut of Superman, but the title has been in continuous publication since 1938—the second longest running comic book in history (after Detecitve). > READ ON …
All-American Comics was the first title published by National "sister company," of the same name (sans hyphen). In essence, DC's co-owner, Max Gaines was unable to convince his partner, xx to expand DC's production. Gaines then went into partnership with xx to form All American Comics. The two companies shared a printer and much of the same staff. > READ ON …
22 JULY 2009
» Follow Superboy-Prime online
I am pretty sure that the following posts are made by DC staffers, fulfilling the threat in the ending of Legion of Three Worlds #5. In it, Superboy-Prime is shown trapped on Earth-Prime, reading comics and accessing the DC Message Boards. The user named super_boy-prime "registered" on July 22, the date of the comic's release. There is another faker on there, too. Read the posts, it's clear to me.
6 JULY 2009
These fun newcomers debuted in Final Crisis and now star in it's Aftermath: Dance.
"The Super Young Team is a second-generation group of young Japanese heroes. To outside appearances, these teens are obsessed only with fashion and the Tokyo nightclub scene. Though their detractors may have cause to criticize, these young adults are intent on proving their worth as heroes."... > READ ON …
17 JUNE 2009
Another major player in the modern DC Universe. This new update reconciles the revelations of his new origin story from Black Lightning: Year One.
"When he was nine, Jefferson Michael Pierce's father, Alvin, was killed while trying to intervene during a hold-up involving Tobias Whale. Later, Whale became Councilman in their neighborhood, Metropolis' Suicide Slum."... > READ ON …
8 JUNE 2009
This supporting character is a star on the rise. A major new update...
"In ancient Africa, the warrior Tantu made a pact with Anansi the Spider to imbue a totem with the ability to confer animal attributes upon those who would use those powers to protect the innocent."... > READ ON …
Vixen's never-published issue #1 (released as part of Canceled Comics Cavalcade).
7 JUNE 2009
I finally get around to honoring one of my all-time favorite DC heroes: J'onn J'onzz. This sizable update includes his final exploits, and details about the enigmatic Miss Martian.
"The Martian Manhunter was a quiet, competent hero who was highly respected as an individual and a leader. Over the years, his personality shifted and developed with his acclimation to Earth. "... > READ ON …
The
Human Bomb, Ray III, Doll Man and Phantom Lady III.
» 
» 
» 
