Blackest Night #1 (September, 2009)

Batman: Skull unearthed from the grave by Black Hand. "--No one escapes death. That includes you. The dead will rise. And you are connected to them all."

Coast City: Green Lanterns Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, and Guy Gardner performed for the crowds at a heretofore unmentioned memorial holiday for deceased super-heroes.

Smallville: Clark Kent, his Ma, and Connor Kent mourned Pa.

Pittsburgh: Professor Martin Stein, Jason Rusch and Gehenna visited the grave of Ronnie Raymond.

San Francisco: The Teen Titans mourned their dead.

Central City: The secret graveyard of super-villains was seen to by the Rogues.

Chicago: Ted Kord was missed.

Metropolis: More of the same with the JSA.

Amnesty Bay: Two men named Arthur Curry once lived and died here. Mera and Tempest remembered them. Garth argued that Aquaman should have been buried in an Atlantean tomb, but the hero's mercurial widow disagreed.

Aquaman: Origin once more altered in an attempt to consolidate the Silver Age and Post-Crisis versions. Now Arthur only threatened to be left to die on Mercy Reef by superstitious Atlanteans. Instead his mother returned him to his father's island lighthouse. Also, Atlanteans only wanted to cut out Garth's purple eyes, not kill him, so that his origin wasn't as obviously stolen by his mentor.

Gotham City: Alfred discovered that Bruce Wayne's grave had been desecrated.

Washington D.C.: Green Lantern Hal Jordan and the Flash (Barry Allen) were at a morgue within Justice League of America headquarters designed to secure the remains of super-villains from tampering. Barry noted that in his lengthy absence, "The guilty have gotten guiltier? And Batman, Aquaman, and the Martian Manhunter are dead because of it? So who else? Who else died while I was gone? I need to know, Hal." A power ring construct revealed a sea of heroes gone to the great beyond, among them Elongated Man, Sue Dibny, Vibe, Steel II, others previously mentioned, and more besides. "Ronnie? Oh, no. God, please, no... not them. Not Ralph and Sue too. How, Hal? Why?"

Alfred Pennyworth alerted the pair via hologram about Batman's grave robbing.

St. Roch: Ray "The Atom" Palmer tried to talk Hawkman into going with him to visit his deceased ex-wife's grave. In light of Jean Loring having murdered Sue Dibny by reason of insanity, Hawkman pointedly refused. Hawkgirl tried to convince him otherwise.

Space Sector 0: The Guardians of the Universe recognized that the war of light had erupted, a conflict amongst several agencies which derived power from the primeval color spectrum tied to emotion. The corrupt Guardian Scar then attacked her fellows, ripping out the heart of one with her hands and teeth. Black Lantern power rings rained down on Oa, pentrating the main battery, and resurrecting the copses of the Green Lantern Corps dead.

The rings were then everywhere...

J'Onn J'Onzz of Mars... Ronnie Raymond of Earth... Arthur Curry of Earth...

RISE

Gotham City: A voice came from behind Green Lantern and the Flash at Batman's grave. "You shouldn't be back. You should both be dead."
"J'Onn?"

St. Roch: Just as Hawkgirl was finally admitting she loved Hawkman, a spear tore through her breast. A mace then battered the Winged Wonder.

Black Lanterns Ralph and Sue Dibny: The abhorrent, ghoulish remains of the lovers had been resurrected to kill the Hawks. Sue had stabbed Kendra, while the former Elongated Man worked Katar over, physically and emotionally. "They were never as close as us. Were they, bun?" The Hawks hearts were ripped from their chests. Black Hand was also present. "You won't escape death this time.

Carter Hall of Earth. Kendra Saunders of Earth. Rise.

"Blackest Night" was by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert.

Blackest Night #0 (June, 2009)

There was darkness. Then there was light. And the war between them began.

Green Lantern Hal Jordan visited the unmarked grave of Bruce Wayne. He recalled an early day from his years in the Justice League of America, when Martian Manhunter and the rest played peacemaker between Batman and himself. Aquaman just observed, "Another reason I prefer being underwater. Less shouting."

The Batman was now dead, but Barry Allen, the Flash Jordan knew best, had recently returned from beyond the veil. Joining Green Lantern in a Gotham City graveyard, Flash spoke of the breakdown in a city without its Dark Knight, and was again confronted by changes that occurred during his lengthy absence. Jordan reflected on his own demise, while under the control of the evil Parallax entity. "I died a sinner. You died a saint. Everything changed when you disappeared, Barry. The world got more dangerous. Our jobs more deadly. The Justice League wasn't untouchable anymore."

Aquaman: killed after months in a mutated state toward the end of Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis.

Jordan flashed back to simpler days, when he was much more cocky and optimistic, fighting Amazo alongside J'Onn J'Onzz, Aquaman, Batman, Green Arrow, Flash, the Atom, Wonder Woman, and Superman.

Batman: reduced to a skeleton by Darkseid's Omega Beams during Final Night.

"J'Onn J'Onzz... Martian Manhunter... he was murdered by Darkseid's followers. He's buried on Mars-- the heart and soul of the Justice League is gone."

Despite their differences, Green Lantern saw Batman as a friend. Flash hoped all their old buddies would return from the grave, just as Jordan and himself had done. The pair departed.

THE BLACKEST NIGHT
FALLS FROM THE SKIES
THE DARKNESS GROWS AS ALL LIGHT DIES
WE CRAVE YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR DEMISE
BY MY BLACK HAND-- THE DEAD SHALL RISE!

The villainous Black Hand exhumed the remains of Bruce Wayne, and took the Dark Knights skull in hand. The corrupt Guardian of the Universe Scar was pleased...

Note:

The mysterious Black Lantern rose around the corpse of the Anti-Monitor on the planet Ryvt, a world once decimated by the Guardian's Manhunters. It's ultimate purpose and its creator are unknown.

"Death Becomes Us" was by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis with Oclair Albert & Rob Hunter.

Justice League Detroit in upcoming “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” DVD

No, Paco isn't a member of Gorillaz, he's just from Earth-2

The Irredeemable Shag of Once Upon A Geek wrote me a week or so ago about a sneak preview trailer on the recent Superman/Batman: Pubic Enemies original animated direct-to-DVD movie. Seeing as I hated the comics that flick was based on, I'd have never caught the feature on my own. Anyway, Spring 2010 will bring Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. Not only will it offer the usual League greats, including Detroit members Batman and Martian Manhunter, but evil Earth-2 versions of Vixen, Vibe, Gypsy, Elongated Man, and hopefully more*! Gina Torres, who voiced Mari on Justice League Unlimited, has been recast as Superwoman. Aside from William Baldwin as Batman, no other Detroit casting news is available. However, Andrea Romano has once again offered some wonderfully inspired voice casting, including James Woods as Owlman and Mark Harmon as Superman, so I'm keeping my hopes up. You can see screen shots of individual Detroit favorites courtesy of Shag, expecting that at least the ten of us following this blog care. Thanks again to Shag for the heads-up, and a pitiful nod for my late posting of the news...

*Poor Steel, but I'd really like me some evil Earth-2 Dale Gunn, with a full head of hair and a pariah to the ladies.

Green Lantern #43 (Early September 2009)

In a newly created origin, it was reveled that William Hand grew up in a mortuary, and from his earliest days was obsessed with death. Among his earliest hobbies was taxidermy, and he didn't let a fact like the family dog still (temporarily) being alive sway him from its aggressive pursuit. Coming into possession of an alien weapon, the necro-fanatic assumed the costumed identity the "Black Hand." After years descending from prominent Green Lantern foe to wretched joke of the super-villain community, the Black Hand returned home to murder his family. Black Hand had been "hearing" death for some time, and saw visions of the demises of many prominent DCU figures, including J'Onn J'Onzz, Aquaman, Sue Dibny, Elongated Man, Ronnie Raymond, Bruce Wayne, and many more. Villains of noted included Sue's killer Jean Loring, and the co-conspirator in Martian Manhunter's murder Dr. Light.) Hand committed suicide with his energy weapon, prompting the arrival of the corrupt Guardian of the Universe Scar. Serving at the pleasure of an unknown master, Scar vomited up a Black Lantern Power Ring.

"William Hand of Earth. Rise." Black Hand was resurrected as the initial recruit of a new corps representing death itself. "Like Ion. Like Parallax. Like the Predator. You are the embodiment of our corps. You are the black incarnate. You are our lord's herald."

"I... know what I am. I am the Black Hand. And with this power, I will finally extinguish the light."

"Blackest Night Prologue: Tale of the Black Lantern" was by Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy.

Colección Super Amigos: Zatanna & other Liga de la Justicia de Detroit Mini-Comics

I'm afraid I lack the time and resources to track down the other Colección Super Amigos mini-comics. Regular readers will note I took a trip down to Mexico and placed this blog on extended hiatus in a valiant attempt, but all for naught. You can't even find them on any torrent sites. Here's what little I know...

• Zatanna: The Blue Devil villain Shockwave had been hired to break into the underground Bunker that headquartered the new Justice League Detroit and steal their hi-tech Jump Jet. The only members present were Zee and visiting Latino Super Friend El Dorado. In a tweak of his usual powers, Shockwave's armored suit was immune to magic, as the enchanter's illusions and Zee's backward spells proved completely useless. El Dorado held back Shockwave with his super-strength, until the villain decided to issue forth a tremor of monumental force. A quick thinking Zatanna realized the earthquake to come was manufactured technologically, so she could cause it to reverse on its generator and effect the magic-neutralizing Shockwave armor. El Dorado teleported to safety at the last minute, and the mechanical mercenary was undone by his own shockwave, last seen being carted to jail in the very aircraft he pursued.
• Steel: Gringo Cibernético and Vibe were visiting S.T.A.R. Labs Mexico City when it was invaded by Quadrex, a minion of Darkseid, in search of the experimental Power Amplifier Ray Projector. The ferocious foe's four-armed fighting skill proved too much for the Detroit Duo, as Vibe was laid flat out. To the rescue came famed super-luchadors El Santo and Blue Demon. The three super-muchachos soon put the pin on the alien monstrosity, leaving Vibe to complain about missing out on working with his childhood idols!
• Elongated Man: When Brainiac's Skull Ship kidnapped new hero Silicon, Señor Alargado and El Creeper used the new Snooper Scout to track him down. Unfortunately, Brainiac had rewired Silicon to oppose the Super Powers Team, so Creeper and Elongated Man had to keep both friend and foe busy until they could use their brains to set Silicon right. Then, the three heroes turned on Brainiac, who made his escape.
• Gypsy: Gitana, Manhunter, and Vigilante were sent to investigate a rise in chupacabra sightings before the annual Pedro Infante celebration. The heroes were attacked by el Terminator, Howitzer, and Executioner, all under the command of Sangre (a.k.a. Brother Blood.) Along with the armies of chupacabra, the Super Amigos had more than their hands full. To their aid came Mario and Fernando Almada, who helped blast a path through monsters and minions toward Brother Blood, giving Gypsy the chance to cast the illusion that Pedro Infante had returned from the grave. Only the gringos failed to respect the majesty of Infante, and were put away easily after the Mejicanos turned themselves in, sobbing with joy. A Superman Glider carted the collected bandidos to prisión.

For more great Colección Super Amigos/Super Powers Collection action, check out The Super Powers Archive.

Colección Super Amigos: Vixen

The ceremonial return of a long-missing ancient cáliz to Machu Picchu brought a variety of celebrities to the event, including supermodel Mari McCabe. Unfortunately, the Executioner burst onto the scene, attempting to steal the cáliz. The Vixen quickly appeared to snatch the cáliz from the Executioner's grasp, never making reference that the villain was in fact her evil uncle Maksai, newly empowered by Darkseid. Vixen managed to toss the cáliz away, but was caught by the Executioner. Vixen had her Tantu Totem snatched from her person, rendering her powerless.

Meanwhile, a rich father had brought along his son Ricardo on this suddenly uncomfortable trip, along with the boy's friends Carlos, Ernestillo, and Memín. The latter, a resourceful lad, raced to acquire the cáliz and hid it before the Executioner could retrieve it. However, Maksai threatened harm to Vixen, inspiring Memín Pinguín to rush the beast-man, wielding the cáliz as a club. The amused Executioner was distracted by this gesture, little realizing the agile Vixen had worked her way to the totem secured on his belt. Restored to full power, Vixen escaped and leapt to tackle Memín before he could come to harm.

On the run, Memín helped Vixen convert the cáliz into a rocket through compressed air, and the heroine beaned the Executioner with his prize. Before Vixen could press her attack, a Star Gate opened, drawing the Executioner back to Apokolips, where Kanto chastised Maksai for his failure. The Lady Fox and Memín Pinguín then returned the cáliz, to the acclaim of revelers.