Continuity patches
LJ had her thinking cap on today.
We've had some new arrivals this week. Owlman and the Blue Bowman stood ready to add their brand of villainy to our cast. For those who don't know, the dastardly duo are residents of a "reverse world" where all our heroes are villains, and our bad guys fight on the side of good. Until now, Owlman's been portrayed by a spare black-suited Batman, so LJ was itching to get "the proper costume" into the mix.
There's also much excitement surrounding imminent arrivals. After months of patience, LJ's finally snagged figures of Superman, Firestorm and, most importantly, her current geek paramour - The Flash. She has to wait some more, but LJ's filling the time by dreaming up the story that will introduce them. She was in the midst of an out-loud brainstorm session when I asked a simple question.
"Where have they been all this time?"
"What do you mean?" LJ asked. "They just haven't joined the team yet, is all."
"That can't be right," I insisted. "When Red Skull took over the city, Pepper Potts scanned the world for heroes and found only Captain America, frozen in ice. Surely, if Flash and Superman and Firestorm were around, she'd have located them instead?"
LJ paused... but only for a few moments. "I've got it," she said. "But, to fix it, I'm going to need you, Mom, some time to play and your Justice League Unlimited toys."
What came next was the perfect continuity patch.
----------
Once again, Owlman had tried to steal all the gold in Wayne Manor. His goal was the usual: he wanted enough cash to rebuild his dimensional portal and escape back to his world. And, once again, the reverse-world villain had been vanquished by Batman. But as the Dark Knight flew his prisoner toward Arkham Asylum, the malevolent mirror-man did something a little different. "Why don't you stop fighting me and join forces with me, Batman?" Owlman asked. "Surely you realise by now that, even if you manage to arrest me, you lose in the long run. Think back to what happened to your friends Superman and the Flash... and poor, innocent Firestorm. The more you fight me, the more likely others will suffer their fate!"
Batman savagely tossed his doppleganger into Arkham, seething with anger. His fury had not abated by the time he returned to hero headquarters. Waiting outside for him were Pepper Potts, Sari Sumdac and Princess Leia. They had recently discovered the abandoned Justice League Watchtower, and they wanted answers.
At first, Batman refused to speak - stoic and stubborn as always. But when Sari reminded him of her training session, and how much he'd emphasised placing trust in one's teammates, the Caped Crusader relented. He rode the teleporter with the women, returning to the space station 22,300 miles above the earth's surface. Once there, he told them all the story... of the fall of the Justice League.
Sometime after the final battle with Darkseid, the Justice League faced Owlman for the first time. A visitor from a parallel world, Owlman was a dark mirror of Batman. Where the Caped Crusader wanted to protect the earth, Owlman wanted to rule it. But his dimensional portal failed after just one trip, stranding him in our reality. To obtain the technology he needed, the Feathered Fiend forged an alliance with Lex Luthor and Brainiac.
To achieve their mutual goals, the trio of villains kidnapped the League's newest, youngest member - Firestorm, a hero with the power to transmute matter itself. Though Firestorm's powers did not work on organic beings, Owlman was sure his "reverse science" could wipe out that flaw and thereby merge Luthor and Brainiac into one god-like being again. Then, the entity would return Owlman to his dimension with enough power to rule it, and wipe out all other life in the multiverse (after absorbing its data).
Of course, the Justice League came to rescue their teammate. They attacked in force - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, the Flash, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, the Atom, Green Arrow and Red Tornado. They quickly split into teams - Superman and Flash went to try and free Firestorm from Owlman's machinery. The rest attacked Luthor and Brainiac, fighting hard to gain the upper hand. It was that second attack front that resulted in tragedy.
Luthor threw a new, untested weapon to Brainiac, who fired it at Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl. They each deflected the beams... which instead struck the Flash, instantly vaporising him. The death of the scarlet speedster caught everyone off-guard. Brainiac seized the moment to fire again, this time erasing Superman from existence... and, by accident, Firestorm as well.
A howl of rage ripped from Wonder Woman's lips. She and Hawkgirl set on Brainiac with an unrelenting fury. Batman, grief-stricken, pummeled Owlman while Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter tore into Luthor. It was Red Tornado who stopped the violence. An android, he reminded them of the need to be humane even to their enemies "otherwise, we are no better than those we fight". The heroes dropped their unconscious foes... but the damage had been done.
Green Lantern announced he was quitting the League. He'd suffered too much since returning to earth, and wanted to rejoin Kyle Rayner and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps on Oa. He promised to arrange a new GL for Sector 2814. "I can do more good out there than down here," he said. Likewise, the Martian Manhunter said he would go back to Mars and try to re-start his race. His desire was to "focus on life, not death". Blaming themselves for Flash's death, Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl also resigned. They said they'd return to Paradise Island - a place invisible to all human technology - and retrain as warriors "to make sure this never happens again".
Batman begged them to stay, but his friends would not listen. Wonder Woman kissed him goodbye and the surviving core members of the League went their separate ways one last time. Sullen, Batman said he would no longer work as part of a team, and vanished into the night. Green Arrow, Aquaman, the Atom and Red Tornado diassembled Brainiac and took both Luthor and Owlman to jail. They also promised one another they would be ready to assist the Caped Crusader whenever he needed it.
"That's why," Batman explained, "I fight crime all over the world now, not just in Gotham. Someone has to do the League's work... has to do Superman's work... and the only one who can is me. And that's why, even though I work with the Autobots, Ninja Turtles, Rebel Alliance and Super Hero Squad, I find it hard to trust any of you. I'm... I'm sorry."
No sooner had the words escaped his lips than the Watchtower's dimensional portal unexpectedly rippled to life. From out it leaped the Blue Bowman - Green Arrow's wicked reverse-world counterpart! He emptied his quiver at the heroes, pinning them to the space station's floor and consoles, and left a deadly laser beam slowly creeping toward them, ready to slice them in half. Then he zapped himself back to earth and destroyed the teleporter, making sure no one could rescue Batman and the heroines. "Next stop, Arkham," he said, pulling Owlman's true costume from his backpack, "and a reunion with an old friend."
Up in space, Princess Leia used her laser gun to sever Pepper's bonds. The armoured heroine swiftly freed her friends, and an emergency call was made to hero headquarters. Han Solo fired up the Millennium Falcon for a rescue mission but, in some ways, he was too late. Blue Bowman had already freed Owlman - and Gentleman Ghost, the other prisoner - from Arkham.
"How did you cross over to this world?" Owlman asked.
"Finally got your dimensional portal up and running again," Bowman smirked. "It took a while but actually pretty easy, now that we have those... new power sources. Heh heh."
Laughing over their secret, the duo called in some villain back-up. Starscream, Crimson Dynamo, Lugnut and a phalanx of Imperial battle droids blasted into orbit to wipe out the Watchtower and the heroes. Meanwhile, Owlman led Blue Bowman, Gentleman Ghost, MODOK and Abomination on a renewed Wayne Manor raid. He didn't need the money anymore, but he still wanted it.
Working from orbit, Batman scrambled Captain America, Green Arrow, Blue Beetle and Hulk to intercept the raiding party. At the same time, Han and the heroines made short work of "Starscream's loser army". Flying at top speed, the Falcon made it back to the city and quite literally dropped Batman on top of Wayne Manor. A classic, epic battle ensued (with a moment of hilarity when the battle droids, Dynamo, Lugnut and finally Starscream dropped, one after another, on top of Gentleman Ghost).
It all lead up to Batman facing Owlman, and Green Arrow against Blue Bowman, one-on-one. Every trick Green Arrow tried, every shot he fired, was countered by his sinister copy. Finally, the heroic archer realised he could use that to his advantage. He fired an arrow at Blue Bowman, who sliced it in half with a shaft of his own - releasing the sleeping gas inside and rendering himself unconscious.
Batman, meanwhile, found Owlman a much tougher foe now he had all his custom weaponry. But Owlman overstepped the mark by mentioning "poor, innocent little Firestorm". His sarcasm filled Batman with a most righteous rage, fueling the hammer-like punches that beat Owlman to a pulp. Batman would have apprehended his foe once again but Abomination - still smarting from the Hulk's attack - created a distraction that allowed all the bad guys to sneak away.
The Dark Knight sighed, wishing he could have captured his nightmarish reflection. But even he was not so stubborn that he missed the true victory of the day. He'd been reminded, once again, of the value of team-work... and maybe, just maybe, he'd started dealing with his guilt over the end of the Justice League. Batman knew that, with his friends by his side, he could defend the world from any and all threats - and that, in truth, he'd stopped being a solo act a long time ago.
----------
How does that allow LJ to introduce Flash, Superman and Firestorm when they turn up in the mail? I'll leave that for you, her fans, to speculate about until the next thrilling installment!
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
We've had some new arrivals this week. Owlman and the Blue Bowman stood ready to add their brand of villainy to our cast. For those who don't know, the dastardly duo are residents of a "reverse world" where all our heroes are villains, and our bad guys fight on the side of good. Until now, Owlman's been portrayed by a spare black-suited Batman, so LJ was itching to get "the proper costume" into the mix.
There's also much excitement surrounding imminent arrivals. After months of patience, LJ's finally snagged figures of Superman, Firestorm and, most importantly, her current geek paramour - The Flash. She has to wait some more, but LJ's filling the time by dreaming up the story that will introduce them. She was in the midst of an out-loud brainstorm session when I asked a simple question.
"Where have they been all this time?"
"What do you mean?" LJ asked. "They just haven't joined the team yet, is all."
"That can't be right," I insisted. "When Red Skull took over the city, Pepper Potts scanned the world for heroes and found only Captain America, frozen in ice. Surely, if Flash and Superman and Firestorm were around, she'd have located them instead?"
LJ paused... but only for a few moments. "I've got it," she said. "But, to fix it, I'm going to need you, Mom, some time to play and your Justice League Unlimited toys."
What came next was the perfect continuity patch.
----------
Once again, Owlman had tried to steal all the gold in Wayne Manor. His goal was the usual: he wanted enough cash to rebuild his dimensional portal and escape back to his world. And, once again, the reverse-world villain had been vanquished by Batman. But as the Dark Knight flew his prisoner toward Arkham Asylum, the malevolent mirror-man did something a little different. "Why don't you stop fighting me and join forces with me, Batman?" Owlman asked. "Surely you realise by now that, even if you manage to arrest me, you lose in the long run. Think back to what happened to your friends Superman and the Flash... and poor, innocent Firestorm. The more you fight me, the more likely others will suffer their fate!"
Batman savagely tossed his doppleganger into Arkham, seething with anger. His fury had not abated by the time he returned to hero headquarters. Waiting outside for him were Pepper Potts, Sari Sumdac and Princess Leia. They had recently discovered the abandoned Justice League Watchtower, and they wanted answers.
At first, Batman refused to speak - stoic and stubborn as always. But when Sari reminded him of her training session, and how much he'd emphasised placing trust in one's teammates, the Caped Crusader relented. He rode the teleporter with the women, returning to the space station 22,300 miles above the earth's surface. Once there, he told them all the story... of the fall of the Justice League.
Sometime after the final battle with Darkseid, the Justice League faced Owlman for the first time. A visitor from a parallel world, Owlman was a dark mirror of Batman. Where the Caped Crusader wanted to protect the earth, Owlman wanted to rule it. But his dimensional portal failed after just one trip, stranding him in our reality. To obtain the technology he needed, the Feathered Fiend forged an alliance with Lex Luthor and Brainiac.
To achieve their mutual goals, the trio of villains kidnapped the League's newest, youngest member - Firestorm, a hero with the power to transmute matter itself. Though Firestorm's powers did not work on organic beings, Owlman was sure his "reverse science" could wipe out that flaw and thereby merge Luthor and Brainiac into one god-like being again. Then, the entity would return Owlman to his dimension with enough power to rule it, and wipe out all other life in the multiverse (after absorbing its data).
Of course, the Justice League came to rescue their teammate. They attacked in force - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, the Flash, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, the Atom, Green Arrow and Red Tornado. They quickly split into teams - Superman and Flash went to try and free Firestorm from Owlman's machinery. The rest attacked Luthor and Brainiac, fighting hard to gain the upper hand. It was that second attack front that resulted in tragedy.
Luthor threw a new, untested weapon to Brainiac, who fired it at Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl. They each deflected the beams... which instead struck the Flash, instantly vaporising him. The death of the scarlet speedster caught everyone off-guard. Brainiac seized the moment to fire again, this time erasing Superman from existence... and, by accident, Firestorm as well.
A howl of rage ripped from Wonder Woman's lips. She and Hawkgirl set on Brainiac with an unrelenting fury. Batman, grief-stricken, pummeled Owlman while Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter tore into Luthor. It was Red Tornado who stopped the violence. An android, he reminded them of the need to be humane even to their enemies "otherwise, we are no better than those we fight". The heroes dropped their unconscious foes... but the damage had been done.
Green Lantern announced he was quitting the League. He'd suffered too much since returning to earth, and wanted to rejoin Kyle Rayner and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps on Oa. He promised to arrange a new GL for Sector 2814. "I can do more good out there than down here," he said. Likewise, the Martian Manhunter said he would go back to Mars and try to re-start his race. His desire was to "focus on life, not death". Blaming themselves for Flash's death, Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl also resigned. They said they'd return to Paradise Island - a place invisible to all human technology - and retrain as warriors "to make sure this never happens again".
Batman begged them to stay, but his friends would not listen. Wonder Woman kissed him goodbye and the surviving core members of the League went their separate ways one last time. Sullen, Batman said he would no longer work as part of a team, and vanished into the night. Green Arrow, Aquaman, the Atom and Red Tornado diassembled Brainiac and took both Luthor and Owlman to jail. They also promised one another they would be ready to assist the Caped Crusader whenever he needed it.
"That's why," Batman explained, "I fight crime all over the world now, not just in Gotham. Someone has to do the League's work... has to do Superman's work... and the only one who can is me. And that's why, even though I work with the Autobots, Ninja Turtles, Rebel Alliance and Super Hero Squad, I find it hard to trust any of you. I'm... I'm sorry."
No sooner had the words escaped his lips than the Watchtower's dimensional portal unexpectedly rippled to life. From out it leaped the Blue Bowman - Green Arrow's wicked reverse-world counterpart! He emptied his quiver at the heroes, pinning them to the space station's floor and consoles, and left a deadly laser beam slowly creeping toward them, ready to slice them in half. Then he zapped himself back to earth and destroyed the teleporter, making sure no one could rescue Batman and the heroines. "Next stop, Arkham," he said, pulling Owlman's true costume from his backpack, "and a reunion with an old friend."
Up in space, Princess Leia used her laser gun to sever Pepper's bonds. The armoured heroine swiftly freed her friends, and an emergency call was made to hero headquarters. Han Solo fired up the Millennium Falcon for a rescue mission but, in some ways, he was too late. Blue Bowman had already freed Owlman - and Gentleman Ghost, the other prisoner - from Arkham.
"How did you cross over to this world?" Owlman asked.
"Finally got your dimensional portal up and running again," Bowman smirked. "It took a while but actually pretty easy, now that we have those... new power sources. Heh heh."
Laughing over their secret, the duo called in some villain back-up. Starscream, Crimson Dynamo, Lugnut and a phalanx of Imperial battle droids blasted into orbit to wipe out the Watchtower and the heroes. Meanwhile, Owlman led Blue Bowman, Gentleman Ghost, MODOK and Abomination on a renewed Wayne Manor raid. He didn't need the money anymore, but he still wanted it.
Working from orbit, Batman scrambled Captain America, Green Arrow, Blue Beetle and Hulk to intercept the raiding party. At the same time, Han and the heroines made short work of "Starscream's loser army". Flying at top speed, the Falcon made it back to the city and quite literally dropped Batman on top of Wayne Manor. A classic, epic battle ensued (with a moment of hilarity when the battle droids, Dynamo, Lugnut and finally Starscream dropped, one after another, on top of Gentleman Ghost).
It all lead up to Batman facing Owlman, and Green Arrow against Blue Bowman, one-on-one. Every trick Green Arrow tried, every shot he fired, was countered by his sinister copy. Finally, the heroic archer realised he could use that to his advantage. He fired an arrow at Blue Bowman, who sliced it in half with a shaft of his own - releasing the sleeping gas inside and rendering himself unconscious.
Batman, meanwhile, found Owlman a much tougher foe now he had all his custom weaponry. But Owlman overstepped the mark by mentioning "poor, innocent little Firestorm". His sarcasm filled Batman with a most righteous rage, fueling the hammer-like punches that beat Owlman to a pulp. Batman would have apprehended his foe once again but Abomination - still smarting from the Hulk's attack - created a distraction that allowed all the bad guys to sneak away.
The Dark Knight sighed, wishing he could have captured his nightmarish reflection. But even he was not so stubborn that he missed the true victory of the day. He'd been reminded, once again, of the value of team-work... and maybe, just maybe, he'd started dealing with his guilt over the end of the Justice League. Batman knew that, with his friends by his side, he could defend the world from any and all threats - and that, in truth, he'd stopped being a solo act a long time ago.
----------
How does that allow LJ to introduce Flash, Superman and Firestorm when they turn up in the mail? I'll leave that for you, her fans, to speculate about until the next thrilling installment!
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF