Monday, September 27, 2010

Released: Tuesday September 28


Sunday, September 26, 2010

The Avengers: Micro Clip

In Memory of the King

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Monday, September 13, 2010

1990's Captain America Cartoon That Never Was






The Source Wall

Creation and Inspiration
The wall itself was not created or depicted by Jack Kirby although he did refer to 'a final barrier' before the Source and described the imprisoned giants around it. It was first shown in the Teen Titans/X-Men cross-over and was created by Walt Simonson and Chris Claremont. Simonson provided this account in a post on Comic Book Resources:

"The Source Wall as it is currently understood visually in the DCU first appeared in the X/Titans crossover. [...] the Wall as such did not appear in Kirby's New Gods.

What did appear was a four page introductory sequence in NEW GODS #5 in which Metron, using his Mobius Chair, explores the 'Final Barrier'. "And somewhere beyond--lies the Source: the greatest of mysteries." An additional description suggests that this is the Promethian Galaxy--a place of giants--where "all roads to the Source come to an end--". Visually, there's a double page shot of a giant strapped to an enormous piece of Kirby debris. There's another panel with a large head of a female who tried to achieve "the maximum state". And failed. And, in the text, Metron notes that 'beyond all the knowledge and sweeping concept at our command, the mystery of the Source lies--serene---omnipotent--all-wise.

There is, however, no shot of a 'Source Wall' as such. No final visual barrier beyond which an entity may not venture. No wall full of entities who tried to breach the final barrier and failed and became subsumed within the Wall.

Chris and I invented that notion--and its visualization--for the X/Titans book, clearly extrapolating from what Jack had done.

The neatest part of the invention is that apparently, the notion of the Wall and its execution were such a perfect fit for the existing New Gods mythology that folks don't really remember exactly where it came from."[1]

According to Jack Kirby at a San Diego Comic-Con appearance in the late 1980s, the inspiration for the size of the Wall comes from "Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham", a religious song that contains the lyrics "so high you can't get over it/so low you can't get under it/so wide you can't get around it/you gotta go through the door".

Fictional History

One of the few known persons to have entered the Source was an amalgam of Zeus, Odin, Ares, Jove, and Highfather. Five others are known also to have passed the Source Wall, Barry Allen (in Super Team Family #15), Spectre (Hal Jordan), Metron working with Swamp Thing (in Swamp Thing #62), and Lucifer Morningstar. Highfather and Darkseid together have managed to destroy the source wall before. The Flash went into the source for a cure for Orion of the New Gods, but didn't remember anything from his time within. When Jordan was the Spectre for a time, he passed it and had a conversation with the Old-Timer, formerly one of the Guardians of the Universe, and saw a giant Green Lantern battery. While talking with the Old-Timer, he asked him "Is this The Source?" The Old-Timer replied "It is Your Understanding of it." The Old-Timer then brought Jordan into the battery and explained to him that without any positive or negative charge, there would be no energy or life. After leaving The Source, Jordan felt as though a part of himself was still in the Source. When Lucifer went past the Source Wall he saw what looked like a huge yellowish man made of rock. Lucifer then stood on its shoulder while looking for Michael in the DC Universe. Whether or not this is what The Source really looks like or is how Lucifer views The Source is left unknown. It seems that humans and other beings such as angels when they pass the Source Wall view The Source differently.

In Countdown, it is revealed the 52 universes are each surrounded by a source wall, with the Bleed between the source walls of the various universes. The Monitors refer to an impending disaster if they don't act to stop travel between the 52 universes, and in issue #38 of Countdown, they finally reveal that each time a being passes between universes, they break a little of each universes' source wall. If a source wall is breached too many times, it will collapse and lead to chaos and the destruction of its universe. In Countdown #23, Superman-Prime operates out of a cave within the Source Wall itself, specifically a section bordering Earth-15. He mentions its deterioration and later blasts it with his heat vision, causing a devastating chain-reaction which seemingly obliterated the 15th universe.

Darkseid's connection to the Source Wall is very notable because he has not only been attached to it, but removed from the wall multiple times. In Jeph Loeb's run of Superman/Batman, Darkseid is thrown on to the wall by Superman and later removed from it because of a deal brokered with an alternate version of the villain. Throughout Darkseid's rule of Apokolips and reign as a new god, he has made it one of his primary goals to breach the Source Wall.


Darkseid's father, Yuga Khan once attempted to unravel the unknowable mystery of the Source as well. However, like so many before him, Khan was made part of the great wall. One of Darkseid's attempts to breach the wall freed Yuga, but his own insatiable hunger for the secrets of the Source returned him to the imprisonment of the Source Wall.

Death of the New Gods
The Death of the New Gods miniseries features The Source Wall extensively, and updates a number of elements in regards to it. In addition to a second Source Wall being created to store the souls of the slain New Gods, the Source itself reveals that it has never truly resided behind the wall, and that only the Bleed rests beyond the wall. The wall is one aspect of the universe that is preventing the Source from merging with its "other half" that was split in to the Anti-Life entity after an attack by the Old Gods. It ultimately conspires to destroy the Source wall, allowing the Anti Life entity to fully enter our universe and the Source to merge with it, becoming whole once again. At the end of Countdown, a battered Source wall is shown, with chunks of the wall floating in space. In Superman/Batman Torment, Superman is imprisoned within the Source while Desaad controls High Father's staff. However Batman is able to take control of High Father's staff. Superman uses the staff as an anchor and pulls himself through the source wall and out of the Source.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

New Gods: Action Figures




Metron


Metron is a character created by Jack Kirby for his Fourth World series in DC Comics. He was "based on Leonard Nimoy as Spock," and designed as a character who "would frequently change sides [between New Genesis and Apokolips]."[1] He first appeared in New Gods #1 (February-March 1971)

Although he possesses the powers of a demigod (at least), Metron is typically depicted as a passive observer in the DC Universe rather than an active participant, somewhat akin to Marvel Comics Watchers. He wanders in search of greater knowledge beyond his own, riding on his Mobius Chair, which can traverse time and space instantaneously. Metron is of neither New Genesis nor Apokolips, and usually avoids the struggle between the two worlds almost entirely. As he states in New Gods #7, "The Pact,": "I have no link with the Old Gods -- or New!! I am something different! Something that was unforeseen!! -- On New Genesis -- or here!!"



Metron has invented the 'Boom Tube' technology used by the New Gods to teleport vast distances. [2]

In 1989's Legend mini-series, Metron confides in Darkseid about the Anti-Life Equation. Apparently, Metron holds the key to the Anti-Life Equation, however he is a seeker of knowledge and so will tell no one of his knowledge. In a 1983 DC/Marvel crossover, X-Men / Teen Titans, Metron tells Darkseid that Dark Phoenix is a part of the Anti-Life Equation. Recently in the "Death of the New Gods" miniseries the Source explains the origin of the Anti-Life Equation to Metron.

Metron helped contact most of Earth's superheroes in order to gather them during the Zero Hour crisis. During Extant's return, he fought alongside the Justice Society of America in defeating Extant after he gained control of the omnipotent Worlogog.

He observed the events of Kurt Busiek's JLA/Avengers comic, giving Iron Man a Mother Box to balance the power given to the Justice League by Grandmaster. His main role during the miniseries was to observe and investigate Krona's actions, refusing to deviate from his non-involvement at the end when Krona demanded his aid. At the end, Metron kept guard over the newly formed Cosmic egg.

In the 2005 Mister Miracle miniseries, Metron contacts Shilo Norman (the current Mister Miracle) during a stunt gone wrong, making him aware of the Fourth World. In his first appearance in the book, he looks like he has before, but later he disguises himself as an epileptic man in a wheelchair.

During the events of Death of the New Gods, where the mysterious deaths of the entire Fourth World accelerated, Metron tracked and discovered the mastermind: the Source itself, which has in truth been lurking in the backgrounds for millennia trying to reacquire its original powers and reunite with its other half: the Anti-Life Entity. In true form, Metron sought not to stop the Source, but rather to stand by the Source's side and watch & learn as the Fourth World of the New Gods came to an end.

Eventually, after the death of Mister Miracle at the hands of the Source, Metron grows disgusted, and demands his own death. The Source complies, and kills Metron before going to confront Darkseid.


On the first page of Final Crisis #1, an all silver being appears to Anthro the First Boy and proclaims, "I am Metron." Later in the issue, Doctor Light and Mirror Master are sent by Libra to recover a device that resembles Metron's chair. Other characters come to believe that Metron gave the invention of fire to mankind through Anthro.

Later, the Mister Miracle version of the character restores Nix Uotan the fallen Monitor to his god-like status, triggering the conclusion of the Final Crisis of Humanity [3].

The Moebius Chair is later harvested by Superman to gain the precious Element X needed to power up the Miracle Machine enough to restore the Multiverse and undo all damages brought by the dark god Darkseid: in the new universe is revealed that every other denizen of Apokolips and New Genesis, except for Darkseid, is fated to be reborn, including Metron. [4]
[edit] Powers and abilities

As a "New God", Metron has demonstrated numerous god-like abilities somewhat inconsistently throughout his history. However, he is most well known for the use of his Mobius Chair. Powered by the "X Element", which at times he has bartered with Darkseid for[5], the chair enables him to traverse time and space in his endless pursuit of knowledge. Metron is also a super-genius who has explored the universe and gained a vast amount of knowledge. He is also immortal as all New Gods are.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The Anti-Life Equation


Darkseid first became aware of the equation approximately 300 years ago when he made contact with the people of Mars. Upon learning of the Martian philosophy that free will could be defined by a "Life Equation", Darkseid postulated that there must exist a negative equivalent. Kirby's original comics established the Anti-Life Equation as giving the being who learns it power to dominate the will of all sentient and sapient races. It is called the Anti-Life Equation because "if someone possesses absolute control over you - you're not really alive."[2] Most stories featuring the Equation use this concept. A full version of the Equation supposedly existed in the mind of the billionaire "Billion Dollar" Bates, but he took it to his death. The Forever People's Mother Box found the Anti-Life Equation in Sonny Sumo, but Darkseid, unaware of this, stranded him in ancient Japan.

When Metron and Swamp Thing attempt to breach the source, which drives Swamp Thing temporarily mad, Darkseid discovers that part of the formula is love.[3]

In Walt Simonson's Orion (2001), it is revealed that Darkseid and Desaad have gained the Equation from clones of Billion Dollar Bates. In stopping them Orion learned the Equation, and tried to use it to make people happy and good, but decided that the suppression of free will is always a bad thing. It was later revealed that Mister Miracle knows the formula, but is one of the few with the willpower not to use it. During the series Young Justice, it was stated that the mystical heroine Empress holds within her a piece of an Anti-Life Equation, which allows her to control the minds of others to limited extents. Countdown to Final Crisis #10 reveals that the Pied Piper also contained the equation within his mind, as Desaad attempts to use Piper as his pawn to help him destroy Brother Eye and Darkseid so that he could rule Apokolips.

During the Final Crisis, Darkseid's plan comes to fruition even without Pied Piper's help. In fact, using the "spoken form" of the Anti-Life, Darkseid (reborn after his death as "Boss Dark Side" on Earth) is able to rebuild a strong power base on Earth. By having Mokkari unleash the Anti-Life Equation through the internet by E-Mail, it turned those exposed to it into his mindless slaves. Libra used the Anti-Life Equation to turn several members of his Secret Society of Super Villains into Justifiers while some of Earth's superheroines and supervillainesses were converted into a new version of the Female Furies.

It was revealed that the equation can be countered by drawing the New Genesis word for "freedom" on one's face. Also, Doctor Sivana invented a device that allowed Lex Luthor to wrest control of the Equation-controlled Justifiers from Libra and Darkseid. In Terror Titans #4, it is revealed that because of the brain's status as an electromagnetic organ, Static is immune to the Equation's effects. In Final Crisis #7, Wonder Woman breaks the Equation's hold over the people of Earth by binding Darkseid's body with the Lasso of Truth.

After Darkseid's disappearance, the Calculator tasks himself with the role of tracking down the fragments of the Equation left in the Internet, who had taken the appearance of floating diamonds in Alta Viva, a multi-player online game, similar to Second Life. By having real diamonds cut in the shape of the virtual ones, the Calculator hopes to harness and restore its power for himself.[4]


 

Sunday, September 5, 2010