Age of Wonders thread IV

[Charles Phipps]

Also has anyone else wondered why the DC Animated team haven't tried to emulate the Marvel Cinematic 'Single films add up to a Superhero Serial' approach as yet? (Don't get me wrong, their efforts have long been above average but they don't really add up to more than the sum of their parts).

As I understand, this was their intention but the unfortunate follow up to Batman and Superman was Green Lantern with Ryan Renyolds and it short-circuited the entire stuff. There was also going to be a Wonder Woman movie and that fell apart too.

It's kind of ironic that Green Arrow is the most successful spin-off lately and that's because it's modern Batman! Seriously, I'm waiting for David Cain to show up.

[Libra]

I was not actually alluding to the Live Action DC movie team, rather I was referring to a group that actually HAS released a Wonder Woman movie and produced work of consistent quality, but also a group that has been putting out Animated Movies based on DCs 'Greatest Hits' like All Star Superman and The Dark Knight Returns (not to mention 'Latest Hits' like Flashpoint or WAR) without any particular rhyme or rhythm.

It would have been interesting to see them adopt an approach more similar to the Marvel Live Action cinema team, trying to knit the 'Greatest Hits' into serials that helped make them into something more than the sum of their parts (using Year One to set up The Dark Knight Returns for instance or connecting Crisis on Two Earths to Justice League: DOOM).

Either that or starting a series of original animated movies that connect to one another, forming an Epic of the DC Universe.

[Charles Phipps]

Eh, I suspect that's because they prefer to release already well-regarded comic story adaptations. Hence, why we got "What's so funny about truth, justice, and the American way." Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

But I understand your point.

[Charles Phipps]

Also watched/reviewed Thor: The Dark World and The Wolverine to amp up my superheroic writing. Should be quite a few fun articles out soon.

[Charles Phipps]

And now for a return to a favorite regularly scheduled universe building!

The Shadow Clan

When the Neo-Concordians ascended to become godlike beings, they shed their former existences as physical beings and left behind the raw detritus of their former selves. These godlike shells were the size of small continents and left to float in the blackness of the Shadow Dimension that was created from the aftermath of their ascension. This dark dimension remained absent and filled with nothing but the rotting remains of cosmic powers long gone until Belial the Titan realized their potential ability.

Guiding The Shadow King to this place, he manipulated the defiant Anti-God into attempting to harness the power of the Neo-Concordians for himself. Unfortunately, this resulted in the deceased god shells developing a semblance of life, the undead beings driving off the Shadow King and seeking out the souls of individuals to fill their all consuming hunger. Thus were the Anti-Gods born.

Armed with their power, Belial proceeded to make a compact with the near-mindless omnipotent beings and began seeking out souls to feed to them. These souls would join with the Anti-Gods to comfort them in their twisted memories while their bodies would be filled with a "semblance" of a soul that would serve as their minions from that day on. The Shadow Clan is, presently, redistricted to Earth-0 because all of this didn't happen in some long forgotten epoch.

It all happened about two years ago.

The Shadow Clan are an alien invasion on Earth-0 that consists of Shadowmen who are soulless individuals completely loyal to the Anti-Gods and eager to devour the souls of every human being on the planet. Shadowmen cannot feel emotion, pity, fear, or other feelings and possess a hive-mind that allows them to carry out their twisted duties. All of them possess the ability to use limited amount of shadow magic and can absorb the souls of a person to turn them into a Shadowman.

This is gross cheating of divine law as the souls of innocent mortals are being absorbed by the thousands and imprisoned in the Shadow Dimension irregardless of their mortal beliefs. This makes the realm very unstable but Belial doesn't care as he's attempting to use the power he's getting from them to destroy all of the Titans at once.

It may destroy much of the Nexus but he's quite sure it'll repair itself--eventually.

The Shadow Clan's members also possess the power to completely obliterate an individual. They can do this by absorbing them into the Shadow Dimension by sacrificing themselves. The result of this is everyone ceases to remember a subject in the world, their minds refusing to let them even consider they might have once been a vitally important part of the world. These subjects can, theoretically, be recovered from the Shadow Dimension but none have been so far.

Shadow Lynx is one of the few superheroes presently aware of them so far, most heroes unable to remember dealing with them due to their extensive magic. Mister Arcane is aware of them but underestimates their danger (his whole failed plural marriage and the resulting soap-opera distracted him--a fact he will beat himself up for years thereafter once the dust settles). Oddly, the world's magical girls are also aware of these individuals but they, Moonatic, and Pooka haven't been able to persuade people that "Kingdom Heart's villains are real!"

Leading the Shadowmen is the decidedly uncorrupted, Sun Tiger. The androgynous "most beautiful being in the universe" possessed solar abilities capable of channeling metaphorical light as well as literal. Unable to succeed as a hero on his own, he had the Shadowmen murder everyone who remembered his failures and now serves as a mystical battery for their shadow magic summonings. Shadow Lynx has killed him on multiple occasions but Sun Tiger has always reformed since he is linked to the Anti-Gods. Worse, everyone forgets him and his crimes whenever he dies but her.

Sun Tiger is a somewhat "quirky" individual being a transvestite (though not transgender) being who impersonates a female superhero whenever not plotting the end of the world. Sun Tiger has attempted to join the Order on several occassions but is always blocked by Shadow Lynx. This is a major source of their rivalry.

That and Sun Tiger is a psychotic lunatic.

[Charles Phipps]

Now for a new fun thing to do that EVERYONE can contribute to.

February 2014, Comic Book Notes for WONDER! Comics

+ The End has, for now, seemingly been killed by an alliance of those capable of killing him. It was not without casaulties, though, and this act of destruction has only unleashed his many terrible followers.

+ Diva Destruction has now founded Terror Island, which is pretty much a prison she's created to welcome the worst criminals of the world as well as the people other nations want to get rid of.

+ Terraphere has defeated the Neo-Confederacy and liberated the millions of slaves within their ranks. Combined with revealing the complicity of PHOBOS in destroying Shiva, the CCG has agreed to recognize him as ruler of that nation--meaning the rest of the planet can't currently touch him.

He is presently planning to use his new position to start terraforming Antarctica and focusing on Transhumanist concerns.

* The World Security Organization suffered a massive scandal when Wolf Yager revealed their complicity in thousands of war crimes as well as the attacks on Doctor Megan Hart. As a result, large numbers of their contracts have been revoked and the group's power has been drastically reduced.

+ Doctor Hart's research was mentally stolen from her by Powerhead (now possessed by her deranged grandmother) and has been sold to numerous organizations and groups. Superhuman manufacturing is an unfortunate reality, albeit an uncertain one since Powerhead's download wasn't complete and she can't remember any of her studies anymore.

* The mystical annulment of Mister Arcane's marriage occurred as it was discovered both women were using his power to enhance their own to retake over their former dimension. Mister Arcane's irritation with his fellows for not noticing he was a mind-controlled puppet has resulted in him leaving the Order. Well, he's resigned, but staying for one last mission (see below).

* Wedding bells for Super Dragon Punch Zero and the Blue Wasp!

* The worst disaster in the history of PENDULUM occurred with the destruction of the PIT by the Knights of the Abyss working in concert with PHOBOS-built giant robots. Hundreds of civilian support staff, dozens of heroes, and many more agents were slaughtered as well as the entire town of Mingo Springs leveled. This has resulted in many teams taking in new students for their own safety.

It's also resulted in the Order leaving East Panya for good and returning to the USA for the express purpose of kicking PHOBOS ass into the ground and then salting the Earth thereafter.

[Voltron64]

1. How did Terrasphere defeat the Neo-Confederacy and what became of The General?

2. What led the Knights of the Abyss to work with PHOBOS?

3. What did ya think of this?

4. How's East Panya handling the leaving of The Order?

[Charles Phipps]

1. How did Terrasphere defeat the Neo-Confederacy and what became of The General?

This is one of the big concerns as Terrasphere defeated the Neo-Confederacy with his powers.

Alone.

He's received a massive power-boost and people are wondering if it's because he has machinery, sorcery, or has simply increased his natural abilities drastically. However, he's gone from being able to communicate with nature to being able to manipulate it like there's no tomorrow. Massive Elementals and weather-control crushed the Confederacy. The General is presently in hiding with many other war criminals who stole away with technology and wealth from the location.

2. What led the Knights of the Abyss to work with PHOBOS?

They showed up at Phobos HQ and broke necks until PHOBOS agreed to assist in their massacre. Otherwise known as the "General Zod school of recruitment."

3. What did ya think of this?

-Action Survivor and Dreamer as well as other Nexi recruits have joined The Order after realizing how relatively villainous the High Aeons were. Beacon and Lightstep of the Starhearts have become members as well.

Unfortunately, the Order isn't the most forgiving of groups and I wouldn't be surprised if the pair ended up either trying to rejoin their associates in Grimmsbrooke or ended up becoming part of the Blue Centurions. If all four did become part of one of the Order's teams, though, I think that would lead to some delightfully awesome dialogue.

-Mr. Arcane has made up with the Celestial Conductor and the rest of the Pantheon, earning back their patronage and the power boost coming with it.

This has accompanied a certain member of the Pantheon being exposed as a enemy of all of their aims as well as the discovery their infertility has been influenced by outside parties. As a result, the Aeons are more active than they've been in millennium. For better or worse.

Mister Arcane, as well, is too angry beyond belief at recent events to care much. He's aiming for revenge but not quite certain who to aim it at.

-Namtar managed to flee during the showdown and is currently trying to lay low. He was last seen apparently trying to integrate himself into the Celestial Lions.

Namtar is much-much smarter than most of those guys. God help us all.

4. How's East Panya handling the leaving of The Order?

Not well. The Order managed to stabilize things so the place isn't suffering a civil war but it's still a crime ridden cess-pool with lots and lots of superhumans living there. Any chance of it becoming a kind of utopia for superhumans, though, fell apart with the Order's internal struggles.*

* Struggles which have vanished with the strike against the Pit.

[Voltron64]

2. What led the Knights of the Abyss to work with PHOBOS?

They showed up at Phobos HQ and broke necks until PHOBOS agreed to assist in their massacre. Otherwise known as the "General Zod school of recruitment."

Okay, that's not exactly what I expected.

Also, how have the Knights handled the apparent death of their master?

[Charles Phipps]

Okay, that's not exactly what I expected.

Also, how have the Knights handled the apparent death of their master?

What did you expect?

PHOBOS is way out of its league when dealing with the KoA. They're like the Friends of Humanity dealing with Apocalypse and company. The Knights of the Abyss are presently lost without their master but as some of the End's are seeking redemption or have committed suicide (using the fragments of his armor), the former servants of the Shadow King are on a mission to annihilate any chance of Earth-0 leading a successful crusade to save the nexus.

They're also hunting the Shadow King as they feel he's "betrayed" them.

[Voltron64]

PHOBOS is way out of its league when dealing with the KoA. They're like the Friends of Humanity dealing with Apocalypse and company. The Knights of the Abyss are presently lost without their master but as some of the End's are seeking redemption or have committed suicide (using the fragments of his armor), the former servants of the Shadow King are on a mission to annihilate any chance of Earth-0 leading a successful crusade to save the nexus.

Yeah, that's gonna backfire.

[MightyDavidson]

Hi everybody!

I'm currently on vacation which is why I've not been posting more often. I do plan to reveal more information regarding Wolf Jager's activities and what's been going on with Professor Peril when I get home.

[Libra]

Good work fellows!

(Now where did I leave all those notes on The Lamplighters … ah, THERE!).

[Charles Phipps]

Hi everybody!

I'm currently on vacation which is why I've not been posting more often. I do plan to reveal more information regarding Wolf Jager's activities and what's been going on with Professor Peril when I get home.

Can't wait!

[Libra]

I am currently working on the first part of an article depicting the Lamplighters (and their former associates) who did their best to handle The Wildcard Shuffle - the first article will depict the Bronze Age post-Lamplighter heroes whom Codename Wildcard gathered around himself or simply tapped in a desperate bid to do SOMETHING before Old Age or The Octagon got to him.

Let's just say that neither he nor any of his bodyguards had to worry about wrinkles for very long.