OMAC PROJECT versus BLUE BEETLE

Brother's Keeper (DC)
Where: Blue Beetle #7 When: November 2006
Why: John Rogers How: Cully Hamner

The Story So Far...
Before the Second World War; a man named Dan Garrett retrieved a mysterious blue scarab from the tomb of Pharaoh Kha-Ef-Re -- transforming him into the daring mystery man known as Blue Beetle!

Upon his death, the scarab passed to the hands of his successor, Ted Kord, but the brilliant industrialist was never able to unlock the secret of its powers. That would be the fate of Jaime Reyes -- a hapless high school student who discovered the lost scarab in the desert and became the third Blue Beetle!

Transformed in the midst of a multi-faceted crisis threatening reality itself -- Jaime is hastily recruited to use the scarab's mysterious alien technology to find and bring an end to the threat of AI satellite Brother Eye, and its endless hordes of citizens-turned-killing machines known as OMACs!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: OMAC 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: OMAC 4 (Tactician)
Speed: OMAC 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: OMAC 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: OMAC 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: OMAC 5 (Lasers)
Total: OMAC 28 (Metahuman)

The OMAC Project is a collective of common American citizens unwittingly injected with a nanotechnology virus derived from Brainiac-13.

Upon activation, the sleeper agents are transformed into Observational Metahuman Activity Constructs connected via a digital hivemind.

"OMACs" are capable of manipulating the nano-cybernetic coating over their limbs to form a variety of weapons, including blades and energy cannons, which can also deploy specialist counter-measures for dealing with key metahuman targets, and adapt machine-learned strategies for new threats.

If that doesn't sound Terminator 2 enough for you -- the OMACs are controlled by an AI satellite called Brother I, which was originally created in secret by Batman, usurped by Maxwell Lord & Checkmate, and ultimately achieved independent sentience while becoming hellbent on killing all organic lifeforms on Earth!

Unfortunately for rookie hero Blue Beetle -- that includes him!

Jaime Reyes discovered the blue scarab when it inadvertently landed in the desert of El Paso, Texas after a battle between Shazam and The Spectre.

Grafting itself to Jaime's spine; the scarab transformed him into another kind of hi-tech blue soldier, capable of generating powerful energy weapons and blades with his alien suit. He can also detect spectrums of electricity and magic -- making him the perfect tech weapon against the undetectable Brother Eye and OMACs!

Young Jaime has been thrown into the deep end of superhero conflict, but what he lacks in experience, his onboard alien AI can make up for. We saw it help defend against the Green Lantern when their respective weapons turned against one another. So how did it cope with an army of OMACs? Let's find out!

The Tape: OMACs Ranking: Blue Beetle (#467)

What Went Down...

On board Brother Eye, Jaime is left by the rest of the Justice League to guard Ted Kord's Blue Beetle Bug that they flew in on, but it soon becomes the target of a swarm of OMAC soldiers. The blue scarab compels him to run!

An eye beam blasts the Blue Beetle in the back as he tumbles through the halls of the satellite with flying OMACs firing in hot pursuit!

He calls for assistance from Booster Gold, but the time travelling hero isn't there to help him. Fortunately, the blue scarab comes with its own sophisticated onboard artificial intelligence -- and fingertip electric shocks that disrupt OMACs!

The sudden whip of his arm being pointed behind him leaves Jaime feeling worse for wear, but his troubles get far worse when he runs into another chamber filled to the brim with OMACs!

The suit forms a massive shield on his forearm and directs the Blue Beetle through the clambering horde -- barging his way through in what Jaime thinks is the wrong direction.

Reaching a smaller room Blue Beetle finally finds some friendly faces -- Green Arrow and Black Canary!

The emerald archer spots the young hero arriving and quickly fires off a couple of "super-conductor goo" arrows invented by Ted Kord to cause a feedback loop that turns the OMAC's energy blasts back against them!

GA kicks the control to close the doors, doing his best to drive the OMACs out.

With a moment of calm, the scarab begins analyzing its technology -- determining it to be the device responsible for keeping Brother Eye undetectable by generating sub-dimensional artificial reality space.

A sonic canary cry and electric finger blasts make light work of the technology!

With explosions following them, the trio of heroes race through the satellite halls until they come across another chamber filled with OMACs and an ensnared Black Lightning!

Brother Eye's database doesn't contain the newly minted hero, so Black Canary tells the Beetle to put everything into his shot to disable the OMACs before they can adapt to his attacks.

The combined might of Blue Beetle's energy blast, Black Canary's sonic shriek, and the Green Arrow's quiver proves enough to put the OMACs out of commission!

Mister Terrific shows up at the perfect time to lead the heroes back onto the flying Blue Beetle Bug, where John Stewart, Metamorpho, and Sasha Bordeaux are waiting to pilot them off the exploding satellite!

It looks like they're home free, but the scarab wants nothing to do with the Green Lantern on board. It phases Blue Beetle out of synch with reality, shifting him out of the Bug as it takes off -- leaving Jaime on board the exploding satellite!

The Hammer...

Even though it's mission accomplished for destroying Brother Eye and rescuing the innocent people turned into OMACs -- Blue Beetle is left behind all alone in space!

Even Batman can't rescue Jaime Reyes as he's carried out of the exploding satellite by Green Lantern -- completely unaware that they've flown directly past Blue Beetle, who's still phased into another plane of reality by the scarab.

It's a horrifying moment for a high school boy to find himself alone in, but we have the comfort of knowing it's all in the past. These events happened between the panels of Infinite Crisis #6, which focused on other Leaguer's efforts to bring down Brother Eye, most specifically Batman, Black Lightning, and Mr. Terrific.

In Blue Beetle #7, Jaime is recounting the memory of what happened, unlocking part of a lost year in space, while standing in the desert crater made when he finally crash-landed back to Earth in Blue Beetle #1.

As we've already documented, The Beetle's fiery return to Earth caught the attention of Guy Gardner, resulting in some spectacular superhero smackdown as his Green Lantern ring began reacting adversely to the Blue Beetle's presence.

Something similar happened with John Stewart in Infinite Crisis, and this aversion between the scarab and Green Lanterns was one of the intriguing mysteries that helped stitch a new Blue Beetle into the fabric of the DC Universe.

For those of us reading way back in 2006, it was understandably controversial that Ted Kord was killed off in the Countdown to Infinite Crisis special, but the new Blue Beetle was actually a pretty easy sell with or without a murder stunt. It was a fresh and vibrant new addition to the DC lineup, marrying forgotten aspects of Charlton Comics' 1960s revamp of Dan Garrett, with a bold new graphic conceit.

As intriguing as the new, alien Blue Beetle might've been in the pages of Infinite Crisis, it only got better once we met the boy behind the mask in his own on-going series. The art team of Cully Hamner and colorist David Self immediately sold the visual world of Jaime Reyes, in and out of costume, and with issue #4, new colorist Guy Major continued that aesthetic splendor seamlessly.

Things might look a little off in panels featured in today's entry. The colours & lines are a little less slick and sumptuous in this section, visually indicating a slightly different temperature for flashback sequences, but please note that these scans aren't very flattering. As always - seek this work out for yourself!

Blue Beetle was instantly colourful, bold, and exciting, with a palette reminiscent of contemporary animation, and the raw energy of a new young hero stepping into a fully developed superhero universe. It was little wonder the character soon found fans in cartoons through Batman: Brave and the Bold and Young Justice.

These types of characters tend to compare to early Spider-Man, but the third-generation aspect reminds me of the thrillingly uncertain energy that carried the first few years of Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern. There's also something in that 2000s approach that feels consistent with Invincible, but the Image hero could only pretend to be part of something bigger. Blue Beetle had those genuine ties.

Of course, as easy as it would've been to drop Jaime Reyes directly into Ted Kord's spot, surrounding him with all the better-known DC icons of the Justice League -- they instead used a Green Lantern appearance in issue #1 to naturally transition the character far away from the other heroes, into his own naturally developing world of friends & family, and the burgeoning threat of The Reach.

We aren't quite there yet, but like a lot of DC Comics fans, I'll be rooting for the new Blue Beetle film to do well enough in theatrical release to expand the legacy on the big screen. I'm not quite expecting a five-star adaptation, but Cobra Kai fans know Xolo Maridueña has the goods to go all the way with Jaime Reyes, and there's plenty more material for the live-action character to explore. Peacemaker and Ted Kord seem like no brainers!

If you've enjoyed this entry and would like to see more exploration into the world of Blue Beetle -- consider becoming a supporter on Patreon. As a thank you for helping make it all possible you'll unlock additional content, an invite to the Discord community, and options to sponsor your own choice of featured content.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has recorded over 700 battles and ranked well over 1,000 characters! Find them all by following links throughout each and every post, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

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Winners: Blue Beetle, Green Arrow & Black Canary
#174 (+293) Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)
#16 (+3) Green Arrow
#38 (+5) Black Canary
#1019 (new) OMACs

MIRROR MASTER & KILLER FROST versus GREEN ARROW & BLACK LIGHTNING

Heading into the Light Part Two: Cold Reflections (DC)
Where: Green Arrow #55 When: December 2005
Why: Judd Winick How: Ron Garney

The Story So Far...
Doctor Light has recovered his erased memories and is out to reestablish himself as a villainous force to be reckoned with! After failing to defeat his adversaries in the Teen Titans he's set his sights on ruining the life of Green Arrow and he has the resources of The Society to make it happen!

Green Arrow and Black Lightning are working to resolve the predicament, but when Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi is hospitalized, they find themselves ambushed by the second stage of Light's scheme: Mirror Master and Killer Frost!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Killer Frost 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Killer Frost 5 (Professor)
Speed: Black Lightning 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Black Lightning 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Green Arrow 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Green Arrow 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Black Lightning 5 (Lasers)
Total: Draw 24 (Champion)

Mirror Master and Killer Frost might seem like an unusual team-up, but they've been recruited by Doctor Light through his affiliation with The Society. The secret cabal is an organized union of super-villains working together for mutual goals.

This is the Evan McCulloch incarnation of Mirror Master: a mercenary who was given Sam Scudder's old gear by the FBI to work covert operations. He quickly turned on the feds and went mercenary, becoming a regular foe for The Flash.

His predecessor's advanced technology grants access to a mirror dimension he can travel through using any reflective surface. Mirror Master can also trap people in breakable mirrors, and create convincing illusions and duplicates of himself.

Killer Frost is identified in this issue as Dr. Crystal Frost, but all accounts before and since confirm her earlier death. It's much more likely that this is Dr. Louise Lincoln, who recreated the accident that transformed Dr. Frost, as a means of avenging her death as the second Killer Frost.

We saw her employ her heat absorption and ice powers while battling Kyle Rayner in Green Lantern #127. She was taken down by Wonder Woman during a clash with the Injustice League in Justice League of America #13.

We saw Mirror Master combine his powers with Doctor Light to take down The League of Titans in Final Crisis #1. Killer Frost's ice should create interesting potential for collaboration with his mirror powers.

Green Arrow and Black Lightning are more experienced fighting partners and will need to use that to their tactical advantage.

GA's arrows have taken down everyone from the gimmick wielding Penguin in Justice League of America #135, to the supreme fighter Deathstroke in Green Arrow #62. Black Lightning's electrical charge will prove valuable in evening the score against super-powers, but there is a question over whether or not he can za Killer Frost -- or will generate the type of heat she likes to consume.

The Tape: Green Arrow & Black Lightning Ranking: Green Arrow (#20)

What Went Down...

Green Arrow takes a knee and draws an arrow in the direction of the freshly made hole in the side of Kimiyo Hoshi's hospital room. Her bandaged body lies helpless on the ground courtesy of Killer Frost and Mirror Master's explosive entrance!

Crawling on hands and knees, Black Lightning shakes off the impact and answers GA's request to clear the room. He unleashes an electric blast that launches the villains into the night sky -- sending them hurtling across the city!

Killer Frost crash lands hard into the street some six blocks away, but Mirror Master walks away without a scratch. She can hardly believe his luck when an arrow stakes itself into the ground at his feet. Mirror Master knows better.

He runs as fast as he can from the arrow as a red light starts to gleam and it emits a high pitched shriek. A nearby car window provides a parked portal clear from danger as the arrow explodes -- again sending Killer Frost wildly airborne!

Green Arrow reads the play, recognizing Mirror Master is the more savvy of the pair while he shields from the blast behind another parked car.

The illusion of protection is shattered when Mirror Master's hand extends from the car's window and grabs Green Arrow by the throat!

GA deals with the problem at its source -- violently throwing his elbow into the glass to shatter Mirror Master's portal!

He staggers backward into the street, drawing his bow in the direction of the attack. He falls back, but lands close to a puddle with Mirror Master lying in wait!

Hands once again extend impossibly from the two-dimensional plane, locking Green Arrow in an unanticipated choke hold!

It looks as if it's about to get a whole lot worse when Killer Frost recovers from the explosion and prepares to join in -- but Black Lightning calls her attention to an elemental face-off from a building ledge overhead!

Frost gladly answers the challenge -- unleashing a stream of bitter cold that engulfs Black Lightning and lifts him off the ledge!

She leaps into the air to make chase. Lightning cautiously fires off a bolt, but it fails to connect as Frost splits her legs and dodges it. She joins him on a rooftop and sends icy shards extending across. He has no choice but to jump!

Meanwhile on the street, Green Arrow does his best to dive clear of a volley of shots fired by Mirror Master's gun. He dives behind a car and pulls another arrow, but finds himself surrounded by an army of mirror clones!

Green Arrow slings arrows at record speed, shattering the duplicates while deducing that Mirror Master is more than likely playing with him.

The villain expresses his admiration for his opponent's feats while emerging from the reflection on a shattered piece of glass on the hood of GA's cover. Arrow grabs his pop-up attacker by the wrists and slams his forehead into a waiting nose!

The vicious blow prompts Mirror Master to drop to his knees and clutch his busted nose. Green Arrow uses the opportunity to run from a foe he can't beat, hoping to change the playing field by jacking a nearby jeep and making an exit.

A short drive away: Killer Frost blasts unrelenting cold in an effort to see if there's a temperature that will freeze electricity. It's all Black Lightning can do just to keep the cold at bay with his gleaming bolts.

The cavalry arrives in a stolen chariot, leaning out of the driver's side window to fire off an arrow that hits Killer Frost in the shoulder!

GA drives right through the battle zone, calling for a partner switch that Black Lightning is all too happy to take! He rockets towards Mirror Master on bolts of electricity -- finding himself suddenly surrounded by reflections on all sides!

Black Lightning flips through the air, avoiding a spray of Mirror Master's mirrored gunfire. He lands on one knee and returns fire -- unleashing a deadly charge that fills the empty street with a leaping field of electricity!

Knowing Mirror Master could slip through any tiny shard of reflective glass, he pushes himself to the maximum to cut off any angle of entry. Smoke fills the street as he finally relents, but just like GA, he overlooked the puddle between his feet with a grinning face and a hi-tech pistol slowly emerging.

Mirror Master's jibes give him away, allowing Black Lightning to unleash one final mighty charge that evaporates the puddle and leaves his opponent unconscious!

A few streets away its a scene of absolute winter as snow blasts through cold winds. The gale makes it impossible to fire arrows toward the source, so GA tries a different tact, aiming for a street light.

Killer Frost gleefully deflects the heavy metal pole with a focused blast of ice, but the distraction serves well enough to ease the cold front and allow Green Arrow one shot with a very special arrow.

It ignites as it strikes Killer Frost in the thigh. At first, she laughs at the feeble attempt to fire ice with fire, but this arrow is different. It was cooked up by Roy Harper. It's called "Greek Fire" -- a chemical batch that burns hotter in water!

The emerald archer has an arrow capable of neutralizing the flame, but he holds it back -- interrogating Killer Frost for the identity of who sent her. She writhes in agony in the flame, screaming the man's name: Dr. Light!

The Hammer...

Pretty brutal tactics on Green Arrow's part, but it gets a result.

Killer Frost gives up that she and Mirror Master were sent by Doctor Light with intent to keep the hero busy, and away from home, while Light is stalking his adopted daughter Mia Dearden.

Green Arrow is specifically targeted for his role in unraveling a plot against Light's old enemies: the Teen Titans, but it's all in the name of revenge for the indignity Light suffered when the Justice League erased part of his mind.

Green Arrow was actually one of the heroes who stood opposed to using magic to rewire Doctor Light's personality in flashback portions of Identity Crisis. The decision was determined by the majority votes of Hawkman, Zatanna, Atom, and The Flash. They were opposed by Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Green Lantern.

Black Lightning had nothing to do with the League at that time, or their dark dirty secret history. It probably would've occurred just before he established a friendship with Green Arrow, and received nomination for membership in Justice League of America #173. Readers of the recent and excellent Other History of the DC Universe will know he turned their offer down in the 1979 issue.

It wasn't until 2007 that Black Lightning finally relented and officially joined the ranks of the Justice League. We got to see him in action against Cheetah and the Injustice League shortly after. Fun, but it feels like all the classic hold-outs have been swept up in a tidal wave of everybody young 'n' old joining the big teams.

I kinda like Black Lightning doing his own thing, and having a more special kinship with Green Arrow. It certainly added to an already stacked period for GA!

This arc in particular packs a punch with significant post-Identity Crisis follow-ups with Doctor Light, a couple of appearances by Kimiyo Hoshi in a super-charged grudge match, as well as the usual Arrow family, and The Society's guest villains!

The battle against Mirror Master & Killer Frost essentially occupies the entirety of the issue and it's a pretty good, uncomplicated time.

It's always fun to see what happens when villains cross brands to test themselves against other iconic heroes. Mirror Master might cook up new ways to cause trouble for The Flash, but it's a whole new ball game when he goes after Green Arrow or Black Lightning.

That said, it doesn't quite feel like the unique chemistry is fully exploited in this one. It's kind of taken for granted that the good guys are winning on their way to bigger fish. The focus seems to be on the end result of their fight, rather than the scrimmage, which leaves some of the middle action a little hazy.

Black Lightning's method for flash-frying Mirror Master while he's coming out of a puddle is pretty ingenious. Taking Killer Frost down with a chemical fire is a little less inspired, given her penchant for absorbing heat. Credit to Judd Winick for pulling "Greek fire" out of real historic Middle Ages reference, and acknowledging that its property for burning in water makes it a unique weapon.

I'm not sure who's responsible for misidentifying Killer Frost by the alias of the deceased Crystal Frost. That one seems like it could be an editorial oversight compounded by DC's gradual restoration of pre-Crisis elements in the mid-2000s.

All references before and after, including Crystal Frost's brief return as a pseudo-zombie during Blackest Night, seem to confirm this should be taken as Louise Lincoln. You'd think DC would learn from this kind of confusion, but alas, we seem doomed to repeat these inconsistencies as they instate reboot after reboot.

The artwork is a little inconsistent on this one, but when Ron Garney gets a clean hit, it's a thing of beauty. He particularly seems to excel at drawing Green Arrow and Black Lightning. Inker Bill Reinhold compliments the detail in their faces with strong, black lines that seem to retain a soft, bendiness from the pencils.

I like the sharp detailing in that panel of Killer Frost pouring on the cold against Black Lightning, too. At other times the actions and rendering gets much less sharp, and reminds me of some of the incomplete looking treatment of Scott McDaniel when he isn't at his best. I don't know if there's an uncredited assist here, or if it's just coincidence he's a regular GA penciller around this time.

If you'd like to find more from Green Arrow or any of the subjects covered in this post you should check out the links throughout. Or dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of every featured fight in order of publisher, series, and issue!

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Winners: Black Lightning & Green Arrow
#17 (+3) Green Arrow
#66 (+41) Black Lightning
#363 (-114) Mirror Master (Evan McCulloch)
#978 (-19) Killer Frost (Louise Lincoln)

DEATHSTROKE versus GREEN ARROW

Crawling Through the Wreckage Part Three: An Eye For An Eye (DC)
Where: Green Arrow #62 When: July 2006
Why: Judd Winick How: Scott McDaniel

The Story So Far...
Green Arrow has spent a year reclaiming his life from the wreckage of Star City's destruction at the hands of Doctor Light and Merlyn. The time away allowed him to recover some of his lost fortune and retrain in new fighting arts. It also allowed his alter-ego Oliver Queen to campaign his way into the city of Mayor of Star City!

The more things change, the more they stay the same. As the emerald archer returns to the streets to fight new enemies, his life as Mayor brings a familiar nemesis back to confront him. Corporate rival Theodore Davis has employed the mercenary Deathstroke to setup a deadly rematch in the Mayor's Office!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Deathstroke 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Deathstroke 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Deathstroke 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Deathstroke 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Green Arrow 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Deathstroke 26 (Metahuman)

Deathstroke is widely recognized as one of the deadliest mercenaries in the DC Universe -- even if our record hasn't always reflected that.

Training and artificial enhancements granting access to 90% brain function means Deathstroke can conceive and enact a range of highly effective combat tactics and skills. Our best examples of this include fighting the Justice League to a standstill in Identity Crisis #3, and single-handedly defeating Marvel's X-Men in the classic Uncanny X-Men and New Teen Titans crossover one-shot!

Key to Deathstroke's effectiveness is his hand-to-hand fighting skills, which The Tape shows outclasses Green Arrow. Oliver Queen is a skilled martial artist, but his greatest point of difference has been specialized archery, as in the battles with The Penguin [Justice League of America #135] and Black Hand [Green Lantern: Rebirth #1].

Deathstroke's sword and speedy reflexes are his best weapon against Green Arrow's trick projectiles, but GA doesn't always need to rely on a bow to make the most of them. We saw him endure a fight with Brick long enough to wield arrows by hand for the win in Green Arrow #45. He also successfully rammed an arrow in Deathstroke's bad eye during the Identity Crisis fight.

That example showed both that Deathstroke basically outclasses Green Arrow, but that GA can also fight hard enough to overcome any perceived disparity.

Today's confrontation is coming after a one year break that allowed Ollie to re-train in new fighting disciplines. We saw the fruits of his labour when he faced Red Hood with the skills of a swordsman in Green Arrow #71. Sharpening his skills with a blade is a good way to offset some of the disparity with Deathstroke, who used his to cut down Phantom Lady in Infinite Crisis #1!

Green Arrow outranks Deathstroke in the Fight Club Rankings, but The Terminator stands well ahead in The Tape. So far their history has ended in an inconclusive draw. Let's see if we can break the tie with today's featured battle!

History: Draw (0-0-1)
The Tape: Deathstroke Ranking: Green Arrow (#23)

What Went Down...
A poisoned dart to the throat silences the objections of Mayoral advisor Frederick Tuckman. Mayor Queen can only grit his teeth and ask the intruding assassin what it is that he wants while nerve toxin floods Tuckman's body.

Deathstroke has been hired to kill the Mayor of Star City, but he fires another dart into Oliver Queen's chest and promises him total ruination before death. A complete political assassination from a petty mercenary to a bitter foe.

Lying on the floor of his public office, Mayor Queen clutches his chest while producing a small electronic device. A beep from the telephone is the only warning Deathstroke gets that The Mayor has wired his office to blow!

A Kord Industries miniature explosive was small enough to evade Deathstroke's earlier sweep of the office, as was the armored vest beneath the Mayor's shirt.

He produces bow & quiver and fires an arrow into Deathstroke's shoulder while the mercenary is still embedded in the office wall. His incredible mind processing what has occurred, The Terminator counter fires with a handful of small, self-propelling explosive beads!

Green Arrow leaps clear of the blast, but it buys Deathstroke the time he needs to retrieve his sword and go on the offensive! A single, precision swing of the blade cuts three arrows clean out of the air!

More arrows go astray, forcing Green Arrow to tumble clear of the rampaging Deathstroke. His sword completely cuts through the Mayor's desk, leaving him vulnerable to an arrow to the rear. A speedy flip saves him from its point!

Deathstroke lands in a dominant position over his target, but Green Arrow has prepared for an attack on his office. The exterior window shatters as a cable and dart flies straight for the assassin's chest -- dousing him in adhesive!

Another automated trigger yanks Deathstroke out the window by the cable attached to his chest, onto the roof and into the seat of a catapult! As he's fired into the city air he finally realizes he's been played: it was Green Arrow who hired him in the first place!

The speed and trajectory is too great for Deathstroke to shift his landing: a great open pit with reinforced walls he can't dig his sword into! When he hits the bottom, a ten-inch deep soup of adhesive bogs him to the ground.

Green Arrow looms over the pit and draws a sword before diving in!

A surprised Deathstroke blocks the diving sword slash and admires the archer's new weapon. The blade's quality is matched only by Green Arrow's ability to wield it. He swings it deftly, forcing The Terminator to duck and avoid!

The adhesive surrounding his feet slows Deathstroke, while Green Arrow moves faster than ever -- unhindered thanks to specially treated boots. The bowman leaps gracefully over his foe, while Deathstroke swings at air.

The archer locks eyes with his target and attacks head-on. Deathstroke swings wildly just to meet his attacker's blade at equal measure. Their swords spark as they collide and Deathstroke realizes his opponent has undergone a change!

They cross swords again and Deathstroke manages to drag his feet out of the mire to jump and lunge forward. He's forced right back down into a deep lean backward as Green Arrow continues to press on.

GA leaps over Deathstroke again and successfully slashes his back!

Deathstroke swings wildly with his sword, but Green Arrow leaps clear and forces an evasive duck with his own blade. His fighting style has changed so much after a year's re-training than Deathstroke knows he can't possibly adjust to match him. He pulls the pin on a flash grenade and covers his eyes!

The blinding light leaves Green Arrow momentarily dazed, allowing Deathstroke to fire off a grappling hook. His escape seems assured until a gunshot severs the tie that would take him to safety and he notices the guns.

Armed with armor piercing rounds, a sniper division of the National Guard surrounds the pit, poised to shoot by order of Mayor Oliver Queen. He thought of everything. Deathstroke is under arrest.

The Hammer...
That's one way to stop a hired killer! Green Arrow laid the perfect trap, utilizing everything at his disposal: prep time, his re-trained fighting style, the ultimate trick arrow, and the special resources available to the Mayor of Star City!

It's nice to be back talking Green Arrow -- especially with an opponent as worthy as Deathstroke! Theirs is an interesting rivalry that almost shouldn't have the chemistry that it does. There isn't a whole lot that innately or thematically ties the two characters together. It just seems to work.

I suppose some of the appeal lies in a test of fighting ability. Green Arrow is the expert marksman with competent fighting skill. Deathstroke is the venerable fighting machine better known for his close quarters skills. Throw them together and see who can get the better of the other, or slip out of mortal danger.

There is some overlap between their roles as senior figures in the lives of extra-ordinary young students. I'd call the rivalry an upgrade from beating up Robin and the kids in the Teen Titans, but without that history, there wouldn't be a Deathstroke to begin with, so maybe I need to get that old bias in check.

Of course, Deathstroke matches up more naturally with a lot of the adult DC Universe, operating best as a freelance mercenary with enough character and gimmicks to be interesting unto himself. The suspension of disbelief is a little less strained when he fails to apply his supreme skills to beating adult heroes.

Success rate has a way of undermining the legend of Deathstroke ever so slightly. From six fights we've recorded three outright victories: wins against Robin, the X-Men, and a shared victory over the Freedom Fighters.

Attempts to parlay the success of the character into a villain-driven solo series no doubt helps address success rate, but also inevitably balances the books with forgettable patsies invented to die without collapsing a major franchise. At some point we will take a closer look at a Deathstroke starring title, but it hasn't been as attractive a spotlight as other battles involving better known heroes.

Today's featured fight owes a lot to the brief but popular encounter in Identity Crisis #3, which was published just a couple of years prior. Without that issue, we might not regard Green Arrow and Deathstroke as the rivals they are.

Seeing Deathstroke go all-out against the Justice League was part of what made Identity Crisis memorably satisfying. It helped broadcast the potential of the character, and finally seeded more regular appearances in the larger DCU as a member of groups like The Society and Injustice League.

Flash forward to 2020 and Deathstroke is even starring in his own animated series for CW Seed: Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons. This expands upon the character's live-action appearances in Arrow, Titans, and a much discussed cameo in the Justice League movie. Plenty more reason to talk Slade Wilson!

If you haven't had your Deathstroke fix you can check out this issue in full collected in Green Arrow: Crawling Through The Wreckage. Using the Amazon link provided to shop will help support Secret Wars on Infinite Earths at no extra cost!

You can also find more from both of today's characters by following links throughout this post, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured battles in order of publisher, series, and issue! You can also get daily links to topical fights by following on Twitter and Facebook!

Today's result propels Green Arrow into the highly disputed #20 rank! He edges out Steel, with some of the biggest DC heroes hot on their heels! Check out the 2019 Rankings Recap for the movers and shakers of last year, and keep your eyes on the bottom of new entries for updates!

Winner: Green Arrow
#20 (+3) Green Arrow
#71 (-2) Deathstroke

PENGUIN versus GREEN ARROW

"Crisis in Eternity!" (DC)
Where: Justice League of America #135 When: October 1976 Why: E. Nelson Bridwell & Martin Pasko How: Dick Dillin & Frank McLaughlin

The Story So Far...
King Kull, ancient Lord of Beast-Men, has devised a means to penetrate the fabric of space and time to invade The Rock of Eternity! Trapping the gods within in a state of molecular slow-motion, he begins his revenge on the humanity that supplanted him -- but not unopposed!

The fleet of foot god of speed, Mercury, escaped The Rock of Eternity moments before King Kull's attack, allowing him to traverse the multiverse to recruit the Justice League of Earth-One, the Justice Society of Earth-Two, and the Squadron of Justice of Earth-S!

King Kull has recruited his own small army of allies to bedevil the heroes of three worlds. Acting under the orders the Atlantean Queen Clea; Penguin and Ibac work to construct a machine that will restore her reign -- only to be set upon by the two-man force of Green Arrow and Spy Smasher!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Green Arrow 2 (Average)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Green Arrow 2 (Average)
Stamina: Green Arrow 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Green Arrow 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Green Arrow 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Green Arrow 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Green Arrow 24 (Champion)

Once upon a time The Penguin was considered one of the premier opponents for Batman, but over the years he's been better identified as a businessman, and mastermind, who pulls the strings from behind a façade of legitimacy.

Though dapper of dress and stout of frame - Penguin has proven himself plenty street wise! Ruthless aggression and an arsenal of weapons concealed in trick umbrellas more than makes up for his limits as a hand-to-hand combatant!

We saw Penguin's always reliable machine-gun-brolly in action when he took on the scarlet speedster in Flash #210. Hopelessly outmatched, he was also relying on local muscle from Keystone City to help bridge the divide. In today's featured fight, it's slightly more even as he crosses umbrella gimmicks with trick arrows!

Green Arrow appears to have a lot of conventional advantages over Penguin in the combat arena. His superior athleticism, and training in the martial arts and archery are an easy path to victory. He's relied on these skills to overcome seemingly superior foes, such as the super-humanly strong Brick [in Green Arrow #45 & #60], and Black Hand in Green Lantern: Rebirth #1.

If Penguin can plant his feet and turn the fight into an old fashioned shootout, he should be able to pin the archer down and dictate the fight on his terms. He also technically has the super-powered Ibac in tow, but he'll have his hands full with Spy Smasher. This is strictly mano-a-mano. Let's see what happened...

The Tape: Green Arrow Ranking: Green Arrow (#34)

What Went Down...
The villainous Ibac completes construction of a mysterious machine under The Penguin's watchful monocle when suddenly another arrives by air!

From the craft steps the heroic twosome of Green Arrow and Spy Smasher! Ibac recognizes the latter, prompting the villains to split-up to take on their respective foes individually!

Remembering Green Arrow from a previous encounter with the Justice League, Penguin opens up with the barrel side of his rainbow coloured bumbershoot!

The weapon discharges a colourful burst of offensive fireworks, but the flames are quickly snuffed when Green Arrow slings off a CO₂ arrow!

The Penguin switches tactics, attempting to fight aerosol with parasol when his umbrella begins spewing a cloud of noxious gas!

The green fumes spell certain doom, but GA has another trick in his quiver, producing a fan-tipped arrow that blows the smoke right back at The Penguin!

The backfired attack engulfs Penguin in his own gas, sending the squat super-villain into a gentle slumber.

The Hammer...
Short, sharp, and straight to the point!

The Penguin did his best to upset the emerald archer, but this time he simply wasn't well enough equipped to deal with Green Arrow's legendary marksmanship, and bag of trick arrows!

The victory helps ensure the Justice League thwarts the grand designs of Queen Clea and her band of unlikely accomplices. The scheme to regain control of her underwater domain is itself part of an even bigger plot hatched & overseen by the watchful eye of King Kull. His mission: destroy humanity on three worlds!

Kull's revenge is part of the once-annual tradition of crossovers between the Justice League on Earth-One, and the Justice Society of Earth-Two. Per the villain's origins, this time the 'Crisis on Multiple Earths' runs three-ways, to include Earth-S: home of the wicked Ibac, and his arch-nemesis Captain Marvel!

There's no shortage of action in this, or adjoining issues. Truth be told, the clash between Green Arrow and The Penguin is a pretty small slice. Sometimes it's those little, easily overlooked battles that can be the most fun to dig up.

Comparisons between Green Arrow and Batman run deep into their earliest days in print. It would be generous to say that Green Arrow was merely influenced by The Dark Knight. Replete with his own equivalent kid sidekick and Arrowcar, the wealthy bowman borrowed liberally from his counterpart in the Golden Age.

The pair have grown much more distinct over the decades, but flirtations with their past similarity still occur from time to time. We saw trouble in Gotham spill over into Star City when Red Hood had memorable off-brand run-ins with Brick [Green Arrow #70], Green Arrow [Green Arrow #71], and Mia Dearden - the then-new Speedy [Green Arrow #72].

GA arguably doubled-down on gimmicked gadgets to a far greater degree, making the match-up with Penguin an interesting twist on his usual battles with Batman. Possessing an arsenal of trick umbrellas made to fire similar gimmick weapons, he's a natural foe for Green Arrow. In fact, this is a rematch of sorts!

In the earlier Justice League of America #61, Penguin briefly assumed the identity of Green Arrow, magically trading places with a similarly disguised Batman! It was all part of a convoluted plot to retire Green Arrow and jail the Justice League. It all unraveled when the out-of-costume Oliver Queen got the drop on his unsuspecting imposter, kayoing him in the street with a blunt arrow.

On that day, Penguin was canny enough to upset the green-garbed Batman, but he never even saw it coming when the real deal hit him from behind with an arrow! Today's clash wasn't exactly the rematch of the century, but it was a mite more interesting a test of their respective weaponry.

I got a kick out of the small skirmish, and it was a nice opportunity to talk about two heroes making waves in the domain of live-action. Stephen Amell is set to retire the role of Oliver Queen when Arrow wraps at the end of this year. Meanwhile Colin Farrell has emerged as the unlikely actor to play The Penguin when The Batman arrives in theatres, 2021. Fair enough!

If you'd like to get the full story surrounding today's battle, you can find the entire issue collected in Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 4! Use the Amazon purchase link provided and you'll not only get yourself a great deal -- you'll help support Secret Wars on Infinite Earths at no additional cost!

We'll return to more of the crossover clashes found in this issue at some point in the future. You'll be able to find those and so much more superhero smackdown in the Secret Archive: a complete index of every featured fight in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Be sure to follow links throughout this post to connect with more from the characters featured. Or simply follow The Comic Book Fight Club on Twitter and Facebook for daily links to battles inspired by topics of the day!

Winner: Green Arrow
#23 (+11) Green Arrow
#932 (-11) The Penguin

SINESTRO versus GREEN LANTERN & GREEN ARROW

Force of Will (DC)
Where: Green Lantern: Rebirth #4 When: March 2005 Why: Geoff Johns How: Ethan Van Sciver

The Story So Far...
He was once called the greatest Green Lantern of all time, but Hal Jordan of Earth was disgraced when he succumbed to his darkest desires after the destruction of his home - Coast City. He became the villain Parallax, until a moment of self-sacrifice ended his tortured life.

Years later, Coast City has spontaneously returned. Now the human anchor to vengeful spirit The Spectre - Hal Jordan learns the truth about his years as Parallax. He was a vessel for another entity, one born of pure fear and trapped within the central power battery of the Green Lantern Corps. For years it had manifested as a yellow impurity in the Green Lantern's power, but the creature known as Parallax is ready to be reborn!

With the power of The Spectre within Parallax's grasp - Green Lantern Kyle Rayner and Green Arrow scramble to formulate a plan of attack. Little do they realize - Parallax isn't the only villain wielding yellow energy who has returned!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Sinestro 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Sinestro 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Sinestro 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Green Lantern 6 (Generator)
Agility: Green Arrow 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Green Arrow 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Green Lantern 7 (Cosmic Power)


A villain reborn! Heroes on the ropes! The Secret Wars on Infinite Earths are playing host to a two-on-one handicap match! We've seen the competitors facing off under similar conditions - but we've never seen them quite like this!

Thaal Sinestro is sinister by name, sinister by nature. Once considered the greatest of the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps, he was exposed by upstart recruit Hal Jordan for the over zealous fear monger he truly was! Overthrown on his home planet Korugar and banished from the Corps by its masters, The Guardians of the Universe, he was exiled to the Anti-Matter Universe of Qward!

Sinestro soon came into possession of a new yellow power ring crafted by the Weaponers of Qward. With this ring, Sinestro carried out his plans for revenge and tyranny! In time, the true source of its power would be revealed to be fear, around which an entire Sinestro Corps would form, using yellow rings to inspire terror in much the way Green Lanterns wield willpower!

In this instance, the Green Lantern that Sinestro has come to bedevil is Kyle Rayner! The Earthman of Sector 2814 was the last recruit after Hal Jordan was possessed by the fear entity Parallax and destroyed the entire Corps - Sinestro included! In ten years of publication, Rayner would earn his place by proving to be every bit as tenacious as the man he had replaced!

In his past adventures, we've seen Kyle Rayner contend with inter-dimensional threats from the Marvel Universe: Terrax [Green Lantern/Silver Surfer] and Silver Surfer [Marvel versus DC #3]. His results would vary, but years after this appearance during the Sinestro Corps War, he'd find some success in another two-on-one involving Sinestro [Green Lantern #25]! That time he had Hal Jordan at his back -- this time he has friend and mentor: Green Arrow!

The wealthy playboy turned self-styled vigilante is an expert marksman with a preference for a bow and arrow. His quiver is stocked with a cutting edge arsenal of trick arrows that keeps him in stead with the deadliest of enemies. An important contingency through his tenure as a longstanding member of the Justice League and best friend to Hal Jordan!

Green Arrow fought alongside Kyle Rayner during a JLA takedown by Deathstroke [Identity Crisis #3], but we've seen him have far better results against the likes of GL villain Black Hand [Green Lantern: Rebirth #1], super powerhouse Brick [Green Arrow #45], and highly trained fighter Red Hood [Green Arrow #71]. He also fought in the massive final battle of the Sinestro Corps War - which the good guys won [Green Lantern #25]!

Green Arrow is arguably out of his depth in the cosmic clutches of Sinestro, but he and Rayner have developed a good rapport in their short time together, and could easily develop a joint plan of attack. Unfortunately for them, Rayner's already been through the ringer by the time Sinestro comes a callin' to The JLA Watchtower. That does mean they have the home ground advantage, but with Sinestro at full strength - that might not mean much. Let's find out...

The Math: Sinestro Ranking: Green Arrow (#27)

What Went Down...
He stands in mid-air above the wounded Green Arrow and Green Lantern. Arms folded, face shifting from scowl to sneer. He burns with the aura of an intense, golden energy: fear - his to command! Yellow constructs shaped like arrows, buried in the body of the emerald archer. In spite of what recent history would have the cosmos believe - Sinestro is very much alive!

The once great Green Lantern has come to confront the last who took up the Guardian's burden: Kyle Rayner! He throws a wall of yellow spikes at the young ring slinger, who manages a shield just in time to slow them down!

The unrelenting impact of the spikes shatters all constructs - green and yellow - like fine shards of glass! Green Lantern is the first to regroup, forging a giant longsword to swing at the hovering villain. This too shatters!

Skilled in the art of making constructs with a power ring, Sinestro hones his own yellow longsword into a narrowing projection that pierces Kyle Rayner's hand!

He turns his hollow, burning gaze towards the Green Arrow. Hal Jordan's friend wore the color of will power by chance. Sinestro despises it! Ignoring the archer's quips, he forms a giant skeletal hand and brutally slams him against The Watchtower wall! He calls to Rayner, "Don't let him... get near Hal!"

The Green Lantern struggles to tend to his own wounds as the yellow impurity of Parallax infects his ring. He's ill prepared when Sinestro gathers his mastery over fear, channelling it into a swirling storm of yellow fire!

Striding through the halls of heroism, Sinestro defiles it all with his energy, his words, his very presence. He blasts Rayner through the Watchtower meeting room, through his own chair. He decries his very existence - an alley rate who was never meant to be a Green Lantern!

Kyle ignores the gnawing of the fear impurity and launches himself at Sinestro! His fist drives the villain backward into the surrounding electronic structure of the Watchtower! Sinestro throws his whole body back at the young hero - leaping from the wreckage!

The gambit was enough to distract Sinestro from Green Arrow, who's been crawling across the floor desperately trying to reach the Green Lantern battery. Now that he has Rayner pinned down in yellow bondage, he's free to intervene in the archer's plot - but he doesn't. Even if Green Arrow has Hal Jordan's ring, Sinestro is certain Oliver Queen's will is far too cynical to power it...

Jaded though his outlook may be, Oliver Queen's will is still green enough! With a single incredible push - he projects an emerald arrow right at the heart of disbelieving Sinestro!

The heroic trump card is enough to slow the unimpressed villain, who taunts his lack of will. The demolished Watchtower does the rest with a massive explosion!

Rayner regroups just in time to pull Green Arrow to safety! Exhausted from his attempt to use the ring, he's forced to lean on the Green Lantern as the pair hobble deeper into the space station. Running from the inevitable.

Another explosion throws the battered heroes to the ground! Emerging from the swirling yellow fire is Sinestro - triumphant! He lords over them and issues a decree: if they beg - he will end their lives quickly.

The Hammer...
Team Green gave it their all, but victory with extreme prejudice belongs to: Sinestro!

The heroes may have lost the fight, but damn did they get some awesome moments!

It's been a while since I last revisited Green Lantern: Rebirth. I'd forgotten some of the finer details, but one thing I was very much looking forward to featuring was that moment Green Arrow picks up the ring. Pretty darn cool!

It's easy to forget just how much of a game changer the first Rebirth really was. At this point, we've spent more than a decade enjoying Hal Jordan stories anew. So much so, it could be argued the mistakes that required a Rebirth have all since been repeated!

Green Lantern: Rebirth may be remembered for the elevator pitch of Hal Jordan's return to the living, but as we touched on during Guy Gardner Reborn #1, it's ultimate purpose was restoring an entire lost chapter of the sprawling DC Universe!

This was Sinestro's rebirth. Guy Gardner's rebirth. Parallax's rebirth. The entire Green Lantern Corps' rebirth! It was all brought back after far too long away!

Green Arrow's role at the fore of Rebirth made a lot of sense. He wasn't just a hard travelling best buddy to Hal Jordan -- he was also a still recent return from the grave thanks to a 2000 relaunch by Kevin Smith and Phil Hester. Another restoration for an icon fandom had reason to miss.

The genius of the early to mid 2000s wasn't just piecing together lost icons. The long sought return of Hal Jordan wasn't the end of Kyle Rayner. Green Arrow's warm welcome back wasn't a farewell to Connor Hawke. This was a time to both restore classic icons, enhance and embellish them with modern storytelling, and explore their relationship to a new generation of legacy heroes.

Of course, nobody had complete confidence that Kyle Rayner would make it out of Rebirth alive. I daresay many expected the opposite. Part of the fun of reading was a genuine sense of uncertainty! Even the much hyped return of the Silver Age Green Lantern had an air of mystery to it. Even as late as Green Lantern: Rebirth #4 - the heroes are still defending the corpse of Hal Jordan, while his spirit still wanders as the tenured host to The Spectre!

As Sinestro threatens the lives of the heroes at the end of today's feature fight, the ring flies off of Green Arrow's finger - returning to the body of Hal Jordan in a last page splash that announces his reanimation! The moment everyone was waiting for with only two issues to go! Kyle Rayner? Down - but not out!

The nurtured Rebirth under writer Geoff Johns would continue for the rest of the decade, giving DC Comics some of its most successful assaults on the sales charts. Unbelievably, the seeds of the Sinestro Corps War, the Lanterns of the spectrum, and the Blackest Night are all planted in these six issues!

With so much positive to learn from, it's such a shame DC Comics went down a path of destruction once again. In 2016, they attempt a line-wide "Rebirth" to restore some of the elements eliminated by the New 52 relaunch, while inserting some confounding new ones [see; Hero of the Week: Dr. Manhattan]. It remains to be seen if they can find their groove and get back to their best.

This brand new DC Comics Rebirth is the inspiration for revisiting some of the old ones throughout the month of July. In the past few weeks we've returned to Crisis on Infinite Earths, Legends and Guy Gardner Reborn. Next up we flash forward to another time an iconic hero was reborn for the modern age!

If you're still hungry for more stories, why not go diving through past features in the Secret Archive Index? There you'll find a complete reference list for all the past features on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths!

Get ahead of the Rebirth by checking out the collected edition of Green Lantern: Rebirth via Amazon purchase link provided! It's convenient, and helps out the site with no cost to you!

Winner: Sinestro
#97 (+206) Sinestro
#27 (--) Green Arrow
#103 (-11) Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)