BIZARRO & PARASITE versus MON-EL & GUARDIAN

Man Of Valor: Part Two (DC)
Where: Superman #695 When: February 2010
Why: James Robinson How: Bernard Chang

The Story So Far...
The creation of a new planet populated with Kryptonians leads the world's governments to outlaw all survivors of the distant planet save for Superman. To curb tensions, the Man of Steel chooses to relocate to New Krypton, leaving Earth in the hands of capable understudies.

Hailing from the planet Daxam: Mon-El is a man aspiring to write a new history for himself as a hero of Metropolis. Possessing similar powers to Superman under Earth's yellow sun, he dedicates himself to following the Man of Steel's heroic example as a man of Valor.

Having escaped the clutches of Gen. Sam Lane and Project 7734; Mon-El is at large in the city, where he'll be forced to battle the monster who helped him escape: Parasite! Too bad he's already been battling Bizarro and is now caught between both!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Bizarro 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Guardian 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Mon-El 5 (Super-Speed)
Stamina: Bizarro 6 (Generator)
Agility: Guardian 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Guardian 4 (Trained)
Energy: Mon-El 5 (Lasers)
Total: Mon-El 28 (Metahuman)

We've got a titanic tag team coming to fight in today's feature, and three big characters debuting on the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths! We've gotta know what we're dealing with. Let's take a look at the players!

Bizarro needs no introduction! Or does that mean, he does need one..? He's the confused, backwards-meaning doppelganger of Superman who hails from a Bizarro World full of twisted inversions! Despite flipping conceits of the world on their head; Bizarro possesses much the same super-strength and invulnerability of Superman! He used that might to pummel Human Bomb to death in a bloody encounter back in Infinite Crisis #1.

Parasite is another classic arch-villain to Superman! This incarnation is Rudy Jones: a shady STAR Labs janitor who was accidentally exposed to a rare type of radiation. The material mutated his body so it metabolizes energy, allowing him to sate his constant hunger by draining the life and powers from his victims. Doing so can temporarily grant him their abilities, and also increase his own super-human strength and durability.

This terrible twosome clearly spells trouble for the fine folks of Metropolis, particularly as Superman is off-world visiting New Krypton! Fortunately, the Man of Steel's slack is picked up by some powerful friends!

The man known as Mon-El (or Valor) is in fact Lar Gand of the planet Daxam. Much like Kryptonians; Daxamite bodies process the radiation of Earth's yellow sun, manifesting incredible abilities in the process! Mon-El possesses roughly equivalent powers to Superman, including: phenomenally enhanced strength, speed, stamina, durability, heat vision, and flight.

Unfortunately, an innate weakness to lead will send a Daxamite into acute anaphylaxis. That means speeding bullets are best left dodged! The widespread use of lead in human life means Mon-El is constantly at risk, but treatments supplied by allies such as Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl, or Superman protect him to varying degrees. To deal with unexpected power loss, he received hand-to-hand combat training from The Guardian!

James Harper was a cop that took up the costumed vigilante game when criminals skirted the law one too many times! A gifted natural athlete with impeccable genetics; Guardian came to keep company with the Justice Society of America and All-Star Squadron! He served during the Second World War and was so impressive: Project Cadmus created a youthful clone to serve as head of security in the modern day. The clone escaped, replacing the original Jim Harper after he was murdered while investigating Cadmus.

Bizarro & Parasite are big time threats individually -- making them a potent pairing for a potentially powerless duo! Even at full tilt: Mon-El would have his work cut out for him fighting both bad guys alone!

Speed, agility, and finesse are the obvious advantages Valor and Guardian can leverage to turn the tables on their super-powered opponents. A game of keep-away minimizes the impact of Parasite's power-stealing. Fast maneuvering is one way they might be able to turn Parasite against a clumsy Bizarro.

The Tape: Mon-El & Guardian Ranking: Bizarro (#149)

What Went Down...
With his Daxamite powers failing him: Mon-El draws upon hand-to-hand combat training from Guardian to prepare for the oncoming threat of Bizarro and Parasite! As the Superman-esque villain swoops toward his target -- Mon-El slides along the Metropolis street to turn Bizarro's momentum against him!

The deft maneuver sends Bizarro flipping out-of-control into Parasite! It also buys enough time for Guardian and the Science Police to arrive on the scene. They offer a cover of gunfire while Mon-El collects himself and his super-powers.

Restored - Mon-El leaps through the air to deliver a flying punch to Bizarro!

With Bizarro taken care of; Metropolis Science Police handle Parasite, ensnaring him in energy rings that render his powers painfully uncontrollable. He howls in agony and fear for his fate returning to General Sam Lane. He finds little sympathy from his present captors.

Meanwhile, Mon-El takes to the skies with Bizarro, hitting him with fists of steel and point-blank blasts of heat vision!

As the aerial duo rise above the Metropolis skyscrapers and even the clouds -- Bizarro slips loose and makes a break for Bizarro World! In his twisted speak, he threatens to return with a Bizarro counterpart of Mon-El!

As Bizarro streaks into outer space, Mon-El opts to return to Earth, leaving the villain to return to his distorted mirror world.

The Hammer...
Victory can come in many different forms. In this case: it's a judo flip that sets Parasite up to be detained by the Science Police, while Bizarro runs to outer space to escape from a Mon-El beating!

Three Science Police officers shared the win, using advanced tech to detain Parasite in energy rings. One is identified as Officer Blaylock, while the other is Officer Romundi, aka; Car-Vex -- a Kryptonian sleeper agent embedded in the SP by General Zod!

Mon-El and the Science Police may've got the glory, but that takes nothing away from their ally The Guardian. It was his teachings that gave Mon-El the ability and confidence to stand his ground when his powers were failing. Guardian also bought Mon-El valuable time he needed to recover, leading the charge against Bizarro with hi-tech pistols once he and the SP reached the scene.

I'm not talking Guardian up to influence the result -- but the DC hero is appearing as part of our unofficial sequel to Contest of Champions. You can check out The Contest: Guardian vs Defensor for more on what that match-up entails, and how the result will have panned out.

Today's featured fight will hopefully provide a little extra context for the slightly obscure hero. Guardian has undergone several revamps since his 1942 debut, struggling to maintain metropolitan relevance under the shadow of Superman.

As the other shield-wielding hero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, he runs the risk of being thought of as second-rate. I think there's a certain charm to this type of heroic go-getter, though. World Against Superman was a nice chance to give a character like this more time to breathe. Even if he's obviously playing second-banana to another second-fiddle in this particular story.

I actually originally wrote most of this entry a couple of years ago, when Mon-El was appearing on the CW's Supergirl series. For one reason or another I didn't finish, but was eager to return to the file, both to touch upon Guardian, and make note of the other major characters appearing in the short skirmish.

This is a triple-debut for Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: registering the first recorded battles for Guardian, Mon-El, and Parasite! 2020 continues to be a big year for adding more characters to the already robust Fight Club Rankings!

It's a little bit of a surprise these characters weren't touched upon sooner. Parasite in particular ranks among Superman's best known villains. The ones that aren't Lex Luthor or Brainiac, that is. His teaming up with Bizarro is fun, but hopefully we'll get a more substantial battle on the record.

I'm also interested to look more closely at the star of this story. Mon-El, for all intents and purposes, is another stand-in for Superman, and I'm interested to explore what makes him distinct in a DCU increasingly flush with stand-ins, if indeed anything actually does.

If you'd like to get a taste of Mon-El and Guardian for yourself, you can read this issue collected in Superman: Mon-El - Man of Valor. Use the Amazon link provided and you can get yourself a good deal while Amazon supports the site at no cost to you!

You can find more superhero smackdown by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights organized by publisher, series, and issue number. Or discover new and exciting outcomes by following links throughout each post!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has documented well over 600 comic book battles and counting! If you like reading about superhero smackdown, you can help make it all possible by subscribing to Patreon. Patrons receive illuminating schedule updates, special request options, and extra voting polls.

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Winners: Mon-El & The Science Police
#335 (new) Mon-El
#336 (new) Car-Vex
#337 (new) Science Police Officer Blaylock
#338 (new) Guardian (Jim Harper)
#341 (-149) Bizarro
#917 (new) Parasite (Rudy Jones)

SOLOMON GRUNDY versus BIZARRO

Christened On A Tuesday (DC)
Where: Solomon Grundy #2 When: June 2009
Why: Scott Kolins How: Scott Kolins

The Story So Far...
19th century Gotham City was home to an evil soul called Cyrus Gold. With blood on his hands, he was cursed upon death to forever rise again from his unmarked grave in Slaughter Swamp! Now he terrorizes the modern world as Solomon Grundy!

Caught in an endless cycle of death and resurrection, the shambling monster is forever drawn to new acts of evil as an unstoppable undead creature - until now?...

A mysterious force has given Cyrus Gold seven days to end his curse, but dark forces conspire to prolong the agony of Solomon Grundy! Waylaid by The Demon Etrigan, a murderous Cyrus Gold was restored only to meet another grim end in a scrapyard. Now Solomon Grundy is loose in Gotham and fate would have it that a LexCorp transport carrying Bizarro now lies in his path!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Bizarro 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Solomon Grundy 2 (Average)
Speed: Bizarro 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Bizarro 6 (Generator)
Agility: Solomon Grundy 2 (Average)
Fighting: Solomon Grundy 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Bizarro 3 (Explosives)
Total: Bizarro 24 (Champion)

Last time we looked at Solomon Grundy #2: it was a second round bout with The Demon! Now we're back for the main event! They're big, weird, and ugly -- but who'll come out on top when super-villains meet in a cover clash?

Solomon Grundy is exceptionally strong, but the supernatural slugger from Slaughter Swamp hasn't had a good run on The Comic Book Fight Club! He's become a bit of a punching bag in the modern age, shambling through quick done-in-one fights that put the hero over before they move on to bigger fish.

2004 was a bad year when Sand and the Justice Society toppled Grundy in JSA #65, followed by Hawkman, Hawkgirl, & Monolith in a team takedown a month later, in Hawkman #33! Thing's weren't much better a few years later: Grundy was cooked in the first round with The Demon, before he was sent back to the grave by a lethal underwater loss in the aforementioned finish!

A one-on-one bout of sewer smackdown against Killer Croc delivered Grundy's only recorded win - a vicious victory in Faces of Evil: Solomon Grundy #1! It's a far cry to the days of troubling Superman and Green Lantern, but it was a fine demonstration of Grundy's strength and ferocity, never the less!

Superman usually got the better of Grundy in the end, which could be an indicator for his chances with Bizarro! The chalk-faced doppelganger is only a step off from The Man of Steel when it comes to raw strength and endurance!

Bizarro's powers can be a little inconsistent, but popular inversions include fire breath and freeze vision. Both could cause problems for Grundy, whose body is a supernaturally durable compound derived from swamp bog and wood!

Fortunately for his opponents - strategy isn't Bizarro's forte! His backwards logic goes beyond bizarro-speak, sometimes reducing him to a stumbling idiot. That doesn't mean he's any less deadly, though. The "pretty lights" of the Human Bomb's explosions only fuelled Bizarro's brutal beatdown in Infinite Crisis #1!

Solomon Grundy is known to be tactically challenged, but his best chance for victory may be catching Bizarro wrong-footed! Otherwise, the bruiser from Bizarro World may just be too naturally powerful for the overgrown zombie!

The Tape: Bizarro Ranking: Bizarro (#178)

What Went Down...
Rising from the squashed carcass of Cyrus Gold -- the monster Solomon Grundy is in a rage! He crushes the heads of two LexCorps truck drivers and assaults their radio. The disruption awakens the living cargo inside!

Unharmed by the explosion he ignited: Bizarro emerges from the smoldering wrecked carriage! "Bizarro no am free! Me no like free!"

Grundy was made to pause by the explosion, mildly perplexed at the strange being emerging from the fire. Bizarro grabs the shambling monster by the arm and examines him, perceiving a "tree-man" with his unique vision. This triggers memories of an "ugly ugly tree" and love in Bizarro, who hugs his friend!

Solomon Grundy doesn't take kindly to the unexpected act of affection! The monster articulates his aggression, before sending Bizarro hurtling away with an all mighty punch! The friendship has apparently ended!

Bizarro rockets out of the wreckage of the overpass he crash-landed in, flying a beeline for Solomon Grundy! He hits his target perfectly, driving Grundy's body through a nearby building - leaving another explosion in their wake!

Grundy attempts to free himself, smashing his massive fists against either side of Bizarro's head! The blow briefly stuns the aerial villain, leaving both to plummet uncontrollably towards an electric power station below!

The hulking bodies crash through wires and power coils erupting in a blinding flash of electricity! The durable pairing survives lethal voltage, rising on hands and knee with a sizzle and crackle of lingering charge.

Bizarro laughs at the tickle and renews his appreciation for Grundy, "Me hate you -- what your name?" Maddened by Bizarro's inverted reference, Grundy dives at the well-meaning menace! Bizarro awkwardly floats clear.

Missing the target only seems to fuel Solomon Grundy's rage. Moments later, the pair are airborne once more - on a collision course with an extravagant Gotham City penthouse! They crash through the glass of a greenhouse!

Bizarro comments on the "ugly plant room" as a flower pot smashes over his head. The sight of Bizarro with a yellow flower on his noggin finally brings Solomon Grundy around. The grounded pair share a hearty laugh.

The villains cease fighting and Bizarro retrieves a hotdog cart for an early breakfast. The pair chow down and watch the sun rise over Gotham City. Alas, the dawning of a new day triggers Grundy's cursed transformation back to Cyrus Gold. Confused by the unconscious mortal, Bizarro shakes him and leaves.

The Hammer...
Once again the curse of Solomon Grundy has descended upon the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths! It's a bonus round of monster mayhem to satisfy the dark spirits of Halloween!

It's becoming a fun tradition to return to Scott Kolins' now-underrated 2009 mini-series! The gauntlet of superhero & monster mash was always a natural fit for The Comic Book Fight Club, making it a series I've wanted to document in its entirety, since release.

For those coming in late: The path of destruction began with a sewer showdown in the one-shot special Faces of Evil: Solomon Grundy! From Killer Croc, he moved on to two rounds with The Demon in Solomon Grundy #1 and #2. Which brings us, at long last, to the second-issue cover battle against Bizarro!

It kinda comes about by happenstance, but the ominous vibe of Cyrus Gold's curse, and disembodied warnings of grim future consequence, creates a foreboding ripe for grim twists. It's cosmic bad luck Cyrus got crushed in a scrapyard by a falling crane magnet. Worse luck that it happened opposite a LexCorp transport lorry carrying one of Superman's weirdest enemies!

Bizarro has an innate monstrous quality that bridges superhero colour with the macabre tone of the Solomon Grundy series. It's almost a funhouse reflection of Grundy's battles with Superman in the 70s. The mini won't exclusively pit the title villain against dark or monstrous creatures, but its at its best when it does.

This Halloween I've found myself lurching to the tune of Universal Monsters and Hammer Horror. There's more than a little of that spirit in these pages! It's hard not to think of Frankenstein when the two battling behemoths crash through gothic stone and electrically charged coils. Really fun!

The DC version of Frankenstein's Monster is actually one of the characters who shows up in a future issue! Something to look forward to! The next opponent is Poison Ivy: teased when Bizarro leaves Cyrus Gold's unconscious body in the Gotham greenhouse, to be overwhelmed by encroaching flora.

The comedic finish to Grundy v Bizarro may disappoint fans of the beat 'em up aspect, but I thought oscillating between violent rage and comedy was a nice way to play up the unique quirkiness of the characters - Bizarro, in particular. It was a nice come down after the viciousness of the Etrigan finale. There'll be plenty of smash 'em, bash 'em action to satisfy later in the series.

If you can't wait for next Halloween to find out what happens next - why not pick yourself up a collected edition of Solomon Grundy? By using the Amazon purchase link provided, you keep the curse of death at bay by ensuring Amazon support the site at no cost to you!

You can seek out more spooky smackdown by exploring links throughout this article, by taking from the treat of Cover to Cover: Hard Hitting Halloween Horrors, or by summoning the Secret Archive for a complete index of ancient battles arranged by publisher, series, and issue number!

Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#135 (+43) Bizarro
#381 (+2) Solomon Grundy

THE SOCIETY versus FREEDOM FIGHTERS
Infinite Crisis (DC comics)
Where: Infinite Crisis #1 When: December 2005
Why: Geoff Johns How: Phil Jiminez

The story so far...
The world is in crisis, and the heroes are divided to fall, while the villains are united in a way never before seen.
The Justice League is falling apart at the seams, struggling to recover from events such as Wonder Woman's brutal execution of the traitorous Maxwell Lord, where she very publicly snapped his neck; and the death of Firestorm.

Heroes such as the members of Uncle Sam's Freedom Fighters do their best to pick-up the slack, but with a united front of evil willing to cross any lines, it becomes more difficult than ever.

Having received information regarding a transmission between Silver Ghost and Mirror Master; Uncle Sam leads his Freedom Fighters to a seemingly abandoned refinery where they believe the supervillains are organizing weapons for terrorist activity. Unfortunately for them, Uncle Sam's suspicions prove valid.
Now the team need not only put a stop to evil, but also fight to survive.

Previous Form:
The Society [#15]: Unsuccessful against the team of Batman & Red Hood.
Freedom Fighters [#19]: Slaughtered by the World's Finest; Superman/Batman.
Black Adam (#13): Undefeated after battles with the Four Horsemen of Apololips.
Dr. Light (#109): Present for Deathstroke's battle with the Justice League.
Psycho-Pirate (#255): Ultimately killed by Black Adam after this alliance.
Uncle Sam (#163): Unsuccesful in team-up with Wonder Woman against Batman/Superman.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Bizarro 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Dr. Light 5 (Professor)
Speed: Zoom 7 (Light Speed)
Stamina: Black Adam 6 (Generator)
Agility: Cheetah 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting Ability: Deathstroke 7 (Born Fighter)
Energy Powers: Sinestro 7 (Solar Power)

I think you pretty quickly realise you're in trouble when you open the door and one of your guys gets shot through the chest. We'll get to that soon enough, but let's take a look at the daunting stats of the tape first up, which paint a pretty grim picture for the Freedom Fighters!

A team of nine villains is bad enough. A team of villains consisting of; Black Adam, Sinestro, Deathstroke, Dr. Light, Dr. Polaris, Zoom, Psycho-Pirate, Bizarro and Cheetah - even more bad news. A team of these particular villains as oganized by Lex Luthor, who is fronting a united new era for bad guys? Down right scary!

The tape indicate just how well rounded this particular team is. Nobody tips below a five, and even those come in the less common categories, and of the nine, seven of them register as the top characters in their respective category.
That isn't even taking into account things like the comparable strength levels of Black Adam and Bizarro, or the intangible forces controlled by Polaris, Light and Sinestro. Or even things as obscure, and difficult to measure, as Psycho-Pirate's emotive suggestions.

The Freedom Fighters are outnumbered, nine-to-six.
Among their rag-tag mob of heroes are most notably Uncle Sam himself, Human Bomb, Damage and The Ray. Their powers are strong enough to at least register where some of these villains are concerned; Sam bringing a degree of stamina and strength, while the Ray can control and manipulate light in a variety of imaginative ways.

The Human Bomb and Damage pose perhaps the greatest key to victory, but their potential also rests on the potential destruction of their fellows. If either of these atomic-scale heroes really unloads, to the point where they can defeat or waylay The Society, it will probably come at the final hour, with their fellows already fallen.

Black Condor really affects very little influence on this particular fight. Given the scope and brutal power of characters like Black Adam, Deathstroke and Sinestro, it's just simply not in the realm of possibility for a character like Condor to be of use. Likewise, Phantom Lady's illusions and Savate expertise are going to be of little use here.

The Math: The Society
The Pick: The Society

What went down...
Infiltrating the secret arms factory, the Ray uses his powers to manipulate the laser light grid that provides a net of security over the entrance, diverting the light to himself. With that, Human Bomb uses his powers to destroy the control panel for heavy blast doors, and as they open...

A blast of cynical yellow energy cracks it's way through the air, piercing the exposed chest of the unsuspecting Black Condor. Waiting on the other side of the door is the cream of The Society's villainous crop. An apparent ambush.

Bizarro ironically greets the Freedom Fighters with a misplaced Good-Bye, which is all too accurate, given the situation, as Sinestro sneers from beneath the glowing yellow energies of his fear-borne power.

Uncle Sam orders his troops to hold nothing back as they charge into battle with the murderous members of The Society.

The order is as good as worthless.
In a volley of violence and destruction the Society find themselves set upon by some of the deadliest villains known.

The Ray is the first to fall, victim of Dr. Light's similar, but apparently superior, powers.
He sucks the light from The Ray's body in a way that could only be imagined as incredibly painful.

Damage finds himself at the mercy of Zoom's fists, as he swirls around the hero in an unstable, translucent blur. Zoom promises to make them stronger heroes if they survive. His barrage triggers Damage's explosive powers, which send him hurtling out of the building.

Phantom Lady's illusion of invisibility proves to be of little value against the feline senses of Cheetah. She quickly sniffs the Freedom Fighter out, leaping atop her before ripping away at her flesh.

With the Phantom Lady pinpointed and bleeding, Deathstroke charges in with his sword to finish the job. He drives his blade deep into her chest as she rematerializes. Her final word is, "Why?"
For Deathstroke, it is simply a matter of professionalism.

The Human Bomb's explosion topples Sinestro, Dr. Light and Deathstroke, and he cries for them to get away from his fellows.
Shaken by Phantom Lady's death, the Human Bomb runs amongst the carnage before Dr. Polaris floats down to revel in the defeat.

"Oh, she's dead, Human Bomb. Didn't you hear that delicious shriek?"

Enraged, the Human Bomb tears at his protective suit.
If it is death and war that delights Polaris, then the Human Bomb shall deliver more than he can handle. The Human Bomb glows with energy and explodes, blowing Dr. Polaris clean out of the sky.

Bizarro, attracted by the "pretty lights", descends atop the Human Bomb.

Declaring his affections he begins to pound the Bomb's bare flesh, incurring massive explosions with every thunderous punch. For every blow with the strength of a Superman, Bizarro encourages an equal amount of explosive force, until eventually the Human Bomb begins to disipate.

Eventually, with his blood and chest covered in blood, Bizarro is disappointed. The Human Bomb stirs no longer. He has exploded for the final time.

"No more pretty lights."

In spite of the many explosions, the fight rages on amongst the surviving heroes and villains. Uncle Sam finds himself with the uneasy task of battling Black Adam, perhaps the strongest man present.

Adam flies like a human torpedo, knocking Uncle Sam into the air.
Cheetah catches him on the ground, clawing at his face while Zoom buzzes around like a ghostly apparition.

The Ray, alive but weakened by Dr. Light's attack, finds himself at the mercy of the otherwise uninvolved Psycho-Pirate.

As The Ray spits threats at Psycho-Pirate, the medusa mask begins to shift from it's blank state to a calm, comforting smile.
"Don't be angry. Don't be afraid."

The Ray, relaxed, gives in to the exhaustion, allowing himself to be dragged away for the purposes of one, Alexander Luthor, for whom The Society does their bidding.

The last of the Fighters to fall is the first to rally them - Uncle Sam. Though he continues to fight valiantly against overwhelming odds, he is far outmatched, numerically and super naturally.

Sinestro uses his yellow energies to blast at the patriotic hero, sending him hurtling into the air. He eventually comes to land in a swamp somewhere nearby, and while his story is not through, the Freedom Fighters are through, and the Society free to carry out their evil machinations.

The hammer...
Conclusively the winners: The Society!

Meanwhile, Uncle Sam's resumé isn't looking terribly impressive right about now. The last time the character was featured, he and his team were completely wiped out by the tyrannical might of Superman and Batman. [Superman/Batman #15]
This time around things went a little better for the Freedom Fighters, but even still, to come out with a fifty-percent survival rate isn't really all that impressive by anyone's means. Maybe the X-Statix are about the only team impressed by those figures... Yeesh...

At the time this particular issue - the first of a major mini-series at the core of a company-wide event - caused quite a bit of controversy. Given the promotion of the event, a large part of the concern was rating standards, with this issue baring no kind of forewarning for the violence contained within.
Of particular interest at the time was Phantom Lady's brutally depicted murder, which sparked the obligatory discussion of misogynism in comics, and questions of violence against women.

I'm not so much interested in the censorship of violence against one sex over another. We've discussed before that, in fiction, I think it's nice for that equality to exist. I sometimes feel the violence needs to be more prevelent for both sexes, to continue to remind us exactly what kinds of threats these superheroes are dealing with. But I digress...

What struck me immediately having just completed the review was that I was declaring a team who just slaughtered the superheroes - victorious!
I think with the features we've looked at over the past year and a half I've come to build up an association with the declaration of a winner. Usually, even in the cases of the hero losing, there's a certain degree of honor and thrill to it.

Declaring The Society victorious here, however, after killing the heroes the way they did. There's something that just doesn't feel quite right about that.

Not that it really has to go beyond that.
I'm not sure this particular cast of characters was really what you'd call invaluable to the DC lot, and to the company's credit they have continued a tradition of reinvigorating properties in the newest incarnation of the Freedom Fighters. It's not all new, of course. Uncle Sam found his way out of the swamp after compelling one of the new leads to find him, and they have an all new, all-government approach, at least to start with.

I guess there's a triumph to come out of the deaths of these heroes, at least in some kind of creative off-shoot of a way. I admit, I'm usually not one to advocate wanton slaughter of worthwhile characters, but at least they've stayed dead for this long, and an attempt to revitalize the concepts has been made.

Though the book is mostly a vignette-packed primer for the DC Universe as it was becoming heading into Infinite Crisis, there's also a fantastic battle running parallel to this one on the moon, featuring the 'DC Trinity', so hopefully some time in the future we'll get a chance to revisit the story from that perspective.

For now, I've got to check out and head to bed, and hopefully get back to catching up again soon. We've got FF action next-up, cheers!

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 5.5