Human Defense Corps
Encyclopedia
The Human Defense Corps are a fictional comic book
military organization published by DC Comics
. They first appeared in Human Defense Corps #1 (July 2003), and were created by writer Ty Templeton
and artist Clément Sauvé
.
published by DC Comics in 2003, written by Ty Templeton and drawn by Clément Sauvé.
The series did not sell well, and the concept was allowed to disappear until Superman
and Justice League of America writer James Robinson began to feature the Corps in Superman
vol. 3, starting with a passing mention of the events in the limited series in The Coming of Atlas (Superman #677, August 2008) and followed by the gradual introduction of Project 7734 from Superman: New Krypton
Special (December 2008), Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen Special #1 (December 2008), and Action Comics
871 (January 2009) by Geoff Johns
, building through the more recent issues of Superman and Action Comics and the associated Superman titles Supergirl
and Jimmy Olsen
Special #2 (October 2009).
DC Comics will be extending the Corps presence in the DC Universe in a 10-page Human Defense Corps feature in Adventure Comics
vol. 2 from #8 (March 2010), which will directly link with the other stories featured in the title and is part of the lead up to DC Comics major War of the Supermen event for summer 2010.
universe, the Human Defense Corps is a branch of the military established by then President of the United States
Lex Luthor
to reduce government dependency on superhumans when a major alien crisis breaks out, act as back-up to Earth's superheroes, and specifically counter any alien threat to Earth. Membership of the Corps is open to 'Decorated veterans of alien campaigns only'.
The Corps has bases all over Earth, including below the sea (Human Defense Base Area 53) and in space (Fort Olympus Orbital Defense Station). The sea-base included scientific facilities run by Doctor Zaius, a sentient gorilla from Gorilla City
, which experiments on captured extraterrestrials and demon
s, although its location has recently been moved off-Earth.
Their first mission comes when the 1st Special Armoured Division are sent on a reconnaissance trip to the former Soviet satellite Bulgravia to support Government troops who had had encountered shape-shifting aliens with high firepower weaponry and assumed to be Durlans
. They are attacked in the Forest of Galantz by vampiric aliens invisible to special tech weapons but not ordinary eyesight, and all but Sgt Montgomery Kelly of the forward platoons, sixty-six men, are killed in the skirmish, some by blanket bombing of the area with 'holy napalm', a cross between holy water and fire-retardant gel which destroys the vampires. Sgt Kelly and Colonel Reno Rosetti, who designed the weapon and ordered the attack on the drop site, are decorated as a result.
Some time afterwards the Corps are involved in a 'Centaur attack in Turkey', of which nothing is known, and are also pursuing a drawn-out war against a mole-like race of underground people called the A'Corti, specifically in London, England.
Two years later, after dreams of the Galatz Forest incident affect a number of soldiers who were not there, a seance held by HDC Head Chaplain Charlie Graham ascertains that the members of the Corps who were assumed killed in the incident are in Hell
but not actually dead, and the 'vampires' they fought were demons. Interrogating Calcabrina, a captive demon from the incident, they discover a Bulgravian mage had made a deal for his village to be spared the ravages of civil war in exchange for sixty-six souls, and the Human Defense Corps team had stumbled in and taken their place. The demon clan took them alive to feed on their energy - which is more powerful than the energy of the dead - as part of a plan to extend their power in Hell. Guided by Calcabrina, the Third Special Armoured Division invade Hell (code-named 'Trans-Dimensional Interactive Zone 4' - 'T-Zone 4' ) to recover the sixty-six Corps members. Sgt Kelly is supposed killed by the demon he killed two years before in Galatz Forest - but discovers he has demon blood in him as a result of the incident and cannot die, and is now blood related to the demon clan. He claims the staff of the clan leader demon Lord Scarmiglione in battle, takes his place, and the Corps rescue the sixty-six men. The five men who are killed in the sortie now also have demon links and unspecified powers, and Sgt Kelly and the five form a diplomatic link between Hell and Earth.
father - who is assumed dead but, obsessed by alien invasion and 'the Kryptonian threat', has been working covertly on a programme for the U.S Government called Project 7734 - has taken external command of Squad K of the Human Defense Corps under Colonel Hazard as part of the Project and moved the main base of Project 7734 to the home planet of another dimension. The Corps now has a new motto and insignia 'Ad Inferos et retrorsum' (loosely meaning 'To Hell and Back'), and suit technology and weaponry designed specifically to deal with Kryptonians. Squad K has nominally been 'created to neutralise and disarm specific Kryptonian threats' , but has been allocated Major Krull, the villain Reactron, who is actually working directly for General Lane on Lane's own agenda - the destruction of all Kryptonians, including Superman. Reactron kills Colonel Hazard for opposing him in this.
The whereabouts of most of the original Corps team is currently unknown, although Sgt Kelly is currently learning spell-casting with his team within Project 7734.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
military organization published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. They first appeared in Human Defense Corps #1 (July 2003), and were created by writer Ty Templeton
Ty Templeton
Ty Templeton is a popular Canadian comic book artist and writer who has drawn a number of popular mainstream titles, TV-associated titles and his own series.-Biography:Templeton was born on May 9, 1962...
and artist Clément Sauvé
Clément Sauvé
Clément Sauvé was a comic book artist, animation and game designer for the American and French market.He was born and raised in Montreal in 1977...
.
Publication history
Human Defense Corps was a six-issue limited seriesLimited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by DC Comics in 2003, written by Ty Templeton and drawn by Clément Sauvé.
The series did not sell well, and the concept was allowed to disappear until Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
and Justice League of America writer James Robinson began to feature the Corps in Superman
Superman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
vol. 3, starting with a passing mention of the events in the limited series in The Coming of Atlas (Superman #677, August 2008) and followed by the gradual introduction of Project 7734 from Superman: New Krypton
Superman: New Krypton
"New Krypton" is a Superman story arc written by Geoff Johns, James Robinson, and Sterling Gates with art by Gary Frank, Alex Ross, Renato Guedes, Jamal Igle and Pete Woods and published by DC Comics...
Special (December 2008), Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen Special #1 (December 2008), and Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
871 (January 2009) by Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
, building through the more recent issues of Superman and Action Comics and the associated Superman titles Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
and Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
Special #2 (October 2009).
DC Comics will be extending the Corps presence in the DC Universe in a 10-page Human Defense Corps feature in Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
vol. 2 from #8 (March 2010), which will directly link with the other stories featured in the title and is part of the lead up to DC Comics major War of the Supermen event for summer 2010.
Fictional group history
In the DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe, the Human Defense Corps is a branch of the military established by then President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
to reduce government dependency on superhumans when a major alien crisis breaks out, act as back-up to Earth's superheroes, and specifically counter any alien threat to Earth. Membership of the Corps is open to 'Decorated veterans of alien campaigns only'.
The Corps has bases all over Earth, including below the sea (Human Defense Base Area 53) and in space (Fort Olympus Orbital Defense Station). The sea-base included scientific facilities run by Doctor Zaius, a sentient gorilla from Gorilla City
Gorilla City
Gorilla City is a fictional city in the DC Comics Universe. The city, hidden in the jungles of Africa, is home to a race of super-intelligent gorillas, that gained their powers from a meteorite. The supervillain Gorilla Grodd is also from the city. Gorilla City first appears in The Flash vol...
, which experiments on captured extraterrestrials and demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s, although its location has recently been moved off-Earth.
Their first mission comes when the 1st Special Armoured Division are sent on a reconnaissance trip to the former Soviet satellite Bulgravia to support Government troops who had had encountered shape-shifting aliens with high firepower weaponry and assumed to be Durlans
Durlan (DC Comics)
The Durlans are a fictional extraterrestrial species, a race of shapeshifting beings from the planet Durla, as depicted in DC Comics.-Fictional history:...
. They are attacked in the Forest of Galantz by vampiric aliens invisible to special tech weapons but not ordinary eyesight, and all but Sgt Montgomery Kelly of the forward platoons, sixty-six men, are killed in the skirmish, some by blanket bombing of the area with 'holy napalm', a cross between holy water and fire-retardant gel which destroys the vampires. Sgt Kelly and Colonel Reno Rosetti, who designed the weapon and ordered the attack on the drop site, are decorated as a result.
Some time afterwards the Corps are involved in a 'Centaur attack in Turkey', of which nothing is known, and are also pursuing a drawn-out war against a mole-like race of underground people called the A'Corti, specifically in London, England.
Two years later, after dreams of the Galatz Forest incident affect a number of soldiers who were not there, a seance held by HDC Head Chaplain Charlie Graham ascertains that the members of the Corps who were assumed killed in the incident are in Hell
Hell (DC Comics)
Hell is a fictional location, an infernal underworld utilized in titles published by DC Comics. It is the locational antithesis of the Silver City. The DC Comics location known as Hell is based heavily on its depiction in Judeo-Christian mythology...
but not actually dead, and the 'vampires' they fought were demons. Interrogating Calcabrina, a captive demon from the incident, they discover a Bulgravian mage had made a deal for his village to be spared the ravages of civil war in exchange for sixty-six souls, and the Human Defense Corps team had stumbled in and taken their place. The demon clan took them alive to feed on their energy - which is more powerful than the energy of the dead - as part of a plan to extend their power in Hell. Guided by Calcabrina, the Third Special Armoured Division invade Hell (code-named 'Trans-Dimensional Interactive Zone 4' - 'T-Zone 4' ) to recover the sixty-six Corps members. Sgt Kelly is supposed killed by the demon he killed two years before in Galatz Forest - but discovers he has demon blood in him as a result of the incident and cannot die, and is now blood related to the demon clan. He claims the staff of the clan leader demon Lord Scarmiglione in battle, takes his place, and the Corps rescue the sixty-six men. The five men who are killed in the sortie now also have demon links and unspecified powers, and Sgt Kelly and the five form a diplomatic link between Hell and Earth.
Project 7734
Seven years later General Sam Lane, Lois Lane'sLois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
father - who is assumed dead but, obsessed by alien invasion and 'the Kryptonian threat', has been working covertly on a programme for the U.S Government called Project 7734 - has taken external command of Squad K of the Human Defense Corps under Colonel Hazard as part of the Project and moved the main base of Project 7734 to the home planet of another dimension. The Corps now has a new motto and insignia 'Ad Inferos et retrorsum' (loosely meaning 'To Hell and Back'), and suit technology and weaponry designed specifically to deal with Kryptonians. Squad K has nominally been 'created to neutralise and disarm specific Kryptonian threats' , but has been allocated Major Krull, the villain Reactron, who is actually working directly for General Lane on Lane's own agenda - the destruction of all Kryptonians, including Superman. Reactron kills Colonel Hazard for opposing him in this.
The whereabouts of most of the original Corps team is currently unknown, although Sgt Kelly is currently learning spell-casting with his team within Project 7734.
Membership
Most of the current membership of Human Defense Corps is unknown as of January 2010, with the exception of Sgt Kelly. The following have been mentioned as members of the Corps at some time:- Colonel Skynner (Human Defense Corps #1).
- Colonel Hazard (Perseus Hazard) of K Squad - killed by ReactronReactronReactron is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe, who has appeared in at least two versions. He originally appeared in The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #8 , in a story written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Carmine Infantino....
for opposing his lethal actions (Action Comics #882). He was the grandson of World War II hero Ulysses "Gravedigger" HazardGravedigger (comics)Gravedigger is a codename used by two fictional soldiers published by DC Comics. Captain Ulysses Hazard the first Gravedigger debuted in Men of War #1 , and was created by David Michelinie and Ed Davis. Tyson Sykes the second Gravedigger debuted in Checkmate vol...
. - Colonel Reno Rosetti (Lt. Rosetti in Human Defense Corps #1) - ordered the kill on drop site in Galatz Forest, awarded DSM (Human Defense Corps #6).
- Sergeant Montgomery Kelly (Specialist First Class) ex-Marine - only survivor of team from first mission. Left in charge of Corps in Hell after gaining demon powers, now on Earth in Section K studying spell-casting with his team.
- Sergeant Chad Kiyahani - grandson of Louis Kiyahani ('Little Sure Shot') from Sgt. Rock's Easy CompanyEasy Company (comics)Easy Company is a fictional comic book World War II US Army infantry unit led by Sgt. Rock in stories published by DC Comics. The group first appeared in Our Army at War #81 , and were created by Bob Haney and Ross Andru.-Publication history:...
. Rescued from Hell. - Sergeant Dobbs - killed in Hell and became part of 'Kelly's 5'.
- Jake Grimaldi - part of rescue team in Hell. Now in the Science Police (Superman #677).
- Sergeant Pruett - details unknown.
- Corporal Taylor - killed in Hell and became part of 'Kelly's 5'.
- Specialist Colin Mitchell - Air Force Special Corps, rescued from Hell.
- Private David Page - rescued from Hell.
- Private Eric Stewart - ex-Coastguard. Rescued from Hell.
- Private Reynolds - rescued from Hell
- Bradley - rescued from Hell.
- David Page - presumed killed, as contacted by seance. Rescued from Hell.
- Head Chaplain, Charlie Graham
- Doctor Zaius - Seconded from Gorilla CityGorilla CityGorilla City is a fictional city in the DC Comics Universe. The city, hidden in the jungles of Africa, is home to a race of super-intelligent gorillas, that gained their powers from a meteorite. The supervillain Gorilla Grodd is also from the city. Gorilla City first appears in The Flash vol...
, working on understanding alien physiology. Now lead scientist in General Lane's Project 7743.
External links
- Human Defense Corps #1, 4 and 6 at the DCU Guide