Qward
Encyclopedia
Qward is a fictional world existing within an antimatter
Antimatter
In particle physics, antimatter is the extension of the concept of the antiparticle to matter, where antimatter is composed of antiparticles in the same way that normal matter is composed of particles...

 universe that is part of the . It was first mentioned in Green Lantern (vol. 2) # 2 (October 1960).

Fictional history

Qward was created when Krona
Krona (comics)
Krona is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Green Lantern #40 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane.-Fictional character biography:...

, an Oa
Oa
Oa is a fictional planet that lies at the center of the DC Comics universe. Since its inception, Oa has been the planetary citadel of the Guardians of the Universe and the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps...

n scientist from the planet Maltus, performed a forbidden experiment to try to see the origin of the universe. Somehow, this disrupted the process of cosmic creation, resulting in an additional, opposite universe. Qward is that universe's counterpart to Oa
Oa
Oa is a fictional planet that lies at the center of the DC Comics universe. Since its inception, Oa has been the planetary citadel of the Guardians of the Universe and the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps...

.

Qward was ruled by their universe's version of the Monitor
Monitor (comics)
The Monitor is a fictional character created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez as one of the main characters of DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series....

 (that would come to be called the Anti-Monitor
Anti-Monitor
The Anti-Monitor is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain and the antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. He first appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 , and was destroyed in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12, only to return after a long absence in Green...

 by Earth's heroes). It was this entity that created the organization of warriors known as The Weaponers of Qward within the race known as Qwardians. The Qwardians are antimatter universe's version to the Guardians of the Universe
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...

. Although the Anti-Monitor was defeated and imprisoned by his counterpart from the positive universe, the Weaponers themselves continued to rule their world. In one of the earliest JLA/JSA
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....

 crossovers a being from the antimatter Universe, called Anti-Matter Man
Anti-Matter Man
Anti-matter Man is a fictional cosmic entity of the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Justice League of America # 46 .He was one of the greatest dangers that the Earth 1 and Earth 2 ever faced. The mere presence of him in any of the universes could mean the end of these worlds...

, appeared, who was an explorer who was travelling through warp-space towards Earth-1 and 2, apparently not aware that contact with them would make them blow up. This being was tens of metres high with blue skin and had some resistance to magic, along with strange powers which could warp positive-matter. He was sent back to his Universe using shock-waves caused by the Spectre (comics)
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...

 and Atom (comics)
Atom (comics)
The Atom is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe.There have been five characters who have shared the Atom codename. The original Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt, was created by Ben Flinton and Bill O'Connor and first appeared in All-American Publications'...

.

In Superman vol 1 #233 (Jan. 1971), an explosion turned all Kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...

 on Earth-1 into harmless k-iron, and a hole was opened between the Quarrm dimension (a possible reference to Qward) and Earth-1. An entity seeped from the Quarrm dimension into the sand imprint that Superman's body made in the desert. The sand of Superman's imprint became a "Sand Superman" creature which slowly sapped half of Superman's abilities, later another creature came through and inhabitated a Chinatown statue, stealing the remaining two-thirds of Superman's power until he was forced back, until in Superman vol1 #242; Superman chose to allow a portion of his powers to permanently remain with the "Sand Superman". Superman's decision to allow his power-levels to be permanently lessened was mainly due to Superman's code against killing and Superman's belief he would remain sufficiently powerful to remain a hero. Therefore Superman instructed Wonder Woman's mentor at the time, I-Ching, not to transfer Superman's stolen powers from the "Sand Superman" back into Superman, which essentially would have been "killing" the "Sand Superman" in order to restore Superman's power levels to 100%. To provide closure, I-Ching returns the "Sand Superman" creature to its "home" in the Quarrm dimension, permanently taking a portion of the Earth-1 Superman's power with it.

Qward's universe has been described as a "universe of evil". However, this might just be a wrong impression on the part of those heroes from the positive universe that have clashed with them. Qwardian society seems indeed to be dominated by a philosophy of selfishness and greed. This could be the effects of millennia of inescapable rule by the tyrannical Weaponers. There do exist Qwardians who rebel against their society's morality, however. In the first appearance of Qward, Green Lantern met a Qwardian who had escaped to the Positive-Matter Universe, as he was part of a group that wanted to escape the Society of evil. The Qwardian was killed when he pushed Green Lantern out of the way of a yellow weapon thrown by a Weaponer that wounded him. Green Lantern was able to travel to Qward and helped the other members of the group, who the Qwardians were attacking, escape to the Positive-Matter Universe, leaving them on an asteroid from where they can build their lives.

Weaponers and Thunderers

Qwardians resemble humans, except that they are totally hairless and have large, prominent eyes. The Weaponers seem to have a military structure. Their most noteworthy warriors are The Thunderers, flying warriors that are equipped with throwable weapons shaped like lightning bolts that turn into a form of energy called "Qwa" when thrown. This energy is the Weaponers' primary weapon, and is somehow able to hurt even 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...

. They also have yellow shields. (The Qwardians have legends of fierce energy-creatures called Qwa-angels; whether these exist or not is unknown.) It is mentioned in one of their earliest appearences that the Chief Weaponer is called Kalmin. The Weaponers also possess advanced technology, the development of which was motivated over the centuries by their attempts to develop a weapon powerful enough to open a mysterious artifact called the "Golden Obelisk of Qward." They were able to create a yellow "power ring" for the villain Sinestro
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro is a fictional character, an alien supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is the former mentor of Hal Jordan and the arch-nemesis of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro first appears in Green Lantern #7 . In 2009, Sinestro was...

, a former Green Lantern who had been exiled to their Universe for using his power to take over his world. He was their ally against their long-time foes, the Green Lantern Corps
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the planet Oa...

 from the positive universe, who have opposed their attempts to conquer their universe several times (including kidnapping Olivia Reynolds
Olivia Reynolds
Olivia Reynolds is a fictional character, in the DC Comics universe. She is bisexual and has been romantically linked to both Green Lantern and Icemaiden....

 on more than one occasion, in attempts to harness her U-Mind to access the Ergono power). The Weaponers have also clashed with the Justice League of America and other DC comics heroes.

In order to travel into, and out of, the anti-matter universe, one must pass through special "portals" that instantly reverse the polarity of subatomic particles as they pass through them, since any contact between positive and anti-matter would result in a tremendous explosion that would disintegrate both. This was used in their first three appearences, but during the first appearence of Sinestro it was blocked to prevent Green Lantern entering their Universe.

One noteworthy figure within the Weaponers was one General Fabrikant, who was a tactical genius as well as being midget-sized. Fabrikant entered Earth, disguised himself as a child, and insinuated himself into the private life of the greatest Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...

, Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...

. He was discovered, however, and his plans of conquest were undone.

When the Anti-Monitor reawakened, he re-established his rule over Qward, and transformed several of the Thunderers into "Shadow-Demons" that he then used to help him in his plans to destroy all positive matter universes, so that the antimatter universe would increase in size, making him even more powerful. These creatures could kill by touch and killed trillions. Eventually, however, the Anti-Monitor was destroyed by the heroes of Earth, and the Weaponers recovered control of Qward. Pre-Crisis the Anti-Monitor absorbed the entire anti-matter Universe, killing the inhabitants in the process.

Super Villains

The group of super villains called the Crime Syndicate, evil counterparts of the Justice League from a parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...

, had earlier been rewritten
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...

 as being from Qward, established as an evil world within the normal universe since at the time, parallel universes were no longer supposed to be used in DC Comics stories. Later on, in JLA: Earth 2
JLA: Earth 2
JLA: Earth 2 is a 2000 DC Comics graphic novel written by Grant Morrison with art by Frank Quitely.It follows the first post-Crisis encounter between the Justice League of America and their evil counterparts from an antimatter universe, the Crime Syndicate of Amerika.At the time of its release, the...

, the Syndicate has been reintroduced as coming from a parallel Earth within the Qwardian universe, now described as an actual antimatter universe. The first group is re-established as being Qward weaponers also using the Syndicate's aliases. The "real" Crime Syndicate of Amerika has since popped up in a number of DC Comics stories, including the ongoing weekly comic Trinity
Trinity (comic book)
Trinity is the title of an American weekly comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted during the first week of June, 2008. It ran for 52 issues.-Conception and production:...

, by Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...

 and Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley is an American comic book artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on such titles as The Amazing Spider-Man, Thunderbolts, New Warriors, and Ultimate Spider-Man.- Early life and career :...

.

Nero

During Kyle Rayner's
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...

 tenure as Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...

, the Qwardian Weaponers again sought to oppose the remains of the Guardians by empowering an agent with a yellow power ring. After a disastrous attempt involving Fatality
Fatality (comics)
Fatality is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:The eldest child of the planet Xanshi's ruling family, the girl who would one day call herself Fatality was sent off-world to be educated by the Warlords of Okaara...

, the Qwardians then found a more suitable servant in Alexander Nero.

As Nero grew more powerful by subconsciously siphoning the burgeoning Parallax
Parallax (comics)
Parallax is a fictional comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks for Green Lantern vol...

 energy within Earth's sun, it was shown that the Weaponers had developed an almost cult-like fascination with him. During a battle with Nero in which the Weaponers intervened, Kyle learned that it was their secret desire to be destroyed by their creation.

Syndicate Rules

In the JLA storyline "Syndicate Rules", written by Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...

, the mythology and culture of Qward were greatly expanded upon, clarifying their Post-Crisis status. The storyline detailed a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...

 in which the Thunderers were united under Irik Roval. Roval slew First Weaponlord Varnathon of Q'Uld, ending the Weaponers' reign over Qward. Claiming the Weapons of Rengar, he was crowned the new Highlord of Qward. Roval then located the prison of Erdammeru, the Void Hound, an ancient weapon of the Qward. Erdammeru had been built as a mechanical version of a mythical deity of Qward.

Roval piloted the Void Hound through an ancient Qwa-portal into the positive matter universe, where he did battle against the Justice League in search of the ancient scientist Krona
Krona (comics)
Krona is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Green Lantern #40 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane.-Fictional character biography:...

, who had nearly obliterated Qward during the JLA/Avengers
JLA/Avengers
JLA/Avengers is a comic book limited series and crossover published in prestige format by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from September 2003 to May 2004. The series was written by Kurt Busiek, with art by George Pérez...

crossover event. Though Roval was eventually forced to retreat by the destruction of the Void Hound, Qward remained a threat to the Justice League, revitalized under their new leader. Another interesting note is that in this story the inhabitants of Qward referred to themselves as "Qwarda-jin". Jin is one of the suffixes in Japanese for a person or people.Jin (Chinese: 金; pinyin: Jīn) is a Chinese family name. It literally means "gold".

Sinestro Corps

With the Green Lantern Corps restarted with the return of Hal Jordan, Sinestro
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro is a fictional character, an alien supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is the former mentor of Hal Jordan and the arch-nemesis of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro first appears in Green Lantern #7 . In 2009, Sinestro was...

 has decided to found the Sinestro Corps
Sinestro Corps
The Sinestro Corps is a group of fictional characters, a villainous analogue to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. It is led by the supervillain Thaal Sinestro.-Before the Corps:...

, offering yellow power rings, and a role in the Corps, to the most feared and savage warriors of the universe. The Sinestro Corps is headquartered in the antimatter universe on Qward, in Sector -1.

In an interview with Geoff Johns, writer of the current Green Lantern series, http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=79802 it was revealed that the Sinestro Corps is a mirror organization to the GLC. Geoff Johns revealed that "The Sinestro Corps [will have] its own Oa-type planet, its own Guardians, [and] its own oath."

Arkillo
Arkillo
Arkillo is a fictional character, an alien supervillain in the . First appearing in Green Lantern # 10 , he was created by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis.-History:...

, a large and muscular vicious alien who fills the same role of Drill Sergeant held by Kilowog
Kilowog
Kilowog is a fictional superhero from DC Comics, and a member of the Green Lantern Corps.-Origins:A towering alien with a brutish and porcine appearance, Kilowog is renowned throughout the Green Lantern Corps as the primary trainer of the Corps' newest recruits...

 in the GLC, is enslaving all the Qwardian Weaponeers and forcing them to continuously build new yellow rings, programmed to breach the barrier between anti-matter and positive matter universes and find and recruit new ring wielders.

All Qwardians now sport slave collars, put on them by Sinestro himself to assure their loyalty. In addition, Qward now has a huge yellow "Central Battery" (a parallel to Oa's green "Central Battery"). Corps members also seem to kill Qwardians for fun and send them armed with overcharged batteries as suicide bombers.

Known members, other than the Corps namesake and Arkillo, include Karu-sil
Karu-Sil
Karu-Sil is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics universe.-Publication history:Artist Ethan Van Sciver said on Karu-Sil's creation, "With Karu-Sil, I had the idea for Ghost Rider. If I ever did Ghost Rider, she was going to be a Ghost Rider villain...

, "the girl next door" from a planet populated by murders and sociopaths, where she was raised by demonic wolf-like beings; Despotellis, a sentient virus capable of attacking Lanterns from the inside; Bedovian, the sniper of the Corps, capable of taking out a target from three sectors away while living on the fungus growing on his "hermit crab" like shell. Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

 was even considered as a possible candidate for the Sinestro Corps (due to his ability to inspire great fear in his enemies, which seems to be the primary requirement for induction into the Corps), but due to his immense willpower along his previous exposure to the Green Lantern ring's energy, he rejected the ring that was sent to him. Instead, the ring went to Amon Sur
Amon Sur
Amon Sur is a fictional alien supervillain in the DC Universe. He is the son of the Green Lantern Abin Sur. Amon Sur first appeared in Green Arrow Amon Sur is a fictional alien supervillain in the DC Universe. He is the son of the Green Lantern Abin Sur. Amon Sur first appeared in Green Arrow Amon...

, the son of Green Lantern Abin Sur
Abin Sur
Abin Sur is a fictional character and a superhero from the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Showcase #22 : "SOS Green Lantern". He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement...

.

In the Green Lantern Corps story "Tygers", by Alan Moore, Abin Sur
Abin Sur
Abin Sur is a fictional character and a superhero from the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Showcase #22 : "SOS Green Lantern". He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement...

 is witness to a prophecy which states that among the gathered enemies to destroy the Green Lantern Corps would be the "Weaponers of Qward"; the Sinestro Corps War storyline is a partial fulfillment of that prophecy, later to be known as "The Blackest Night".

Blackest Night

The Qwardians whom the Sinestro Corps killed were revealed to have been reanimated as Black Lanterns and were at war with their murderers and even their still-living members.

Brightest Day

After the end of the Blackest Night crossover, the Qwardians witness the return of the Anti Monitor to their planet and his short battle with Deadman
Deadman
Deadman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 , and was created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino.-Publication history:...

. One of these Qwardians, a master weaponer, takes the constructs left behind by Deadman, fashions them into a powerful sword and shield and vows revenge against Sinestro. This Qwardian, who simply dubs himself "The Weaponer" is revealed to be the one who made Sinestro's original yellow ring. He attacks Korugar, defeats Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...

 and capture Sinestro's daughter, Soranik Natu
Soranik Natu
Soranik Natu is a fictional character, a member of the Green Lantern Corps in the . She first appears in Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #1 , and was created by writers Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons, and artist Patrick Gleason. Sora is an extraterrestrial from the planet Korugar...

.

  • Green Lantern Corps (vol. 2) #57

Television

  • In the Challenge of the Super Friends
    Challenge of the Super Friends
    Challenge of the Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 9, 1978, to December 23, 1978, on ABC. The complete series was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Warner Bros. Television and is based on the Justice League and...

    episode "Doomsday", 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...

     faces Krypton's Black Knight Nartan and his Kryptonite energy monster in the universe of Qward.

  • Qward appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold
    Batman: The Brave and the Bold
    Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...

    episode "Cry Freedom Fighters". It is ruled by a dictator called the Supreme Chairman of Qward (voiced by Wade Williams
    Wade Williams
    Wade Andrew Williams is an American actor who is best known for his starring role as Brad Bellick on Fox's television series Prison Break.-Personal life:...

    ). His men took out the resistance led by Teletig after he had sent a distress signal to Earth warning them about the Supreme Chairman's invasion of Earth. This was picked up by Uncle Sam
    Uncle Sam (comics)
    Uncle Sam is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero based on national personification of the United States, Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam first appeared in National Comics #1 and was created by Will Eisner.-Quality Comics:...

     and the Freedom Fighters
    Freedom Fighters (comics)
    Freedom Fighters is a DC Comics comic book superhero team made up of characters acquired from the defunct company Quality Comics. Although the characters were created by Quality, they never were gathered in a group before acquired by DC...

     who bring Batman and Plastic Man along after stopping some of the Supreme Chairman's soldiers who crashed the voting polls.

Film

  • In the animated film Green Lantern: First Flight
    Green Lantern: First Flight
    # "Main Title" # "The Ring Chooses Hal" # "Hal Meets / The Flight of The Lanterns" # "Labella's Club" # "Going After Cuch" # "The Way I Heard It" # "Bugs in the Baggage" # "Teleport Pursuit"...

    , Qward is where Kanjar Ro
    Kanjar Ro
    Kanjar Ro is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Justice League of America #3 in a story entitled "The Slave Ship of Space". He was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky....

     took the yellow element
    Parallax
    Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. The term is derived from the Greek παράλλαξις , meaning "alteration"...

     for the Weaponers to forge into Sinestro's yellow power ring and battery. Unlike in the comics, Qward is located in Sector 324 of the positive-matter universe, though the Weaponers (voiced by Rob Paulsen
    Rob Paulsen
    Robert Fredrick "Rob" Paulsen III , sometimes credited as Rob Paulson, is an American voice actor, best known as the voice behind Raphael from the 1987 cartoon of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yakko Warner and Dr...

    ) themselves do state that they are from another dimension. In addition, the Weaponers are an insectoid species rather than humanoid and appear to function as a group mind.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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