Tangent Comics
Encyclopedia
Tangent Comics was a DC Comics
imprint
created in 1997–1998, developed from ideas created by Dan Jurgens
. The line, formed from various one-shots, focused on creating all-new characters using established DC names, such as the Joker
, Superman
, and the Flash
. Contrasting the Tangent Universe with the DC Universe Jurgens commented:
recalled the reconceptualization of Superman "went through many permutations." An early idea eschewed powers altogether and revolved around highlighting the "man" in "Superman," and making him "a cop, or a doctor or something different. A guy with no powers but tremendous character who fights on behalf of his fellow man." Writer Millar noted that "the classic Superman role is already filled by the Atom," and wanted to echo "Kafka
's metamorphosis where we actually see this likable, regular guy transform into a superhuman." Thus Millar took Jurgens' early idea "of the average Joe as the superMAN," and used artist Guice's "unique approach to the flashback scenes" (as seen in his Resurrection Man
work) to create a different style than that used by Guice on his Action Comics
work. The Tangent universe's Superman utilises the name of DC villain Two-Face
(Harvey Dent) rather than the name 'Clark Kent.' Superman's powers, according to his writer are that "his brain is evolving at an accelerated rate" thanks to a 'god-force'.
worked from Jurgens' concept that Tangent's Wonder Woman is "a female warrior" exiled to Earth for sins committed on another world. Seeking a twist to make her different from the original DCU
character, David thought up Wanda's origin as "a symbol of what [her] world could be if [her people] were united." Combining two diverse aspects, she "seems distracted in any combat situation" and "would rather not fight," preferring "pondering some deep philosophical point." After the character conception, artist Gene Ha produced design artwork, initially of a bearded lady
, but eventually merely "a very alien woman."
Stalin
as head of a Soviet Empire. Ostrander also revealed the 'Dark Circle', whose members could be killed and "resurrected as a warrior, Night of the Living Dead
style, for the Ultra-Humanite."
causes the Cuban Missile Crisis
to escalate into a limited nuclear exchange that results in the nuclear obliteration of Florida
and Cuba
. The aftermath of the destruction of Florida shapes the lives of several characters.
The city of New Atlantis is created out of the remains of the city of Atlanta and is later the birth place of the Joker. A group of sea creatures are mutated by the radioactive fallout into humanoid form and become known as the Sea Devils
. The other major event to have repercussions is the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, which leads to the creation of the Manhunter
and deployment of alternate Metal Men
as a US black ops squad. As a result of the Cuban War in this timeline, the Soviet Union still existed in the late nineties, and was still a world superpower. However, China was not involved in this nuclear exchange and has its own metahuman genetic experimentation programme, resulting in the creation of Supergirl and Powergirl.
was the revisiting of the Tangent Universe 10 years later, both in reality and fiction. The series ran between March 2008 until February 2009, and was written by Dan Jurgens with art by Carlos Magno. The series was met with favorable reviews, noting strong character development and plotting.
) are inexplicably transported to Earth-9, the Tangent Universe, by the Green Lantern. The trio joins Tangent Spectre and Manhunter in freeing the Atom, leaving John Stewart captured by the Tangent Superman, ruler of Earth-9. While being interrogated by the Tangent Superman, John Stewart's ring is contacted by Hal Jordan’s ring, which the Tangent Green Lantern uses to bring additional members of the Justice League to Earth-9. The rescued Atom is revealed to be the Tangent Powergirl, lover to Superman, and a fight ensues. The Tangent Superman takes Stewart’s power ring, and uses the ring, augmented by his psychic powers and the magic of the Tangent Orion to travel to New Earth, home of the DC Universe. Meanwhile, Batman infiltrates the Core, hub of information on Earth-9, and is saved by the Tangent Batman while escaping, who is mounting a revolution against the Tangent Superman. Tangent Superman and Powergirl battle their New Earth counterparts, only to escape and destroy the White House
. The Tangent Superman proceeds to kidnap the world’s leaders, cede power from them and detonate a nuclear weapon
to distract New Earth’s heroes. While on Earth-9 the heroes find and recruit Tangent Superman’s last tie to humanity, his wife Lola Dent. The heroes on Earth-9 transport themselves back to New Earth, where the combined forces of New Earth’s and Earth-9’s heroes fight against Tangent Superman and Tangent Powergirl and a cadre of villains the Earth-9 ruler has gathered from New Earth (the Joker
, Lex Luthor
, Mr. Freeze
, the Icicle
, Black Manta
, Poison Ivy, Felix Faust
), as well as the Tangent Ultra-Humanite
. The raging battle against the Tangent Superman weakens him, allowing him to be ultimately defeated by his wife, concluding the story.
(1998) revealed that the Tangent universe was part of Hypertime
, a fluid system of alternate realities based on splitting and re-merging timelines. Regular DC characters became aware of the Tangent universe, but did not interact with it.
Infinite Crisis
(2006) identified the Tangent universe as Earth-97, part of the recreated Multiverse
. As Earth-97 was being destroyed in the chaos, Green Lantern said that the heroes had to follow her lantern's light in order to survive. At the end of the story on New Earth, two children found the lantern belonging to the Tangent Universe's Green Lantern washed up on a beach.
The Tangent universe’s Green Lantern, Flash and Atom appeared in Ion
#9 and #10 (2007), in which they displaced Ion and the two children who had found the lantern. Ion found himself in The Bleed, where he encountered Captain Atom
. Upon returning to Earth, Ion defeated the Tangent heroes, apparently by sending them back to their native dimension. During this appearance, everything said by the Tangent heroes was a repeat of lines from the original Tangent comics run.
The Tangent universe's Green Lantern later appeared in Justice League of America #50, where she fled to New Earth in order to warn its heroes of an impending attack by the Crime Syndicate of Amerika. During the issue, it was revealed that the Syndicate members had ravaged the Tangent earth and killed many of its heroes in the process. The Tangent Green Lantern later became instrumental in the ensuing battle by temporarily resurrecting Alexander Luthor, and by the end of the story, the Tangent Universe had been restored to its former state.
established that the Tangent Universe now exists as one of the new fifty-two alternate universes. DC's official list of the current known multiverse lists the Tangent universe as Earth-9.
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...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
created in 1997–1998, developed from ideas created by Dan Jurgens
Dan Jurgens
Dan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for creating the superhero Booster Gold, and for his lengthy runs on the Superman titles Adventures of Superman and Superman , particularly during The Death of Superman storyline...
. The line, formed from various one-shots, focused on creating all-new characters using established DC names, such as the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
, 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 the Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
. Contrasting the Tangent Universe with the DC Universe Jurgens commented:
Superman
Dan JurgensDan Jurgens
Dan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for creating the superhero Booster Gold, and for his lengthy runs on the Superman titles Adventures of Superman and Superman , particularly during The Death of Superman storyline...
recalled the reconceptualization of Superman "went through many permutations." An early idea eschewed powers altogether and revolved around highlighting the "man" in "Superman," and making him "a cop, or a doctor or something different. A guy with no powers but tremendous character who fights on behalf of his fellow man." Writer Millar noted that "the classic Superman role is already filled by the Atom," and wanted to echo "Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
's metamorphosis where we actually see this likable, regular guy transform into a superhuman." Thus Millar took Jurgens' early idea "of the average Joe as the superMAN," and used artist Guice's "unique approach to the flashback scenes" (as seen in his Resurrection Man
Resurrection Man
The Resurrection Man is a fictional character, a superhero whose adventures were published by DC Comics from 1997 to 1999 in a serialized comic book of the same name, created by Andy Lanning, Dan Abnett and Jackson Guice...
work) to create a different style than that used by Guice on his 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...
work. The Tangent universe's Superman utilises the name of DC villain Two-Face
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
(Harvey Dent) rather than the name 'Clark Kent.' Superman's powers, according to his writer are that "his brain is evolving at an accelerated rate" thanks to a 'god-force'.
Wonder Woman
Writer Peter DavidPeter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
worked from Jurgens' concept that Tangent's Wonder Woman is "a female warrior" exiled to Earth for sins committed on another world. Seeking a twist to make her different from the original DCU
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
character, David thought up Wanda's origin as "a symbol of what [her] world could be if [her people] were united." Combining two diverse aspects, she "seems distracted in any combat situation" and "would rather not fight," preferring "pondering some deep philosophical point." After the character conception, artist Gene Ha produced design artwork, initially of a bearded lady
Bearded Lady
A bearded lady or bearded woman is a woman who has a visible beard. These women have long been a phenomenon of legend, curiosity, ridicule, and more recently, political statement and fashion statement. A small number of women are able to grow enough facial hair to have a distinct beard...
, but eventually merely "a very alien woman."
Nightwing Nightforce
Writer Ostrander previously wrote Nightwing for the first wave of Tangent issues, and for his second wave issue christened the team (Hex, Black Orchid and Wildcat) 'Nightforce'. Citing the benefit of the Tangent line as giving "a far greater freedom to sculpt the world in any fashion we want," Jurgens said that for the second wave he hoped to "see Earth totally and completely subjugated." As the Tangent universe's premiere covert team, much of the "mammoth task" of staging a pivotal Tangent event fell to Ostrander, who installed an undead, vampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
as head of a Soviet Empire. Ostrander also revealed the 'Dark Circle', whose members could be killed and "resurrected as a warrior, Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
style, for the Ultra-Humanite."
Overview
The history of the Tangent Universe radically diverges from the real world due to the presence of superheroes. The interference of the original AtomAtom (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'...
causes the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
to escalate into a limited nuclear exchange that results in the nuclear obliteration of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. The aftermath of the destruction of Florida shapes the lives of several characters.
The city of New Atlantis is created out of the remains of the city of Atlanta and is later the birth place of the Joker. A group of sea creatures are mutated by the radioactive fallout into humanoid form and become known as the Sea Devils
Sea Devils (comics)
The Sea Devils are a team of characters in comics published by DC Comics. They are a team of conventional adventurers, in undersea adventures. They were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath ....
. The other major event to have repercussions is the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, which leads to the creation of the Manhunter
Manhunter (comics)
-Golden Age:The first of DC's Manhunters was a non-costumed independent investigator, Paul Kirk, who helped police solve crimes during the early 1940s. Though the series was titled "Paul Kirk, Manhunter", Kirk didn't use the Manhunter name as an alias...
and deployment of alternate Metal Men
Metal Men
The Metal Men are fictional characters that appear in comic books published by DC Comics. The characters first appeared in Showcase #37 and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and penciller Ross Andru...
as a US black ops squad. As a result of the Cuban War in this timeline, the Soviet Union still existed in the late nineties, and was still a world superpower. However, China was not involved in this nuclear exchange and has its own metahuman genetic experimentation programme, resulting in the creation of Supergirl and Powergirl.
Series
Based on concepts created by Dan Jurgens, Tangent Comics as a whole is dedicated to Julie Schwartz.1997 titles
- Doom PatrolDoom PatrolThe Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
- A team from the future arrives in the present, warning of the impending destruction of the Earth. Team members include Doomsday, Star Sapphire, Firehawk and Rampage.
- Green LanternGreen LanternThe 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...
- A woman with a lantern which, when placed upon a grave, can bring the dead back to life just long enough to complete unfinished business.
- Metal MenMetal MenThe Metal Men are fictional characters that appear in comic books published by DC Comics. The characters first appeared in Showcase #37 and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and penciller Ross Andru...
- The Metal Men are a covert military group, so named because they came back from every mission unscathed. The members are nicknamed "Hawkman", "Lobo", "Gravedigger", and “Black Lightning”.
- NightwingNightwingNightwing is a name that has been used by several fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe. It was conceived as a Kryptonian analogue to the character of Batman, with Nightwing's frequent partner Flamebird based on Robin...
- A group of agents from a mystical secret society that controls much of the world go renegade.
- Sea DevilsSea Devils (comics)The Sea Devils are a team of characters in comics published by DC Comics. They are a team of conventional adventurers, in undersea adventures. They were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath ....
- A society of mer-people are created by the nuclear exchange that destroyed Cuba and Florida in 1962.
- Secret SixSecret Six (comics)The Secret Six is the name of three different fictional comic book teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.-Original Secret Six:The Secret Six...
- The Secret Six are a covert group of heroes who are formed when the Flash, Atom, the Joker, Spectre, Plastic Man and Manhunter join forces to combat Dr. Aquadus, a living ocean.
- The AtomAtom (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'...
- The grandson of the Tangent Earth's first superhero, an atomic veteran, takes on the mantle and learns a horrible truth about his family.
- The FlashFlash (comics)The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
- The first baby born in space grows up to become a teenage superhero with light-based powers. She can move at the speed of light and create holographic constructs.
- The JokerJoker (comics)The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
- A costumed anarchist in the city of New Atlantis uses pranks to highlight the failings and hypocrisy of those in power.
1998 titles
Because the Tangent titles were not linked to DC Comics' shared universe, they were free to make sweeping changes. In the Tangent one-shots published in 1998, a huge electromagnetic pulse disables all technology worldwide, and an incredibly powerful being called the Ultra-Humanite begins taking over the world.- PowergirlPower GirlPower Girl is a DC Comics superheroine, making her first appearance in All Star Comics #58 ....
- US agents attempt to kidnap China's genetically-engineered superhuman. Written by Ron MarzRon MarzRon Marz is an American comic book writer, known for his work on titles such as Silver Surfer, Green Lantern, Marvel vs DC, Batman/Aliens and Witchblade.-Career:...
, with art by Dusty Abell.
- US agents attempt to kidnap China's genetically-engineered superhuman. Written by Ron Marz
- Nightwing: Nightforce
- The rogue Nightwing agents (including JadeJade (comics)Jade is a fictional character, a superheroine in the . Known affectionately as "Jennie" or "Jen", she is the daughter of Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern. Her mother is Rose Canton, the Golden Age villain known as Thorn...
, ObsidianObsidian (comics)Obsidian is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway. According to an Infinity, Inc...
, Black OrchidBlack OrchidBlack Orchid is the name of three fictional superheroines published by DC Comics. The original version of the character first appeared in Adventure Comics #428 .-Susan Linden-Thorne:...
and WildcatWildcat (comics)Wildcat is the name of several fictional characters, all DC Comics superheroes. The first and most famous of these is Ted Grant, a long-time member of the Justice Society of America...
) attempt to rescue the Doom PatrolDoom PatrolThe Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
(Star SapphireStar Sapphire (comics)Star Sapphire is the name of several supervillains in DC Comics, all connected in origin. Within DC continuity, an immortal race of warrior women were depicted as having the ancient tradition of choosing physically identical mortals from across the cosmos to serve as the host body for their queen....
, DoomsdayDoomsday (comics)Doomsday is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman: The Man of Steel #18 , and was created by writer-artist Dan Jurgens. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Doomsday as #46...
, Firehawk and RampageRampage (comics)Rampage, in comics, may refer to:* Rampage , a Marvel Comics supervillain* Rampage , a DC Comics superheroine* Rampage , a Transformers character who has appeared in a number of comics...
) from the Soviet Union, only to unleash the Ultra-HumaniteUltra-HumaniteThe Ultra-Humanite is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #13 , and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster...
. Written by John OstranderJohn OstranderJohn Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. He is best known for his work on Suicide Squad, Grimjack and Star Wars: Legacy, series he helped create.-Career:...
and drawn by Jan DuursemaJan DuursemaJan Duursema is an American comic book artist known for her work on the Star Wars comics franchise. She was the creator of Denin and Vila from Naldar, the Twi'lek Jedi Aayla Secura and the Kiffar Jedi Quinlan Vos....
.
- The rogue Nightwing agents (including Jade
- The SupermanSupermanSuperman 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...
- An ordinary man finds himself evolving into something millions of years beyond human. Written by Mark MillarMark MillarMark Millar is a Scottish comic book writer, known for his work on books such as The Authority, The Ultimates, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Civil War, Wanted, and Kick-Ass, the latter two of which have been adapted into feature films...
, and drawn by Jackson GuiceJackson GuiceJackson "Butch" Guice , is an American comic book artist who has worked steadily in the mainstream comics industry since the early 1980s.-Biography:...
.
- An ordinary man finds himself evolving into something millions of years beyond human. Written by Mark Millar
- Tales of the Green Lantern
- The Green Lantern tells three possible, and contradictory, stories of her origin. The framing sequence was written by James Robinson and drawn by J. H. Williams IIIJ. H. Williams IIIJames "Jim" H. Williams III, usually credited as J. H. Williams III, is a comic book artist and penciller. He is known for his work on titles such as Chase, Promethea, Desolation Jones and most recently Batwoman.-Career:...
and Mick Gray. The first two alternate origins were written by Dan AbnettDan AbnettDan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...
& Andy LanningAndy LanningAndy Lanning is a British comic book writer and inker, known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and for his collaboration with Dan Abnett.-Career:Lanning works primarily at Marvel Comics and DC Comics as an inker...
, with art by Mike Mayhew and Wade von GrawbadgerWade Von GrawbadgerWade von Grawbadger is a comic book artist who is known mostly for his inking work for Marvel and DC comics.-DC Comics:* Alpha Centurion Special #1* Birds of Prey: Manhunt #1, 3, 4* Showcase '95 #1, 2...
; Georges JeantyGeorges JeantyGeorges Jeanty is an American comic book penciler best known for his work on The American Way, an eight-issue American comic book limited series produced under DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics.-Early...
& Drew Geraci. The third was written by John Ostrander, with art by Ryan SookRyan SookRyan Sook is an American comic book artist from San Jose, California.-Career:Sook's first professional work was in Challengers of the Unknown #15 published in 1998...
.
- The Green Lantern tells three possible, and contradictory, stories of her origin. The framing sequence was written by James Robinson and drawn by J. H. Williams III
- The BatmanBatmanBatman 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...
- A knight who once fought King Arthur is forced to atone for his sins, seeking justice through an empty suit of armor for all eternity.
- The Joker's Wild
- The story focuses on three mischievous but essentially good superheroSuperheroA superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
ines (Madame XanaduMadame XanaduMadame Xanadu is a fictional character, a comic book mystic published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur.-Publication history:...
, Mary MarvelMary MarvelMary Marvel is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in...
and Lori LemarisLori LemarisLori Lemaris is a fictional character in DC Comics' Superman comic books. Lori is a mermaid from Tritonis, a city in the undersea lost continent of Atlantis.-Silver Age:...
) all masquerading as the Joker in the post-apocalyptic rebuilt city of New Atlantis. Written by Karl KeselKarl KeselKarl Kesel is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics...
and Tom Simmons, pencilled by Joe PhillipsJoe PhillipsJoe Phillips is an American artist, known for his mainstream comic book art and for his work depicting his views of gay life. He currently lives in San Diego, California.-Early Years and Comic Work:...
.
- The story focuses on three mischievous but essentially good superhero
- Trials of the FlashFlash (comics)The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
- The Flash teams up with her friends in the Secret Six to rescue one of their own from Nightwing. Written by Todd DezagoTodd DeZagoTodd Dezago is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his collaborations with penciller Mike Wieringo on The Sensational Spider-Man and their creator-owned fantasy series Tellos, which premiered in 1999, as well as for co-creating Young Justice with artist Todd Nauck in the 1998...
, and drawn by Paul PelletierPaul PelletierPaul Pelletier is an American comic book penciller.-Career:Pelletier began working as a professional comic artist in the late 1980s. His first work appeared in Zen: Intergalactic Ninja. He has worked for renowned comics publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics as well as for the now out of business...
.
- The Flash teams up with her friends in the Secret Six to rescue one of their own from Nightwing. Written by Todd Dezago
- Wonder WomanWonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
- An alien warrior, meant to be the symbol of unity for her fractured world, is instead pursued to Earth. She battles her pursuers in Las VegasLas Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, all the while wondering about her role in the cosmos. Written by Peter DavidPeter DavidPeter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
and drawn by Angel Unzueta from designs by Gene HaGene HaGene Ha is an American comics artist and writer best known for his work on books such as Top 10 and Top 10: The Forty-Niners, with Alan Moore and Zander Cannon, for America's Best Comics, the Batman graphic novel Fortunate Son, with Gerard Jones, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, among...
.
- An alien warrior, meant to be the symbol of unity for her fractured world, is instead pursued to Earth. She battles her pursuers in Las Vegas
- JLAJustice LeagueThe Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
- A covert group of operatives is formed to take out several superhumans, (the Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Superman). Eventually, the four targets come together and form their own Justice League. Written by series instigator Dan JurgensDan JurgensDan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for creating the superhero Booster Gold, and for his lengthy runs on the Superman titles Adventures of Superman and Superman , particularly during The Death of Superman storyline...
, with art by Darryl BanksDarryl BanksDarryl Banks is a comic book artist. He worked on one of the first painted comic books, Cyberpunk, and teamed with the writer Mark Ellis to revamp the long-running The Justice Machine series for two publishers, Innovation and Millennium....
and Norm RapmundNorm Rapmund-Image Comics and Marvel:Rapmund's career began with Image Comics' Brigade #1 in 1992. He worked on the series concurrently with Image titles Bloodstrike and Team Youngblood until 1994, when he moved from Brigade to Supreme...
,
- A covert group of operatives is formed to take out several superhumans, (the Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Superman). Eventually, the four targets come together and form their own Justice League. Written by series instigator Dan Jurgens
Tangent: Superman's Reign (2008)
The twelve 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....
was the revisiting of the Tangent Universe 10 years later, both in reality and fiction. The series ran between March 2008 until February 2009, and was written by Dan Jurgens with art by Carlos Magno. The series was met with favorable reviews, noting strong character development and plotting.
Overview
In efforts to aid an alternate reality displaced Tangent Flash (Lia Nelson), Green Lantern (John Stewart) and Flash (Wally WestWally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
) are inexplicably transported to Earth-9, the Tangent Universe, by the Green Lantern. The trio joins Tangent Spectre and Manhunter in freeing the Atom, leaving John Stewart captured by the Tangent Superman, ruler of Earth-9. While being interrogated by the Tangent Superman, John Stewart's ring is contacted by Hal Jordan’s ring, which the Tangent Green Lantern uses to bring additional members of the Justice League to Earth-9. The rescued Atom is revealed to be the Tangent Powergirl, lover to Superman, and a fight ensues. The Tangent Superman takes Stewart’s power ring, and uses the ring, augmented by his psychic powers and the magic of the Tangent Orion to travel to New Earth, home of the DC Universe. Meanwhile, Batman infiltrates the Core, hub of information on Earth-9, and is saved by the Tangent Batman while escaping, who is mounting a revolution against the Tangent Superman. Tangent Superman and Powergirl battle their New Earth counterparts, only to escape and destroy the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. The Tangent Superman proceeds to kidnap the world’s leaders, cede power from them and detonate a nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
to distract New Earth’s heroes. While on Earth-9 the heroes find and recruit Tangent Superman’s last tie to humanity, his wife Lola Dent. The heroes on Earth-9 transport themselves back to New Earth, where the combined forces of New Earth’s and Earth-9’s heroes fight against Tangent Superman and Tangent Powergirl and a cadre of villains the Earth-9 ruler has gathered from New Earth (the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
, 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...
, Mr. Freeze
Mr. Freeze
Mr. Freeze, real name Dr. Victor Fries , is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. Created by Bob Kane, he first appeared in Batman #121 ....
, the Icicle
Icicle (comics)
Icicle is the name of two fictional DC Comics supervillains.-Dr. Joar Mahkent:When noted European physicist Dr. Joar Mahkent arrived in America with his latest scientific discovery, spectators at dockside were astonished to witness the luxury liner upon which Mahkent was traveling suddenly frozen...
, Black Manta
Black Manta
Black Manta is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as the archenemy of Aquaman. The character debuted in Aquaman #35 .-Fictional character biography:...
, Poison Ivy, Felix Faust
Felix Faust
Felix Faust is a fictional character and supervillain who appears in stories published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in 1962 as an adversary of the Justice League of America...
), as well as the Tangent Ultra-Humanite
Ultra-Humanite
The Ultra-Humanite is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #13 , and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster...
. The raging battle against the Tangent Superman weakens him, allowing him to be ultimately defeated by his wife, concluding the story.
Interaction with the main DC Universe
The KingdomThe Kingdom (comic book)
"The Kingdom" is a story arc that ran through a two-issue, self titled comic book limited series and multiple one shot comics published by DC Comics in 1999, written by Mark Waid and drawn by Ariel Olivetti/Mike Zeck. This is both a sequel and, in some ways, prequel to Kingdom Come, also by Mark...
(1998) revealed that the Tangent universe was part of Hypertime
Hypertime
Hypertime is a fictional concept presented in the 1999 DC comic book series The Kingdom, both a catch-all explanation for any continuity discrepancies in DC Universe stories and a variation or superset of the Multiverse that existed before Crisis on Infinite Earths.- The Kingdom :The basic premise...
, a fluid system of alternate realities based on splitting and re-merging timelines. Regular DC characters became aware of the Tangent universe, but did not interact with it.
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
(2006) identified the Tangent universe as Earth-97, part of the recreated Multiverse
Multiverse (DC Comics)
The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
. As Earth-97 was being destroyed in the chaos, Green Lantern said that the heroes had to follow her lantern's light in order to survive. At the end of the story on New Earth, two children found the lantern belonging to the Tangent Universe's Green Lantern washed up on a beach.
The Tangent universe’s Green Lantern, Flash and Atom appeared in Ion
Ion (comics)
Ion is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero. Created by writer Judd Winick and artist Dale Eaglesham for Green Lantern vol. 3 #142, Ion was devised as the new superhero identity for Green Lantern protagonist Kyle Rayner. It was later revealed to be able to form mutualism with a host,...
#9 and #10 (2007), in which they displaced Ion and the two children who had found the lantern. Ion found himself in The Bleed, where he encountered Captain Atom
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
. Upon returning to Earth, Ion defeated the Tangent heroes, apparently by sending them back to their native dimension. During this appearance, everything said by the Tangent heroes was a repeat of lines from the original Tangent comics run.
The Tangent universe's Green Lantern later appeared in Justice League of America #50, where she fled to New Earth in order to warn its heroes of an impending attack by the Crime Syndicate of Amerika. During the issue, it was revealed that the Syndicate members had ravaged the Tangent earth and killed many of its heroes in the process. The Tangent Green Lantern later became instrumental in the ensuing battle by temporarily resurrecting Alexander Luthor, and by the end of the story, the Tangent Universe had been restored to its former state.
Earth-9
'The "History of the Multiverse" backup stories in CountdownCountdown (comics)
Countdown, in comics, may refer to:* Countdown , a British boys comic of the early 1970s* Countdown to Final Crisis, a DC comics series* DC Countdown, the name originally listed for Countdown to Infinite Crisis...
established that the Tangent Universe now exists as one of the new fifty-two alternate universes. DC's official list of the current known multiverse lists the Tangent universe as Earth-9.
Trade paperbacks
DC Comics began reprinting the Tangent Comics one-shots in 2007 with a series of trade paperbacks.- Tangent Comics Vol. 1 (August 2007), 208 pages collecting the Tangent Comics: The Atom, Metal Men, The Flash, Green Lantern and Sea Devils one-shots.
- Tangent Comics Vol. 2 (January 2008), 192 pages collecting the Tangent Comics: Joker, Nightwing, Batman, Secret Six and Doom Patrol one-shots.
- Tangent Comics Vol. 3 (June 2008), 208 pages collecting Tangent Comics: Superman, Wonder Woman, Joker's Wild, JLA, Tales of the Green Lantern, Power Girl, Nightwing: Nightforce, and Trials of the Flash.
- Tangent: Superman's Reign Vol. 1 160 pages collecting #1-6 and Justice League of America #16
- Tangent: Superman's Reign Vol. 2 144 pages Collecting #7-12