Superman vs The New Gods! The Champion! (DC)
Where: Action Comics #586 When: March 1987 Why: John Byrne & Dick Giordano How: John Byrne
The Story So Far...
The will of the evil god Darkseid is far reaching! On Earth, his plans
to undermine the public's trust lead to a federal outlawing of
unsanctioned heroes and vigilantes. Which means Superman is stuck in the
unassuming guise of Clark Kent when Omega Beams suddenly pursue him
through the streets of Metropolis!
Despite his best efforts to
evade them; the Omega Beams find their target - transporting the Daily
Planet Reporter to the throne room of Darkseid! With The Phantom
Stranger in witness, Darkseid feigns ignorance to the mortal's true
identity - casting him into the wild of his dominion!
Stripped of
his memory by the Fire Pits of Apokolips, Superman is manipulated to
lead a revolt on behalf of the Lowlies who pulled him from the inferno.
As quickly as he championed these Hunger Gods, the confused Man of Steel
betrays them -- tricked to believe he is the son of Darkseid!
While
Granny Goodness attempts to restore Superman's dulled powers with an
intense and cruel training regiment -- the true son of Darkseid rushes
to his aid! Orion and Lightray prepare for a fight, but it may be the
man they're coming to rescue who works hardest to destroy them
Living Daylights (DC)
Where: Action Comics Annual #4 When: 1992 Why: Dan Vado How: Chris Wozniak
The Story So Far...
The darkness of rage and vengeance is threatening to eclipse a world
besieged by Eclipso! The ancient demon of vengeance has been returned
upon the mortal world, exploiting the darkness within the mortal soul to
possess an ever growing army of eclipsed souls!
With the
situation growing more desperate as Earth's greatest defenders fall
under Eclipso's control, what's left of the Justice League of America
must work with Professor Emil Hamilton and Lex Luthor to devise a means
of combatting Eclipso's plague-like influence!
Desperate to buy
the heroes the time they need to enact a technological trap - Superman
volunteers himself in exchange for the souls Eclipso has hoarded in a
small fishing village. As he becomes a vessel for Eclipso himself, even
Superman is unaware of the League's ace in the hole: The Power of
Shazam!
The Secret Origin of Jessica Jones 2 of 2 (Marvel)
Where: Alias #23 When: August 2003 Why: Brian Michael Bendis How: Michael Gaydos
The Story So Far...
Jessica Campbell was an ordinary kid until her life was turned upside
down by a car accident on the way home from a family trip to Disney
World.
The collision with a military convoy carrying hazardous
chemicals killed her family, and left Jessica in a coma for six months.
She awakens to a world in chaos as Galactus and his herald touch down in
Manhattan.
If that wasn't bad enough: Jessica is soon adopted,
and returned to a life of high school bullying and flashbacks to her
family's death. The only upside is that she can now fly and break trees
with a firm shove! With great power comes great possibility and fate is
about to deliver Jessica to her first heroic moment!
The Phoenix Gambit: Part Four Black Queen's Mate (DC)
Where: Suicide Squad #43 When: July 1990 Why: John Ostrander & Kim Yale How: Geof Isherwood
The Story So Far...
The Suicide Squad have been dissolved, and Amanda Waller imprisoned, but
political unrest in the Eastern European nation of Vlatava has forced
the powers that be to reactivate their expendable black-ops force!
Now
operating as a fully autonomous outfit under Waller's command; a team,
partially reassembled by The Batman, infiltrates Vlatava under the guise
of going freelance to a global market!
Russian General Kaligari
agrees to hire Waller under strict conditions, working to expedite
hardline aggressions against the deranged Count Vertigo, and his
Vlatavian resistance. In truth, the Squad work against the Russians,
aiming to bring in one of their toughest agents -- the man wanted in
connection to an assassination in Gotham City: Ivan Illyich Gort -
Stalnoivolk!
Chapter 4: Third Contest: Siege in the City of the Dead! (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #3 When: August 1982
Why: Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant & Bill Mantlo How: John Romita Jr
The Story So Far...
Across the universe there exists immortal entities whose existence
determines cosmic reality. The Grandmaster is one such being: an Elder
of the Universe whose taste for games inspires a Contest of Champions!
Snatching
the world's heroes from a temporarily frozen Earth; The Grandmaster
drafts a team of twelve to represent him in a contest of life and death!
His team will race to find segments of a golden artifact scattered to
the four corners of the Earth!
The Grandmaster's ultimate prize
is the restoration of his immortal brother: The Collector! Killed by the
man-god Korvac; The Collector's demise is beyond even the vast cosmic
might of a fellow Elder. Thus, The Grandmaster's contest pits him
against the ultimate opponent - Death herself!
BLACK PANTHER versus ULYSSES KLAW The Way It Began..! (Marvel)
Where: Fantastic Four #53 When: August 1966 Why: Stan Lee How: Jack Kirby
The Story So Far...
Wakanda celebrates the invited arrival of the Fantastic Four, but as
they do, a sinister presence from the African nation's past plots
against their young ruler!
Massive rampaging jungle beasts attack
the unsuspecting kingdom! Animal simulations created from pure sound
energy! They are weapons of revenge created by the master of sound:
Ulysses Klaw!
Klaw attack Wakanda ten years earlier, killing King
T'Chaka in an attempt to claim the country's deposit of rare vibranium
metal! Young Prince T'Challa thwarted the attack, and must once again go
on the hunt to stop the brutal arch-nemesis whose hand he once
destroyed! While the Fantastic Four battle Klaw's sonic monsters --
Black Panther confronts his father's killer!
The Black Panther! (Marvel)
Where: Fantastic Four #52 When: July 1966 Why: Stan Lee How: Jack Kirby
The Story So Far...
When the royal leader of an African nation gifts the Fantastic Four a
hi-tech flying vehicle, they're invited to participate in a great
Wakandan hunt. Little do they realize - it's the Fantastic Four who will
be the prey!
Upon arrival they discover a nation built with the
wonders of super-science and riches beyond belief! This is the
remarkable kingdom of The Black Panther!
Black Panther hopes to
test his fighting prowess and advanced technology against the cosmically
powered might of the Fantastic Four. A gambit that begins by separating
the group, leaving Thing to unwittingly stumbled into a trap that will
leave him vulnerable to unarmed combat!
Endgame... Plus Two (DC)
Where: Secret Society of Super-Villains #5 When: January-February 1977 Why: Bob Rozakis How: Rich Buckler & Vince Colletta
The Story So Far...
A battle between The Secret Society of Super-Villains and their evil New
God masters has left the city battleground coated with rubble. Buried
beneath the mess is Captain Comet -- returned hero of the 1950s whose
confusion brought him in league with The Society!
Emerging from
the urban wreckage, Captain Comet discovers another space hero trapped
underneath -- The Green Lantern! No longer mistaking him for a foe,
Captain Comet accompanies Hal Jordan to the Justice League Satellite HQ.
There, Superman and the JLA verify the incredible story of
Captain Comet's uncanny return! The old hero isn't the only one to have
left the ranks of Manhunter's Secret Society of Super-Villains, though!
A
satellite alarm signals the disgruntled attack of Sinestro on The
Society's Sinister Citadel in San Francisco! With GL on monitor duty;
Hawkman recruits Captain Comet to stop Sinestro's earthquake revenge!
Hitting The Fan (DC)
Where: Suicide Squad #6 When: October 1987 Why: John Ostrander How: Luke McDonnell
The Story So Far...
When the Soviet Union proposes a trade with the United States for a
controversial novelist's freedom; The Suicide Squad are called upon in
secret to extract the prisoner right from under their noses!
It
was a politically charged mission to Moscow none of them wanted to take,
but the ingenious plan of new recruit Oswald Cobblepot, (aka; The
Penguin), makes the trip behind enemy lines seem possible! There's just
one catch: Nobody thought to ask Zoya Trigorin if she wanted to be
rescued!
A hostile prisoner throws the mission into disarray --
much to the delight of Enchantress! With the Soviet Army closing in
fast, Colonel Rick Flag has no choice but to order Deadshot to bring the
wild witch down when she goes rogue!
SUPERMAN versus ORION
