DC's Second Wave

On January 12th, 2012, DC Comics announced a new run of six #1 titles, following up on their New 52. Designed to pick up on some forgotten characters while playing to some of the popular themes of the past, this has been named The Second Wave.

Left: Cover Art for World's Finest #1 (2012), featuring Power Girl and The Huntress.

Bob Harras, DC Entertainment Editor-in-Chief stated, "The 'Second Wave' is all about world-building." This ends up true with much emphasis appearing on alternate earths.

This article/landing page summarizes the Second Wave releases. Herein is included the new and abandoned titles, the "why" for the changes, and introductions for the Second Wave material. It will include controversial information and link to interesting stories, but will also provide some limited artwork from discussed issues as they are released.

Preliminary Information that You Should Know

DC's Second Wave didn't just happen because they needed more titles. It turned out that a few issues from The New 52 didn't do so well. Their sales weren't up to expectation and they weren't generating enough of a fan base.

Unfortunately, the following is a list of titles that were concluded on April 2012. Each one ended with issue #8:

BLACKHAWKS

HAWK AND DOVE

MEN OF WAR

MISTER TERRIFIC

O.M.A.C.

STATIC SHOCK

In Blackhawks #8, the team encounters a nanotech threat in the visage of Mother Machine. They deter her plans, but only after their base, The Eyrie, is destroyed. At this time it appears the group is temporarily disbanded and off the grid.

In Hawk and Dove #8, Hank and Dawn face the challenge of Hunter and the D'Khan Ninja, ultimately taking out the villain who called himself The Dragon. Returning home, they prepare for new adventures, which is weird since their series is now over.

Men of War #8 technically doesn't have an main character, but a series of them. They will all be appearing in a new title, named G.I. Combat, which will be explained below.

In Mister Terrific #8, Michael Holt defeats Digitus but is apprehended by The Blackhawks. The entire exchange is seen in the media and they are forced to stand down instead of taking him in. When he gets back to his lab, he sees Karen Starr, who says she's going to leave for D.C. in the morning. They exchange a kiss. Later, he learns she stole his technology. In the meantime, he tests one of his quantum tunneling equations and ends up in another dimension. The result of this displacement will take place in Earth 2 #2.

O.M.A.C. #8 Kevin Kho battles Checkmate and Maxwell Lord, but eventually, his creator, Brother Eye is defeated. As a last parting gift, it gives Keven control over his transformation and powers. (Well, not complete-ly. You'll see.) O.M.A.C.'s adventure continues in Justice League International #8.

Static Shock #8 appears to recounting of the hero's past with a school counselor. There is no indication where this superhero will show up in the future. If you learn any information, please leave it in the guestbook and we'll update this immediately. (You'll get credit, too.)

Batman has always been a successful character and had popular titles. In this series, it will be focusing on the franchise as they come together. Comments from DC Comics suggest that Damian Wayne will be one of the central characters, influenced by the heroic and evil, as he's swayed between Batman and Talia al Ghul's influenced.

Batman Incorporated #1 (This issue brings out Damian and his father as they are facing the likes of Leviathan, a very powerful and influential foe in the DC Universe of villains. As Batman and the new Robin are fighting their way through clues and lackeys, we also get a sense of what "Batman Incorporated" may truly be; in a couple of panels, we learn of Bat Cave West, the place where Batman is sponsoring a get-together of heroes like Batwing, El Gaucho, and maybe some of The Outsiders. According to the story, Leviathan thinks they are all dead; that means they can operate under the radar with Batman's aid.)

Otherwise known as "Dial H For Hero", the objective of this comic book series is the appearance of temporary heroes as they gain unique powers over a limited period. In a couple of panels, it suggests that they might be getting these powers over the telephone.

Dial H #1 (The protagonist for issue #1 is Nelson Jent, an overweight, down on his luck, guy who seems to be losing everything. One night when he catches his friend being beaten in an alley, he rushes to a phone both to call for help. In that instant, he is transformed into Boy Chimney, a weird, smoke-empowered hero, and takes out the attackers. He then rushes his buddy to the hospital. The changing process only lasts for a few hours, so later he returns to the phone booth and tries different number combinations to undergo the heroic alteration again. Finally it works, but this time he becomes Captain Lachrymose, imbued with the power to feed on misery. He heads to the head thug's hideout, but is surprised by a metahuman that vomits blackness and death; they were waiting for him! He escapes and reverts back to his human form, but now knows that the phone number to dial is H-E-R-O.)

The Earth 2 issues are going to revolve around the alternate earth's team called the JSA, or Justice Society of America. What we know now is that they came after - not before - the Justice League.

Earth 2 #1 (The beauty behind this version of earth is that Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and all the other heroes were once alive, but died in a battle that eventually ended up expelling Darkseid and his attacking parademons. Subsequently, Kara, also known as Supergirl, and Helena, Batman's daughter and the current Robin, go through a portal and disappear. (Their adventures start in World's Finest #1) Now that Earth 2 is void of champions, the story begins with Jay Garrick, a normal man who sees a hurtling comet that turns out to be Mercury.)

Anyone who knows Jay Garrick remembers him as the Justice Society of America's original Flash.

A Culimination of Their Best War Stories and Characters

G.I. Combat is going to incorporate all their soldier of war themes and include appearances by the newly vamped Sgt. Rock. It Will also include stories from The War That Time Forgot, The Unknown Soldier, The Haunted Tank.

G.I. Combat #1 (In The War That Time Forgot, an American Special Forces Unit encounters pterodactyls while they are off the coast of North Korea. The flying dinosaurs attack their helicopter and they are forced to crash land. A couple of them make their way to open ground; that's where they witness other dinosaurs locked in battle against North Korean tanks. The second part of the issue is The Unknown Soldier, which surrounds an man whose family was murdered by terrorists and sends himself into the mercenary underworld so he can exact revenge. When he finally turns up, he's a bandaged killer in Afghanistan that aids the U.S. Troops. They finally run a check on his background and decide they want to use his skills for an unrevealed mission.)

With this release of The Ravagers coming to the Second Wave, we've learned that it surrounded a mini story arc called The Culling, which involved Teen Titans and The Lost Legion of Superheroes. The Culling is comprised of these issues:

Teen Titans #8 (2012) (Prelude to The Culling)

Teen Titans Annual #1 (2012) (The Culling: Part 1)

Superboy #9 (2012) (The Culling: Part 2)

Legion Lost #9 (2012) (The Culling: Part 3)

Teen Titans #9 (2012) The Culling: Part 4)

The Ravagers #1 (Having escaped the nefarious villain "Harvest" and the events of The Culling, Fairchild leads Ridge, Beast Boy, and a group of other metahumans through the icy wastelands to freedom. The teamwork begins to breakdown with many leaving and going their own way. Unfortunately, they are still being hunted by Rose Wilson and Warblade, who begin murdering those separated from the pack. In the last few seconds, Fairchild and the ones who remained make a last stand against their powerful predators.)

It was recently announced that World's Finest, which originally depicted Superman and Batman in a team-up, will be headlined instead with Power Girl and The Huntress. The foundation behind this series is supposed to take place in the alternative "Earth 2" dimension.

World's Finest #1 (Kara and Helena's story occur after Earth 2 #1, where they are transported to an alternate earth. It's been about 5 years since they arrive to this reality. In the meantime, Helena has infiltrated this world's Wayne Enterprises and gathered her tools of the trade; late in the evenings, she's been taking out thugs. Kara, on the other hand, is using her funds to become a mysterious rich mogul. As the story takes off, the lab Kara purchased to help them get back home explodes. They encounter The Irradiated Man and decide to adopt the names Power Girl and The Huntress.)

Okay: this poll may seem a little biased and unfair. But it's not my fault; there's not a whole lot of artwork for the new Power Girl uniform and it could end up looking slightly different in the future.

If you've been following along with the Second Wave, you might be aware that it stirred up some controversy. With that in mind, here's the simple question: Which suit do you like? Trust me, your answer makes a difference; DC Comics is well-aware and paying attention.

Special Note: This ARTWORK for both costumes will be UPDATED when we see more shots of her newer one. (I'm trying to be fair.)

With the conception of Power Girl and The Huntress - replacing Superman and Batman - I located this collector's statue of the new heroes, posing together. Typically, anything with Power Girl automatically becomes a valued item and raises in price fast. Please note that this statue is made to order, so it's typically sold out or low in stock. That's normally how it's done.

Greetings!

And thanks for dropping by! If you've seen or heard anything pertaining to DC's Second Wave, or you'd like to submit some of your own, please feel free to sound off with your constructive criticism or opinions. All are welcome; just remember to be courteous because this is a free resource.