WRITING EXERCISE #7 - Create a Big Two Event

[Sarcoidosis]

So I figured so few creators actually get to be responsible for a big crossover event that it might be kind of fun for some of us amateurs to take a stab at creating the concept for an event like Siege or Final Crisis.

The rules are simple:
Come up with:
The Premise
The Key Characters (in the main storyline)
The Ideas for some Tie-Ins
The Length

Beyond that, it's up to you what else you want to throw in. Early events like Infinity Gauntlet or Secret Wars were almost completely isolated from ongoing series aside from a few minor change-ups, but modern events not only character the status quo of certain characters, but also the universe as a whole. Some events, like Galactic Storm, ran through connected books without a central event, whereas others, like House of M, were highly dependent on a main book.

Exercises 1-6:

EXERCISE #1 - 'You better sit down for this.'
http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=188219

EXERCISE #2 - Marvel Character Haikus
http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=188772

EXERCISE #3 - Music Video Script
http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=189322

EXERCISE #4 - Put Spider-Man and Iron Man in a White Room Together
http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=189921

EXERCISE #5 - Write the Post-Credits Scene to a Super Hero Movie
http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=193168

EXERCISE #6 - Explain LOST
http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=193604

Have at it!

[Ray G.]

I did this for the final challenge of an Apprentice competition that I won on another forum a few weeks ago, actually. This isn't something I did for this thread, but I can post it if people want to see.

[Tom Burgos]

I did this for the final challenge of an Apprentice competition that I won on another forum a few weeks ago, actually. This isn't something I did for this thread, but I can post it if people want to see.

please do. I would love to see it.

[Ray G.]

Here it is. Ridiculously long, because the instructions for the task were very specific. I'm "Team Weather Overground" - it was the name the team gave itself at the beginning of the game. We also had to use a Marvel event title for the DC event and vice-versa. (I had DC, my opponent had Marvel) Hope you enjoy. :)

ACTS OF VENGEANCE
Premise: A well-organized militia of villains begins targeting the heroes of the DC Universe, armed with knowledge of their secret identities and launching a multi-pronged series of attacks involving targeted killings of heroes and civilians, terrorist attacks at sites associated with heroes, and public reveals of heroes' identities. As the crisis worsens, the heroes find themselves in conflict both with their enemies and each other, as they try to unravel the mystery of their attackers' identities and stop them before the modern age of heroes ends in blood.

Lead-ins:


Outsiders - Three issues by Team Weather Overground and Phillip Tan:

Geo-Force is behaving increasingly erratically ever since the Blackest Night, becoming a cruel and irrational ruler. Urged on by the ruthless Eradicator, Brion continues to exile dissenters from his country and crack down on his own countrymen. But when a videotape emerges indicating that the second Terra (the one killed by Black Adam) may still be alive and held captive in America, his actions take a much darker turn. Confronting the JLA with the Eradicator at his back, Geo-Force takes Markovia to the brink of war with America, forcing Checkmate to contemplate sending in a hit squad to take care of the irrational leader. Is the increasingly mad Geomancer the next big threat for the DCU?

Titans - three issues by JT Krul and Fabrizio Fiorentino

Deathstroke has perverted the name of the Titans, murdered heroes, and recruited a former original Teen Titans to his side. As Deathstroke and Arsenal weave a path of destruction through the DCU, assassinating good and bad people aside, the remnants of the old Titans gather to shut them down once and for all. Arsenal has lost everything - but is he far gone enough to turn on his best friends. It's the end of the evil Titans story, as two very different Titans collide in Metropolis. The target - Lois Lane. But who wants Lois dead and why? Or is it just a ruse for a much bigger game. By the time it's over, Arsenal will be in prison, Deathstroke will be on the loose, and the Titans will be celebrating a victory - but for how long?

Red Hood: The Tricorner Agenda - A three-issue miniseries by Judd Winick and Pablo Raimondi.

Blackgate Prison is one of Gotham's most dangerous places. The inmates may not be as insane as Arkham, but they're no less vicious. When a mysterious breakout allows its inmates to run, Jason Todd takes his opportunity to run. Finding himself on the streets with nowhere to go, he settles into the crime-ridden neighborhood of Tricorner. Abandoning his costumed identity, he begins dealing out brutal justice on the streets, targeting those who exploit the innocent. His activities soon get him noticed by the mysterious Church of the Protector, a new organization that seems to have sprung up in Gotham almost overnight. They try to recruit Jason as a guard for the new shelters they're opening around the city, but he wants nothing to do with it. Investigating their activities, Jason finds ties to the Church of St. Dumas - but he doesn't get too much further before he's attacked by their agents. Jason barely escapes with his life, thanks to a last-second tip from someone known as "Moneyspider" who hacks into his cell phone. Now hunted by this mysterious order, with no friends to turn to, Jason disappears deep underground.

Acts of Vengeance: First Strike - One-shot by Team Weather Overground and Doug Mahnke

Across the country, a series of jailbreaks happen almost simultaneously. In each case, the break-in is destructive, people are killed - but only one person actually gets away. Each of the ten breakouts releases one of the most notorious civilian criminals alive, each one disappearing without a trace. Murderers, arsonists, and terrorists, they're all spirited away in the dead of night. Meanwhile, the rogue metahuman dictator Geo-Force follows a series of cryptic clues to Washington, where he's been warned that his sister has less than a day to live. A confrontation with the army grows out of control, as Geo-Force retaliates, killing several US soldiers. Meanwhile, in Gotham, Jason Todd follows the clues of "Moneyspider" to the lair of the new Anarky. Ulysses attacks, taunting Jason that there's something big coming, something that will finally bring order to the world. Jason kills the villain and finds the original Anarky, Lonnie Machin, tethered to machines hooking him up to computers in the lair. Freeing him and removing the drugs keeping him paralyzed, Jason finds out that Ulysses forced him to give him a detailed file on all the heroes, including everything Lonnie (a deductive genius) had figured out about their weaknesses and identities. Jason interrogates Lonnie and finds out that Ulysses was taking his orders from someone anonymous. Before the scene ends, we see Jason has pocketed the files for his own purposes.

Meanwhile, Geo-Force attacks the military base where his sister is supposedly being held. Fighting his way through what he believes are the people holding her, he breaks into the heavily guarded base. Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location, the ten convicts are brought to a warehouse. Via a closed-circuit TV, the mastermind addresses them, telling them that they may be notorious, but he can make them legendary. He's brought them there because for this, he doesn't need villains - he needs killers. It's then revealed that the warehouse is packed with supervillain tech, for each of them to arm themselves with. Back at the military base, Geo-Force has taken down any opposition and made his way to where his sister is being held. Breaking into the room, he finds what looks like a beaten Terra tied to a chair in the middle of a plexiglass room. But as he approaches her, the figure starts begging his forgiveness. It's not Terra at all. It's the young white martian that J'onn found in the mini from 2007, tortured and forced to take Terra's form. Geo-Force, in a rage, tries to get out of the room, but it's too late. It's sealed, with no way for him to draw on his powers. A voice comes on in the room, mocking him and telling him that he'll only be the first. As Geo-Force vows to bring down hell on whoever did this, a series of guns come out of the wall and gun Geo-Force and the martian down. The issue ends with the new band of villains, outfitted in their gear from the warehouse, getting ready for their marching orders.

Schedule:

Month One (prelude):

Outsiders 1/3
Titans 1/3
Red Hood 1/3

Month Two (prelude):

Outsiders 2/3
Titans 2/3
Red Hood 2/3

Month Three (prelude):

Outsiders 3/3
Titans 3/3
Red Hood 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: First Strike #1

Month Four:

Acts of Vengeance 1/8
Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 1/5
Acts of Vengeance: The Rise of Phantasm 1/3

Month Five:

Acts of Vengeance 2/8
Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 2/5
Acts of Vengeance: The Rise of Phantasm 2/3

Month Six:

Acts of Vengeance 3/8
Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 2/5
Acts of Vengeance: The Rise of Phantasm 3/3

Month Seven:

Acts of Vengeance 4/8
Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 4/5
Acts of Vengeance: Superman 1/3
Acts of Vengeance: Animal Man 1/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Injustice League 1/3

Month Eight:

Acts of Vengeance 5/8
Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 5/5
Acts of Vengeance: Superman 2/3
Acts of Vengeance: Animal Man 2/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Hunt for Red Hood 1/3
Acts of Vengeance: Green Lantern/Green Arrow 1/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Injustice League 2/3

Month Nine:

Acts of Vengeance 6/8
Acts of Vengeance: Superman 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: Animal Man 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Hunt for Red Hood 2/3
Acts of Vengeance: Green Lantern/Green Arrow 2/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Injustice League 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: Deathstroke 1/1

Month Ten:

Acts of Vengeance 7/8
Acts of Vengeance: The Hunt for Red Hood 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: Green Lantern/Green Arrow 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Fall of Arsenal 1/1

Month 11:

Acts of Vengeance 8/8
Acts of Vengeance: Requiem 1/3
Acts of Vengeance: Requiem 2/3
Acts of Vengeance: Requiem 3/3
Teen Titans: Finale 1/2
Teen Titans: Finale 2/2

Month 12 (Aftermath):

Superman (Public Identity 1/5)
Batman (Dick Grayson: Fugitive 1/5)
Green Arrow (Daughters of Sherwood 1/5)
Checkmate 80-Page Giant 1/1

Month 13 (Aftermath):

Superman (Public Identity 2/5)
Batman (Dick Grayson: Fugitive 2/5)
Green Arrow (Daughters of Sherwood 2/5)
Outsiders #1

Month 14 (Aftermath):

Superman (Public Identity 3/5)
Batman (Dick Grayson: Fugitive 3/5)
Green Arrow (Daughters of Sherwood 3/5)
JLA (crossover with GLC 1/6)
GLC (Crossover with JLA 2/6)
Outsiders #2

Month 15 (Aftermath):

Superman (Public Identity 4/5)
Batman (Dick Grayson: Fugitive 4/5)
Green Arrow (Daughters of Sherwood 4/5)
JLA (crossover with GLC 3/6)
GLC (Crossover with JLA 4/6)
Outsiders #3
Young Justice 80-Page Giant 1/1

Month 16 (Aftermath):

Superman (Public Identity 5/5)
Batman (Dick Grayson: Fugitive 5/5)
Green Arrow (Daughters of Sherwood 5/5)
JLA (crossover with GLC 5/6)
GLC (Crossover with JLA 6/6)
Outsiders #4
Young Justice #1

Main Event:

Acts of Vengeance - An 8-issue miniseries by Team Weather Overground and Doug Mahnke

Issue one opens with Geo-Force's body being delivered to the doorstep of the Justice League of America's headquarters, with a single slash signaling the roman numeral 1 through his costume. The hero community is immediately thrown into turmoil at the murder of one of their own. With no suspects, tension is running high. As word of the Markovian monarch's murder spreads, Eradicator, who is now the de facto ruler of Markovia, threatens retaliation unless the murder is solved immediately. Things get worse immediately when reports start coming in around the country. Minor heroes and their hometowns are being targeted by apparently new villains. The entire hometown of Blue Devil is leveled in a mysterious earthquake. An arsonist torches the childhood home of Dr. Midnight. And in Gotham City, Batgirl wakes up to find the mysterious Phantasm lurking in her house, threatening her mother's life. Stephanie is forced to reveal her (new) identity to her mother as she fights back against Phantasm, taking the battle over the streets of Gotham. Batgirl barely survives until Phantasm gets orders to head elsewhere. Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, Supergirl is handling the evening patrol while Superman is off at headquarters dealing with the crisis. She stops into Planet Krypton to mingle with the diners - when all hell breaks loose. A bomb explodes, and Supergirl desperately tries to get everyone out in time. She succeeds for the most part, but as she goes back to search for survivors, she notices a second device. Before she can get clear, it goes off, releasing a massive blast of red sun energy, stripping her of her powers. The structural damage in the building takes its toll, and a wall collapses on her, ending the issue with her trapped and seriously injured.

Issue Two picks up with Superman and Blue Beetle facing off against an armored villain whose suit creates deadly hard-light creations, defending Jaime's family, who were targeted. They fend off the villain, Superman peels off his armor and finds one of the escapees from the prelude, who taunts him that they're already dead. After knocking out the villain, Superman gets the call from the League - Supergirl's been seriously injured in Metropolis. Flying back, he finds her barely alive at Samaritan X Hospital in Gotham. Her powers are coming back once she was out of range of the red sun machine, but that's barely enough to keep her alive. Superman is enraged, and flies off to confront Luthor, who he's convinced is behind this. Luthor calmly explains that if he was, he wouldn't be provoking the heroes so openly. Back in Coast City, Ferris Aircraft finds itself under attack by Richter, the villain with Earthquake tech. Hal and Carol manage to defend it and protect the workers, but Tom Kalamaku is seriously injured trying to protect Carol, who he doesn't know is now as powerful as Hal. The issue ends with the heroes of Gotham on the hunt for Phantasm, coming up empty. The new Azrael visits his church, praying for deliverance from this new evil, only to have a figure step out of the shadows, spouting scripture and accusing Lane of being a usurper. Lane instantly assumes that this is one of the new villains, but the figure reveals himself as none other than the original Azrael, Jean-Paul Valley. An epic Azrael-vs-Azrael fight ensues, with Jean-Paul eventually running Michael through and reclaiming the Suit of Sorrows. Jean Paul unmasks, confirming to the reader that this is the real deal, and calls his hit squad up, telling them the job is done - and now it's time to move to phase two.

Issue three has the Justice League combing over their files, trying to figure out who could be behind this. Dick Grayson instantly zeroes in on suspect #1 - Jason Todd. He has the means, motive, and opportunity, not to mention access to the identity of almost any hero in the DCU from his time as Robin. Jason has been MIA since his escape from Blackgate, and Dick tracks him to an old apartment building in Tricorner. Having Oracle hack into his computer, he finds suspicious files linked to heroes' identities - right before a trojan horse linked to the file hits Oracle's operating system, shutting her down with the virus equivalent of an EMP. The apartment turns out to be booby-trapped, and Dick makes a close escape before a bomb goes off. After this, the issue is all Superman. Hardlight, the villain Superman and Blue Beetle beat in #2, escapes police custody and makes a beeline for Samaritan X, attempting to finish off Supergirl and any other superhero casualties. Flying halfway across the country, Superman knocks Hardlight out of the hospital. Pushed to his breaking point, he delivers a brutal beatdown to the villain, the level of which he hasn't unleashed since Doomsday. Watching this on closed-circuit camera, Azrael accesses his files and sends one labeled "Kent". All at once, footage of Clark Kent turning into Superman is sent to every single news source in the world. Within seconds, it starts showing up on big screens above the square where they're fighting. Hardlight mocks Superman, telling him everyone he loves is going to die. Superman responds by throwing Hardlight into an empty bus. At this point, Azrael activates a kill-switch, triggering a poison injection in Hardlight's suit. As Superman looms over him, Hardlight begins coughing up blood, collapses, and dies in front of Superman. The world just saw Superman exposed - and then apparently saw him beat a man to death.

Issue four opens right where we left off. Superman is standing there, shellshocked, over the body of Hardlight. Above him, his secret identity is being broadcast to the world. In that instant, he does the only thing he can - he runs. Flying straight up, he disappears from view. (Superman's story will continue in Acts of Vengeance: Superman later this month.) After several attempts to raise Superman on the comm unit fail, Hal Jordan is forced to make the call to headquarters "Superman is off the grid". Dick Grayson is now thoroughly convinced that Jason Todd is the one behind this. With Oracle's comm system down, and no way of knowing how soon she'll be able to get the network back up, the decision is made by the League to bring Checkmate into this. Checkmate pinpoints Jason Todd's last known location as Opal City (where it turns out he's following up on the lead he found regarding the Church of St. Dumas). Mr. Terrific leads a team of JSA members in the area, including Stargirl, Hourman, and Atom Smasher, to track him down and apprehend him. Meanwhile, Dick pays a visit to Arsenal in Belle Reve prison, knowing that he's been working with villains for the last few months and he may have heard something about these attacks. It doesn't go well, with Arsenal taunting Dick that he lost everything, and maybe the other heroes should too. As they're talking, Dick comes under attack by a mysterious masked female archer dressed in black, seemingly here to assassinate him. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Arsenal takes advantage of the distraction to break free and helps fight off the archer, who escapes. Dick tells Arsenal that if he'll work with them, they could use his help. Back in Opal City, the JSA members corner Jason in the Starman museum. Atom Smasher doesn't give him time to protest, and the battle turns ugly in a hurry. Jason uses tear gas to blind them, but Stargirl pursues him, leading to a one-on-one fight between them in the main trophy room. Jason yells that he's being set up. Stargirl blasts at him, but he tackles her, knocking her off balance, and her shot takes out a portion of the roof. Jason rolls out of the way and looks up - to see Stargirl lying motionless under a pile of rubble.

(A quick word on this cliffhanger - Courtney Whitmore is probably the safest character in the DCU. She's Geoff Johns' personal favorite character, and clearly nothing really bad is going to happen to her. That's why this issue is the exact time to do a cliffhanger like this - if anyone's actually going to buy it, it's going to be the issue after we just exposed Superman's secret identity. Next issue will reveal she suffered a concussion and broken leg, but should be okay.)

Issue Five: Jason disappeared in the aftermath of the fight at the Starman museum, leaving Stargirl in the hospital. (Jason's story picks up in Hunt for Red Hood #1, starting this month.) In the JLA headquarters, reports continue to come in of new attacks against low-profile heroes and civilian targets. Around the world, dozens of Green Lanterns start descending on Earth, securing major cities and important sites. Dick confronts Hal, who says he called in a Green Lantern Corps state of emergency, allowing reinforcements to come in from neighboring sectors, because clearly their operation hasn't been handling it so far. Across the world, a second dispatch comes in from the mastermind. This time it's Azrael revealing himself and making clear his manifesto - Superheroes are false idols who have brought down Crisis upon Crisis on the world. The world must reject them and allow them to be destroyed, or the attacks will continue and innocent people will suffer. The second wave of the attacks begin, with the knights of the Church of St. Dumas emerging to attack heroes directly as an army. The heroes and the Green Lantern Corps fend off the attacks for the most part, but come into conflict when a GLC soldier kills a Knight in the heat of battle, nearly ending in a brawl between Barry Allen and the entire GLC. Hal has to intervene, saying that he doesn't agree with the tactic but the soldier followed the proper rules of GLC engagement. It's decided that the isolated location of Titans Tower is the best place to send a lot of the young heroes for the duration of the crisis - it's a visible target, but it's also easily defended, with several older Titans assigned to guard them, including Cyborg and Beast Boy. Arsenal joins them, despite Cyborg's initial suspicion, with Arsenal vowing that no matter what he's done, he'll always be a Titan. The issue ends with Hal responding to a call he gets and heading to Metropolis. The last page has him saying "Give me one reason not to take the two of you out right now." as we pan around to see the people who contacted him - Luthor and Deathstroke. Luthor ends the issue with the line "Simple, Jordan - because I think we're on the same side."

(Luthor's side of the story will be explored more in the Injustice League mini, but it'll be explained in the next issue.)

Issue Six opens with Luthor laying out his interests - simply, Azrael is seeking to destabilize the order of things. Luthor has never truly sought a vacuum of power for the villains. Rather, he understands the critical role of Superheroes - to protect the world from the big threats, allowing him to conduct his day-to-day operations. As he puts it "I am an opportunist at my core. Under the boot of an alien dictator, there is no opportunity. This Azrael is a fanatic, and he functions like one - seeking an end without truly understanding it. And as much as I despise your kind, his solution would create far more problems than it's worth." Deathstroke reveals that he's been working covertly with the Church of St. Dumas since his exit from the Titans and has picked up intel. Luthor is working with a group of villains (as we'll see in the Injustice League mini), including most of the Rogues, Anarky, Cheetah, and JSA rogues Icicle and Tigress. He says that Azrael has planned for the heroes - but he's never planned for them. Back at Titans Tower, Cyborg is arming the security system to its maximum level. Inside the tower, most of the young heroes have gathered there, led by the original Young Justice four. Tensions are running high, with some heroes angry about essentially being sidelined and others increasingly paranoid due to the unpredictability. Back at the base of the Church of St. Dumas near the Gotham cliffs, Deathstroke returns to give Azrael his latest intel from the other side, and finds Azrael laying out plans for a siege on Titans Tower. Azrael talks about how cutting off the newest generation will break the heroes' spirit. Azrael has a closed-circuit camera placed within Titans Tower, and scanning over the footage, he sees Ravager there. As Azrael sends a message to someone letting them know that it's time to begin, Deathstroke makes his move, preparing to cut Azrael's head off from behind - only to have Azrael spin around and block him. They engage in an epic swordfight, leading them out to the cliffs. Azrael manages to run Deathstroke through, throwing him off the cliffs. As Deathstroke sinks into the depths to his apparent death, he manages to use the last of his strength to send a distress signal to Ravager. Back at the Tower, Ravager begins freaking out, claiming that something major is coming. Cyborg reassures her that nothing is able to get inside Titans Tower with this security. As he returns to the security room, he's stabbed in the back with an electronic disruptor knife by Arsenal, who taunts him "We don't have to get in. We're already here." As Cyborg shuts down, Arsenal gets into the security system and de-activates it, making the entire tower go black. He then radios out "We're a go." as the last page of the issue reveals the surviving members of Azrael's new villains, the Dark Archer, and hundreds of St. Dumas soldiers all ready to descend on Titans Tower...

(Note that I left Deathstroke's death deliberately vague. If anyone from this series is going to come back, it's him. So I made it as easy as possible, much like with what Norman did to Swordsman. Also, I've dropped Roy Harper's Red Lantern ring from the series - it wasn't flowing organically.)

Issue Seven takes place almost entirely within the Siege of Titans Tower. Wonder Girl is trying to organize an evacuation as it becomes clear that the Tower's security is disabled when a sniper shot hits her in the shoulder. With the leader injured, Arsenal and Beast Boy take charge, with no one knowing that Arsenal is in on the attack. As they reach the exit, Arsenal accesses the security system - and traps them inside, saying that "Kids shouldn't play hero. They wind up dead." As he escapes, noises are heard around the building, and it becomes clear that whoever's attacking, they're already inside. At once, the Titans come under attack from the Church of St. Dumas, whose soldiers and villains have infiltrated the tower and are fully prepared. Superboy is taken out with Kryptonite gas, Kid Flash is restrained with traps, and the injured Wonder Girl is quickly overwhelmed. Ravager gets into a one-on-one fight with Dark Archer, fighting her until they get close enough for Rose to look into her eyes. She instantly recognizes something, and Dark Archer does too, as she backs away and disappears. Raven, Wonder Girl, Superboy, and Kid Flash are captured and taken to the communications room where Richter intends to broadcast their deaths live. Red Robin is still free - and he soon finds out he's not the only one when a fly on the wall starts talking to him. Beast Boy and Red Robin come up with a plan where Beast Boy will shrink down as small as he can and try to get into the room where the hostages are as a fly, and try to open the door. Beast Boy infiltrates it, and sees the villains holding the four heroes hostage. Phantasm and Richter are arguing, with Phantasm saying she didn't take this job to kill kids. Beast Boy is about to try to activate the controls when he sees Richter put a gun to Raven's head. In a fit of rage, he turns into a rhinoceros, smashes the controls (opening the door) and proceeds to face off against the villains himself, taking out dozens of knights and absorbing an enormous amount of damage. Red Robin and Ravager join the fight, and before anyone can stop her, Ravager neatly decapitates Richter. Beast Boy finishes off the last of the knights, Phantasm manages to slip away before being captured, and Beast Boy shifts into human form to make sure that Raven is okay - and collapses. We see that his body is covered with stab wounds from the attacks he took as a rhino. Raven desperately tries to heal him, but the wounds are too severe, and he slips away telling her he loves her. The issue ends with Arsenal returning to the church of St. Dumas, warning Azrael that there's no question the heroes will be coming for them directly now. Azrael says "Let them.", revealing suspended red-sun batteries and a suit of armor resembling a combination of the classic Azrael suit and the deranged Red Batman suit he wore in Knightfall. The last scene of the issue has Hal talking to an unseen figure explaining that they've been following the wrong leads all along. Roy Harper played everyone. "And you know him better than anyone." We pan around to see Green Arrow, in the Star City forest.

Issue eight takes place after all the tie-ins have concluded, so everyone has gathered to make their last stand. Ollie is briefing everyone on Roy's fall and what he knows about him. Luthor is there, advising them on strategy, much to Ollie's disgust. Jason joins the fight (coming from Hunt for Red Hood) and tells Ollie about what happened to Mia. Ollie reacts with rage and nearly attacks Jason, but Jason tells him "Your boy did this. Not me." As the team organizes their strike against the location Ravager derived from her father's tracker, Superman arrives to join. Everyone wants to know where he was, how he's dealing with being exposed, but he simply tells them that everyone's safe and there'll be time to deal with this after Azrael is finished. Back at the Church of St. Dumas, Azrael notices that Dark Archer has been out-of-sorts ever since the tower, and Arsenal says she might be starting to remember. He decides it's time to tell her who she is. He goes to her and asks her what she remembers, then shows her a picture of herself with him - Dark Archer is Roy's daughter, Lian. He explains that Azrael pointed him to a primordial Lazarus Pit in exchange for his service. There were some side-effects due to how long she had been dead - an aging spurt of a few years, and memory loss - but now they're together again. Lian looks at the picture, remembers - and is horrified by what her father's become and what he's done. She calls him a monster and runs, hiding in the tower. Roy is enraged, yelling that he did it all for her. This is around the time that the heroes arrive, with Superman leading the pack. Arsenal is hunting for his daughter when he's confronted by Green Arrow, who vows to stop him no matter who he is. Arsenal launches into a hannibal lecture where he blames GA for everything bad that's happened to him, taunts him about already costing him one daughter, and vows to kill his last one (See GL/GA tie-in). This is one of the showpiece fights of the issue. Meanwhile, as the other heroes take on the armies of St. Dumas, Batman and Superman confront Azrael in his private chambers. Azrael activates the red-sun generators, but Superman compensates using the training he got from Bruce when he lost his powers in the past. Azrael, heavily powered up thanks to his armor, manages to get the upper hand on Batman, nearly killing him, but Superman manages to use a loose cable from the fight to electrocute Azrael, temporarily incapacitating him. Azrael laughs and says that one way or another, they're going to die today - because the second they entered his airspace, a countdown timer began, and this place is going to blow in minutes. In the tunnels below, Lian is trying to find a way out, only to run into Jason Todd, who captures her, telling her he's not going to kill her - he just needs everyone to believe he will. As Roy and Ollie fight each other to a standstill, Jason pulls Lian into the line of fire, forcing Roy to pause. Jason tells him to surrender or he'll kill her, and Roy pulls back and lets Ollie go. Jason attacks Roy, trying to kill him. It's about this time that the building starts shaking, and Ollie figures out that the entire thing is about to blow. As they're escaping, a doorway collapses and pins Lian. Ollie and Jason are unable to get her free, but Roy uses his cyborg arm to lift it, pinning himself by it but giving her just enough time to get free. Jason runs ahead, but Ollie and Lian want to stay behind to free him. Roy begs Ollie to get Lian free and look after her, and they escape. As the heroes evacuate, Azrael recovers from the electric shock and tries to strangle Superman. Superman uses the last of his strength and tackles Azrael out the window without his powers. Azrael falls down onto the cliffs, with Superman right behind him, but the slowly rising sun gives Superman just enough strength to avert his fall. And with that, it's over. The building blows a second after everyone gets clear. Ollie looks up at the ruins, knowing he's lost his son. And on the cliffs below, Jean-Paul Valley slowly crawls to safety - only to be met by Lex Luthor, who holds a gun to his head - and then lets him go, warning him of the dangers of overreaching. The epilogue picks up a week later. Hal Jordan announces that due to the unprecedented threats to order on this planet, and the fact that the mastermind may still be at large, a permanent GLC delegation will be established on Earth. Supergirl finally comes out of her coma, and Superman explains to her what's happened since then. In Star City, Ollie takes Lian to see the things Roy lay aside for her, including his old Speedy suit, tailored for a girl. The last scene has a mysterious meeting in Checkmate between the four royal families and a fifth figure. The figure explains that the hero community completely failed to imagine something like this happening, and there's going to need to be changes to accomodate the new levels of threats. Someone who knows both sides - superheroes and espionage - will need to be keeping an eye on things. Sasha Bordeaux asks the figure "So now you're all caught up. Do you think you're the man for the job?" The last page has "We've got a lot of work to do." coming out of the mind of Bruce Wayne, newly returned from his trip through time to find out what's happened in his absence.

Tie-ins:

Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 1-5 - This is an anthology series focusing on the ten new villains Azrael recruited from prisons in the lead-in. They're all hardened criminals, and this explains their transition from convict to supervillain. As 8 of them survive the event and will continue to be new villains down the line, a little backstory seemed like a good idea. Each issue will have two stories in it. One story will cover two villains, brothers. Phantasm gets her own mini and is not included here. The final issue will be Azrael's story, explaining his survival after he was attacked in his series finale (the Azrael we saw during Blackest Night was one of the failed ones from the past, as he was never identified as Jean-Paul) and how he went from fallen hero to scourge of the DCU and founder of a deranged new religion that will plague the DCU for years to come. This series will be written by JT Krul, Brian Azzarello, and Team WO for the final issue, with art by Chris Samnee, Lee Bermejo, and Tom Mandrake.

Acts of Vengeance: The Rise of Phantasm 1-3 - The classic character from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm makes her debut in the DC Universe as written by Paul Dini with art by Dustin Nyguen. Andrea Beaumont had it all, until it all vanished in an instant. The teenage daughter of a successful Gotham businessman, her family was destroyed when her father was murdered. In witness protection, separated from her family, an assault led to her being framed for murder and sent to prison for life. But a twisted man had been watching her case, and saw the opportunity to make her over into an avatar of vengeance. This is the story of Andrea Beaumont's descent into the darkest depths, and the debut of one of the most dangerous characters in the DCU - but which side will she fall on?

Acts of Vengeance: Superman 1-3 - Geoff Johns and Gary Frank join forces to fill in the blanks of Superman's time after his identity was exposed before his return at the end of the event. Shellshocked by the reveal and the apparent death of Hardlight in their fight, Superman retreats, taking his mother and wife to the Fortress as he tries to figure out his next move. But when he gets word that Supergirl is weakening, he's forced to re-enter the fray to get ahold of Kryptonian power cells that may be able to speed her recovery. The only problem? The last remaining ones are in the clutches of the Eradicator, Superman's ruthless doppelganger and the current ruler of Markovia. Meanwhile, Lois Lane knows everything doesn't smell right about the death of Hardlight, and she's willing to break any rule she has to to prove her husband's innocence.

Acts of Vengeance: Animal Man 1-3 - Grant Morrison returns to his most famous character, and brings superstar artist Cameron Stewart with him. Far away from the main battles, Buddy Baker and his family find themselves targeted by the Church of St. Dumas. When he gets separated from his family, Buddy is pushed to his breaking point to protect them, tapping into parts of his power he's never used before. Meanwhile, what's happening to Buddy's teenage son Cliff? It's a very unique form of puberty at exactly the right time. One thing's for sure - the Church of St. Dumas picked the wrong family to mess with...

Acts of Vengeance: The Injustice League 1-3 - Paul Cornell and Pete Woods bring us the villains' side of the story. As heroes across the country find themselves under attack by a new threat, it's a free-for-all for the bad guys. So why isn't Lex Luthor smiling? An all-star team of villains gather as they realize that to preserve their way of life, they may have to save the people they hate most. Luthor is the star here, but it also features the Rogues, Cheetah, Anarky, and the Riddler as key players.

Acts of Vengeance: The Hunt for Red Hood 1-3 - Judd Winick and Pablo Raimondi continue the story of Jason Todd from the lead-in. On the run after his run-in with the JSA, now the most wanted man in America, Jason retreats to the darkest corners of Gotham, his childhood home, knowing it's just a matter of time before he's found. But the League isn't the only one searching for him. Mia Dearden, who remembers Jason from the time he kidnapped her and knows he isn't the psycho people believe he is, comes out of retirement and puts together a team with Cass Cain and Stephanie Brown, both of whom are fairly familiar with Jason, to track him down and convince him to turn himself in before he's killed. It'll be a taut chase thriller that gets much more dangerous when Arsenal (now revealed as one of the big bads) shows up in Gotham to silence Jason and get revenge on the girl who he blames for Lian's death. This mini will serve as a send-off to Mia Dearden, who dies in a fight against Arsenal, while beginning Jason Todd's redemption arc.

Acts of Vengeance: Green Lantern/Green Arrow 1-3 - The war comes to Star City, as it turns out Oliver Queen may have more to lose than he thought. Brough to life by the GA creative team of JT Krul and Diogenes Neves, it opens with an assassination attempt on Cissie King-Jones, now living a quiet civilian life in a suburb of Star City, that winds up killing her mother. Escaping, Cissie flees into Star City, seeking to find out why she's been targeted - especially since she's always had a suspicion that her mother may have been lying about her father's identity. When Hal Jordan comes calling to try to recruit his old friend to the fight, they wind up trapped in the forest as the assassin Merlyn hunts them from above. It's a taut thriller that will lead to Oliver Queen's re-introduction into the DCU superhero community.

Acts of Vengeance: The Fall of Arsenal 1/1 - Written by Team Weather Overground and drawn by Shane Davis, this one-shot fills in the blanks between the Titans lead-in and Arsenal's reveal as a main villain of Acts of Vengeance. It focuses on his recruitment to the Church of St. Dumas by Azrael, who took his rage over Lian's death and turned it into a religious hatred of superheroes - and gave him a chance to have her back.

Acts of Vengeance: Deathstroke 1/1 - JT Krul and Jesus Saiz take the reins on this one-shot covering Deathstroke's role as a double agent in the crisis. It's a tragic story as he tries to make amends with his family by protecting them from behind the scenes. This one-shot will restore Deathstroke to his proper characterization as an anti-hero, with readers not knowing that this redemption arc will likely be his last.

Acts of Vengeance: Requiem 1/3 - An all-star team of creators including Marv Wolfman, Judd Winick, Geoff Johns, Ed Benes, Denny O'Neill, and Grant Morrison are joined by artists Chris Samnee, David Finch, and Tony Daniel to pay tribute to the fallen in this anthology series. From a massive Titans Tower funeral for Beast Boy, to a quiet tribute by a daughter to her father, this series of short stories will close the door on the losses of Acts of Vengeance, and open the door to the future of the DCU.

Aftermath:

The Aftermath will take place in the ongoing series of Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, as well as the newly launched Outsiders and Young Justice series, and an eight-part crossover between JLA and Green Lantern Corps.

In Superman, the story "Public Identity" begins, with Superman and his family adjusting to the change in their lives in the aftermath of Superman's public outing. Superman tries to maintain his Clark Kent ID, unwilling to abandon the life he's lived all his life despite everyone knowing his secret. Meanwhile, Supergirl, recovering from her injuries in the event, finds herself trying to establish a civilian life as Superman struggles to keep his.

In Batman, Dick Grayson becomes obsessed with hunting down Azrael, finally tracking him down to an East Side soup kitchen that the Church of St. Dumas secretly runs. An attack on him turns ugly when it turns out that while Azrael may be the most hated villain in the world, "Reverend Valley" is beloved by the citizens of Gotham. When Dick is caught on camera assaulting him, the GCPD is forced to turn out their forces to bring Batman to justice.

In Green Arrow, Ollie returns from the forest to try to put Star City back together. Accompanied by Lian, now training to take on the role of the new Speedy, they bring classic street-level justice back to the torn city. Meanwhile, Cissie King-Jones moves to Star City to get to know her father and considers whether she wants to pick up her legacy again.

The current Teen Titans book will come to an end in Teen Titans: Finale, as Wonder Girl retires from crimefighting in the aftermath of her failure to protect the team. The team collapses in the aftermath. Red Robin, Superboy, and Kid Flash will reunite in the Young Justice 80-page giant, as they return to their roots to face an old threat from their YJ days, leading into a new Young Justice series. Much like the original, at the beginning it'll be a loosely-connected team consisting of just the three of them, but it'll soon be joined by other heroes to resemble something vaguely like the cartoon roster. Gail Simone will take over writing duties with this run.

Outsiders will launch with a new #1 by Judd Winick and Pablo Raimondi as Jason Todd continues his road to redemption, putting together a new team of wild-card heroes including Ravager, Cassandra Cain, Anarky, and the new Phantasm.

The biggest event of the post Acts of Vengeance atmosphere will be an 8-part crossover between Justice League of America and Green Lantern Corps, as the JLA deals with the new GLC presence on Earth, and the tensions lead to open conflict. The main villain of this arc will be the Star Conquerer, who arrives on Earth looking to revive his empire.

The lead-in to this new age of DC Comics will be introduced in the Checkmate 80-page giant, as Bruce Wayne secretly takes control of Checkmate and assesses the situation in all these hot spots. Bruce's new role will remain secret from even his closest friends, with only the royal family of Checkmate knowing who's pulling the strings now. With the hero community being caught unaware by this crisis, Bruce is looking to keep a closer eye on hero and villain activity, ensuring that potential threats are caught early and stopped.

Solicits:

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #1
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
A JLA member is dead. As the heroes struggle to unravel this mystery, a series of brutal attacks target heroes and their families, reaching all the way to Metropolis. No one is safe as the biggest mystery in DCU history kicks off here. Don't miss the start of the biggest DCU event of 2010, featuring the debut of a legendary DC character making their first appearance in the comics!
On sale SEPTEMBER 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #2
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
One of the DCU's brightest young stars lies at death's door as the hunt increases for the mysterious mastermind terrorizing the hero community. As Ferris Aircraft and El Paso, Texas come under attack, a hero will fall and a villain will rise, as a forgotten threat from the past of the DC Universe returns to take his revenge.
On sale OCTOBER 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #3
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
Until now, the man dismantling the DC Universe piece by piece has pulled his punches. Not anymore. Do not miss this issue as Superman's world changes forever.
On sale December 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #4
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
Superman - vanquished? Jason Todd - traitor? It's a final showdown in Opal City as the JSA closes in on their chief suspect in the strikes that have devastated the superhero community. But not everyone will walk away, and not everything is as it seems.
On sale January 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #5
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
The Green Lantern Corps descends on Earth to place the world under a state of emergency as Azrael issues a terrifying ultimatum. The JLA and the intergalactic police force clash as the race to prevent the next strike intensifies. And just who is Hal Jordan about to make a devil's bargain with?

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #6
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
Earth's best hope - Lex Luthor and Deathstroke? As Azrael's plan drives sworn enemies together, a traitor is revealed and an unlikely hero falls. The last stand of Titans Tower begins here...
On sale March 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #7
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
The last stand of Titans Tower is now! Betrayed by one of their own, the youngest heroes of the DC Universe find themselves under siege by the full forces of the Church of St. Dumas. Red Robin leads his former teammates in one last desperate charge to survive the onslaught. But in every war there are casualties...
On sale April 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #8
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
The heroes have suffered unimaginable losses, but on one fateful night, they'll strike back, declaring war on the Church of St. Dumas. Batman and Superman face off against the mad Azrael, while Green Arrow confronts (CLASSIFIED). Who is the Dark Archer? What will be the fate of prodigal son Jason Todd? And who benefits from the fallout? All these questions will be answered here!
On sale May 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

[Tom Burgos]

Holy shit. That was a long read, and very thorough, thought-out and meticulously planned set of stories.

Two things:

1- Loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it. (but...)
2-I was very disappointed that coming from you, this had almost no female DC name in a major role. Where's the tie-in with Wonder Woman? Why not have WW or Supergirl or any DC female at least help save the day??? (For shame... :no: :mrgreen: )

[Tom Burgos]

Man, I would love a Marvel event that dealt with the magic users and magical realms in the MU. But something huge, heavily-promoted, ala CW or Avengers Assemble. Something cataclysmic, and Universe-changing. That aspect of the MU is so rich and rife with potential awesomeness...

[Ray G.]

Man, I would love a Marvel event that dealt with the magic users and magical realms in the MU. But something huge, heavily-promoted, ala CW or Avengers Assemble. Something cataclysmic, and Universe-changing. That aspect of the MU is so rich and rife with potential awesomeness...

That would be interesting. I think it might be better served as an Annihilation-level event, though, since Magic characters are kind of a hard sell.

My opponent in the competition essentially did an Annihilation-like event dialed up to 11, with some magical elements, and elements from Captain Britain. It was really good, but he wound up losing because the event was so reliant on old-school continuity and was virtually impenetrable to new fans, plus cosmic events don't tend to do as well.

[Treacle]

What about a body switch event between the universes?

[stevapalooza]

Horse Dawn. Everyone gets a horse, and consequences are never the same

[MaxTraster]

City of Ruins (Marvel) -written in about 25 minutes-

The Premise: A city that is not NYC, or San Fran is the target of supernatural forces of darkness. In fact, let's say Miami so I too can take my talents to South Beach. Evil magic makes super meth and vampires are selling it in clubs. Mysterious deaths across the area and biker gang mayhem across state lines.

Voodoo and SoS (Son of Satan) who are the buddy cop due in the story essentially come to investigate dark magic and stumble across the Young Avengers who are on Spring Break. meanwhile the Punisher and Ghost Rider independently are both on the trail of the biker gang (part of which are some of the Marauders) that's spreading the drugs out of the city.

Big moments:
-Miami is destroyed (that's for you Cleveland)
-Ghost Rider is "killed" and new female undercover cop becomes new ghost rider
-One of the Young Avengers develops a series drug problem.
-The Punisher shoots some people.
-SoS kills a man with his trident when a fight escalates very quickly. The victim, a TV news report possessed with evil.

-Ending: Set up some characters in and around an area filled with evil magic, and bad mutants. Hopefully spin out a new monthly Ghost Rider that is half crime book, half supernatural horror book.

The Key Characters: The Young Avengers, Ghost Rider, Brother Voodoo, Punisher, Son of Satan. Baron Mordo, Dormomu, a few of the old Marauders, and some more creepy bad guys with evil magic.

The Ideas for some Tie-Ins

-New Mutants: Old Haunts
All this evil magic stirs up bad memories for the New Mutants who though they are miles and miles away have to face up to all the black magic and mystical doom of the past. And fight Nightmare too.

-Thor and Thunderbolts: Killing all the Messengers
Thor, Cage and company go to war with renegade ex-SHIELD/HAMMER scientists who use the influx of dark magic worldwide to instill the spirits of dead Asgardians into robots.

-Length: 4 issue main series, with each character with an ongoing getting 4 issues, plus characters without an ongoing getting team up miniseries.
Ghost Rider dies in the first issue of his mini-series so there's room for female Ghost Rider to emerge.

(I am looking for an artist, not for this, for something else)

[dmh3000]

Status Quo

About seven issues long, the story has Norman Osborn going crazy and trying to kill everyone, Peter and Mary Jane deciding to get married, Steve Rogers becoming Captain America and Nick Fury becoming head of SHIELD. And nothing ever changes in the Marvel universe ever again.

I tried writing a real Big Event, but I am just so sick of them.

[Tom Burgos]

The females of the MU take over and their books start outselling their male counterparts' two-to-one.
Frank Cho becomes the EIC of Marvel and the mayor of NYC, and a Spider-Woman film starring Angelina Jolie as Jessica and Charlize Theron as Gypsy Moth outgrosses Avatar and Titanic and gets 10 Oscars.

Nothing will ever be the same. :D

[Sarcoidosis]

Alright, this started as a small idea and just snowballed into something big:

Operation 42
A Marvel Comics Event

Premise
The Negative Zone has been taken over by villains and turned into a fortress, which coupled with Pym’s doorway generator, they are using as a base of operations.

Key Characters
• New Avengers
• Avengers Academy
• Secret Avengers
• Thunderbolts
• Avengers
• Fantastic Four
• Young Avengers

Main Series Length
Five Issues

Issue One
It has been months since anyone has heard anything from prison 42 in the Negative Zone. Tony Stark barely even has a memory of it, but is reminded of its existence when Reed Richards asks him what has been going on with it since Steve Rogers took over. They slowly come to the realization that nobody has checked on it since before the Skrull Invasion. They grab Hank Pym, who also has no memory of the events, to see Steve Rogers about it. In a seemingly unrelated event, Hank Pym’s lab is broken into and the plans for his doorway generator are stolen. The Avengers Academy cast tries to stop the break in and fails. The New Avengers and Thunderbolts are sent to check out the situation in the Negative Zone. As they step through the doorway to the negative zone, Pym rushes in, having uncovered that the culprit left residual radiation yada-yada-yada that ties the theft to the negative zone.

Issue Two
It turns out that the prison has been converted into a base of operation for a number of villains. The Thunderbolts turn on the New Avengers and capture them. Back at command, the Rogers can’t reach the New Avengers or the Thunderbolts and there have been numerous incursions into banks, prisons and other high value targets through Pym’s doorway system, which has been hooked up to a Negative Zone portal device to allow the villains access to wherever they want. Steve Rogers and the Secret Avengers must mount a rescue operation to reach the New Avengers while Tony Stark, Hank Pym and Reed Richards must get deep within the facility to shut it all down. The Avengers Academy cadets decide to try to steal back the doorway generator and run across the Young Avengers, who have followed Cassie and Vision through a portal when the two recognize it as one of Hank Pym’s.

Issue Three
The Avengers Academy cadets and the Young Avengers get captured, but not before getting their hands on the doorway generator. Unfortunately, they are put in a cell without a doorway, so it doesn’t do them a lot of good. The Thunderbolts reveal to the audience that they are playing a long con to try to find a way to free Luke Cage and the New Avengers. Juggernaut sees the kids captured and breaks from the plan in order to try to rescue them. In the second storyline, Iron Man, Pepper Potts, Hank Pym, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman are trying to get to the core of the facility to override the failsafes and permanently deactivate the whole facility. Each of the original three creators of the prison must use a genetic match to engage the deactivation. Each one of them also has an alternate in case something happens to him or her. Stark’s DNA won’t work because his DNA was Extremis-enhanced at the time, so he brought Pepper, who he assumed was his alternate. Hank doesn’t have an alternate because he was a Skrull. Reed brought Sue. Reed, Pepper and Hank try to use the deactivation, but nothing happens. Finally, Steve Rogers is leading the Secret Avengers on a mission to rescue the New Avengers. As the Secret Avengers are about to open up the cell with the New Avengers in it, the station goes into lockdown mode because of the detected escape from the Juggernaut breaking out the kids. The Thunderbolts and the kids are badly outnumbered, but Vision and Finesse manage to get a door open to Avengers HQ. Speed runs through and grabs as many Avengers as he can. They come back through the door and Thor yells AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!

Issue Four
The three storylines start to converge. While the Avengers, Young Avengers and Avengers Academy cast are in a big brawl, the Secret Avengers are trying to figure out how to bust out the New Avengers. Reed can’t figure out why the prison won’t deactivate, but Sue remembers that at the time of the Civil War, Peter Parker and Tony were very close. She almost lets Spider-man’s identity slip before telling Tony that Spider-man was probably his alternate (which Tony can’t remember). Pepper and Tony go to find Spider-man while Hank, Reed and Sue stay at the core. They arrive as the Secret Avengers bust out the New Avengers, so Spider-man heads down to the core with Tony and Pepper, while the New Avengers and Secret Avengers meet up with the others Avengers team. They successfully shut down the whole facility, but there remains the issue of the all the villains in the place. Meanwhile, the mastermind behind the operation is revealed upstairs. It turns out that the idea to convert the prison into a fortress came from [BIG ENEMY OF MY CHOOSING DEPENDING ON AVAILABILITY AT THE TIME].

Issue Five
Big Fight Issue. If it wasn’t bad enough that the prison was shut down, it is mostly destroyed in the ensuing battle. As the battle starts to turn against the villains, the get their hands on the doorway generator to try escape. Down below, Stark asks Pym if there is a way to stop them before they escape. Pym says he can only do that by severing the underlying link to all the doors. Tony tells him to do it, but Pym refuses, revealing that the link to the doors is also the tether keeping his wife in existence and that severing the underlying link would cause her to be lost forever. Tony relents and the villains escape. Rogers meets up with Stark, Richards and Pym and starts to dress them down for allowing things to reach this point. Stark starts to speak up, but then Pym stops him. Pym has had enough. Rogers says that he realizes Pym was a Skrull at the time, but Pym cuts him off again. How is it their fault that nobody checked in on the facility for months? Pym says that he may not be as smart as Tony or Reed, but he’s come to the conclusion that they’ve never been able to figure out. They can’t make the world better, not in any meaningful way. Every time they try to set up something that will be a permanent force for good, some emergency comes along and distracts people so that it gets corrupted or destroyed. There are too many emergencies to build a better future, like Tony wants, or to solve everything, like Reed wants. Rogers didn’t fail today, but he will fail tomorrow, or the day after, because whenever somebody tries to watch over the whole world, something slips through the cracks. That’s not what the Avengers were supposed to be about and he has had enough. He’s a scientist and a superhero, not soldier or a police officer. He storms off. Rogers asks Tony and Reed if Pym is right about them not being able to make the world better. Tony answers no immediately. He has to believe the future can be better. Reed thinks for a while and then says maybe. Sue says the important thing is that they keep trying. She and Reed leave, leaving Tony and Steve. Steve tells Tony that Hank is right about one thing: he won’t be able to keep doing this forever. Tony says that no one could, not even Nick Fury. Just then Thor walks in the door and declares that the day was a glorious battle that will not soon be forgotten. Tony and Steve realize that they’ve been moping and cheer up, with the three of them exiting together.

Tie-Ins
Fantastic Four: Ben is captured with the New Avengers. Reed and Sue are on the mission to the core of the prison and Johnny Storm is, well, bored. So when Valerie rigs up a dimensional door similar to Hank Pym’s to go rescue Ben, Johnny tries to do the responsible thing and refuses. Then Franklin decides to go through on his own and Johnny and Valerie have no choice but to follow. Instead of find the rest of the FF, however, they run across Lyja, who has been wandering the Negative Zone trying to find a purpose in life. Two Issues.

Thunderbolts: The original Thunderbolts and USAgent become the focus of the book for the course of the event. The villains in the Negative Zone are trying to use their doorway technology to break out other villains. While they fail to stop the breakout at first, Zemo arrives on scene and leads the original Thunderbolts to stop any more villains from being broken out. Fixer manages to hold open a doorway to the Negative Zone. The USAgent runs operational control while Zemo and the original Thunderbolts reassemble and head into the Negative Zone prison. Once there, they see that the new Thunderbolts have turned against the New Avengers and try to take them down until Moonstone tells them that they are undercover and trying to find a way to free the New Avengers. Fixer and Mach jump at the chance to solve a problem like that, but in the other room, Juggernaut finds the kids being held hostage and tries to free them, throwing off their plans. Two issues.

New Avengers/Avengers: Hawkeye and Spider-man story. The only two of the new Avengers that managed to avoid being captured, Hawkeye and Spider-man are trying to get back to their regular dimension and warn the main Avengers team about what is going on. Unfortunately, the portal they try to open to get back gets destabilized when the controls get damaged in the fight to escape. Rather than ending up at the Avengers HQ in New York, the wind up at the decommissioned WCA HQ on the West Coast and run into Simon Williams, but is he friend or foe? I don’t know, it will depend on what Bendis is planning to do with the characters. Anyway, our heroes make it back to NY and get together the Avengers just as Speed comes through a portal asking them all to help, explaining how the Avengers were ready to pour through the portal. Four issues.

EDIT: Almost forgot. The good guys beat the big bad guy. I guess it's kind of important to include that.

[Akira]

A couple months ago for another writing exercise on the board I came up with a New Avengers event that ended up being pretty close to what Shadowland has become. Here's something else along those lines:

Golden Harvest

The Hand is back at full strength and waging open warfare against all of their enemies: Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the major martial arts based heroes of the Marvel U. But their sworn rivals, The Chaste, have been recruiting, and this will be the final battle between these two bitter enemies!

The cast will include: Daredevil, Elektra, Shang Chi, Midnight Sun, Iron Fist, White Tiger, Misty Knight, Coleen Wing, Echo, Black Tarantula, Night Thrasher II, Master Izo, Stone, Stick, Shaft, Wong, Steel Serpent, and Kitty Pryde. With a special guest appearance by Dr. Strange.

Also several thousand Hand warriors all lead by Gorgon and the resurrected Kirigi; as well as the young students (some from Danny Rand's old martial arts classes, and some of the skateboard kids from Ann Nocenti & JRJr's run) that Stick has been training to join the Chaste

At the end of the event, both the Hand & the Caste are completely obliterated. The very magic that sustains them and allows for resurrections is wiped from the planet.

There would be 2 tie-ins of 3 issues each. One would be Golden Harvest: The Hand, the other Golden Harvest: The Chaste. Each would show what the leaders of each of those clans has been doing leading up to the event and how their respective rank & file feel. Since he's the only one with a regular monthly book at this point, Daredevil would actually not appear in his book (in costume) for 4 out of the 5 months the event is running. Instead there would be a series of done-in-one stories showing a day in the life of Foggy and 3 of Matt's other friends.

The event itself would be 5 issues long.

[Akira]

Man, I would love a Marvel event that dealt with the magic users and magical realms in the MU. But something huge, heavily-promoted, ala CW or Avengers Assemble. Something cataclysmic, and Universe-changing. That aspect of the MU is so rich and rife with potential awesomeness...
Agreed. I actually had an Idea for a re-launch of Generation-X that dealt heavily with magic and magical realms.

[Doug]

They said 7 ate 9, but he did more than that. He savagley murdered all the numbers, save for one. Not 1, actually, but one number. That number is 2.

2 will return from a long sabatical to take down 7. It will be a fight to the finish, and 2 must triumph.

This will be the biggest 2 event since Elvis died on the toilet.

[Ray G.]

Holy shit. That was a long read, and very thorough, thought-out and meticulously planned set of stories.

Two things:

1- Loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it. (but...)
2-I was very disappointed that coming from you, this had almost no female DC name in a major role. Where's the tie-in with Wonder Woman? Why not have WW or Supergirl or any DC female at least help save the day??? (For shame... :no: :mrgreen: )

I noticed after the fact that WW was completely absent. I think that probably has something to do with her lack of an ingrained secret ID, as well as any real weaknesses for the villain to exploit.

However, if you're looking for strong female characters, you'd probably like my Final Three submission, which was to create a DC version of What If. I did "What if the Joker shot Commissioner Gordon", and it was Barbara-centric. :)

[Sarcoidosis]

Here it is. Ridiculously long, because the instructions for the task were very specific. I'm "Team Weather Overground" - it was the name the team gave itself at the beginning of the game. We also had to use a Marvel event title for the DC event and vice-versa. (I had DC, my opponent had Marvel) Hope you enjoy. :)

ACTS OF VENGEANCE
Premise: A well-organized militia of villains begins targeting the heroes of the DC Universe, armed with knowledge of their secret identities and launching a multi-pronged series of attacks involving targeted killings of heroes and civilians, terrorist attacks at sites associated with heroes, and public reveals of heroes' identities. As the crisis worsens, the heroes find themselves in conflict both with their enemies and each other, as they try to unravel the mystery of their attackers' identities and stop them before the modern age of heroes ends in blood.

Lead-ins:


Outsiders - Three issues by Team Weather Overground and Phillip Tan:

Geo-Force is behaving increasingly erratically ever since the Blackest Night, becoming a cruel and irrational ruler. Urged on by the ruthless Eradicator, Brion continues to exile dissenters from his country and crack down on his own countrymen. But when a videotape emerges indicating that the second Terra (the one killed by Black Adam) may still be alive and held captive in America, his actions take a much darker turn. Confronting the JLA with the Eradicator at his back, Geo-Force takes Markovia to the brink of war with America, forcing Checkmate to contemplate sending in a hit squad to take care of the irrational leader. Is the increasingly mad Geomancer the next big threat for the DCU?

Titans - three issues by JT Krul and Fabrizio Fiorentino

Deathstroke has perverted the name of the Titans, murdered heroes, and recruited a former original Teen Titans to his side. As Deathstroke and Arsenal weave a path of destruction through the DCU, assassinating good and bad people aside, the remnants of the old Titans gather to shut them down once and for all. Arsenal has lost everything - but is he far gone enough to turn on his best friends. It's the end of the evil Titans story, as two very different Titans collide in Metropolis. The target - Lois Lane. But who wants Lois dead and why? Or is it just a ruse for a much bigger game. By the time it's over, Arsenal will be in prison, Deathstroke will be on the loose, and the Titans will be celebrating a victory - but for how long?

Red Hood: The Tricorner Agenda - A three-issue miniseries by Judd Winick and Pablo Raimondi.

Blackgate Prison is one of Gotham's most dangerous places. The inmates may not be as insane as Arkham, but they're no less vicious. When a mysterious breakout allows its inmates to run, Jason Todd takes his opportunity to run. Finding himself on the streets with nowhere to go, he settles into the crime-ridden neighborhood of Tricorner. Abandoning his costumed identity, he begins dealing out brutal justice on the streets, targeting those who exploit the innocent. His activities soon get him noticed by the mysterious Church of the Protector, a new organization that seems to have sprung up in Gotham almost overnight. They try to recruit Jason as a guard for the new shelters they're opening around the city, but he wants nothing to do with it. Investigating their activities, Jason finds ties to the Church of St. Dumas - but he doesn't get too much further before he's attacked by their agents. Jason barely escapes with his life, thanks to a last-second tip from someone known as "Moneyspider" who hacks into his cell phone. Now hunted by this mysterious order, with no friends to turn to, Jason disappears deep underground.

Acts of Vengeance: First Strike - One-shot by Team Weather Overground and Doug Mahnke

Across the country, a series of jailbreaks happen almost simultaneously. In each case, the break-in is destructive, people are killed - but only one person actually gets away. Each of the ten breakouts releases one of the most notorious civilian criminals alive, each one disappearing without a trace. Murderers, arsonists, and terrorists, they're all spirited away in the dead of night. Meanwhile, the rogue metahuman dictator Geo-Force follows a series of cryptic clues to Washington, where he's been warned that his sister has less than a day to live. A confrontation with the army grows out of control, as Geo-Force retaliates, killing several US soldiers. Meanwhile, in Gotham, Jason Todd follows the clues of "Moneyspider" to the lair of the new Anarky. Ulysses attacks, taunting Jason that there's something big coming, something that will finally bring order to the world. Jason kills the villain and finds the original Anarky, Lonnie Machin, tethered to machines hooking him up to computers in the lair. Freeing him and removing the drugs keeping him paralyzed, Jason finds out that Ulysses forced him to give him a detailed file on all the heroes, including everything Lonnie (a deductive genius) had figured out about their weaknesses and identities. Jason interrogates Lonnie and finds out that Ulysses was taking his orders from someone anonymous. Before the scene ends, we see Jason has pocketed the files for his own purposes.

Meanwhile, Geo-Force attacks the military base where his sister is supposedly being held. Fighting his way through what he believes are the people holding her, he breaks into the heavily guarded base. Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location, the ten convicts are brought to a warehouse. Via a closed-circuit TV, the mastermind addresses them, telling them that they may be notorious, but he can make them legendary. He's brought them there because for this, he doesn't need villains - he needs killers. It's then revealed that the warehouse is packed with supervillain tech, for each of them to arm themselves with. Back at the military base, Geo-Force has taken down any opposition and made his way to where his sister is being held. Breaking into the room, he finds what looks like a beaten Terra tied to a chair in the middle of a plexiglass room. But as he approaches her, the figure starts begging his forgiveness. It's not Terra at all. It's the young white martian that J'onn found in the mini from 2007, tortured and forced to take Terra's form. Geo-Force, in a rage, tries to get out of the room, but it's too late. It's sealed, with no way for him to draw on his powers. A voice comes on in the room, mocking him and telling him that he'll only be the first. As Geo-Force vows to bring down hell on whoever did this, a series of guns come out of the wall and gun Geo-Force and the martian down. The issue ends with the new band of villains, outfitted in their gear from the warehouse, getting ready for their marching orders.

Schedule:

Month One (prelude):

Outsiders 1/3
Titans 1/3
Red Hood 1/3

Month Two (prelude):

Outsiders 2/3
Titans 2/3
Red Hood 2/3

Month Three (prelude):

Outsiders 3/3
Titans 3/3
Red Hood 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: First Strike #1

Month Four:

Acts of Vengeance 1/8
Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 1/5
Acts of Vengeance: The Rise of Phantasm 1/3

Month Five:

Acts of Vengeance 2/8
Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 2/5
Acts of Vengeance: The Rise of Phantasm 2/3

Month Six:

Acts of Vengeance 3/8
Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 2/5
Acts of Vengeance: The Rise of Phantasm 3/3

Month Seven:

Acts of Vengeance 4/8
Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 4/5
Acts of Vengeance: Superman 1/3
Acts of Vengeance: Animal Man 1/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Injustice League 1/3

Month Eight:

Acts of Vengeance 5/8
Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 5/5
Acts of Vengeance: Superman 2/3
Acts of Vengeance: Animal Man 2/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Hunt for Red Hood 1/3
Acts of Vengeance: Green Lantern/Green Arrow 1/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Injustice League 2/3

Month Nine:

Acts of Vengeance 6/8
Acts of Vengeance: Superman 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: Animal Man 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Hunt for Red Hood 2/3
Acts of Vengeance: Green Lantern/Green Arrow 2/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Injustice League 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: Deathstroke 1/1

Month Ten:

Acts of Vengeance 7/8
Acts of Vengeance: The Hunt for Red Hood 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: Green Lantern/Green Arrow 3/3
Acts of Vengeance: The Fall of Arsenal 1/1

Month 11:

Acts of Vengeance 8/8
Acts of Vengeance: Requiem 1/3
Acts of Vengeance: Requiem 2/3
Acts of Vengeance: Requiem 3/3
Teen Titans: Finale 1/2
Teen Titans: Finale 2/2

Month 12 (Aftermath):

Superman (Public Identity 1/5)
Batman (Dick Grayson: Fugitive 1/5)
Green Arrow (Daughters of Sherwood 1/5)
Checkmate 80-Page Giant 1/1

Month 13 (Aftermath):

Superman (Public Identity 2/5)
Batman (Dick Grayson: Fugitive 2/5)
Green Arrow (Daughters of Sherwood 2/5)
Outsiders #1

Month 14 (Aftermath):

Superman (Public Identity 3/5)
Batman (Dick Grayson: Fugitive 3/5)
Green Arrow (Daughters of Sherwood 3/5)
JLA (crossover with GLC 1/6)
GLC (Crossover with JLA 2/6)
Outsiders #2

Month 15 (Aftermath):

Superman (Public Identity 4/5)
Batman (Dick Grayson: Fugitive 4/5)
Green Arrow (Daughters of Sherwood 4/5)
JLA (crossover with GLC 3/6)
GLC (Crossover with JLA 4/6)
Outsiders #3
Young Justice 80-Page Giant 1/1

Month 16 (Aftermath):

Superman (Public Identity 5/5)
Batman (Dick Grayson: Fugitive 5/5)
Green Arrow (Daughters of Sherwood 5/5)
JLA (crossover with GLC 5/6)
GLC (Crossover with JLA 6/6)
Outsiders #4
Young Justice #1

Main Event:

Acts of Vengeance - An 8-issue miniseries by Team Weather Overground and Doug Mahnke

Issue one opens with Geo-Force's body being delivered to the doorstep of the Justice League of America's headquarters, with a single slash signaling the roman numeral 1 through his costume. The hero community is immediately thrown into turmoil at the murder of one of their own. With no suspects, tension is running high. As word of the Markovian monarch's murder spreads, Eradicator, who is now the de facto ruler of Markovia, threatens retaliation unless the murder is solved immediately. Things get worse immediately when reports start coming in around the country. Minor heroes and their hometowns are being targeted by apparently new villains. The entire hometown of Blue Devil is leveled in a mysterious earthquake. An arsonist torches the childhood home of Dr. Midnight. And in Gotham City, Batgirl wakes up to find the mysterious Phantasm lurking in her house, threatening her mother's life. Stephanie is forced to reveal her (new) identity to her mother as she fights back against Phantasm, taking the battle over the streets of Gotham. Batgirl barely survives until Phantasm gets orders to head elsewhere. Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, Supergirl is handling the evening patrol while Superman is off at headquarters dealing with the crisis. She stops into Planet Krypton to mingle with the diners - when all hell breaks loose. A bomb explodes, and Supergirl desperately tries to get everyone out in time. She succeeds for the most part, but as she goes back to search for survivors, she notices a second device. Before she can get clear, it goes off, releasing a massive blast of red sun energy, stripping her of her powers. The structural damage in the building takes its toll, and a wall collapses on her, ending the issue with her trapped and seriously injured.

Issue Two picks up with Superman and Blue Beetle facing off against an armored villain whose suit creates deadly hard-light creations, defending Jaime's family, who were targeted. They fend off the villain, Superman peels off his armor and finds one of the escapees from the prelude, who taunts him that they're already dead. After knocking out the villain, Superman gets the call from the League - Supergirl's been seriously injured in Metropolis. Flying back, he finds her barely alive at Samaritan X Hospital in Gotham. Her powers are coming back once she was out of range of the red sun machine, but that's barely enough to keep her alive. Superman is enraged, and flies off to confront Luthor, who he's convinced is behind this. Luthor calmly explains that if he was, he wouldn't be provoking the heroes so openly. Back in Coast City, Ferris Aircraft finds itself under attack by Richter, the villain with Earthquake tech. Hal and Carol manage to defend it and protect the workers, but Tom Kalamaku is seriously injured trying to protect Carol, who he doesn't know is now as powerful as Hal. The issue ends with the heroes of Gotham on the hunt for Phantasm, coming up empty. The new Azrael visits his church, praying for deliverance from this new evil, only to have a figure step out of the shadows, spouting scripture and accusing Lane of being a usurper. Lane instantly assumes that this is one of the new villains, but the figure reveals himself as none other than the original Azrael, Jean-Paul Valley. An epic Azrael-vs-Azrael fight ensues, with Jean-Paul eventually running Michael through and reclaiming the Suit of Sorrows. Jean Paul unmasks, confirming to the reader that this is the real deal, and calls his hit squad up, telling them the job is done - and now it's time to move to phase two.

Issue three has the Justice League combing over their files, trying to figure out who could be behind this. Dick Grayson instantly zeroes in on suspect #1 - Jason Todd. He has the means, motive, and opportunity, not to mention access to the identity of almost any hero in the DCU from his time as Robin. Jason has been MIA since his escape from Blackgate, and Dick tracks him to an old apartment building in Tricorner. Having Oracle hack into his computer, he finds suspicious files linked to heroes' identities - right before a trojan horse linked to the file hits Oracle's operating system, shutting her down with the virus equivalent of an EMP. The apartment turns out to be booby-trapped, and Dick makes a close escape before a bomb goes off. After this, the issue is all Superman. Hardlight, the villain Superman and Blue Beetle beat in #2, escapes police custody and makes a beeline for Samaritan X, attempting to finish off Supergirl and any other superhero casualties. Flying halfway across the country, Superman knocks Hardlight out of the hospital. Pushed to his breaking point, he delivers a brutal beatdown to the villain, the level of which he hasn't unleashed since Doomsday. Watching this on closed-circuit camera, Azrael accesses his files and sends one labeled "Kent". All at once, footage of Clark Kent turning into Superman is sent to every single news source in the world. Within seconds, it starts showing up on big screens above the square where they're fighting. Hardlight mocks Superman, telling him everyone he loves is going to die. Superman responds by throwing Hardlight into an empty bus. At this point, Azrael activates a kill-switch, triggering a poison injection in Hardlight's suit. As Superman looms over him, Hardlight begins coughing up blood, collapses, and dies in front of Superman. The world just saw Superman exposed - and then apparently saw him beat a man to death.

Issue four opens right where we left off. Superman is standing there, shellshocked, over the body of Hardlight. Above him, his secret identity is being broadcast to the world. In that instant, he does the only thing he can - he runs. Flying straight up, he disappears from view. (Superman's story will continue in Acts of Vengeance: Superman later this month.) After several attempts to raise Superman on the comm unit fail, Hal Jordan is forced to make the call to headquarters "Superman is off the grid". Dick Grayson is now thoroughly convinced that Jason Todd is the one behind this. With Oracle's comm system down, and no way of knowing how soon she'll be able to get the network back up, the decision is made by the League to bring Checkmate into this. Checkmate pinpoints Jason Todd's last known location as Opal City (where it turns out he's following up on the lead he found regarding the Church of St. Dumas). Mr. Terrific leads a team of JSA members in the area, including Stargirl, Hourman, and Atom Smasher, to track him down and apprehend him. Meanwhile, Dick pays a visit to Arsenal in Belle Reve prison, knowing that he's been working with villains for the last few months and he may have heard something about these attacks. It doesn't go well, with Arsenal taunting Dick that he lost everything, and maybe the other heroes should too. As they're talking, Dick comes under attack by a mysterious masked female archer dressed in black, seemingly here to assassinate him. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Arsenal takes advantage of the distraction to break free and helps fight off the archer, who escapes. Dick tells Arsenal that if he'll work with them, they could use his help. Back in Opal City, the JSA members corner Jason in the Starman museum. Atom Smasher doesn't give him time to protest, and the battle turns ugly in a hurry. Jason uses tear gas to blind them, but Stargirl pursues him, leading to a one-on-one fight between them in the main trophy room. Jason yells that he's being set up. Stargirl blasts at him, but he tackles her, knocking her off balance, and her shot takes out a portion of the roof. Jason rolls out of the way and looks up - to see Stargirl lying motionless under a pile of rubble.

(A quick word on this cliffhanger - Courtney Whitmore is probably the safest character in the DCU. She's Geoff Johns' personal favorite character, and clearly nothing really bad is going to happen to her. That's why this issue is the exact time to do a cliffhanger like this - if anyone's actually going to buy it, it's going to be the issue after we just exposed Superman's secret identity. Next issue will reveal she suffered a concussion and broken leg, but should be okay.)

Issue Five: Jason disappeared in the aftermath of the fight at the Starman museum, leaving Stargirl in the hospital. (Jason's story picks up in Hunt for Red Hood #1, starting this month.) In the JLA headquarters, reports continue to come in of new attacks against low-profile heroes and civilian targets. Around the world, dozens of Green Lanterns start descending on Earth, securing major cities and important sites. Dick confronts Hal, who says he called in a Green Lantern Corps state of emergency, allowing reinforcements to come in from neighboring sectors, because clearly their operation hasn't been handling it so far. Across the world, a second dispatch comes in from the mastermind. This time it's Azrael revealing himself and making clear his manifesto - Superheroes are false idols who have brought down Crisis upon Crisis on the world. The world must reject them and allow them to be destroyed, or the attacks will continue and innocent people will suffer. The second wave of the attacks begin, with the knights of the Church of St. Dumas emerging to attack heroes directly as an army. The heroes and the Green Lantern Corps fend off the attacks for the most part, but come into conflict when a GLC soldier kills a Knight in the heat of battle, nearly ending in a brawl between Barry Allen and the entire GLC. Hal has to intervene, saying that he doesn't agree with the tactic but the soldier followed the proper rules of GLC engagement. It's decided that the isolated location of Titans Tower is the best place to send a lot of the young heroes for the duration of the crisis - it's a visible target, but it's also easily defended, with several older Titans assigned to guard them, including Cyborg and Beast Boy. Arsenal joins them, despite Cyborg's initial suspicion, with Arsenal vowing that no matter what he's done, he'll always be a Titan. The issue ends with Hal responding to a call he gets and heading to Metropolis. The last page has him saying "Give me one reason not to take the two of you out right now." as we pan around to see the people who contacted him - Luthor and Deathstroke. Luthor ends the issue with the line "Simple, Jordan - because I think we're on the same side."

(Luthor's side of the story will be explored more in the Injustice League mini, but it'll be explained in the next issue.)

Issue Six opens with Luthor laying out his interests - simply, Azrael is seeking to destabilize the order of things. Luthor has never truly sought a vacuum of power for the villains. Rather, he understands the critical role of Superheroes - to protect the world from the big threats, allowing him to conduct his day-to-day operations. As he puts it "I am an opportunist at my core. Under the boot of an alien dictator, there is no opportunity. This Azrael is a fanatic, and he functions like one - seeking an end without truly understanding it. And as much as I despise your kind, his solution would create far more problems than it's worth." Deathstroke reveals that he's been working covertly with the Church of St. Dumas since his exit from the Titans and has picked up intel. Luthor is working with a group of villains (as we'll see in the Injustice League mini), including most of the Rogues, Anarky, Cheetah, and JSA rogues Icicle and Tigress. He says that Azrael has planned for the heroes - but he's never planned for them. Back at Titans Tower, Cyborg is arming the security system to its maximum level. Inside the tower, most of the young heroes have gathered there, led by the original Young Justice four. Tensions are running high, with some heroes angry about essentially being sidelined and others increasingly paranoid due to the unpredictability. Back at the base of the Church of St. Dumas near the Gotham cliffs, Deathstroke returns to give Azrael his latest intel from the other side, and finds Azrael laying out plans for a siege on Titans Tower. Azrael talks about how cutting off the newest generation will break the heroes' spirit. Azrael has a closed-circuit camera placed within Titans Tower, and scanning over the footage, he sees Ravager there. As Azrael sends a message to someone letting them know that it's time to begin, Deathstroke makes his move, preparing to cut Azrael's head off from behind - only to have Azrael spin around and block him. They engage in an epic swordfight, leading them out to the cliffs. Azrael manages to run Deathstroke through, throwing him off the cliffs. As Deathstroke sinks into the depths to his apparent death, he manages to use the last of his strength to send a distress signal to Ravager. Back at the Tower, Ravager begins freaking out, claiming that something major is coming. Cyborg reassures her that nothing is able to get inside Titans Tower with this security. As he returns to the security room, he's stabbed in the back with an electronic disruptor knife by Arsenal, who taunts him "We don't have to get in. We're already here." As Cyborg shuts down, Arsenal gets into the security system and de-activates it, making the entire tower go black. He then radios out "We're a go." as the last page of the issue reveals the surviving members of Azrael's new villains, the Dark Archer, and hundreds of St. Dumas soldiers all ready to descend on Titans Tower...

(Note that I left Deathstroke's death deliberately vague. If anyone from this series is going to come back, it's him. So I made it as easy as possible, much like with what Norman did to Swordsman. Also, I've dropped Roy Harper's Red Lantern ring from the series - it wasn't flowing organically.)

Issue Seven takes place almost entirely within the Siege of Titans Tower. Wonder Girl is trying to organize an evacuation as it becomes clear that the Tower's security is disabled when a sniper shot hits her in the shoulder. With the leader injured, Arsenal and Beast Boy take charge, with no one knowing that Arsenal is in on the attack. As they reach the exit, Arsenal accesses the security system - and traps them inside, saying that "Kids shouldn't play hero. They wind up dead." As he escapes, noises are heard around the building, and it becomes clear that whoever's attacking, they're already inside. At once, the Titans come under attack from the Church of St. Dumas, whose soldiers and villains have infiltrated the tower and are fully prepared. Superboy is taken out with Kryptonite gas, Kid Flash is restrained with traps, and the injured Wonder Girl is quickly overwhelmed. Ravager gets into a one-on-one fight with Dark Archer, fighting her until they get close enough for Rose to look into her eyes. She instantly recognizes something, and Dark Archer does too, as she backs away and disappears. Raven, Wonder Girl, Superboy, and Kid Flash are captured and taken to the communications room where Richter intends to broadcast their deaths live. Red Robin is still free - and he soon finds out he's not the only one when a fly on the wall starts talking to him. Beast Boy and Red Robin come up with a plan where Beast Boy will shrink down as small as he can and try to get into the room where the hostages are as a fly, and try to open the door. Beast Boy infiltrates it, and sees the villains holding the four heroes hostage. Phantasm and Richter are arguing, with Phantasm saying she didn't take this job to kill kids. Beast Boy is about to try to activate the controls when he sees Richter put a gun to Raven's head. In a fit of rage, he turns into a rhinoceros, smashes the controls (opening the door) and proceeds to face off against the villains himself, taking out dozens of knights and absorbing an enormous amount of damage. Red Robin and Ravager join the fight, and before anyone can stop her, Ravager neatly decapitates Richter. Beast Boy finishes off the last of the knights, Phantasm manages to slip away before being captured, and Beast Boy shifts into human form to make sure that Raven is okay - and collapses. We see that his body is covered with stab wounds from the attacks he took as a rhino. Raven desperately tries to heal him, but the wounds are too severe, and he slips away telling her he loves her. The issue ends with Arsenal returning to the church of St. Dumas, warning Azrael that there's no question the heroes will be coming for them directly now. Azrael says "Let them.", revealing suspended red-sun batteries and a suit of armor resembling a combination of the classic Azrael suit and the deranged Red Batman suit he wore in Knightfall. The last scene of the issue has Hal talking to an unseen figure explaining that they've been following the wrong leads all along. Roy Harper played everyone. "And you know him better than anyone." We pan around to see Green Arrow, in the Star City forest.

Issue eight takes place after all the tie-ins have concluded, so everyone has gathered to make their last stand. Ollie is briefing everyone on Roy's fall and what he knows about him. Luthor is there, advising them on strategy, much to Ollie's disgust. Jason joins the fight (coming from Hunt for Red Hood) and tells Ollie about what happened to Mia. Ollie reacts with rage and nearly attacks Jason, but Jason tells him "Your boy did this. Not me." As the team organizes their strike against the location Ravager derived from her father's tracker, Superman arrives to join. Everyone wants to know where he was, how he's dealing with being exposed, but he simply tells them that everyone's safe and there'll be time to deal with this after Azrael is finished. Back at the Church of St. Dumas, Azrael notices that Dark Archer has been out-of-sorts ever since the tower, and Arsenal says she might be starting to remember. He decides it's time to tell her who she is. He goes to her and asks her what she remembers, then shows her a picture of herself with him - Dark Archer is Roy's daughter, Lian. He explains that Azrael pointed him to a primordial Lazarus Pit in exchange for his service. There were some side-effects due to how long she had been dead - an aging spurt of a few years, and memory loss - but now they're together again. Lian looks at the picture, remembers - and is horrified by what her father's become and what he's done. She calls him a monster and runs, hiding in the tower. Roy is enraged, yelling that he did it all for her. This is around the time that the heroes arrive, with Superman leading the pack. Arsenal is hunting for his daughter when he's confronted by Green Arrow, who vows to stop him no matter who he is. Arsenal launches into a hannibal lecture where he blames GA for everything bad that's happened to him, taunts him about already costing him one daughter, and vows to kill his last one (See GL/GA tie-in). This is one of the showpiece fights of the issue. Meanwhile, as the other heroes take on the armies of St. Dumas, Batman and Superman confront Azrael in his private chambers. Azrael activates the red-sun generators, but Superman compensates using the training he got from Bruce when he lost his powers in the past. Azrael, heavily powered up thanks to his armor, manages to get the upper hand on Batman, nearly killing him, but Superman manages to use a loose cable from the fight to electrocute Azrael, temporarily incapacitating him. Azrael laughs and says that one way or another, they're going to die today - because the second they entered his airspace, a countdown timer began, and this place is going to blow in minutes. In the tunnels below, Lian is trying to find a way out, only to run into Jason Todd, who captures her, telling her he's not going to kill her - he just needs everyone to believe he will. As Roy and Ollie fight each other to a standstill, Jason pulls Lian into the line of fire, forcing Roy to pause. Jason tells him to surrender or he'll kill her, and Roy pulls back and lets Ollie go. Jason attacks Roy, trying to kill him. It's about this time that the building starts shaking, and Ollie figures out that the entire thing is about to blow. As they're escaping, a doorway collapses and pins Lian. Ollie and Jason are unable to get her free, but Roy uses his cyborg arm to lift it, pinning himself by it but giving her just enough time to get free. Jason runs ahead, but Ollie and Lian want to stay behind to free him. Roy begs Ollie to get Lian free and look after her, and they escape. As the heroes evacuate, Azrael recovers from the electric shock and tries to strangle Superman. Superman uses the last of his strength and tackles Azrael out the window without his powers. Azrael falls down onto the cliffs, with Superman right behind him, but the slowly rising sun gives Superman just enough strength to avert his fall. And with that, it's over. The building blows a second after everyone gets clear. Ollie looks up at the ruins, knowing he's lost his son. And on the cliffs below, Jean-Paul Valley slowly crawls to safety - only to be met by Lex Luthor, who holds a gun to his head - and then lets him go, warning him of the dangers of overreaching. The epilogue picks up a week later. Hal Jordan announces that due to the unprecedented threats to order on this planet, and the fact that the mastermind may still be at large, a permanent GLC delegation will be established on Earth. Supergirl finally comes out of her coma, and Superman explains to her what's happened since then. In Star City, Ollie takes Lian to see the things Roy lay aside for her, including his old Speedy suit, tailored for a girl. The last scene has a mysterious meeting in Checkmate between the four royal families and a fifth figure. The figure explains that the hero community completely failed to imagine something like this happening, and there's going to need to be changes to accomodate the new levels of threats. Someone who knows both sides - superheroes and espionage - will need to be keeping an eye on things. Sasha Bordeaux asks the figure "So now you're all caught up. Do you think you're the man for the job?" The last page has "We've got a lot of work to do." coming out of the mind of Bruce Wayne, newly returned from his trip through time to find out what's happened in his absence.

Tie-ins:

Acts of Vengeance: Faces of Evil 1-5 - This is an anthology series focusing on the ten new villains Azrael recruited from prisons in the lead-in. They're all hardened criminals, and this explains their transition from convict to supervillain. As 8 of them survive the event and will continue to be new villains down the line, a little backstory seemed like a good idea. Each issue will have two stories in it. One story will cover two villains, brothers. Phantasm gets her own mini and is not included here. The final issue will be Azrael's story, explaining his survival after he was attacked in his series finale (the Azrael we saw during Blackest Night was one of the failed ones from the past, as he was never identified as Jean-Paul) and how he went from fallen hero to scourge of the DCU and founder of a deranged new religion that will plague the DCU for years to come. This series will be written by JT Krul, Brian Azzarello, and Team WO for the final issue, with art by Chris Samnee, Lee Bermejo, and Tom Mandrake.

Acts of Vengeance: The Rise of Phantasm 1-3 - The classic character from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm makes her debut in the DC Universe as written by Paul Dini with art by Dustin Nyguen. Andrea Beaumont had it all, until it all vanished in an instant. The teenage daughter of a successful Gotham businessman, her family was destroyed when her father was murdered. In witness protection, separated from her family, an assault led to her being framed for murder and sent to prison for life. But a twisted man had been watching her case, and saw the opportunity to make her over into an avatar of vengeance. This is the story of Andrea Beaumont's descent into the darkest depths, and the debut of one of the most dangerous characters in the DCU - but which side will she fall on?

Acts of Vengeance: Superman 1-3 - Geoff Johns and Gary Frank join forces to fill in the blanks of Superman's time after his identity was exposed before his return at the end of the event. Shellshocked by the reveal and the apparent death of Hardlight in their fight, Superman retreats, taking his mother and wife to the Fortress as he tries to figure out his next move. But when he gets word that Supergirl is weakening, he's forced to re-enter the fray to get ahold of Kryptonian power cells that may be able to speed her recovery. The only problem? The last remaining ones are in the clutches of the Eradicator, Superman's ruthless doppelganger and the current ruler of Markovia. Meanwhile, Lois Lane knows everything doesn't smell right about the death of Hardlight, and she's willing to break any rule she has to to prove her husband's innocence.

Acts of Vengeance: Animal Man 1-3 - Grant Morrison returns to his most famous character, and brings superstar artist Cameron Stewart with him. Far away from the main battles, Buddy Baker and his family find themselves targeted by the Church of St. Dumas. When he gets separated from his family, Buddy is pushed to his breaking point to protect them, tapping into parts of his power he's never used before. Meanwhile, what's happening to Buddy's teenage son Cliff? It's a very unique form of puberty at exactly the right time. One thing's for sure - the Church of St. Dumas picked the wrong family to mess with...

Acts of Vengeance: The Injustice League 1-3 - Paul Cornell and Pete Woods bring us the villains' side of the story. As heroes across the country find themselves under attack by a new threat, it's a free-for-all for the bad guys. So why isn't Lex Luthor smiling? An all-star team of villains gather as they realize that to preserve their way of life, they may have to save the people they hate most. Luthor is the star here, but it also features the Rogues, Cheetah, Anarky, and the Riddler as key players.

Acts of Vengeance: The Hunt for Red Hood 1-3 - Judd Winick and Pablo Raimondi continue the story of Jason Todd from the lead-in. On the run after his run-in with the JSA, now the most wanted man in America, Jason retreats to the darkest corners of Gotham, his childhood home, knowing it's just a matter of time before he's found. But the League isn't the only one searching for him. Mia Dearden, who remembers Jason from the time he kidnapped her and knows he isn't the psycho people believe he is, comes out of retirement and puts together a team with Cass Cain and Stephanie Brown, both of whom are fairly familiar with Jason, to track him down and convince him to turn himself in before he's killed. It'll be a taut chase thriller that gets much more dangerous when Arsenal (now revealed as one of the big bads) shows up in Gotham to silence Jason and get revenge on the girl who he blames for Lian's death. This mini will serve as a send-off to Mia Dearden, who dies in a fight against Arsenal, while beginning Jason Todd's redemption arc.

Acts of Vengeance: Green Lantern/Green Arrow 1-3 - The war comes to Star City, as it turns out Oliver Queen may have more to lose than he thought. Brough to life by the GA creative team of JT Krul and Diogenes Neves, it opens with an assassination attempt on Cissie King-Jones, now living a quiet civilian life in a suburb of Star City, that winds up killing her mother. Escaping, Cissie flees into Star City, seeking to find out why she's been targeted - especially since she's always had a suspicion that her mother may have been lying about her father's identity. When Hal Jordan comes calling to try to recruit his old friend to the fight, they wind up trapped in the forest as the assassin Merlyn hunts them from above. It's a taut thriller that will lead to Oliver Queen's re-introduction into the DCU superhero community.

Acts of Vengeance: The Fall of Arsenal 1/1 - Written by Team Weather Overground and drawn by Shane Davis, this one-shot fills in the blanks between the Titans lead-in and Arsenal's reveal as a main villain of Acts of Vengeance. It focuses on his recruitment to the Church of St. Dumas by Azrael, who took his rage over Lian's death and turned it into a religious hatred of superheroes - and gave him a chance to have her back.

Acts of Vengeance: Deathstroke 1/1 - JT Krul and Jesus Saiz take the reins on this one-shot covering Deathstroke's role as a double agent in the crisis. It's a tragic story as he tries to make amends with his family by protecting them from behind the scenes. This one-shot will restore Deathstroke to his proper characterization as an anti-hero, with readers not knowing that this redemption arc will likely be his last.

Acts of Vengeance: Requiem 1/3 - An all-star team of creators including Marv Wolfman, Judd Winick, Geoff Johns, Ed Benes, Denny O'Neill, and Grant Morrison are joined by artists Chris Samnee, David Finch, and Tony Daniel to pay tribute to the fallen in this anthology series. From a massive Titans Tower funeral for Beast Boy, to a quiet tribute by a daughter to her father, this series of short stories will close the door on the losses of Acts of Vengeance, and open the door to the future of the DCU.

Aftermath:

The Aftermath will take place in the ongoing series of Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, as well as the newly launched Outsiders and Young Justice series, and an eight-part crossover between JLA and Green Lantern Corps.

In Superman, the story "Public Identity" begins, with Superman and his family adjusting to the change in their lives in the aftermath of Superman's public outing. Superman tries to maintain his Clark Kent ID, unwilling to abandon the life he's lived all his life despite everyone knowing his secret. Meanwhile, Supergirl, recovering from her injuries in the event, finds herself trying to establish a civilian life as Superman struggles to keep his.

In Batman, Dick Grayson becomes obsessed with hunting down Azrael, finally tracking him down to an East Side soup kitchen that the Church of St. Dumas secretly runs. An attack on him turns ugly when it turns out that while Azrael may be the most hated villain in the world, "Reverend Valley" is beloved by the citizens of Gotham. When Dick is caught on camera assaulting him, the GCPD is forced to turn out their forces to bring Batman to justice.

In Green Arrow, Ollie returns from the forest to try to put Star City back together. Accompanied by Lian, now training to take on the role of the new Speedy, they bring classic street-level justice back to the torn city. Meanwhile, Cissie King-Jones moves to Star City to get to know her father and considers whether she wants to pick up her legacy again.

The current Teen Titans book will come to an end in Teen Titans: Finale, as Wonder Girl retires from crimefighting in the aftermath of her failure to protect the team. The team collapses in the aftermath. Red Robin, Superboy, and Kid Flash will reunite in the Young Justice 80-page giant, as they return to their roots to face an old threat from their YJ days, leading into a new Young Justice series. Much like the original, at the beginning it'll be a loosely-connected team consisting of just the three of them, but it'll soon be joined by other heroes to resemble something vaguely like the cartoon roster. Gail Simone will take over writing duties with this run.

Outsiders will launch with a new #1 by Judd Winick and Pablo Raimondi as Jason Todd continues his road to redemption, putting together a new team of wild-card heroes including Ravager, Cassandra Cain, Anarky, and the new Phantasm.

The biggest event of the post Acts of Vengeance atmosphere will be an 8-part crossover between Justice League of America and Green Lantern Corps, as the JLA deals with the new GLC presence on Earth, and the tensions lead to open conflict. The main villain of this arc will be the Star Conquerer, who arrives on Earth looking to revive his empire.

The lead-in to this new age of DC Comics will be introduced in the Checkmate 80-page giant, as Bruce Wayne secretly takes control of Checkmate and assesses the situation in all these hot spots. Bruce's new role will remain secret from even his closest friends, with only the royal family of Checkmate knowing who's pulling the strings now. With the hero community being caught unaware by this crisis, Bruce is looking to keep a closer eye on hero and villain activity, ensuring that potential threats are caught early and stopped.

Solicits:

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #1
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
A JLA member is dead. As the heroes struggle to unravel this mystery, a series of brutal attacks target heroes and their families, reaching all the way to Metropolis. No one is safe as the biggest mystery in DCU history kicks off here. Don't miss the start of the biggest DCU event of 2010, featuring the debut of a legendary DC character making their first appearance in the comics!
On sale SEPTEMBER 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #2
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
One of the DCU's brightest young stars lies at death's door as the hunt increases for the mysterious mastermind terrorizing the hero community. As Ferris Aircraft and El Paso, Texas come under attack, a hero will fall and a villain will rise, as a forgotten threat from the past of the DC Universe returns to take his revenge.
On sale OCTOBER 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #3
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
Until now, the man dismantling the DC Universe piece by piece has pulled his punches. Not anymore. Do not miss this issue as Superman's world changes forever.
On sale December 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #4
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
Superman - vanquished? Jason Todd - traitor? It's a final showdown in Opal City as the JSA closes in on their chief suspect in the strikes that have devastated the superhero community. But not everyone will walk away, and not everything is as it seems.
On sale January 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #5
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
The Green Lantern Corps descends on Earth to place the world under a state of emergency as Azrael issues a terrifying ultimatum. The JLA and the intergalactic police force clash as the race to prevent the next strike intensifies. And just who is Hal Jordan about to make a devil's bargain with?

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #6
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
Earth's best hope - Lex Luthor and Deathstroke? As Azrael's plan drives sworn enemies together, a traitor is revealed and an unlikely hero falls. The last stand of Titans Tower begins here...
On sale March 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #7
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
The last stand of Titans Tower is now! Betrayed by one of their own, the youngest heroes of the DC Universe find themselves under siege by the full forces of the Church of St. Dumas. Red Robin leads his former teammates in one last desperate charge to survive the onslaught. But in every war there are casualties...
On sale April 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US

ACTS OF VENGEANCE #8
Written by TEAM WEATHER OVERGROUND
Art by DOUG MAHNKE
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
The heroes have suffered unimaginable losses, but on one fateful night, they'll strike back, declaring war on the Church of St. Dumas. Batman and Superman face off against the mad Azrael, while Green Arrow confronts (CLASSIFIED). Who is the Dark Archer? What will be the fate of prodigal son Jason Todd? And who benefits from the fallout? All these questions will be answered here!
On sale May 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US
I'm going to preface this with the fact that I follow absolutely nothing in the DCU (which is why I've never asked to be involved in the Apprentice stuff).

I want to give this major props for two reasons (which are tied together):
1) This breakdown was engaging enough for me to read the whole thing without knowing who anyone is (well, I guess I know who Batman and Superman are...). I expected myself to give up a few paragraphs in, but I wanted to know what would happen next even without a sense of context.
2) This plot makes sense and seems to tie up all its loose ends. I hate loose ends and undefined motives. The bit with Luthor, in particular, was clever and well-reasoned.

Kudos.