Comik Bros

"When Peter Parker is stripped of his destiny as Spider-Man, as you all know from the previous article, The Maker (Reed Richards from Universe 1610) has stolen countless artifacts and materials from the members of the Illuminati. From T'Challa's Vibranium, Black Bolt's Terrigen Sphere, to mystical relics from Doctor Strange...
All of this serves the ultimate purpose of the villain, which is to create a new universe modeled after his home universe, Universe 1610, but everything there must follow The Maker's twisted ideology. And the universe that Reed is targeting is 6160, where he has intervened in the course of history on this Earth, killing the spider that should have bitten and transformed young Peter Parker into Spider-Man.
In addition, there are significant differences compared to my own 616 version, as Peter 1610 is one of the core heroes in this universe. He is a leading figure who inspires many superheroes or mutants to follow the path of righteousness, fighting against evil. In fact, Peter 1610 is considered the world's most renowned and highest-ranking superhero in his own universe (unlike the socially challenged one in 616). Therefore, it is natural and understandable that The Maker targets Spider-Man in his scheme to manipulate and transform Universe 6160 according to his own will."

Black Panther Transforms into a Street Knight

After the espionage drama involving various sinister plots worldwide, T'Challa decided to abdicate the throne and accept a sentence of exile from his homeland, Wakanda. However, Black Panther believed that Wakanda still faced numerous threats, both internal and external. Thus, he made a secret decision to return to Wakanda, becoming a mysterious vigilante lurking in the shadows. On one hand, he hunted down emerging criminal forces to protect the kingdom, while on the other hand, he had to evade the law and authorities.

In short, the Black Panther chose to cosplay as the neighborhood's friendly Spider-Man.

The primary location for Black Panther's current operations is the city of Birnin T'Chaka, a relatively young city on the borders of Wakanda. Despite its relative prosperity, it received little attention from the royal family, to the extent that T'Challa was completely unfamiliar with it. This is precisely why he decided to visit. Here, he witnessed a peculiar paradox: although the basic needs of the people were being met, with everyone having food, clothing, and shelter, crime still persisted, and some individuals were trapped in dire circumstances within a seemingly abundant society. Determined to find answers and save the city named after his father, Black Panther embarked on a journey. Accompanying him on this quest is N'Yobi Umaru, a young lawyer and the son of a former royal advisor who served under the late King T'Chaka. N'Yobi will serve as T'Challa's guide through this familiar yet unfamiliar city.

This is the storyline for Black Panther 2023, issue 1.

CYBORG'S FATHER BECOMES A ROBOT

In the previous episode, Cyborg's father, Dr. Silas Stone, passed away due to a heart attack and was given a grand funeral. Despite having unresolved issues with his father, Cyborg put them aside to pay his respects. However, not long after, Victor was unexpectedly visited by a self-proclaimed robot claiming to be his father.

It turns out that before his death, Dr. Stone had created a digitized copy of his brain and uploaded it into a robot constructed by the Solace Corporation, a company he had been supporting. This robot body was quite impressive, equipped with advanced technology weapons, designed to maintain law and order in the city by combating villains. However, Victor had deep concerns about allowing an AI replica of his father to serve others, so he decided to download him into his own system. But this decision had the side effect of Victor now having to constantly hear his father's voice rambling in his mind, 24/7.

Cyborg 2023 issue 2.

FLASH OF 20 YEARS LATER

This version looks beautiful, but it doesn't have any other title besides Flash, so let's call it that for now. True to its name, this is a future version of The Flash Barry Allen, set 20 years ahead. In this future, Reverse Flash Daniel West accidentally caused an accident that resulted in Wallace's death instead of him becoming Kid Flash, and Iris became disabled. Instead of hastily running back to the past to fix it, this Barry decided to sit down and thoroughly investigate why he couldn't appear to prevent the accident. He discovered that the consequences of multiple time-traveling using the Speed Force had warped time, causing certain events to "drift" away from him, making him unable to intervene. The tragedy of the West family was just one of many incidents that Flash should have been there to stop, but due to the time distortion effect, he couldn't be present.

For many years thereafter, Barry tirelessly researched and developed a specialized tech suit not only to travel back in time and prevent accidents but also to repair the temporal anomalies within the timeline. With this new suit, Barry began running against the flow of time, intervening and fixing all the accidents he previously couldn't prevent. The years spent immersed in tragedy turned Barry ruthless and cold-blooded, sparing no hesitation to eliminate any threat he encountered during his time-traveling journeys to prevent future catastrophes. Old adversaries like Grodd, Mirror Master, Reverse Flash, and others were all given a one-way ticket to oblivion. When he arrived in the present, Future Barry decided to take the final step to stabilize the Speed Force... by sacrificing the present Barry (and if you wonder about the time paradoxes, the future Barry had already severed himself from the timeline, so he wouldn't be affected). However, the present Barry was saved by Wallace West, thanks to the intervention of Future Barry, which altered his future, allowing him to survive and become Kid Flash. Wallace realized that the future Barry's plan had a margin of error that could make things worse, so he ran back to the past to prevent the older Barry.

In the end, after a chaotic battle involving the three Speedsters, Wallace sacrificed himself to stabilize the Speed Force, ending the time distortion effect. The present Barry gained a free ticket for time travel, while the future Barry underwent a rejuvenation process and decided to live in the present as a replacement for the current Barry for a while.

However, the future Barry couldn't suppress his violent and cold-blooded nature, continuing to eliminate those who would become future criminals. This nearly ruined Flash's reputation, but luckily, the present Barry returned in time to salvage the situation. Subsequently, the future Barry sacrificed his life to protect the present from other enemies.

In terms of power, fundamentally, this older Barry is still Barry Allen and possesses all the abilities of a Speedster. However, 20 years of dedicated research have given him significant advantages over the present Barry. Firstly, his suit is equipped with technology specifically designed to counter Flash's enemies. It continuously calculates and gathers data from the Speed Force to perform time adjustments and can also regenerate body parts for Flash (in a battle, he once had his arm severed, but the suit immediately created a mechanical replacement to continue the fight). Secondly, the future Barry has become a master martial artist, honing his close combat skills from Lady Shiva, Batman, and Deathstroke. So, even though he may not be faster than the present Barry, he can effortlessly defeat his past self with a flick of his hand.

BATMAN FACES OFF AGAINST NEWMAZO

Newmazo's plan to capture Batman ultimately backfired in a significant way. Although Batman couldn't escape his confinement on his own, he managed to rally other imprisoned billionaires and mad scientists to form an alliance and devise a plan to destroy Ultramorpho's Kryptonite-infused body, thereby freeing Superman. Other superheroes from the Justice League also arrived to assist in the assault on Newmazo's stronghold, and Firestorm used his elemental manipulation powers to deliver the final blow to Ultramorpho, rescuing all the prisoners. Newmazo's plan was temporarily thwarted as a result.

It seems that Newmazo immediately recognized the threat posed by Batman and decided to eliminate him immediately. He copied shapeshifting abilities (possibly from Plastic Man?) to impersonate Supergirl and infiltrate the ranks of the heroes who came to assist, getting close to Batman. Then, taking advantage of the others being occupied with dealing with the dangers posed by the robot uprising that he initiated, Newmazo revealed his true form and unleashed his copied powers to overwhelm Batman.

According to Dr. T.O. Morrow, the only mad scientist not involved in this incident, he simulated a battle between Newmazo and every superhero on Earth, and Newmazo always emerged victorious. So, Batman will have to devise a plan on his own to escape this dire situation.

Reference: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest issue 16.

BLACK ADAM SEPARATES FROM TETH-ADAM

The battle between Black Adam and the champion of the Akkadian gods, Sargon, led to an intriguing situation: as Teth Adam's soul was expelled from his body while Sargon's mask possessed him, when the mask was eventually separated, the mortal human aspect of Teth-Adam and the divine empowered form of Black Adam were split into two, each possessing a separate body. Black Adam requested Teth-Adam to reunite with him, but Teth refused. He believed that ruling Kahndaq had always been Black Adam's desire, not his own, so Teth-Adam decided to depart and embrace the life of an ordinary human.

Not long after relinquishing his powers, Teth-Adam was ambushed by a group of thugs who beat him mercilessly and robbed him of all his money (perhaps the martial skills he once used to knock out Batman stayed with the divine side of his persona). However, Teth-Adam remained surprisingly cheerful, considering this to be the experience of an ordinary person that he had long yearned for.

Reference: Black Adam issue 12.

6. GWENOM: WHEN SPIDER-GWEN PLAYS VENOM

Unlike the Venom of Earth-616, which is an extraterrestrial symbiote, the Earth-65 version of Venom in Spider-Gwen's world is a result of an experiment. It was created by combining the radioactive isotopes from the spider that bit Gwen with the lizard DNA cells of the Lizard. Under the manipulation of Kingpin Matt Murdock, Gwen created Venom by using extracted radioactive material from the spider that had previously affected her best friend Harry Osborn's lizard-transformed cells. She intended to use it to cure him and also take advantage of the symbiote to restore her own powers.

Although lacking a distinct consciousness like the 616 version, this Earth-65 Venom is still a ferocious and voracious parasite. Immediately upon its creation, it attempted to bond with Gwen. However, Gwen discovered the symbiote's vulnerability to sound and managed to tame it using music, specifically the song "Face it, Tiger," transforming it into a compliant symbiote and a highly effective weapon. The relationship between Gwen and Venom is much more amicable compared to other universes, as this Venom only requires its host to share nutrients from their body, while Gwen can freely and comfortably use its powers. Though initially using Venom made Spider-Gwen appear more angry and bloodthirsty, those emotions ultimately stemmed from Gwen herself rather than any influence from Venom. Due to their mutually beneficial relationship, Gwen and Venom have formed a long-lasting bond, and when Gwen dons the Venom suit, she is referred to as Gwenom.

Venom not only provides Gwen with her main source of power (since her spider-irradiated gene is nullified), but the symbiote also serves as a versatile living costume for Gwen to utilize. Apart from using it as a combat outfit, Gwen can take advantage of Venom's shape-shifting abilities to transform it into any attire she desires in an instant, eliminating the need for changing clothes or buying new ones. However, the increased cost of food consumption to sustain the symbiote's nourishment becomes a significant factor. Gwen's Venom is also relatively sensitive to sound, fearing high-frequency sounds, but it has a fondness for music. It is also afraid of fire, although not as much as regular symbiotes.

Overall, Gwenom represents a unique and powerful amalgamation of Spider-Gwen and Venom, creating a formidable and visually striking character in the Earth-65 universe.

Note: The information provided is based on the character as known up until my knowledge cutoff in September 2021. There may have been updates or developments regarding Gwenom in subsequent comics.

5.Did Flashpoint Really Exist to Reset DC History?

Comic fans surely know that Flashpoint was a significant milestone in DC history, as it reset the entire DC timeline back to a blank slate (or close to it) to start anew with the New 52. However, it is highly possible that Flashpoint wasn't originally intended to be a complete reset of DC history or, at the very least, it wasn't conceived as such by the writer.

Looking back at the history, the author of Flashpoint was also the writer in charge of Flash at that time. Geoff Johns' run on Flash, centered around Barry Allen, began with the story arc Flash: Rebirth, which was released in late 2009 to early 2010. The title choice clearly implies that Geoff Johns intended his run on Flash to become a legendary epic on par with his previous Green Lantern run. However, Johns' Green Lantern run had been running for over 5 years by that point, going through numerous story arcs and events, and had become highly iconic. On the other hand, Flash only ran for a mere year before reaching Flashpoint, effectively ending with the old universe's history, leaving no other significant mark. As an ambitious writer and one of DC's prized talents at the time, how could Geoff Johns willingly lead his painstakingly prepared storyline to such an abrupt and inconclusive end?

Therefore, despite Geoff Johns' tight-lipped approach regarding this matter, many readers have speculated that Geoff Johns' Flashpoint wasn't intended to be an event to change the entire history. It was likely just a climactic story arc in the early stages of Geoff Johns' overall Flash run, similar to the Sinestro Corps War event he wrote during his Green Lantern run, which served as a conclusion to an introductory plotline leading into the War of Lights and eventually Blackest Night. Flashpoint was supposed to follow a similar trajectory, leading to a resolution where the timeline would be restored, and Geoff Johns would continue his Flash run.

So, what happened to cause everything to change? It is highly likely that this was the intention of then-DC Editor-in-Chief Dan DiDio. Dan can be seen as the key driving force behind the push to reset the DC universe and establish the primary rules for building the new universe during the New 52 era. Consequently, many have speculated that Dan DiDio was the one who demanded the universe reset, and Flashpoint was transformed from a story arc revolving around Flash into a major event to alter the entire DC universe.

Bros

4."Captain America's Son Becomes the Lord of Dimension Z

The true plan of Winter Soldier in this Cold War operation has finally been revealed.

It turns out that White Wolf was never the true ally that Bucky was aiming for, but rather, it was Nomad Ian Rogers, the adopted son of Captain America. Being a clone carrying Zola's genes, Ian was the chosen one who could sit on the throne of power and rule over the entire monstrous Dimension Z that Zola had created. However, in his current state, Ian is not yet ready in all aspects to ascend to the golden throne, while the other two members of the Outer Circle, Power and Money, have already set their sights on Dimension Z. Therefore, Bucky had to turn to White Wolf, borrowing his help to seize Dimension Z ahead of the two adversaries. Additionally, he gave orders for Peggy to kidnap Ian and bring him to Dimension Z, disguising it as imprisonment but actually preparing him to take over the throne. Bucky then left a clue for Steve and Sam to lead them to Dimension Z, secretly aiding them so they could defeat White Wolf and pave the way for Nomad to ascend the throne and rule over Dimension Z.

With this newfound power, Ian can control the entire army of monsters in Dimension Z, becoming a stronghold and a valuable resource for Bucky in his role as the Revolution against the remaining members of the Outer Circle. While Steve finds Bucky's plan somewhat difficult to accept, he has decided to stay in Dimension Z to support the fight against the Outer Circle, as well as to monitor both his trusted comrades and his adopted son.

Cold War: Omega

3. "Spider-Man, Red Goblin, and Scorpion allied together."

The battle against Cletus brought together an unusual alliance consisting of Spider-Man Miles Morales, Red Goblin Normie Osborn, and Scorpion MacDonald Gargan, along with the Cape Killers group led by Feilong. Additionally, the Stark Sentinels of Feilong also joined forces. Despite being former enemies, this unlikely alliance proved to be effective.

The Stark Sentinels independently engaged in combat, directly confronting Cletus and his new colossal Symbiote Extremis armor. Although both Sentinels were ultimately destroyed by Cletus, they managed to upload a virus created by Feilong, temporarily cutting off Cletus's connection to the internet and preventing him from spreading the Symbiote to others. However, prior to this, thousands of people had already been infected and controlled by Cletus, completely surrounding the battlefield. While Red Goblin's ability to absorb Symbiotes could neutralize the infected individuals, the process was slow and each absorption weakened Normie, allowing Cletus's malevolence to influence his psyche through the Symbiote.

In this situation, Scorpion had the opportunity to showcase his exceptional leadership skills. He devised a brilliant plan, with Electro using electricity to create a path, Hightail utilizing speed to evacuate the cured individuals, and Taskmaster providing cover fire, while Scorpion and Miles escorted Red Goblin to sneakily target and attack Cletus's vulnerable lower body in his lair. Upon arrival, Scorpion deliberately provoked Cletus into engaging him in combat, while Miles helped Normie absorb Cletus's Symbiote Extremis. Unfortunately, both Normie and his symbiote companion Rascal were too young and were corroded by the preceding battle. Overwhelmed by Cletus's monstrous nature, Normie lost consciousness midway, and Miles carried him away from the battlefield while being relentlessly pursued by Cletus in his transformed dragon form.

This account pertains to Carnage 2022 issue 14.

2. DARK SUPERGIRL

Dark Supergirl is a dark version of Supergirl created when Kara is exposed to Black Kryptonite by Lex Luthor. The story goes that Lex, guided by Darkseid, was given a chunk of Black Kryptonite, which was said to "reveal the true nature of Kryptonians," although in reality, it simply amplifies their evil tendencies or creates a dark counterpart. Lex used this opportunity to attack Supergirl, and due to Kara's momentary lapse, she was almost killed by Lex. However, instead of finishing her off, Lex decided to use the newly acquired Black Kryptonite. As a result of the influence of the Black Kryptonite, Supergirl's body underwent a transformation, donning a black costume and becoming Dark Supergirl. While Kara went to Earth to protect and care for Kal-El, Dark Kara believed that her true mission on Earth was to kill Kal-El and become the sole heir to Krypton's legacy.

Contrary to Lex's intentions, Dark Supergirl, although a corrupted version of Supergirl, did not harbor any fondness for someone who had just attempted to kill her. She immediately launched an attack on Lex. Unlike the original Supergirl, Dark Supergirl fought mercilessly, showing no mercy and taking extreme risks. Despite being injured by Lex's weapons, she fought back like a raging monster. Lex was left battered and had to seek help from the Justice League, although Dark Supergirl defeated almost the entire team (except the Trinity). Fortunately, the original Supergirl regained consciousness and rushed into a struggle with her dark counterpart, eventually bringing them both crashing down to Earth. At this moment, the Trinity also caught up and joined the battle. After a fierce fight, Wonder Woman managed to restrain both Supergirls with the Lasso of Truth and asked, "Who is Kara Zor-El?" This caused Dark Supergirl to merge back into the original body. Later, it was revealed that the implanted false memories of the mission to kill Superman led to the creation of Dark Supergirl as a consequence of Kryptonite poisoning from outer space before Kara arrived on Earth, with the intervention of a Monitor to test her.

Dark Supergirl was erased from existence thereafter, but there was another instance where Kara cosplayed as her dark counterpart to deceive a villain as a covert operative.

"MOON KNIGHT AND THE GIFT FROM THE ENEMY

One day, Moon Knight suddenly woke up in a strange dream where he had a happy family, reunited with his wife, children, father, and younger brother. But he quickly realized that it was just a dream orchestrated by someone. After waking up, he noticed that many others in the same house were also trapped in a similar state, deeply asleep in a dream where their deepest desires became reality. Marc quickly deduced that the mastermind behind this was Morpheus (not the Sandman from DC, mind you). This Morpheus was a long-time enemy of Moon Knight, whose real name was Robert Markham. Due to an overdose of drugs, he gained the ability to manipulate the dreams of others.

In his quest to confront Morpheus, Moon Knight continued to encounter the ideal dreams of his other personas. With Jake, it was a small cramped bar where he could treat all the downtrodden people abandoned by society. With Steven, it was a peaceful life with Marlene, the butler Samuels, and the maid Edda, without any other disruptive personas. Marc himself was also granted numerous other ideal dreams by Morpheus, such as being recognized by the Avengers, having a romantic adventure with Tigra, defeating Khonsu, having close comrades and friends, and unleashing his wrath upon his enemies. However, Moon Knight rejected all these dreams of happiness and ultimately caught up with Morpheus.

But in the end, it turned out that Morpheus had no ulterior motive. Refusing to help Black Spectre attack Moon Knight, Morpheus was stabbed with a fatal knife and lay waiting to die. In his final moments, he regretted his life and wanted to perform one meaningful act before his departure, so he granted them dreams where they could find happiness.

Moon Knight 2021 issue 24.