Final Crisis: Resist

Today it somehow feels like Darkseid has already been defeated. Although, as Matthew Perpetua notes, Prop 8 is pretty close to the Anti-Life Equation.

Of course, this issue's story (in which events begin at Camp Oswald in the Antarctic on "day 0," or day 6 of our timeline, Castellan is captured immediately, and Mr. Terrific and Taleb stay at Oswald for 26 days before settling loose the OMACs) would seem to contradict FC #4, in which Mr. Terrific, Taleb and Castellan are in Switzerland holding out against the Justifiers sometime around day 20. Another one to chalk up to the fall of Darkseid, I suppose.

Looks like somebody forgot to include the credits in this issue--and in fact there are a few pages near the end that don't look particularly Ryan Sook-like. Curious. Maybe those were pencilled by Marco Rudy? Anybody know how this issue breaks down?

Pg. 1:

Tommy Jagger, the son of the first Judomaster, was created by Greg Rucka and Jesus Saiz, and first appeared in CHECKMATE #1 in 2006. Fire, created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon, first appeared in SUPER FRIENDS #25. Ice, created by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire, first appeared in JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #12.

The "code zoo" was first mentioned in CHECKMATE #13, I believe; I don't think the "arcane locker" has been mentioned before.

Like the idea of more Greg Rucka-written comics about government agents set in Antarctica? May I direct you toward the excellent WHITEOUT?

Pp. 2-3:

Entertaining to see just how fast Rucka and Trautmann can kick their CHECKMATE sandbox over. Trautmann has noted that Castellan's "tailgunner" is a reference to TAILGUNNER JO.

Sasha Bordeaux, created by Greg Rucka and Shawn Martinbrough, first appeared in 2000's DETECTIVE COMICS #751.

Valentina Vostok, formerly Negative Woman, was created by Paul Kupperberg and Jim Aparo, and first appeared in 1977 in SHOWCASE #94. I don't think she's the Negative Woman killed in the attack on Blüdhaven in FC #4.

Maks Chazov first appeared rather recently, in CHECKMATE #22, although the Rocket Reds, created by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton, first appeared in 1987's GREEN LANTERN CORPS #208.

Jessica Midnight, created by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber, first appeared in DETECTIVE COMICS #773.

Pg. 4:

Gideon-II is here. As for the Thinker... well, it's complicated: Hyperborea has the whole story, but it's an AI program whose lineage goes all the way back to 1943's ALL-FLASH #12.

Pg. 5:

"I can't see you": Michael is invisible to technology.

Pg. 6:

Lucas "Snapper" Carr, created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky, first appeared in 1960's THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #28. He developed the ability to teleport by snapping his fingers in the course of INVASION!; later, in (I think) HOURMAN #20 and #21, he lost his hands (and his powers), then got new hands (which didn't have those powers). He was revealed to have been involved with Checkmate for a while as of 52 AFTERMATH: THE FOUR HORSEMEN #3, but does anybody happen to know how and when he got his powers back? Rucka writes that "Snapper had his 'portin returned courtesy of Keith Giffen," but the only time he teleports in the course of FOUR HORSEMEN isn't under his own power, it's via a JLA transporter. Is there a story I'm forgetting?

"War garden": not the plucky British kind, apparently.

Pg. 8:

Oh, now he asks if he can use lethal force. Whoops.

Pg. 9:

Wouldn't it have been nice if everybody had gotten straight what technology works and doesn't work under the Darkseid regime? Firehawk, created by Gerry Conway and Pat Broderick, first appeared in 1982's THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #1.

Pg. 10:

"All the memories that brings back": Snapper was the League's mascot in the early days, but fell out with them after he was manipulated into betraying them in 1969's JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #77.

Pg. 12:

We saw Cheetah in passing in FC #1 (as part of the "protest march"), but I think this is the first time she's gotten a speaking role here, so I'll note now that she's an updated version of a character created by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter who first appeared in 1943's WONDER WOMAN #6. (I feel compelled to link to the next issue's cover too.)

"A right old-fashioned gutting": the current Cheetah, Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva, is British.

Pg. 16:

What's up with those babies?

Pg. 17:

Barbara got her powers from a plant god called Urzkartaga, per the George Pérez-written WONDER WOMAN #28. According to the Rucka-written WONDER WOMAN #222, he's a cat god. And now he's a fertility god (or that's just a superhuman-type pickup line)... and the old gods are having a tough time of it at the dawn of the Fifth World.

Pg. 21:

"Bloodhound survey": I wonder if this has something to do with BLOODHOUND?

As of THE OMAC PROJECT #5, there were 1,373,462 OMACs; where'd the other ten million come from?

Pg. 22:

"Brother Eye... has been dealt with": rather inconclusively, across various issues of INFINITE CRISIS, its associated OMAC PROJECT special, BRAVE NEW WORLD, OMAC and COUNTDOWN.

Pg. 30:

Jeez, people, put on some warm clothing first, will you?

REVELATIONS #4 and BATMAN #682 have both been bumped to December, so I'll see you in three weeks for #5, cross fingers.