Darks Days: The Forge #1 Spoilers/Discussion

[Park Slope Pixie]

It did. Which is a perfect sneaky retcon on Snyder's part, when you consider the original Outsiders' powers. Metamorpho and the elements, Geo-Force and geology, Katana with a blade with magic powers that could very well be another METAL relic. Halo with light spectrum powers. Black Lightning with conductive/electrical powers. That original line-up is kind of perfect for Super-Hero or Super-Detective Geological Phenomena.

I'm surprised how well Snyder can sift through a lot of continuity and pick out choice things that build a story here. It's a move echoing some of the best 'big DCU connect-the-dots' of Johns or Morrison and he equates himself well. I'm also surprised how much more I like the voices of some of his characters here that aren't Batman or Bat-related. I rather like his Hal Jordan and Aquaman, but I especially like his Hawkman and his Mister Terrific.

I've got to re-read this sucker to get the full effect, but first thoughts; could Professor Madison be related to Julie? What the hell do the Blackhawks, Lady Blackhawk, and any recent completely bonkers Blackhawks continuity have to do with any of this?

Does this seem to tie back to Infinite and Final Crisis as much as it seems to? It's not just the Antimatter Tower (which looks conspicuously like Nth Metal now), but the references to the Bat-Tribe, the Miagani, and Hawkman's thoughts reminded me strongly of Morrison's Final Crisis and Return of Bruce Wayne storyline. (linkages I saw in Flash, this week, too, as Thawne recognizes that Iris West is as "strangely brought back from the timeline" as he, and Barry Allen himself, are.)

There's dionesium in Bruce's and Joker's systems now. There was electrum in Grayson's tooth. Duke is apparently loaded with the stuff. Could it have more to do with a lot of DCU immortality? What element in the meteor was it that gave Vandal Savage elongated life? (Could this immortal stuff link back to Tomasi's Insiders storyline a few years back, where Ra's al Ghul and Vandal reluctantly teamed to destroy some other immortals?) What about the elements found in Lazarus itself?

What the hell was Doctor Hurt freaking out about when he was torturing Grayson? (There's another can of frigging worms.)

And, correct me if I'm wrong ... but is the Dark Matter one and the same as the Kirby Crackle?

Love all of this.

[Lightning Rider]

I think I agree with most in this thread.

The positives for me were seeing so many League members interact. I mean I don't follow the JL title because it seemed bad and people said it was bad. It felt good to buy at title and see Batman and Aquaman talking, as well as Superman, Plastic Man teased, Carter narrating, Hal, Mr. Miracle, Mr. Terrific. It felt like what I always thought a JL title was supposed to and did feel like, a world full of interconnected characters who have different roles and personalities. I also find the Nth metal being related to these other artifacts kind of intriguing. I don't think it's going down the Speed Force/Emotional Spectrum route just yet, and if anyone is due for a mythical expansion its Hawkman. I also have to admit I love me a crisis, so however this relates to that concept, let's have it.

The negatives were there but few IMO. When opening issues have a lot of teases and not a lot of actual going ons, it can feel a bit cheap. The Joker at the end was especially a little weird. There were already a lot of characters involved and it felt strange to put Joker at the end right after revealing this had a cosmic nature to it. Batman is very at the center and that gets tiresome.

In any case, I've been both intrigued and entertained. Lets see where this goes.

[WonderScott]

I hope this gives us the definitive origin of Black Canary's powerful, long lasting fishnets with a link to the trident, Amazon bracers, etc.