Quick summary of comics in DC’s Dark Matter line

In April of 2017, DC Comics announced a new line of comics that would be created from the Dark Nights: Metal event. This new line would be called “Dark Matter” and would focus on legendary artists telling stories together with writers. At the time, five titles were revealed, with two titles being shrouded in mystery. Now, these last two titles have been announced and, thus, the entire “Dark Matter” line has officially been revealed.

In this article, we’ll be taking a quick look at what we have learned about each “Dark Matter” title so far. This includes information from press releases, interviews, and events within the first two issues of Dark Days.

The Immortal Men

The Immortal Men is slated to be written by James Tynion IV with art by Jim Lee. It follows the story of five immortal siblings who were “born at the dawn of time.” These siblings gained immortality when a chunk of Nth metal arrived at the dawn of history. Since then they have been aiding humanity from the shadows and have supposedly halted Armageddon in the past.

Most of what we have learned about the Immortal Men has come from Dark Days: The Forge (Review). In this comic, the group seems to be led by the “Immortal Man,” who may or may not be related to an old DC Comics character of the same name. It also tells us that the Immortal Men have some sort of connection with Duke Thomas and his mother, who were recently revealed to have superpowers in the All-Star Batman series.

The Silencer

The Silencer is slated to be written by Dan Abnett with art by John Romita Jr. It follows the story of the “world’s deadliest assassin” who trades her life of crime for “a chance at a normal life.” Her normal life is then interrupted when her past comes back to haunt her, leading her to return to her career as an assassin. Artist John Romita Jr. has said that he recognizes that the world’s deadliest assassin idea has been “done to death” but says the basis behind The Silencer will be different.

Outside of this, most of what we know about The Silencer comes from Dark Days: The Casting (Review). In this comic, it is revealed that Talia al Ghul is the one who has brought “The Silencer” back into a life of crime. It is also tells us she has done this in order to prepare for the future, specifically to prepare for some mysterious war.

New Challengers

New Challengers is slated to be written by Scott Snyder with art by Andy Kubert. It follows the story of a team taking on “the greatest mysteries, wonders and terrors of the universe.” It appears this will involve a brand new cast of characters which will respect the legacy of the original Challengers of the Unknown, while also pushing the team into the future.

In Dark Days: The Casting (Review), Hawkman puts together the “Challengers of the Unknown” in order to explore the mystery behind the metal he is researching. However, these Challengers disband after the mountain they are investigating disappears. The New Challengers series takes place years after the original Challengers are disbanded. These New Challengers have to face the mystery behind Challengers Mountain reappearing and the subsequent adventures that follow.

Damage

Damage is slated to be written by Robert Venditti with art by Tony S. Daniel. It follows the story of a man who was promised to become “the ultimate weapon.” However, instead of this, he is cursed with the “ability to unleash an unstoppable monster for one hour at a time.” The series will cover his attempts to tame this monster and use it for good.

Dark Days: The Casting (Review) gives us a quick peek at what this monster can do and what it looks like. We learn that Damage was a regular human with a mysterious metal in his veins. When scientists experimented on this metal, something went wrong and he gained the ability to turn into a monster for one hour at a time. Marvel Comics’ Hulk may be a good comparison to this character as both are regular men who try to do good with their monstrous alter ego.

Sideways

Sideways is slated to be written by Dan DiDio and Justin Jordan with art by Kenneth Rocafort. It follows the story of a teenager who gains superpowers from coming into contact with Dark Matter. This allows him to “teleport through the Dark Dimension.” However, every time he does this it brings him closer to succumbing to the influence of his power.

Besides this, not much is known about Sideways. The characters and concepts did not appear in Dark Days and even information from the creative team has been sparse.

The Terrifics

The Terrifics is slated to be written by Jeff Lemire with art by Ivan Reis and Evan “Doc” Shaner. It follows the story of a new superhero team forming after the events of Dark Nights: Metal. Members of this team include Mr. Terrific, Phantom Girl, Metamorpho, and Plastic Man. When the series was first announced, writer Jeff Lemire stated that he was heavily inspired by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four when designing this team and wants this comic to have a similar feel.

In Dark Days: The Forge (Review), Batman is shown gathering various members of the superhero community to respond to an upcoming threat. Plastic Man and Mr. Terrific are two of these heroes. It is also revealed, in this comic, that Batman once had a “black-ops team” that investigated the mystery behind Nth metal. One of the members of this team was Metamorpho. Besides these two quick details, not much has been revealed about The Terrifics and who or what they will be going up against.

Brimstone

Brimstone is slated to be written by Justin Jordan with art by Philip Tan. It follows the story of a character named Brimstone. However, besides this, we know almost nothing about this series. At San Diego Comic-Con, DC announced the creative team and released a few pieces of concept art but did not tell much more than this.

Looking at the concept art, we can see that Brimstone will have some form of super strength, super durability, super regeneration, and limited matter manipulation. Besides this, we know little about his character or purpose.

 

This concludes our brief summary of what we currently know about each of DC Comics’ “Dark Matter” lineup. If you’re looking for more information about Dark Nights: Metal make sure to check out our timeline of the event right here. Also make sure follow ComicBookWire on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with everything happening in the world of comics.