Warning: contains mild spoilers for Batman/Superman #16!
A special sneak peek at Batman/Superman #16 reveals a trio of deadly villains being introduced to the DC Comics Universe and the lives of the book’s new creative team of writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Ivan Reis.
Infinite Frontier spins out of the recent events of Dark Nights: Death Metal and Future State, charting a new direction for the DC Universe. Now part of a larger Omniverse, all of DC's past stories are influencing their ongoing continuity. Characters that were either dead or completely erased from existence have returned, and any story ever published in DC Comics is now potentially canon, or at least exists in the memories of the heroes concerned. The company has also shown it's happy to steal great characters and ideas from its other media if they make for great stories, setting up a surprising villain debut in Batman/Superman #16.
In a DC Comics preview shared by out of Arkham Asylum. Back in Metropolis, chaos erupts as a mysterious stranger calling himself the Unknown Wizard attacks. The third villain promised, Doctor Atom, does not appear in the preview, but the issue's summary reveals he's got a unique gadget that spells trouble for the Man of Steel:
In the aftermath of Dark Nights: Death Metal, catch a glimpse of brave new worlds within the DC Universe... but what are these strange planets? As we delve into the parallel lives of the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight, we’ll meet new villains, new heroes, alternate realities, and a transdimensional collision that you will need to see to believe! It’s the dastardly debut of a cadre of new villains, including the Spider Lady and her poisonous webs, Dr. Atom, who sports a Kryptonite pendant, and the maniacal machinations of the Unknown Wizard!
While the Spider Lady is new to comics, she's actually a new version of Superman's first movie villain, continuing Infinite Frontier's trend of grabbing the very best of everything in DC's illustrious past. While a brief glimpse at Superman, Batman, and their respective cities shows these stories aren't set in the mainstream reality readers know, a device with a name like the "Omni-Battery" seems like it may have the ability to influence connections with the Omniverse, and it's possible the "transdimensional collision" mentioned could have some unforeseen long-term consequences that allows these villains to keep their current spotlight. With striking designs and clear, uncluttered motivations, these villains evoke classic comic-book and movie serial clashes, which is clearly the intent from how the opening pages present the story.
Spider Lady and the Unknown Wizard make huge splashes in the preview pages; the Wizard attacking Metropolis in broad daylight, and Spider Lady teaming-up with some of Batman's most notorious foes. These deadly new comic villains officially debut in Batman/Superman #16 on March 23, and are poised to showcase the continued promise of Infinite Frontier, and its ability to pick and choose DC's best ideas and turn them into great new stories. Hopefully, the Batman and Superman are up to the challenge.
Source: AIPT
