Who are the Hooded Strangers?

I've always been a bit of a conspiracy buff every since I was little. I tie pharmaceutical companies to political parties and I know which local businesses pay off police. I have a bit of The Question in me. So maybe it's my habit of always looking for links in common that got me noticing this. Anyway, let me back up and explain.

One of the first relaunched books I read was Justice League International. I'm a huge Booster Gold fan so I thought that would be a great start. At some point, he's standing in front of a large group of people and I noticed one of the extras in the background had a weird coloring job.

Pretty weird right? But, it's comics and sometimes the coloring gets screwed up. It's what I thought until I read Action Comics. There's a scene where Superman is trying to help a run away train slow to a halt. It cuts to the people inside and, in the midst of all the panicking people, there's this guy:

Now that's odd. He's purple, but has the same hood and glow about him. How odd. So, I decided to look through every comic that has spawned of the relaunch. Walk with me won't you?

Animal Man:

This one is pretty subtle, but if you look, this character has a blue glow. Different then the others. Are there multiple of them? Because we've seen one with a purple face as well and it doesn't look like this person has it.

Batgirl:

This one is really hard to notice at first. It's on the reflection of a window. But the fun part about this is that this window is ridiculously high on the air. The hooded person is on a rooftop. Or they might be floating. But rooftop is more than likely.

Batman and Robin:

Here we see the odd hooded figure oddly watching a bunch of kids swim. I've noticed sometimes the character has a buttoned top and sometimes doesn't.

Batwing:

Ok, so this character gets around because here we have the hooded stranger in Africa. I've noticed too that sometimes the stranger looks extremely female and sometimes extremely male. This definitely appears to be female. The facial features, the curvature of the torso. Definately different than what we saw in Action Comics but might be the same from Batgirl.

Batwoman:

This one doesn't have much of a glow but it's really the only hooded character I could find. But it's the same solid color scheme as the others. The glow doesn't seem to be there though. Also, this character seems to have facial hair going.

Deathstroke:

Now this one is a little more out in the open. I've notice a few times the artist kinda went almost silhouette with it. This is VERY important when trying to figure things out because that means what details are there are SUPPOSED to be there. So we can tell there's a defining, physical character trait by those things on their chest.

Demon Knights:

Consider my mind blown. In Batwing I was curious if they could travel but now we see one hundreds of years ago. Also notice that this character does NOT have the lines going across their chest.

Detective Comics:

Not sure what's going on with this one. Is that an odd collar? A scarf?

Frankenstein:

Showing no book is safe, even Frankenstein gets a hooded friend. In the middle of an intense battle they just show up and chill in the background.

Green Arrow:

Here we have ol' eight buttons again. In a nice clear view. I don't know if that's supposed to be hood shadows or a mask though.

Green Lantern:

This one's funny because it's in a panel where Hal's, literally, staring off into space. Had he learned to be happy where he was, had he not have his problems, he'd probably notice that strange person. That one's weird though, the stranger, who looks sheish, seems to have more flames then glow.

Grifter:

OK, remember when I said a character was either floating or on a roof? This character clearly is not on a roof. Holy crap, they float. Now...and interesting thing here is Grifter has a past history with fellow Wildstorm character Voodoo. There is a sign above Grifter that says Voodoo. AND, in Voodoo's Swiss Army Knife of powers she's been able to hover and manipulate time. I'm going to go on record right now and say that chances are, one of the strangers is Voodoo.

Hawk and Dove:

Did you guys SEE that?! Someone's right @#$%ing behind you and glowing! Yep, not even the frightful art of Liefeld can scare away are cloaked friends. This one seems to have a different set up then the others. It's not a glow. They don't have flames. And you can't see their body. This either means that it's a different hooded character from the rest or Rob Liefeld, once again, couldn't draw something correctly.

Justice League:

That's right sir, there are, indeed, odder things than your mustache at this football game. And yes, the hooded stranger is taking in a football game. This one seems to have patterns all over their robes.

Legion Lost:

It's really hard to tell the motivation of these strangers. One moment they're watching monsters brawl, then they're watching kids swim, then they take in a football game and then they watch an angry fella from the future tear up the street. Maybe their motives mean something?

Men of War:

Almost missed this one. The hooded stranger makes an appearance like they're about to just walk into a truck. Again, this shows that they can be anywhere and at anytime.

Mister Terrific:

Now this could just be the wacky art this book has but it looks like this particular stranger...the one with patterns on their head like the one in Justice League...looks like they have a gigantic mustache. Interesting?

O.M.A.C.:

Things must be REALLY bad if you're not noticing that figure in the hood. Another one with patterns on their hood.

Red Lanterns:

And again, in Red Lantern, the mysterious stranger ducks into the shadows.

Resurrection Man:

Now this one is just obvious. Center panel and huge. But notice something? Look at the fingers on this one. They're not only exceptionally long but they almost seem webbed. That's an odd development. Though, if they're bringing back people from Wildstorm, I tell you facially as well as hand wise I think we have ourselves a Ripclaw. Seriously, just type Ripclaw into Google and click Images, tell me I'm wrong.

Static Shock:

Originally, I thought this was one of the creepiest sightings. That this one (who seems female) would be looking in their window. But then I realized that out of context, the panel seems to be about Virgil noticing her and his parents trying to ignore everything. And then it, for some reason, became really funny to me.

Stormwatch:

One of the strangers apparently thinks that it's showtime at the Apollo. That was horrible. But there is one standing right in the alley staring. It almost looks like this one has markings on the arms and chests.

Suicide Squad:

It's right over hurrrrurk! Sorry, I'm getting tired. But seriously, a stranger also showed up in Suicide Squad (probably trying to make sense of the book). Nothing really setting this one apart though.

Superboy:

You'd think that a place with super secret metahuman plans would be more aware of someone with a glowing head walking around their helipad.

Swamp Thing:

This one really wanted to know how cabbage helps with swelling (read the book to get that one). This one almost seems formally dressed but it may also just be the art in such a small spot.

So these are the ones I've found so far. They cover all the relaunch books. Who are these characters? Why are they in all the books? Why are some watching important events while some are watching odd side projects.

I have no idea personally, but as I have a very strong inkling that Ripclaw and Voodoo are two of the characters, if they are, I would be very happy to see more Wildstorm characters coming in like that. Maybe some Zealot or Maul or one of my favorites, Velocity.

But what do you think? What are your ideas? Drop your theories in the comments and let's figure this out.

(THIS LIST WILL BE UPDATED AS MORE BOOKS COME OUT)

By Electric Nerd with 7 comments

5 Characters the DC Relaunch Should Bring Out of Obscurity

DC has a treasure trove of characters who have fallen by the wayside for one reason or another. Some of them need an update, some of them are saddled down by certain stories, but all of them have one thing in common: the ability to be rejuvenated by a relaunch. Here are a few favorites of mine that I'd like to see get a fresh start.

Amethyst
It only takes one glance to tell you Amethyst was a product from the 80's. From her name to her costume to her title, the Princess of Gemworld, the character is woefully dated. But the premise of her character- a young girl who discovers she is from another world and has incredible powers- is a sound one, and a fantasy adventure series aimed at young girls could be exactly what DC needs right now. The relaunch is the perfect time to revamp the character and introduce her to a new, younger audience.

For a peek at what an updated Amethyst might look like, check out these penciled pages from Last Unicorn artist Renae De Liz.

Empress
When Empress was introduced in Young Justice, she had all the makings of a character who'd stick around. Her combination of Vodou and melee fighting gave writers a lot to work with, and her secret agent dad added an extra degree of intrigue to the character. However, near the end of Young Justice's run, she was left raising her magically de-aged parents, a stumbling block most writers couldn't get past. To their credit, several writers tried to use her, but she'd show up only in a single story and then disappear back to obscurity.

Now that the DCU is relaunched, Empress can get a fresh start- one that doesn't involve changing her parent's diapers. She'd fit in great with the current cast of the Teen Titans, or on a new team made up of magic using teens. Here's hoping some writers still remember she's around.

Doctor Thirteen
Doctor Thirteen, a paranormal investigator who denies the existence the supernatural, has always been a lot of fun. Seeing him come up with "reasonable" explanations for his frequent partner The Phantom Stranger, his former flame Zatanna, or even his own daughter's magic powers was wonderfully entertaining. However, the more stories that were told with Doctor Thirteen, the less plausible his skepticism became. Most writers lost interest in coming up with new ways for him to deny what was right in front of him, and the character's last notable appearance was in a comic where he was fighting the DC architects for his continued existence.

Giving Doctor Thirteen a cleaner slate makes it easier for writers to use him effectively, and makes his skepticism easier for readers to buy in the process. As long as writers can resist the urge to put him in fantastical situations over and over again, he should be able to entertain readers for years to come.

Iron Butterfly
There are many interesting Milestone characters DC isn't using, and Iron Butterfly is one of them. A Palestinian woman with the power to control metal, Iron Butterfly has potential that wasn't fully explored even in the Milestone universe. A good writer could handle her largely as if she was a new character while exploring all the interesting elements that her creator, Dwayne McDuffie, introduced. And her kick-ass and unique costume doesn't hurt. She'd be perfect for an international team like the JLI, or for a relaunched version of Shadow Cabinet. In the hands of someone like John Rozum, she could even carry her own solo title.

The Manhattan Guardian
Grant Morrison's take on the classic Kirby character The Guardian was probably my favorite part of Seven Soldiers. From the Newsboy Army to the Subway Pirates to killer animatronics, The Manhattan Guardian's world was wonderfully weird, in spite of its NYC setting. The idea of a newspaper spokeshero is a terrific one with an enormous amount of potential, and it was saddening to see that the character was largely forgotten after Seven Soldiers concluded.

The greatest thing about The Manhattan Guardian is that in spite of the strange and fantastic world around him, he's a relatable, everyman character with a simple background. He has the beginnings of a strong supporting cast, and both his home life and the newspaper setting leave plenty of room for writers to expand it. In a perfect world, The Manhattan Guardian would get his own solo title, but I'd settle for seeing him show up on the pages of Static.

By Marceline with 3 comments