Spoilers ahead, but in DC Comics’ new series, The Terrifics, an Alan Moore original character has now been integrated into the company’s main universe, and its not the first in recent months.
Alan Moore has long had a troubled relationship with DC Comics. Well, could argue that Moore has a troubled relationship with the comic book industry in general, and possibly with the world itself, but anyway. He has written some of the company’s greatest stories, but aside from character-specific pieces like Batman: the Killing Joke and the Superman story For the Man Who Has Everything, his work as traditionally stood on its own, separate from the main company’s main continuity. Watchman, up until recently, was its own thing, and fans certainly did not expect to see Promethea or Tom Strong rubbing elbows with the Justice League.
That has changed. Starting with 2016’s DC Rebirth initiative, the company began the controversial process of integrating Watchman, a superhero deconstruction, into their other comics, coming to a head with its current Doomsday Clock series. So far, clues have pointed to the nearly omnipotent character Doctor Manhattan messing with the main DC Universe, with other characters now crossing between the worlds. Perhaps most surprising is the Comedian meeting Batman, as his death was what set off the whole Watchman series to begin with.
Next came Promethea, an odd character of Moore’s, created to tell stories about his own peculiar religious beliefs, which include mystical and occult practices. In any event, an upcoming cover seems to depict her doing battle with current Justice League foe the Queen of Fables, something which J.H. Williams III, Moore’s partner in creating her, has spoken against.
Now comes Tom Strong in The Terrifics. A super scientist with a prolonged lifespan from special drugs, Moore used him to tell flashback stories that mimicked early 20th century tales about Tarzan or Doc Savage. In any event, the titular team do not meet the actual Tom Strong, but a holographic recording of him, which notes that if they found this, he is probably dead. Is he, though? That remains to be seen.
Many purists do not like DC Comics using Moore’s characters, and he likely he would not, either; nevertheless, they own them, and their renewed use is an interesting development.
