The latest issue of DC Comics' "Direct Currents" magazine arrived in stores and on comiXology today, bringing with it the revelation of who, exactly, is behind the central conflict of the publisher's first major Rebirth-era crossover event.
A two-page spread in the magazine, which offers fans previews and interviews about upcoming comics and storylines, quickly gets us up to speed on the villainous team -- yes, team -- responsible for the clash in "Justice League vs Suicide Squad."
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Under the guiding hands of writer Josh Williamson and artist Jason Fabok, the titular teams will find themselves facing each other due to the machinations of some of the DC Universe's biggest threats. Maxwell Lord, Emerald Empress, Lobo (yes, the soon-to-be Justice League of America member), Doctor Polaris, Johnny Sorrow and Rustam will join forces to take down the biggest and baddest teams the DCU has to offer.
Maxwell Lord's involvement in the throw down is possibly the least surprising of the crew. Lord has a long, twisted and complicated history with the League, having been presented as both faithful ally and deadly enemy to the team in its various incarnations. For him to be a part of this, then, makes perfect sense.
Lobo is a bit of a surprise, if only because the Main Man has been announced as a founding member of Batman's upcoming JLA. Of course, the interstellar bounty hunter is less evil than wantonly selfish and destructive, so it's easy to see how he might start out on one side of this equation and finish on the other.
The Emerald Empress' involvement should make Legion of Super-Heroes fans happy. Her presence indicates not only that theories regarding Saturn Girl being locked in Arkham Asylum are likely correct, but that the LoSH is due for a big Rebirth debut sooner than later.
Doctor Polaris is traditionally a Green Lantern foe, though he's been known to mix it up with other heroes from time to time, including the League. As noted in the image above, he's a mentally unstable individual with pre-Rebirth Suicide Squad connections,
Super-powered Quraci terrorist Rustam, offers another tie to the Squad's pre-Rebirth era, having been a member of John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell's original team.
Traditionally a JSA foe, Johnny Sorrow rounds out the team and hopefully indicates the return of the classic heroes, if not as part of this event then soon after. Alone, Sorrow has brought the Justice Society to its limit on several occasions, so as the part of a group, it'll be interesting to see just what he's capable of. In fact, he's so dangerous, there's a good chance he'll score the battle's first kill -- because with the Squad involved, you know somebody's not making it out alive.
“Justice League vs. Suicide Squad” #1 is scheduled for release on Dec. 21.