Issue 1

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Millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne by day...


By Michelle Bridges

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Mild mannered reporter...


By Scott Kruger

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This is her day-job...!


By Scott Kruger

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From a scene in Wonder Woman #1



By Roy Finchum

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In the spirit of those neat "extras" that were sometimes included in special issues, we proudly present the Batcave!


By Brandon Herren

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A scene from an upcoming issue of Tales of the Green Lantern Corps... The picture pretty much says it all!



By Ramon Villalobos

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And here is our second preview!
Enjoy this first look at Seven Soldiers of Victory!

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What just happened there, friend? What was that knocking on eternity’s window? There’s something coming to earth… a legion of such… terrible… terrible things… something that we failed to stop all those years ago… Something that scattered our chosen… And even then… There was only one… What hope do any have against a legion? Calm yourself, friend. Another calling is soon to be raised. Another seven to be champions of justice. Seven against the Neh Buh Lah, master of the other side. Master of darkness. The Nebula Men are coming! Beware!

New York:

New York has seen better days.

Sitting in Leo’s Bar in Hell’s Kitchen, sipping on a beer, one man sits, thinking about the past. He remembers the big game, the lions, the tigers, the giant spiders of the Australian outback… and grimaces, trying to forget.

He thinks about the past, the monsters that haunt him, and the nightmares that live with him, and to think, he was the greatest hunter of all.

Paul Kirk sips his beer, and drinks away the anger.

Three men walk into the room, wearing dark clothes, and baseball caps. “Ey, old man, I think you’re in my seat.” He nudges Kirk, trying to get a reaction.
“Hh.” Paul sips his drink and looks over to the bartender. “Sir, am I in this mans seat?” The man behind Paul opens his jacket and shows the bartender a gun, stuffed into the inside pocket.
“Uh, mister… I think you should just do as they ask, yeah? It’s… Their seats and all…” Paul leans over the side of the bar, and looks deep into the bartender’s eyes, the light from the lamps behind him illuminating everything that the terrified man sees..
“I’m looking into your eyes, and I just think you’re lying to me, so if you excuse me…”

Paul sits back down and finishes his drink, then grits his teeth, back kicking the man behind him, causing him to drop the gun in his hand. Paul kicks the gun in mid air, slamming it into the second mans nose, breaking it instantly. “You.” He points at the third man, who has a gun in his hand, ready to shoot. “You think you can shoot me before I break your face open? Make your brains spill all over this lovely floor? I don’t think you have the guts, so put the damn gun-” The man fires two rounds at Kirk, causing him to stagger back. “Oh man, mistake.” He leaps at his attacker with his fingers outstretched, and digs them into his eyes, causing him to squeal like a girl. “You know what eyes feel like when they pop in your skull? Like water balloons punk. Little round water balloons.” He squeezes harder, making the man scream loudly, then releases, causing the man to pass out.
“Mister, how’d you do that?” The bartender stands behind the bar, shaking slightly at what had just happened. Paul sits back down next to the bar and takes a sip on another beer, and nods. “It’s all in the eyes, barkeep. Yours…” He points two fingers at the scared man, and then at the man on the floor. “And his.”
“You’re shot man… We should get you to a hospital.”
“I am? Damn…” Paul Kirk raises his arm and notices the small bullet hole grazing his shoulder. “Hmm. Flesh wound. Want some help kicking these guys out of here?”
“Sure…”

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Chicago:

“Little missy, what you doing’ in a street like this, at night even?” The large, grey haired man smiles at the red hooded girl, who looks up at him through pale, empty eyes. “Want to’ come inside so I can help you get warm?” he smiles slightly, his hand rummaging through his pocket for keys. The girl opens her mouth, and an inhuman voice comes out. “Cletus Ranson. You have hunted girls, killed them before their time, hurt them in ways you couldn’t even imagine… But I’m here to remedy that.” Cletus turns and looks at her in total surprise. Her body shifts and grows into an exact replica of his, the only difference being the long flowing cloak around her head. Cletus tries to scream but is cut off as his replica then pushes him through the door, into the dark apartment. “You have killed.” She draws her hand up, and brings it down with a nose breaking force. “You have raped.” She grabs his collar and pulls him up, driving down her other fist across his jaw. “You have sinned.” He falls to the floor, coughing in a pool of his own black blood. “You have paid the price.” She pulls her hands into her dark scarlet cloak and pulls out twin .44 automatic pistols, and jams them against his temples. “You have a long, painful journey ahead of you.” She fires, and blood splatters everywhere. Movement fills the apartment block, and as the crowds form outside Cletus Ranson’s apartment, a small blonde girl, with long pigtails, skips away singing a haunting song.

“The afterlife sucks.” Boston Brand somersaults backwards and looks at the gargoyle next to him. “What do you think, Bruno?”

The stone gargoyle turns and shakes his head. “Don’t ask me, sir. I’m not allowed to die. My brethren and I are forever supposed to stand watch over the cities… So excuse me for not being allowed to pass on.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry Bru. I’m just… Argh… Everything is so damn boring.” A flicker of red fills the sky, and Deadman and the gargoyles all turn and watch. “Oo. Pretty colours. Fireworks do ya’ think?”

“Hmm. Don’t think so boss man. That looks like The Crimson.”

“The whadayawhat?”

“The Crimson. Like a scarier form of the Spectre, Y’know?”

“Scarier than the Spectre? Whoa… What’s up with this guy then?”

“The Crimson forces it’s victims… mainly murderers, rapists, paedophiles, incestuous kin… to relive their sins, magnified ten fold, and then bam. Shot in the head by its guns. Once that thing discovered guns… Whoa. Hard to pull ‘em away from it. ”

“Wasn’t there a… Crimson Avenger in the 40s? 70s?”

“I remember… As gargoyles never forget!” Bruno smiles a stony smile, and looks at the ethereal form of Boston. “It… The Crimson bonded onto some guy. Never found out who… And wronged… wrong doers. Quite the avenging justice… But ages ago …sphkk…”

Bruno seems to splutter mid sentence, and then falls silent, returning to his stony state.

“Bru? What the hell happened there?” Boston shakes his head and dives of the building, and glides to where The Crimson effect appeared. “Hmm. This should break the monotonous cycle that is being dead. Oh my lord… Can’t believe I just said that…” Boston dives into the body of a passing jogger, and goes to investigate.

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London:

“You think you’ve got what it takes to take me down?” She weaves a spell with her fingers, twisting reality into something ungodly, something magical. “I don’t think you do.”

“June… I’ve always had what it takes to take you of all people down. Just save me the trouble and stop weaving whatever that is.” John Constantine smiles, and takes a long drag on his cigarette, never taking his eyes of June Moon, The Enchantress.

“Constantine! Piss off!” She slams him against the wall with invisible hands, causing him to let go of his cigarette. “I’ve had enough of your stupid morals!”

“Morals? Me darling? Me have morals?” He picks up the smouldering cigarette and takes another drag on it, laughing. “They really messed you up, ‘ey, Juney?”

“Shut up! Shut up!” She sends the magical fists after him again, but he swats them away. “Enough talking, enough voices!”

“Fool me once, shame on you… Fool me twice, shame on me, June.” He smiles, flicks his cigarette away and mumbles something to himself, and glowing green bonds appear from thin air, slamming her against a wall. “Hmm. I like this position on you, June.”

She spits in Johns face, anger spilling over her. “Pig!”

“Hmm. Let’s see what they have to say, eh?” A massive explosion fills the air, and a massive tear in reality opens up in front of the battling mystics. “That might just be them… But I really haven’t got a clue nowadays…”

“No time, Constantine! Release June Moon!” The booming voice of Dr. Occult appears from the dimensional hole, and a man in a long coat and fedora steps out, arcane symbol in hand.

“Dr Occult? What are you doing here?” John takes out another cigarette and lights it, the flicker of flames illuminating his unshaven jaw and unkempt hair. “You taking care of June? She’s a handful, y’know…”

“We heed you to release The Enchantress!”

“We?” Dr Occult spins the symbol in his hand around in mid air, and the magical bonds holding Enchantress vanish, and send John Constantine flying through the air.

“Come, June.”

“Uh… Not going to argue, Dr.” June steps through the rip in reality and so does Occult, and it seals with a pop, leaving John to sit confused.

“Meh. That takes her out of my hands. Wonder where Chas is…” He picks up his cigarette and strolls back onto the street, smiling to himself.

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New York:

“Rex… I understand you’re the same man…” She taps his chest, and a wheezing sound hisses out. “…In here… But to me… You’ve just… Changed. You were dead! And… You’ve come back… My feelings… It’s all different…”

“I’ve become a raging boiling pot of elements, Sapphire, of course I’ve changed! But I just want to see our son! I want to see Joey!” He motions to walk behind her, but she steps in his way, grimacing. “You want him to see you like this, Rex? As… As this thing you’ve turned into? This… Metamorpho?”

“He won’t… he won’t… care?”

“Rex, honey… He thinks you’re dead…”

“I… Saph… I…” Rex slowly turns into a gaseous form, and slowly becomes transparent. “I love you both… I… I’ll leave Saph… I…” A tear slowly forms in the corner of his deep black eyes, but it vanishes, and so does he.

Joey Stagg, son of adventurous archaeologist Rex Mason, steps outside, to see his mother. “Mom… Who were you talking to?”

“No one, honey, no one.” And with that, Sapphire Stagg closes the door on her former life, and her former husband. Rex floats through the sky, unable to cry, and looks up at the sky, and then reforms atop a church, head in his hands, shaking uncontrollably. “Why God? Why did you do this to me?” He screams for hours, an unearthly sound, like something dead, which really… He is, truly, inside…

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Washington:

“Get over here, girl!” The man grabs for the teenager, but misses, and she slams the door in his face, sliding down behind it, tears moving down her cheek. “You can’t stop me!” He bangs on the door, the wood splintering beneath his massive fists. “Get out now and it’ll be easy… We’ll be easy on you…” He looks at his assorted friends behind him, and laughs heartedly. “GET OUT NOW!”

<You’re safe now.>

“Who are you?”

<You’re knight in shining armour.>

The door slowly opens, and the man walks through, bottle of whiskey in one hand, fist ready in the other. “You turned off the light? That ain’t gonna save ya, baby…”

<It won’t save you either, pig.> The blade swings down, and the bottle smashes on the floor, the hand gripping it still there. The wound is cauterised, no bleeding, the blade seemingly white hot..

“MY HAND! ARGH!” He swings blindly with his stump and fist, but the blade swings down, and his hand is on the floor, his knuckles still white.

<Relent. And you shall live.> The man charges at the shadows, but stops abruptly, looking down at his chest. A thin blade sticks out of him, blood seeping from his wound.

The man stagger back, falling on the bed behind him, black blood slowly running from his mouth. With his last breath, he reaches out, and a tear runs down his face. “B-baby doll?” The sword slams down through the bed and the man on top of it, his face etched with terror.

<No.>

“Mickey? You ok dude… She ready?”

<YOU SHALL NOT HARM A HAIR ON THIS GIRLS HEAD ONCE MORE!>

No evil man leaves the apartment alive, all dead at the hands of The Shining Knight.





EPILOGUE:

On the far reaches of our solar system, behind the small rock we call Pluto, six unseen creatures awaken from a slumber of untold millennia. They clamber out of cocoons of rock and bone, slowly, silently, reaching the top of the planet.

They reach the surface three hours after they begin the awakening, and when they unite, their featureless faces shift. They open their souls, and let a little bit loose, and they wait for the seventh to emerge. ‘Neh Buh Lah’, man of the abyss, is born anew from the souls of his brethren, and the first words he utters in the minds of his brothers and sisters? Onwards, upwards, Victory is assured. The seven darkness creatures slowly propel themselves towards earth.

What just happened there, friend? What was that knocking on eternity’s window? There’s something coming to earth… a legion of such… terrible… terrible things… something that we failed to stop all those years ago… Something that scattered our chosen… And even then… There was only one… What hope do any have against a legion? Calm yourself, friend. Another calling is soon to be raised. Another seven to be champions of justice. Seven against the Neh Buh Lah, master of the other side. Master of darkness. The Nebula Men are coming! Beware!

The seven has arisen, and the world is doomed…

To Be Continued in Seven Soldiers of Victory #1!

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Well, folks, that's it for our first ever, semi-regular edition of DC2 Illustrated! Please let us know what you thought of this special issue (our artists love feedback as much as our writers!).

Have a great Holiday Season!



By Roy Flinchum

[mockingbird]

To let us know what you think of this issue, please visit the letters page here!