A few months back, I came across a cover image to a book called DC FOCUS #1. On its upper right hand corner I saw what appeared to be an alternate version of Dartalon with the caption, “Meet the Wanderers!”
Intrigued, I almost bought a copy from an online store, but then thought the cost plus shipping was too much for what appeared to be a FREE comic.
So, last week at the San Diego Comic-Con, I lucked out on finding a copy for a $1.
Wow.
This one-off focused on the events that were coming up for the summer of 1987, MILLENNIUM, WASTELAND, and the WANDERERS. It also had checklists, a number of creator profiles, and some letters from the LEGENDS miniseries.
Here’s the Wanderers article in its entirety –
quote:
Without a doubt, DC's Legion of Super-Heroes boasts one of the most extensive supporting casts of any comic book super-group. During the Legion's thirty-year history, readers have been introduced to the Heroes of Lallor, Rond Vidar, the Controllers, the Legion of Substitute Heroes and literally dozens of other 30th Century heroes and villains, friends and foes alike. But none of the Legion's compatriots are more mysterious than the Wanderers, a group of seven super-beings from a distant part of the universe who met the Legionnaires but once, many years ago, before they embarked on a secret mission to save the Milky Way Galaxy from some tremendous threat. Their mission and eventual fate has intrigued many a curious Legion fan over the years. Now, at long last, the Wanderers have been awarded their own book, debuting this fall in the New Format, and writer Doug Moench is preparing to finally reveal the circumstances behind their strange disappearance.
THE COMING OF THE WANDERERS
Although the Wanderers made their first appearance in 1968, their story actually began nearly two years previously, on the cover – of all places – of Adventure Comics #354 (March, 1967). That issue was the first of a two-part "imaginary story" penned by then-Legion writer Jim Shooter, a tale that depicted a possible future for the Legionnaires as they grew into adulthood. On that cover, a statue of a heroine named Quantum Queen was shown in a hall of monuments alongside statues of several other heroes whom Shooter would later introduce into the "real" Legion mythos, heroes such as Chemical King and Shadow Lass.
However, Quantum Queen and her six teammates would not actually appear until Adventure Comics #375 (December, 1968). In that story, by Shooter and longtime DC artist Win Mortimer, the Legionnaires met the Wanderers in the latter half of the 30th Century, after each group had years to build a sterling reputation among law-enforcement organizations throughout the galaxy. The first to demonstrate his powers to the Legionnaires was Ornitho. A winged humanoid with limited shape-changing abilities, Ornitho could transform himself into any known bird form, including all manner of alien species. The green-hooded Dartalg wielded a blowgun and a pouch of specially-gimmicked darts. A perfect shot, Dartalg frequently bested opponents with explosive missiles or tranquilizing darts. The Wanderer known as Quantum Queen had the ability to "convert her body into any type of quantum radiation," from dazzling bursts of light to deadly laser beams. Immorto was a hero who was aptly named – he was beyond the touch of death. Each time he was mortally wounded, a mysterious force rejuvenated him, and, in some ways, made him the most dangerous and unpredictable Wanderer, for there was nothing that he would not try. The yellow-and-purple clad Elvo carried a super-charged sword. Whether its powers came from science or from magic was never revealed, but either way, the master swordsman could con[s]truct force-shields and discharge energy blasts at his command, making him a formidable opponent. Psyche, the "Mistress of Emotions", was a beautiful blonde empath. Her powers enabled her to manipulate the emotions of her foes, causing them to fall instantly in love with her, fear her, or battle among themselves over her at her whim. Finally, the blue-suited Celebrand, though possessing no apparent super-abilities, introduced himself as the leader of the group. Celebrand wore around his neck a strange medallion, the symbol of which became the Wanderers' official insignia.
________________________________________________________ The original WANDERERS, with art by Mike Clark and Pablo Marcos.
As the spokesperson for his team, Celebrand vowed eternal friendship between the Wanderers and the Legion at the time of that first meeting and saw to the construction of a giant commemorative obelisk inscribed with the symbols or both teams. But both groups' mutual pledge to forevermore pursue common goals of peace and justice was short-lived. On their way back to their part of the universe, the Wanderers inadvertently passed through the Nefar Nebula, a "space cloud" whose radiations caused temporary character reversals. Now criminals, the Wanderers stole the legendary Seven Stones of Alactos before being hunted down and temporarily incarcerated by the Legionnaires. And capturing their former allies proved no easy task for the Legionnaires, as each Wanderer demonstrated the unique abilities with which he had carved out his legendary status an intergalactic champion. In the years since, the effects of the Nefar Nebula having long since worn off, the Wanderers have been guests at the weddings of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel (Superboy #200), were present at one of the Legion's rededication ceremonies (Legion of Super-Heroes #300), and were briefly glimpsed fighting the Darkseid-engineered Daxamite invasion of the United Planets (Legion #294). These brief cameo appearances, though, have simply served as a tip-of-the-hat to those longtime Legion aficionados who recall the Wanderers. For all intents and purposes, the group has laid dormant for close to twenty years.
THE WANDERERS' REBIRTH
However, Legion writer Paul Levitz is noted for his tendency to draw heavily on the history of the Legion – so it should come as no surprise that, according to writer Doug Moench, it was Levitz's idea to give the Wanderers their own series. Moench was dubious at first, but "Legion editor Karen Berger sent me the first (and only) Wanderers story and said, basically, 'Do whatever you want to with them.' So I did." Moench comes to the series with an impressive array of credits spanning all comics genres. He currently writes The Spectre and this summer concludes his work on Electric Warrior, while launching a new science fiction mini-series, Slash Maraud. In Wanderers #1, a mysterious figure comes across the heroes' ship. The cruiser floats alone and unguided in space, seemingly abandoned. Upon further investigation, though, the explorer discovers the seven champions. Frozen. And dead. Intrigued, he takes cell samples of all seven and experiments with a cloning process, attempting to "regrow" the Wanderers while, at the same time, genetically manipulating them so as to give them different bodies and slightly more powerful abilities. Writer Moench explains how each of the Wanderers has changed. "Dartalg has become Dartalon - a name that's sort of a combination of 'dart' and 'talon'. A grotesque 'human porcupine,' Dartalon has spikes on his knuckles and talons on his fingertips. In keeping with his old abilities, he can also detach his spikes ahead of time if he so chooses and treat them with sedatives. He then carries those around in a quiver and throws them like darts." Elvo has become The Dark Elvar, an "uncute elf." He still has his power sword, but acrobatic abilities have been enhanced, as well." Immorto's new identity is that of Reanimage. "I kept his powers very much the same," says Moench, “but have tried to give some sort of scientific explanation to them. It seems that there are parasites in his body cells that feed on the chemical process that causes aging. These parasites, then, depend on him, protect him, and rebel against any threat to their host by resurrecting him instantly." What's "new" about him now is that Reanimage can also reanjmate someone else who dies if he does so promptly - within six or seven minutes, before any sort of oxygen starvation takes hold. Ornitho has been rechristened Aviax. "The character is real frail -~ bird-like appearance extends even to his hollow bone-structure. He works best out in space, but planetside, he has to worry, for he could break his arms and legs very easily if he isn't careful. "Celebrand is gone. The cloning process didn't work on him. I found him to be the least interesting member of the group. He had no powers that we knew of, and other than the fact that the others referred to him as the leader, there was nothing to him. "Psyche keeps her name, because I think it's perfectly suitable, but she looks totally different." Her powers remain much the same, too, though Moench has added a few new wrinkles to them. For example, "her moods reflect her environment. If the people around her are happy, she's happy; if she's in an evil city, she begins to turn somewhat nasty. Not only is she an empath, but her powers feed on the emotions of others, which makes them feel a little uncomfortable when in her presence. She still manipulates emotions, but she can also 'imprint' emotions upon other people – overwhelm them with a number of conflicting feelings if she so desires."
_______________________________ Steve Dillon's new rendition of Psyche.
Quantum Queen also retains her original name, if not her 1960s character design. The most powerful Wanderer, her abilities, says Moench, run the gamut of quantum physics. Not only can she, as before, transform herself into any type of light energy, "she can become a hologram, she can turn invisible by attaining the frequency of infra-red or ultra-violet light, and she can become radioactive – among other things." The science of quantum physics also deals with quarks, subatomic particles that are thought to travel backwards through time, and Moench hinted that he would like to play around with that application of Quantum Queen's powers. The scientist who revives them is able to bestow upon them all the memories of the original Wanderers - right up until the time they were killed. Consequently, their first mission will be to explore that gap in their memories. Where had they been heading? What were they on the trail of?
And what was it that killed them?
One thing is for certain – though the Legion of Super-Heroes will guest-star in issue #3, the Wanderers won't be counting on their former allies to solve their problems for them. Though the team exists in the same 30th Century "reality" as the Legion, Moench doesn't want simply to draw on old Legion nemeses and supporting characters. Rather, he hopes to bring a different and distinct outlook to the group, carving a new 30th Century legend around them. The Wanderers – history renewed!
MARK WAID is a respected authority on comics who has contributed to most major publications about the industry. Mark also served as editor of Amazing Heroes and is a writer-researcher for ICG's DC Comics Index series. Mark has also written a number of Superman stories.
____________________________________________________________________ The rest of the new, improved Wanders, courtesy of Doug Moench and Steve Dillon. Left to right, top: Quantum Queen and Aviax. Bottom: Dark Elvar, Reanimage and Dartalon.
And for those of you who never got a chance to read the 13 issues of the WANDERERS that were eventually produced, here’s a look at what Dave Hoover designed to look like and how they did appear in that series –
[ July 22, 2005, 11:45 PM: Message edited by: Nightcrawler ]
Posted by Nightcrawler on :
I kinda prefer Dillon's redesigns. The evoke just enough of the Adventure era without copying the old costumes exactly. Hoover's designs looked dated back in the late 80's and didn't do anything for me.
[ July 20, 2005, 04:33 AM: Message edited by: Nightcrawler ]
Posted by Mediocre Boy on :
Thanks for posting this information, Nightcrawler; it was a kick seeing the Wanderers again.
Personally, I didn't like the changes that were made to them in their owm book, though--especially the elimination of their traditional leader, Celebrande. And I was never able to warm up to the art either, so I dropped the title after only three or four issues.
On the plus side, I thought the initial premise--murdered heroes reborn to solve their own deaths--was kind of neat, and I really liked Reanimages name-change and new look, too.
Cheers! Posted by Jorg-EM on :
I got this entire series for less than a buck. Nickel day at the CBS. And I love it!
NC that is awesome. I like those initial sketches much better than the designs that made it to the comic.
Elvo looks cooler than the final result for sure. Too much Pip the Troll for me.
Though I'm a big fan of Dartalon's latest look that sketch looks awesome. Maybe the new Porcupine Pete can sport that look?!?! heh. Written by Mr. Waid interesting.
Posted by Director Lad on :
I missed this series the first time 'round and picked it up from back-issue bins over the years. Overall, I wasn't impressed with the story or the art. Seeing the Dillon images above really makes me wish he could have been the regular artist on the series. His costumes have spareness that I really like. How the heck did Hoover's Aviax get though doors? Also, Dillon's grasp of anatomy is more realistic than Hoover's. Look at Reanimage's shins in the Hoover image. I don't think they're supposed to bend like that! I still don't think that Dillon would have saved series, however. Moench's storytelling skills were just not at their best on the Wanderers.
Funny thing is, as uninspiring as Dave Hoover's interior art was, the covers for the first 6-8 issues, some by Ken Steacy and others by Steve Lightle, are uniformly excellent. Just goes to show that great covers can't sell a mediocre book.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
I remember getting that DC FOCUS comic in the mail. Should still have it somewhere.
With the exception of Immorto/Reanimage, I much preferred the Dillon designs, and when I saw they were changed, I opted not to pick up the book.
Posted by MLLASH on :
Dillon's Quantum Queen, Immorto and Dartalon are definitely better--
Scratch that... ALL of Dillon's are better.
Posted by Jorg-EM on :
Dillon's Dartalon is better but I've grown to love the Hoover one.
I agree all of Dillon's are better.
This series just had this funky Vertigo feel to it...and in the 30th century. First Vertigo type book to take place in our favroite corner of the DCU??? Heck the only one.
No disrespect to Hoover cause I enjoyed the series overall including the art. But his version look like generic toy action figures from the 80s. Not that Dillon's are terribly unique mind you but his look better.
Ok, Hoover's nearly naked Quantum Queen may look better. Dillon's looks like Dazzler.
*sigh* But those Steve Lightle covers...didn't matter what costume they were in did it? Cause he made it all look beautiful. (remembering the Lightle cover with QQ on it).
Posted by Loser Lad on :
I think I may have had that DC Focus at one point as well. I definitely remember seeing those Dillon designs before. I agree that most of those were better than the Hoover designs they ultimately used.
Not sure about Dillon's Elvo though. Kind of looks like Beldar Conehead with a flat-top and a lightsaber.
Posted by rickshaw1 on :
I actually bought the series when it came out. The art was flat and stiff, and the stories were pretty uninspired. Haven't really looked at it in years.
Posted by dedman on :
I got the series kicking around here somewhere too.
Posted by Jorg-EM on :
quote:Originally posted by Loser Lad: Not sure about Dillon's Elvo though. Kind of looks like Beldar Conehead with a flat-top and a lightsaber.
Maybe that is why that one is my fave.
Posted by DrakeB3004 on :
I agree that Dillon's designs are much better (though I think Aviax should've kept the wings). I used to love Dillon on "Judge Dredd" - he was my fav Dredd artist behind Bolland.
Posted by High Priestess Viviane on :
I'm just glad to see a Wanderers thread, we need more Wanderers!
Posted by Nightcrawler on :
Posted by High Priestess Viviane on :
quote:Originally posted by Nightcrawler:
Wanderer goodness...
THANK YOU NIGHTCRAWLER!
Posted by Jorg-EM on :
Nice NC!
I wouldn't mind a Wanderer joining the Legion. Right now since the Legion needs some diversity I gotta say Dartalon.
Posted by MLLASH on :
Posted by Joe Singleton on :
Are Dartalg and Immorto more than "just friends"?
Just something I noticed as I was using that pic as reference for some sketches.
S
Posted by Jorg-EM on :
I agree that pic of them....they just look so...so...happy. I mean if the girls weren't there I'd call them the Cosmic Village People. doh!
Posted by Singularity on :
And it's not just the grins, the hidden hands and that thing with Dartalg's left leg somehow BEHIND Immorto's, while his torso is clearly in front, that takes effort.
This is almost as bad as Dave Hoover's tortured posing in the Who's Who pic of the "new" Wanderers. I think his Immorto has one leg longer than the other, and twisted from some childhood disease or something. No way would a healthy, normal guy stand like that.
S
Posted by KidMarvel on :
Yeah! whats with that Gammy Leg? It frightens me *shudder*
Posted by Singularity on :
In this pic, I choose to interpret it that Dartalon and Reanimage are both the victims of nearly crippling skeleto-muscular disorders. I picture them shambling along like the Ring Wraiths in Ralph Bakshi's "Lord of the Rings", possibly without the hissing and groaning. I never much cared for the Porcupine Pete version of "Dartalon/Dartalg".
As an artist, I can't see any good reason why Hoover chose these tortured poses. I think part of the problem is an artistic weakness, he never learned the use and value of foreshortening. I'm surprised the editors let it slip thru without a trip to the art dept for correction. There's "dramatic posing" and "twisted beyond human endurance and overbalanced posing" and this ain't the former. S
Posted by Gorilla Nebula on :
i'm no fan of Hoover's art, but it seems obvious to me he's trying to do a Steve Ditko leg treatment. and failing. why anyone thought this revamp of the Wanderer's was a good idea is beyond me.
Posted by Candle on :
quote:Originally posted by Director Lad: Funny thing is, as uninspiring as Dave Hoover's interior art was, the covers for the first 6-8 issues, some by Ken Steacy and others by Steve Lightle, are uniformly excellent.
Does anyone know where to find those covers on line? I'm sorry if I missed a reference to a site for them.
Posted by MLLASH on :
Shady I'm trying to track down the covers online. I'll post 'em here as I find them. Here's # 1, which is quite pretty (the covers were all good in general):
Posted by lil'rhino on :
Posted by lil'rhino on :
Posted by lil'rhino on :
Posted by lil'rhino on :
Posted by lil'rhino on :
Posted by MLLASH on :
Thanks Rhino-- all I had been able to find so far was covers for # 1 and 6.
Posted by lil'rhino on :
Posted by lil'rhino on :
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: Thanks Rhino-- all I had been able to find so far was covers for # 1 and 6.
mycomicshop.com has like, every comic book cover ever!!
Posted by lil'rhino on :
Posted by Nightcrawler on :
www.comics.org has every comic book ever as well.
Posted by MLLASH on :
Hmmm... may have misrememebred the covers being generally good... I know Lightle did a few at the end...
Posted by lil'rhino on :
LIGHTLE!! Posted by lil'rhino on :
LIGHTLE! Posted by lil'rhino on :
LIGHTLE! Posted by lil'rhino on :
LIGHTLE! Posted by lil'rhino on :
^Aviax & his *GASP!* bride!
Posted by lil'rhino on :
LIGHTLE! Posted by MLLASH on :
# 9 with Psyche in the snow was always my favorite.
Posted by Candle on :
I am so greatful for the covers and the addresses!
Wow! Isn't Lightle something?!
I enjoyed seeing all of his again, but especially Psyche, Quantum Queen and Aviax. I think my favorite is the Aviax cover, even though I really disliked the story inside.
Quantum Queen looks like she's been drawn by Sketch, actually. It's just his cup of tea with all of the glamor poses and her costume. Lightle somehow improved it exponentially by adding legs to the outfit.
This is all wonderful information and a lot of fun!
I love those graemlins, too!
Posted by brigort on :
#9 had the best cover of the series. Closely followed by #10.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
And I love it!![[Re-Animage]](graemlins/ReAnimage.gif)
![[Quantum Queen]](graemlins/QuantumQueen.gif)
![[Dartalon]](graemlins/Dartalon.gif)
![[Elvar]](graemlins/Elvar.gif)
![[Aviax]](graemlins/Aviax.gif)
![[Psyche]](graemlins/Psyche.gif)
![[Drool]](graemlins/drool.gif)
![[Celebrand]](graemlins/Celebrand.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
