#infinity inc

[thebestpesto]

Y’all remember when it was a trend to draw characters in boxes or smth, or am I hallucinating this?

But anyways I just finished re-reading Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and it reminded me how much I like these fellas.

Courtney is literally me, if I was female and still 15 years old.

But if anyone has any ideas for who else I should draw in a box send over an ask.

[erve-2003]

Doctor Mid-nite II. I love Beth Chapel so much.

[infinityinc4ever]

Wildcat(s)!

[dcdreamblog]

The news has done a lot of reporting on the long and weird post-supervillain career of "Mr Bones", from his time as a superhero to his scandal-plagued stints as head of the DEO. But does anyone know what became of the rest of the members of Helix after the team disbanded and was no longer going toe to toe with superhero teams like Infinity Inc?

The story of the supervillain group known as Helix is really a case study in the kinds of catastrophes that can be brought into the world by a combined lack of medical ethics and a lack of protection for children in a system that sees metahumans as either less than human or too invulnerable to be harmed in the human fashion.

Eight young women were lied to at a low and vulnerable point in their lives by a seemingly trustworthy medical authority. An authority that, far from having the best intentions at heart for either mother OR child instead saw the latter as disposable and the former as test subjects.

And it all leads back to the macabre experiments of one Dr. Benjamin Love.

(An informal "wanted poster" showing the members of Helix. Clockwise: Mr Bones, Wind Walker, Tao Jones, Baby Boom, Kritter and Penny Dreadful)

Dr Love was a geneticist who had come upon the position of primary care for a family services clinic in southern California. Being made case manager for 8 young mothers who had come to the clinic for help in preparing for the birth of their children. In what Love claimed to the mothers were standard medical interventions, he injected volatile mutagenic chemicals into the women. Studying them carefully for the time when their children would arrive.

Two of the women were actually Mexican nationals who returned to their country of origin, the births taking place far outside Love's reach. One of the mothers was killed when a bout of postpartum depression caused her to attempt to drown her mutated child, only for the child to last out and kill her first. That child would eventually be known as the mutated criminal Carcharo. No one knows for certain what happened to the eighth woman OR her baby and they may have fully escaped the grasp of Love's intentions for good and for all. We can only hope.

The remaining six babies were stolen by Love shortly after birth, the mothers informed that their children had been still born. The children in turn brought up being told that they had been abandoned because of their metahuman mutations. "Raised" by Love with no grasp of right and wrong, or the responsibility that came with their powers, they were kept separated from human society at large until Love faked his own death if only to see what the sextet would do without him. They began to rampage, using their powers flagrantly and dangerously in this new world they were both entranced by AND deeply resentful of, leading to an extended series of clashes with young super team Infinity Inc.

The battles came to an end when Love returned, attempting to "reclaim" his "charges". Taking control of 5 of the 6's minds only to lose control when he ordered them to kill Mr. Bones. Reduced to a charred skeleton by the children he had tormented they were taken into custody and, in an impromptu judicial hearing due to their minor status they were taken as wards of the State of California where their path splits more or less 3 ways.

Mr Bones

Bones is, as you said, undoubtedly the most famously of the Helix members in the modern day. Originally joining up with Infinity Inc he was party to the group's disbanding when a villain used his lethal "cyanide touch" to take the life of Sylvester Pemberton, then Skyman but more famously known as the original Star Spangled Kid. Leaving the superhero cause he joined up with the DEO, the Department of Extranormal Operations.

All things considered the DEO is the most transparent and trustworthy of America's "metahuman response/intelligence agencies" which is a bar somewhere in Satan's septic tank. Some credit Bones himself and his remaining personal connections with the community for keeping the DEO more or less on the level in comparison to anything with Amanda Waller's stink all over it.

Arak Wind Walker & Penny Dreadful

Able to control wind and shoot blasts of electrical energy, respectively, these two were unable to shake their lack of moral tether. They remained problem cases inside the California foster system for a few years before aging out and becoming low level superpowered mercenaries. They popped up a few times here and there before they were taken under the wing of the ever dreadful Prometheus.

Due to internal squabbling, Penny Dreadful killed her "brother" before herself losing her life in a scuffle with the Justice League leading up to Prometheus' violent attack on Star City. When pressed on their deaths, Prometheus reacted in surprise, as he had forgotten he had hired them. Whether this is true or just another one of Prometheus' many cruel and callous taunts is unknown and probably never will be with the man's death soon afterwards.

Baby Boom, Kritter & Tao Jones

No one knows for certain what became of these three, and for the best possible reason. The trio responded well to therapeutic intervention and settled into the foster system. There's records of all three gaining their GEDs but any further education or work credentials is unknown to the public (one assumes because they at some point took on actual legal names).

Reaching out through my "work contacts" I received a short email from Atom Smasher of all people. He reassures me that the JSA, and especially the former members of Infinity Inc check in on the trio every so often but that they all have private lives now and have no interest in being disturbed for the sake of historical posterity. He said they were all WELL past the need to worry for their "progress" and were simply among the thousands of metahumans who retreat into the background using their abilities for whatever they find truly important in life.

With that I can say, rather conclusively, that Dr. Love's experiment was a bust. No matter how he sabotaged the medical safety and mental development of these 6 children. 1 of them found a way to continue to serve the public good (whether or not I agree with the need for his office is immaterial in this case), 3 became normal, happy people somewhere out in the world, 1 was fully beyond his grasp from the beginning. And if the remaining 3 prove anything at all it will be in a list of sins that Dr. Love paid for with his life in the here and now and, perhaps we might hope, can continue paying for in the hereafter.

[docgold13]

365 DC Comics Heroes & Villains Paper Cut-Outs

Wildcat

The original hero known as the Wildcat is Theodore ‘Ted’ Grant.  Grant had been a champion heavyweight boxer who became a fugitive after he was wrongfully accused of killing a police officer.  Inspired by The Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Grant decided to don a costume and came to be called The Wildcat.  He used his  fierce fighting skills to battle crime and was ultimately able to clear his name and bring the true culprits to justice.  

Grant chose to continue on as The Wildcat and served as a member of the Justice Society.  At the advent of  of America's entry into the Second World War, Wildcat became a member of the All Star Squadron and battled against the Axis Forces.  

During the war, Wildcat was involved in a fight between the powerful magic users Zatara and King Inferno. Through an odd set of circumstances, the sorcerers imbued with a magical spell that provides him nine lives.  This allows him to recover from fatal injuries on nine occasions.  It has additionally substantially diminished his aging process.  

With his elongated youth, Wildcat has remained active for decades.  Following the war, Ted opened a boxing school and he has trained countless students.  He has also taught combat skills to many superheroes.  These pupils include Batman, Catwoman, Black Canary (Dinah Lance), The Atom (Ray Pratt), Green Arrow, Mr. Terrific (Michael Holt), Batgirl and even Superman.   

Another of Ted’s student was his goddaughter Yolanda Montez.  Yolanda is a metahuman possessing inborn powers that include heightened physical capabilities as well as retractable claws on her hands and feet.  These powers coupled with Ted’s training helped Yolonda become a highly effective combatant and she donned a costume of her own to become the second Wildcat.  

As the new Wildcat, Yolanda served as a part of Infinity Inc. She was seemingly killed in battle against the villainous Eclipso yet was later revealed as alive and has since joined the current iteration of the Justice Society.  

Hector Ramirez became the third Wildcat.  He was a boxing protégé of Ted Grant who, against Ted’s wishes, stole his old costume to go out and fight crime as the new Wildcat.  Ramirez was later killed in action whilst battling Killer Croc.

The fourth Wildcat is  Ted’s formerly estranged son, Tom Bronson.  Ted did not known about Ted until the lad was a teenager and sought him out.  The magic that has given Ted nine lives was passed down to his son, manifesting in a new fashion.  In Tom’s case, he has been bestowed the ability to transform into a powerful were-cat possessing enhanced strength and durability.  Joining the Justice Society, Tom operated as Wildcat for a brief time before changing his alias to Tomcat as a means of forging more of his own heroic identity.  

Actors J. R. Ramirez., Roger Hasket and Brian Stapf have portrayed live-action versions of Wildcat/Ted Grant; while actress Yvette Monreal  portrayed a live-action version of Wildcat/Yolonda Montez.  The Ted Grant Wildcat has additionally featured in a number of animated and video game projects, voiced by actors Stephen Root, Dennis Farina, R. Lee Ermey, Matthew Senreich and Ken Webster.

The Ted Grant version of Wildcat first appeared in Sensation Comics #1 (1942); the Yolanda Montez version first appeared in Infinity Inc. #12 (1985); Hector Ramirez first appeared in Batman/Wildcat #1 (1997); and Tom Bronson first appeared in the pages of Justice Society of America Vol. 3 #1 (2007).

[fruitkingfrog]

[ID: fanart of Beth Chapel Doctor Midnight from DC Comics. She is smiling and has her hand on her hip. End ID]

doctor doctor!!!🌒🦉

[etherealpenumbra]

Fury aka lyta hall!!! Another totally underutilized character from infinity inc !!!

Inks under the cut

[gothamlanterns]

The Queer Coded History of Alan Scott

Infinity Inc — Alan Scott’s Marriage to Molly Mayne

“I AM? I mean—— sure I am!”

Alan Scott’s “proposal” to Molly Mayne, prompted by his daughter, Jade.

Despite Molly being Alan’s most prominent marriage partner, he never has explicit interest in her. Their relationship is definitely something closer akin to “lavender” from the very start, even at the moment of his proposal.

This might seem obvious in retrospect. But, considering his debut was in 1940, this does help support the idea that Alan has ALWAYS been gay coded.

The beginning of Green Lantern (1941) #33 is one of the first times we see Molly tease the idea of marrying Alan (Green Lantern specifically). To which, Alan slams a bouquet of flowers to the ground in frustration.

However, as the issue goes on we do see that Molly (Harlequin) proposes directly to Alan (Green Lantern). To which he denies over and over throughout these panels and the rest of the issue.

This dynamic is reoccurring for their golden age history. Even though Alan is often shown as explicitly DISINTERESTED in her. Often reacting rudely and dismissive of Molly, even in her civilian identity.

In fact, his disinterest is such a well-established gimmick that Molly actually has to hypnotize the entirety of Gotham in order to orchestrate a potential wedding for them (All-American Comics #91).

However, Alan does not fall for her hypnosis like the rest of the city. He only pretends to go along with her plans so he could manipulate her mind enough with his ring.

Specifically, he “makes her see herself as she truly is.” Breaking the illusion she has of their “love story”

What changed by the 80s? Well, Alan’s aversion to marriage and his commitment to celibacy became harder and harder to explain.

The only option, besides confirm his homosexuality, was to give him children and marry him to a woman. Molly, narratively, simply made the most sense. Her intense fixation on him in the golden age, making her the perfect contender for a woman that would be willing to enter a platonic marriage with him.

However, Alan’s queerness is an innate part of his character and origin as Green Lantern. And so despite his marriage and children, the “strangeness” of his characterization never really got fixed.

Going back to Brightest Day, Blackest Night (2002) (<- link to post!!) as affirmation of this. There’s just something about Alan’s odd relationship to marriage that DC has never been able to shake off.

This fracture in Alan and Molly’s marriage (and by extension Alan’s closeted identity) begins in the late 90s when he adopted his Sentinel identity. It was beginning of the end for Alan and Molly’s marriage by that point.

With the Starheart lore becoming more complex, it becomes clear that Alan did not prioritize Molly and their relationship. Instead, falling back even further into his superhero identity as an expression of his homosexual identity.

Showcase ‘95 #1

also just so everyone is aware: I ADOREEEE MOLLY and her relationship with Alan! I just think that their story/marriage would’ve been even more impactful if DC was willing to commit to them being queer platonic partners.