The End League

Infobox comic book title
title = The End League


caption = Cover of "The End League" #1
schedule = Bi-Monthly
format = Ongoing series
ongoing = y
publisher = Dark Horse Comics
date = January 2008 - present
issues = 5
main_char_team = Astonishman
Soldier American
The Arachkid
The Prairie Ghost
Black
Brother Occult
Divinty
Grimwood
Blur
Mother Hive
The Blue Gauntlet
writers = Rick Remender
artists = Mat Broome
inkers = Sean Parsons
colorists = Wendy Broome
creative_team_month =
creative_team_year =
creators = Rick Remender
Mat Broome
TPB = The Ballad of Big Nothing
ISBN = 1595821953
subcat = Dark Horse
sort = PAGENAME

"The End League" is a fictional superhero team appearing in their self-titled monthly comic book series by Dark Horse Comics, which began in January 2008.

Created by Rick Remender and Mat Broome, this series focuses on the struggles of the last of the superheroes in a world in which the supervillains have prevailed and enslaved what remains of the world. [http://www.newsarama.com/general/Remender/04/endleague.html Rick Remender's Against The Grain #4] , Newsarama]

Publication history

The series started in January 2008 and was written by Rick Remender, with pencils by Mat Broome [ [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/features/119864954046507.htm Mat Broome Returns to Comics with The End League] , Comics Bulletin, December 26, 2007] and inks by Sean Parsons.

As of issue number five, Broome left for Marvel [ [http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=158296 Mat Broome on Leaving The End League] , Newsarama, May 27, 2008] and Eric Canete will take over art duties, [ [http://www.newsarama.com/comics/080702-RemenderCanete.html Work in Progress: From the Mind of Eric Canete...] , by Rick Remender, Newsarama, July 2, 2008] with Dave Stewart providing the colouring. With the new art team in place for the start of the second story arc, the title will start appearing on a monthly basis. [ [http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=156587 Eric Canete joins The End League] , Newsarama, May 10, 2008] [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18341 Remender & Canete On "The End League"] , Comic Book Resources, October 6, 2008]

Characters

Team members

*Astonishman (Brian Terrance) - Known as the world's greatest hero and over one hundred years old, Astonishman blames himself for the current state of the world due to his involvement in The Green Event. He possesses super strength, super hearing, flight and invunerability by drawing energy from the Earth's core. When his skin is broken, he actually leaks the very energy that grants him his powers and, upon death, the energy vacates his body in a blast of nuclear proportions. He dies from grievous injuries sustained at the hands (and hammer) of Thor.
*Soldier American (Nicholas "Nick" Winters) - Active since the 1930's, Soldier American participated in a government program that gave him the speed and strength of ten men. He also has the ability to create energy machetes. During a raid on a food facility, he killed his longtime sidekick The Devil Boy while possessed by the villain Scarecrow Sinister.
*Blur (Rebecca Watts) - Blur is the fastest human left alive. She is Astonishman's goddaughter and in a romantic relationship with The Blue Gauntlet
*Mother Hive - Mother Hive is a powerful telepath who coordinates the team missions from the safety of the Citadel of Seclusion.
*The Arachnakid- An extremely tall and lithe adventurer with two pairs of arms, sharp teeth, and an acerbic wit used to hide his loneliness and self-pity.
* The Prairie Ghost- Deemed by Remender a "living poltergeist," the Prairie Ghost's powers and personality have yet to come fully to the forefront. He seems to possess a strong, ghostly steed and wields mystical chains as weaponry. He speaks with a Southern accent and seems to be of a rather bellicose mentality.
* Brother Occult - Called the "mysterious Master of the Nether Realms," this mage's power seems to be derived mainly from the bargains he makes with various demons, such as one known as Azul, who is supposedly bound in servitude to Brother Occult.
*Divinity - A self-described "god-killer," Divinity is one of the big three (a subgroup comprising the leadership of The End League, including Black, Astonishman, and Divinity). She wields a powerful sword that can both wound and heal (as evidenced by its temporary restoration of Thor's mental capacity, post-lobotomy). It is hinted that there is strong sexual/romantic tension between her and Astonishman.
*The Blue Gauntlet (Palmira) - Described by Remender as "a pacifist powered by an ancient alien parasite," Palmira is in a lesbian relationship with Rebecca. Her powers seem to be mainly energy-based. She can also fly.
*Black A mysterious non-superhuman clad in an impressive suit of armor and revealed to have extensive knowledge of martial arts, as well as near-perfect skills in planning. He also seemingly shows little to no hesitance when it comes to the use of lethal force (as seen in #2). According to solicits, Black may or may not have been cast from the ranks of The End League.
*Grimwood - Described by Remender as a "spirit-man made of Earth stuff"

Adversaries

*Thor - The Norse God of Thunder and son of Odin, Thor disobeyed his father's orders, refusing to return to Valhalla, instead staying on Earth to help mankind. He is mysteriously absent and presumed dead on the day of The Green Event. It is hinted that he and Astonishman are at around the same level in terms of sheer power; Astonishman's monologue in issue 1 supports the theory that the two titans were friends at some point in the past. Thor arrives at the end of issue 1, lobotomized by and completely under the control of Dead Lexington. He beats Astonishman to death between moments of lucidity brought about by injuries from Divinity's sword.
* Charles "Dead" Lexington - Archenemy of Astonishman, Dead Lexington was responsible for tricking Astonishman into triggering The Green Event. Following "The Day of Annihilation", Dead Lexington has appointed himself the ruler of the world.
*Scarecrow Sinister - Capable of possessing others, Scarecrow Sinister operates a food facility for Dead Lexington in the remains of northern Canada.
*The Smiling Man - A clown-like villain inhabiting the city of Loge.
*Wolfsangel - A brutal Nazi warlord
*Minister of Matter - Member of the Famliy Fear and one of Black's brothers.

Plot synopsis

The End League

In May 1962, the superhero Astonishman triggered a worldwide cataclysm known as The Green Event when he attacked and destroyed an alien ship at the bottom of the ocean. Led to believe the ship was a communist nuclear facility by the villain Dead Lexington, Astonishman detonated a nuclear missile in the ship detonating the power core and releasing a wave of radiation and knocking the Earth off its axis. Three billion were killed by the radiation while one in ten thousand of the survivors would later develop superhuman abilities. Thor, a god who remained on Earth after all of the other classical gods left and the only being whose power equaled Astonishman's, went missing on the same day and was believed dead.

Picking the best of the superhumans, Astonishman formed the Squadron of Righteousness to repair the damage done to the planet and to protect humanity against the other superhumans, now supervillains, who used their new abilities for personal gain. Eventually the supervillains of the world joined together to eliminate the world's superheroes in an event known as The Day of Annihilation. Astonishman and the remaining superheroes escaped to Astonishman’s Citadel of Seclusion where they remained hidden for 12 years. Known as The End League, the heroes have spent this time focusing on survival and searching for the Hammer of Thor, Mjolnir, which they believe can save the world.

On the twelve year anniversary of The Day of Annihilation, the starving members of The End League plan an attack against Scarecrow Sinister's food facility in northern Canada for supplies. Astonishman gathers a strike team consisting of himself, Soldier American, Prairie Ghost, Divinity, Brother Occult and the rookie Blur. Once onsite, Brother Occult's servant the demon Azul attacks the team and betrays them to Dead Lexinton. Dead Lexington appears via remote monitor to gloat that he knows where the Citadel of Seclusion is and will be attacking it shortly. As Blur runs off to warn the team, she is stopped by a now-lobotomized Thor who stands ready to kill his former allies.

The brainwashed Thor and the End League battle. Blur and Soldier American are quickly injured and out of the fight. Astonishman is initially paralyzed by doubts about their ability to defeat Thor but joins in the fight. A magical attack by Divinity temporarily restores Thor's lucidity and he warns Astonishman that a greater danger threatens Earth and then tells Astonishman that he must kill him. After Thor again loses his mind, Astonishman is still reluctant to strike a lethal blow. Thor strikes a mortal blow against Astonishman with Mjolnir and the energy released from his body in an explosive blast apparently kills the both of them. Mjolnir is undamaged and recovered by someone, possibly Lexington.

Lexington proclaims Astonishman's death to the public and moves to consolidate his power. He sends his agents to abduct Kelly Klein, the leader of an underground church. Black has promised Astonishman he will protect her and fights the agents but they are successful in capturing Klein. Black, here, is shown using lethal force against one attacker, ruining her superpowers in one throat-crushing maneuver.

In the Nether Realm, Azul gloats to the captive Brother Occult. He tells him he was freed by Lexington but serves a greater power, Nargor'ri the Ravager, who arrives in the final scene with a promise to "end all".

Collected editions

The series is being collected into trade paperbacks:

*"Ballad of Big Nothing" (104 pages, Dark Horse Comics, October 2008, ISBN 1595821953)

Notes

References

*gcdb series|id=30167|title="The End League"
*comicbookdb|type=title|id=16426|title="The End League"

External links

* [http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=14-500 The End League #1 Solicitation Page]
* [http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=14-501 The End League #2 Solicitation Page]
* [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/119906712173160.htm Review of issue #1] , [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/120438696741391.htm #2] and [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/121182785520313.htm #3] at Comics Bulletin