Warning: SPOILERS for DC Mech #4DC Mech - the DC Comics series about an alt-reality Justice League piloting giant mechanized robots - just revealed some of its fascinating history, and it's so good that DC needs to produce more stories set in this world.
DC Comics and Marvel Comics both have series featuring their premier teams in giant mech suits. The difference is that Marvel depicts a version of the Avengers with questionable mainstream canonicity, while DC opts for a total re-imagining of the Justice League. In this version, Superman comes to Earth already a full-grown adult, encountering a Justice League - all of whom pilot giant mechs in lieu of their usual superpowers - who are preparing for an invasion of Darkseid's giant parademons. Superman doesn't get on with the team right away, and to further complicate matters, Lex Luthor is planning to tackle the threat of Darkseid on his own.
In DC Mech #4 by Kenny Porter and Baldemar Rivas, a lot of the backstory to this universe is revealed. After spending some time with the Kents in Smallville, Superman res the other Justice League and Batman tells his origin. He says that there was an alien invasion that killed his parents, however it was entirely orchestrated by Lex Luthor to gain control of the military. Also in this issue, the Flash tells a story about how another Flash named Barry Allen died.
Justice League's Mech Team Have Major Potential
DC truly has something special with the DC Mech universe. While many fans initially shrugged off a Pacific Rim-style story in the DC Universe, the tweaks and differences between the mainstream universe and this one have allowed for some fascinating character dynamics. With the focus on the mechanized conflict rather than individual character histories, the Justice League's backstories are knitted together, making the threats they face incredibly relevant to the larger team. The Justice League franchise has always faced the challenge of telling its own stories while most of its big-names are also experiencing their own adventures in other titles, but here all those iconic heroes truly exist in service of one epic story.
The fact that these changes and the flashbacks have revealed more details shows that there is an entire universe and history worth of stories for this book to explore. All of the characters, from Wonder Woman to Lex Luthor, have their own origins and backstories that put a daring new spin on what fans know. The changes being made to this Justice League are profound on a character level and have real ramifications for the storytelling, making DC Mech a franchise that fans will dearly hope to see return soon.
DC Mech #4 is available now from DC Comics.
