Insight on Huntress, Karen Starr, and Mr. T's futures following the mini?

[aeka]

Cruising DC's official blog, I came across this *beautiful* piece of information regarding what books Huntress will be connected to in DCnU, and *may possibly* appear in the future.

Straight from DC Comics Official Blog:

This Wednesday marks the release of HUNTRESS #1. Written by the character’s creator Paul Levitz and illustrated by HEROES and RED ROBIN artist Marcus To, the first issue in this six-issue miniseries follows Helena Bertinelli as she travels home to Italy on a grave mission.

Looking for more reasons to pick up the book? HUNTRESS has story connections to the following three series:

• BIRDS OF PREY
• MISTER TERRIFIC
• Next year’s JUSTICE SOCIETY

We won’t spoil just how they’re all connected but believe us when we say you won’t want to miss out.


Seeing that ONE of these books is confirmed to be taking place on Earth-2 next year, and Helena is *somehow* tied to Mr. T's book (where Karen Starr is a supporting character), this seems to hint at the return of the Helena Wayne Huntress and Kara Zor-L/Power Girl. I gotta say I am very much intrigued.

Either this will mean Karen Starr and Helena Bertinelli will be meeting their Earth-2 counterparts at some point in their respective futures, or the joke will be on us readers and the big reveal will be that Karen Starr and Helena Bertinelli were secretly Power Girl and Helena Wayne in disguise the whole time, doing an undercover job for the Earth-2 JSA. (Though I will seriously laugh if Helena Bertinelli turns out to be Helena Wayne's 'Matches Malone" disguise).

I would also speculate on Mr. T's book and the Huntress mini *possibly* taking place on Earth-2 since three of it's core characters are originally from there, but then that wouldn't explain the "New 52" label on Mr. T's book and Birds of Prey takes place on Earth-0. It also wouldn't even begin to explain why Helena Bertinelli would suddenly appear there when she's always been a main DCU character, or why Helena Wayne would suddenly start wearing a cross on her costume. Either way I smell a juicy future multiverse cross-over in the making. And who knows we might even see Dinah Drake Canary again in Earth-2 JSA as well.

[EDIT]: This just in...I just now discovered the "DC COMICS ALL ACCESS" page on the back of Huntress #1, which reveals yet more information on the futures of all aforementioned characters:

Ok, we told you last month that September was only the beginning! And here we are now entering the second month of the New 52!

And "two" becomes a very important number in an unexpected way as writer James Robinson revealed to a stunned crowd at Fan Expo Canada, he will be writing a JUSTICE SOCIETY series drawn by Nicola Scott that takes place on...wait for it...Earth-2!

What does that mean? Well, it means a world parallel to the current DC Earth. But what's parallel and who's on it, only time will tell or maybe there will be hints of things to come in the HUNTRESS mini that's on sale now! It's written by the character's creator Paul Levitz and drawn by the amazing Marcus To (don't take my word for it, look at the art on this page). As originally conceived, Helena was the daughter of two very cool and special people. Two people we knew, but they weren't from here. The Batman and Catwoman of Earth-2. Not bad parentage, and it made Huntress a very aggressive hero with a unique point of view.

Now as we get further into the all-new world of the New 52, you'll have to check out the 6-issue mini to find out where she really comes from. In that regard, I also say pick up MR. TERRIFIC by Eric Wallace and Gianluca Gugliotta. In that book, Michael Holt's relationship with Karen Starr could have some interesting developments.

As been noted, we're just getting revved up!

--Eddie Berganza
Executive Editor

Well shit. This puts a whole new spin on things. I'm going to go with a third hypothesis in that this Huntress is going to be an amalgamation of both the Helena Wayne/Bertinelli personalities. Five bucks says "Helena Bertinelli" is now Helena Wayne's "Matches Malone" disguise.

Huntress #2 please come fast. XP

Comments

[silverzeo]

I am more concern with the Marvel Family, last continuity they were in didn't treat them so kindly... namely they were all de-powered or pushed aside so their villainous counterparts took up panel time.

[darkknightjrk]

Well, we know for certain that they're going to have some good spotlight in Morrison's Multiversity project, so there's at least that. :)

[jaybee3]

I LOVE the Marvel Family but considering what Didio did to them in the last decade (after outright saying their "sensibility didn't fit the DCU") I would be more than happy to see them staying on Earth-5, one-shot mini series like Jeff Smith's, or appearances in Tiny Titans.

[darkknightjrk]

Yeah, I'm thinking in a year or so Helena and Karen will find themselves in Mr. Terrific's book when he's found a way into Earth 2.

I will also say if that book can do a story like that and still blow, then there's no hope for that book.

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

I hope not. To me, that marginalizes the importance of the story too much. Not to mention the way this seems to contradict the whole idea of a reboot, getting rid of excessive continuity.

But then, I'm not at all attached to Earth 2, so that could just be me.

Potential Spoiler

[aeka]

To be honest, now that I just discovered the "DC Comics All Access" page on the back of my Huntress #1...I'm not even sure anymore if this is even still the Helena Bertinelli Huntress. o.O

Re: Potential Spoiler

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure it is, since Levitz has been talking about how she's not the Helena he created (though that could all be lies...). Also, the passport she shows at the beginning definitely says Helena Bertinelli. But again, lies.

But I hope it's the truth.

Re: Potential Spoiler

[aeka]

Or maybe he WAS telling the truth but left out the part about it being possibly a disguise?

Huntress #2 please come fast. x_X

[richardak]

I have absolutely no problem with bringing back Helena Wayne in Earth-2 stories. It's no different in principle from telling stories about the Earth-2 and the Earth-1 Superman pre-Crisis, which they did with some frequency. But if they reveal that both Huntresses are the same character, or other such nonsense, I'm done. That would be unforgivably stupid.

[salinea]

this.


Helena Wayne may be a very interesting character; but if the Helena B. I know and love is going to be subsumed into her; why should I even care anymore?

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

And to this I say: well said. Very well said indeed.

I really dislike the "LOL AU" attitude displayed in the letters column...

[salinea]

yeah the coyness of "you need to read the miniseries to find out which it is" is pissed me off. Am I not allowed to know who the miniseries is about? That doesn't make me want to read it, that makes me want to drop it until I know which it is.

[aeka]

The return of the Helena Wayne Huntress (and the possible returns of Kara Zor-L/Power Girl and Jade) is pretty much what has me excited for the Earth-2 JSA book since I've been wanting to see newer stories with her for a long time now.

Hopefully the DC Access info in the back of the Huntress #1 book is just hinting at a future meeting between both Huntresses. But if they end up retconning Helena Bertinelli as having been Helena Wayne the whole time because "LOL Crisis on Infinite Earths never happened," then that's bound to piss off A LOT of Bertinelli fans, much in the same fashion that they pissed off Helena Wayne fans in the 80s when they were promised a Huntress book and then they killed her off in COIE and the Huntress book went to Bertinelli instead.

[star_of_airdrie]

I think you've got me sold on it then...

[kenn_el]

I'm just glad they're revisiting Earth 2. There's a whole lot more freedom when you're playing with characters that aren't directly tied to the 'main' continuity, especially one as ambiguous as the current DCCU.

[stubbleupdate]

Well, accessible stories for new readers lasted a short time

[arbre_rieur]

Depends on how it's handled, I'd say. Alternate reality stories are a tricky beast, but it's not impossible to do them in a new reader friendly way.

[philippos42]

You really think Earth-2 will be less accessible than the current snarl?

[stubbleupdate]

Considering that the current snarl now includes Earth-2, yes.

[eyz]

I just wish it ends up having the JSA in the regular universe and not some other alternate world.

I never liked much the idea of a JSA on Earth 2... Yes, silver age-fanboys, it had its purpose at the time...but the original JSA, Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, etc., were the Golden Age original heroes and mystery men of the DCU. The first super heroes. When they were thrown to "a parallel world" it was like throwing this history, these characters, aside... while Batman and Superman continued unchanged for some reason instead of being replaced as well.

What I loved about carrying them back over in the original Crisis, was to also bring back this history, these original WW2 Mystery Men. The Legacy aspect was quite interesting and played with in lots of Flash or Kyle Rayner!Green Lantern comics. And it was fun and entertaining!

Throwing them back on a parallel world though bringing in the Wildstorm universe instead seems to be such a poor decision... I mean trading Alan Scott for The Grifter? Really?

And if most of the JSA is either dead/replaced by a younger generation (ex: M. Terrific)/or unchanged due to time travel or mysterious powers at work (Jay and Alan) why would it be a problem to either tell stories in the present with this new JSA or in the past with the original one? Having them on Earth 2 will either serve to keep them young in the past or in the present, resulting in the same type of stories anyway!

[jkcarrier]

"When they were thrown to "a parallel world" it was like throwing this history, these characters, aside..."

Just the opposite, really. The Golden Age heroes had already been gone for years before Barry, Hal, et. al. came along. The conceit of Earth-2 is what allowed the old-timers to be brought back.

"while Batman and Superman continued unchanged for some reason instead of being replaced as well."

For the same reason that Batman and Green Lantern are mostly untouched by the current reboot: they sold well.

[kenn_el]

Exactly! It was Earth 2 that first allowed for a married Clark/Lois and Bruce/Selina, as well as permitting Dick to become an adult, etc. Really a clear playing field for anyone willing to use it!

[jkcarrier]

In that JSA pic, who's the redhead sitting between the Huntress and Sandman?

[kenn_el]

Hourgirl?

[cuntfucius]

I have nothing to say other than EEEE BRANIAC (JR), JADE, AND OBSIDIAN ALL NEXT TO EACH OTHER

MY SHAMEFUL OT3