Squadron Supreme: New World Order Vol 1 1

Earth-712
- Sigmund
  - Mechanopolis
- New Troy
  - Pommerschen
- Herculanea
  - Atomic City
- Western Mountains
  - Squadron City
- Utopia Isle
- Cosmopolis
  - Nighthawk's Aerie
- Southern Sea
- Sylvania
  - Jonesville
Skrullos (Mentioned)
Omniverse (Mentioned)

Items:

Doctor Spectrum's Power Prism

Vehicles:

Synopsis for "Squadron Supreme: New World Order"

The Squadron Supreme returns to the Earth after almost nearly dying from crashing their spaceship, leaving Skylark and Shape badly injured and needing medical attention. Dr. Spectrum takes the wounded Squadron members to the nearest hospital while Hyperion and Power Princess go to Squadron City and determine the status of the Utopia Program. Whizzer and Arcanna see to their long-missed families.

However, the Squadron comes to quickly realize how their world had become completely different than they had left it. The people of Earth had grown weary of the constant natural, political, and social upheavals that had plagued the world in recent years, largely because of the presence of the Squadron. Instead, they elected leaders into a "Global Directorate" with far-reaching and invasive political powers. The Directorate used the devices of the Utopia Program for themselves, creating a totalitarian government. Dr. Spectrum is forced to abandoned Shape and Skylark after his confrontation with a secret police force known as the Blue Eagles, named after their deceased namesake of the Squadron. Arcanna returns home but is ordered to stay there by Lightner, who now calls himself Mysterium. Whizzer returns to his home and finds his family taken hostage by the Blue Eagles who demand his surrender; fortunately, the Blue Eagles are quickly and thoroughly dispatched by the resistance group, the Nighthawks, who take the Whizzer's family under their protection and are highly distrustful of the Squadron.

The Squadron regroup and are met by Mysterium, who implores the Squadron to fix what had begun by their Utopia efforts, charging them with contacting other members of their team. The Squadron recruits Amphibian, the Skrullian Skymaster (now, Skymax), and Neal Richmond, the son of Kyle Richmond, who had since taken his father's role of Nighthawk and leader of the Nighthawks. Believing that their nemesis Emil Burbank is the mastermind behind the Global Directorate, the Squadron battle their way to Burbank's location only to discover he is only a pawn of the Directorate. The Squadron rescue Burbank and return him to their new headquarters on Utopia Isle, which was left abandoned by Power Princess' people. There Nighthawk reunites Whizzer with his family and the Squadron dedicate themselves to their new role, that of freedom fighters and champions of the oppressed.

Notes

Cover art: Eric Eng Wong and Comicraft did the cover letter design.

Reprinted in the "Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe" collection.

When the Squadron Supreme first arrived on Earth-616 in Quasar #13, several of them suspected that their world's new Wizard Supreme (Lightner) had purposely shunted them away from their own world. Later, after a magical attempt to send the Squadron home in Quasar #19 failed, Arcanna stated that it was Dr. Lightner who had set a trap for the Squadron around their world because he didn’t want them back. Accordingly, Burbank's confession in this story to having arranged the Squadron's absence would seem to be a continuity error. However, if Burbank was actually only admitting to having sent the Squadron (in his spaceship) to Earth-616 and had nothing to do with the mystical trap that later kept them away, then there would be no error.

Trivia

This story is dedicated to Mark Gruenwald ("For Mark Gruenwald: Storyteller. Trickster. Teacher. Friend.") who died in August 1996, two years prior to the publishing of this story.

Links and References

References