#earth-2

[browsethestacks]

Superman

Art by Norm Rapmund

[vexic929]

Earth-2 Etude

Chapter 1

Warnings: none

The metal doors to Iron Heights opened with a loud, discordant clang that made Hartley Rathaway wish he'd turned his hearing aids off as he set his personal belongings in a basket and removing his tie pin before stepping through the metal detector. It beeped - an equally annoying noise, in Hartley's opinion - and the corrections officer waved him through, handing him a clipboard to sign.

"You get two hours with him, CSI. Anything happens, you press this." The man thrust a small, round device attached to a lanyard at Hartley. "This panic button will let every officer know to come get you. Bastard wants parole, though, so you probably won't need to use it."

That wasn't particularly reassuring but Hartley nodded anyway. "I need my tablet back."

The man frowned and picked it up out of the basket, grumbling under his breath as he handed it over. Hartley tucked it under his arm and adjusted his blazer, smoothing it unnecessarily to calm his growing nerves.

"Singh's in room twelve. Guard'll show you the way." The officer jerked his head toward the hall.

Hartley offered a curt nod and followed the appointed guard, his shoes clicking against the polished concrete floor. The sound echoed faintly, a lonely kind of rhythm that made his chest tighten with anxiety. A few of the inmates leered at him as he passed, one or two shouting vulgar comments. God, this place was vile, why the hell did it have to be Hartley on the job?

Room twelve loomed at the end of the corridor, its number a stark black against the gray. The corrections officer accompanying him rapped twice on the door. "Singh," he announced, his voice gruff, "you've got a visitor."

The door swung open, revealing a stark, utilitarian space. At the center sat David Singh, the infamous mob boss, leaning casually back in his chair, thumbing through a paperback novel. His orange prison jumpsuit was undone to the waist, revealing the white tank top beneath that clung to his broad chest. His dark eyes locked onto Hartley the moment he stepped inside, their intensity almost physical, pinning him in place. For a fraction of a second, Hartley forgot how to breathe.

Singh raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell are you?"

Hartley straightened, his chin lifting slightly. "Hartley Rathaway, CCPD." His tone was clipped, professional. He wasn't about to let Singh see how much this encounter unnerved him. "I'm here to discuss one of your properties."

Singh's lips curved into a slow, mocking smile. "My properties? I don't have any of those anymore, remember? Confiscated, seized, sold - what do you cops call it? Civil asset forfeiture?"

Hartley ignored him, sitting across from him and tapping his tablet to pull up the files he'd prepared. "One of your old hideouts is in use again. We believe the Darbinyan crime family has taken over the location. I need you to provide the layout - anything that isn't on the blueprints."

Singh leaned forward, resting his elbows on the metal table and his chin on one hand, his gaze slow and deliberate as it swept over Hartley from head to toe. The mob boss's voice, rich and low and laced with amusement, broke the silence after several uncomfortably long moments. "So, they sent me the scrawny one."

Hartley bristled, feeling a bit like he was being sized up to be eaten. "You refused everyone else."

Singh snorted and leaned back again. "Right. Wasn't about to talk to Captain West or her lap dog."

"Or any other officer, according to the warden." Hartley added, crossing his arms, trying to look equally as collected and casual.

Singh chuckled, low and rich, his dark eyes locking with Hartley's. "You're awfully bold for a man who looks like a strong breeze might blow him over."

"You're awfully vexing for a man who supposedly wants parole." Hartley countered.

Singh's gaze stayed locked on Hartley, unrelenting and far too self-assured. "Vexing? Fancy word. You always talk like you've got something to prove, Mr. Rathaway?"

Hartley adjusted his glasses, refusing to rise to the bait. "I don't need to prove anything to you, Mr. Singh. I'm here because the captain thought your knowledge might actually be useful. Clearly, she was being optimistic." His tone was clipped, every syllable calculated to maintain control of the conversation.

Singh rolled his eyes. "You're here for information about my old hideout. A place I haven't set foot in for over a year. Tell me, Rathaway, what makes you think I care if the Darbinyans are squatting there now?"

"You have a personal history with them, don't you?"

Singh's eyes darkened, his fingers flexing against the steel table, though his gaze never left Hartley's. "Personal history," he repeated, his voice a low rumble. "You could say that."

Hartley felt the atmosphere shift and briefly wondered if he'd have to use the panic button. He pushed away the thought and dropped his gaze to his tablet, his fingers dancing over the screen in precise movements. "We don't have time for cryptic remarks. If you're going to help, start talking. If not, I'll be sure to let Captain West know this was a waste of her time and mine."

Singh shifted in his chair, his tank top slipping slightly with the motion, revealing a scar just below his collarbone. It drew Hartley's attention momentarily, his sharp mind calculating the possible stories behind it before he forced himself to focus again. He was here for the Darbinyan family's operations, not Singh's mysterious past.

A moment of silence more and Hartley sighed, pushing his chair back and standing to leave. "Fine. I'll let the parole board know you're not interested."

"Sit back down."

The command wasn't loud but it carried a resonance that stopped Hartley dead mid-step. It took him a moment to gather himself enough to realize he'd followed an order from a mob boss. He felt the tips of his ears flush with frustration and embarrassment.

"How dare you-" Hartley started but Singh interrupted him.

"Sit."

Hartley remained standing, placing his tablet and hands flat on the table as he leaned forward, glaring at the other man. "If you have something useful to say, say it. Otherwise, this is over."

The corner of Singh's mouth twitched upward and, for a heartbeat, Hartley thought he might laugh in his face. Instead, Singh leaned back, his chair creaking under his weight, arms crossing over his broad chest as he shook his head, looking amused.

"Come back next week. I'll have something to say then."

"I'm not playing this game, Singh." Hartley snapped but David didn't so much as flinch.

"You want information, you'll come back. See you next week, Mr. Rathaway."

[the-antiapocalyptic-man]

A bunch of Earth-2 characters (The Arrow “Family” and the Reverse-Flashes)

-Robert Queen survived the shipwreck that killed his son, Oliver, at the cost of his arm. Replacing it with a cybernetic prosthesis after returning to civilization, Queen became protector of Star City (Seattle) as The Green Arrow. He later joined Sly Pemberton’s Seven Soldiers of Victory with his protege and rival, Red Arrow.

-Roy Begay lost his parents to a wildfire at a young age. Adopted by Nathan and Moonday Hawke, Roy studied archery, coming to be recognized as the best in the world. After the death of the Ternion at the hands of Steppenwolf, Roy joined Amar Khan’s World Army. Initially using the call sign “Speedy”, Roy became Red Arrow after meeting Robert Queen and committing himself to both surpassing and succeeding the Green Knight of Seattle.

-Dinah Lance lived the quiet life of a florist, the daughter of Dinah Drake and World Army Captain Kurt Lance. After the death of her mother during the Apokoliptan Invasion, Dinah sought out power from The Wizard of the Injustice Society. Bestow a powerful sonic scream, she set out on a mission of revenge against the man she held responsible for her mother’s death: The Green Arrow

-Hunter Zolomon’s father fought in the War of the Americas, returning home only to kill his wife and himself. The orphaned Hunter grew up plagued by strange visions, until a chance interaction with a storm of Speed Force energy connected to the source of his visions: his own future self, a Judge of the Speed Force, transforming Hunter and his multiversal counterparts in Zooms, powerful Negative Speed Force avatars.

-Velocity was an experiment of Zoom’s, a clone of Jay Garrick powered by opposing Speed Energy. He considers himself Judy Garrick’s Rival, though she and other Wonders of the Justice Society hold out hope Velocity can be redeemed…

-Dr. Edward Clariss, The Rival. After tiring of the paltry contests of Wonders and Horrors, Clariss retired to an isolated region, reinventing himself as the master of a Speed Force Cult: Savitar, The God of Motion.

-John Allen Chambers, a native of Earth-3. Escaping to Earth-2 to hide out, Johnny Quick masqueraded as a Wonder, eventually falling in love with Liberty Belle and starting a family.

[cantsayidont]

February 1986. Incredibly bleak: Earth-2's Helena Wayne (The Huntress) and Dick Grayson (Robin) survived the cataclysmic events of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #10 (January 1986), only to find in the following issue that the world into which they awakened afterward had no record that they had ever existed. Both were then killed by falling debris during the final battle in CRISIS #12 and subsequently laid to rest by their JSA comrades, almost the only people on the reformed Earth who still remembered them. Earth-2's middle-aged Dick Grayson was a relatively minor character even before the Crisis, but the fate of the Huntress was a bitter pill, although at least she was spared the awful post-Crisis origin revamps of Power Girl and Fury (the daughter of Earth-2's Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor).

[thatsnotmygunflash]

The ask went away because I'm dumb but @simpledontmeanpeachy asked for 2 and 25 and I went back and forth on if I'd do them together or separately but since my mind went in two different directions on settings I decided to do both. So, here's 2, set on Earth-2.

It's the third day of being stuck in the stuffy conference room with Mayor Snart going over the details of his metahuman algorithm when Barry finally snaps.

"What's your problem with me?"

Mayor Snart raised one perfectly calm eyebrow up at the sudden outburst, calculated eyes narrowing as he glanced up from the paragraph he was in the middle of highlighting.

"I don't have a problem with you, Allen."

"You do." Barry had been doing his best to ignore the obvious tension between them but he couldn’t for the life of him understand what he could have done to offend Mayor Snart. "You definitely do. I know you do, I just don't know why you do."

The sly smirk that slid onto Mayor Snart's face was not making Barry feel any better about this conversation, but he couldn't spend another week trapped in this room for hours at a time dealing with Mayor Snart’s icy indifference.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I know how easily your feelings get hurt."

"Hey!"

"Case in point," Barry did his best not to stare at the amused smile that his protest had spread across Mayor Snart's face. Was it weird to be that attracted to teeth? Probably, but God, did this man have a nice smile.

"I just want to know what I did, you very obviously don't like something about me." Barry shook himself to get his mind back on what was important.

"You're right." Snart confirmed easily, leaning back in his chair while tapping his highlighter against the stack of papers in front of him. "There is something I don't like."

"What?"

"You're too nice."

"Excuse me?" Barry huffed.

He couldn’t be serious.

"You're too nice. It's sickening."

"I'm...sorry?"

"You should be."

Barry narrowed his eyes, readjusting his glasses nervously as he fought not to squirm under the Mayor's intense gaze.

"...are you messing with me?"

Barry wouldn’t be surprised if he was, Mayor Snart seemed to enjoy doing that a lot.

"You know, Detective West warned me you were oblivious, and I'm really starting to think she was right."

When had his ex-wife talked to the Mayor?

"Oblivious to what?"

The delighted head shake and snort of laughter his question received was enough to make Barry bristle.

"The only problem I have with you, Barry Allen, is the fact that you're single."

That...was definitely not what he was expecting.

"You're...mad...I'm single."

"Yes."

"But why?" Barry asked in confusion.

"Really Barry, there isn't a single reason you can think of?"

"Not really."

"How about I give you a hint then," Mayor Snart snatched up his pen, scribbling something quickly on a loose sheet of paper before pushing it across the conference table towards Barry.

"What's this?"

"My private number."

[artphotographyofmen]

Superman by Jay Hero

[cgbcomics]

[djrenard]

All-Star Squadron:

A master list of the All-Star Squadron publishing initiative. Each group belongs to the larger overarching Squadron community. They share information, resources, and support...crimefighting or otherwise.

Justice Society: the classic multigenerational team

All-Stars: The premiere team; the big guns

Infinity Inc.: Young upstarts

Freedom Fighters: Golden Age teens fighting for the freedom of today's youth

Seven Soldiers of Victory: Armor, battles, and chilvary

[avatarskywalker78]

Formal OC Introductions - Teri Merlyn/Midnight Archer (Earth-2)

As most of my OCs on my Masterlists were added after the initial post, I'm going to be posting about the ones you might not've seen for the next couple weeks!

Teri Merlyn has gone through a number of upheavals throughout her life. She started life as Meg Morgan, a Glades street rat, before being adopted by the Merlyns and gaining not only parents but a little brother, later changing her first name to one that suits her better. And for years her life is pretty good. But when Rebecca dies of natural causes, this is the start of the most dramatic upheaval yet, as Teri finds out Thea Queen's true parentage and has a huge argument with her father about it before making the impulsive decision to go with her best friend Oliver on his trip - a trip that almost proves fatal for her and does prove fatal for Oliver after the Queen's Gambit suffers damage and sinks. After she and Robert wash up on Lian Yu, they spend five years battling to survive and uncover a number of secrets surrounding Starling City. As they plan their return they resolve to do what they can to help their home, but things have drastically changed in the interim - not only are Malcolm and Moira married, but Teri's reunion with her father is marred by the tragedy of Thea's death, which has devastated Malcolm and seems to have broken Tommy, even if no one else has quite realised this. As she and Robert become the Midnight Archer and the Green Arrow respectively, hated and feared by the general population despite their non-lethal methods, it becomes clear that they are going to have their work cut out for them, and while she is determined to save the city in both her day and night jobs, Teri finds herself wondering if she truly fits in here anymore...

Tagging (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @shrinkthisviolet @mischiefmanaged21 @ocappreciationtag @negative-speedforce @starstruckpurpledragon

@dawnquafam

[doctorslippery]

[browsethestacks]

The Justice Society

Art by Mike Becker

[vexic929]

thinking about E2 WestAllen again <3333

[the-antiapocalyptic-man]

The Cyborg Superwoman, Secret Weapon of the World Army of Universalis Secundus, recreated from a Kryptonian Sunstone Total Mind Back-Up by Commander Amar Khan and General Sam Lane.

Her shell was a spare Red Tornado gynoid body that's since been scrapped and entirely replaced by K-Metals and pseudo-organics. Her new body both approximates Kryptonian abilities and allows for technopathic interfacing with non-sentient (and some sentient technologies).

Her early interactions with Earth-2's Superman Family were incredibly difficult. She found a surprising ally in another of the World Army's experimental attempts to create their own Kryptonian weapon, Paige Stetler aka Galatea, a clone of Power Girl.

As the barriers between universes begin to weaken under the endless assault of Anti-Matter Shadow Demons, Dark Matter Monsters, and the Knights of Sorrow, The Cyborg Superwoman would find herself face to face with the one person she could never truly confront on her own Earth: Lois Lane, her long deceased original self, alive and everything that her Earth-2 counterpart always wanted to be.

[cantsayidont]

September/October 1976. The 1970s revival of ALL-STAR COMICS briefly saw Keith Giffen in august company: providing breakdowns to be finished by the legendary Wally Wood. Here, they provide a stirring reintroduction for the Golden Age Clark Kent, now the middle-aged editor of the Metropolis Daily Star, but not yet too old to declare:

[nfcomics]

DCEASED WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS no.6 (of 8) • cover art • Francesco Mattina [Feb 2023]

The galactic war has reached Earth-2 and the battle to save the last bastion of hope! With an unstoppable army of infected New Gods, Yellow Lanterns, and more…does humanity have any hope of survival?

(W) Tom Taylor (A) Trevor Hairsine, Andy Lanning (CA) Francesco Mattina

[jlaclassified]

https://transatlantis.net/2020/08/01/the-omniversal-method/

Omniverse #1 cover by Peter Poplaski