Big Bang (comics)
Encyclopedia
This page is about the Milestone Comics event. For the Caliber Comics
imprint see Big Bang Comics
The Big Bang is a Milestone Comics event published by DC Comics
. The event was first chronicled in Blood Syndicate
#1 by Dwayne McDuffie
, Ivan Velez Jr. and Denys Cowan
, and Static #1 (April 1993) by Dwayne McDuffie
and Robert L. Washington III.
es and supervillain
s of Dakota - including Static and the Blood Syndicate
- got their powers. The concept was the brainchild of Christopher Priest
, who cites African-American urban legends as the inspiration.
The event took place on Paris Island, which had long suffered from heated gang wars. In 1993, the leaders of each gang decided to settle their grievances once and for all in a massive "gang bang" confrontation dubbed the "Big Bang." Word of the confrontation eventually reached Dakota's police department. Mayor Jefferson ordered them to spray every gang member present with an experimental tear gas laced with a radioactive marker that would allow the police to track the participants down later. The mayor was hoping that this would boost her reputation for being "tough on crime."
However, the gas also contained a mutagen
ic compound called "quantum juice" (or "Q-juice"). Most of those exposed to it - police included - died on the spot. The rest mutated, some being deformed, some gaining unusual abilities in the process. Others not personally involved in the conflict also became mutated as well. The survivors were dubbed "bang babies." The mayor disavowed any involvement. The survivors went on to become superheroes and supervillains that continued to roam the city of Dakota for years to come. The survivors of two gangs - the Paris Bloods and Force Syndicate - formed the core of the Blood Syndicate, a gang of bang babies which claimed Paris Island as their turf.
, the Big Bang is described through a flashback narrated by Virgil. A confrontation between two gangs (one led by the future Hotstreak, the other having called him out to protect Virgil, who is also on the scene) takes place in a restricted area on the docks. The fighting attracts the attention of the police, who arrive in helicopters and call for the gang members to drop their weapons. As the gang members run, one of them shoots out the helicopter searchlight. The police respond by shooting a tear gas grenade into the area. The canister hits bio-hazard marked barrels and ignites them, covering the area with mutagenic gas. The gang members and anyone else nearby (a common plot device in the show is introducing formerly unseen victims of the Big Bang) gain various powers from it and become known as "Bang Babies". It was later revealed that Edwin Alva Sr had planned for the Big Bang to go off.
In "Flashback", Ebon finds himself in the past and attempts to set off an earlier (and much larger) Big Bang during a previous gang war, in the hopes of having a much larger criminal empire to run upon his return. He is stopped by Static, Gear, and Timezone.
In "Power Outage", a cure for the mutagenic gas is developed and secretly administered to every resident in Dakota. This results in every Bang Baby, Static and Gear included, losing their powers. Ebon steals a sample of the gas used to create the cure, intending to use it to restore the powers of a choice few criminals. He and Hotstreak come to blows over the canister, breaking the seal. It's not made clear how many people were exposed, as the gas never escaped the ship and there were less than a dozen people present at the time. At the very least, Ebon, Hotstreak, Gear, and Static were exposed to the gas, returning their powers. Since the gas is set off inside the corridors of a ship, the concentration apparently boosts their powers as well. Ebon and Hotstreak overdose on the substance, fusing into a two-headed Bang Baby with the combined powers of both men. The creature is apparently killed by Static.
Caliber Comics
Caliber Comics or Caliber Press was an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, in the next decade Caliber published over 1300 comics and ranked as one of the America's leading independent publishers...
imprint see Big Bang Comics
Big Bang Comics
Big Bang Comics first appeared in 1994, with five issue mini-series , published by Caliber Comics. Their second series was published by Image Comics. Currently their titles are self-published.-Publication history:...
The Big Bang is a Milestone Comics event published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. The event was first chronicled in Blood Syndicate
Blood Syndicate
The Blood Syndicate is a fictional multicultural gang of superhumans created by Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in Blood Syndicate #1 , and was created by Dwayne McDuffie, Ivan Velez Jr...
#1 by Dwayne McDuffie
Dwayne McDuffie
Dwayne Glenn McDuffie was an American writer of comic books and television, known for creating the animated television series Static Shock, writing and producing the animated series Justice League Unlimited, and co-founding the pioneering minority-owned-and-operated comic-book company Milestone...
, Ivan Velez Jr. and Denys Cowan
Denys Cowan
Denys B. Cowan is an American comic book artist and television producer. He gained prominence as the primary artist on The Question, an acclaimed comic book series published by DC Comics for 36 issues from 1987 on, written by Dennis O'Neil.-Career:Denys Cowan is a 1979 graduate of the High School...
, and Static #1 (April 1993) by Dwayne McDuffie
Dwayne McDuffie
Dwayne Glenn McDuffie was an American writer of comic books and television, known for creating the animated television series Static Shock, writing and producing the animated series Justice League Unlimited, and co-founding the pioneering minority-owned-and-operated comic-book company Milestone...
and Robert L. Washington III.
Publication history
The Big Bang is a significant event in the fictional history of Milestone Comics, in which many of the superheroSuperhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es and supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
s of Dakota - including Static and the Blood Syndicate
Blood Syndicate
The Blood Syndicate is a fictional multicultural gang of superhumans created by Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in Blood Syndicate #1 , and was created by Dwayne McDuffie, Ivan Velez Jr...
- got their powers. The concept was the brainchild of Christopher Priest
Christopher Priest (comic book writer)
Christopher James Priest is a writer of comic books who is at times credited simply as Priest. He changed his name legally circa 1993.-Biography:...
, who cites African-American urban legends as the inspiration.
The event took place on Paris Island, which had long suffered from heated gang wars. In 1993, the leaders of each gang decided to settle their grievances once and for all in a massive "gang bang" confrontation dubbed the "Big Bang." Word of the confrontation eventually reached Dakota's police department. Mayor Jefferson ordered them to spray every gang member present with an experimental tear gas laced with a radioactive marker that would allow the police to track the participants down later. The mayor was hoping that this would boost her reputation for being "tough on crime."
However, the gas also contained a mutagen
Mutagen
In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that changes the genetic material, usually DNA, of an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations cause cancer, mutagens are therefore also likely to be carcinogens...
ic compound called "quantum juice" (or "Q-juice"). Most of those exposed to it - police included - died on the spot. The rest mutated, some being deformed, some gaining unusual abilities in the process. Others not personally involved in the conflict also became mutated as well. The survivors were dubbed "bang babies." The mayor disavowed any involvement. The survivors went on to become superheroes and supervillains that continued to roam the city of Dakota for years to come. The survivors of two gangs - the Paris Bloods and Force Syndicate - formed the core of the Blood Syndicate, a gang of bang babies which claimed Paris Island as their turf.
In other media
In the animated series Static ShockStatic Shock
Static Shock is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered in September 2000 on the Kids' WB! block and ran for four seasons, with a total of 52 half-hour episodes....
, the Big Bang is described through a flashback narrated by Virgil. A confrontation between two gangs (one led by the future Hotstreak, the other having called him out to protect Virgil, who is also on the scene) takes place in a restricted area on the docks. The fighting attracts the attention of the police, who arrive in helicopters and call for the gang members to drop their weapons. As the gang members run, one of them shoots out the helicopter searchlight. The police respond by shooting a tear gas grenade into the area. The canister hits bio-hazard marked barrels and ignites them, covering the area with mutagenic gas. The gang members and anyone else nearby (a common plot device in the show is introducing formerly unseen victims of the Big Bang) gain various powers from it and become known as "Bang Babies". It was later revealed that Edwin Alva Sr had planned for the Big Bang to go off.
In "Flashback", Ebon finds himself in the past and attempts to set off an earlier (and much larger) Big Bang during a previous gang war, in the hopes of having a much larger criminal empire to run upon his return. He is stopped by Static, Gear, and Timezone.
In "Power Outage", a cure for the mutagenic gas is developed and secretly administered to every resident in Dakota. This results in every Bang Baby, Static and Gear included, losing their powers. Ebon steals a sample of the gas used to create the cure, intending to use it to restore the powers of a choice few criminals. He and Hotstreak come to blows over the canister, breaking the seal. It's not made clear how many people were exposed, as the gas never escaped the ship and there were less than a dozen people present at the time. At the very least, Ebon, Hotstreak, Gear, and Static were exposed to the gas, returning their powers. Since the gas is set off inside the corridors of a ship, the concentration apparently boosts their powers as well. Ebon and Hotstreak overdose on the substance, fusing into a two-headed Bang Baby with the combined powers of both men. The creature is apparently killed by Static.
Notable bang babies
- Aquamaria
- Blood SyndicateBlood SyndicateThe Blood Syndicate is a fictional multicultural gang of superhumans created by Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in Blood Syndicate #1 , and was created by Dwayne McDuffie, Ivan Velez Jr...
- Ebon (Static ShockStatic ShockStatic Shock is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered in September 2000 on the Kids' WB! block and ran for four seasons, with a total of 52 half-hour episodes....
animated series) - Gear
- HolocaustHolocaust (DC Comics)Holocaust is a fictional character in the Milestone Comics universe. Created as part of the Blood Syndicate for Milestone Media, the character has since gone on to become a gangster and supervillain.-Publication history:...
- Hotstreak ("Biz Money B")
- Rubber-Band Man
- Static
- Talon (Static Shock animated series)