Monarchy (comic book)
Encyclopedia
The Monarchy was an American comic book
series written by Doselle Young
with art by John McCrea
. It was published by Wildstorm
. The Monarchy lasted 12 issues and had an intro-issue in The Authority #21.
The series focused on Stormwatch
-members Jackson King and Christine Trelane
(formerly known as Battalion and Synergy) gathering a team of superheroes for the extra-dimensional Weavers.
as liaisons to the Authority, get married and disappear. The U.N. order special agent Morro to investigate their disappearance.
Over the next few months they gather many resources all over the world, they resurrect the superhero Union
, free the chaos-artist Condition Red
from his imprisonment and enlist Professor Q. They then enlist Jon Farmer, who had been a member of a previous, alternate version of the Monarchy called the Throne. Farmer had been living as a priest for years, but King and Trelane convince him to join them. Their next few missions are to obtain some essential weapons: a Kheran
Dream Engine and an unrevealed weapon in exchange for the spirit of Hitler, who had been possessing a politician. Their next recruit is Addie Vochs, a Century Baby whose powers had been repressed by the Fever Men, evil creatures of pure thought. Vochs is rejuvenated and receives her powers.
King then decides to investigate the former home of Henry Bendix
, genius and his former superior. He finds information on creating a powerful being by binding an ancient Native American god to the soul of a human. King follows the instructions, tying the spirit of Los Angeles to a failed superhero, Bram Dusk, but the resulting creature turns on him and kills him. In the end Dusk manages to take control and becomes the Metropolitan.
Chimaera meanwhile isn't sitting still and notices the threat of the Monarchy, while the Monarchy find out what exactly Chimaera is: Due to the Authority's frequent travels through the Bleed
, their characteristics and aggression had been imprinted on many worlds and they went on to conquer other worlds, forming Chimaera, an ever-expanding empire of evil Authorities led by the Higher Power, a reptilian version of the Authority. Chimaera attacks the Throne, the base of the Monarchy. The Monarchy manages to escape thanks to the sacrifice of Jon Farmer.
Trelane leads her people towards a sanatorium where Malcolm King, Jackson's younger brother, is staying. Agent Morro is questioning Malcolm, but finds a Malcolm having the Kheran Dream Engine and being a part of the Monarchy. Morro suddenly starts to remember a hidden program Jackson King put in his mind: he's King's backup and has King's plans telepathically planted inside his mind. Christine arrives and greets Malcolm, while Addie Vochs calms Morro. The Monarchy regroups and opens their attack on Chimaera following the plans Jackson left in Morro's head.
Elsewhere Henry Bendix, somehow still alive and now allied with the Weavers, finds the spirit of Jackson King and resurrects him as an imaginary being. King is now a being of pure willpower. He contacts the essence of Farmer and shapes it into a sword. He also reveals the secret weapon they received in return for the spirit of Hitler: It is Fenris, the mythological wolf of Norse myth. King, Bendix and Fenris attack Chimaera as well.
Together they defeat the troops of Chimaera and Trelane leads Malcolm and Addie Vochs to combine their powers, curing Chimaera's corrupted center. Trelane recruits a young boy, Matt, with the power to create superhumans for the new Monarchy, starting their expansion of the team and takes them to their new Throne, a mobile world.
Jackson King appears in the Authority: Human on the Inside, which takes place after the events of the Monarchy series, and appears to be alive in human form and not the being of pure imagination that he was at the end of the Monarchy series. Both Jackson King and Christine Trelane have returned to their former statues at Stormwatch in the new series Stormwatch: P.H.D.
. There has been no mention of the other Monarchy members nor have they displayed the vast amount of power the two characters wielded at the end of the Monarchy series. It's believed that the Monarchy series happened in an alternate reality, which would free up King and Trelane to return to Stormwatch and the Wildstorm Universe unaltered. In Stormwatch: P.H.D. #5, it is hinted that everything was a drug-induced hallucination from King, caused by the Doctor of the Authority. King says: "At that party on the Carrier, he dosed my drink with LSD or something. I felt like I was tripping for a year."
:
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
series written by Doselle Young
Doselle Young
Doselle Young is an American science fiction author, graphic novelist and contributor to both prose and comics anthologies.-Biography:Doselle Young is a Los Angeles-based author, story consultant and graphic novelist. He has written stories for such iconic DC Comics characters such as Superman,...
with art by John McCrea
John McCrea
John McCrea is a comic book artist best known for his collaborations with writer Garth Ennis.-Career:...
. It was published by Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
. The Monarchy lasted 12 issues and had an intro-issue in The Authority #21.
The series focused on Stormwatch
Stormwatch (comics)
Stormwatch is a fictional United Nations-sponsored superhero team that originated in the Wildstorm Universe and has since been revived as part of the DC Universe. The original version of Stormwatch first appeared in Stormwatch Stormwatch is a fictional United Nations-sponsored superhero team that...
-members Jackson King and Christine Trelane
Synergy (comics)
Christine Trelane, formerly known as Synergy is a fictional character in the Wildstorm universe. She was created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi as a member of Stormwatch....
(formerly known as Battalion and Synergy) gathering a team of superheroes for the extra-dimensional Weavers.
Plot
During a party with the Authority, where King is increasingly annoyed with his former team-members and their methods, the Weavers contact King and inform him that the universe as they know it is threatened by Chimaera. To combat Chimaera, King and Trelane have to gather a group of unique individuals. King and Trelane accept. They leave their jobs with the U.N.United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
as liaisons to the Authority, get married and disappear. The U.N. order special agent Morro to investigate their disappearance.
Over the next few months they gather many resources all over the world, they resurrect the superhero Union
Union (comics)
Union is a fictional character in the Wildstorm universe.-Character history:Ohmen was a member of a faction, called the Protectorate, on his homeworld of Aegena. The world was mired in a long civil war, as the Protectorate fought against another faction, the Directorate, for control of the planet...
, free the chaos-artist Condition Red
Condition Red (comics)
Condition Red is the name of two different fictional American comic book characters who exist in the Wildstorm Universe: Max Cash from WildC.A.T.s and Caleb from the Monarchy.-Max Cash :...
from his imprisonment and enlist Professor Q. They then enlist Jon Farmer, who had been a member of a previous, alternate version of the Monarchy called the Throne. Farmer had been living as a priest for years, but King and Trelane convince him to join them. Their next few missions are to obtain some essential weapons: a Kheran
Kherubim
The Kherubim or Kherans are an alien race in the fictional Wildstorm Universe. They were created by Jim Lee and first appeared in WildC.A.Ts #1 .-Biology:...
Dream Engine and an unrevealed weapon in exchange for the spirit of Hitler, who had been possessing a politician. Their next recruit is Addie Vochs, a Century Baby whose powers had been repressed by the Fever Men, evil creatures of pure thought. Vochs is rejuvenated and receives her powers.
King then decides to investigate the former home of Henry Bendix
Henry Bendix
Henry Bendix, also known as Weatherman, is a fictional character in the Wildstorm universe. He first appeared in the Stormwatch series.-Early life:...
, genius and his former superior. He finds information on creating a powerful being by binding an ancient Native American god to the soul of a human. King follows the instructions, tying the spirit of Los Angeles to a failed superhero, Bram Dusk, but the resulting creature turns on him and kills him. In the end Dusk manages to take control and becomes the Metropolitan.
Chimaera meanwhile isn't sitting still and notices the threat of the Monarchy, while the Monarchy find out what exactly Chimaera is: Due to the Authority's frequent travels through the Bleed
Bleed (Wildstorm)
The Bleed is a fictional interdimensional realm, a comic book construct that appears in books published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Stormwatch #7 , and was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch.-Publication history:...
, their characteristics and aggression had been imprinted on many worlds and they went on to conquer other worlds, forming Chimaera, an ever-expanding empire of evil Authorities led by the Higher Power, a reptilian version of the Authority. Chimaera attacks the Throne, the base of the Monarchy. The Monarchy manages to escape thanks to the sacrifice of Jon Farmer.
Trelane leads her people towards a sanatorium where Malcolm King, Jackson's younger brother, is staying. Agent Morro is questioning Malcolm, but finds a Malcolm having the Kheran Dream Engine and being a part of the Monarchy. Morro suddenly starts to remember a hidden program Jackson King put in his mind: he's King's backup and has King's plans telepathically planted inside his mind. Christine arrives and greets Malcolm, while Addie Vochs calms Morro. The Monarchy regroups and opens their attack on Chimaera following the plans Jackson left in Morro's head.
Elsewhere Henry Bendix, somehow still alive and now allied with the Weavers, finds the spirit of Jackson King and resurrects him as an imaginary being. King is now a being of pure willpower. He contacts the essence of Farmer and shapes it into a sword. He also reveals the secret weapon they received in return for the spirit of Hitler: It is Fenris, the mythological wolf of Norse myth. King, Bendix and Fenris attack Chimaera as well.
Together they defeat the troops of Chimaera and Trelane leads Malcolm and Addie Vochs to combine their powers, curing Chimaera's corrupted center. Trelane recruits a young boy, Matt, with the power to create superhumans for the new Monarchy, starting their expansion of the team and takes them to their new Throne, a mobile world.
Jackson King appears in the Authority: Human on the Inside, which takes place after the events of the Monarchy series, and appears to be alive in human form and not the being of pure imagination that he was at the end of the Monarchy series. Both Jackson King and Christine Trelane have returned to their former statues at Stormwatch in the new series Stormwatch: P.H.D.
Stormwatch: Post Human Division
Stormwatch: Post Human Division is an American comic book published by Wildstorm comics. It is the fourth volume to bear the name Stormwatch and was one of several comics used to reboot the Wildstorm Universe...
. There has been no mention of the other Monarchy members nor have they displayed the vast amount of power the two characters wielded at the end of the Monarchy series. It's believed that the Monarchy series happened in an alternate reality, which would free up King and Trelane to return to Stormwatch and the Wildstorm Universe unaltered. In Stormwatch: P.H.D. #5, it is hinted that everything was a drug-induced hallucination from King, caused by the Doctor of the Authority. King says: "At that party on the Carrier, he dosed my drink with LSD or something. I felt like I was tripping for a year."
Reception
A reviewer of Bullets Over Babylon, a trade paperback of the book's first five issues, noted:"I was never a fan of the Authority. I enjoy the concept and all, but after the first story arch it just seemed to be biting itself in the ass, going in circles recycling one theme over and over until stale....What Young and McCrea have done though is taken a rather limited idea and given it more vision and more focus, The Monarchy gives The Authority more credibility in my eyes, it does what good spin-offs should do, it gives you something to compare to and grow from....I sincerely hope the whole series sees collected format in the long run, because I'm sure in time it will be one of those sought after classics on people's shelves beside The Prisoner and Moonshadow, and other things like that."
Members
- Jackson King: telekinetic and telepath. Former leader of StormwatchStormwatch (comics)Stormwatch is a fictional United Nations-sponsored superhero team that originated in the Wildstorm Universe and has since been revived as part of the DC Universe. The original version of Stormwatch first appeared in Stormwatch Stormwatch is a fictional United Nations-sponsored superhero team that...
as Battalion, Jackson became the U.N. liaison to the Authority after Stormwatch disbanded. He grew more and more displeased with the Authority and accepted the Weaver's assignment. He now leads the Monarchy.
- Christine TrelaneSynergy (comics)Christine Trelane, formerly known as Synergy is a fictional character in the Wildstorm universe. She was created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi as a member of Stormwatch....
: Formerly the Stormwatch-member Synergy, Christine possesses the rare and valuable power of Activation, allowing her to turn ordinary humans into superhumans. She is married to Jackson King and her extraordinary intelligence and organisation skills make her as much the leader of the Monarchy as Jackson is.
- Jon Farmer: Formerly the youngest member of the Throne, a pre-cursor to the Monarchy until it was destroyed by Abraham Dusk, the living quantum virus. The Throne's Jackson King threw Farmer into the Bleed before detonating their base, leaving Farmer as the sole survivor. Farmer arrives on Earth in 1967 and as a brief career as superhero, becomes a priest. He also worked as a barman on the Authority's party. Farmer has the ability to manipulate a rainbow-coloured energy that he can use for various effects. He also is capable of flight under his own power.
- UnionUnion (comics)Union is a fictional character in the Wildstorm universe.-Character history:Ohmen was a member of a faction, called the Protectorate, on his homeworld of Aegena. The world was mired in a long civil war, as the Protectorate fought against another faction, the Directorate, for control of the planet...
: Ohmen, an alien from the planet Agea, became Union, a veteran superhero in the Wildstorm universe. He served with Stormwatch as a reserve member and had a long career as a solo hero. During the party on Authority's Carrier, Union committed suicide. Jackson took his Justice Stone and resurrected Union, now as a dark and brooding man, focused more on punishing the guilty than saving the innocent. Union's powers are the result of the Justice Stone implanted in his chest. It allows him to generate objects made from energy (like his fighting staff), gives him superhuman strength and durability and flight.
- Condition RedCondition Red (comics)Condition Red is the name of two different fictional American comic book characters who exist in the Wildstorm Universe: Max Cash from WildC.A.T.s and Caleb from the Monarchy.-Max Cash :...
: Caleb was a trickster, imprisoned and tortured by his enemy Doctor Osiris for sleeping with his daughters. King and Trelane freed him and in return he joins the Monarchy. Condition Red reveals little about himself, acting glib towards everybody. He has special weaponry, capable of removing spirits from a person's body as well as more conventional weaponry. He also possesses a special device, looking like a vial of smoke, that allows him to teleport.
- Professor Q: Nicknamed the Calculator Goddess, she has superhuman intelligence and seems to enjoy herself the most when she is fighting. She can generate machinery as quickly as she can invent them and was able to invent and generate a singularityGravitational singularityA gravitational singularity or spacetime singularity is a location where the quantities that are used to measure the gravitational field become infinite in a way that does not depend on the coordinate system...
generator in picosecondPicosecondA picosecond is 10−12 of a second. That is one trillionth, or one millionth of one millionth of a second, or 0.000 000 000 001 seconds. A picosecond is to one second as one second is to 31,700 years....
s. She seems to develop some romantic interest in Malcolm King.
- Vox Populi: Addie Vochs, a Century Baby born 1 year later than the others. Addie's powers were locked away for most of her life and when Trelane and Professor Q visit her she is an old woman. Trelane rejuvenates her and awakens her powers and Addie Vochs becomes Vox Populi, capable of using her voice for various effects ranging from destructive songs to calming tunes.
- The Metropolitan: Bram Dusk, a human version of the quantum virus Abraham Dusk received superhuman powers when he was hit by lightning. As the Last Angel he was a superhero with superhuman speed and agility, but he was a failure, both as hero and in his private life. King decided to give him a chance at more power and bound his soul to Chichinika, the snake god of Los Angeles. The resulting creature killed King, but with the help of Farmer and Condition Red, Bram managed to take control and became the Metropolitan. As the Metropolitan, he seems to adapt to whatever is thrown at him, constantly changing his abilities to remain unpredictable.
- Malcolm King: Brother to Jackson King and the former Stormwatch-member Strafe, Malcolm was put into a sanatorium when his brother's telepathy put him into a coma. When Agent Morro tries to find out more about Jackson King, Malcolm reveals that he has merged with the KheranKherubimThe Kherubim or Kherans are an alien race in the fictional Wildstorm Universe. They were created by Jim Lee and first appeared in WildC.A.Ts #1 .-Biology:...
Dream Engine and is part of the Monarchy. Christine Trelane appears and calls Malcolm BellerophonBellerophonBellerophon or Bellerophontes is a hero of Greek mythology. He was "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside of Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles", and his greatest feat was killing the Chimera, a monster that Homer depicted with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a...
, which may be his codename or just a joke from Christine as Malcolm is destined to slay Chimaera.
- Fenris: The secret weapon of the Monarchy is the mythological wolf from Norse Myth who will swallow the sun at RagnarokRagnarökIn Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
. Traded for the spirit of Hitler with some mysterious entities, the Monarchy receive Fenris as a little wolf, but a few months later when they reveal this secret weapon, it already has grown to the size of a large building. Fenris doesn't seem to be more intelligent than a regular wolf and obeys King's commands. He seems to be little more than a living weapon of mass destruction.
- Matt: Gifted with the ability to give superhuman powers to regular humans as well as possessing enormous destructive powers himself, Matt was saved by Jon Farmer when his powers made him release an enormous explosion of energy. He is the first recruit of the Monarchy after they defeated Chimaera.
Allies
- The Weavers: Souls of dead humans that have been given the task to safeguard the multiverse. They often appear as spiders or half spider/half humans. They give information to the humans they work with, but don't seem to act themselves in any way.
- Henry BendixHenry BendixHenry Bendix, also known as Weatherman, is a fictional character in the Wildstorm universe. He first appeared in the Stormwatch series.-Early life:...
: An alternate universe version of the former Stormwatch Weatherman, he secretly replaced his WSU counterpart shortly after the reorganization of Stormwatch. His actions eventually lead his teammates to assume that he was insane, which in turn led him to eventually being killed by Jenny SparksJenny SparksJenny Sparks, also known as "The Spirit of the 20th century", is a fictional character in the Wildstorm comic book universe created by Warren Ellis during his 1997 revamp of the dwindling Stormwatch series...
, Bendix reveals that this was just a plot to turn into an imaginary being, made out of pure willpower. As an imaginary being, he has nicknamed himself Happy Hank Bendix and acts like a completely different man. Bendix is a genius and uses weapons of his own design to help the Weavers in their task.
- Agent Morro: An FBI agent tasked with finding King and Trelane, Morro turns out to be a vital part of King's plan.
Collected editions
Part of the series has been collected as a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- The Monarchy: Bullets Over Babylon (collects The Authority #21 and The Monarchy #1-4, December, 2001, TitanTitan BooksTitan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
ISBN 1-84023-390-7; DCDC ComicsDC 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...
ISBN 1-56389-859-4)
See also
- United Nations in popular cultureUnited Nations in popular culturePopular culture references to the United Nations have been made in several media, including film, books, video games, and others. In many instances, the United Nations will figure in a storyline...
- The Establishment, another series in the Wildstorm UniverseWildstorm UniverseThe Wildstorm Universe is a fictional shared universe where the comic books published by Wildstorm take place. It represents an alternate history of the real world where ideas such as interstellar travel and superhuman abilities are commonplace...
which has a similar length run before being cancelled and remains uncollected.
External links
- Review of Bullets Over Babylon and individual issues: 1, 4, 5, 6, 6, 8 and 10, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...