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Netherworld (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
The Netherworld is a fictional autonomous neighborhood of the city of Chicago
in the DC Comics
universe. It first appears in Hawkworld
#30 (January, 1993), it was created by John Ostrander
and Tim Truman.
on the south side of the city and appears to be completely off the radar of both Illinois
state and Chicago city officials, The locals police and so they govern themselves. The Netherworld is home to Metahumans, paranormals, psychics, and mutants who shun the traditional role of superhero
or supervillain
, and wish to live as normal people. Most locals hang out at the Slaughterhouse, a local bar which was converted from an old slaughterhouse
.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in the 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...
universe. It first appears in Hawkworld
Hawkworld
Hawkworld is a comic book series that was published by DC Comics. The initial story line was published as a three-issue mini-series and then, based on the high sales and interest level generated by this limited series, launched as an ongoing monthly book...
#30 (January, 1993), it was created by John Ostrander
John Ostrander
John Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. He is best known for his work on Suicide Squad, Grimjack and Star Wars: Legacy, series he helped create.-Career:...
and Tim Truman.
History
Originally created for use in Hawkman (Katar Hol) stories, it is located in what remains of the old Union Stock YardsUnion Stock Yards
The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, was the meat packing district in Chicago for over a century starting in 1865. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired swampland, and turned it to a centralized processing area...
on the south side of the city and appears to be completely off the radar of both Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
state and Chicago city officials, The locals police and so they govern themselves. The Netherworld is home to Metahumans, paranormals, psychics, and mutants who shun the traditional role of superhero
Superhero
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 —...
or 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...
, and wish to live as normal people. Most locals hang out at the Slaughterhouse, a local bar which was converted from an old slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
.
Unique local groups
- Hairballs - The Hairballs are feral humans addicted to a mutagenic drug called Hairballs which transforms them into pseudo-werewolves.
- Phreaks - The Phreaks are Metahumans whose bodies were mutated by the triggering of their metagenes, similar to the New BloodsBloodlines (comics)"Bloodlines" was a 1993 comic book story arc published by DC Comics. It was an intracompany crossover that ran through DC's superhero annuals and concluded with a two-issue 'Bloodbath' miniseries written by Dan Raspler. The antagonists were a race of monstrous xenomorph-like aliens, incorrectly...
, and the Jokers of the Wild CardsWild CardsWild Cards is a science fiction and superhero anthology series set in a shared universe. The series was created by a group of New Mexico science fiction authors, but it is mostly pulled together and edited by best-selling author George R. R. Martin with assistance by Melinda Snodgrass, also a...
universe. - Nasties - A gang as well as a symbiotic binary species. The Nasties each sport a large tattoo somewhere on their bodies, these tattoos are actually demonic symbiotes which control the bodies they ride on and slowly eat their minds and souls.
Unique personalities
- Battle Axe - A phreak with two forearms at each elbow.
- Buzzkutt - A metahuman who is able to vibrate his hands at superspeed.
- Count Viper - An immortal psionic bent on world domination, and a nemesis of Hawkman. Comte Etienne du Vipere exists as a being of pure psionic energy, able to jump from host to host at will.
- FerAlyse - A woman named Jackee Jones who went by the street name ZuLuLu. Jackee kicked her addiction to Hairballs with Hawkman's help but was permanently mutated into her feral form and so took the name FerAlyce.
- Knowbuddy - A local shapeshifter who has forgotten his original form. Trusted by all denizens of the Netherworld, he keeps the Book a codexCodexA codex is a book in the format used for modern books, with multiple quires or gatherings typically bound together and given a cover.Developed by the Romans from wooden writing tablets, its gradual replacement...
of the ways, rules, customs and practices of Netherworld. - Lefty - A phreak with two massively overmuscled left arms.
- Mustang Suzy - A cyborgCyborgA cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
centaurCentaurIn Greek mythology, a centaur or hippocentaur is a member of a composite race of creatures, part human and part horse...
whose lower half from the waist down is a Harley Davidson motorcycle. - Null - A professed nihilistNihilismNihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
and a homeless gravitakinetic. - Thrasher - A guitarist named Jack Craig who was trained by the same demonic entity that empowered the FiddlerFiddler (comics)The Fiddler is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain and a recurring foe of the first Flash . He first appeared in All-Flash #32 .-Fictional character biography:...
.