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The Twelve (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Twelve is an American
comic book
limited series
from Marvel Comics
, which the company announced in July 2007 would run twelve issues beginning spring 2008, with the creative team of writer
J. Michael Straczynski
and artist
Chris Weston
. The series stars 12 obscure characters from Marvel's earliest incarnation as Timely Comics
from the 1940s period historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books
.
said in July 2007 that the story concerns 12 superhumans randomly kidnapped by the Nazis during World War II
in order to study their powers for the Nazis' "Master Race" efforts. The superhumans were put in cryonic suspended-animation until the present day, when a construction project in Berlin, Germany inadvertently uncovers them. The series explores the culture shock
of people from the 1940s being revived in the present day. "I wanted to explore their reactions to us, and our reactions to them ... what was good about the World War II period that we lost, and what was not so good about it that we've eliminated in all but them".
In early 2009, Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada
said the series was put "on hold" after issue #8 (Nov. 2008) because of Straczynski's increased demand as a screenwriter
after the success of Changeling
, and artist Weston's having taken on conceptual art and storyboard
ing on a separate film project. The series remained on indefinite hiatus throughout 2009. In February 2010, Straczynski said that the series would be resuming later that year. In November of that year, with no further issues having appeared, Straczynski said Weston "has now caught up on the artwork", without specifying an issue or page-count, and that he intended to continue scripting. According to news site Bleeding Cool, as of April 2011, Weston had just begun inking pencils for issue eleven. On September 30, 2011, Weston announced via Twitter that the Twelve was complete.
Battle of Berlin
in 1945, a dozen of the many superheroes and masked crimefighters of that era are ambushed by Nazis in the basement of an SS
building, where the heroes are gassed and placed into cryogenic suspension for later experimentation, but the building is air bombed soon after and anyone aware of their situation is killed. In the present day, construction workers find this bunker, and the Twelve, as they become known, are revived. Put into the care of the U.S. military, they are housed together in a mansion where they receive counseling and support, are gradually made to understand that decades have passed, and are offered a role as heroes in the 21st century.
The Twelve adjust in various ways: The Blue Blade becomes a celebrity; the Phantom Reporter starts a column for the Daily Bugle
, Dynamic Man allies himself with the FBI and other law-enforcement agencies and throws himself into heroics; the Black Widow reconnects as the "instrument of vengeance" of an unknown party and begins going on missions; and Rockman bemoans being cut off from an underground kingdom that may or may not exist. On ballistics evidence, police arrest the Laughing Mask for a 1940s murder. In addition, the daughter of the creator of the robot Electro reclaims possession of the robot.
In framing story set "much later", the Phantom Reporter, gun in hand, stands over the body of the Blue Blade, regretting the man's death.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
from Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, which the company announced in July 2007 would run twelve issues beginning spring 2008, with the creative team of writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Chris Weston
Chris Weston
Chris Weston is a British comics artist who has worked both in the US and UK comics industries.-Biography:Weston was born in January, 1969 in Rinteln, Germany, and lived in various countries as a child...
. The series stars 12 obscure characters from Marvel's earliest incarnation as Timely Comics
Timely Comics
Timely Comics, an imprint of Timely Publications, was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics....
from the 1940s period historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
.
Publication history
Writer J. Michael StraczynskiJ. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
said in July 2007 that the story concerns 12 superhumans randomly kidnapped by the Nazis during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in order to study their powers for the Nazis' "Master Race" efforts. The superhumans were put in cryonic suspended-animation until the present day, when a construction project in Berlin, Germany inadvertently uncovers them. The series explores the culture shock
Culture shock
Culture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture.One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign country. Culture shock can be described as consisting of one or more distinct phases...
of people from the 1940s being revived in the present day. "I wanted to explore their reactions to us, and our reactions to them ... what was good about the World War II period that we lost, and what was not so good about it that we've eliminated in all but them".
In early 2009, Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
said the series was put "on hold" after issue #8 (Nov. 2008) because of Straczynski's increased demand as a screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
after the success of Changeling
Changeling (film)
Changeling is a 2008 American drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by J. Michael Straczynski. Based on real-life events in 1928 Los Angeles, the film stars Angelina Jolie as a woman who is reunited with her missing son—only to realize he is an impostor. She confronts the city...
, and artist Weston's having taken on conceptual art and storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
ing on a separate film project. The series remained on indefinite hiatus throughout 2009. In February 2010, Straczynski said that the series would be resuming later that year. In November of that year, with no further issues having appeared, Straczynski said Weston "has now caught up on the artwork", without specifying an issue or page-count, and that he intended to continue scripting. According to news site Bleeding Cool, as of April 2011, Weston had just begun inking pencils for issue eleven. On September 30, 2011, Weston announced via Twitter that the Twelve was complete.
Plot synopsis
As related by the Phantom Reporter: During the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
in 1945, a dozen of the many superheroes and masked crimefighters of that era are ambushed by Nazis in the basement of an SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
building, where the heroes are gassed and placed into cryogenic suspension for later experimentation, but the building is air bombed soon after and anyone aware of their situation is killed. In the present day, construction workers find this bunker, and the Twelve, as they become known, are revived. Put into the care of the U.S. military, they are housed together in a mansion where they receive counseling and support, are gradually made to understand that decades have passed, and are offered a role as heroes in the 21st century.
The Twelve adjust in various ways: The Blue Blade becomes a celebrity; the Phantom Reporter starts a column for the Daily Bugle
Daily Bugle
The Daily Bugle is a fictional New York City newspaper that is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, most prominently in Spider-Man comic titles and their derivative media...
, Dynamic Man allies himself with the FBI and other law-enforcement agencies and throws himself into heroics; the Black Widow reconnects as the "instrument of vengeance" of an unknown party and begins going on missions; and Rockman bemoans being cut off from an underground kingdom that may or may not exist. On ballistics evidence, police arrest the Laughing Mask for a 1940s murder. In addition, the daughter of the creator of the robot Electro reclaims possession of the robot.
In framing story set "much later", the Phantom Reporter, gun in hand, stands over the body of the Blue Blade, regretting the man's death.
Membership
The Twelve are:- The Blue BladeBlue BladeThe Blue Blade is an American comic book character owned by Marvel Comics who exists in that company's Marvel Universe. His only appearance was in USA Comics #5, published in the 1940s by Marvel's forerunner, Timely Comics, during a period that is known as the Golden Age of Comic Books.After the...
- The Black Widow (not the modern character of that name)
- Captain WonderCaptain Wonder (Timely Comics)Captain Wonder is a fictional comic book character, first published by Timely Comics, the forerunner of Marvel Comics during the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. He is superhero who possesses the power of super strength...
- Dynamic ManDynamic Man (Timely Comics)Dynamic Man is a fictional comic book character, first published by Timely Comics, the forerunner of Marvel Comics during the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books....
- Electro
- The Fiery MaskFiery MaskFiery Mask is a fictional character from the Timely/Marvel Comics universe. He was a Golden Age superhero created by Joe Simon and first appeared in Daring Mystery Comics #1.-Publication history:...
- The Laughing MaskLaughing MaskThe Laughing Mask is a Timely Comics Golden Age superhero who appeared in Daring Mystery Comics #2, 1941, and reappeared in The Twelve.His one Golden Age story was reprinted in The Twelve #0.-Fictional character biography:...
- Master Mind ExcelloMaster Mind ExcelloMaster Mind Excello is an American comic book character owned by Marvel Comics who exists in that company's Marvel Universe...
- Mister EMister E (Timely Comics)Mister E was a Timely Comics Golden Age superhero. He appeared in Daring Mystery Comics #2, and reappears in 2008 in The Twelve. His only story has been reprinted in The Twelve #1/2....
- The Phantom ReporterPhantom ReporterThe Phantom Reporter is a fictional comic book character who first appeared in Daring Mystery Comics #3, published by Timely Comics, the forerunner to Marvel Comics, during the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books.He appears in The Twelve. He had no known superpowers...
- RockmanRockman (comics)Rockman is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in U.S.A. Comics #1 , published by Marvel predecessor Timely Comics during the 1930s to 1940s period historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comics...
- The WitnessWitness (comics)The Witness is the name of at least three fictional, American comic-book characters, the first published by Timely Comics in the 1940s and the final two by its successor company, Marvel Comics.-Timely Comics:-Publication history:...
Collected editions
- Volume 1 (collects The Twelve #1-6, 144 pages, hardcover, October 2008, ISBN 0-7851-3372-0)
External links
- JMS Talks Timely About The Twelve, Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, November 1, 2007