Bloodlines (comics)

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Bloodlines
Bloodbath #1 starring the Justice League, art by Ed Hannigan
Publisher DC Comics Format one-shot Publication dates Issue #1 early December 1993 Issue #2 late December 1993 Number of issues 2 Main character(s) Justice League Creative team as of December 1993 Writer(s) Dan Raspler Penciller(s) Chuck Wojtkiewicz Sal Velluto Inker(s) Agop Gemdjian Jeff Albrecht Del Barras Colourist(s) Stuart Chaifetz Creator(s) Alan Grant Dan Raspler Christian Alamy

Bloodlines was an intracompany crossover that spanned all of the annuals published by DC Comics in 1993. The event was bookended by two Bloodbath specials, written by Dan Raspler, with issue one at the beginning of the event drawn by Chuck Wojtkiewicz and issue two at the end of the event drawn by Sal Velluto. The alien parasites premiered in Lobo annual vol. 2 #1 written by Alan Grant and drawn by Christian Alamy.

Contents 1 History 2 Story Order 2.1 Bloodlines: Outbreak 2.2 Bloodlines: Earthplague 2.3 Bloodlines: Deathstorm 2.4 Bloodlines: Bloodbath 3 New Bloods

[edit] History

The villains of the crossover were the formerly imprisoned survivors of a race of alien parasites named Angon, Gemir, Glonth, Lissick, Pritor, Ragnorak, Venev, and Slodd that could shapeshift into humanoid form. The bite of the Bloodlines Parasites was administered to the back of the neck by a mouth-within-a-mouth (a reference to the titular creatures of the Alien series). This bite usually killed the victim for food but occasionally awakened superhuman powers in the recipient, as this was also the means by which the creatures could reproduce.

Each of the annuals involved in the crossover used this plot device to introduce a new super-powered character to the DC Universe. The only character to attain any long-standing notoriety was Hitman, who first appeared in that year's Demon Annual and went on to star in his own sixty-issue ongoing series.

The Bloodlines crossover event spanned 23 of DC's regular titles and wrapped up in the 2-part mini "Bloodbath". The alien parasites that came to Earth to gather spinal fluid sacrificed themselves to help birth a gigantic alien known as the Taker. Many long-term heros were absorbed into the monster, only to be saved by the very heros the parasites had created.

This series spun off into the Blood Pack mini-series.

Some of the heros created by the aliens died in the 2005-2006's Infinite Crisis event, but as was depicted in the Bloodlines specials, there were close to a thousand New Bloods in North America.

[edit] Story Order

Bloodlines was divided into four "chapters": Outbreak, Earthplague, Deathstorm, and Bloodbath. The order of the storyline is as follows:

[edit] Bloodlines: Outbreak

• Lobo Annual #1

• Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #2

• Batman: Shadow of The Bat Annual #1

• Flash Annual #6

• New Titans Annual #9

• Superman Annual #5

• Green Lantern Annual #2

• Batman Annual #17

• Justice League International Annual #4

[edit] Bloodlines: Earthplague

• Robin Annual #2

• Action Comics Annual #5

• Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #4

• Green Arrow Annual #6

• Detective Comics Annual #6

• Justice League America Annual #7

• Adventures of Superman Annual #5

• Hawkman Annual #1

[edit] Bloodlines: Deathstorm

• Deathstroke Annual #2

• Eclipso Annual #1

• Demon Annual #2

• Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight Annual #3

• Team Titans Annual #1

• L.E.G.I.O.N. Annual #4

[edit] Bloodlines: Bloodbath

• Bloodbath #1

• Bloodbath #2

[edit] New Bloods

The superhumans whose powers were awakened by the alien parasites were known collectively as "New Blood." Individually, they were:

• Action Comics Annual #5 — Loose Cannon: "super-strong ex-cop, a mood ring version of the Hulk whose color changes as he gets angrier"

• Adventures of Superman Annual #5 — Sparx: "lightning-wielding heroine from Canada"

• Batman Annual #17 — Ballistic: "Korean-American hero and an armed and dangerous vigilante" (dead)

• Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #3 — Cardinal Sin: "disillusioned priest"

• Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #1 — Joe Public: "strength-siphoning patriot"

• Deathstroke Annual #2 — Gunfire: "Able to explosively convert matter to energy."

• Demon Annual #2 — Hitman: "the name sez it all!" (dead)

• Detective Comics Annual #6 — Geist: "ghostly night-hero, ironically only becomes visible in the dark." (dead)

• Eclipso Annual #1 — Prism: "light-manipulating scientist"

• Flash Annual #6 — Argus: "shadow-melding undercover agent from Central City"

• Green Arrow Annual #6 — Hook: "hook-handed former soldier"

• Green Lantern Annual #2 — Nightblade: "Chinese-American regenerating martial artist, survived Mongul's destruction of Coast City" (dead)

• Hawkman Annual #1 — Mongrel: "darkforce-blasting African American-Vietnamese hero" (dead)

• Justice League America Annual #7 — Shadowstryke: "tragic hero, dark force energy"
• Justice League America Annual #7 — Krag: "stone bodied hero, super strength"

• Justice League America Annual #7 —Slingshot: "African-American heroine, power to give anything she touches an acceleration factor"

• Justice League America Annual #7 —Terrorsmith: "monster-making villain(?)"

• Justice League International Annual #4 — Lionheart: "armored high-tech knight, hero of Great Britain"

• L.E.G.I.O.N. Annual #4 — Pax: "last of his race, space-shaman"

• Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #4 — Jamm: "prodigious surfer-dude"

• Lobo Annual #1 — Layla, "tough-as-nails space explorer"

• New Titans Annual #9 — Anima: "Animus-summoning grunge rocker"

• Robin Annual #2 — Razorsharp: "sword-armed hacker" (dead)

• Superman Annual #5 — Myriad: "personality-absorbing assassin"

• Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #2 — Edge: "blade-hurling community hero"

• Team Titans Annual #1 — Chimera: "illusion-creating heroine of India"

• Showcase '94 #12 — Loria: "woman who could transform into living metal, super strong agent of the Quorum" (dead)