EVENT: THE BLACK DIAMOND PROBABILITY
Evil Returns With The Heart of Darkness
Picture: Lucifer holds the Black Diamond and reveals a clue, starting a long, historical accounting of the artifact. Excerpt from Demon Knights #13 (2012).
As the now-settled dust of The New 52 becomes a memory, the publishers of DC Comics have brought back one of their most powerful super-villains. Formerly recognized as the initial embodiment of the Wrath of God, later to be replaced by The Spectre, Eclipso's tool of choice in this "Informative" event is The Black Diamond.
Welcome all! In this Summary Page, the titles involved in The Black Diamond Probability are being categorized and organized for your view. It's all about the coming of the quasi-god-like manifestation and how he planted his deranged and vengeful essence in the prime material plane.
What You Need To Know
Things That Will Help You Follow This Event
Picture: This is the official logo of The Black Diamond Probability event. It will appear on all the official titles. It should be important to note, though, that additional titles are included here which also track the artifact.
Firstly, The Black Diamond Probability is not an "event" in the truest sense of the word. It's more like an informative historical accounting of the evil object. Each issue listed tracks it as it reaches earth, survives through the ages, and culminates in the threats and major arrival of Eclipso. Regardless, it's being called an event due to the crossover of titles surrounding it and the banner identification.
In prior times, The first reference to the Black Diamond was called The Heart of Darkness. It first appeared in House of Secrets #61 (1963). Reported to have been cut and fashioned on the planet Apokolips, it came to earth, housing the essence of Eclipso. This time, however, the Black Diamond and Eclipso have had a "reboot" of sorts. This comes after The New 52, a DC Comics event that reorganized and restructured the origins of everything in their universe.
In strict terms, you should not need to any secret or spoiler knowledge to enjoy this event; it is supposed to unfold evenly for a first-time reader.DC fans, however, will notice familiar characters and names, as this is a reboot.
The Black Diamond Probability Listing
The Basic Issue Organization
FINAL Update: 03/06/2013
001 Demon Knights #13
002 Demon Knights #14
003 Demon Knights #15
004 All Star Western #13
005 All Star Western #14
006 All Star Western #15
007 All Star Western #16
008 Team 7 #1
009 Team 7 #2
010 Team 7 #3
011 Team 7 #4
012 Catwoman #15
013 Catwoman #16
<--No More Releases: 03/06/2013. This event has concluded.
The Reading Order Summaries
From the 1st Appearance After The New 52
Demon Knights
The first story surrounding The Black Diamond is from the title Demon Knights, which involves a host of adventurers fighting in the days of swords and sorcery. DC fans will immediately recognize Etrigan/Jason Blood, Madame Xanadu, and Vandal Savage.
Right: Exoristos reveals the Black Diamond, and her part in its arrival to earth. Excerpt from Demon Knights #15 (2013).
001 Demon Knights #13 (Not Bannered as The Black Diamond Probability. Etrigan, now betraying his fellowship of Madame Xanadu, Shining Knight, Al Jabr, and Vandal Savage to hell, has separated from his human host, Jason Blood. In the nether realm, he promises Lucifer that he has plans to take over Avalon. Lucifer, in turn, has hellish torments for each person, but beckons Exoristos, another member of the group, with this first appearance of the Black Diamond. If she takes it to earth, he promises to release her. The issue at the end cuts to Jason, preparing to go to hell by taking his own life. But he is stopped by the evil Queen and the sorcerer, Mordru.)
002 Demon Knights #14 (Follows immediately from Demon Knights #14. Not Bannered as The Black Diamond Probability. Mordru and her highness make a pack with Jason Blood before he can kill himself. Since they are looking for the Grail, and since Etrigan has been linked as their best chance to acquire it, they'll gladly send the once-human host to hell with their magics. In actuality, though, it's a trick, a spell exchanging Etrigan and Jason. Once sprung, they then interrogate the demon to learn his plans against Avalon. Back in hell, Xanadu and the rest are freeing themselves. Surprisingly their path to freedom is easy; they make it through the portal and find themselves in the magical realm facing the Silent Knights, guardians of Avalon. Looking back, they realize the final phase of the trap has commenced. Lucifer is leading his armies behind in invasion. But that is not the end of it; taking advantage of Etrigan's information, The Questing Queen also opens a portal, preparing to meet Hell's forces.)
003 Demon Knights #15 (Follows immediately from Demon Knights #15. Not Bannered. The battle ensues and the forces go to war. King Arthur and his knights join in. On a hill, the adventurers prepare engagement, but Merlin, barely alive, calls for water. Al Jabr uses one of his instruments to bring a storm which causes the rains of Avalon, destroying all magical enchantments. As the magics and armies fall, Lucifer and The Queen retreat. Etrigan attempts to destroy Merlin, but the wizard is back to full power. By the end of the issue, the adventures story has ended, but Exoristos reveals the diamond and states she must separate with the group. With her, the Shining Knight joins in, preparing to share the burden of the dark gem.)
All Star Western
From the Wild West and the early days of Gotham City, the next appearance of the Black Diamond is revealed. The main characters in this saga of its destiny are Jonah Hex, the infamous bounty hunter, and Dr. Amadeus Arkham, the man who will later become the founder of the Arkham Asylum. Since this title's start in 2011, DC Comics has been successfully using it to coordinate historical background. In addition to this event, it was also integral to Night of The Owls, a Batman story.
Picture: Mr. Hyde reveals the Black Diamond, and that it is used as part of his formula. Excerpt from All Star Western #14 (2013).
004 All Star Western #13 (Not Bannered as The Black Diamond Probability, but begins the next appearance of the gem. In Gotham City, circa 1880s, Dr. Arkham and Jonah Hex are alerted to a stabbing victim whose face is etched in the fashion of a clown. This leads them to Haley's circus and a confrontation with its denizens. They finally take out the murderer, a clown, but realize the character is a minor symptom of a greater threat - one affecting more people. As the issue comes to a close, the scene changes to jailers about to allow a visitor to see an imprisoned "doctor". When he enters, though, the manacled creature is certainly "Mr. Hyde".)
005 All Star Western #14 (The Black Diamond Probability Banner starts with this issue. Follows from All Star Western #13. As a complete Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story arc, Jekyll has hired Hex and Arkham to track down his formula; it wrests with the "Snake Oil" salesmen in the circus. They grab it and later have some dealings with The Barbary Ghost in China Town looking for her mother. This causes Hex and Tallulah Black to split up. Akham heads to collect the bounty money for the formula when he encounters Mr. Hyde, eating the associate, Reginald Forscythe. He then reveals that the reason Gotham citizens were going crazy is because the Black Diamond - which he presents - wasn't used in the formula process.
006 All Star Western #15 (Follows immediately from All Star Western #14. Mr. Hyde immediately forces Dr. Arkham to imbibe the fixed version of the formula. Arkham goes crazy, but that's when Hex explodes on the scene. He and Hyde fight it out in a long tussle. Arkham runs off, and before Hex can throw Hyde out the window, Hyde wounds his leg heavily. When they finally catch up to Arkham, he's a perverted lunatic and they have to throw him in the looney bin. The issue at the end cuts to Slaughter Swamp, where Mr. Hyde has hidden a lab and is making his formula with the aid of the Black Diamond. Notably, part of his faced is "eclipsed".)
007 All Star Western #16 (Follows All Star Western #15, after a short undisclosed period. Hex, now resting at the Arkham home, tries to recuperate, but is put into misery by one "Nurse Constance" and the residing Crazy-Lady Arkham. He decides to put her out of her misery, but has a moment of goodness and lets her think him a character out of one of her classic novels. The next morning, he explains some things to Constance when Mr. Hyde appears and starts attacking. Losing ground, Hex is returned his gun at the last moment and able to shoot the monstrous villains. After collapsing, he returns back to Jekyll. Hyde keeps him alive, for money. In the last pages, though, we see Jonah Hex with the Black Diamond and elixer, throwing it into the Gotham Harbor.)
Team 7
In modern times, the Black Diamond finally shows up surrounding the Special Ops group Team 7, a government effort to curtail the rise and appearance of metahumans.. Their title started with a special event called The New 52 "0" Month, or DC "0" (all the titles that month were labeled #0). Featuring many prominent characters, they are composed of members such as Amanda Waller, Dinah Drake (later: Black Canary), Cole Cash (later: The Grifter), and Slade Wilson (later: Deathstroke).
Picture: Dr. Montez reveals that Eclipso, "God's Wrath", is on Sentinal Island. Excerpt from Team 7 #2 (2013).
008 Team 7 #1 (This is not bannered as The Black Diamond Probability, but is important to event because it starts the Team 7 story arc and mission including it. Handed their first assignment to see how they can work together, Team 7 is tasked with infiltrating, investigating, and handling "The Float", an airborne prison designed to house the metahuman threat. It rests five miles above ground and is mobile, but has broken off communication with authorities. The team goes in and finds blood spattering everywhere, including symbology that predates Sumerian times. As they continue forward, a female survivor is found, but suddenly turns feral and attacks the group. They kill her. Moments later, a bulkhead crashes in multiple, feral prisoners attack. Notably, all of them have "eclipsed" visages across their faces.
009 Team 7 #2 (Bannered. Follows immediately from Team 7 #1.The group fires all-out, managing to hold off the attackers with an emergency bulkhead. Regrouping their efforts, they use the bought time to hole up in the Comm Center. Once there, they review security tapes that reveal Dr. Alex Montez, a researcher from Arkham Asylum who has been cultivating samples of the Jekyll Formula into pacifying prisoners. The tape also shows the prisoner, John Akara, under the test. But something goes wrong, his face becomes eclipsed, and he breaks out in a wild frenzy. After some speculation, Waller deduces that Akara somehow used the serum on the entire prison population and that everyone has been compromised. She also believes that The Float is headed for Gamorra, a rogue island-nation. The team decides that their only chance is to kill everything. They lock and load and come out with barrels blazing until they come upon Akara still with Dr. Montez. They attempt to shoot him down, but he's clearly super-human and nigh-invulnerable. As they continue to attack and defend, Amanda consorts with the doctor who says he believes a unique frequency of light may put Akara down. Distracting the villain long enough, they create the frequency and he reverts back to normal. At the end of the issue, though, Dr. Montex explains that this was more than an experiment gone wrong - this was "God's Wrath", and that they weren't heading to Gamorra, but to Sentinel island and "Eclipso".)
010 Team 7 #3 (Bannered. Follows a short period after Team 7 #2. The issue starts with the group on Sentinel Island. The place is special because of electromagnetic phenomena that causes most technology to fail. A short travel into the domain and they come across a slaughtered village. One old man has survived, but they cannot understand his language. That's when "Essence" appears to Slade; he convinces her to reveal herself to the team and she explains the history and importance of the island, explaining it is a prison designed to house the "Spirit of Vengeance" and anyone who dies on the island becomes one of the guardian sentinels. She offers to help them reach the "Heart of Hell", where the spirit is kept, but warns them that there will be many different guardians. Elsewhere, Kaizen Gamorra, the Gamorran King is using metahuman and cybernetic resources to divine what is transpiring there. In the recent past, he sent some of his military there to recover the stone. Back at Sentinal Island, Team 7 finally arrives at a volcano-like depression where the Black Diamond rests on a stone. It's guarded by the former Gamorran nationals who had previously arrived. They are now attempting to control the gem. Slade orders the team to kill them, but they mercenaries have set a perimeter trap. Slade manages to get through and wrestle their leader for the Diamond. At the end of the issue, he grabs it and Eclipso is seen, deciding to take him for a host.)
011 Team 7 #4 (Bannered. Continues immediately from Team 7 #3. Slade is now host to Eclipso. The team strikes, but the bullets and ammunition have no effect. Suddenly Essence shows up to stall him. Eclipso staggers but will soon be up. Using hidden mines around him, Cole tricks Eclipso into the trap, buying the team more time to fall back, but not much. When they regroup, Essence hands them a dark sword of magical substance telling them that this will hurt Eclipso. She also warns them that the Black Diamond needs to be moved from the island. She then gives them a special container to hold it. Waller's team then faces Eclipso one more time, but this time they surprise the entity and stab it with the magic sword from behind. Eclipso is ejected from Slade, but then turns to Cole as his next host. But Cole is ready and holds the Black Diamond, trapping Eclipso again. With the creature captured, the Diamond is given to Lynch, who decides to put it in "The Black Room".)
Catwoman
Selina Kyle, at least in the early stages of her sage with the Black Diamond, is playing a superficial role. Her story takes place in the most modern part of the metahuman era, clearly after the events with Team 7.
Picture: Selina learns the importance of the "Map of Flesh"...too late. Excerpt from Catwoman #15 (2013).
012 Catwoman #15 (Bannered. The Black Diamond is now being kept and locked away by the government. After performing an easy burglary of a penthouse during a teenage party, Selina and her friend Gwen escape with the loot, barely getting past Detective Alvarez. She later meets up with her part-time boyfriend, Trip Winter, who reveals a map of black flesh. According to him, her mission is now to break into an ARGUS installation into a place called "The Black Room". Selina is amused, but very intrigued when she learns it houses a Black Diamond. The issue then moves to a period later where she disguises herself as Professor Gretchen Klimt and makes her way past security. She opens the black flesh map and an assistant there exclaims that it is trying to make its to the Black Room where it will try to meet up with the Black Diamond. They can see security in the room and multiple artifacts of evil awakening. Selina changes outfits and jumps into the room and takes out the guards as she looks to get to the gem. Finding a "monster-cutting" sword, she slices her way through, face to face with the beautiful stone.)
013 Catwoman #16 (Bannered. Continues immediately from Catwoman #15. Selina has the Diamond now and is drunk with power. Darwin tries to explain what's happening as the Demon "Escalate" and a cursed Boxer's arm awaken. She begin hacking her way through them while internally fighting the greed inside. Meanwhile, outside the Black Room, ARGUS guards are trying to break in unsuccessfully. Selina finally manages to regain some level of composure as she banishes Escalate with the sword.Commandeering a haunted tank in the room, she and Darwin gather the knocked out guards and bust through the Black Room door to escape. She's now back in her civilian garb and she gets away while transported in an ambulance. At the end, she has the Diamond, which makes its way to Alex Montez, who is revealed to be inscribed with Eclipso symbols.)
Crystallized Words
Your Opinion is Welcome!
Thanks for reading! This Summary Page is meant to organize information surrounding The Black Diamond Probability event. If you see anything of importance, or would like to chime in, you're insights are valuable. Please drop a message from what you've seen or heard. Just remember to be courteous.
Thanks for posting this! Enjoying the story unfolding!
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking in, Mike. There might be more later on once the Trinity War starts up. Until then!
Delete