Character Spotlight: Stalker (Prime Earth)

I was all set to talk about how much I've mentioned Stalker in the past and how that's because there are like three different versions of the Batman Beyond universe, but when I went to get the links, I discovered that I've only mentioned him once! And he didn't even appear, he was just mentioned in dialogue!

But that was New Earth, pre-New 52/Rebirth Batman Beyond. This is about Prime Earth, post-New 52/Rebirth Batman Beyond.

Stalker first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Bloodsport" (1999). Let's get this out of the way: Stalker is just Kraven the Hunter. Most of the new villains in Batman Beyond are basically just Spider-Man villains, but Stalker is probably the closest to his inspiration. Even the plot of the episode - Stalker decides to hunt Batman because he doesn't feel any other prey is worthy anymore - is pretty much any Kraven story.

He recently made his comics debut in Batman Beyond #15 (December 2017). He was hired by a mysterious benefactor to capture Batman. In this appearance he's a cyborg, but that's related to some rather unfortunate backstory involving Brother Eye from the event Future's End that I wish didn't exist but whatever, this is where we are.

Character Spotlight: Manmoth

The current run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics by IDW is trying to more or less be the definitive TMNT story by synthesizing all the Ninja Turtles media that came before it. As such, that means it has had a ton of canon immigrants and will continue to have many more.

This week: Manmoth!

Manmoth first appeared in TMNT Meet Archie #1 (1991) as a caveman who was found frozen in a block of ice by the Shredder. He performed an experiment that accidentally combined the DNA of the caveman with the DNA from the mammoth pelt he was wearing, turning him into Manmoth. He later appeared in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #41 (February 1993), which takes place a couple months later.

In IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #71 (June 2017), Manmoth is introduced as a member of the Pantheon, a family of deities that reign over animals. We talked about his sister, Jagwar, two weeks ago.

Team Spotlight: Royal Flush Gang (Prime Earth)

I've featured the Royal Flush Gang on the blog before. Twice, actually. In one instance, it was a completely different Royal Flush Gang from a completely different source. The other one was a Royal Flush Gang with the same origin as this one, but on a different Earth with an entirely different roster.

See, that's the thing about the Royal Flush Gang. As long as they have an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten, they can pretty much be whatever. If you click that first link above, you'll see a wide variety of Royal Flush Gang teams.

Batman Beyond's Royal Flush Gang first appeared in the episode "Dead Man's Hand" (1999). They were a family of thieves (Ace is an android), and Ten, aka Melanie Walker, developed a mutual attraction with Batman and eventually left the team.

By the time they appear in Batman Beyond #14 (November 2017), the team is down to just Ace, King, and Jack, and Jack is a new member.

The original team is seen in flashback the next month in Batman Beyond #15 (December 2017).

Character Spotlight: Jagwar (IDW)

The current run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics by IDW is trying to more or less be the definitive TMNT story by synthesizing all the Ninja Turtles media that came before it. As such, that means it has had a ton of canon immigrants and will continue to have many more.

This week: Jagwar!

I've talked about Jagwar before on this blog, so you can go there to read more about him (short version: he was an unproduced toy idea that was included in the animated spin-off comic), but it was a little different. In that instance, he only appeared in an alternate reality that represented the animated universe, so he was only technically a canon immigrant. But he is now an official, full-fledged canon immigrant.

In IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #71 (June 2017), Jagwar appears - as a female this time. Instead of being a Mutanimal, she's a member of the Pantheon, a family of mostly-animalistic gods.