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Elseworlds titles are great for how they redesign iconic heroes' looks, and soon, the Justice League is going to look bigger and tech-ier than ever. In DC Mech, Earth-0's mightiest heroes (so what, it's lowercase?) are ditching their traditional superhero garb for massive, anime-inspired robot battle suits.
(If that sounds just a little bit familiar, you may be thinking of Marvel's 2021 limited series Avengers Mech Strike and its related merchandise, in which Earth's Mightiest Heroes got their own giant robo battlesuits).
But the series doesn't stop at just giving heroes new duds. It will also introduce readers to a "whole new version of the DC Universe," according to writer Kenny Porter (Batman: Urban Legends). Artist Baldemar Rivas (Unearth) joins Porter in creating the tale of this alternate DCU.
DC Mech begins in the aftermath of WWII, as the Justice Society of America defends the planet against an invasion from Apokolips. Unfortunately for Earth's heroes, the Parademon soldiers use mecha technology, and the JSA is soundly defeated. Earth survives by a thread when the invading forces retreat, but it's clear to its citizens that superheroes can't fend off another attack.
Humanity's only hope is in creating mecha weapons of their own, and eventually, a new breed of giant robot-operating heroes emerges with a plan to fight Apokolips with its own weapons.
However, that plan is thrown off course when a different mecha-suited alien arrives on Earth, one who goes by the name Kal-El.
Porter, who pitched the idea to DC along with editor Dave Wieglosz, excitedly cited his inspirations in an interview published on IGN. "I've been a fan of the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise since middle school," Porter says, "and I wanted to create a world with Baldemar that completely restructured the world around augmented pilots instead of superheroes."
Baldemar gave us a window into that world, saying he put a lot of thought into "the functionality of each unique mech, how they enhance their specific pilot's strengths and finding design elements that say something about each character as well." The artist says he wants "these mechs to feel at home in the DC Universe and introduce something new and exciting, but familiar."
DC fans will get to explore that new but familiar world when DC Mech #1, the first of six issues, hits comic book shelves July 26th, 2022.
Check out a gallery of interior pages from the debut issue along with covers and character design sheets:
What do you think? Will DC Mech force its way onto Newsarama's list of the best Justice League stories of all time?
