Secret Files & Origins Guide to the DC Universe 2000 Vol. 1 #1

by Abnett, Lanning, & Various; art by Eaton, Kryssing, &
Various; cover by Darick Robertson & John Dell

It’s been a busy year in the DC Universe. Gotham City is no longer a “No
Man’s Land.” Metropolis has become a dazzling city of tomorrow. New heroes have
picked up the mantle of the Spectre, the JSA, Dr. Fate, Dr. Mid-Nite, the
Star-Spangled Kid, and more. And one of DC’s familiar heroes is not what he or
she seems. The layers of complexity that make the DC Universe one of comics’
most intriguing realms are made clear in the Secret Files & Origins Guide
to the DC Universe 2000, a 96-page special that’s a handbook to the coming
year’s stories, a scorecard, an epic adventure story, a collection of pin-ups, a
dessert topping (scratch that), and more! Topped with a cover by
Transmetropolitan’s Darick Robertson (inked by JLA’s John Dell),
this giant-sized “Secret Files” special begins with a 38-page story written by
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (Legion of Super-Heroes) with art by Scot
Eaton (Green Lantern: The New Corps) and Ray Kryssing (Superboy).
In it, the Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO) asks Green Lantern
to hunt for the missing Bedlam (last seen in JLA: World without
Grown-Ups). The catch? The villain is apparently hiding inside one of DC’s
super-heroes! Making stops in Metropolis, Gotham, New York, the JLA Watchtower,
and more, GL soon realizes that the DEO agents haven’t exactly told him the
truth, a realization that may come too late to help him cope with the menace of
Amazo 2000, a robot who has just had all the powers of all the heroes Kyle’s
been checking up on downloaded into his mainframe. Backup features explore other
facets of the DCU, including – for the first time – the new skylines of both
Gotham and Metropolis; a map of trouble spots; a look at DC’s high-tech
equipment with Blue Beetle; a look at some of the JLA’s heaviest hitters
courtesy of the Atom; a rundown of the aliens and robots that make our heroes’
lives so interesting; a tour of the Garden of Heroes; profile pages on all the
teams and “families” by artists associated with the characters; and the
ultimate, last-word timeline. It’s an incredible package, featuring
contributions from such writers and artists as D. Curtis Johnson, Ben Raab,
Eliot Brown, Jay Faerber, Scott Beatty, Jim Alexander, Phil Jimenez, Walter
Simonson, Keith Champagne, Bryan Hitch, Adam Hughes, Dale Eaglesham, Tim Truman,
Steve Sadowski and Michael Bair, Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker, Cully Hamner, Gus
Vasquez, Matthew Clark, and more! 96pg, FC