
In the latest era of DC Comics, several original characters were introduced, such as Sideways, Damage, Brimstone, Silencer, a fresh Firebrand, and a revamped Challengers of the Unknown team. However, we’ll concentrate on these unique characters, as legacy characters warrant separate consideration. To clarify, four new heroes debuted, but four that didn’t seem to make a lasting impact. Some might attribute this to their close resemblance to Marvel Comics characters, which arguably set them up for failure from the start. This new crop of heroes was intended to fill gaps perceived by DC executives within the DC Universe. Regrettably, they may have been overly eager in filling these gaps with characters that looked too much like Marvel counterparts. Sideways seems to fit a conspicuously large hole left by Brian Michael Bendis’s Ultimate Spider-Man, Damage resembles a budget version of the Hulk, Brimstone echoes older Ghost Rider stories, and Silencer is almost a more morally flexible Black Widow. However, upon closer inspection, these characters prove to be quite intriguing beyond their apparent design influences.