Blood Syndicate
The Blood Syndicate is a fictional multicultural gang of superhumans created by Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in Blood Syndicate #1 , and was created by Dwayne McDuffie, Ivan Velez Jr. and Denys Cowan.
Publication history
In Milestone Comics' fictional city of Dakota, the Blood Syndicate is a loose affiliation of super-powered individuals brought together by circumstance; 35 issues of their eponymous comic book, written largely by Ivan Velez, Jr., were published between 1993 and 1996.The Blood Syndicate differed from other supergroups in that they were "not a team - they're a gang". In fact, they were the surviving remnants of multiple street gangs, who had gained superpowers in the so-called Big Bang, and decided to use them for a greater purpose. However, their constant in-fighting, the unsustainability of their methods, and their lack of a central vision led to the Syndicate's eventual disintegration.
Fictional team history
The "Big Bang" refers to an incident in which gang members from all over Dakota met in one, huge battle. The police got word of the coming attack and planned to gas the lot of them with tear gas laced with a radioactive marker and take them all into custody. Their plan was to track down any gang member who got away using the radioactive marker. Unknown to them, or even to the police involved, the tear gas used to disperse them was laced with a mutative agent called "quantum juice". Many gang members and police officers died, while others transformed according to their state of mind or what they were close to when the gas hit them. One woman landed in water; her body became water and she developed the ability to control other water as well. She named herself Aquamaria. Another woman stumbled into a brick wall, merged with it and became solid brick. Other entities were affected in other ways. A police officer gained the power to emit golden energy blasts and joined the Shadow Cabinet as Oro. Dogg, a normal dog who was the pet of the Force Syndicate, developed human level cognitive abilities and the ability to speak. Virgil Hawkins gained electromagnetic powers from the gas and became a superhero named Static.Coming together
The surviving gang members eventually came together and formed a new gang. Tech Nine, Flashback, Fade and Dogg from the Force Syndicate reached out to whoever else they could find. They reached out to Holocaust first, but he killed them all with his fire powers. Flashback saved them with her power to turn time back three seconds. They convinced him not to attack them again, and he helps them recruit Wise Son. They found Third Rail in a homeless camp deep below the streets, suffering from guilt over his father. They tricked Juan Templo into leaving the safety of a local church to join them. The group agreed to work together, and after a healthy disagreement, chose the name Blood Syndicate.Their first action as a gang was when they attacked a crack house to steal the money for "operating expenses". Their raid killed many addicts and criminals, and gained them another member, Masquerade. He was hired to guard the drugs, but the new gang recruited him to join them instead. They went back to "Ground Zero", the place where the Bang happened, only to be ambushed by a large contingent of local criminals. Templo was killed, but the new gang worked together and killed every last one of their attackers.
Media spotlight
Brickhouse and DMZ joined the team at some point after their first crackhouse raid and the annihilation of the attack force. Their exploits attracted the attention of Dakota's local media. The Dakota Chronicle, the city's most popular newspaper sent reporter, Roberta "Rob" Chaplik, to score an interview with the Syndicate. Chaplik followed them to a raid on a crack-house, their main source of money. She was killed by one of the drug dealers, but Flashback reversed her death by turning back time three seconds and pushing Rob out of the way of the shotgun blast that killed her the first time. Holocaust burned the shooter to death before he could fire again.Holocaust challenged Tech Nine for leadership of the gang, and by the rules they'd set down, they had trial by combat to choose which of them would be the leader. Tech Nine took a horrible beating, but thanks to Holocaust's arrogance and his own power of unlimited gunfire/telekinetic control over his guns, he won the fight. Holocaust left the gang in anger rather than submit to Tech's leadership and went off to form a criminal empire.
They took in a new member, a rat-man called the Boogieman, and sought purpose. The gang didn't have a true focus, but as their leader, Tech Nine tried to give them one. They discovered and destroyed a hidden lab under the local hospital where scientists experimented on Bang Babies. Boogieman was a big help in fighting the armored security guards protecting the place, and Brickhouse remembered being experimented on in that very lab. They blew the place sky high, but the lab's creator got away to set up shop elsewhere.
The gang went back to their home to celebrate with food and beer. Unfortunately, during the party, the quantum juice destabilized Tech's body and he died painfully- his flesh melted off of his body. Wise Son took over as leader, but it was clear he was less popular than Tech.
As Wise Son sought to fill Tech's shoes, the team faced multiple threats and disasters. They pondered what to do for money when they ran out of crack houses to rob, but before they could plan, a Chinese mobster named John Wing sent his forces to kill the Syndicate so they wouldn't interfere with his plans. When they captured him. Wise Son chose to humiliate the man- he urinated on him. Wing felt that he had to get revenge at all costs, and murdered his own wife in a supernatural ritual and summoned the Demon Fox. The Fox warned him of the cost of its services, and Wing agreed. After decimating the Syndicate, the Fox returned to Wing to take payment - Wing's life.
The Fox attacked the Syndicate in their headquarters and nearly killed the entire team. In the process, the Fox revealed their deepest secrets; the various revelations hurt worse than the significant physical damage from the fight. The Fox would have killed them all if not for the appearance of Kwai, who was reborn in response to the Fox's rebirth. Kwai revealed that they were mirror sisters- one cannot exist without the other as a counterbalance.
As the gang members woke up slowly, some of them learned each other's secrets. Flashback woke up near Boogieman, and saw that, his speech pattern and mannerisms notwithstanding, Boogieman was white. Fade and Masquerade woke up near each other. During the fight, the Fox reached into Fade's mind and revealed that Fade is gay, something he did not want his teammates to ever know. Masquerade overheard, right before taking a severe beating from the Fox. Fade woke up before Masquerade, and saw that Masquerade had reverted to a female form when knocked cold. Fade promised not to tell anyone that Masquerade was really a woman, and Masquerade threatened that if he did, she'd tell everybody that Fade was gay.
Soon after they survived the Demon Fox, a super being named Rift with reality warping powers nearly destroyed their reality and the one inhabited by the DC superheroes. The Syndicate had to fight alongside the heroes they knew and with Superman, Superboy and Steel from the DC universe. Eventually they all manipulated Rift into reversing the damage he caused and to go into hibernation, where he couldn't alter reality any further.
Wise Son's son Edmund and his little sister Cornelia developed teleportation powers, presumably from following Wise to the Bang. They wrote their destination on mirrors and could then travel through said mirrors to get there.
The team's tensions escalated. Wise Son embarrassed Boogieman by forcing him to reveal that he was a white male under all his fur. He acted like he put Boogie off the team for lying to them, but then told him he could stay; just don't lie to them ever again. This furthered dislike of Wise's leadership, particularly by Third Rail. He and Brickhouse developed a romantic relationship and contemplated moving out on their own when Masquerade betrayed the team. They chose to raid one last crackhouse to raise money. Kwai was shot during this raid and nearly died. Wise Son blamed Flashback - he'd told her to watch out for Kwai since she was new, but Flashback was more interested in stealing some of the crack to fuel her habit.
They got Kwai back to their headquarters at her request; she was able to heal herself supernaturally. As the rest of them made their way home, Masquerade stole the money and successfully made a break for it. This widened the growing rift in the team and prompted Third and Brick to take their remaining money and leave the gang to start a life together.
Tensions
Masquerade and some other Bang Babies dealt with another branch of S.Y.S.T.E.M. They were captured for a brief time, but escaped, transformed and with their powers enhanced. Masquerade knew she could never return to the Syndicate and sought to make a team of those who were captured, but they all went their separate ways.Third Rail and Brickhouse left the gang., but still found trouble. They opened a burger joint together, but Third was attacked by a gigantic foe, the Techno Shaman. He possessed Third, but Brickhouse called on her old friends for help and they defeated the Shaman. When he lay defeated, Brickhouse sent the others away and finished him off.
Kwai recovered from her injuries but learned that she was on the last of a series of mystically granted lives. She traveled to her home realm, Kwen Lun, the Wondrous Lands, in a desperate attempt to gain at least one more buffer life. During Kwai's troubles, Tech Nine seemingly returned from the dead. His grave was empty, and they had to believe it was him. They looked for Dogg to confirm things, but Dogg was gone. He had been captured by operatives of a murderous organization called S.Y.S.T.E.M.. who wanted to experiment on him and other Bang Babies.
Tech spoke boldly to Fade about having feelings for him, something the real Tech never had. Fade was attracted to Tech, but Tech never took it seriously, nor did he slam Fade for his sexual orientation. As the gang searched for Dogg, suspicions mounted about Tech
Upon returning home, Kwai met with her old friend, the Monkey King, and the two pleaded to her father, the Jade Emperor for another life. The Emperor denied this request, declaring that she had grown too attached to the mortal world. He then sentenced her to death without reincarnation stating that she broke the blood contract between them by rebelling against him.
To save Kwai's life, the Monkey King recruited most of the Syndicate to go with him to Kwen Lun to save her, while Tech-9 and Flashback stayed behind as backup. In the Kingdom of Ti Yu, Kwai was offered marriage to the Dog God to save her existence, but decides she couldn't marry him and went to meet the Grey Lady. There she learned that her entire existence as Kwai was nothing more than entertainment for the gods of the Wondrous Lands in the form of a never-ending battle against the Demon Fox. The Grey Lady offered Kwai another chance to live and marry the Dog God, but Kwai refused, deciding that she would no longer allow those gods to control her existence - even if it meant her death. The Grey Lady, impressed with her spirit allowed her to return, with the warning that her father would not stop until he had his revenge.
The Beginning of the end
After returning to Earth, the gang barged into Utopia Park uninvited. Their presence caused a riot. Wise Son was responsible for stopping it, as chronicled in the Milestone crossover event 'Long Hot Summer'. Tech-9 persuaded him to use the Utopia Park PA system to appeal for an end to the violence. Wise did so eloquently, and the rioters backed down.After this, they had a final battle with the Demon Fox. They found out that she dug up Tech-Nine's body and gave his essence to Masquerade. This enabled her to impersonate Tech so well that she actually believed she was him, and to wield his powers. The Demon Fox and Masquerade, who was in thrall to the Fox, fought the Syndicate tooth and nail. During the fighting, the Fox revealed that Brickhouse was pregnant with Third's baby, and apparently caused her to miscarry. Kwai rose up and destroyed the Fox, at the cost of her own life. However, Kwai didn't perish- she reverted to 9 year-old Nina Lam, but seemingly with Kwai's memories.
The Syndicate now knew that Masquerade was female, and confronted her for her deception. She proclaimed that under her leadership they became more efficient than ever before, and that with her, they could achieve their true potential as a team. She convinced none of them and left the team in disgrace. Wise Son disagreed with her methods, but admitted that she was right and that they "never lived up to the hype". He states that they all kept too many secrets from each other and that they fought each other more than their enemies. The team decided they were tired of the pain that they had endured and the constant violence around them and disbanded. A few days later, while recounting the events of the past ordeal to Rob Chaplik, Dogg appeared before Wise Son and told him that "the Syndicate isn't over; it's just stopped for a while is all". Wise Son smiled and replied "thicker than blood, G. Thicker than blood".
Milestone Forever
Since their disbanding, the Blood Syndicate left a hole in the hearts of its members, powerful people left to fend for themselves. Holocaust made his inevitable return and reinstated the Blood Syndicate as they once were; a gang. He tried to take his actions out into the streets and claim Dakota City as his own, but the others rose up against him. Wise Son challenged Holocaust to a battle for the rightful leadership of the Syndicate. Wise Son won, and it seemed that Holocaust burned himself to death, yet again. It remains to be seen if Holocaust actually died, but Wise Son became their undisputed leader. Wise had ideas to bring his family to the light, away from Holocaust's fire.DC Universe
Following the death of Darkseid, the space-time continuum was torn asunder, threatening the existence of both the Dakotaverse and the mainstream DC universe. The being known as Dharma was able to use energies that he harnessed from Rift to merge the two universes, creating an entirely new continuity. Only Dharma, Icon and Superman are aware that Dakota and its inhabitants ever existed in a parallel universe.In the revised continuity, Holocaust has been defeated in battle by Static and the similarly powered Black Lightning.
Solicits have revealed that in February 2010, Holocaust will show up as an adversary of the Teen Titans in issue #80 of their series. On the covers for issues 80 and 81, he is shown battling Aquagirl and Superboy respectively.
Membership
- Aquamaria - Maria survived the Big Bang while floating in the James River; as a result, she was transformed into a transmorph of "living water." A former member of the Sociedad de la Cruz gang, she exhibits all the properties of water - for instance, she has survived evaporation and recondensation. She also has substantial control over water in all its forms: she can induce tsunamis and geysers, and shape near-freezing vapor into ice sculptures. The character was renamed "Aqua-Maria" when she appeared in the animated series Static Shock.
- Boogieman, or Boogie - Martin Berger is able to transform into what is essentially a giant blonde humanoid rat. He is also able to communicate with the hyper-intelligent rats of Dakota, even when untransformed. A post-Texador member, Berger joined the Syndicate during their attack on the S.Y.S.T.E.M. conspiracy. When his mother was trapped in a hospital full of angry inter-dimensional chihuahuas, he chose to rescue her with only the teen hero, Static, as backup.
- Brickhouse : Marta survived the Big Bang while pressed up against a brick wall; as a result, she took on its characteristics, becoming a 10-foot-tall, super-strong woman of living brick. Unfortunately, this led to a substantial amount of brain damage, and she was subject both to epilepsy and retrograde amnesia. Her name was inspired by the Commodores' soul classic, "Brick House". The character "Brickhouse" appeared in the animated series Static Shock.
- DMZ - DMZ's name is an abbreviated form of the term, Demilitarized Zone. Little is known about him. He has superhuman strength and durability and is able to fly; furthermore, his eyes glow red. DMZ never speaks ; nor does he ever take off his mask, even to eat. He spends his free time atop a bridge, whirling a lamp on a chain in the hopes of signaling passing extraterrestrials, and wears what appears to be the uniform of the D'amsi police officers of Icon's interplanetary civilization, the Cooperative. When Icon asked DMZ to join him he declines. Dwayne McDuffie stated on his Delphi forum that "DMZ is a human who teamed up with a member of the D'amsi police force when she chased a criminal to Earth. He was severely wounded saving her life, so she used her technology to optimize him, unlocking his full human potential. She left the Earth to chase the villain as he healed, promising to return for him. He got his name from a mis-heard 'D'amsi'".
- Dogg: Originally Texador's/Tech-9's pet dog, Dogg gains human-level intelligence and speech, while remaining a dog in shape, personality, and abilities. First introduced in issue #2, he became a valued member of the team despite his size and shape. He was allowed a spot at the table and listened to, just like anyone else. When Pyre formed his own Blood Syndicate, Dogg was one of those who rejected the offer to join.
- Fade: Carlos Quinones Jr., he has the same name as his father and is the brother of Sara Quinones. He can fly and pass through solid objects, and frequently has difficulty becoming substantial. He is actually "spread out" over a three-second interval, and is thereby able to, for instance, punch someone and leave them unharmed until after he has left. As was stated in the comic, "Fade isn't what he does, it's what he endures." He is a deeply closeted gay man, and was in love with Texador. He also has the undeveloped ability to travel back in time by significant amounts, evidenced by Kwai recognising him the first time she meets the Syndicate, as someone she had known in one of her previous incarnations. A side effect of this ability are the instances of clairvoyance he sometimes displays. The character appeared in the 2000-2004 animated series, Static Shock, as a teenager with only the power of intangibility/Quantum tunnelling.
- Flashback: Sara Quinones, sister of Carlos Quinones. Flashback can fly and can travel back in time three seconds, an ability she uses to change the past. She considers herself responsible for the welfare of the Syndicate as a whole because she has witnessed their deaths and severe injuries on multiple occasions. She is also a crack addict, partly because of the stress of having seen her friends die so many times, something only she remembers. Later, Rocket, sidekick to Icon, would intervene in her drug habit. She is the inspiration for the character Nina Crocker/Time-Zone, in the 2000-2004 animated series, Static Shock.
- Holocaust : Leonard Smalls, Jr. is the illegitimate son of Dakota mayor, Thomasina Jefferson. A superhumanly strong pyrokinetic, Smalls left the Syndicate after a leadership struggle with Texador/Tech-9, and chose to abandon the small-scale world of gangs for the greater possibilities offered by organized crime. As an initiation ritual, he was obliged to surrender something of great value to him: his name, and the reputation that came with it. Unable to call himself Holocaust, Smalls renamed himself Pyre. As Pyre, he tried to reform a new Blood Syndicate of his own recruiting: Boogieman, Flashback, Mistress Death, Bad Betty, Fade, Tarmack, Bubbasaurus, and Rocket. Smalls then reclaimed his name - Holocaust.
- Kwai - one of the two non-Bang Babies in the Blood Syndicate, Nina Lam was the 77th - and last - incarnation of a Chinese mystical being. Originally a 9-year-old girl, Lam was mystically transformed into a 7-foot-tall adult woman with albino-pale skin, immensely long hair, and pointed ears. She encountered the Syndicate in the wake of their defeat by the Demon Fox, and thanks to Flashback, survived a booby trap set by John Wing's Demon Fox Tong. After the Blood Syndicate was saved and restored by Nina Lam, now Kwai, she joins the Blood Syndicate and periodically calmed Brickhouse's seizures. Kwai fought alongside the Blood Syndicate a number of times and was once shot during a crackhouse raid; while she went into a healing cocoon, Hannibal White tortured Kwai's shooter. Later Kwai's healing light changed the Blood Syndicate back to normal for a short time, and learns that she's down to her last life. After Brickhouse and Third Rail leave, Kwai decided to leave, later seen returning to her homeland, the Kingdom of Kwen Lun; meeting with her old friend, the Monkey King, revealing that she needs to ask her father, the Jade Emperor for another life, as she is sentenced to death without reincarnation. Ending up in the Kingdom of Ti Yu, Kwai was offered marriage to the Dog God there to save her existence, but decides she can't marry him; finally in a battle royale with the Blood Syndicate against the Demon Fox, Kwai and the Demon Fox apparently destroyed each other, leaving the 9-year-old Nina Lam surviving. Later in the Static Shock: Return of The Cool mini-series, Nina is shown meeting with the Syndicate, and apparently attempting to transform back into Kwai by saying her name, reminiscent of the 'SHAZAM' transformation of DC's Captain Marvel. Although she is rendered unconscious before she can say the word, she is later seen in the form of Kwai, implying that she has been granted a 'normal life' as Nina, with the potential to become Kwai in times of danger.
- Masquerade: a shapechanger able to assume the form of any animal, Masquerade is a transgender man. He kept his assigned gender to himself, using his shape shifting abilities to present himself as the man he truly was. He fled the Syndicate after reflexively stealing several thousand dollars from them. A brief encounter later failed to convince him the Syndicate had changed their ways, and he would not be killed for his betrayal. He returned in the guise of a resurrected Rolando Texador, hoping to be accepted as their leader. As leader, Masquerade was responsible for the Syndicate instigating the Utopia Park riot.
- Oro: Miguel Medina is a former police officer who survived the Big Bang as a member of the Riot Squad. After the Big-Bang, he was for a time a member of the Shadow Cabinet but was kicked out, and later framed for the murder of his ex-partner. He subsequently sought refuge with the Syndicate and helped protect their territory. He can fly, project energy blasts and produce blinding visual displays. Being an ex-policeman, he took some time to win the respect of the rest of the Syndicate, having to endure the nickname 'Oral' for some time.
- Tech-9 : Rolando Texador, formerly leader of the Force Syndicate, had the ability of "talismanic telekinesis", making him able to shoot endless quantities of bullets from any and all guns, with perfect accuracy. He could also materialize guns in his hands; his favored was the Tech-9 semiautomatic handgun, which he takes his name from. Charismatic and with military training, he masterminded the Syndicate's formation and led them in their raids on crackhouses; unfortunately, his flesh spontaneously melted off his bones when his superpower destabilized. Later in the series, Masquerade impersonates Tech-9, having sided with the Demon Fox. He is the inspiration for the character Tech from the 2000-2004 Static Shock animated series.
- Third Rail: The son of Korean immigrants, Pui Chung is able to absorb any form of energy and use it to grow in size and strength.
- : Hannibal White, leader of the Syndicate after Texador's death and a Black Muslim, is invulnerable and has superstrength. Although he is able to, for instance, shave his head, he is completely immune from physical harm. Wise Son was responsible for stopping the Utopia Park riot, chronicled in the Milestone crossover event 'Long Hot Summer', after Masquerade, disguised as Tech-9, persuaded him to use the Utopia Park PA system to appeal for an end to the violence. He has also shown the ability to resist mental manipulation, and to survive the draining of large quantities of his lifeforce. He is the father of Edmund White, and has sole custody.
Other characters
- Babe - Bodyguard of the House of L'Amour beauty salon, and possibly lover to its transvestite beautician. As a Bang Baby, he resembles a humanoid blue ox. Seen in issue #27 "Possessions" - returning to the House of L'Amour after being held by S.Y.S.T.E.M..
- Bubbasaur/Bubbasaurus - Bubba Brown, able to turn into a huge dinosaur-like creature resembling a carnotaurus; introduced in issue #11 as a spurned student going after a high school principal—Carlos Quinones Sr. -- though Bubba Brown was seemingly killed in a fight with Fade, he was picked up by Mom's S.Y.S.T.E.M. troops and taken to Garden Station. He joins in an escape attempt by the other prisoners.
- Demon Fox - The Demon Fox is a Chinese mystical being and emotional vampire who first appears in issue #6. It is awakened by John Wing, leader of the Demon Fox Tong, when he killed his wife in order to unleash the Demon Fox. The Demon Fox finally strikes in issues #7 & #8 as it tears apart the Blood Syndicate, and brings up the darkest secrets of each Syndicate member. After defeating the group, the Demon Fox kills Wing after granting his wish. Afterward, it is defeated by a newly transformed Kwai who comes to the rescue of the Blood Syndicate. The Demon Fox aided Masquerade in imitating Tech-9 - by giving Masquerade some of Tech-9's essence so she can assume leadership of the Blood Syndicate; in issue #35, "The Beginning of the End" - in an all-out battle royale between the Demon Fox and Masquerade vs the Blood Syndicate - Kwai and the Demon Fox destroy each other.
- Edmund and Cornelia - Wise Son's son and little sister, respectively. They frequently visit him at the factory the Blood Syndicate call home, regardless of the constant danger they place themselves in. The two children have a teleportational ability; they can write a location or person on a mirror and enter, encountering what they desire.
- Mom - head of the Amber Cell of the S.Y.S.T.E.M./Coalition & heading the research into creating custom-made Bang-Babies and controlling them. Mom runs the Garden Station, the command center for the Amber sector of S.Y.S.T.E.M.
- Templo - Juan Templo; a telekinetic and one of the founding Blood Syndicate members, was first seen in issue #9 "Fade to Back" in December 1993—the origin of the Blood Syndicate following the Big Bang is seen; the Blood Syndicate believed Templo was killed—but in issue #19, "Collections", Templo is seen alive in a hospital. In issue #21, "Retrievals", Templo is seen at the Garden Station where he is revived by Mom's scientists; in issue #24, "Things Fall Apart" Templo, along with others survived the Garden Station war. In issue #26, "Prodigals", Templo along with Mistress Mercy and Rose go to the church of Father Francisco.
- White Roaches and the Rats -- two groups of vermin who acquired human characteristics during the Big Bang, they are now large, intelligent, and hostile.
Other media
- Versions of other Syndicate members have also appeared in the Static Shock cartoon, and a subsequent incarnation of the Syndicate, led by former member Pyre, in the final issues of Icon's self-titled series.