DV8
Encyclopedia
DV8 is a comic book published by Wildstorm
. The series revolves around the lives of a group of Gen-Active people (Called DV8, or referred to as "The Deviants"), initially living in New York
under the supervision of Ivana Baiul
, who sends them on life-threatening black ops assignments.
cancelled DV8, but allowed the creative team to bring a proper end to the comic, instead of ending the comic and leaving many questions unanswered. The story of most DV8 members continued in the pages of Gen-Active, an anthology
-series featuring various Wildstorm characters. Gen-Active lasted 6 issues.
The title returned in June 2010 as an eight-issue limited series
called DV8: Gods and Monsters, written by Brian Wood with art by Rebekah Isaacs. The project is something Wood had been trying to get commissioned for years:
Later on in the series, Baiul becomes director of International Operations
and the team become agents of I.O. as well, at this point some of the members start to develop a conscience about their actions, especially Frostbite
.
Unlike Gen¹³, the overall nature of the comic was often very violent and extreme (even more so in the first few issues), with sexual themes, graphic violence, mild language and dialogue (especially between the team members), and general recklessness. The character Sideways Bob
brought an especially dark, over the top, sense of humor to the series.
:
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
. The series revolves around the lives of a group of Gen-Active people (Called DV8, or referred to as "The Deviants"), initially living in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
under the supervision of Ivana Baiul
Ivana Baiul
Ivana Baiul is a comic book character from DC Comics/Wildstorm. She has starred in Gen¹³ and DV8.-History:Ivana Baiul was the head of Sci-Tech, the scientific division of I.O. There she worked on creating a group of genetically enhanced soldiers for the government, a task previously done 12 times...
, who sends them on life-threatening black ops assignments.
Publication history
The series lasted 32 issues, and was a best seller, until later issues in the second half lagged in sales. Because of this, WildstormWildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
cancelled DV8, but allowed the creative team to bring a proper end to the comic, instead of ending the comic and leaving many questions unanswered. The story of most DV8 members continued in the pages of Gen-Active, an anthology
Comics anthology
Comics anthologies collect works in the medium of comics that are too short for standalone publication.- U.S. :- UK :British comics have a long tradition publishing comics anthologies, often weekly...
-series featuring various Wildstorm characters. Gen-Active lasted 6 issues.
The title returned in June 2010 as an eight-issue limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
called DV8: Gods and Monsters, written by Brian Wood with art by Rebekah Isaacs. The project is something Wood had been trying to get commissioned for years:
Fictional team history
Rather than saving the world, they use their powers for selfish reasons: to please themselves, indulge in any fancy that comes their way, uncaring about anybody else, and to forget that they are all just pawns to Ivana, expendable to her needs and desires. The members don't like each other, but are soon banding together for survival. This is what stands this book apart from most other superhero teams: they aren't heroes, they are not nice people, don't even like each other and can't even save themselves, let alone the world.Later on in the series, Baiul becomes director of International Operations
International Operations
International Operations is a fictional American Intelligence Agency in Wildstorm comics. I.O. first appeared in WildC.A.T.S. volume 1 #1 and was created by Brandon Choi and Jim Lee.-International Operations:...
and the team become agents of I.O. as well, at this point some of the members start to develop a conscience about their actions, especially Frostbite
Frostbite (Wildstorm)
Frostbite, is a character from the DV8 comic book series, published by Wildstorm.-History:Leon grew up with his mother in West Memphis, Arkansas. The identity and fate of his father is so far unknown. Leon went to Howard University in Washington, D.C., but quickly found himself in finacinal trouble...
.
Unlike Gen¹³, the overall nature of the comic was often very violent and extreme (even more so in the first few issues), with sexual themes, graphic violence, mild language and dialogue (especially between the team members), and general recklessness. The character Sideways Bob
Sideways Bob
Sideways Bob is a comic book character from Wildstorm Comics.-History:Sideways Bob is a formidable "security expert" , attached to Ivana’s operation to keep the penthouse secure from enemy attack - and, if necessary, to keep DV8 in.Bob’s pushing fifty, a grizzled horrible...
brought an especially dark, over the top, sense of humor to the series.
Creative teams
- Warren EllisWarren EllisWarren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
(Writer, #1-8) - Mike HeislerMike HeislerMike Heisler is an American comic book writer known for his work on the series DV8 and Union. He also penned the Gen¹³ mini-series Gen¹³: Interactive and the one-shot Gen¹³: The Surreal World....
(Writer, #9-32) - Humberto RamosHumberto RamosHumberto Ramos is a Mexican comic book penciller, best known for his work on American comic books such as Impulse, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man and his creator-owned series Crimson.-Career:...
(Art, #1-2, #4-7) - Michael Lopez (Art, #3, Part of #8)
- Juvaun Kirby (Art, #Part of #8, #9-13)
- Tom RaneyTom RaneyTom Raney is an American comic book artist, known for illustrating titles as Annihilation Conquest, Alpha Flight, Ultimate X-Men and Uncanny X-Men for Marvel Comics, DV8 and Stormwatch for Image Comics, and Outsiders for DC Comics....
(Art, #14-16) - Jason Johnson (Art, Part of #11, #17-18)
- Al RioAl RioAl Rio is a Brazilian comic book artist best known for his work on the American comic book series Gen¹³ and DV8. The companies Rio has worked for include Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Chaos Comics, Image Comics, Zenescope Comics, Malibu Comics, Wildstorm Comics, Crossgen, Vertigo,...
(Art, #0, #19-30) - Trevor Scott (Art, #31-32)
- Megan Arlidge (Art, #42 - 51)
Characters
- Ivana BaiulIvana BaiulIvana Baiul is a comic book character from DC Comics/Wildstorm. She has starred in Gen¹³ and DV8.-History:Ivana Baiul was the head of Sci-Tech, the scientific division of I.O. There she worked on creating a group of genetically enhanced soldiers for the government, a task previously done 12 times...
- Leader of the antihero group. She is not fully human because cybernetic technology was integrated into certain parts of her body. Generally she is amoral and very evil. She was the head of International Operations until Operation: Divine Right occurred. - Threshold (Matthew Callahan)Threshold (comics)Threshold, Matthew Callahan, is a fictional supervillain from the Gen¹³ and DV8 comic books, published by Wildstorm.-Fictional character biography:Matthew Callahan is the son of Stephen Callahan, a former member of Team 7...
- Field commander of the Deviants until he betrayed the team and went rogue. He has psionic powers and is very powerful and very psychotic. Until going rogue, he was Ivana's, and occasionally Bliss', sex toy. He is also the older brother of Bliss (Nicole Callahan) and half brother of Sarah RainmakerSarah RainmakerSarah Rainmaker is a fictional superhero from the comic book series Gen¹³ created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and illustrated by J. Scott Campbell.-Character biography:...
. - Sublime (Rachel Goldman)Sublime (Wildstorm)Sublime is a comic book character from DC Comics/Wildstorm Comics. Her real name is Rachel Goldman, and she is a member of the super human team DV8.-History:...
- Has the ability to alter the density of her body from intangible to rock-hard. Generally she is tough and does not take crap from anyone. - Bliss (Nicole Callahan)Bliss (Wildstorm)Bliss, also known as Nicole Callahan, is a supervillainess in the Wildstorm Universe of American comic books. She was created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and drawn by J. Scott Campbell in her first regular appearance...
- Has the ability to stimulate human senses to the point of cardiac arrestCardiac arrestCardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
and some psychic abilities. Generally she is amoral and very capable of getting men to give her what she wants. She even attempted to seduce her older brother, Threshold (Matthew Callahan). She may be very dangerous, though the Deviants are unaware of that. - Frostbite (Leon Carver)Frostbite (Wildstorm)Frostbite, is a character from the DV8 comic book series, published by Wildstorm.-History:Leon grew up with his mother in West Memphis, Arkansas. The identity and fate of his father is so far unknown. Leon went to Howard University in Washington, D.C., but quickly found himself in finacinal trouble...
- Has the ability to absorb heat from any source and leave it ice-cold. Generally he is the least screwed-up member of the Deviants. After Threshold went rogue, Frostbite was appointed as the team leader, but he was let go by Ivana after losing his powers. Later he faked his death to get off Ivana's radar. - Powerhaus (Hector Morales)PowerhausPowerhaus a.k.a. Hector Morales was a members of the superhuman team DV8 in the Wildstorm Universe. He was created by Brandon Choi and J. Scott Campbell.-History:Hector was adopted, raised by an Argentinian farmer as father and mother of German ancestry...
- Has the ability to convert emotional energy into raw power, which increases his muscle mass as well. He was killed in "DV8 Slipstream Annual". - Copycat (Gem Antonelli)Copycat (Wildstorm)Copycat is a comic book character from DC Comics/Wildstorm Comics. She is a member of the super human team DV8.-History:Gem Antonelli, a native of Los Angeles, was part of a series of experiments carried out by International Operations under the control of the director of the Department of Science...
- Has the ability to take control of a person's mind and make him/her do whatever she wants him/her to do. Through an earlier incident, she has four split personalities in addition to her normal persona, as evidenced by a change in the word-balloon font. When ex-team-leader Threshold betrayed the Deviants, he altered Gem's mind and isolated Gem's main personality, preventing the real Gem Antonelli from ever speaking, leaving Gem's body to be occupied only by her other split personalities.- Soldier (tough)
- Nihilist (rebellious)
- Spy (methodical)
- Little Gemma (cowardly and sweet)
- Evo (Michael Heller)EVO (comics)EVO: Endgame is a crossover by Image Comics & Top Cow Productions featuring Witchblade and Lara Croft. It ran from September 2002 to February 2003.-Publication history:The story appeared in the order:...
- Has the ability to change into forms similar to a wolf, batBatBats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
, or amphibianAmphibianAmphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
. Generally he is very insensitive and sometimes dark. - Freestyle (Jocelyn Davis) - Has the ability to affect probability by psionically choosing the most favorable course of action based on a number of timelines. She is also very acrobatic and flexible. Originally frozen in a cryogenic tube for the first few issues. Generally she is upbeat and not unstable like the others.
- Sideways BobSideways BobSideways Bob is a comic book character from Wildstorm Comics.-History:Sideways Bob is a formidable "security expert" , attached to Ivana’s operation to keep the penthouse secure from enemy attack - and, if necessary, to keep DV8 in.Bob’s pushing fifty, a grizzled horrible...
- Guardian of the group. He has no powers and is psychotic and dangerous. He's missing an eye and his hair, and he carries around a disembodied mannequin head he calls Lucille. He told Sublime that she could be his "special awake friend". She didn't know if that was good or not.
Collected editions
Some of the issues have been collected into a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- DV8: Neighborhood Threat (collects DV8 #1-6 and ½, 176 pages, Titan BooksTitan BooksTitan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
, October 2002, ISBN 1840234881, DC Comics, September 2002, ISBN 1-56389-927-2)