Changers
| The Changers | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Wildstorm/DC Comics |
| First appearance | Stormwatch #48 (May 1997) |
| Created by |
Warren Ellis (writer) Tom Raney (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Member(s) | Blind The Doctor Eidolon The Engineer The High Rite Smoke Wish |
The Changers are a group of superheroes published by Wildstorm an imprint of DC Comics. The team first appears in Stormwatch #48 (May 1997), and was created by Warren Ellis and Tom Raney.
The Changers are antagonists in the final story arc of Stormwatch volume 1, entitled "Change or Die", the storyline encompassing issues #48-50.
The team members are:
The main goal of the group was to change the world. Knowing that Stormwatch would try to stop them, Blind chose to attack Jenny Sparks and to torture Malcolm King (a.k.a. Strafe, a former member of Stormwatch) in order to obtain some information, without the knowledge of the other Changers and much to the outrage of John Cumberland (The High). Sparks narrowly escaped. Both teams fought and the battle came to its climax in the Changers headquarters. During this confrontation, it was revealed that both Blind and Wish had their own, private and horrific agenda. Most of the Changers died thanks to a Hammerstryke Deep Sanction Missile (a payload and tailored acid bomb) ordered by Henry Bendix. However, High survived and, furious, went to attack Stormwatch's base, Skywatch. The Stormdoor (Skywatch's force field) was activated, and High apparently died in the collision.
In a subsequent series, it would later be revealed that the High was still alive, despite his body being nearly completely pulverized into jelly. He was used as the base material to produce superhuman clones, all of which have so far repeated the phrases "Change or Die" and "Reap What you Sow" over and over. The Eidolon is also revealed to have returned to his state of "non-life". Due to his ability to gain more powers from surrounding death, and the widespread destruction brought on Earth by the High clones, he's in a mostly unbalanced state, likened to a drug addict continually fed new doses, and roams the Earth leading a gang of sadistic murderers and fanatical followers to harness new deaths for himself.
As a personal penance, The High sheds every bit of his hubris, and acts as a ferryman, escorting survivors into Finland, one of the last safe havens on Earth and a place in which posthumans aren't allowed. He confesses to a little girl that he feels alone and guilty, but finally gains purpose and self-fulfillment by pushing himself hard to help as many people as he can.
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