Great Ten
| Great Ten | |
|---|---|
The Great Ten
Stanley "Artgerm" Lau artist |
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | 52 #6 (June 2006) |
| Created by |
Grant Morrison (writer) J. G. Jones (artist) Joe Bennett (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Great Wall Complex, China |
| Member(s) | Accomplished Perfect Physician August General in Iron Celestial Archer Ghost Fox Killer Immortal Man in Darkness Mother of Champions Seven Deadly Brothers Shaolin Robot Socialist Red Guardsman Thundermind |
The Great Ten, (Shi Hao Xia) or (十豪侠) are a team of fictional Chinese comic book superheroes in the DC Comics Universe, who are sponsored by the government of the People's Republic of China. Appearing in comics published by DC Comics, they were introduced in 52 #6 (June 2006), and were created by Grant Morrison, J. G. Jones, and Joe Bennett. Several of the characters have a basis in Chinese mythology. Unlike conventional superhero monikers, their names are close to literal translations from the Chinese language.
Grant Morrison explained the background to his creation of the team, in a pitch which also contained the outline for the Super Young Team:
According to DC Comics’ Director of Sales Bob Wayne, the Great Ten will also return in their own title. On August 11, 2009, it was officially confirmed on the DC Universe blog website, "The Source", that the new title would be a 10-issue monthly mini-series, beginning in early November 2009 and produced by writer Tony Bedard and artist Scott McDaniel, with covers by Stanley Lau.
First appearing in 52 #6, the Great Ten's actions are hampered by bureaucracy. Three of the team's members were forced to sit out a battle with Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart because they had not completed the required paperwork. Following the events in the Infinite Crisis story arc, as a signatory of the Freedom of Power Treaty China has entered into a Coalition with Khandaq, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan, leading the Great Ten to join forces with Black Adam on the battlefield. Later, in week #32, the Accomplished Perfect Physician saves Ralph Dibny from his rampaging teammate Yeti, and gains his help subduing and restoring him to his human self. The Accomplished Perfect Physician then shares with Dibny details about his life and powers, his role as a "super-functionary", and some cryptic advice about a coming crisis in the Middle East. The Great Ten later battle Black Adam when he invades China as part of his vendetta after the death of Isis in World War III. This also involves confrontations with several American based superheroes, as the Chinese government was willing to go so far as to launch nuclear missiles if their territory was violated. This portion of the stand-off was ended when the Great Ten lost contact with Beijing, leaving August General in Iron with the authority to allow international help - against his own wishes.
...
Wikipedia