less bitchin' more pitchin': Cyborg titles

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fodigg

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Edited By fodigg

I've been annoyed since DC's new-52 reboot that they haven't had a Cyborg title despite supposedly putting him on the same footing as other founding members of the new52 Justice League. They're finally starting to give him the spotlight in the Justice Leaguetitle—introducing a new look and a new arch-villain, Grid—but we still don't have a solo title for the character. With that in mind, here's some suggestions for how they might approach a Cyborg title.

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Cyborg: Flashback Title

Essentially Cyborg's "year one", except not quite that early because we already saw his origin in the opening of the new52 Justice League title. So really it'd be Cyborg's early years when he wasn't just serving as the Justice League's personal teleporter. It would be the title they should have had coming out of the reboot, like what they did for Superman in Action Comics.

This would be a good way to introduce some more backstory to the character, rounding out the hints we're finally seeing pay off in the JL title. They should throw in some more personal villains, do some arcs where they highlight his isolation and body-horror (to better riff on his recent acceptance/rebuilding) and maybe take the opportunity to have him team-up with some of the lost "new teen titans" era characters (e.g., Donna Troy).

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Cyborg: Ensemble Title

Kind of like the new Aquaman title, this would be Cyborg leading an ensemble cast of other tech-based DC superheroes as his own team. I'd base it around "Steelworks", John Henry Irons' company, and do a supporting cast of:

This would provide Cyborg with a number of personalities to interact with where he gets to be the star of the show. Each supporting character would have overlap with his archetype so he can serve as the common ground that brings them together and he can grow through his interactions with them. Natasha and Commodore can be the young upstarts—the former overly earnest and the latter kind of a rich tourist—while Hardware presents a cynical veteran to balance out John Irons' more even-handed mentoring. Robotman can represent the complete loss of humanity that Cyborg is afraid of for himself.

Cyborg: America's Hero

Similar to his Flashpointrepresentation, this would be Cyborg stepping up in the present to become on of the premier superheroes. He would have official government support and would work out of the Red Room under the directive of ARGUS (via STAR Labs). He would share the Red Room's primary mission: to safely take down tech-based threats and seize any dangerous new technology. This would overlap with his general superheroics. For his supporting staff:

I also like the idea of him routinely teaming up with other ARGUS heroes who have been assigned to combat specific threats like he has when they need help, namely Vibe (reality breachers), Booster Gold (time traveling threats), and Blue Beetle (extra-terrestrial threats), as well as general ARGUS staff (e.g., Steve Trevor). This title would eventually introduce Morrow's creation, Red Tornado, as a supporting character as well.

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So, do any of these ideas work for you? Are there any other concepts you'd like to see for a Cyborg title? Let me know!