Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, DC Comics | Tagged: dc comics, king fire bull, lazarus planet, monkey prince

Monkey Prince's King Fire Bull is the Big Bad of Lazarus Planet

We have a preview of Lazarus Planet Alpha #1, the launch issue of the new Lazarus Planet event at DC Comics. With Damian Wayne in charge of the superhero response against the Lazarus Volcano magic raining down across the Earth, and a heavily injured Batman delegating power, responsibility and authority to his thirteen-year-old son. And King Fire Bull of Monkey Prince as the individual who set this all off.

King Fire Bull has, up to now, made an unnamed mentioned in Monkey Prince #2 as The Great Ruler of Flame Planet and appeared #8, but may be a little more prominent in the rest of the DC Universe going forward.

"NEW HEROES WILL BE BORN AND EXISTING HEROES' POWERS WILL BE CHANGED FOREVER."

In the climax of December's Batman vs. Robin #4, a Lazarus Volcano erupts, spewing dangerous and transformative chemicals into Earth's atmosphere.
"That much magic can't be contained—so when it erupts it spews out Lazarus Resin and creates a violent 'rainstorm' that covers the world," explains Mark Waid, the superstar writer and architect of the DC Universe: Lazarus Planet event.

Helping craft the two-month Lazarus Planet event alongside Waid will be Monkey Prince writer Gene Luen Yang. "Traditionally, Nezha is a trickster god who often dances on that line between good and evil," Yang says. "In Batman/Superman: World's Finest, Mark brought him into the DC Universe and specifically tied him into elements of the Batman mythos."
Waid has been no stranger to the DC Universe this past year, penning the bestselling series Batman/Superman: World's Finest and Batman vs. Robin, which set the stage for this event, beginning in January's Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1.

"In Batman/Superman: World's Finest, we introduced the Devil Nezha, an ancient evil that could be contained only within the tomb on a remote island," Waid says. "Once our heroes sealed him inside, we sprung the surprise reveal—the tomb is on Lazarus Island. Then in Batman vs. Robin, we learn that Mother Soul, Damian's great-grandmother on his al Ghul side, has been searching for Nezha and used Damian to unleash him once more."

"The writers and artists are embracing that freedom to do some of the best work I've seen in a long time," Waid continues. "Everyone's been incredibly cooperative and willing to toss ideas back and forth to make their own stories even better."

"NEZHA IS A TRICKSTER GOD WHO OFTEN DANCES ON THAT LINE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL."

The Lazarus Volcano will make its rumblings known throughout the DC Universe in a series of one-shots helmed by all-star talent, including Francis Manapul, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Leah Williams, Max Dunbar, Clayton Henry, Tim Seeley, and Marguerite Sauvage. Fan-favorite heroes throughout the DC Universe will be heavily invested in uncovering the secrets behind the Lazarus Resin.

"Power Girl is part of the team that tries to free Earth's magical artifacts from the Tower of Fate, where Nezha has imprisoned them," Waid explains. "Poison Ivy, on the other hand, is part of the team exploring one of Ra's al Ghul's mountain headquarters looking for clues to counteract the resin. Ra's was aware of her background as a brilliant biochemist who, like him, is eager to reestablish a working ecosystem before our planet succumbs to global war."

"THE WRITERS AND ARTISTS ARE EMBRACING THAT FREEDOM TO DO SOME OF THE BEST WORK…"

The full scope of the story starts out in Lazarus Planet: Alpha and continues in the one-shot tie-ins Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton, Lazarus Planet: We Once Were Gods, Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate, Lazarus Planet: Next Evolution, and Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn—all leading to the fateful finale in Lazarus Planet: Omega and the aftermath in Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods.

After the events of Lazarus Planet, the gods of the Multiverse decide to take down the heroes they once called champions and the world they've sworn to protect.

The team of gods is led by Earth-O's wizard Shazam, who has been granted a vision from the Lazarus Resin the likes of which he has never seen before.
As if major changes to existing heroes and the introduction of all-new ones weren't enough, Lazarus Planet has a ton of surprises in store for even the most hardcore DC fan. "There's a fusion of Cyborg and Blue Beetle, a key role for Blue Devil, the mightiest bolt of Shazam lightning in history, Swamp Thing vs. Nezha, and a really, really, really ugly turn for Batman," Waid teases.

"Mark's premise for Lazarus Planet is so fun, the rest of us can't help but respond with all the creativity we can muster," Yang says. "Even as a fan, I can't wait to read what everyone's come up with."

LAZARUS PLANET: ALPHA #1

Written by MARK WAID and GENE LUEN YANG
Art by RICCARDO FEDERICI, BILLY TAN, and more
Cover by DAVID MARQUEZ and ALEJANDRO SÁNCHEZ
Variant covers by RICCARDO FEDERICI, FRANCESCO MATTINA,
MATEUS MANHANINI, NATHAN SZERDY, and JORGE CORONA
Trading Card Variant
1:25 variant cover by JOHN GIANG
1:50 foil variant cover by A.L. KAPLAN
1:100 foil variant cover by DAVID MARQUEZ and ALEJANDRO SÁNCHEZ
Team variant cover by SCOTT GODLEWSKI
$5.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 1/10/23
CHANGE THE WORLD.  Following the explosive (literally) events of Batman vs. Robin #4, the Lazarus Volcano has erupted, spewing dangerous and transformative chemicals into Earth's atmosphere! As these Lazarus clouds rain down upon the planet, people across the globe begin to develop strange new abilities, watch their already-extraordinary abilities
change, and witness a whole host of chaos unlike anything the DCU has experienced before! It's up to Damian Wayne to put out the distress call for whoever can still hear it: come to the ruins of the Hall of Justice and help save the world! Poison Ivy, Power Girl, Cyborg, Batman, and more answer the call…but why could the fate
of all life as we know it rest in the hands of…Monkey Prince?

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