“Apart, they’ve saved countless lives in hundreds of world-shattering conflicts. Together, they form a team that has protected the world in the past, present, and future. Now, they will be reunited one last time to face a threat that will forever change their legacy and bring them face to face with their final destiny!” reads the official description released alongside the formal announcement for “The Sovereigns.” It has been confirmed that Dynamite Entertainment’s cryptic teasers are all leading to an event reintroducing classic Gold Key Superheroes Turok, Solar, Magnus, Doctor Spektor, and more. “The Sovereigns” will begin in April with a 48-page zero issue for only a dollar. The creative team has been roled out as promised, one writer from Star Wars, Chuck Wendig, one from Hasbro, Aubrey Sitterson, one from DC, Ray Fawkes, and one who is Mighty, Kyle Higgins. The zero issue will serve as an anthology issue with Ray Fawkes writing the over-arching story with Johnny Desjardins on art, Wendig writing a Turok story, Sitterson writing a Spektor story, and Higgins writing a Magnus story. The issue will feature two covers by Stephen Segovia, one by Desjardins, and one by Philip Tan.
Fawkes described the story as “the story of all the legendary Gold Key characters at the apex of their career as heroes – and at their moment of greatest crisis.” It is interesting to here him describe it as “all the legendary Gold Key characters” because while only Turok, Magnus, and Doc Spektor are being singled out for their own stories, concept art was released depicting classic Gold Key characters such as Doctor Solar, Tragg and Lorn, Dagar the Invincible, and The Mighty Sampson.
Four covers have also been released. The first by Segovia appears to depict the corpse of King Turok lying next to a gold key. The second by Segovia depicts a gold key fallen from a lifeless robotic hand, presumably that of Magnus. The cover by Desjardins appears to depict the reimagining of Doctor Spektor, Grand Mister Spektor, against a bloody background. Finally the cover by Tan depicts a valiant King Turok leading his people against a background of fire. Each cover include the tagline “End of the Golden Age.”
This is the third relaunch of the Gold Key characters since Dynamite Entertainment acquired the license in 2013. It hasn’t been announced whether this will run into an ongoing series, mini-series, or if it will just be a series of one-shots. Whatever it is, Dynamite CEO/Publisher Nick Barrucci has described this as a “huge initiative” for the publisher.
