Huge DC Rebirth Mystery to Be Revealed in Action Comics

Mr. Oz is about to have his cover blown.

By Jesse Schedeen

DC Comics held their "Justice For All" panel at SDCC this morning. The panel focused on a wide range of DC Rebirth comics, and while no new projects were announced, the panel did hint at some big developments to come as the Rebirth train keeps rolling.

The biggest revelation in the panel came from Action Comics writer Dan Jurgens, who confirmed that the identity of the enigmatic Mr. Oz will be revealed in September's Action Comics #987, the first chapter of "The Oz Effect." Jurgens promised that this reveal will have a huge impact on the entire Superman family, and that the clues to piece together Oz's identity are already out there. First, however, readers should also look to next week's Action Comics #984 for another big twist.

Action Comics #987 cover by Nick Bradshaw. (DC Comics)

Jurgens also said that the series will begin to shed more light on the hidden connections among the various Superman Family members in DC Rebirth, especially now that heroes like Steel, New Super-Man, Supergirl and Superwoman have arrived to help Superman battle the Revenge Squad. And he also noted his excitement at being able to write a huge milestone issue with Action Comics #1000 (which should be arriving in spring 2018 given the current shipping schedule).

Meanwhile, The Flash writer Joshua Williamson teased that many ongoing threads in the series will start to come together in the next few months as Barry Allen's latest clash with Eobard Thawne plays out. Barry himself will be undergoing an unexpected transformation as he ventures into the Negative Speed Force (which fuels Reverse-Flash's powers) and becomes "Negative Flash." Williamson also hinted that there's a big clue for what's coming hidden in the pages of The Flash.

The Flash #28 cover by Carmine Di Giandomenico. (DC Comics)

Batman writer Tom King talked about the current "The War of Jokes and Riddles" storyline. King noted that the story really boils down to the difference between jokes and riddles, with jokes representing anarchy and riddles the path to fascism. King teased that August's Batman #29 will focus entirely on a dinner meeting between Joker and Riddler.

King also discussed his take on Darkseid in the upcoming Mister Miracle series, saying that the mantra "Darkseid Is" will be a recurring motif in the series and that Darkseid is less a villain than a force representing all the negativity in the world.

Some other tidbits from the panel:

• Cyborg writer John Semper Jr. described his series as an 18 or 19-issue long "epic" and said that he'll soon be exploring Vic Stone's connection to the Mother Box technology.
• Justice League of America writer Steve Orlando discussed the new villain King Butcher and his connection to the Lords of Order, hinting that he may be paving the way for the return of Doctor Fate.
• Artist Nicola Scott discussed her story in Wonder Woman Annual #1 where she and writer Greg Rucka chronicled the first meeting between WW, Batman and Superman. Scott said that they purposely portrayed Batman and Superman as extreme, "posturing" versions of themselves, with Diana being the stabilizing force of the trinity.

Stay tuned to IGN this weekend for plenty more SDCC coverage.

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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