DC Comics Forces, Weapons and Artifacts

Don't know why guys like Batman and Dr. Fate get nervous about a bell, a wheel and a jar? Don't get why some people think talk so much about a Green Lantern's "power ring"? Wondering what a boom tube is? Well, don't worry. This crash course list should help you out.

NOTE: This list is being updated and is still under construction.

The Anti-Life Equation - A mathetmatical proof which, when heard by a living being, robs them of their free will and forces them to submit to the control of the one who speaks the equation. The Anti-Life Equation was a prize desired by Darkseid, who came to realize that certain human beings on Earth held parts of the equation in their subconsciousness.

The Bell, the Wheel and the Jar - Also known as Uthool's green bell, Nyorlath's silver wheel and Calythos's red jar. These three seemingly-ordinary items are actually magical talismans designed to imprison or summon the famous "Demon's Three", a trio of Hell-born villains.

The Book of Eternity - The spell book of Merlin, one of Earth's most powerful sorcerers.

The Book of Destiny - Belonging to the Endless named Destiny (see Races and Organizations for The Endless), this book contains all the truths of everything has has happened, is happening and will happen in the DC Universe.

Boom Tube - A creation of the New Gods, a boom tube is an artificially created stargate intended to cross over the vast distances between the twin planets of New Genesis and Apokolips and the rest of the DC Universe. The boom tube got its name because it looks like a long tunnel and emits a sonic boom whenever it opens. It was created by the New God called Metron, using the mysterious Element-X (see entry below).

Since the inhabitants of New Genesis and Apokolips are giant-sized beings, the boom tube also alters the size of the traveler to adjust to the destination environment. When folks such as Superman and Batman travel to New Genesis via boom tube their sizes increase so that when they arrive they are proportionate to the people and things around. If they traveled to New Genesis or Apokolips via a space-ship, no size change would occur and they would be akin to insects in a world of giants. This size alteration is so quick that the traveler is physically unaware of any change happening to their body.

The people of Apokolips later created "hush tubes" which barely emit a sound when they appear. The limitations of a hush tube are not known.

The Crime Bible - When the criminal syndicate called Intergang re-organized itself as a quasi-religious cult, it centered new strategies and beliefs around a tome called the Crime Bible. This book treats the Biblical figure Cain as a heroic and divine figure due to having literally invented murder. It is filled with prophecies as well as teachings. Where the book originally came from and who wrote it is unknown, but it is said to be bound by the stone that Cain himself used on Abel. It was later revealed that the Biblical story of Cain was actually based on the immortal villain Vandal Savage, thus the book is dedicated to him.

Emotional Spectrum - In DC Comics, it is said that there is an electromagnetic spectrum for emotion just as there is for light and radiation. This emotional spectrum corresponds to the basic rainbow, with each color representing a different emotion. From one end to the other, these are: rage (red), avarice (orange), fear (yellow), willpower (green), hope (blue), compassion (indigo), and love (violet). The energies of green willpower have no effect on the personality of the person who accesses and wields them, however the energies of rage and love cause a very strong corruption of the wielder since they are the furthest from the center. These energies can be used by certain devices such as the star sapphire gems created by the Zamarons (which use the energies of love) or the power rings used by the Green Lantern Corps (willpower) and Sinestro Corps (fear).

At this point in time, there are known to be at least two Red Lantern power rings utilizing the energies of rage and one blue power ring which can utilize the power of hope. There is also known to be a black lantern power battery and it is said that soon there will be a Black Lantern Corps who can raise the dead with their rings.

Element X - An unstable element able to assume any shape desired, discovered by the New God torturer Desaad. With Element X, Metron was able to build the boom tubes that the New Gods would come to use as regular transport, as well as his own Moebius Chair (see entries Boom Tube and Moebius Chair above).

Flight Ring - See the entry Legion Flight Ring below.

Inerton - In the future of the DCU, believed to be the densest ore in the universe. The Legion of Super-Heroes use inerton to store dangerous items and the walls of their headquarters are lined with an inerton-manganium alloy, which can withstand Superman's strength.

JLA Signal Device - A miniature beacon and communicator to alert members of the Justice League that there's an emergency and they must report for duty at once. Signal devices are usually just a bit larger than a quarter and have often been hidden in belt buckles or designed to look like ear rings.

Lazarus Pit - A pit that must be created at certain, specific spots on the Earth and use a combination of natural gasses from beneath the ground and a man-made chemical mixture. The effect is a pool that can restore people from fatal injuries and renew the dying with increased vitality. It can also resurrect the dead, but it won't restore their bodies past the point of death (hence, you're basically an intelligent zombie). A side effect of the pit is temporary madness after use (and Batman has theorized this madness is cumulative). The terrorist Ra's al Ghul created the Lazarus Pits, though most of them have been destroyed by Batman.

Legion Flight Belt - Before the invention of the flight ring, some members of the Legion of Super-Heroes wore belts that allowed them to hover and fly. When flight rings became standards, the flight belts were only given out to honorary members of the team.

Legion Flight Ring - Flight rings are used by all members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The ring allows the user to fly and hover at will. It acts as a radio between other ring-bearers. The ring emits a personal force field to protect the wearer from air pressure, as well as the vacuum of space. A primary element used in the creation of a Legion flight ring is the metal valorium (see Valorium entry below).

A Legion flight ring is considered equivalent to an official badge. Thus, even members of the LSH who naturally possess the power of flight are known to wear flight rings.

Legion flight rings can be reprogrammed for special purposes. Superman was given a special flight ring that would alert him when the LSH needed his help and could transmit him into the future.

The Medusa Mask - Once there were several Medusa Masks, each representing a different emotion, but then they were forged into a single combined mask. This amalgamated golden Medusa Mask allows the user to project extreme emotions into any target they make eye-contact with. It can also project basic instructions based on these emotions (such as "Hate your parents and kill them" or "Feel nothing but desire for me and obey my every command") If a person with the Medusa Mask realizes he's about to be attacked or killed, they can command the mask to regenerate them afterwards entirely, even if it's just from a single drop of blood.

The Medusa Mask has been most frequently used by the second villain to call himself Psycho-Pirate.

The Miracle Machine - Created by the Controllers, this device actually transforms thought into physical reality. It was recently said that this was based on the same technology that the Guardians of the Universe used to create the Green Lantern power rings (see Power Rings entry below). The Controllers called this device "Geh-Jedollah-The Absolute", which has no direct translation in English or Interlac. The Legion of Super-Heroes were given this device and called it the Miracle Machine. With the exception of once using it to stop the time-manipulating villain known as the Time Trapper, the Legion have forbidden use of the device, believing it to be too dangerous. The Miracle Machine is sealed in an inerton cube (see Inerton entry above).

In one account, the Miracle Machine was later consumed by Matter-Eater Lad of the Legion of Super-Heroes. But since the Machine recently showed up again, this account is either out of continuity or the device was simply so powerful that it could not be permanently destroyed by such means.

Moebius Chair - The creation of the New God called Metron, the Moebius Chair is powered by the mysterious X-Element. With the Chair, Metron can travel through space and time and between dimensions. He can instantly transport himself from the worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips to Earth without the use of a Boom Tube. The chair protects its traveler with a force-field, protecting Metron and any other passengers from dangerous environments and the void of space and allowing journeys through time and space to seem almost effortless. The Chair is likewise equipped with scanners to help Metron in his constant scientific investigations.

The Moebius Chair occasionally has a different appearance. It's not clear if this is because the Chair sometimes reforms itself, due to the unstable/shape-shifting nature of Element X (which powers the heart of the Chair), or if Metron himself occasionally redesigns the device.

The Moebius Chair seems to respond to telepathic commands. The only person who has been seen to use the Moebius Chair has been Dubbillex, an Earth-born "D.N.Alien" who wielded telepathic powers.

Mother Box - A living computer created by the New Gods, Mother Boxes can rearrange matter and energy to a certain degree (enhancing a person's healing rate, creating new clothing for them, regulating certain body processes) and each shares an telepathic link with the user. Mother Boxes are also able to summon Boom Tubes (see entry above). The New God Orion made a habit of using his Mother Box to alter his features and help sooth his emotional rages.

Mother Boxes have different individual designs. Some have a single starburst design. Some have mutli-colored lights. Some have no apparent markings except for a single circle design. Each is a hand-held device in the shape of a metal cube or a rectangular metal box. When a Mother Box speaks to a user, her or she understands its meaning but others only hear a repeated "ping!" noise.

On Apokolips, a few of the evil New Gods were seen to use their own version of the Mother Box, called "Father Boxes." Their full nature is unknown.

Nth Metal - A "psycho-active" ore found on the planet Thanagar. A person of great skill and willpower can use Nth metal to tap into the four forces of the unified field. For most people, wearing Nth metal give them the power of flight, enhanced strength and healing, and protection from cold and atmospheric pressures.

Though Nth metal allows flight and hovering abilities, it does not allow much control or coordination. Thus, the heroes Hawkman and Hawkgirl, famous for wearing Nth metal in their belts and boots, use wing-harnesses to help them fly.

Omnicom - In the future of the DCU, omnicoms are multipurpose hand-held computers. They can also be used as scanners and communication devices.

The Orb of Ra - Carved from a meteor and said to be blessed by the Egyptian sun god Ra, the Orb (a golden glowing globe) is capable of transforming people into elemental beings, deformed but able to shift their bodies up into different elements and compounds. The hero Metamorpho gained his abilities from exposure. Likewise, an encounter with the Orb gave identical powers to the now deceased hero Element Girl (many of you may know her from her brief appearance during Neil Gaiman's Sandman series).

Power Rings - The signature weapons of the Green Lantern Corps and the Sinestro Corps. Power rings tap into the energies of the emotional spectrum (see entry above), composed of the emotions of all sentient life in the universe. Sinestro Corps rings access fear energies whereas GL Corps rings access willpower. It has been said by many that power rings are the most powerful weapons in the universe.

Utilizing the powerful energies of the emotional spectrum (and fueled by the strength of the user), power rings achieve a variety of affects. Power rings can create force-fields, emit energy blasts and enable flight. Based on the wielder's wishes and imagination, they can create holograms and, with further strength and focus, can then solidify these images into weapons, tools and shields, etc. The greater the imagination and mental strength of the wielder, the more dangerous and complex they can be in their ring-constructs.

The rings are able to affect matter on certain levels, such as enhancing a person's muscle mass or allowing them to shift in age. The power rings of the Green Lanterns and Sinestro Corps also act as miniature computer databanks, translators and communication devices.

Each ring must be recharged at least once every 24 hours or else its energy will die out (even if you haven't used it all day). Green Lantern power rings have great difficulty directly affecting anything colored yellow, but this weakness can be overcome if the Lantern is experienced enough.

Kyle Rayner's power ring operated under somewhat different rules for several years, due to his unique circumstances. Alan Scott calls himself Green Lantern at times and also wields a ring, but his utilizes magical energies and is not connected to the emotional spectrum. See the Green Lantern History file for more details.

Signal Device - See the entry JLA Signal Device above.

The Spear of Destiny - Inspired by the actual Spear of Destiny legend, this item is a very powerful magical object in the universe of DC Comics. The Spear was used to pierce Christ's side when he was on the cross. During World War II, Hitler gained control of the Spear and was able to use its mystical power to create a sphere of influence over the Nazi territories in Europe. Any meta-human who entered the sphere would find their minds becoming deadlier and more aggressive the longer they stayed. And anyone who entered the sphere who was a magic user or sensitive to magic would instantly become loyal to Hitler. This prevents the majority of super-heroes from interfering with the Nazis in Europe.

The Spear of Destiny has passed through many hands since. If certain beings sensitive to magic (such as Superman) physically hold the Spear for too long, their minds will warp to mimic Hitler's. The Spear is also one of the few items which can harm and possibly kill beings such as the Spectre.

Sunstone - Sometimes called "data crystals", these are devices created and used by the people of the planet Krypton. Each sunstone is small enough to be hand-held but is a massive-scale databank containing several libraries worth of information. Although they look like translucent crystal, sunstones have complex matrices of microscopic circuitry within them. Sunstones can be programmed to create specific vehicles or structures by using the elements around them as raw material (possibly through a process akin to nannites).

Superman's parents placed a sunstone in his rocketship when they sent him to Earth. For years, he thought it was a data bank but eventually realized that it was programmed to build a safe haven for him. He used this sunstone to create his current Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic. Other sunstones have been used to maintain Superman's now disused Fortress housed in Peru.

Telepathic Earplugs - Used in the future of the DCU, telepathic earplugs allow the user to understand foreign languages they encounter and can also be used to allow themselves to be heard in the same language.

Time Bubble or Time Sphere - A time machine that appears to be a large, glass bubble. It can be programmed to alter its size in order to carry more passengers rather than just the pilot. A few times, it's been seen to become large enough to contain up to nine people and a small lab facility. If a time sphere's shell is cracked, it cannot be used for travel unless repaired. Time bubbles were occasionally used by the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Time Cube - An alternative to a time bubble, the time cube is not a form of transport to and from other time periods. Rather, it transmits the target elsewhere in time, making it a one-way trip unless the operator also then remotely transmits the target to their original time. At times, the time cube causes side effects such as a reduction of the user's super-powers or a malfunction in any equipment they might be carrying.

Transuit - In the future of the DCU, transuits are completely transparent suits with a white armband. They cover a person completely and allow them to breathe indefinitely in the vaccuum of space.

Valorium - A dense metal used in the 30th and 31st century, it is used most famously in the creation of Legion flight rings (see Legion Flight Ring entry above). It was revealed recently that valorium is actually an alloy involving Nth metal (see Nth metal entry above).