Doctor Fate

Just about every character fans could have wanted appears to be coming to Injustice 2. The latest trailer introduces Doctor Fate to the mix, giving the fighting game sequel its first master of the mystic arts. While Zatanna and Raven held that honor in the original game, neither has been seen yet in this sequel. Doctor Fate brings his signature golden boy style to Injustice 2's alternate future, and some very interesting trap magic combat.

What may go down as one of the worst years in recent memory is slowly crawling to a close, and while we wish it good riddance and hope against hope that 2017 will be an improvement, there is some small solace in looking back over the year that's passed and figuring out what stuff from it was the best. That's right, it's "Best of..." list time, and today we're taking a look at the Best DC Covers of 2016.

This week, the kids take a field trip to the Tower of Fate, and Aqualad heads back to Atlantis for whatever the underwater version of Spring Break is. "Denial" was written by Thomas Pugsley, directed by Michael Chang, and originally aired on February 18, 2011. "Downtime" was written by Kevin Hopps, directed by Jay Oliva, and originally aired on March 4, 2011.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from our years on the Internet, it’s that there’s no aspect of comics that can’t be broken down and quantified in a single definitive list, preferably in amounts of five or ten. And since there’s no more definitive authority than ComicsAlliance, we’re taking it upon ourselves to compile Top Five lists of everything you could ever want to know about comics. From the earliest days of comics, there have been characters who performed heroic deeds. Whether they use spells or sleight of hand, this week we're saluting five of the very best magic heroes.

Can’t decide which superheroes are your favorites? Why not enjoy a little bit of all of them? That's the great thing about superhero teams; they bring together everyone from the most famous and iconic heroes to the most bizarre and obscure. And no superteam captures that idea better than the Justice League. For your viewing pleasure, we’ve amassed our own super gallery featuring cosplayers portraying members of the Justice League throughout the years. Every cape, every cowl, every leotard featured shows off the enormous wealth of talent on the part of the cosplayers who take up these heroes' mantles. These are the best Justice League cosplays ever.

Take a look at the biggest names in superheroes and you probably realize that you're looking at a sea of red, blue, yellow. There are some greens, whites, blacks, etc, but the most iconic superheroes are the red and blue, with yellow accents. It's no accident that the easiest colors to render in the four-color printing process became the choice for bold heroes. But what does it mean for characterization of these heroes? What does it tell us about those characters?

Ibrahim Moustafa burst onto the scene in 2013 with his collaboration with Christopher Sebela on High Crimes, a critically-acclaimed murder mystery that takes place atop Mount Everest. His covers for High Crimes were highlighted on ComicsAlliance as some of the best of 2013, and since then Moustafa has gone on to do cover work for a number of different series --- including the first three issues of Doctor Fate. Since working on those Fate covers, Moustafa was tapped for guest interiors for issue #8 of the series, which hit stores earlier this year, and he'll return to the book for issue #13 this summer. ComicsAlliance sat down with Moustafa to hear more about that experience, his process, and what we should expect from him next.

When you get right down to it, "heal the world" is a pretty nebulous mission. I mean, I think we can all agree that it's a good idea, but there's not a lot of direction there on how to actually get it done. Do you get a bunch of recording stars together to cut a ridiculously patronizing Christmas song to raise money for famine? Do you just plant a couple of trees and call it a day? Or, do you just look around and see if there's anything making your mom sad that you can deal with right now? Well, if your Khalid Nassour, better known as the current incarnation of Doctor Fate, you go with that last one and hope it all works out for the best. That's what happens in next week's issue, Doctor Fate #8 (or Dr. F8) from Paul Levitz and Ibrahim Moustafa, and you can see how it all starts with the preview below!

Khalid Nassour is having a very bad and very strange week. On the one hand, he's dealing with the normal stuff, like getting ready to start medical school, his father's recent car accident that may have left him permanently blinded, a flood swamping the streets of New York, and an attack by a pack of stray dogs. On the other hand, well, there was a talking helmet that told him he was the new Doctor Fate and charged him with stopping a massive blood sacrifice that may actually be related to all that other stuff.

Costume design is one of the great strengths of the superhero genre, a way to establish distinctive visual shorthand for a character and reveal key details about concept, purpose, and personality. But which is the best superhero costume of all time? This month, we’re asking you to decide, by voting up your favorites and voting down the rest. When we have your votes, we’ll compile a list of the greatest super-costumes of all time. For day three, it's the magic hour; five of the finest, flashiest, most flamboyant witch-and-wizard costumes in the business, ranging from the Gothic Lolita look of Runaways' Nico Minoru to the fishnet-and-top hat classic stage magician (with fishnets) look of Zatanna --- and not forgetting the weird robes and curlicued collar of Doctor Stephen Strange himself.