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I just checked out the preview for the latest issue of Brightest Day, and I've got to say... I really dig the "new" Anti-Monitor.

The Anti-Monitor is a strange beast. He was created as the antagonist of the original Crisis and really only made sense in opposition to the Monitor. But the Monitor died, and the Anti-Monitor endured. He keeps showing up, and he continues to be important to many aspects of the DCU, from the Hand of Creation to the Black Power Battery.

How exactly does that happen? How does a character created solely to be the antithesis of another character become the star? Nobody cares about the Monitor, and he's barely relevant without the Monitor. But the Anti-Monitor doesn't seem to want to go away.

I mean, he's even gotten a costume redesign! It combines elements of the first two Anti-Monitor outfits, but streamlines them into something that doesn't look as silly as either of them.

And make no mistake: the Anti-Monitor is silly. He's a bit ridiculous (okay, maybe more than a bit). The concept is utterly ridiculous, but for whatever reason he continues to endure. He's become a starring player with central role in the history of the DC Universe -- and he doesn't seem to want to go away.

For the life of me, I can't figure out how it happened. The Anti-Monitor just keeps coming back. And nobody seems to understand why.

I'm sure most of you have seen this image by now:

First of all, that's a beautiful piece of art. I'm usually not a big fan of Greg Horn but he hit this one out of the park.

Secondly, holy crap the hits just keep coming. It seems that everything just keeps getting worse and worse for the heroes of the DC Universe. Nekron was bad enough, but the Anti-Monitor? The Black Lantern Anti-Monitor? That's not a villain who will be easy to deal with.

Still, I have to wonder... If I'm not mistaken the Anti-Monitor wasn't willingly turned into the Black Power Battery. And when he gets out do you think he'll line up like a good soldier and do what Nekron wants him too?

I don't think so. I think when the Anti-Monitor gets free he's going to be trouble for everybody... Nekron included.

Okay, so here we go. Fair warning: I finally got a copy of the Sinestro Corps Special and there are going to be big spoilers ahead. Big spoilers.

Still here? Good. Let me begin by saying that although my prediction as to the fronter for the Sinestro Corps was not completely correct, I was nonetheless right. The only entity who could possibly be behind it was indeed the Anti-Monitor. Were there fifty-two Anti-Monitors like I speculated? There don't seem to be. Though the pluralization of some of the "hints" leads me to believe that we may see more down the line...

Still, I was happy to see that one of my predictions has actually turned out to be correct. Of course, that was pretty much the only thing in the Sinestro Corps special that I saw coming. I didn't think they were going to make Kyle Parallax (though how cool is that costume?) and I didn't know they were going to break out Superboy Prime and the Cyborg Superman.

So now we have an army of monsters... 7,200 of them to be exact. Led by an entity (or entities) who may or may not be the same Anti-Monitor who set off the original Crisis. Alongside him are the Cyborg Superman and his army of Manhunters. Together with them, Superboy Prime, one of the most powerful beings in the universe. And they're all backed up by a Parallax possessed Kyle Rayner.

It's clear that this is all going to play into DC's bigger event. But the scary thing? This is just the beginning. There are dozens of issues of Countdown to go. It feels like we've hit an apex, but we haven't. This is all just the tip of the iceberg... And whatever happens, it's going to get worse.

Much worse.

Some of the September solicits are up. And September is looking like a Green Lantern kind of month so far... I know the Sinestro Corps Special comes out this month. But a very interesting comic called Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents Parallax #1 comes out that month.

Ragnell has already covered some of the important points regarding that solicitation. Go read what she has to say. if you're interested in the Kyle side of things. For me, it's more about what the special represents. The solicit says it focuses on "members of the Sinestro Corps." I'd say that's slightly misleading, as I sorely doubt that Parallax is actually a member of the corps.

No, it would probably be more accurate to say that this special -- and the ones to come -- deal with Sinestro's allies. Parallax, Cyborg Superman, and... Who else? Oh, you knew I was going to get to this, didn't you?

With the Monitors coming back, did the Anti-Monitor or Anti-Monitors come back as well? Van Sciver reiterated: "See Sinestro Corps Special #1."

I've been flogging this line of thought for a while, as regular readers know. It's been said that the Sinestro Corps Special will have huge repercussions in the DCU as a whole. The Anti-Monitors are in the anti-matter universe as we speak. No one else has the power to enslave the Weaponers of Qward. We know that an Anti-Monitor can do it. He did it once before.

There is no one and nothing else that makes sense. Sinestro couldn't have done it... When he was tossed back to the anti-matter universe at the end of Rebirth, his ring had been destroyed. Something raised him up. Granted him a new ring and gave him the power to raise a corps of monsters 7,200 strong.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Anti-Monitors are coming.

Okay, so. Who's the burly Monitor in the Anti-Monitor armor?

Where did he come from, what is he doing around, and why is he dressed like that? Is he the same Monitor we saw from the back in Brave New World? Does the world he's from in some way have an effect on the way he dresses?

And more importantly, does this totally destroy all the theories I've had about where the DCU is heading?

In Uncle Sam & The Freedom Fighters the "Mathemagicians of the Anti-Life Equations" are referred to as Shadow Demons.

During Crisis on Infinite Earths it was revealed that the Anti-Monitor had forced the Qwardians to serve him -- just as several someones have tried to force the modern Qwardians into servitude.

How awesome was it that the tower from Infinite Crisis was made from the Anti-Monitor's corpse? That was wicked cool!