Launched in April 1995, Sovereign Seven was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dwayne Turner, and was Claremont's first professional regular series work since his departure from Marvel Comics and the X-Men franchise in 1991. It was the first creator-owned title set in the DC Universe.
Fictional team history
The Sovereign Seven were a group of aliens from various planets exiled to Earth, where they battled various villains, most notably Darkseid. The original group consisted of Cascade, Finale, Rampart, Reflex, Indigo, Network and Cruiser; later, Rampart was killed off and then replaced by the DC character Power Girl. The title met with middling success and was cancelled after 36 issues, in June 1998, after which Claremont returned to Marvel. The main characters of Sovereign Seven were all gathered by Cascade as a mysterious force known as The Rapture destroyed their home worlds. Each of the Sovereigns were princes/princesses of their people. For a time, the group operates out of a mysterious coffee house located where three Northeastern states meet, which is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. Many time portals open inside doorways to areas unfamiliar or well-known to the Sovereigns, who work as employees to earn their keep. The coffee house is run by supporting characters Violet Smith and Pansy Jones, comic-book counterparts of the musical alter-egos of Emma Bull and Lorraine Garland—The Flash Girls—of whom Claremont is a fan. One of the coffee shop's portals takes two of the Sovereigns' friends on a multiple-reality adventure and afterwards returns them safely home. Despite the group's metafictional nature, they were seen fighting a squadron of Apokolips soldiers during the Genesis event. Dangers appear outside the coffee house as well. A demonic entity takes over couples, making them go on violent rampages. Hunters roam through the woods, endangering innocent people. A well-known neighbor discovers a mystical sword in his house.
Membership
Cascade is the leader of the Sovereign Seven and has the ability to cascade, or teleport, both herself and others. Her ability generally requires some knowledge of the destination or that she be provided with a "waypoint" by Network. Cascade fled her mother, Maitresse, who ruled Cascade's homeworld with unyielding omnipotence.
Network was the first of the Sovereigns to meet Cascade, and in some ways she was the motivating force behind gathering them. Network's homeworld is never detailed. She is a telepath, and never hesitates to draw the information she needs from the minds of those around her. It has been shown that when no other people are within range of her powers, or when her powers are suppressed, she is fully illiterate and aphasic, unable to read, speak, or understand any language. It was hinted in several storylines that Network would eventually become a terrorist for captured or controlled telepaths.
Finale is a warrior from a society reminiscent of pre-American Hawaii. She is said to have come from a water world. She makes several references to Mother Ocean and The Great Orca. Unfortunately, to defend her world from the Rapture, Finale was forced to kill her world and its inhabitants. As a result, Finale fears water since joining the Sovereigns. She fears what will happen if the Mother Ocean of Earth finds out who she is. Finale wears full body armor throughout the series, and we never truly see her face.
Rampart is a prince of a Muslim-like society. He has the ability to manifest force fields. He is generally considered to be attractive, as the local girls tend to swoon in his presence.
Reflex is a speedster from a seemingly Nordic/Christian heritage. Unlike most characters with super-speed, both in DC and Marvel comics, Reflex is a large person. This causes some problems for him when dealing with normal, everyday things like typing. He does have, as his name suggests, well-honed reflexes.
Cruiser is a telekinetic who fuels his powers with his body mass. As a result, he's always hungry. Throughout the series, Cruiser goes from incredibly skinny and 'running on empty,' to quite fat, but with plenty of power in reserve.
Indigo is one of the most mysterious of the Sovereign Seven. 'He' is an enigma, without a true identity; even the pronoun "he" is arbitrary. When he desires it, Indigo can go completely unnoticed. His presence simply is not registered, whether it's in a dark hallway or a crowded street. He is also the consummate persuader. He can convince almost anyone to do what he wants. He is a master infiltrator, able to get into and out of secure areas. He is also the Sovereigns' tactician, carrying out Cascade's orders no matter how difficult.
