The New 52: Finding the Hooded Woman

Sharp eyes may have noticed something all 52 new titles from DC have in common: the Hooded Woman, who first appeared in Flashpoint #5 when the new history was formed, can be found somewhere in every title. Feel free to play “Where’s Waldo?” with the Hooded Woman on your own. Then come back here to find her in any issues you missed her in. While you are at it, feel free to speculate wildly as to who she is and what she means. There will be spoilers as I describe where to find her.

  1. Action Comics – Riding the train with Lois and Jimmy, on the right hand side of the last panel of the first page without dialogue.
  2. All Star Western – In the crowd behind the orange vested men when Amadeus asks permission to inquire about Jonah’s facial scars. Her aura is orange instead of red here.
  3. Animal Man – In the children’s ward of the hospital, after Animal Man’s eyes are revealed to be bleeding when an officer shouts “We need a doctor here!”
  4. Aquaman – In the diner to the right in the panel just after Aquaman orders the fish and chips.
  5. Batgirl – Annoyingly hard to spot. Visible only in reflection in the window of the last panel of the second last page on the right hand side; she’s actually across the street on a rooftop.
  6. Batman – No aura here. Page one, panel one, keeping warm by the fire.
  7. Batman and Robin – Standing poolside when the coach tells Adams to push off that wall faster.
  8. Batman: The Dark Knight – Inside the gates of Arkham while someone asks how the inmates broke their unbreakable restraints.
  9. Batwing – Behind a police truck in the top panel on the page before the splash page revealing the fate of the precinct. The same panel has the caption saying “Why does a retired hero, one of the greatest to ever serve this continent, die mutilated among criminals?”
  10. Batwoman – In the crowd when James Gordon and Detective Sawyer are discussing the killer’s identity, just below the speech balloon where Detective Sawyer names “La Llorona.”
  11. Birds of Prey – Watching from an alcove when Charlie Keen watches Black Canary.
  12. Blackhawks – Visible through the arms of the man who photographs the logo.
  13. Blue Beetle – Around a corner in the back when Jaime is running with the bag and his attacker says “Hey–!” Check the top left corner of the panel.
  14. Captain Atom – Bottom left in the crowd scene in New York City when Captain Atom decides it’s time to stop this problem at the source, time stamp 250:12:07:23.
  15. Catwoman – In the first scene at the Ivgene Clan in the club, she’s near the top left, behind a column by the word “groping.”
  16. DC Universe Presents – Page two, behind Boston Brand when he talks about how it used to be “my way or the highway.”
  17. Deathstroke – Page one, panel three, far left side.
  18. Demon Knights – On the page with the “Demon Knights in Seven Against the Dark” title card, right above the “n” in “Demon.”
  19. Detective Comics – This one bugs me. Just after the fake Joker’s head pops off and explodes, Batman studies the crowd looking for the character that’s out of place. He notices the one walking away, but the God damned Batman doesn’t notice the woman with a hood at night and a bright red aura in the first panel of the crowd while he’s thinking “Those men. All dead…” at all? He doesn’t think that’s out of place?
  20. The Flash – In the crowd while Patty notes that Iris comes on a little strong.
  21. Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. – In the background on a double page spread, when Frankenstein orders his group to “keep your eyes peeled for survivors. They are our top priority!” She’s just below the middle of the shot making the “Foom!” sound.
  22. The Fury of Firestorm – Flying above the hole in the school when both Firestorms burst out.
  23. Green Arrow – In the club scene, first panel on the page visible between Green Arrow’s torso and left arm as he says “Hey, party people — how about you stop gawking and get the Hell out of here. This ain’t no disco.”
  24. Green Lantern – On the left side of the panel in the street scene when Hal lamets “I don’t know what the hell is going on up there.” and Carol responds “Maybe for one, you don’t need to know.”
  25. Green Lantern Corps – Behind the ring construct while John Stewart explains that there is no program, and the ring just makes his thoughts real.
  26. Green Lantern: New Guardians – In the background while the kid tells Kyle he looks like he’s wearing a big green bib.
  27. Grifter – Flying in the upper left corner of a dialogue and caption free panel while Grifter steals a hat, the panel before he thinks “I have to get to the airport.”
  28. Hawk and Dove – Standing on the left by the pool in the top panel of the second last page.
  29. I, Vampire – In the woods in the flashback scene as the wolves converse and one goes hunting wabbits.
  30. Justice League – At the football game, in the bleachers in the lower right corner of the panel when a scout says “you have to see this kid.”
  31. Justice League Dark – Next to the barn while Cyborg describes himself as an honest-to-goodness product of science and technology.
  32. Justice League International – Visible immediately under Booster Gold’s left elbow after his arrival at the Hall of Justice, when he says “Ignore them? Never! It’s our job to prove ’em wrong!”
  33. Legion Lost – Top panel of a page when the green monster is “Thumm thumm thumming” his way through the street, visible just above the smoke rising from the wreck of the vehicle with license plate “OU812.”
  34. Legion of Super-Heroes – Just after Chameleon Boy becomes an insect, she’s on the second level while CB thinks that it’s “good to have a simple mission to get used to the new kids, and to our losses.”
  35. Men of War – Just to the right of the jeep in the lead story, when the caption says “But there’s nowhere to go.” and the dialogue says “Double back, run!”
  36. Mister Terrific – On the street, on the right hand side of the second panel of the page right after the opening two page spread, when Dalton says “You van’t escape me that way, Yank” and Mister Terrific says “I don’t plan on dying today, Dalton.”
  37. Nightwing – To Dick Grayson’s right when he first enters the Haly’s big top.
  38. O.M.A.C. – In the crowd post evacuation, in the bottom left corner of the page on the leftmost edge, in the panel below the one that captions Martin Welman as Vice President, Research Initiatives.
  39. Red Hood and the Outlaws – Hard to spot due to what appears to be a colouring error. When the scene cuts to “half a world away… in the city of Chicago” she can be spotted in an alley, just to the right of the red aura that usually surrounds her.
  40. Red Lanterns – In the ally when the two brothers argue “Okay, so he fought back. Good for him. But what difference does it make?” and “If a seventy-three-year-old pensioner can put up a fight, so can we.”
  41. Resurrection Man – In the woods in the page’s final panel when Resurrection Man is running from the plane crash, just after he thought “what was that… Demon? Why did it want me do damn bad?”
  42. The Savage Hawkman – In the background when Hawkman is seen in full armor for the first time.
  43. Static Shock – Outside the window while Virgil’s family eats dinner in front of the TV, between his sister and her “Don’t say it” speech balloon. The panel is the first on the page.
  44. Stormwatch – In the dialogue free panel on the left side of the alley just before gravity goes crazy.
  45. Suicide Squad – In the second panel on the page after the opening two page spread, when Deadshot is getting tortured and thinks “Right there he makes the list.”
  46. Superboy – At the end of the issue, on the first panel of the second last page, on the right hand side.
  47. Supergirl – Visible in the background behind a mech’s leg when Supergirl’s superhearing kicks in.
  48. Superman – At the banquet when Morgan Edge is introduced.
  49. Swamp Thing – Just in front of a truck at the construction site while Alec Holland explains “Cabbage leaves are full of glutamine. It’s an amino acid, an anti-inflammatory.”
  50. Teen Titans – In the woods behind the officer the first time we see him out of the car after pulling over “Wonder Girl.”
  51. Voodoo – In the alley after Agent Fallon beats up her would-be assailants, just as she’s lighting her cigarette.
  52. Wonder Woman – In the woods to the right of the attack victim when the caption reads “We can’t see clearly.”

So, we know where she is, but we still need to figure out who and why she is. She’s got to have power, and not just because we’ve seen her flying a few times. If the “Flashpoint Effect” has made time travel impossible, then she’s either got enough power to overcome that limit, she’s immortal, or she’s able to leave reality and return at an arbitrary point to circumvent the time travel problem. Another alternative is that there are more than one of her, but that seems unlikely. I’m betting on a Monitor or Antimonitor of some form, given that all she seems to have done thus far is observe events in the New 52, making one exception in Flashpoint to have a conversation with Barry as the histories merged.

So, when will we learn who she is? I’m thinking of past series announcements that haven’t materialized yet, and the talent pool DC has access to. We know some titles that are coming as “midseason replacements” such as Batman Incorporated and Justice Society. Red Lanterns was originally slated to premier months ago, but was presumably held until this relaunch for marketing purposes. I also know that two titles is a very light load for Geoff Johns, that DC likes to reunite their most successful teams, that Ethan van Sciver (who worked with Johns on Green Lantern: Rebirth and Flash: Rebirth) is an excellent but slow artist whose only announced work is coplotter on The Fury of Firestorm. Van Sciver loves the Flash, and he’s the one that redesigned Wally West’s costume a while ago. Well, Wally hasn’t been seen, and it was announced over a year ago that a Speed Force title written by Geoff Johns was in the works. My guess right now is that we’ll get our answers about this Monitor-like Hooded Woman in an upcoming Speed Force title from Johns and van Sciver, who is probably drawing like a madman now to get far enough ahead to keep on schedule for at least a year in a title that showcases Wally.

One reply

  1. Have they ever shown a female Observer on Fringe? This could be the greatest inter-company crossover of all time.

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