[1] The line, formed from 18 one-shots, focused on creating all-new characters using established DC names, such as the Joker, Superman, and the Flash.

An early idea eschewed powers altogether and revolved around highlighting the "man" in "Superman", and making him "a cop, or a doctor or something different.

Writer Mark Millar noted that "the classic Superman role is already filled by the Atom", and wanted to echo "Kafka's metamorphosis where we actually see this likable, regular guy transform into a superhuman".

[3] Writer Peter David worked from Jurgens' concept that Tangent's Wonder Woman is "a female warrior" exiled to Earth for sins committed on another world.

After the character conception, artist Gene Ha produced design artwork, initially of a bearded lady, but eventually merely "a very alien woman".

Citing the benefit of the Tangent line as giving "a far greater freedom to sculpt the world in any fashion we want", Jurgens said that for the second wave he hoped to "see Earth totally and completely subjugated".

Ostrander also revealed the "Dark Circle", whose members could be killed and "resurrected as a warrior, Night of the Living Dead style, for the Ultra-Humanite".

The other major event to have repercussions is the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, which leads to the creation of the Manhunter and the deployment of alternate Metal Men as a U.S. black ops squad.

China was not involved in this nuclear exchange and has its own metahuman genetic experimentation program, resulting in the creation of Supergirl and Powergirl.

In the Tangent one-shot issues published in 1998, a huge electromagnetic pulse disables all technology worldwide and an incredibly powerful being called the Ultra-Humanite begins taking over the world.

The series ran between March 2008 until April 2009 and was written by Dan Jurgens with art by Jamal Igle and Carlos Magno.

The Tangent Superman proceeds to kidnap the world's leaders, take power from them and detonate a nuclear weapon to distract New Earth's heroes.

[10] The Kingdom (1998) revealed that the Tangent Universe was part of Hypertime, a fluid system of alternate realities based on splitting and re-merging timelines.