Hi Pro. Sorry for the square, I just translated the italian world (quadrato), while I should have said "one dimensional".

Say hi to Malvana. [Smile]

About the why and who of the Universe, this is the shortest way I am able to summarize it.

In this Universe metahumans are hated and discriminated in most of the countries, especially in the USA, where the government has and still is capturing them for secret purposes.
You can read the two first synopse in the History of the HR Universe for how the group of metas has formed.

Today, the situation is the following:

The groups of metahumans has found home at Puerto Mibela, La Perdita Isle, Caribbean, one of the few place on Earth were metas are not discriminated. They have formed, using the large amount of money of Pete Glover, a society operating in the field of exploration of mystery (sort of cross between Challengers of the Unknown and Doom Patrol).
They are:
Naecken (T5’s character) a composite being that now seems to have lost much of his personality.
Mr Mxy (Mxy) a transdimensional being that exchange body with Mick, a young man from Chicago.
Tobias Christopher (TC), a speedster
Danny Hearn (Danny), a boy from the future stuck in our time, able to change parts of the body into animal parts, and with a second brain called Hal.
Kristogar Velo (KV) a man without powers that knows a lot about government installations and secret agencies.
Larry Lance (LLance) a young man with phasing powers.
Pete Glover “the Chimp” (TTT) a short man with outstanding luck (and the voice of a late scandinavian scientist, called Christopher Schanz in his head).
Sam (Gooz), a shapeshifter, the original owner of the building they now use in Puerto Mibela.

Supporting staff: Doc Quantos (living in Canada) scientific advisor; Kit Piper, manager; and Shirley, secretary and love interest for Mick.
Have been part of the team, but now they are gone, Nowhereman (Nowhereman), Sonja and Eurostar (both mine). Eurostar is erroneously tough dead.

We have seen some people on the island, like two kids and Sam ex girlfriend.

In Chicago, we have the EPS. I don’t think it is a subplot, it is another group that lives in the same universe, hence appears in the same story. One story, two main plots. One day they will meet.

The EPS are:
Charles Walker (Chewy) chief, genetic scientist with not yet manifested metahuman powers.
Vidalia Owens (Chewy) empath, ex prostitute.
William Tweed (Chewy) invisibility and intangibility, ex crime boss.
Andy Reynolds (Chewy) glowing skin, ex gang member.
Walt Curie (Chewy) scientist, no powers.
Turner (Gooz) ex secret agent, electric powers and much more.
Lochlan (Avatar) ex professional killer, great powers with total control over elements.
Eurostar (Eurostar) control over the density of his powers, with the EPS because Walker has kidnapped his “son” (really his clone).

There are a few other people around. Apart from villains, the most prominent one are: Crasher (T5) a young woman with not yet disclosed powers, if any, that has helped one time the heroes (issue 1), and has tried to free Euro from the EPS (current story); T5 (T5) yet to be fully explained (introduced in this story) and Gold Baron (Kristogar Velo), also a being just introduced into the current story.

As you can see, for the heroes part there is not a great deal of characters and concepts to delve with.

The EPS part could be more confusing, but that plot is made of a lot less posts, and it really doesn’t have any consequences over the main story. When the moment when the two plots will cross, every care will be put to avoid any confusion.

There are many subplots, but I don’t think that we should be a lot concerned about them. In time, all will be explained. In each story we have seen a mysterious man gathering all the villain defeated by the heroes. Who is he? In issue 8 Mxy will reveal it.
Who is Crasher? T5 will reveal it too, in the future, just like I will tell who the backward talking dwarf that appear to Euro is (aside from being a tribute to Twin Peaks).
There are many subplots, but they are nothing more than tease for the readers, blurbs for future issues.

So, Pro, why don’t you really begin the next story? You don’t need to know the heroes. Have someone asking for their professional help, and you will learn who they are in the course of the story.