Reviewed by: John Babos
Story Title: Out of the Ashes
Written by: John Byrne
Penciled by: John Byrne
Inked by: John Byrne
Colored by: Alex Sinclair
Lettered by: John Byrne
Editor: Mike Carlin
Published by: DC
The previous two Elseworld’s “Generations” mini-series (loving referred to as G1 and G2) have taken us from 1929 through to 2019 (not in that order, by the way) in a very different, but very similar DC Universe. The premise, according to series visionary John Byrne, is simple. It chronicles the tale of Superman and Batman from their respective introductions in comicdom in 1938 and 1939. It’s a story about how they interact in a DC Universe where they have aged in “real time”. They grow older, have kids, some of whom become heroes, heroines, villains, etc. (As an aside, G1 had us visit a 1929 DC Universe where Superman would have had to be “Superboy” prior to his “official” introduction in Action Comics in 1938.)
Here’s what you should know about John Byrne’s “Generations” world. Superman married Lois Lane, and had two kids, Joel in 1950, and Kara in 1953. Bruce Wayne, the original Batman, retired from crime fighting in the late 1940s. He married, and had a son, Bruce Wayne Jr. We don’t who he married or who Bruce Wayne Jr.’s mom is. Superman’s son Joel was corrupted by Superman arch-villain Lex Luthor and killed his sister Kara on her wedding day to Bruce Wayne Jr. We don’t know if Bruce Jr. had any kids, but Superman’s and Batman’s family trees stay pretty close throughout the generations.
Byrne does tweak DC Universe history a bit with some characters like Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Earth’s “3rd” Green Lantern. However, for the most part, established DC characters are introduced as close to their actual publishing histories introduction as possible, i.e. Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Flash (Barry Allen), etc.
Like the previous two series, this G3 maxi-series will span various time frames. It is expected that, for the most part, excepting some “middle issues”, G3 will jump ahead 100 years every issue, i.e. issue 1 occurs in 1925, issue 2 took place in 2025, and the current issue, #3, occurs in 2125. The last issue, #12, is expected to have readers arrive in the 30th Century world of the Legion of Super-heroes.
That’s the pre-G3 story. Now what has happened in G3 to date?
Issue 1 took place in 1925. It opens with an injured Saturn Girl, from the Legion of Super-heroes, traveling back in time to warn Superboy about the destruction of Earth in 2025. She is followed through time by Parademons, presumably from a future version of the planet Apokolips. The Parademons believe that they can more successfully alter the future (and prevent a war) the farther in the past they go. An “alien invasion” battle ensues in 1925. Through the course of the book, a young Lana Lang meets a young army-brat Lois Lane, and we see a young pre-Batman Bruce Wayne use his wits to help Superboy save the day. Prior to her supposed death, Saturn Girl wipes the minds of everyone within a thousand miles so that the “alien invasion” is forgotten.
Issue 2, takes place in 2025. It opens with Knightwing, son of Superman’s corrupt son Joel, raised by Bruce Wayne Jr., soaring across the Metropolis skyline with his twin daughters Lara and Lois, Supergirl Blue and Supergirl Red respectively. The original Batman, rejuvenated by Ra’s Al Ghul’s Lazarus Pit in 1999 (in G1), is an immortal now and has made his return to crime fighting (Bruce Wayne Jr. has retired from being Batman, and has “let” his father assume the mantle again).
In the company of a graying Superman, they both start to recall the “alien invasion” from 1925. The invasion was an event that they were supposed to have forgotten after Saturn Girl’s mind-wipe. They remember the Parademons, which leads to Superman visiting New Genesis, the sister planet of the Para-demon home planet Apokolips, to get some answers. However, the Parademons from the future aren’t on New Genesis or Apokolips. They’re on Earth.
Although the Parademons aren’t where Superman was looking, tragedy befalls our hero as Superman and the planet New Genesis are seemingly destroyed by a previously dormant doomsday device on Apokolips. At the same time, on Earth, a defeated hero, Omac, can only helplessly watch as the Parademons and Lex Luthor’s brain (carried about by robot-tentacles) trigger the destruction of an Omac orb or “Brother Eye” (the source of the hero Omac’s power) which “blacks out” all of Earth. Saturn Girl’s prediction from 1925 has come true. Earth has been “destroyed” (sorta).
Finally, we’re at issue 3 and its 2125. Earth has had to start reinventing technology as a result of the blackout 100 years earlier. The original, now immortal, Batman is still around as is Knightwing. The issue opens with Knightwing assuming his grandfather’s mantle and donning a modified Superman costume. At the same time, Batman is equipped with a high-tech version of his costume by his son, Bruce Jr. (the story doesn’t explain how Bruce Jr. can still be alive, but then again we don’t know who his mother is. She may have been an immortal. Big hole here, but Byrne’s “mystery” around Jr.’s mother is a convenient “out” for the writer.)
This issue has a blacked-out Earth still recovering from the explosion 100 years earlier. Vagabond “Morlocks” live aboveground, while the “Eloi” are in a technological underground world (that’s where Batman and the “new” Superman seem to reside). A Morlock, “Kamandi”, and his child run afoul of Batman, and put their aboveground and underground differences behind them after a brief skirmish. Kamandi and Batman end the issue by beginning to plan to recreate “Project Omac”.
After reading all this, you’re probably thinking “typical Byrne”. This is not an easy series to follow if you want to really understand what’s going on. Having said that, Byrne tries to put a lot of references to father, grandfather, great-granddaughters, etc. into the issue to help readers follow along and know who is related to whom. It’s a fun read if your familiar with all the “inside” references to Omac, the New Gods, Kamandi, etc. If you’re not, Byrne’s attempts to keep you up to speed about who’s who (an “inside” reference on my part, referring to the multiple Who’s Who series from DC in the 1980s and early 1990s) should keep you from scratching your head too vigorously.
Everything that fans love or hate about John Byrne is here. Great Byrne plotting and stilted dialogue. Beautiful Byrne penciling is butchered by his black magic-marker like inking. Passable Byrne lettering. Putting all this aside, visually, Byrne and legendary Curt Swan are the two definitive artists of Superman. Whether you like him or not, you have to give John Byrne his due.
Having said that, if you hate Byrne, you’ll want to pass on this series. If you like Byrne, and want to recapture the nostalgia of his Superman work from the mid-1980s, you’ll enjoy this series. It’s in the same vein as the G1 and G2 mini-series before it.
Typical Byrne. At the very least, typically fun.
