Superman & Batman: Generations III #5 Review

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Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: Family Secrets

Written by: John Byrne
Penciled by: John Byrne
Inked by: John Byrne
Colored by: Alex Sinclair
Lettered by: John Byrne
Editor: Mike Carlin
Publisher: DC Comics

If you haven’t read any of this Generations series or its predecessors, but you’d like to get the 411 on what’s gone on before, a recap has been provided for you. Look for the bolded heading RECAP: in the body of this review, under which you’ll get a brief history of almost 400 years of John Byrne’s Generations series spanning the current maxi-series and the previous two mini-series.

CURRENT ISSUE: Issue 5: The year 2325. With flashbacks to the year 2008.

This issue opens at the end of a battle between the heroes and the time-travelling Parademons. Batman’s son BJ has been wounded, and we discover that Bruce Wayne and Queen Diana have been lovers for a century — lucky guy! While BJ is tended to by physicians, Bruce regales Diana with a truly pointless story about his unnamed dead wife, BJ and himself from 2008.

The flashback opens with the unnamed Wayne wife on her deathbed with a message for her “boys”. Not to give anything away, the only thing I will reveal is that the flashback explains how BJ became a psuedo-immortal — a not-so-dangling plot thread I raised in a previous review. The rest of it is just awkward.

While we don’t learn anymore about the “original” Superman in New Genesis, his son, Earth’s current Superman and his daughters’ (Supergirl Blue and Supergirl Red) discover that the effects of Lex Luthor’s black-out bomb from centuries ago may be starting to dissipate. He travels to his father’s Fortress of Solitude to find out for sure by seeing if the technological marvels housed there are functional.

The issue ends with the pointless Bat-flashback wrapped-up, and a “happy” reunion for Batman’s son BJ.

Overall, I thought that the flashback took up too much of this issue. The revelation that Earth’s technology, that was rendered useless by an explosion years ago, may be functional would have been a more compelling story as it would have a dramatic impact on the lives of everyone on Earth. We don’t see nearly enough of 2325 in this issue.

The next issue looks interesting with a cover sporting an alien Green Lantern and revelations that the Martian Manhunter will make an appearance.

Although the non-flashback parts were entertaining, this is the most disappointing issue of the G3 mini-series so far. Hopefully John Byrne will get his groove back for the next issue.

RECAP: If you’re new to John Byrne’s Generations saga, a recap is provided below.

Generations, building on the previous two mini-series, chronicles a story about how Superman and
Batman interact in a DC Universe where they have aged in “real time” from their respective introductions in comicdom in 1938 and 1939. They grow older, have kids, some of whom become heroes, heroines, villains, etc. Like the previous two series, this Generations 3 (G3) maxi-series will span various time frames. It is expected that, for the most part, G3 will jump ahead 100 years every issue. The last issue, #12, is expected to have readers arrive in the 30th Century world of the Legion of Super-Heroes .

Here’s what you should know about John Byrne’s Generations saga prior to G3:

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 mother 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. However, a corrupted Joel did have a son, Clark, who would be raised by Bruce Wayne Jr. Clark eventually becomes the hero Knightwing and sires 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, becomes an immortal and returns to crime fighting after his son Bruce Wayne Jr. retires. Jr. appears to be an immortal which gives a clue about who his mother may be – possibly an immortal herself.

Here’s what you should know about what’s happened in the previous issues of G3:

The key villains, so far, appear to be more sophisticated Parademons from a future planet Apokolips. They believe that they can more successful alter the future, and prevent a war, the farther back in the past they go.

1925 – A mortally-wounded Saturn Girl, from the Legion of Super-Heroes, traveled back in time to warn Superboy about the “destruction” of Earth in 2025. She is followed through time by Parademons. A young pre-Batman Bruce Wayne uses his wits to help Superboy save the day in a battle with the Parademons. Prior to her supposed death, Saturn Girl wipes the minds of everyone (including Superboy and Bruce Wayne) within a thousand miles so that the “alien invasion” of the Parademons is forgotten.

2025 – Superman and Batman recall parts of the “invasion” in 1925 despite Saturn Girl’s mind wipe. As such, Superman travels to New Genesis, the sister Planet to Apokolips, to find out about these Parademons. New Genesis and Superman are seemingly destroyed as a result of the detonation of an Apokolips “doomsday” device. On Earth, an OMAC orb or Brother Eye, the source of the hero OMAC’s power, is detonated by the futuristic Parademons and the mechanically animated brain of arch Superman villain Lex Luthor. The explosion “blacks out” all of Earth rendering all technology useless.

2125 – Superman and New Genesis are still missing. Knightwing assumes his grandfather’s mantle and dons a modified Superman costume. On an Earth recovering from the technology black-out in 2025, vagabond low-tech “Morlocks” live aboveground, while the “Eloi” live underground in an emerging-technology world, where Batman and the “new” Superman reside. The Morlock Kamandi buries his differences with the Eloi and Batman, and commits to helping recreate Project OMAC.

2225 – Queen Diana assumes the Wonder Woman (WW) mantle after her daughter is severely wounded and can no longer continue in the WW role. Diana battles along side Earth’s army of OMACs and defeats the resurfaced Parademons, leaving only four to travel back in time. Readers also discover that New Genesis, their New Gods inhabitants, and Superman have not been destroyed, but are trapped in a pocket-universe. Superman gains more clues, with the help of the New Gods, as to the real reason behind Saturn Girl’s travel back to 1925.

John is a long-time pop culture fan, comics historian, and blogger. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief at Comics Nexus. Prior to being EIC he has produced several column series including DEMYTHIFY, NEAR MINT MEMORIES and the ONE FAN'S TRIALS at the Nexus plus a stint at Bleeding Cool producing the COMICS REALISM column. As BabosScribe, John is active on his twitter account, his facebook page, his instagram feed and welcomes any and all feedback. Bring it on!