Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Batman created by Bob Kane
Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: Gods and Monsters
Written, Penciled and Lettered by: John Byrne
Colored and Seperated by: Alex Sinclair (page 1 by John Byrne)
Associate Editor: Ican Cohen
Editor: Mike Carlin
Publisher: DC
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 more than 800 years of John Byrne’s Generations series spanning the current maxi-series and the previous two mini-series.
CURRENT ISSUE: Issue 10: The year 2725
A New God’s dying words lead Superman to what remains of the planet New Genesis. Readers finally get a glimpse as to what happened during Superman’s generations trapped on New Genesis (cavorting with Beautiful Dreamer) – we are introduced to his super-powered son Lar-el and daughter Vara who have an axe to grind with their absentee dad.
Putting their differences aside (predictable) to spare the New Gods death at the hands of Darkseid, Superman and his (new) super-kids reluctantly team up and stand proudly alongside the shattered forces of New Genesis.
The issue ends with Darkseid proving why he IS evil incarnate.
I remain intrigued with the 100 year time jump each issue of Generations, but nowhere is to more clear than in this issue that a lot has transpired over the course of the series off-panel. This is a glaring weakness of the series, that has not been as pronounced in previous issues. Lar-el and Vara have no connection to the reader and only confuse matters over a series that has spanned many generations over the last 10 months of in publishing history.
The art is typical Byrne (good and bad) and this particular issue plays out as a poor-man’s Greek Tragedy – particularly the “family” moments between Superman, Beautiful Dreamer, and the super-kids. I say “poor-man’s” because readers have no emotional connection to Superman’s New Gods “family”. This issue does not evoke the emotions it should from readers after the events that transpire.
This is solidly a Superman and New Gods story. Batman is virtually non-existent.
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.
2325 – Batman’s son BJ has been wounded in battle against the time-travelling Parademons. Readers also 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. While we don’t learn anymore about the “original” Superman on 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.
2425 – Supergirl Blue falls in love with Ator, a Green Lantern (GL), and she willing exposes herself to Gold Kryptonite, that strips her of her super powers, so that she can grow old with her GL love. However, in a battle between the GL Corps and the yellow cyborg housing Lex Luthor’s brain, Ator is badly wounded shielding an atomic bomb blast and saving the city. He calls on the assistance of his super powered girlfriend to save him, but she can’t as she’s now powerless and mortal, and must watch him die. Meanwhile, the New Gods of Apokolips scheme to bring their Lord Darkseid back to life.
2525 – Much has transpired in the last 100 years. Lex Luthor, set off a powerful Green Kryptonite bomb that killed Earth’s “current” Superman (son of the “original”, and formerly known as Knightwing) and his daughter Lois, Supergirl Red, while sparing Lara, Supergirl Blue – whose power were stripped and DNA altered in 2425 by her exposure to Gold Kryptonite. During this issue, Supergirl Blue drink’s the Gold K antidote and returns to full power, and using Kryptonian technoly imbues the already immortal Batman with super powers of his own. Meanwhile, the “original” Superman escapes the pocket-universe where New Genesis and its New Gods had been trapped.
NEW and UPDATED:
18xx?!? – Attempting to travel to the future, Superman ends up in the past, in 18xx in Smallville. He meets his future adoptive parents and two New Gods on the lam (Metron and Mr. Miracle). A misunderstood Jonah Hex is featured as well. Readers get to see what they never though they would: Pa Kent vs. Jonah Hex in a gun fight. Priceless. In the end, Superman “returns” to the future by hibernating in a New God sarcophagus. An aside – Time travel stories are always hard to do. This entire maxi-series is based on regular 100 year jumps forward in time, but this issue throws a monkey wrench into the plans and thrusts readers back in time. Head. Hurts. Oww.
2625 – A disguised Lara learns more about the life, death, and rebirth of Darkseid from a parademon. The rest of the exposition reinforces what has already been gleaned – Darkseid’s parademons are travelling backwards in time from the future.
