Doomsday
The beginning of the End! A new villain emerges out of nowhere with no origin or backstory and forever changes the course of the DC universe.
Doomsday part 1
Covered in a full body suit with one hand tied behind his back, the mysterious monster Doomsday bursts out of the ground in the middle of the wilderness. While standing there, a small bird amazingly lands in the palm of hand. He closes his fist around the bird and crushes it.
As Doomsday causes mayhem in the country, Superman stops the Warworlders living below Metropolis from invading the city. As he nears civilization, Doomsday's rampage start to draw more and more attention, and on the last page we see the news reaches the Justice League of America.
Doomsday part 2
While Superman does a television interview on Cat Grant's show, members of the Justice League rescue people along the path of Doomsday's destruction, looking for the culprit. The team encounters the beast, who very nearly kills them all. The monster destroys the Blue Beetle's Bug, smashes Guy Gardner into the ground, tosses Bloodwynd into an oil fire, beats Blue Beetle into a coma, and punches Booster Gold into the air, where Superman catches him just in time to help. On the last page, Booster Gold says that "doomsday is here", which from then on is mistaken for the creature's name.
This issue marks the end of an era for the post-Crisis Justice League. While the roster and tone had already changed slightly after the Breakdowns crossover, the team would not recover from this defeat. Before he's beaten unconscious, Blue Beetle discovers the secret of their mysterious new member, Bloodwynd. Both Blue Beetle and Booster Gold's careers seem to be over after this, and even worse the League is about to lose their most powerful member.
Doomsday part 3
When Doomsday attacks a housing development, we see the League's battle through the eyes of a teenager named Mitch, his single mother, and baby brother. Their house is completely demolished and the League can't seem to stop Doomsday's rampage. The remaining members exhaust all their firepower on the monster to no avail. When the smoke clears, Doomsday is still standing, with both hands free and half his bodysuit torn off, exposing his hideous, bony appearance for the first time. With most of the League now drained of power, Doomsday nearly kills Fire, Booster Gold, and Guy Gardner. Doomsday jumps away from the scene and Superman flies after him. With his house burning and down and the League unconscious around him, Mitch calls out for Superman to come back. The Man of Steel decides he must block out the plea for help and continue his pursuit of Doomsday.
Superman punches Doomsday into the bottom of a lake, buying just enough time to go back and save Mitch and his family. Maxima finally catches up to the League and Doomsday, but while she seems to be able to match his physical strength, Superman is horrified at her lack of concern for the innocent bystanders around them. Maxima and Doomsday destroy a gas station as they brawl, and after Maxima uproots a light pole to use as a weapon, it sparks and causes an explosion that destroys the town. When Superman gets up, Doomsday is long gone and the Guardian arrives on his motorcycle. With Maxima now injured, Superman realizes that he'll have to continue the fight on his own.
Back in Metropolis, Lois needs Jimmy Olsen to join her to cover the story, but she finds him at GBS taking a long lunch break to film his new Turtle Boy TV show. At LexCorp, Supergirl watches the destruction on TV and wants to help, but Lex Luthor II convinces her to stay there in case Doomsday gets to Metropolis.
Starting a sort of countdown to Superman #75, the pages in this issue all have 4 panels. The next issue all have 3 panels per page.
Superman follows Doomsday's trail like the path of a tornado. Superman confronts Doomsday in Midvale, the Metropolis suburb that was once the home of pre-Crisis Supergirl. News helicopters start to circle overhead, and Superman worries that Lois and Jimmy are getting too close. With Doomsday dangerously nearing his hometown, Superman hurls the monster into an empty hillside. At nearby Cadmus, the Earth quakes at Doomsday's impact. Along the way, Superman wonders if Doomsday could have been created by Lex Luthor or Cadmus. The fight takes Superman and the Guardian through Habitat, destroying that tree-house city similar to how it was destroyed by another monster in Jack Kirby's pre-Crisis comics. Superman and the Guardian are buried under the rubble while Lois reports that Doomsday is coming to Metropolis!
This is the story I've been anticipating more than any other. While it only has one tie-in with another series, it has a world-shaking impact on the rest of the DC universe. If the Doomsday arc had been produced a few years later, it probably would have been engineered as a major event, likely crossing over with every series in DC's line. It's refreshing to take in the simplicity of this story, even if you notice the hype in how the ads are already selling the big finale at a mark up before its even released. Doomsday is smaller in scope than the crossovers that followed it, but the stories after this were only bigger because of how big this one had become.
Superman: The Man of Steel #18
Covered in a full body suit with one hand tied behind his back, the mysterious monster Doomsday bursts out of the ground in the middle of the wilderness. While standing there, a small bird amazingly lands in the palm of hand. He closes his fist around the bird and crushes it.
As Doomsday causes mayhem in the country, Superman stops the Warworlders living below Metropolis from invading the city. As he nears civilization, Doomsday's rampage start to draw more and more attention, and on the last page we see the news reaches the Justice League of America.
Justice Leage of America #69
While Superman does a television interview on Cat Grant's show, members of the Justice League rescue people along the path of Doomsday's destruction, looking for the culprit. The team encounters the beast, who very nearly kills them all. The monster destroys the Blue Beetle's Bug, smashes Guy Gardner into the ground, tosses Bloodwynd into an oil fire, beats Blue Beetle into a coma, and punches Booster Gold into the air, where Superman catches him just in time to help. On the last page, Booster Gold says that "doomsday is here", which from then on is mistaken for the creature's name.
This issue marks the end of an era for the post-Crisis Justice League. While the roster and tone had already changed slightly after the Breakdowns crossover, the team would not recover from this defeat. Before he's beaten unconscious, Blue Beetle discovers the secret of their mysterious new member, Bloodwynd. Both Blue Beetle and Booster Gold's careers seem to be over after this, and even worse the League is about to lose their most powerful member.
Superman #74
When Doomsday attacks a housing development, we see the League's battle through the eyes of a teenager named Mitch, his single mother, and baby brother. Their house is completely demolished and the League can't seem to stop Doomsday's rampage. The remaining members exhaust all their firepower on the monster to no avail. When the smoke clears, Doomsday is still standing, with both hands free and half his bodysuit torn off, exposing his hideous, bony appearance for the first time. With most of the League now drained of power, Doomsday nearly kills Fire, Booster Gold, and Guy Gardner. Doomsday jumps away from the scene and Superman flies after him. With his house burning and down and the League unconscious around him, Mitch calls out for Superman to come back. The Man of Steel decides he must block out the plea for help and continue his pursuit of Doomsday.
Adventures of Superman #497
Doomsday part 4
Back in Metropolis, Lois needs Jimmy Olsen to join her to cover the story, but she finds him at GBS taking a long lunch break to film his new Turtle Boy TV show. At LexCorp, Supergirl watches the destruction on TV and wants to help, but Lex Luthor II convinces her to stay there in case Doomsday gets to Metropolis.
Starting a sort of countdown to Superman #75, the pages in this issue all have 4 panels. The next issue all have 3 panels per page.
Action Comics #684
Doomsday part 5
This is the story I've been anticipating more than any other. While it only has one tie-in with another series, it has a world-shaking impact on the rest of the DC universe. If the Doomsday arc had been produced a few years later, it probably would have been engineered as a major event, likely crossing over with every series in DC's line. It's refreshing to take in the simplicity of this story, even if you notice the hype in how the ads are already selling the big finale at a mark up before its even released. Doomsday is smaller in scope than the crossovers that followed it, but the stories after this were only bigger because of how big this one had become.
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