Genesis

A year of comics have gone by since the Final Night, so it's time for DC's next company-wide event: Genesis.  Following the typical format of DC 90's crossovers, Genesis was a 4-issue weekly series that every comic that month tied into.  Though I had picked up the first issue of Zero Hour and tie-ins to Underworld Unleashed and the Final Night, this would be the first time in my life I bought the entire main event.  Unfortunately, Genesis would be a disappointment compared to those others.

Genesis had a promising start, with the first chapter of Grant Morrison's epic "Rock of Ages" story in JLA #10 leading directly into it.  Sadly, the story that followed in JLA was much better executed than what happened in Genesis.  The next issue of JLA only mentioned the underwhelming conclusion to Genesis as a footnote.  Genesis boasted superstar John Byrne as the writer and featured beautiful cover art by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer.  The story itself and the interior art, however, left much to be desired.

DC's annual crossover events were essentially a snapshot of the DC universe at the time.  Genesis was peak 90's, cursed with documenting some of the least popular versions of most DC characters.  Superman has his electric costume, Princess Diana's mother has replaced her daughter as Wonder Woman, Aquaman has his hook hand, and Guy Gardner has his Vuldarian powers and costume.  Then there are entire teams of forgettable characters, like the Young Heroes, Superboy and the Ravers, and the H'san Natal team of Teen Titans.

The basic idea of Genesis was that a wave of cosmic energy was approaching Earth, affecting every superhero and villain's powers.  The wave was also accompanied by a feeling of depression, which gave the non-powered heroes like Batman something to struggle against too.  This crisis seemed like an opportune time to try to explain why Superman's powers had dramatically changed, but I think it made it more confusing than before.  This Godwave, as it came to be called, originated when the old gods were destroyed, and as it bounced across the universe and back it created new gods and eventually superheroes.  This origin might have worked for a brand new comic book universe, but it didn't really fit in with the origin stories of most DC heroes from the last 50 years.  The big reveal at the finale is that the big bad is not the fan-favorite Darkseid, but the less popular villain Ares.  And the heroes actually defeat him by forming a large prayer circle.  No, really.

Superman: The Man of Steel #72

At the Daily Planet, Lois tells Clark about an email she got from Australia about an Aboriginal elder predicting the end of the world.  Strangely, Clark changes the subject to a meteor hitting Australia in the Precambrian era and then without even realizing it, creates a visual image of it.  Allie passes by and sees Clark using his powers, but convinces herself she's seeing things and goes home.  Tracking an inter-dimensional incident that came from the Daily Planet, the villains Mainframe and Baud mistakenly think it came from Allie and try to abduct her.  Superman saves her, but then they realize the energy really came from him and they successfully capture him and trap him in their lab.  Mainframe experiments using Superman's powers to open portals to other dimensions, but Superman figures out how to open a portal to escape from Mainframe's trap.

Intergang hunts Jimmy Olsen with dinosaurs while he's on the run on Bibbo's motorcycle.  S.T.A.R. Labs director Burton Thompson follows behind to capture the dinosaurs.

The Parasite finds Scorn at the Ace 'O Clubs and they start to destroy the bar until Superman arrives to stop the fight.  Though branded as a Genesis tie-in, it's only on the last page that Lois mentions superheroes are having problems with their powers all over the world.

Superman #128

At the end of Genesis #2, the heroes assemble on New Genesis and draw straws to decide which heroes will goes on a suicide mission together to the Source Wall.  Contrary to that account, in this issue Superman decides drawing lots is not the proper way to determine who is most qualified for such a suicide mission, and he goes to the Source Wall by himself to repair the hole in the wall of the edge of the universe.

The supposedly dead Promethean Giants fused into the Source Wall attack Superman.  The villain controlling the statues reveals himself as the Cyborg Superman, who was last seen trapped in the Source Wall by Hal Jordan right before he sacrificed his life to save the world in the Final Night.

Adventures of Superman #551

We get a flashback of Hank Henshaw's life as he fights Superman.  Although this is only Superman's 3rd encounter with Cyborg Superman at this point, it already feels like there's too much exposition required to introduce this villain to new readers.  Superman stops the Cyborg from accessing the energy of the Source and repairs the hole in the Source Wall.  With his mission accomplished, Superman takes a Boom Tube back to New Genesis to rejoin the other heroes, where in the next issue of Genesis they will all go to the Source Wall together.

Although this issue continues in Genesis #3, it's strangely not branded as a Genesis tie-in.  For some reason I never even saw this issue on the stands when it came out, in fact I only found a copy of it in recent years.

Action Comics #738

Superman arrives back in Metropolis immediately following the end of Genesis, although this issue is strangely not a Genesis tie-in either.  Before heading home, he tries to stop a disfigured jewel thief who can phase through matter, but the villain gets away.  However, when Superman phases through some TV screens after the thief, we learn that Cyborg Superman had been hiding in Superman's containment suit after their encounter at the Source Wall.  Now in contact with technology again, Hank Henshaw plans his revenge on Superman.

Clark gets home just in time to go to work, and as Lois drives him to the office we get a rare moment of them doing something as ordinary as commuting to work together.  At the Daily Planet, Perry White sends Lois to Australia to cover the Aboriginal tribe predicting the end of the world.

Intergang catches up to Jimmy Olsen, but he's rescued by Yango and his biker gang, the Outsiders.