New Gods #23 (February 1991)

When it comes to the grand universe, it's easy to feel that anything we do is insignificant. After all, the average person is just one of many billions of people that reside on this planet. And our planet is just one of many, many, many worlds in our galaxy. So, yeah. It's easy to feel small and unimportant. 

However, one person can be significant, and can end up even saving the world. That's something the New Gods can attest to, as they'll see in New Gods #23!

The cover is a Steve Irwin piece. I like it. It depicts Orion trying to fight the villain of the comic, the monstrous Agogg, with a civilian watching on in horror. 

"Lingering Melody"
Writer: Mark Evanier
Penciler: Steve Irwin
Inker: Will Blyberg
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
Letterer: Bob Pinaha
Editor: Jonathan Peterson
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins not in a place one would expect a tale regarding extraterrestrial god-like beings like him would: In an ordinary hospital on Earth, with an ordinary man hearing a devastating diagnosis.

Page 1, Panel 1

Meet Ellis Ames. He is a young man with a seemingly bright future ahead of him. At least, he was. But now, he only has mere months to live. He laments that he has seemingly contributed nothing to the world, that he has left no legacy. But this man does has something special about him the Apokolyptian New God known as Desaad discovered. You see, Mr. Ames has a piece of the Anti-Life Equation within him, the formula that would allow his master Darkseid to control the minds of every being in the universe. 

Darkseid wants to know more about this man. Ames lives alone now. He had a "roommate", but he passed away, nor has he ever married. Ames is a musician by trade. He's trying to get a record deal, but the record companies say his music is too "old-fashioned". He volunteers to play music for the patients at a hospital in New York City. Despite his struggles, the patients love his tunes. Darkseid notes the irony that this seemingly insignficant man has a piece of the most powerful mind-control formula in the multiverse. The Source has a funny sense of humor.

In the city of Armagetto, some workers are planning an uprising. It's a regular thing on this ruined planet. After all, try as he might, even Darkseid can't crush the human need for freedom. It's why he is after the Anti-Life Equation. The meeting gets a visitor, and his aims are not friendly towards the workers.

Page 3, Panel 3

The being is named Agogg, and this powerhouse is a loyal servant of Darkseid. The man himself calls on Agogg to go to Earth and get Ames, but not to kill or even harm him. After all, if he dies, then Darkseid is screwed. Speaking of Earth, we come to that planet and see Lightray flying. He's enjoying the beauty of Earth's nature when Orion finds him, saying that he's needed. The two New Gods report to Dave Lincoln, who alerts them to a Boom Tube opening up on West 76th Street.

The two New Gods go to check it out. As they leave, Lincoln notes how Lightray and Orion are so very different. Orion is cold, angry, bitter. Lightray is sunny, friendly, and warm. You'd think two people so different would not be able to stand each other, much less work together. But that's the funny thing about life. It can surprise you. 

Back at Ames's apartment, he's working on a new tune. He's considering giving up on the whole music thing, but then he feels an earthquake coming. This is no natural disaster, though.

Page 8, Panel 4

"AGOGG GIVE FATAL HUG."

Thankfully for Ames, Orion shows up and engages Agogg in combat.

While Orion starts throwing hands with the large Apokoliptian, Lightray gets Ames out of there.

Unfortunately for Orion, Agogg is no slouch in raw power, and he's able to knock out Orion in the form of introducing his head to a brick wall.

Lightray takes Ames to the top of one of the Twin Towers. Let's remember, this was 1991. Ames recalls hearing about the New Gods from the news. He envies Lightray because of his power to fly. Also, the New Gods save lives. They help protect Earth. They do things that matter. Whereas he himself is just a failing musician with a terminal illness. Lightray points out that one does not need to fly or even be a New God to matter. 

As they talk, Orion tracks Agogg, and sees a wrecked music publishing building. Orion, unaware that Ellis Ames is a musician, is left completely confused.

Luckily, the owner clarifies it, and the hunt continues on. Upon the rooftop, Ames and Lightray continue their little bonding moment. Ames does admit Lightray does have a point about his existence impacting others. As shown previously, he used to volunteer to play music for the patients at the children's hospital. But he stopped when he got sick, and he was told that he was not allowed to play for them anymore because they feared he'd infect the children. Ames states that all he ever wanted to do was leave the world a little bit better than if he never lived. Lightray tries to cheer him up by saying he can do it again once he recovers from his illness, but Ames points out he won't ever recover. More on this later. 

So, where is Orion and Agogg at? The Royer Children's Hospital. The nod is a nice one, as Royer inked a lot of Jack Kirby's DC work in the 1970s. 

Page 15, Panel 5

Orion is naturally enraged by Agogg attacking children in his search for Ames, and the two of them start brawling. Ames spots the smoke from the fight and realizes what is going on. He begs Lightray to take him to the hospital, which he reluctantly agrees to do. Once at the hospital, Ames agrees to surrender himself to Agogg. Orion and Lightray go in pursuit of the Apokoliptian monster. 

On Apokolips, Darkseid gives his standard offer: Give up the part of the Anti-Life Equation, or he will rip it out of him. Thinking fast, he asks Darkseid if he can have some paper to write it down. The big blue tyrant agrees, and goes to fetch some paper for him. When his back is turned, Ames yells at Agogg to get his hands off of him. Agogg is confused by this, but Ames yells that he told the monster the equation, and that he will tell Darkseid as well. He jumps off the building, yelling for Darkseid to help him. He makes it look like Agogg delibrately pushed him. 

Darkseid is naturally furious with this. He demands Agogg tell him the equation piece, but the monster naturally doesn't know. The tyrant doesn't believe him and vaporizes him with his Omega Beams. Orion and Lightray find Ames, and there's nothing they can do. Ames didn't survive the fall. There is still one thing the two New Gods can do. The two take his body and give him a burial in space. Lightray writes a headstone for him. Orion wonders why, as no one will read it. But that doesn't matter. As Lightray points out, it's just there to say something that needs to be said. 

Page 24, Panel 5

Ellis Ames did say he wanted to leave the world a little better than if he had never lived. In way, he did exactly that. He helped keep the universe free from Darkseid's tyranny.

I thought this was a very wonderful done-in-one story. I can imagine a story like this was sorely needed in 1991. If you don't get it, let me explain. The comic implies that Ames was gay, and that he had HIV. Keep in mind, this was published in 1991. Because of the Comics Code at the time, Evanier could not outright say so, but it's pretty clear. The story also touches on some of the prejudices that people who suffered from the disease underwent at the time, mainly due to fears and a lack of knowledge of the virus. It shows that even people who are suffering from an illness can still contribute to society and are still human beings. Ellis Ames's story is a tragic one, but he's not any less of a hero. His sacrifice helped ensure the universe did not end up Darkseid's tyrannical boot.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2022 trade paperback New Gods Book Two: Advent of Darkness. Thanks for reading this blog entry!

New Gods #1 (February 1989)

The Gods walk among us! The statement can be quite true when it comes to a certain group of creations by the late great Jack Kirby. We've met one of the New Gods before in Mister Miracle #1. But there were other members of the Kirby-created pantheon. And they have had numerous adventures chronicled since their debut in 1971.

The comic we're look at here is the first issue of their third series. This was the longest lasting of the New Gods' books, going 28 issues from 1989 to 1991. The series was helmed by writer Mark Evanier and artist Paris Cullins. In a way, Evanier penning a New Gods series was strangely appropriate as Evanier started out in the comics industry as an assistant to Kirby himself. So, how did Evanier and Cullins do as the then-new chroniclers of the lives of the New Gods? Let's find out by looking at New Gods #1!

The cover is a Paris Cullins piece, and I think it's pretty cool. It depicts Orion in the center, surrounded by the faces of various other New Gods characters, all looking somewhat like a film negative. Orion being in the center and in full color makes him stand out from everything else. I also admit, I do like this masthead logo for the book. It is admittedly a bit plain, though. That's the only real issue one can have with this cover, in my opinion.

"Hordes"
Writers: Mark Evanier, Paris Cullins
Penciler: Paris Cullins
Inker: Bob Lewis
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Letterer: Bob Pinaha
Editor: Mike Carlin, Renee Witterstaetter
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins on New Genesis, the home of the heroic New Gods, led by Izaya the Highfather. Speaking of Izaya, the man himself is checking on another New God, Metron. The Seeker of Knowledge has been lying in his chair for days, making no movements and saying no words. It's like he's a corpse. However, his mind is as active as ever.

The scene then shifts to Atlanta, Georgia. It's seemingly an ordinary day in the Gate City...until it's attacked by Darkseid's forces. They go after two people, a man and a woman named Wilson Gilmore and Eve Donner. For you see, these two seemingly regular people carry a secret within their souls, a secret that could shatter the universe. But these two people, and the rest of the city, has protectors. 

Page 5, Panel 1

Orion and his New Gods allies, including Lightray, Fastbak, and Jezebel, race into combat. Eve tries to get Wilson to stay. Wilson is understandably freaked out and wants to get the heck out of there. Also during the battle, the cops stop a man named Dave Lincoln. Orion engages his half-brother Kalibak. During their fight, Kalibak taunts Orion over his own Apokoliptian heritage. The heroic New Gods are able to drive Darkseid's Parademon forces back to the Boom Tube that spawned them. But the last Parademon leaves a nasty little surprise for our heroes.

Page 11, Panel 5

This wannabe Thwomp here is called a Morrow Block. The Morrow Block is basically a doomsday weapon. It absorbs the life force of an entire world. The heroic New Gods and their forces try to destroy the Block, but their assault fails. During the conflagration, Gilmore is kidnapped. You see, Eve and Wilson are humans who both unknowingly carry parts of the Anti-Life Equation, a sort of mathematical proof that life is futile and pointless and grants its user the power to utterly dominate the minds of others. It's been Darkseid's Holy Grail, for if he gets the Equation, he can easily dominate the universe.

Orion can't save Gilmore right now, as the Morrow Block is absorbing all the life force of the planet. Using the Astro-Force, Orion is able to destroy the Block. Afterwards, the heroic New Gods return to New Genesis, and Orion is none too happy. Darkseid's obsession with obtaining the Anti-Life Equation has not faltered, despite what seemed to be a living form of the Equation nearly causing the destruction of the universe in the then-recent Cosmic Odyssey story. 

Orion's adopted father, Izaya the Highfather, tries to assure Orion by pointing out that Darkseid's infinite arrogance is the reason for this. He gets angry at Highfather when he reminds the Dog of War that he has to return the body of the first Forager to his people...who Orion was none too fond of. You see, the original Forager was a member of the Insect Empire, a species of insectoid people that live underground. Orion doesn't like them very much. The Forager gave his life to help stop the Anti-Life Equation in Cosmic Odyssey. Orion admits that he had grown to respect Forager, as he showed himself to being a being of honor and a valiant fighter. But it's easier for him sometimes to just lose his temper than admit he is wrong. 

Back on Apokolips, Gilmore is strapped to a machine.

Page 22, Panel 1

Desaad activates the device, painfully ripping into Gilmore. Desaad takes great enjoyment and thrill from the hapless man's screams. Ultimately, the part of the Anti-Life Equation inside of Gilmore is ripped out and put into a small crystal...with Gilmore dying in the process. The story ends with Darkseid grinning in triumph.  

I enjoyed this issue personally. As a first issue, it does what it should do, in my opinion. It sets up the current status quo of the New Gods, sets up a couple storylines, and in this case, deals with some of the fallout of Cosmic Odyssey. The main thing it seems to set up is Orion's growing frustration with what seems like the endless war between New Genesis and Apokolips. It makes sense that a temperamental man like him would be struggling with what appeared to be a war that seems to have no end on the horizons, especially with an enemy who seemed to have learned nothing after nearly causing the end of everything. 

To me, Paris Cullins' art gives a bit of a cartoony vibe to the story. One of the things that made the New Gods memorable was Jack Kirby's art making them seem larger-than-life. Cullins's art is pretty dynamic in my opinion. However, I do think the cartoony vibe does make it look a little less epic. It comes off more as a standard battle between superheroes than supposed gods. That's not saying Cullins's art is bad. It's not bad at all, but the vibe is a bit off to me.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2021 trade paperback New Gods Book One: Bloodlines. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time! 

Justice League of America #184 (November 1980)

Back in July, I reviewed Justice League of America #183 (October 1980). In it, members of Earth-1's Justice League and Earth-2's Justice Society teamed up with the heroic New Gods known as Mister Miracle, Orion, and Big Barda in an attempt to stop the revival of the evil New God Darkseid. The issue ended with them epically failing. This was notably the last complete issue longtime Justice League artist Dick Dillin penciled before his death.

Considering I was covering the start of a later JLA/JSA team-up last week, why not follow up on that July entry this week? Darkseid is back, and we got the great George Perez taking over alongside Frank McLaughlin to make the pretty pictures a comic needs, so let's take a look at Justice League #184!

The cover is pretty cool. It's a Perez/Giordano piece, depicting a roaring Darkseid with the heroes of the JLA, JSA, and the New Gods floating around him. It is kind of funny as it looks like they're all charging in to fight him, but don't see that his giant head is right behind him. I can also imagine that's the face he makes when he finds out that comfy chair he was eyeing on eBay was bought at the last second before the auction ended.

The story begins with the return of Darkseid.

Orion goes down to engage Icicle, Fiddler, and the Shade. The Shade puts up a dark energy barrier to try and stop the heroes, but Orion barrels through like a hot knife through butter, screaming that nothing stops the Astro-Force. Shade blasts the New Gods' resident Dog of War, but Firestorm turns his cane into a pogo stick. He then turns a girder into a pot of water, so the Shade's day ends up all wet. Yeah, bad joke. Sorry about that.

The Icicle freezes up Firestorm's leg, but ends up eating fists from Orion and Power Girl. The Fiddler has had enough of his villainous compatriots' failures, and decides to unleash his true power. You see, the Fiddler is a bit of a magician, who channels his power through his namesake instrument. He uses it to mentally torment the three heroes with his dark song. The heroes are overcome, and the Fiddler gets back to work reviving Darkseid.

Back in Granny Goodness's orphanage, Superman, Wonder Woman, the New Genesian girl they rescued are trying to find their way out. The girl, Petal, appears to be leading them somewhere. Barda is unsure, as even though she grew up in the orphanage herself, even the Apokoliptian powerhouse herself doesn't know the entire layout. Superman looks around with his X-Ray vision, and finds something that shocks him.

He's found a resistance movement working underneath the orphanage...and they're all children. One in particular is a little redheaded girl named Crimson, who could easily be Red Sonja's daughter, waves her sword at the heroes. She is especially freaked out about Barda, as she used to lead the Female Furies. Barda admits she did, but she's not on Darkseid's...well, side anymore. She had met Scott Free, and their romance opened her eyes as to the monster he was.

Crimson is confused by the concept of love. Barda explains that love is why Crimson fears for her comrades' safety, why she's happy they're with her. It's a need and desire to care for others...and to be cared about just as much. The Apokoliptian child's eyes tear up, but denies that she feels or needs love. Barda tells her everyone needs love...and the girl leaps up and gives Barda a big hug. Aww.

With that, the resistance fighters invite the heroes to have some food. Another resistance member, a balding boy named Playto, tells the heroes he knows why they're there. He just knows stuff. Barda realizes he's what's called a "multi-cog", a mutant with various mental abilities, like telepathy and precognition. Using those powers, Playto is able to fill the heroes in on how Fiddler, Icicle, and Shade ended up on Apokolips.

Back on their native Earth-2, the three had teamed up to commit some petty theft. Fiddler sees himself as the leader of this nascent Injustice Society, but this infuriates Icicle, as the cold criminal was the one who came up with the idea of the team-up in the first place. The two of them fight, so the Shade decides to make off with the loot. But then, a convenient earthquake erupts, knocking the three villains around. They hear a voice, roaring that he can offer them more than just the proceeds from mere bank robberies.

Yes, Darkseid had been dead (as established last issue), but he was still able to extend his consciousness to Earth-2, such is the power of the God of Tyranny. Despite this, he still needed human tools. Yes, even though he could literally create a new body out of the ground. I'm assuming he needed help restoring his original body because he could access his full power, or something like that. The three villains tried to fight, but he trounced them. He managed to force them to swear fealty to him. He gave them some instructions, and then vanished.

And that's how we ended up here. Superman points out that they're still unsure what Darkseid's bigger plan. Maybe he just is bored with being dead, Clark. Crimson reveals that there is a bigger plan, but her resistance has no idea what it is. But Granny Goodness might, being one of Darkseid's Elite and all. Crimson is reluctant to lead the heroes to her, but Barda is able to convince her by telling her this may be the only hope they have of freedom from the nightmare they are in. The plea works, and Crimson leads the way.

Elsewhere on Apokolips, Dr. Fate is using a bit of magic to put some of Darkseid's soldiers in their place. Green Lantern went to investigate one of the towers, and he hasn't come back. Dr. Fate and Oberon go to investigate. Hopefully, Hal Jordan is alright. But it leads Oberon to wonder. The prisoner in this tower must be important to need such heavy guard. But who would be such an important prisoner that a whole barracks of guards would be dedicated to them? They fly in and find their answer.

Izaya. The Highfather. Essentially Darkseid's heroic counterpart. Hal is trying to free the New God with his ring, as he is in pain. However, Hal's attempts to free the New God with his ring aren't working. Dr. Fate takes over trying to free him so Hal can rest. Oberon notes that Green Lantern seemed rather hellbent on freeing Izaya. Hal explains it's because Izaya reminds him of the Guardians of the Universe, being father figures to the test pilot. This is hilarious in hindsight as more recent portrayals of the Guardians tend to show them as rather arrogant, manipulative, and coldhearted.

Dr. Fate is able to free Highfather. His bonds didn't just restrain him, they weakened his life force, so he's going to need to recover. He is able to sense Darkseid returning. They have to get to Armagedda, and fast!

In Darkseid's former palace, the Huntress and Batman are scaling a wall. It's a bit disappointing as it's not done on the style of the 60s TV show. I just had another thought. The Huntress is the daughter of an alternate universe's Batman. I can imagine the Earth-1 Batman must find it a bit awkward at times. Scott Summers and Jean Grey welcome you to the club, pal. Anyway, the two are infiltrating the palace. Mister Miracle has gone off ahead on his own. Huntress understandably is concerned, as who knows what traps may still be active in the palace. Batman reminds her that he knows the palace, and their route is because they don't know the dangers. Their route is the safe one.

Mister Miracle finds only two guards, and easily dispatches them. He heads to the main planetary computer control system, nearby the throne room. Gotta give it to Darkseid, he kept up with the times. He notices some activity in the room. When he peeks in, he gets shocked by what he finds.

Batman and Huntress arrive at the throne room, and a shaken Scott Free has something to show them. He just discovered why Darkseid recruited the villains. As Crimson said to Superman, Wonder Woman, and Big Barda, there is a bigger plan. What is that plan? The machine that is restoring Darkseid to life can also be used to transport things between worlds, like the machine that allowed the JLA and JSA to have their annual team-ups. So, Darkseid is going to visit Earth-2, right? Well, kind of.

He plans to send Apokolips to Earth-2. And if he does, Earth-2 will be destroyed. I'm guessing that Apokolips will be appearing right where Earth-2 is. And since two objects cannot exist in the exact same place at the exact same time...

Yeah. It'll be The Day Earth-2 went Kablooie.

This issue was...rather enjoyable. I have to admit, I got some great amusement from Hal Jordan talking about the Guardians of the Universe as father figures. As I said earlier, modern comics, especially under Geoff Johns, tend to portray the Guardians of the Universe more as out of touch, arrogant, and manipulative. The moments with Barda and Crimson are rather heartwarming, as they remind of the importance of love, especially in a place as loveless as Apokolips. George Perez, again, brings the greatness. I enjoyed this issue, and if you want to read it yourself, it can be found in the 2010 trade paperback Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 5.

Next time, we take a look at the birth of the man, the myth, the legend, the...nuclear powered fury...

Justice League of America #183 (October 1980)

Over the year, I had been looking at the 1985-86 DC Comics miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. One of the inspirations behind it was Marv Wolfman's love of the yearly team-ups between the Justice League of Earth-1 and the Justice Society of Earth-2. So, I thought it would be fun to take a look at one of those epic team-up tales. I pulled out my copy of the trade paperback Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 5 (Which has an awesome George Perez cover), and I flipped through it. I found this issue, and I thought "Okay, I'll look at this one". So, let's take a look at Justice League of America #183!

The cover is pretty cool. You have members of the JSA and JLA getting their butts handed to them by Orion. Yeah, that's supposed to be Orion. I know, it's strange seeing him in this outfit. I have no idea why, but he did go back to the original Kirby design. Fun Fact, this cover was a Jim Starlin piece. Yup, the guy who is most known for writing tons of Thanos stories at Marvel drew this. A shame he doesn't do more art as far as I know, because his art is very nice.

"Crisis on New Genesis!" or "Where Have All the New Gods Gone?"
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciler: Dick Dillin
Inker: Frank McLaughlin
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
Letterer: Ben Oda
Editor: Len Wein
Executive Editor: Joe Orlando

The story beings with members of the JLA and JSA getting ready to teleport to each other's Earths.

The Earth-1 contingent consists of Superman, Batman, Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond/Martin Stein), and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan). From Earth-2, we get Wonder Woman, Dr. Fate, Power Girl, and the Huntress (Helena Wayne). The eight heroes get transported, but it gets intercepted, and they end up...

In New Genesis, home of the New Gods! Thank God and Jack Kirby I found this double-page spread in Google Images. My tablet gets very angry when I try to scan double-page spreads. The heroes are utterly confused as to how they got here. Superman has been here before [He first encountered New Genesis in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #147 (March 1972)] , so he is able to fill in the other heroes. Superman admits that he felt at home in a way because the New Gods were a lot like him: very powerful beings. Power Girl wonders why he didn't stay. Superman explains that Earth was still his home, and he still had a responsibility to protect it.

Wonder Woman finds it hard to believe they are actual gods, as she recognizes the Greek pantheon. Also, they have no counterparts on Earth-2. Which makes sense, as the New Gods really are their own thing, a unique thing in the DC Multiverse. Superman notices that one of the heroes is missing, and Hal Jordan figures it out.

Yup, it's Firestorm. The brash superhuman youth is bored by the older heroes' yakking, so he decides to go exploring for himself. Martin Stein warns that this is a dangerous action, but Ronnie Raymond is like "Shaddup, old man! There's nothing here, so quit your old man bellyaching!" He looks around, and notices the city is rather deserted. It leads Firestorm to wonder where everybody went. However, Stein's warning may have been wise, as the city does have one occupant: Orion the Hunter, the New Gods' Dog of War. And as can be seen, he's nothing but overjoyed to welcome the Justice League member to New Genesis.

Firestorm freaks out and flies for his life, screaming for help. An energy beam hits the matter manipulator in the back, and he tumbles to the ground, landing in front of Orion. Hearing his plea for help, the other heroes scramble to help. They find Firestorm, with Orion tending to him. As it is in superhero comics, they fight. Dr. Fate tries to use his magic (in the form of shooting golden ankhs) on the New God, but Orion is not impressed. The warrior uses what I am presuming is the Astro Force to blast the magician, Power Girl, and Superman away. Huntress and Batman throw some tear gas capsules at Orion, and strangely...they seem to have some effect. Of course. #BatPrivilege in action.

But it is helpful. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Dr. Fate nail Orion in the chops, and Green Lantern catches Orion with a green pillow. Hal laments that it seems unfair that the seven heroes are ganging up on one guy. Hal, Orion isn't some street hoodlum. He's a New God. Also, he's their warrior. He's one the New Gods go to when they need some butts kicked. I doubt he'd complain.

Power Girl reminds Hal that Orion attacked them...after scaring Firestorm. Dr. Fate points out that they arrived uninvited. Wonder Woman and Batman counter this by saying something brought them here. Some did, alright.

Meet Metron, the New God embodiment of science and knowledge. And he's brought some friends with him: Mister Miracle, Big Barda, and Oberon. If you want to learn more about Miracle and Oberon, I suggest you look at my review of Mister Miracle #1 (March 1971). Metron explains that the New Gods need their help. Orion was acting violent because he blames himself for their current problems, which Metron considers rather unfair. He also uses his Mobius Chair to heal Firestorm.

Big Barda explains the reason why Metron brought the heroes to New Genesis: the world of Apokolips has kidnapped all of the New Genesians, and intends to turn them into mindless slaves. Huntress is confused. Why can't Metron, Barda, Miracle, and Orion handle it? Well, the Apokoliptians have some allies: Earth-2's Injustice Society. I'm guessing it was timing that was the reason some Earth-1 heroes got dragged into it.

On Apokolips, a Boom Tube opens up, and the heroes arrive on the world of evil. Batman, Huntress, and Mister Miracle head out to do some scouting. The group splits up into other teams: Power Girl, Firestorm, and Orion will investigate a large-scale construction to the north. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Big Barda head to one of Granny Goodness's infamous orphanages, where New Genesis's children are being held. Green Lantern, Oberon, and Dr. Fate will take care of the shock troop barracks.

Huntress is confused by the whole thing. After all, wasn't the war between Apokolips and New Genesis supposed to be over by this point? According to Mister Miracle, it was supposed to be. Orion had supposedly destroyed his evil father Darkseid once and for all, but considering that Darkseid still had many evil cronies that were still around, so...yeah. It's not surprising some of them would want some payback.

He, Barda, Metron, and Oberon were out exploring the galaxy, but found New Genesis completely deserted on their return. The comic says he felt guilt for betraying his father, but that makes no sense to me. Orion knew his father was an evil jerk, and rejected that thanks to growing up on New Genesis. Orion was born of evil, but showed to be a good man. It just would make more sense to me if Orion's guilt over what he felt was his failure as the protector of New Genesis. That's what he always was to me: Their warrior, the one Highfather brings in when he wants someone's butt kicked.

Anyway, Huntress, Batman, and Miracle sneak up on some Apokoliptian guards and beat them up. Afterwards, Miracle recalls the events of Adventure Comics #460 (December 1976), in which Darkseid got unwittingly destroyed by an experimental weapon. So, with Darkseid gone, who is behind this new war between the worlds of the New Gods? I'm guessing one of his Elite, as they are still running around back then as far as I know.

We next go to a barracks in the city of Armagedda. I'm assuming it's the twin sister city of Armagetto, ha ha. Two guards are bringing Oberon to the entrance. Evidently, the dwarf got himself captured. One of the guards taunts Oberon about his height, who kicks him in the leg. Ha. Take that, jerk. He's about to be shot, but the guards who "captured" Oberon save him, revealing they are Green Lantern and Dr. Fate in disguise. Wait, don't those guards have yellow in their uniforms? How was GL able to make that? Yellow tended to not agree well with Green Lantern rings at the time. I'm assuming it was a mix of his ring and Fate's magic.

Fate and GL blast their way into the barracks, but Hal raises an interesting point: How do they know the people of New Genesis are being here? Fate reminds him that this only one of four likely locations Metron suggested. Hal recalls that Metron's Mobius Chair did sense someone from New Genesis here. Fate locates the prisoner, and Hal cuts a way in with an energy jackhammer. However, who is inside...will have to be revealed later. Time for a scene change! We next go to one of Granny Goodness's prison-orphanages.

In the prison, a pair of guards are taking a young girl to a "punishment machine"...essentially a torture device. The girl had grown a flower on a training field, as she wanted to see something pretty, but this is Apokolips. Flowers are not allowed here. One of the guards prepares to strap the child in, but is caught by a certain magic lasso. Wonder Woman is here, and with backup from Superman and Big Barda. The Man of Steel and Apokolips Amazon dispatches the guards.

I just included that panel because it was funny. And in a rather heartwarming moment, the fearful girl asks if she will be punished, but Wonder Woman tells her that she won't be punished ever again. Aww. Meanwhile, Firestorm, Orion, and Power Girl had found something else.

Yup, it's a big ol' cannon. Makes me wonder if Marvin the Martian had consulted on the design of this thing. He does want to create an Earth-shattering kaboom, after all. Firestorm notes three men on the control platform.

Meet three members of the Injustice Society. The Fiddler, master of sound! The Shade, the King of Shadows! The Icicle, the Man with the Killer Chill! The Fiddler is playing his violin...yeah, he's a Golden Age villain, first appearing in All-Flash #32 (January 1948). The sound activates the machine, and the cannon fires some rays. The rays converge on a point in space, and something is forming in the corona. Orion pales in horror, as he knows who is in the energy storm.

Darkseid is back. And he is presumably not a happy New God. But then again, it's Darkseid. Happy is not his thing.

This issue was perfectly fine. It's setting up a multi-issue storyline here, and it does a good job of it. We get what's going on, why the heroes are there, and why they're there. I do wish we got a bit more time with Metron outlining his plan to find the New Genesis natives. The meeting of Firestorm and Orion is pretty funny, and wait...I noticed throughout this issue, Orion was shown flying without his Astro-Harness. I thought he needed that to fly.

Also, Orion's costume here is kind of...strange. Why did he get a new costume, yet the other New Gods retained their Kirby costumes? It's an odd choice. Also, I found having both Batman and Huntress kind of redundant. Why not replace one of them with one of the Flashes or Zatanna? Aw well, this adventure has two Kryptonians, so why not two "Bat"-related characters?

Dick Dillin's artwork is rather nice. His art was synonymous with the Justice League book throughout the 1970s, as he drew most of the issues during that time. He started on issue #64 (August 1968), and would draw 115 issues of the comic over the next 12 years. In fact, there's a bit of a sad note to this comic, as this was the last JLA issue he drew before he died of a heart attack on March 1, 1980. He has started work on #164, but only finished the first couple of pages before his death. The next issue would be penciled by George Perez and inked by Frank McLaughlin, who didn't use those pages. I don't know if those two and a half pages Dillin drew have ever been seen by the public. I personally would love to see them, if only for the historical value, and an idea of what could have been.

Next time, we take a look at the beginning of a team-up between Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes...