Teen Titans (vol.2) #13 (October, 1997)
"Then & Now, Part 2 of 4"
Story & Pencils - Dan Jurgens
Finished Art - George Perez
Colors - Gregory Wright
Separations - Digital Chameleon
Letters - Richard Starkings & Comicraft/LA
Associate Editor - Dana Kurtin
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $1.95
Let's continue this Titanic four-par... waitasec, this is a Genesis tie-in?! C'mon, we didn't sign up for that!
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Picking up right where we left off last issue, the "founding Titans" are in that fictional land of "Wyoming" and find themselves stood before their younger selves. Naturally, this leads to some fisticuffs... and some trash-talk. From the get-go, the "real-deal" Titans are kinda getting their butts kicked. The younglings are talkin' smack, and clappin' back... performing at a level of experience they really shouldn't have. The only Titan able to best his younger self is... duh... Nightwing.
We then shift scenes back to the Cardy Boarding School... a couple of hours earlier. The Mad Mod is shocked by the arrival of the... New New (New?) Teen Titans (can't remember if I refer to them with two or three "News"). He's happy to see that they are safe... and happier to learn that Prysm ain't dead. Ray Palmer then demonstrates his new ability to grow taller than six inches.
Turns out, they were off dealing with the events of Genesis... which might only be marginally less terrible than being held hostage. The Atom explains that his new powers are a result of the Genesis-Wave. The New-est Teen Titans then load up in their jet and head toward Wyoming. They leave the Mod behind, so they don't hear his warning that the original Titans are already there.
We follow the Newest Titans on their trip... and it's a pretty contentious scene. Risk is tired of the Atom name-dropping his pals in the JLA, and isn't shy about letting him know. This little "power struggle" might be interesting, if I cared a lick about any of these characters.
Upon arrival in Wyoming, the Newest Titans are attacked by... uh, "those Psion freaks"... and a fight is on.
After some scufflin'... Omen arrives to lift the "veil of deception". Turns out the "young Titans" the originals were duking it out with were actually the Newest Teen Titans... and the "Psion Freaks" the newbies were tusslin' with were the Originals!
Once the "veil" is lifted, the two Titanic teams shake hands and make nice. Argent seemed to enjoy Nightwing "hitting on her"... wow, this was a couple of years before Devin Grayson started writing her! Then, a portal opens... and Omen is nyoinked inside by some tentacled beast. The originals find something about Omen to be familiar. Hmm... (just play along)
The Titans then find themselves standing in front of Haze's castle... er, neighborhood... uh, place. The giant form of Haze shows off his "spiffy" new costume, cracks a few jokes and invites them inside to search for Mr. Jupiter. This dude is lame.
Wally suggests getting the JLA involved... which, c'mon man, nobody wants to hear that. Nightwing puts together a plan wherein the Titans split into teams of two... one original and one newbie. We've got four teams... with the Atom assumed to have already infiltrated the place to scout around.
Ray is indeed already inside... and he observes some Haze rent-a-cops pushing around some "citizens" of the neighborhood. I... guess we'll just keep playing along.
Deeper inside, Haze has Omen chained up. Looks like her "lifting the veil" earlier is exactly what he expected to happen. He's been using Omen to bring the Titans to him. After he "mwah-ha-ha's" a bit... he leaves. The Atom then enters are tries to figure out a way to release his teammate.
He decides to grow huge and break the bindings. In so doing, Ray also knocks Omen's mask off revealing her to be... continued next issue!
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Whew... seems like we sure dodged that pesky (and aggressively boring) Genesis Wave here, didn't we? I'm usually not too big on "red sky crossovers", but I think I'll make an exception this time around! All we really need to know is, the Atom got his growing-powers back. In the words of the Mad Mod, "Bully for him!".
I feel like there might've been a less-confusing way to tell this chapter. Jumping back "a couple hours" to see the Newest Teen Titans get the skinny from the Mod felt a bit, I dunno... "piecy"? There just wasn't much "flow" to it. We go from Titan-on-Titan action to this chatty scene that happened "before" with character we, up to that point, hadn't even seen in the story yet.
That opening Titan-on-Titan scene ends with Nightwing being surprised by a sudden arrival... which doesn't pay off until after the Newest Titans return from Genesis... talk to the Mod... head to Wyoming... and fight the "Psions". And that sudden arrival turns out to be Omen... but, the "progression" from that first scene is kinda "lost". I dunno how to really write what I'm trying to say here... just didn't dig the (lack of) flow here.
Last issue we saw some neat interpersonal chatter and conflict among the original team... and this issue, we get some of the same from the newbies. It was appreciated, in the sense that it attempted to flesh these folks out... but, without having history, it kinda fell flat. Rather than sound justifiably disgruntled, the Newbies came off as petulant. And, nobody wants to root for that.
Overall, this chapter was definitely weaker than the opener. It must've been 20 years since I read this... and I honestly don't have any idea what's to come. Hopefully they can bring it back around!
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Genesis #4 (October, 1997)
"Last God Standing"
Writer - John Byrne
Penciller - Ron Wagner
Inker - Joe Rubenstein
Letterer - Clem Robins
Colorist - Noelle Giddings
Assistant Editor - Jason Hernandez-Rosenblatt
Editor - Paul Kupperberg
Cover Price: $1.95
Hey, we made it! That makes two of the worst regarded DC Crossover events discussed/reviewed/whatever I do here'd in a single month!
I thought for sure I'd be ending this preamble with "Millennium, you're off the hook." But, after (re)visiting both... I'm not entirely sure...
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In the wake of the Source's destruction, Earth becomes a haven of madness and chaos. Cities are in flame, bombs are exploding, acts of violence and depravity occur worldwide. At what remains of the Wall, the heroes have all but given up hope. Of note, it's the normally optimistic Captain Marvel who is the first to to state that they "lost". Shockwaves follow, knocking the heroes around. Superman holds Takion's lifeless body, the Spectre is forcefully ejected from the Wall... so it's looking pretty grim. The Old God Arzaz, however, still contends they have more time to act.
He speaks of being in the actual heart of the Source, and we enter into a flashback so he can explain. The crew, along with the Wizard Shazam and armed with Mother Boxes worked their way deep into the Source Wall... where they confront, well... it's not entirely clear. It's a giant talking mass of shadow, I suppose. Either way, the heroes Mother Boxes go on the fritz due to the God-Wave compression... and everything goes black. Next they know, they're outta the Wall, and Takion is dead.
It is assumed that Darkseid was that being in the heart of the Source, however, Arzaz claims he can still feel Darkseid's presence on the "outside"... so that had to have been something/someone else. Speaking of Mr. Seid, he is standing at yet another (or perhaps that same) console, surrounded by followers and the Dark Old God. He's displeased at Desaad's report that things ain't going all that hot, and takes out his frustration on poor ol' Kalibak. He always seems to get the worst of Darkseid's tantrums. The Old God ensures claims to have survived the first four destructions, and is prepared to enter the Fifth World alongside the big D.
Back with the heroes, Metron appears to inform them that there is yet another contender in this power play... the God of War himself, Ares! He claims that it will be he, not Darkseid who will rule the Fifth World... should it come to that.
This, as you might imagine, greatly displeases Darkseid. Elsewhere, Arzaz calls to the Dark Old God... as one is the Yin to the other's Yang... together they might be able to stop Ares. Somehow, moments later Darkseid is confronting the heroes, while the giant Ares stands frozen before them. Okay.
Turns out the Old Gods are momentarily holding Ares at bay. Rather than duke it out, Arzaz suggest they reach out with their hearts and use the power of prayer. They peer down at the heroes, who have joined hands in prayer... from there all thinking minds in the universe are linked.
The prayers continue and intensify until... the merged New Genesis/Apokolips planet... splits!
Somehow this fixes the Source Wall situation? I guess? Okay... um, anyhoo... we head to an epilogue which illustrates that Takion is again among the living, hope and faith have been restored, and the heroes' powers have returned.
We close out the event with Metron visiting the new-look Source Wall. It holds four new prisoners... Ares, Arzaz, that other Old God, and... Darkseid.
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Hmm.
...
I really don't wanna be "that guy", but... what just happened? Seriously, this has got to be one of the most difficult to follow stories I have ever read. I usually self-depreciatingly attribute things to my being "too dense" to comprehend what I've just read... but today we're going to forgo that... this was just a mess!
I think it was yesterday that I suggested this might read better had it been given an over-sized first issue (or God forbid, an additional issue)... in completing this story, I totally stand by that suggestion. This ending felt rushed... pulled out of nowhere... and just comes across as unpolished and unfinished.
It's as though Byrne got to about the halfway point of the story he wanted to tell this issue, and realized he'd already written 18 out of his 22 allotted pages. So, the heroes pray... New Genesis and Apokolips split... and somehow that repairs the Source Wall. Feels like we're missing a chapter, doesn't it? Then... then, Takion flies back in like "Hey guys, I'm not dead... pretty cool, right?" I took last issue to task for cramming too many happenings into a single chapter without giving the characters a single moment to process the situation and reflect on its consequences. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the event ends the same way. It's "everything's okay... now go home" and that's it. Again, as loathe as I'm to say this needed more pages (because I sure as heck wouldn't want to read them), it really did... either that, or just some better pacing.
Overall... I think this event goes down as something of an earnest failure. There is a kernel of a clever concept here... not one I dig or agree with, but one I can admit is mildly clever. That being said, the overall story is just so convoluted, and really... at the end of the day, it isn't nearly interesting enough to make parsing the ridiculously dense information worth a reader's while. I'd say give this one a pass.
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Genesis #3 (October, 1997)
"Event Horizon"
Writer - John Byrne
Penciller - Ron Wagner
Inker - Joe Rubenstein
Colorist - Patricia Mulvihill
Letterer - Clem Robins
Assistant Editor - Jason Hernandez-Rosenblatt
Editor - Paul Kupperberg
Cover Price: $1.95
Wow, we're almost done with Genesis already? I suppose we shouldn't throw any babies in the air just yet... we still got about 45 pages to go.
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We open with the straws being drawn... an endeavor which appears to be rendered moot the very next page, when every hero is transported to the Source Wall, and stood before a very sassy Darkseid. I've been looking at this panel with Darkseid with his hand on his hip for a few minutes now... and I'm still chuckling. I'm picturing him saying "Don't go there."
From here we get yet another explanation of the God-Wave, just in case people decided to jump on with this issue, I guess. It's the same as it was... first wave swept over the universe 40,000 years ago leaving a "seed of divinity" in its wake, creating the Gods of worship and myth. It would then double back, planting the potential for latent super power in the folks we look at as the DC pantheon of superheroes.
Darkseid stops yapping when we hit page 5, and our story can finally begin. The heroes get restless, and so Darkseid sics his legion of Parademons and Elite Forces on them.
The battle is short lived, as Takion pops his shiny bod out of the mix... and with him, a handful of the heroes (probably those who drew the "short straw"). He informs them all that he is able to communicate with the Source, and right now what it wants is... to be penetrated. Metron uses his Mobius Chair to scan for an advantageous point of entry... and as luck would have it, there's one right below them! The wizard, Shazam arrives just in time to lend a hand.
Meanwhile in Gotham, Robin, Huntress, and Catwoman still sit perched atop a roof complaining about their loss of hope. I guess quoting Hitler will only get you so far, eh Selina?
Back at the Source, a battle rages. Superman grows frustrated over his lack of control over his strange new powers. At the same time, Darkseid and Desaad are standing at a console. They are visited by... yawn, the Spectre. I guess this is when we're supposed to realize that this event is important. He doesn't stick around long, and inserts himself into the Source Wall. At that very moment, time... stops! For a moment.
At the console, Darkseid continues to pontificate. He is then visited by a strange man, who introduces himself as one of the Old Gods... the "opposite number" to Arzaz. He offers Darkseid his aid.
Suddenly, the Source... screams! It is felt far and wide across the universe.
In its fury, the Source ejects the interloping heroes. When the cosmic dust settles we learn that Takion did not survive.
Before the heroes can collect themselves, the unthinkable happens. The Source... explodes!
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Okay... I didn't hate this. Heck, I didn't even really dislike it! But, I gotta say... it's all happening way too fast.
It feels like what happened in this issue could have easily been spread out into a second... any urgency or feelings of intensity or suspense is lost when the reveals occur on the next (or the very same!) page.
Now, I get that I am not reading the tie-ins that go along with this, which may be taking me out of the cosmic gestalt... but, to my eyes that's more of a problem with the way comic events are produced. To me, if I'm buying the four-issue Genesis (or eight-issue Millennium) event miniseries, I'm expecting to receive a full story. Unfortunately that's not the case. While Millennium put everything important in the tie-ins, Genesis doesn't give us even half a second to reflect on the severity of the threats, how the heroes feel, or even what would occur should the bad guys win. I almost cringe to say it, but I think Genesis may have benefited from a fifth issue... at least to this point. Haven't read the ending yet, so I cannot really speak to that.
To briefly recap my event thoughts, I think Millennium should have been a two-issue "bookend" miniseries... and Genesis should have started with an issue #0. Yikes. Hmm... maybe just a "double-sized" #1... yeah, let's go with that.
For the issue itself... the problem is definitely in the pacing. Like I'd said above, everything is happening way too fast. They draw straws... but send the entire group anyway. The heroes are immediately standing before Darkseid... they battle. Darkseid is visited by the Spectre who enters the Source... Darkseid is then visited by a dark Old God... the Source explodes.
There's just no breathing room there... none of it feels important, because by the time one beat ends, another starts... and ends! I think we were supposed to feel something when Takion died... but it was treated as just another beat. This may have been done on purpose, with the thought that the end of the universe waits for no man... but, in comics, I think we need more than that. The comics format is about as flexible as they come. Heck, they could have added something along the lines of a countdown clock in the corner of each panel. It worked in a recent issue of Batman... where characters spoke full paragraphs in a single second. Impossible (and annoying to some), but comics allow that kind of wibbly-wobbly freedom.
The art here is still doing very little for me. I don't know about you, but the first time I see the Source Wall... I think that ought to be a grand, epic, and beautiful looking page. I mean, the Source Wall is a pretty big deal... and has the potential to look absolutely jaw-droppingly amazing. Here, it's just another panel. Such a wasted opportunity which really diminishes (to me) the impact of its destruction. I will say that some of the full-page character shots were pretty nice though.
Overall, this... of the three issues I've read so far, is my favorite. Does that mean I'd recommend it? Probably not. Characterization is lost in a sea of "stuff happening". Given how little time is spent on the characters, those heroes chosen to confront Darkseid could have easily been anyone. The only time there is a pause in the action is when we receive yet another info-dump.
I guess we will see how this one wraps up tomorrow. I was planning on covering a reader request, however... I realized I don't own the issue in question... and my local shop didn't have it. I'm going to be running some errands on the other side of town this weekend, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to procure it there. Apologies for the delay!
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Genesis #2 (October, 1997)
"Edge of Destruction"
Writer - John Byrne
Penciller - Ron Wagner
Inker - Joe Rubenstein
Colorist - Patricia Mulvihill
Letterer - Clem Robins
Assistant Editor - Jason Hernandez Rosenblatt
Editor - Paul Kupperberg
Cover Price: $1.95
A lotta folks who know me know that I returned to college when I was 31. I remember thinking "How hard could it be?"... I've always enjoyed reading and learning, and didn't think the decade and a half I spent outside of the academic life would affect the way I received and processed new information.
Then... I cracked open my first textbook. I remember staring at it, and watching the words begin to dance with one another... everything was so dense and nothing at all made any sense (hey, that rhymes!). So much of it was also quite dry and dull. It was at that point, I realized just what I'd gotten myself into... and concluded that, "Hey, this is gonna be pretty hard."
I say all of that, so I might say this... I had a similar feeling when reading the first half of Genesis. There is so much dense-but-dull information to process and digest in this story... that I feel like I'm trying to parse information for an exam. Like I should be reading this thing with sticky notes and a highlighter. I mean, I literally just finished this issue... and I'll be damned if I can remember a single thing I read.
Oh well...
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We open with a three-page recap of what happened last issue. Superpowers are on the fritz, Kitty Faulkner gives us the down-low on the Kurtzberg Field, and an alien armada descends on Earth. Up to speed? Good. From here we jump back to New Genesis, where Takion is (still) talking about not being able to locate Darkseid. The New Gods are approached by a mortal called Arzaz, who it appears was a part of the Takion limited series, not that we'd get an editorial note to tell us such. Takion goes to send him away, and he reveals his true form. Arzaz is, in reality, an Old God from the First World. Ay yai yai. He warns that the looming doom threatens to wipe the Fourth World out of existence, and will usher in a terrible Fifth World in it's place. Got all that?
Back on Earth, several stereotypical folks watch as the sky fills with alien crafts. It's not terribly clear, but it seems as though some of these ordinary humans might be starting to display sparky electrical powers.
We shift to Gateway City, and check in with our new friend Officer Mike Schorr. He is trying to maintain the peace as the citizens panic. Gotta say... the officers are wearing "GCPD" armbands, which doesn't quite make me think "Gateway City Police Department". Anyhoo, Artemis stomps onto the scene... didn't realize she had short hair.
Oh, she doesn't. They just forgot it in that panel. She tries to keep the peace via threatening force with her American Gladiators looking swizzle-stick. She takes down a couple of goofs... and is shortly joined by Queen Hippolyta and Donna Troy. Together they hold off the angry (angrier?) mob.
The next scene is a bit strange. We head to Landis Fields, West Virginia where we join a foursome walking down a street toward a church. It seems that this town is seeing a spike in suicide, with 22 cases in the past few days. They chat with the priest , who is also rather confused by the events. Looks like another case of lost faith.
In Hawaii, we join Superboy as he himself is joined by... the Ravers! Remember them? They are happy to see that he is still among the living, and together they decide to teleport "straight to the source" of the looming doom. When they do, they find themselves standing before... God?
At the same time in Gotham City, Robin and the Huntress watch a riot from atop a nearby building. They are both too scared to intervene. Shortly they are joined by Catwoman who... get this, quotes Hitler... to motivate them into joining the fray.
We shift scenes to the White House, where the heroes are addressing (and being addressed by) President Bill Clinton. Gotta say, it is refreshing to see a U.S. President not being treated like a clueless putz in a comic book. Here, Superman is given the lead. He will greet the invaders under a white flag in attempt to reason with them, while flanked by the rest of the heroes. Clinton is wary, but ultimately agrees.
We can see on the news that the invaders have landed... among them are some familiar faces in the forms of Granny Goodness and Kalibak. Looks like Darkseid might be behind this after all. No duh.
As further evidence of Darkseid's involvement, the Teen Titans T-Jet is attacked by a crew of Parademons. The team does a decent job holding them off... until the Atom (this is Teenage Atom era Teen Titans) loses control of his size-shifting abilities. He grows uncontrollably, sending the jet into a tailspin.
All around the world, the heroes are faced with Apokoliptian threats. The Legionnaires fight off Mantis, Aquaman engages in undersea battle with a frogman, the Sovereign Seven (!!!) fend off the Female Furies. Wonder how Byrne felt about adding them to his story?
Elsewhere, the Martian Manhunter meets with the Darkstars and Omega Men in attempt to procure their support. He is called a traitor, and told to beat it. Before he can... the Highfather appears! All of the heroes are present as well... and we're about to enter some brain-hurty pages. The gist of the Highfather's spiel is that "ages ago" a Great World exploded... releasing a "God Wave" which spread universe-wide, and is responsible for the creation of all the Gods who we ordinary folks may believe in and worship. When the wave expanded to fill the entirety of the universe, it doubled-back on itself... this second wave is responsible for superpowers... and access to them (the Speed Force, Quantum Field). At this point, the God Wave is contracting... which somehow means that the universe will be wiped out and replaced with the "new and terrible" Fifth World. In this most opportune time, Darkseid plans to seize the power of the God Wave to attain Infinite Power. Still with me?
He continues, informing the heroes that there is still a chance to fix things... however, should they attempt, it may result in altering their powers, or ya know... death. In order to choose who will face Darkseid head-on, Green Lantern wills up a wad of sticks so the heroes can "draw straws". Woof.
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Still a snooze. I really wish I could summon the interest to either like or hate this story... but at the end of the day, it's just a boring story... with a sorta-kinda clever premise.
That premise concerns a "Godwave" being the source of pretty much everything we know to be true. Superpowers and access to them are the result of the wave. It's a decent sci-fi idea, but not one I dig for the DCU. It's a bit reminiscent of the White Event of Marvel's New Universe... which, I wouldn't figure to be something Byrne would invite comparison to. Then again, I might be projecting.
With all that said... I can't help but to feel that Byrne is being earnest in this endeavor, which makes it hard to really bag on it. This seems like he truly feels he needs to explain why superpowers exist. I mean, I don't think that's a question worth answering (or even asking)... but that's kinda Byrne's thing. I remember reading a bunch about how he would explain things down to the tiniest granule of minutia when revitalizing Superman for the post-Crisis world. There's something almost charming there... almost. Then you remember we're reading comics, and there are a few things we just want to "accept". Over-explanation can sometimes be worse than no explanation at all.
Like much of Byrne's output post-1990, I feel as though it's biggest weakness is in the framing. When we discussed Lab Rats all those months ago, I discussed ways in which I thought it could work... here, with Genesis... I do think there might be a story worth telling here... though, it might be better for an Elseworlds story. I don't want to think that everything we know about the DC Universe is the result of a "Godwave" bouncing back on itself. Even for comics, it's a bit far-fetched. Though, to be fair... in a vacuum, it's a clever idea. In my opinion, not worth exploring in the canonical DCU... but for an Elseworlds, why not?
The only thing that kinda stands out to me is the ordinary folks being somehow affected. Their loss of faith might have something to do with the God Wave that created the objects of their faith being depowered/erased, I suppose. I'm unsure what's going on with the electrical powers manifesting in those people on the street. Wonder if they will become the New-er Guardians... er, Gods. As if I needed another reason to compare this to Millennium.
The art here is just as uninspired as the previous chapter, really not digging it. There's almost a rushed feeling to it, though that might just be my untrained artist's eye talking. Lotta backgrounds missing here... though, given some of the locales used, it might be excusable.
Really not much more to say. It's still dull... and I still can't recommend it. I'm fine with this "project" being an "I'll read it, so you don't have to" sort of affair.
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