Genesis (DC Comics)

Genesis was a 4-part comic book event miniseries/crossover published by DC Comics, which had tie-ins with most of DC's ongoing series set in the DC Universe. The miniseries itself was published weekly in August 1997, written by John Byrne, with art by Ron Wagner and Joe Rubenstein. Subsequently regarded poorly by both comic fans and professionals, the crossover has been largely ignored and is not accommodated in current DC Universe continuity.

Plot

The storyline centered on the New Gods and their traditional enemy Darkseid, but involved all of DC's super-powered characters either directly or implicitly. It retconned the source of all super powers in the DC Universe to "the Godwave", an interstellar phenomenon that had previously created gods on various planets through the universe (e.g. on Earth the Greek, Egyptian, and Norse pantheons). This wave eventually traveled far enough along that it reflected back. On its second pass, it empowered superheros of all types in the 20th century. This phenomenon manifested itself in various ways, as a kind of grand unified theory tying together the Source, the Green Lanterns' power rings, the Speed Force, the power of Shazam, Kryptonian abilities, gifts from the Olympian gods, etc. The focus of the series is how the wave is threatening reality when it finally rebounds back to its originating spot. Darkseid's attempt to seize the power of the Godwave disrupts these abilities, either neutralizing them or altering them drastically into other powers. The wave also had the after-effect of making humans feel like something was missing. Some simply think it's a case of the blues, while others despair so badly they commit suicide. The heroes of Earth and the New Gods, those still able to fight, battle to prevent Darkseid from accomplishing his plans. Darkseid's forces again stage an invasion of Earth before traveling to the Source Wall to confront the heroes.

Byrne Quote

• The story was described by Byrne as "the most important and significant thing that has ever happened to these heroes, but it doesn't really change anything," quoting a statement by Jim Shooter about the best kinds of superhero stories.

Criticism

• The main story and the tie-ins were widely criticized, for the retcon changing the nature of the various heroes' powers, for the lack of other consequences of a story which had been promoted for its importance, and for the quality of the story itself.^[1][2]

References