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New Genesis

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 11 min
New Genesis
Art by George Pérez (penciller), Karl Kesel (inker) and Tom Ziuko (inker)
First appearanceNew Gods #1 (February 1971)
Created byJack Kirby
In-universe information
Race(s)New Gods, Bugs
LocationsNecropolis
CharactersHighfather
Orion
Bekka
Lightray
Metron
Mister Miracle
Forever People
PublisherDC Comics

New Genesis is a fictional planet appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A part of Jack Kirby's Fourth World mythos, the planet is home to the heroic New Gods led by the sage Highfather. New Genesis is the positive counterpart of Apokolips, home of the evil New Gods led by the tyrant Darkseid.

New Genesis is an unspoiled and sunlit world of forests, mountains, and bodies of water.[1] The New Gods inhabit Supertown, a golden city floating above the planet's surface. Both New Genesis and Apokolips exist in a different plane of existence from the regular DC Universe,[2] located near the Source that originated the Old and New Gods.[3]

Accessing either Apokolips or New Genesis usually requires a form of travel known as "Boom Tube", a portal generated by Mother Boxes. In some versions, Boom Tubes convert the size of individuals that pass through to proportions fitting the destination.[4]

Fictional history

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New Genesis as depicted in Who's Who in the DC Universe #7 (February 1991). Art by Ed Hannigan and Tom Blyberg.

New Genesis and its dark counterpart Apokolips were created after the destruction of Urgrund, the world of the "Old Gods". New Genesis was given strength and nobility from the "living atoms" of the Old God Balduur, while Apokolips was saturated with evil from an unnamed sorceress.[5] Through Darkseid's manipulation, the two planets entered a devastating war that only ended when the New Genesis general Izaya forsook the ways of war, contacted the Source and became the Highfather, agreeing to a pact with his enemy to secure peace.[6][7] Eventually the pact was broken and the war restarted when Darkseid kidnapped people of Earth and Highfather directed warriors of New Genesis to oppose him.[7]

The conflict between the two planets symbolizes the struggle of good and evil on a grand mythic scale. However, despiste unambiguously representing good, New Genesis and its inhabitants are not entirely perfect. Biographer Charles Hatfield writes, "The saga turns out to be not so simple, for Kirby — and this is revealing – blurs the seeming idealized perfection of New Genesis, adding complexity to his gods."[8] Similarly, John Morrow writes, "Kirby knew that his New Genesis was no heaven. Rather, it was more like the free West during the Cold War, which was threatened by forces from within as well as without."[9]

Highfather is a spiritual leader who maintains his people's connection to the primal energy field known as The Source. The original Highfather, Izaya the Inheritor, has since perished and been replaced by Earthling superhero Takion, a living conduit of the Source. In contrast to the industrial wasteland of Apokolips, New Genesis is a forested paradise. The only urban location is Supertown, a floating city designed to not affect the planet's surface.[10]

Seven Soldiers

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Main article: Seven Soldiers

In Seven Soldiers, New Genesis and Apokolips are seemingly destroyed before the Source entity recreates them as a singular planet. Additionally, most of the New Gods are killed during Final Crisis before being resurrected on the planet.

The New 52

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In "The New 52" reboot, New Genesis is largely the same, though its surface is now littered with the ruins of previous cities that were devastated in the New Genesis/Apokolips War.[11] Additionally, New Genesis technology was used to create OMAC.[12]

Inhabitants

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See also: New Gods

There are two types of inhabitants of New Genesis. The first are the "gods" or "New Gods" (the upper class), a race of powerful immortals. The gods live in Supertown. The "Bugs" (the lower class) evolved from "micro-life" spread on the planet's surface during the gods' war. They live on the planet's surface, in hives or the "Bug Mound". There is occasionally prejudice between these two races, as many of the gods consider the bug-people to be a lesser species.

Besides the New Gods and Bugs, there also a race of indigenous peoples called Primitives who live in the forests.

Geography

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There are different locations on New Genesis:

  • Asylum of the Gods - An insane asylum where New Gods who have gone mad are incarcerated.[13]
  • Bug Mound - The home of the Bugs of New Genesis.
  • Lonar's Range - An area of wilderness where the Primitives live.
  • Singularity Stockade - A multiversal prison.[14]
  • Supertown - A floating city that is the capital of New Genesis and the home of the New Gods.[10]

Travel

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Because it exists in another dimension, New Genesis can only be accessed via Boom Tubes. It has been said that the New Gods are normally giants, and that travel through the Boom Tubes rescales them to mortal proportions.[15]

In other media

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Television

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Video games

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New Genesis appears in DC Universe Online.

References

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  1. ^ Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #16 (June 1986). DC Comics.
  2. ^ The Multiversity Guidebook #1 (March 2015). DC Comics.
  3. ^ Jack Kirby's Fourth World #1 (March 1997). DC Comics.
  4. ^ New Gods (vol. 4) #10 (August 1996)
  5. ^ Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #1 (March 1985). Marvel Comics.
  6. ^ New Gods #7 (March 1972). Marvel Comics.
  7. ^ a b Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #10 (December 1985). Marvel Comics.
  8. ^ Hatfield, Charles (2011). Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby. University Press of Mississippi. p. 196. ISBN 978-1617031786.
  9. ^ Morrow, John (Spring 2019). "Gallery". The Jack Kirby Collector. 26 (76): 34. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  10. ^ a b New Gods #1. DC Comics.
  11. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #22. DC Comics.
  12. ^ Anderson, Jenna (February 20, 2020). "DC Comics Makes a Major Change to OMAC". comicbook.com.
  13. ^ New Gods (vol. 4) #7. DC Comics.
  14. ^ Green Lantern (vol. 5) #37. DC Comics.
  15. ^ David, Peter; Kirk, Riggs (January 1999). "Supergirl" (28). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. ^ Sava, Oliver (July 23, 2012). "Justice League: "Twilight"". AV Club. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  17. ^ Matadeen, Renaldo (April 16, 2022). "Young Justice: Phantoms Revealed a New God's Cosmic Hulk Problem". CBR. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  18. ^ Matadeen, Renaldo (May 13, 2022). "Young Justice: Phantoms' Promethean Took a Page From Eternals". CBR. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
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Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Genesis
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