#desaad out

[superman86to99]

Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey #1 (April 1994)

DOOMSDAY IS COMING... BACK! Superman has been having nightmares about Doomsday, which is the natural psychological reaction when someone kills you. In his dreams, Doomsday has already wrecked the entire Justice League (again) and goes after Superman, who turns into a scared little boy in the middle of the fight. Just when Doomsday is about to knock lil' Clark's head off...

...he wakes up. It's the same dream every night. So, Superman decides to do the healthy thing when something is scaring you to that point. No, not visit a therapist -- finding and killing it.

But where is Doomsday these days, anyway? The last time anyone saw him, he was floating through space after the evil Cyborg Superman tied his body to an asteroid and tossed him there. As it happens, just when Superman is thinking about finding Doomsday, a cargo spaceship headed for Apokolips runs across that asteroid and takes it in, thinking they might be able to sell it to Darkseid as a big paperweight or something. By the time the ship lands in Apokolips, everyone inside is dead -- and soon, so is everyone in its general vicinity. As Doomsday tears through Apokolips' residents, one seems to recognize him and calls him "the Armageddon Creature," which for some reason makes me think of Steve Buscemi.

Even Darkseid seems freaked out by Doomsday. He sends his elite guard to slow him down with their fancy exo-armors, which "can stop anything"... except, it soon becomes clear, Doomsday's fists. When Doomsday kills one of the guards, a little gizmo on his back starts glowing and something jumps into the guard's armor -- it's the Cyborg Superman, whose consciousness had been hiding there since Superman Superman destroyed his previous body!

So now they have two maniacs destroying poor old Apokolips (what did they ever do to deserve this?!). Desaad wants to call the Darkstars or L.E.G.I.O.N. or some other cosmic police force for help, but Darkseid would rather evacuate the entire planet than do that.

Meanwhile, after talking it over with Lois (who isn't exactly thrilled about her fiancé going after a creature that has already killed him once), Superman realizes who can help him find Doomsday: the Linear Men, the protectors of the time-stream, since they can find anything, anywhere, anytime. He stands outside young Matthew Ryder's home, causing the adult, time-traveling Ryder to materialize and ask Superman why he remembers a famous superhero loitering in his back yard one night. Superman asks the Linear Men to give him all the info they have on Doomsday, but Matthew hits him with the "sanctity of the time-stream" stuff again.

However, Matthew's more hot-headed (pun intended) alternate reality version, Waverider, manages to give Superman a "subtle" clue about Doomsday's current location:

Back in Apocalypse Apokolips, Darkseid decides to step in personally and hit Doomsday with his legendary Omega Beams. No one can withstand the unsurpassed force of the--! Oh, wait, no, Doomsday did, pretty easily. And then beat the living crap out of Darkseid. After seeing that, Desaad is like "screw this," disobeys his master's orders, and calls the Justice League headquarters... just as Superman has stepped in to ask for help in finding Doomsday. Desaad ends their intergalactic Zoom call, but this makes Superman put two and two together and decipher Waverider's hint.

Now aware that Doomsday is in Apokolips (but still not knowing if he's alive or dead), Superman borrows a Mother Box from the JL's Oberon and teleports there, only to immediately run into the Cyborg breaking shit up. Superman is ready to fight him, but the Cyborg hits him with something more devastating than any blast: a live video feed of Doomsday, alive and kicking. Well, punching.

And then he hits Superman with a blast. While the Cyborg is distracted torturing Superman, Desaad uses the opportunity to open up a Boom Tube near Doomsday to teleport him away (which they probably should have done in the first place, huh). Superman flies off to stop it, but he's too slow: Doomsday has been sent to some other planet... perhaps Earth?! TO BE CONTINUED!

Creator-Watch:

This marks the glorious return of inker Brett Breeding, who we hadn't seen since the end of "Reign of the Supermen" because he was focusing on this miniseries. This time, he's actually providing finished art to Dan Jurgens' layouts, and the result is probably his finest work yet. We've all missed Breeding in the regular books (no disrespect to Josef Rubinstein), but that makes this mini feel extra special and like a prestige event worthy of that cardboard cover and the extra three bucks. More art gushing in Don Sparrow's section below!

Plotline-Watch:

No idea if this is intentional or not, but the final page, with Superman failing to catch Doomsday's Boom Tube and wondering if he stopped himself out of fear, reminds me of the classic final pages of Jack Kirby's Forever People #1 (1971), when he intentionally stops in the middle of a Boom Tube trip. Not many comics end with an emotionally devastated Superman kneeling between some rocks in front of an orange background after just barely not making a Boom Tube trip.

Superman mentions to Lois that one of the reasons he wants to find Doomsday's body is because he remembers how obsessed people in ancient Krypton became with genetic engineering (as seen in the World of Krypton miniseries), and he worries someone might recreate him or make an army of Doomsdays. That's a pretty clever way of delivering information that will become relevant when we find out Doomsday's origin, next issue.

ELROY SIGHTING! Of course that little jerk wouldn't wanna miss an issue where his rival for Lois' affection has serious chances of suffering a violent death...

Don Sparrow says: "A small nod to the 'Emerald Twilight' storyline happening in Green Lantern, as Superman mentions he can no longer ask Green Lanterns for help in outer space." Find out why at the @greenlantern94to04 blog, which just reached Green Lantern #50! (I'm hoping to have that blog catch up to this one by the time we hit Zero Hour at least, so we can crossover.)

Another important observation from Don: "Superman’s a boxers guy now, which is a switch from the tight-whiteys he wore in the now-famous Superman #50. No, I don’t feel like I’m wasting my life, why do you ask? (Weigh in with your comment—do you think Superman is a boxer guy, or briefs? NOT about whether I’m wasting my life.)" I'm gonna go with briefs on the outside, boxers on the inside. He's a man of two worlds!

As he leaves the Ryder residence, Superman tells Matthew's confused dad to "teach your son to do what's right -- while you still have time." Am I the only one who thinks the even more confused little Matthew got a belting after that?

At the JL HQ, Maxima offers to come along to Apokolips to have her own rematch with Doomsday, but Superman says no because he wants to face his fears alone. I feel kinda bad for her, but she must be pretty used to Superman turning her down by now.

I like this little car parked outside Darkseid's palace. Did a cabbie get so lost that he ended up there? Did he still charge $6,50?

Not even the Linear Men could figure out where exactly this miniseries fits in the continuity. This obviously takes place after Action #694 (February 1994), the issue where we last saw Doomsday floating in space, and before the Zero Hour event (September 1994), due to certain events involving Matthew and Waverider. Thing is, that Action issue takes place during the long storyline when Superman is losing control of his powers, which doesn't seem to be a problem in this miniseries. That storyline ends in Action #699, which is also the first part of the "Battle for Metropolis" storyline, which leads directly to Metropolis becoming a big pile of rubble in Action #700. Metropolis seems fine in this mini, so this must be taking place during Superman's power woes, but something about him being stronger than usual during such an important rematch doesn't seem right to me. Let's all just blame this on Zero Hour messing with the time-stream.

Patreon-Watch:

Our patrons Aaron, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Bheki Latha, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush, Raphael Fischer, Kit, Sam, Bol, and Gaetano Barreca got to read half of this post back in November, because Don got a bit ahead of himself, and now they get to read half of our upcoming post on Man of Steel #28, because it happened again! Take advantage of our absentmindedness by joining us at https://www.patreon.com/superman86to99

Speaking of Don, he's got way more to say about this issue, so keep reading...

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

Some context behind the art on this issue:  While I was essentially a DC-only kid in the early 90s, you simply couldn’t ignore the revolution happening at Image Comics.  I still maintain that those early Image books weren’t popular only, or even mainly because of the creators, and certainly not because of the stories—I think what set them apart were the incredible production values.  (The fact that there isn’t that much appetite for trade paperbacks of early Spawn or Savage Dragon issues bears this out.) The paper quality and digital colouring that Image Comics offered blew the doors off of what DC was publishing regularly.  And it wasn’t that DC was incapable of using the same techniques, or paper supply—indeed the astonishingly illustrated Batman movie adaptation from 5 years earlier showed they could.  So while I found Image comics to have enviable art, but no stories to my taste, I couldn’t help but wish that my beloved Superman comics could look as nice as the Image comics on the newsstands.  That’s one part of what made these issues so exciting.  Of course, a rematch with Superman and Doomsday was another attraction, and as if we needed a third reason, this mini-series reunited Jurgens and Breeding, who weren’t the usual team on the superbooks at the time. 

After all that, we start with the cover, and the simplicity would certainly make it jump off the stands.  Jurgens was always the most posteriffic Superman artist, where the action poses would make a great pinup, but without sacrificing story.  This cover is a great example of that, with a determined Superman flying into battle on a computer-generated background of flames on the front cover, with Doomsday stomping into action on the back cover.  Even the title pages boast some great production values, as the brushed steel photoshop texture and rounded gradients on the rivets make for a much more photo-realistic finish than usual. 

Issues like this one are tricky, because it’s tempting for me to comment on every darn page, because the art is so consistently at a high level.  So, in the interests of keeping this post from becoming a novel (yes, I know I went overboard in the Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special issue!), I’ll just highlight the very best of the best.

The slow buildup of the early pages are very well done, as the peaceful dreamlike setting of Clark’s childhood farmhouse give way to the adult nightmare of Doomsday.  The full page splash on page 4 is perhaps the defining image of Doomsday (one we saw repeated in modern times, as it was swiped last year in the aforementioned 30th Anniversary issue).

I like seeing the Superman-era Justice League (even if it’s among the wreckage), though my copy has a colouring error on Blue Beetle’s costume).  

The outer space scenes, of the doomed space freighter crew have a scary, claustrophobic feel, and I can definitely remember my heart racing seeing Doomsday awake (even though we knew he was a long time ago).  The design on this ship is reminiscent of the semi-canonical Superman/Aliens mini-series that’ll come out in about a year’s time.

As any loyal reader knows, I love good Lois art, so seeing Lois in her pajamas is a treat when handled by this art team.  Later in the issue we get a Darkseid that rivals John Byrne himself for my favourite depiction of the lord of Apokolips.

We are also introduced to the new look Cyborg Superman (Jurgens tried hard to establish his name as simply “The Cyborg” but it never really took—even with Vic Stone not in the comics of the time, I think DC fans always thought of “Cyborg” as a good guy) which is one of my favourite looks for him.  I think I may slightly prefer the look he had in mid-2000s Green Lantern comics overall, but even they took the red and black look established here.  It’s a small panel, but I remember copying and re-copying the little shot of a very handsome Superman flying toward the camera on page 26.  The subtle gradients in the colouring really add a lot. 

Back to Apokolips, the simple silhouette of Darkseid using his omega beams is a stunner, especially with the sizzle effect at the edge of the beams.

Not sure I pictured Darkseid having red blood, as we do (dark gray maybe?  Black?) but the image of someone as imposing as Darkseid yelping in pain is definitely one that will linger.  For pure cartooniness, I love the panel of Desaad’s shock at seeing Darkseid KO’d.  After seeing the Lord of the Rings films, I always pictured Brad Dourif as Desaad, but at this time (and certainly seeing this panel) I think Marty Short would have made a great one. 

I appreciate the Justice League being involved, even tangentially, given their involvement in the first Doomsday battle.  Though Maxima’s costume is technically more demure than when Superman was in the league (in mourning for Superman she updated her look in Justice League America #71) as she’s covered chin to toes, she somehow seems more naked than ever in these pages.    

There are a couple reused panels in this comic, which stand out—page 40 reuses the famed Doomsday portrait mentioned earlier and that same page inserts a shot of the Cyborg’s eyes that is clipped from page 43.  Not the end of the world, but noticeable to me.   As Superman emerges from the Boom Tube, I like the blue-tinged lighting on his costume, some good colouring there.

Lastly, the body language as Superman passes by the closed Boom Tube that transported Doomsday elsewhere is well observed. 

SPEEDING BULLETS:

This mini-series also highlighted an unfortunate trend of the early-to-mid 90s—that anything really big rarely happened in the regular titles, but was relegated to special—and enormously more expensive—special issues or mini-series.  Despite this story being seismic in importance, it was mostly ignored by the events in the tightly-linked Superman titles at the time.  Which to me felt like a missed sales opportunity, certainly the rematch between Superman and Doomsday would have bolstered sales line-wide, had they done it in the regular books.  But having a new-reader friendly self-contained story, by a single writing and art team AND a high price point won out in the end.  This was also true in the Batman titles, where pivotal characters like Azrael and Bane were introduced in prestige format one shots or mini-series rather than the monthly titles.

Maybe another reason this story was confined to a mini-series—it’s quite gory in some places, perhaps too much so for a code book?

Back in the 90s, they’d always play it coy about whether Superman and Lois have a sexual relationship, but as in the past, they do give hints to support one reading or the other. On the one hand, they keep separate apartments, but on the other, they do have potentially meaningful captions like “hours later” that may contain multitudes.

I gotta say, I was sorta surprised and impressed that DeSaad didn’t immediately make a power play in order to rule Apokolips himself.  Though, he likely knew that no matter what he’d need someone as powerful as Darkseid (or Orion, or Mr. Miracle) to combat Doomsday.

I do get a kick that even under duress, DeSaad still officiously signs off with a “DeSaad out!”, Seacrest style.

It’s grim, but the expression on the face of the dead inspector is unintentionally hilarious to me.  Almost like it begs for one more word bubble. [Max: Don's gonna hit us with a "Totally Rad!" isn't he?]

[Max: ...I stand corrected.]

#superman #dan jurgens #brett breeding #doomsday #justice league #maxima #oberon #darkseid #desaad #linear men #matthew ryder #waverider #elroy #hank henshaw #superman/doomsday: hunter/prey #guy who parked in apokolips somehow #desaad out #steve buscemi should play bertron

[upagainstthesunset]

Sometimes I wonder if modern audiences would get into Fourth World the same way they do for JSA or the various Justice Leagues if it was put in front of their faces. Would the original stories still garner interest and make lifelong fans the way they have for the few of us who've gone out of our way to read them?

I know some of its dated and kirbys art can be eclectic, so those end up being the barriers to entry for new people. But to me the real hurdle is the fact that DC isnt featuring these characters in current stories (except Darkseid), or when they do it's very negative and ancillary to the actual main character, so very few people go "huh, wonder what this guys about?" They just take the characters at face value and move on, if theyve ever even heard of them at all.

I know this isnt unique to Fourth World. There are quite literally hundreds of characters unknown to mainstream fans, and only vaguely understood by more avid readers. But my goodness, if there was ever a story line or world to check out, in my opinion this would be up there.

#fourth world #new gods #dc comics #katetakes #today i found out there are more fics tagged w desaad than there are for orion and thats just not right

[trrickytickle]

//collab with the notorious @tickle-beans - this one is a big boy!!//

History often repeats itself.

Once again, the Anti-Life Equation was within the grasp of Darkseid's iron fist. The Unity was upon Earth. Darkseid's forces had once again managed to get their hands on two out of three Mother Boxes, and Apokolips' chaos was once again leaking around Earth like a deadly oil spill, which had already engulfed a quarter of the planet with the carnage caused by Darkseid and his two best lieutenants- DeSaad, and with him the formidable Granny Goodness leading her flurry of Female Furies and the armies of Parademons that came with. The Blue Planet was no New Genesis- but the air was rife with disparity and darkness.

But just as history would have it, metahumans- this time led by a sole Kryptonian- would come to the rescue.

The Justice League. A name respected and idolized by many civilians for saving the planet time and time again when it all seemed helpless. On the smoggy streets of Gotham City, which were less rampant with the duochrome flashes of police sirens and outrageous criminal masterminds, lights flickered and hellish red aviator lenses glowed faintly. The usual reign of terror by any such member of the Caped Crusader's rouge's gallery was replaced by the anguished feral hisses of shrinking piles of Parademons swooping in from all directions- drifting past the Iceberg Lounge, dive-bombing down from Wayne Manor, and from behind the clock tower.

There was a bloody struggle in the melancholy heart of Gotham. Diana, with a swish of her lasso, caught a Parademon by the neck, and with the strength of the gods, slammed it head-first onto the tar-black street.

"Behind you!" she warned. Clark flew out of the way and swiveled, only for yet another Apokoliptian barrage to surround him, the Parademons pouncing and snarling at him like wildcats, one clawing at his cape and attempting to overpower him, to no avail. As quickly as he was cornered, the Man of Steel squinted, his red-hot laser vision searing through each and every one of their broken and bruised hides, which were branded with a flash of red light, which disintegrated them into fine dust of pure destruction. While the ash fell to the ground, Barry corralled the Parademons on land, grunting in exertion.

"Got ya guys covered!" he yelled, as the horde of hungry husks' gazes followed him and attempted to catch up, only to be sliced by the speed of sound, their reconstructed constructs falling to bits down to the ground at the same speed as Victor's gatling-fire of plasma, which wiped out the last of the teeming mass of Parademons led by Granny Goodness in Gotham with the help of the swift and sudden STAB of Arthur's trident and his quick-witted waterboarding of a row of demons, who fought with brutal struggle. Looming over the scattered bodies of Parademons along the floor of the city, the Justice League stood, scarred and determined, and ready to move on and stop the plan that they had failed to- the one that would prevent the inevitable end of Superman- and in turn, them. The Knightmare, as Bruce called it. It was what would split their group apart if Darkseid's forces were to conquer.

"Quick, quick, we gotta go!!" Barry urged, running past before the sound of suffering lurches could reach his ears. Another horde. Though they looked weak and sickly, they were another horde no less, though more comparable to the lowly Hunger Dogs, but still without conscience. They seemed… harmless- they weren't armed as they'd usually be- but they were mangled, more or less- defective traits like extra arms and blunt, though still long claws. Still, they were that Apokoliptian, alien brand of horrifying- unsettling for the Justice League, but instilled an uncanny-valley fear in the average civilian's eyes.

"There's more." Bruce scowled. The Justice League swiveled, preparing for a fight that seemed like more of an obstacle, as the (surprisingly fast) Parademons lunged and sprinted at the group with a feverous hunger for agony. He readied his Batarangs, fixing his gaze on one, causing it to bleed out from its scalp- significantly softer, likewise with its teeth and claws. One-hit kill. A freeze breath barrier was set by Clark to placate them, but this was quickly crossed by the agile army. This fight was proving harder. With ease, Diana readied her lasso, drawing it towards one Parademon in the middle- but before she could move a single muscle, they pounced. One came after another, and with another were two more. No big deal. Diana thought. This'll be nothing compared to the Furies.

But as soon as one's claw sunk into the space between her rib and stomach, she winced. Not in pain, however. A weakness she had failed to hide. And with another attempted scratch, Diana screamed- more of a squeal, but a scream nonetheless. The demons, encouraged by the feeling that was new, different, but unmistakably suffering, kept going. Their multiple claws ravaged her, keeping in mind different areas that would cause her to shriek or heave or even cackle- out of force- at different volumes.

"What's-" Cyborg, shocked from shooting off the horde, exclaimed.

She unhanded the Lasso of Truth, but when one got its hands on it, her hands were kept above her head, and she exclaimed.

"kH-AAAH-hhUH-huhhuhAaah- ee-Ahaha-I cch-Ha! I- It tickles! hh-hahh-hI'm ticklish!" Diana screamed. Hoist by her own petard, she was compelled to tell the truth- no matter how embarrassing for the strong Amazonian. "Please, it tickles!" Cyborg, immune to the scraping sensation, shot a few away, but they just kept coming after her- as if embarrassingly uttering just HOW and WHERE she was ticklish ("Not there! No, not my tummy! Please! No, no, no- just- don't tickle my aHAHA-ampihits!) against her will wasn't enough. Like an impenetrable fortress, the Parademons were flowing in like a flock of seagulls from Palmera City next over, cybernetic neon hues barely visible from Gotham's gloom.

"I can't take it there! Puhh-hehah-hhAH, no, no, no, not the belly agHAHAIN!"

Clark yelled out. "Diana! I-" He dove down, taken aback by her squealing giggles and aggressive thrashing as the Parademons attempted to tear at her by biting into her ribs with their cartilage teeth, and scraping at her vulnerable and toned stomach with their tactical claws. They licked their lips at her specific screaming and squeals when certain spots were hit, and as soon as they noticed the Kryptonian, one pounced at his torso. "You have to hold out, I'm surrounded!" The same Parademon chomped at his left side, causing his legs to jolt up and throw it into the air with superhuman strength to no avail. It flew back, grabbing his arms while more merciless creatures took his legs, stretching out his upper body for Parademons to pounce, and that they did. They snarled and hissed, moving their claws around in a drunken haze of violently enacted laughter from his sides up to his ribs and back down. A blow to the belly also proved incredibly effective, reducing the Man of Steel's dexterity to a state of incapacity.

/Continued in Part 2/

#tickling #tickle community #t-word #tfb community #tickle fic #tickle #tword #ler

[radiofreederry]

those dc comics ideas are really good, reminds me of the dc movie universe you plotted out a few years back

That was a fun project for me back in college. Unfortunately, all the cast listings and plots were obliterated when I got termed. Let me see if I can remember many of them...

Colin Ferrell as Bruce Wayne/Batman

Forrest Wheeler as Tim Drake/Robin

Eric Andre as the Joker

Bryan Cranston as Mr. Freeze

Matt Bomer as Clark Kent/Superman

Olivia Munn as Lois Lane

Jack McBrayer as Jimmy Olsen

Nick Offerman as Perry White

Keegan Michael-Key as Lex Luthor

Damion Poitier as John Henry Irons/Steel

Chris Pine as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern

Liam Neeson as Sinestro

Michael Dorn as Darkseid

Steve Buscemi as Desaad

Boris Kodjoe as Martian Manhunter

Daniel Kaluuya as Michael Holt/Mister Terrific

Oscar Isaac as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow

Amber Heard as Dinah Drake Lance/Black Canary

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Barry Allen/the Flash

Peter Capaldi as Professor Zoom

Jonathan Joss as Max Mercury

Tessa Thompson as Renee Montoya/The Question

David Duchovny as Vic Sage/The Question

Evan Rachel Wood as Kate Kane/Batwoman

Naomi Scott as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl

#asks

[cosmic-herbal-tea]

Whose idea was it at the time to put it into reference Khalid wasn’t the strongest version of Doctor Fate in DC? By all accounts, none of that made sense.

Khalid is one of the few Doctor Fates that had magic regardless of the helm without significant mystic intervention.

Kent had zero ability so Nabu gave him some.

Jared has NO spell-casting power.

Eric is fucking 12 mentally and chronologically.

Linda & Kent V. are normal ass person.

Only Hector & Inza ever displayed a level of magic on their own. Khalid has some potential to bolster just for being him compared to about half of the others, who literally needed intervention by Nabu or something else to make them capable. By the time that came out, it was already depicted that Nabu purposely chose Kent to manipulate and shape him to be what he wanted. By all accounts, he is intentionally seen as blank slate for Nabu to alter and manipulate his body down to the molecule, physically and mentally molding him in Nabu's image. That whole point is an admission Kent had nothing special and he's the super powerful cool one. Khalid should be potentially one of the most powerful on that ALONE.

Hector got to be extra special because his reincarned parents were Hawk and Dove and gave him super cool magic inherent powers , nevermind the fact that he was conceived through sexual assault with Hawk being possessed that never got addressed. They still let him be super special but Khalid is the weakest?

Khalid's debut storyline also gave him the showcase of circumstances that allowed him to beat a god in his most powerful place of power, said god cowering and calling him master, and could literally take his place in the underworld because of his pharaoh bloodline. That's way more of an impressive first big adventure showing than Eric/Linda managing to pull Anti-Fate away from the helm or Kent V.'s thing with Nergal where we don't even know how he defeated him. It does not quite stand with Hector, who magicked out of the womb, got aged up, and was a complete novice that beat Mordru, the most powerful sorcerer ever period.

Even when Khalid was a newbie, he could manipulate the elements for creative solutions and stop time with some lessons from Kent. Compared to Eric, struggling eternally and dying to fucking Parademons and DeSaad, the only mf on Darkseid team who is weaksause in anything that isn't torturing and simping, with Nabu as his teacher, Linda being halved in power and then having next to no power on her own when she was by herself briefly, or Kent V. repeating spells bc he doesn't know any better for a time and canonically grilled for being unable to properly teleport in and out of hell or do better than fucking shoot magic lasers (granted, I'm on his side. He's new with no damn teacher. What do you expect?). And again, JARED had no spell-casting abilities. He's the only Fate who canonically only thows hands or weapons.

So someone explain to me how Khalid would rank the lowest? It's really fucking funny how Eric/Linda and Kent V. has official descrptions for their incarnations that explicitly states they're among the most powerful magic users on Earth (others including Inza and Hector also) but Khalid doesn't. Most things wanna talk about how he's new to the role and shit but uh...so was literally everyone not OG Kent and they all would still say they were super powerful sorcerers.

This just reeks of the fact that since Khalid is a PoC in a legacy mantle, him (like Miles Morales in the past), he has to "work" his way up in a way even his white counterparts didn't have too. He too is a chosen one has powers that should make him more comparable to Inza/Hector's version of Doctor Fate but he gets placed lower than Jared AND Eric/Linda in POWER? Please.

#khalid nassour #doctor fate #rant post #dc comics

[darkposergirl]

A Story Contribution

This is a Power Girl/scan grid story by https://www.tumblr.com/theseworldsareyours that he very kindly wrote for me earlier this year.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DeSaad's Victory

Coruscating energy whooshed past at incredible speed, bathing the dimensional tunnel and Power Girl in vivid shades of red. It was a brave but reckless gambit to pursue Huntress' abductor, but the superheroine would not leave her friend in the clutch of the monstrous DeSaad. 

The exit of the tunnel appeared in front of her as a dot of white light at first, rapidly growing in size as Power Girl streaked toward it. The dot expanded into a circle, a portal large enough for travelers, and the light resolved into the brutish, metal architecture of DeSaad's prison interior.

Power Girl plunged through the portal back into reality, and immediately the energy staff of a parademon jabbed into her belly. She grunted sharply as a bolt of electricity crashed into her, but shrugged it off as she sailed over the armored parademon's head. She landed gracefully like a cat on the other side of the chittering monster. Her arm lashed out with lightning speed to seize it by the throat and lift it from the floor like a toy.

"Okay creep, what did you do with my friend?"

More parademons approached with their weapons at the ready. 

"Answer me!"

It chattered in panic, and was promptly hurled into its charging brethren. She burst after it, using it as a battering ram to break up the enemy formation.

And then everything went wrong. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a panel on the wall snap open to reveal a green crystal within, blazing with radiant energy.

Recognizing the danger and the limited time to escape its range, Power Girl snapped into action. Her speed, though still superhuman, began to slow. She snapped legs, bashed faces, danced around the pronged weapons jabbing and stabbing at, returning her own blows that staggered and dropped her opponents.

But reinforcements kept coming, piling into the room for greater fear of their master than her. The weapons became harder to dodge, their armor more solid. Single punch knockouts now took multiple hits. Her knuckles flared with pain when smashing a toothy maw. 

And then the prongs of an electrostaff grazed her side. 

"Aaaaah!"

Power Girl screamed as electricity coursed through her, staggered and landed a solid punch to the parademon that had landed the blow, but merely staggered it in return as well. Another set of prongs stabbed into her lower back from behind, and this time she collapsed to her knees as electricity blazed through her spine.

A surge of adrenaline propelled her back to her feet, she seized the staggered parademon and drove its face into her knee as she rose. She spun to face the one who had attacked her from behind, ripping its staff from its hand, and took a third shock to her side as another armored figure flanked her.

She swatted it with the seized weapon, wielding it as a club, but received a kick from behind that sent her tumbling forward into the creature. Another shock coursed through her body, then another, and another.

Power Girl dropped to the floor, screaming as her muscles rebelled against her. Armored boots joined the fray, kicking and stomping her as she desperately tried to rise. She clawed at their legs, trying to crawl through them to the corridor beyond, but the prongs of a staff were shoved against the back of her neck. The world went white, then faded to black.

+++

DeSaad, Master Torturer of Apokalips, reclined in his throne, basking in the satisfaction of a plan executed perfectly. Huntress alone was quite the trophy, but two meddlesome, arrogant superheroines? That had such deep, personal bonds? They were a prize beyond measure.

The torture chamber he had selected for his new toy was a large, dimly lit hexagon, with a high, sloping ceiling to enhance the room's acoustics. The steel walls were decorated with chains and shackles, equipment racks and cabinets full of knives, electro-brands, acid whips, and other inventive tools for mutilating the flesh of captives. Recording equipment dotted the perimeter of the chamber, ensuring that every sight and sound, every whisper and scream, could be analyzed later, employed for psychological torture, or revisited for nostalgia.

A high daise with a throne had been placed against one wall, where DeSaad could look down upon his victim. The limp form of PowerGirl had been placed in an upright restraint "couch" that had been designed specifically for her and left nothing to chance. A thick steel collar enhanced by kryptonite secured the woman's neck to the couch, leaving her only able to turn her head from side to side. Her wrists were shackled to the sides of the couch by wrist and elbow, and her legs were similarly restrained at the knees and ankles. Like her collar, shards of kryptonite embedded within the shackles ensured her dangerous abilities remained nullified.

A thick black leather strap, made from the skin of some forgotten prisoner, stretched tight across her chest just under her breasts, providing additional support and lift for her ample assets. More straps kept her thighs parted and shoulders held back against the restraint couch.

Darkseid's master torturer would leave nothing to chance. The sedatives that his prize had been injected with would be wearing off soon. Languidly he flipped a switch on his throne and allowed the music he had recently recorded to fill the room.

Power Girl awoke to screaming. It was a woman's howls of agony, shrill and warbling. 

To her credit, it took her little time to become fully alert. Her head jerked from side to side, searching the dimly lit torture chamber for the source of the horrid noise. It took only short moments for her to recognize she was restrained and to begin testing the limits. Unfortunately for her, they proved to be quite solid. DeSaad watched the rise and fall of her ample chest. He could practically hear her heart beating faster, and taste the fear and anger as she finally recognized the source of the screaming.

Her sharp eyes found his throne and dais only seconds later.

"What have you done to Huntress?" Power Girl demanded. 

DeSaad stood from his throne, chuckling audibly. 

"While you were unconscious, I spent several hours exploring your friend's body. I was very thorough in learning her fears and vulnerabilities."

"You bastard!"

He slowly approached Power Girl, making sure every footstep was audible. Finally he reached out and caressed her cheek.

"Listen to her. Listen to the sounds of your failure. Your friend was counting on you to save her from me."

He grinned, visibly running his tongue over sharpened teeth. 

"I'll leave it to your imagination to consider what is being done to her, but I assure you, whatever you think, the reality is worse. She's being tortured without mercy in all the ways a woman can be tortured, learning all the manners in which she can be kept screaming."

Power Girl's jaw clenched in fury, "Do whatever you want to me, but let her go. This is clearly between us or you'd be hurting her right now instead of gloating over me."

DeSaad's eyes widened, lips flexing as he tried poorly to stifle a laugh. It escaped as a chuckle first, then exploded into full throat mocking laughter.

"Oh you stupid girl, why would I let her go when I can already do whatever I want to both of you? The sounds you're listening to are live. My talented staff are keeping her at a baseline level of agony until my next visit. You should have heard her sweet screams when I was giving her my personal attention, but I'll make sure to keep you conscious for the next session."

He paused, his hand drifting from her cheek to her chest. His prisoner gasped in surprise and then hissed in anger as his hand cupped her left breast and gently squeezed.

DeSaad's voice turned quiet and menacing, "...though by the next time I give your friend a visit, I expect your only care will be about the things being done to you instead."

He pressed a button on an unseen remote hidden in his other sleeve, and his newest invention slowly rose from underneath a hidden compartment in the floor.

It was a bulky device, all sharp edges and steel plating, with an angled surface facing towards Power Girl. The surface was studded with wicked looking prods, pincers, and emitters, all chosen and placed for the optimal torture of female captives in general and Power Girl specifically.

It hummed ominously as the devices powered up, bathing her body and white uniform in an ugly orange and red glow. With the press of another button, her restraint couch began to rotate forward and lower Power Girl's body into the waiting torture machine.

She grit her teeth, determined not to give him the satisfaction of screaming. It was a valiant but futile effort, the machine had been tested thoroughly on dozens of subjects to ensure there would be no disappointment.

He watched intently, silent, savoring the subtle reactions as the heat given off by the equipment rose and her own proximity increased. She lifted her chin, held her breath, bit into her lip, all to stifle the gasps of pain she was holding back as it roasted her chest and belly.

Electric filaments brushed her breasts, releasing a brilliant burst of sparks as the built up charges seared her soft flesh through the thin fabric. 

"Gaaaah!"

The outburst signaled the breaking of a dam in her composure. Sparks flew as prods and emitters flared and burst against her breast, their metal tips almost red hot from the powerful current of electricity arcing through them into her body. 

Power Girl writhed as much as her restraints allowed, her back arching against the straps, her breasts bouncing and jiggling against the torture elements as she fought wildly to escape the source of pain. 

"No! No! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaa!"

DeSaad grinned maliciously as his captive screamed. The sound was every bit as satisfying as he had dreamed. It was high pitched and full throated, rising higher in the moments when electric shocks arced directly into her sensitive nipples.

The restraint couch locked into a reclined position, holding her body fully against the torture machine. No amount of writhing could buy even a second of respite from its touch as her breasts were crushed against the cruel array of burning hot shock emitters that now tormented them from all sides. Pincers set into the surface of the panel bit her nipples. Painfully hot steel teeth gripped them through her thin uniform to fix the peaks in place, enabling wire-thin electrodes to press directly into the sensitive tips. 

It did not work only on Power Girl's breasts though, that part of her body was merely the most unfortunate for closing the circuits first. Her belly pressed into a row of prods that discharged showers of sparks in sequence, relentlessly driving her body into jerking spasms.

The machine's final cruelty was a small prod carefully positioned so that it pressed against her clit. It activated only intermittently, so as to avoid pushing her past her physical endurance, but each time it sent a powerful burst of electricity searing through the over-sensitive pearl. The shocks lashing that bundle of nerves drove her screams into frenzied, animalistic howls.

Power Girl's forehead came to rest against a curved cradle that prevented her from turning her head. DeSaad crouched so she could see his smile, and so he could look upon the face of his victim. Her lips were curled back, her eyes wide and tearful. Her gaze was unfocused, unable to concentrate on anything as pain crowded out all thoughts. Sweat dampened her face and her beautiful blonde hair clung to the wet skin. Spit began to coat the side of the machine and dribble onto the floor as his victim shrieked like a madwoman.

DeSaad let her suffer for several more minutes, savoring each excruciating second. It was as if all of his defeats had never been. None of them mattered in the face of this triumph. Only reluctantly did he finally press the button to raise her back upright. 

Her screams faded to a low moan. A sheen of sweat coated her exposed skin, and her head rolled listless from side to side. The smell of ozone clung to her, and he could practically taste the heady mix of adrenaline and endorphins that flooded her body to counteract the torture.

DeSaad would wait for those hormones to fade, for then the aches and tenderness would set in. He would exploit her endurance and capacity to feel to the most ruthless extent possible. The next round of torture would be felt even worse, and the one after, and on and on, plunging his hated enemy into an unimaginable abyss of cruelty. 

He dipped a finger into the cleavage of her bust, then licked the sweat from it. The flavors of Power Girl's suffering were exquisite; pain, failure, horror, disappointment, all intermixed as the woman grappled with the agony she was being subjected to and the failure of her rescue mission.

He couldn't resist another sample. He pressed against her, his slimy tongue licking her cleavage, her throat, her face. His thin fingers savagely pinched and twisted her tender nipples between black fingernails, forcing his captive to cry out. 

"So sensitive," he gloated as Power Girl shuddered and turned her face away from his, "you will be such a delight for me."

He licked her cheek one last time, savoring the hero’s horrified disgust.

"You won't get away with this," she finally said, "one of us will get free, or our friends will rescue us, and then you'll regret this. I promise that."

"I think not. Huntress had many interesting items hidden away on her person, but our search was exceedingly, humiliatingly thorough, and we both know you're not going anywhere with those kryptonite shackles robbing you of your strength."

DeSaad grinned and twisted her nipple again to emphasize her powerless state, "Your friends have other concerns at the moment and this is one of the deepest dungeons on Apokalips. They are welcome to try though, I can find space for them in my torture chambers."

He stepped back and pressed the button to activate the machine again. Power Girl visibly cringed as it began lowering her body back into the torture devices. Her breathing quickened, and his nostrils picked up the lovely smell of her terror.

"No, please!"

Her composure broke as soon as the heat rose to a painful level. She pressed back into the restraint couch and gasped as the first sparks blazed across her breasts. A last, desperate plea for mercy was forced out of her by the 

"Please, don-aaaahhh! Naaaaah!"

The pain was even worse now, just as her torturer knew it would be. Electricity and heat scorched and seared her aching nipples, setting her nerves ablaze with pain. Emitters and prods pressed into the sides of her breasts and belly, effortlessly tearing horrific screams from her lungs. Finally it locked her into place, her whole body pressed directly into the machine's embrace.

It felt as if she was being set on fire and burned alive. Utterly unbearable, an experience so excruciating that a common human would have been driven utterly insane in moments. But Power Girl's endurance granted no such mercy. The seconds ticked by as if minutes, minutes as if hours, a personal eternity immersed in a private hell.

Finally her torturer granted a moment of relief. The restraint couch hummed, lifting her body away from the flashing and buzzing devices. 

"What do you want?" she finally whispered after catching her breath, "what are you really after? Darkseid must have wanted us for something."

DeSaad cocked his head, amused.

"This isn't an interrogation. This isn't part of some grand plan. This is for my own gratification. I'm hurting you because I can, breaking your friend because I can, because I want to. You are here to suffer endlessly for my amusement, because I desire it."

He pressed the button to lower her again. Terror surged through her, along with despair and confusion that her break was so short.

"I think an hour on the machine before your next break will help you understand your new place under my boot."

"No, wait!"

"Welcome to your new life as my toy, Power Girl," DeSaad replied.

She began to reply, to form some desperate plea, but the crackle of electricity drowned the words in her throat. Once more the chamber was filled with her shrieks of agony. DeSaad sighed in pleasure. Her screams were so beautiful, it would be a joy to watch Huntress listen to them. The two women would make such wonderful music together.

#scan grid #Power Girl #DeSaad #torture #electrotorture #prisoner

[septic-stories]

A Siren's Forte: Unknown Factors

Star City

January 20, 18:33 PST

"You can't be serious."

Jenna turned around, leaning against her kitchen sink with a glass of water in hand. Her hair was tugged back into a sweaty ponytail since she had just returned from a run when she found someone waiting at her front door. For the first time in two years, she willingly let the person inside since he wanted to talk about a plan of his.

Jenna stared at the man sitting at her table. He was looking up at her expectantly after he gave a short rundown of what he wanted the two of them to do. Nothing about his expression or posture gave the impression that he felt even the slightest bit guilty about what he had just suggested.

"Dick, you're suggesting that we break into someone's home," Jenna said sternly. "Don't tell me you don't see how that can go very wrong very quickly."

Dick spread his arms against the table, shrugging his shoulders. "You said yourself that Metron implied that Gretchen Goode could be the Granny that's working with Desaad. That's worth looking into."

"By committing an unlawful search and seizure?" Jenna pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is going too far."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

"This!" Jenna exclaimed, gesturing to the air. "This 'Anti-Light' matter. Wonder Woman was right. We're starting to cross a line by lying and influencing missions. And now this."

She narrowed her eyes. "If we do check out Gretchen Goode's home, what if we get caught?" she questioned.

"We won't."

"You don't know that!"

Dick sighed. "Look. We'll just do a recon of her house until we find something," he tried to reason. "We'll be in and out."

Jenna crossed her arms, glaring at the table in silence. All she could think about was what Wonder Woman had left them to contemplate in the last meeting. The Leaguer's co-leader might as well have grabbed her by the shoulders and shaken her. She was right of course. But Jenna was afraid they were in too deep at that point.

"Jenna."

Jenna looked up to see Dick had stood and rounded the table to stand opposite of her. He mirrored her actions, leaning against the edge of the table and crossing his arms.

"Please help," he begged. "I need you."

There was almost a sense of déjà vu that made Jenna close her eyes. "Okay," she acquiesced with a sigh. "When are we doing this?"

Keep Reading

#young justice #young justice fanfiction #young justice season 3 #aqualad #nightwing #tigress #miss martian #superboy #blue beetle #wonder girl #kid flash #original female character #original male character #bisexual female character #gay male character #aqualad x oc #blue beetle x oc #action and adventure #canon compliant #fluff and angst #lots of angst #eventual romance #a siren’s forte #septic stories #tss siren #tss jenna lance #tss banshee #tss sam hendricks

[lovehatecomics]

Suli but she eventually leaves Darkseid and works undercover with Himon (am i spelling his name right?) to undermine Darkseid's plans and also make the lives of ordinary Apokolips people less miserable.

Sorry for not answering your ask sooner. My week's been very hectic 😩

I think if Suli was alive, maybe Darkseid would've been less likely to become the god we know him as today. bc comics tell us it was Suli's death that hardened Darkseid's heart, that she was the only one he's truly loved, etc. I've already talked about this a few times if you wanted to look through my "suli" tag, but if she had survived the initial poisoning I'd want Suli to take revenge on Heggra for trying to kill her. I'd lowkey want to toss Desaad's nasty ass in the mix, BUT Suli would know that he was following orders and therefore shouldn't be the reciever of her anger. Plus, we all know he'd probably enjoy it a lil too much tbh

Suli's a scientist and sorceress, so I refuse to believe poison would've killed her. Not only that, she's survived on Apokolips all this time in spite of her "softness". This leads me to believe she's got a sharp mind, capable of being two steps ahead, preferring Brains over Brawn, etc. A lot like Darkseid imo, I mean why else would they have gotten along so well and to the point that Darkseid not only marries Suli, but has a child with her behind his mother's back.

Hegra was a wicked mother-in-law who felt like she knew what was best for Darkseid and acted accordingly. She kills Suli before forcing Darkseid to be with Tigra, who was the EXACT OPPOSITE of Darkseid's beloved. Tigra was chosen specifically for her ferocity and I bet Heggra thought to herself, "Surely, this one will remind Darkseid about his purpose and he will stop being weak."

Now, if Suli had survived and wanted revenge on Heggra, I can see her allowing Tigra to bear a child for Darkseid. It's her love for Darkseid that drives Suli to ensure Tigra remains healthy so she can birth a strong child. When Tigra voice her confusion about Suli's actions, Suli could simply answer, "I do all of this because I love Darkseid. I refuse to have you bear him a weak child, so I will care for you during your pregnancy. Even I will admit that wretch had picked a fine mate for her son. Though, I imagine you had no choice in the matter."

(Imagine the Pact still taking place and the sheer terror Suli feels when she learns about Tigra's Declaration of her son Orion killing her beloved Darkseid. Here, I can see Suli being the one banishing her instead of Darkseid. AND instructing her son Kalibak to kill his stepbrother Orion in a desperate attempt to stop this "Prophecy". Even though Kalibak and Orion don't cross paths until they're adults, Kalibak remembers his mother's instructions to kill the New Genesis warrior who fights "like one of us, bearing the ferocity of Apokolips". Kalibak would know when he sees it in Orion, maybe doesn't know that they're brothers yet.... Anyway, I'm getting distracted! 😅)

I can imagine her telling Tigra about her plan to kill Heggra so Darkseid can have his rightful place as ruler of Apokolips. Then her son Kalibak would become his rightful heir and everything would be as it should be. Tigra agrees with the plan bc she's never liked Heggra and based on the Orion solo, we see in Tigra's memory that she was interested in a (royal?) guard who was then killed by Darkseid.

Heggra thinks that Suli's dead, Tigra's with Darkseid now, Kalibak won't become her son's heir, all is right in her little world. Now Suli would be a patient person to exact her revenge on Heggra by poisoning and weakening her. Stabbing Heggra with her dagger bc Suli can't think of anything better than watching the life leave out of Heggra's eyes. To watch her mind race as she tries to figure out how long Suli's been alive, why would she let Tigra bear Darkseid's child, etc. To see Tigra just within sight, bearing witness to her murder and doing nothing to stop Suli. Suli keeps the dagger and gifts it to Darkseid, confessing to him what she had done. Darkseid becomes new ruler of Apokolips and continues his battle against New Genesis while Suli remains behind the scenes.

So, maybe if Suli was alive and Tigra still had to bear Darkseid's child in an attempt to fool Heggra, maybe Tigra and the guard she actually loved could've raised Orion together for a moment. Then Orion wouldn't find out that Darkseid was his true father until later on bc he remembers being raised by Tigra's bf guard along with his mother Tigra.

Ooooooooh, what if Tigra's guard is killed trying to protect Orion bc Darkseid's guards came to take him for the Pact. Which could also be why we have Orion fighting the guards so fiercely before he's tossed through a boom tube to New Genesis. SO, Tigra loses both husband(?) and child in one day, and a friend as she chases Suli off to refrain herself from killing her. Suli had no idea about the Pact or that Orion would've been used (which Suli later realizes with horror that she unknowingly orchestrated Darkseid's inevitable end), but Tigra doesn't believe her.

NO WAIT LISTEN. OK OK OKAYYYYYY

Imagine Tigra busting into Darkseid's place of work demanding to know where Orion is. Tearing shit up, right? Her voice roaring into the atmosphere as guards try and fail to obtain her. In a parallel scene we see Orion, having witnessed the death of his father/Tigra's lover, is viciously attacking the guards who stole him. And we then get Darkseid's classic line of comparing the two as snarling, angry killer-cats. bc imo Orion takes more after Tigra than he does Darkseid and then we'd get the visual of the two fighting in similar fashion. In the OG New Gods comic, it took GROWN MEN to toss Orion through the boom tube to New Genesis and even then he was fighting them off.

Suli later confronts Darkseid about the Pact, Tigra's Declaration of her son killing him, etc. Darkseid states matter-of-factly that this was all done to buy himself more time to prepare. Suli warns about Orion and what he's likely inheritted from Tigra, a warrior Heggra had chosen as Suli's exact opposite. Suli had seen firsthand how dangerous Tigra was even as she restrained herself from killing her. The instinct Suli felt to FLEE from Tigra's presence, but remained frozen in terror. Warning that if Orion grows to be anything like his mother, that he will become a thorn in the side of Apokolips.

For the most part, what happens in canon can easily remain the same. Kalibak being raised with his mother might have changed things for him, too! He could still be known as Kalibak the Cruel, perhaps being cruel in a variety of ways to break the spirit of people as opposed to just physical harm 🤔

Now to finally answer your question, YES I could see Darkseid's pursuit of the Anti-Life Equation driving away everyone he held dear. Specifically Suli, who sees how far this obsession has driven him. Do I see her allowing Himon (you did spell it right) to help others escape Apokolips or at least make life easier on the planet? Yes. She wouldn't help with Scott Free though, knowing that it could lead to the Pact being broken and Darkseid's death brought faster. Unfortunately, Scott eventually escapes on his own even though this was part of Darkseid's plan as well.

As the war between both planets continue, Suli dreads witnessing Tigra's Declaration fulfilled in the inevitable clash between father and son. Perhaps her beloved had died long ago as he continued pursuing the Anti-Life equation. Her pleas have since been ignored as Darkseid remain transfixed on his goal. Maybe she had debated killing him, thinking it's better for Darkseid to die peacefully by her hands than brutually by his son's. Then Kalibak could rule and they find a way to end all of this.

OR Suli follows and supports Darkseid to the bitter end, finally meeting Orion full grown and looking so much like his mother. Feeling the same sense of dread and urge to flee like she had ages ago. Unable to move and stop Orion from advancing any further as he walks right past her. Hearing his footsteps echo further away as Suli falls to her knees, letting out a breath she held in before heaves shake out of her followed by sobs. Wails for the inevitable death of her beloved Darkseid. While a part of me don't think she could bear witnessing it, I can see Suli forcing herself to. Tigra would definitely be there to witness her Declaration come to pass along with all of Apokolips and New Genesis alike.

Sorry, if this is too long. 😅

#suli #darkseid #tigra #heggra #orion #kalibak #new gods #so many ideas to draw :0

[autisticcassandracain]

Just reading your opinion on the whole hostage exchange treaty in the Fourth World, and that is the problem. And I doubt that as children, the sadistic "this hurts everyone and therefore is acceptable" impulse is present. Even Desaad had to learn cruelty.

List of replies to this ask:

What's the problem? That the exchange is portrayed as complex? Because I mean. I am legitimately trying very hard not to be mean here but war includes complex questions of morality with no right or wrong answer. This is one of them.

There is a difference between cruelty/sadism, and how Orion was portrayed as a kid. He dropped the knife for a reason.

But he did grow up in a position where violence was not just expected but necessary, and he acted as such.

If he had been allowed to grow up in said environment, there is no reason to believe he wouldn't have grown up to be more violent than he is now.

And also if he'd never been offered guidance and shown peace was a possibility by Highfather he never would've gotten an opportunity to drop the knife.

Orion would've grown up in a cesspit of violence and he would have had no reason to believe peace is something one can strive for. He would've been a terrifying warrior and lived a horrible life.

Once again trying hard not to be mean here but I do not know how on Earth you managed to get 'Orion as a kid was cruel and had an impulse to hurt literally everyone without reason' out of either canon or my post. Re-read New Gods #7.

Kids can absolutely be sadistic are you kidding me have you never been bullied? Yes cruelty is a learned response and kids learn it quick.

Putting all this aside the exchange still allowed New Genesis to prosper and Apokolips to get worse so even IF Orion was badly handled that does not refute my point.

I am just now realizing this ask may not even be disagreeing with me, if so sorry.

Anon you're being really vague right now I truly don't get what you mean.

That said I strongly recommend against continuing this conversation if you want to argue Orion's portrayal as having violent urges is somehow indicative of narrative bias against children or pro abuse or whatever, because I happen to personally identify with those violent urges and will take the implication that they're inherently unrealistic and offensive personally. And also delete your asks or get really mean because I have violent urges. And block you.

If you want to discuss questions of morality please just. Reblog the post and come off anon. I can't promise I'll engage with you but the askbox is literally the worst possible place for this conversation.

#My posts #Asks #Fourth world

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"IT BEGINS, DESAAD, I'VE GENERATED THE "FINDER BEAMS"!" -- GOODBYE, SUPER-TOWN KIDS!

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on a splash page of Boss Darkseid and four more subsequent pages depicting Vykin' the Black, Sonny Sumo, Big Bear, Serifan, Mark Moonrider, & Beautiful Dreamer of the Forever People getting "wiped out of existence" by Darkseid's "Omega Effect," from the pages of "The Forever People" Vol. 1 #6. December-January, 1971. DC Comics.

"You're too late!! The beams are at full power!! As Alpha is the beginning of all things -- then Omega is the end!! Farewell, Vykin!"

-- DARKSEID to Vykin' the Black, blasting him out of existence with the dreaded "Omega Effect"

Script/story/artwork by Jack "King" Kirby

Inks by Vince Colletta

Words by John Costanza

Source: http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2014/08/making-splash-jack-kirbys-forever-people.html.

#Darkseid #BossDarkseid #JackKingKirby #DeSaad #LordDarkseid #FinderBeams #JackKirby'sFourthWorld #Supervillains #DCUniverse #DCComics #Splashpage #Kirby'sFourthWorld #BronzeAgeofComics #1970s #70s #TheForeverPeopleVol.1 #TheForeverPeople #ForeverPeopleVol.1 #OmegaEffect #70sDC #Apokolips #FourthWorld #JackKirby #NewGenesis #Super-Town #Serifan #ForeverPeople

[random-movie-ideas]

Superman Villain Movie Ideas, Part XXII: Darkseid

Uxas AKA Darkseid is basically one of the big bads of the entire DC Universe. He is a New God and the lord of the planet Apokolips who seeks the Anti-Life Equation, which will give him the power to control the minds of all living in the universe. We know him, we love him, he's the man that brought us Thanos, I don't think I need to go any further into him.

Origin Movie: I . . . I don't . . . I don't know why you'd ever start with him. He's not a guy you start with. He's the guy you end with. This would be like doing the Doomsday storyline in your universe's second outing . . . oh, wait. Best I can see, is maybe doing him in his human Boss Dark Side persona and then building up to his true form later.

Sequel Movie: Again, feels like your going for the big stuff just a little too early. I guess we could do a series where each of his minions are the villains, with Granny Goodness, Desaad, or Steppenwolf representing him in each movie.

Finale Movie: Just like Thanos in the MCU, Darkseid is clearly the guy you save for your big finale. Just like Thanos with the infinity stones, Darkseid would be seeking the Anti-Life Equation, and bits and pieces of it would crop up throughout the earlier movies.

Supporting Villain: He does have his minions that he works with, as listed above, but there are also ways to have him working with Brainiac, Mongul, Lex Luthor, Intergang, and so on.

Overall, here's my ranking of these:

Finale Movie: Obviously.

Supporting Villain: Any time he'd crop up as the bigger bad behind the big bad technically counts.

Sequel Movie: I'm not opposed to a saga with focuses on people like Desaad or Granny Goodness.

Origin Movie: I'm only interested out of sheer morbid curiosity.

What do you think? Next, we have the second of the four villains I was saving for last.

#darkseid #uxas #clark kent #superman #superman movie #for those wondering the final four are Darkseid Doomsday Zod and Lex #Left for last because they've been done to death #Lex and Zod have anyway #Doomsday and Darkseid not as much but their one is still more than literally any of the others have gotten so far

[radioactive-earthshine]

New Gods #11

We finally get the admission from Darkseid himself out loud that Orion is his son, which is no surprise to anyone at this point.

We also find out that Darkseid wanted Kalibak and purposefully had him with Suli the Sorceress who his mother had murdered. We find out later that Heggra had Suli poisoned for more reasons other than she just didn't approve of their relationship, but that Suli was 'tainting' Darkseid and making him question not only Heggra's methods but Apokolips' path of war.

... I don't know why DeSaad is acting like he didn't fucking know who Kalibak's mother was. You see this dude every day. It is widely known Kalibak is Darkseid's son. Did you think he just... spawned?

#orla reads new gods #kalibak is literally the only kid he wanted and yet he went off to have 3 other kids

[upagainstthesunset]

I think one of the things that gives New Gods so much potential is that they were specifically designed to be gods of a modern era. Like, very intentionally. This is a new generation, fresh, not the ancient fables of Thor and his kind.

Ive talked at length about how Metron is a stand out in this area, so I'll spare everyone the ted talk. But its really so fascinating how he surrounds us more and more each day. The use of AI is a fantastic example. I dont think theres anything more apropos right now. The potential to do good is so incredibly valuable, but of course people take advantage and use it for unscrupulous means. But can you blame the technology itself? Should you? That is Metron. And like it or not, it's here to stay.

But what about the others? What do they embody form our current modern lives? I think thats a harder question but its really entertaining to think about.

Darkseid is fairly easy to clock. As Jack Kirby said he's every bully. And to me thats something that is timeless. But its how he goes about it. One of the things about Apokolips is its technology and how it's used. Like DeSaad always hooking people up to bizarre and torturous machines. Darkseid and his ilk are the kind to use weapons of war. They are the kind to commit atrocities and war crimes. And they are the kind to do it all in the name of Darkseid. Live for Darkseid, kill for Darkseid. And those are also timeless concepts, so much so that they're happening in big ways even today.

The Forever People are also a clear symbol of youth growing up in the wake of world wars, wanting peace but knowing they must stand up for ideals even when it becomes too much for them. They were written so clearly as hippies back in the 70s, but that movement never went away, and maybe we dont call them flower children now, but young people are still out there speaking up about whats going on in the world. They still protest and fight for their causes. They still call for peace.

I think the others are so much more challenging to pin down. Who are Scott and Barda and Lightray and Orion today? What do they represent that the old gods did not? I'd love to hear other peoples thoughts on it.

#new gods #fourth world #dc comics #darkseid #orion #lightray #scott free #big barda #metron #metron if i fits i sits #metronmeta

[katereadscomics]

New Gods #2 by Jack Kirby recounts Orion's first confrontations with Darkseid, Brola, and DeSaad's nefarious schemes.

Join me as I summarize and retell issue #2 in ten minutes or less, with snippets of dialog and my questionable attempts at dramatic reading.

If you enjoyed this, please consider checking out the comic for its nuanced story telling and fantastically dynamic art!

Full transcript under the cut

Hello! This is KateReadsComics with an audio summary of New Gods Volume 1 Issue 2, "O’Deadly Darkseid" Written, drawn and edited by Jack Kirby and inked by Vince Colletta, with a cover date of May 1971.

We open on a grand view of two planets floating in the cosmos: dark and dismal Apokolips, and shining, lush New Genesis. Taking a closer peek at New Genesis, we see children at play on a bizarre ferris wheel and other gods flying about on their own personal crafts.

Looking in further to the majestic floating city, we come to Highfather who announces to all a message from the Source.

“See! The hand appears and reveals the word!”

The message is aflame, written by the pointing hand which appears on the wall before them.

“War… Follow Orion.”

Lightray, already at Highfather’s side, offers his aid, but is told that it is not yet his time. He challenges Highfather, desperate to help his friend.

“But this is the ultimate battle, Highfather! Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips, has loosed his minions on Earth, among men! Orion is there! He is my friend! Let me join him!”

“No, Lightray! The time is not yet! It is my command!”

Meanwhile, on Earth, Orion bursts through an apartment door to find none other than Darkseid sitting comfortably in an armchair. He warns the humans he rescued to stay back, yet doesn’t realize that he himself is in danger of a foe hiding behind the other side of the opened door.

Orion busies himself with Darkseid, engrossed in the confrontation.

“Yes, you broke the peace Darkseid! You took Earthlings from their world!”

Darkseid dismisses Orion’s concerns, unmoving from his chair.

“I dare anything! I am Darkseid!”

Orion does not yet attack, and finally Darkseid turns to regard him.

“You hesitate, Orion! You can sense why, but you don’t know, do you? But Darkseid is free of mysteries! He can act!”

Suddenly, searing pain bursts through Orion’s body as the hidden enemy leaps out from behind the door and attacks from behind. Darkseid provides a grim introduction.

“Loyal Brola has been at the ready! His is the power of the Shock Prod, and the Hand of Stone!”

Orion is wracked with pain, but manages to withstand the unrelenting shocks. His only choice is to meet his foe head on. In no time he is on Brola, and the two topple through the room, destroying the apartment’s furnishings in their wake.

“AAAAAAA! He’s done the impossible!” Brola wails.

With that Orion grabs his adversary. “In the cause of New Genesis I can do no less, Brola!”

But Brola is quick to counter. “You’ve seized the wrong arm, Orion! You forget my Hand of Stone!”

Realizing what he’s done, Orion uses his immense strength to hold back Brola’s incoming fist. He knows if he is hit, it could be lethal. Fortifying himself and summoning all of his strength, Orion shifts his grip on Brola’s arm and rears backwards, flinging him into the air.

“No living thing could have survived my attack! I have been fighting a mad, cosmic animal!”

He crashes through the wall of the high rise apartment, and pleads for Darkseid’s aid as he falls to the street below.

And then he’s gone. But so is Darkseid. The two have vanished without a trace, making their imperceptible escape to fight another day.

Back in the apartment, the humans gather around victorious Orion, showering him with praise as they introduce themselves.Orion lifts his helmet, as Claudia Shane, Harvey Lockman, Dave Lincoln and Victor Lanza look on. Though they feel powerless against an enemy so great as Darkseid, they are eager to know what they’re wrapped up in.

Across the city in a secret hideout, Darkseid and Brola materialize and are greeted by armed guards and underlings. But due to Brola’s failed attack, Darkseid does not bring news of victory.

Brola protests. “There is madness in Orion, master! He fights with the fury of one born on Apokolips!”

At this Darkseid shows his ire. “Enough, dog!” he yells, kicking Brola to the ground. “Find your kennel and nurse your well-deserved wounds!”

Done with that matter of business, Darkseid checks in with DeSaad, who is working on a large, mechanical contraption. It goes well enough, but DeSaad craves subjects to test on. In response, Darkseid points to the nearest group of guards.

“Time is short! There are your test subjects!”

In shock, they plead for mercy as DeSaad’s machine engulfs them with an unknown force. They claw at a nearby wall, faces contorted and eyes wide. The results appear to please DeSaad in the most sadistic of ways.

“See, Darkseid! See how the emotion of fear is stimulated by the waves!” he says, lusting for more. “Yes! Yes! This time we must strike among larger numbers. Ever larger!”

“Strike, then, DeSaad. Strike fear among those massed minds!”

Back at the apartment, four hands gently touch a small, rectangular device resting flat in Orion’s palm. Harvey remarks about its odd properties.

“It feels strangely warm, and makes a sort of electronic sound. Like a computer!”

Orion explains. “The young of New Genesis call it a Mother Box. It does what is beneficial to its user. Mother Box will help you to see through my eyes, to see the images my words evoke.”

And with that, he shows his four unlikely comrades how dire their situation truly is.

Boom Tubes appear all around the city, granting passage to violent and cruel beings straight from Apokolips. Some in the streets, others in the water. As they emerge, each begins their work in Darkseid’s name.

Orion comes to a foe he knows by name. A fearsome being who lurks and seethes in the ground.

“And the awesome digger, Mantis, whose mammoth power rivals that of Darkseid himself! Even now, he tunnels somewhere beneath us, planning untold havoc.”

Orion explains that these enemies may be everywhere, even in the Wild Area. At his words, the group is shown a scene full of life and energy and music. Many people in various garb dance by, some on motorcycles, others carrying torches. He alludes to some secret that perhaps this colony of free spirits might possess. As readers we are informed that this is not the first time the Wild Area has been revealed, as it has come up previously in the pages of Jimmy Olsen.

But the group is interrupted! Orion’s Mother Box senses a wave of panic and fear washing over the city. People run, scream and fall to their knees. It is of course the work of DeSaad. Then, to Orion’s shock, he sees that even his four new allies have fallen victim to fear. They plead and cower away from him.

Orion has seen enough. He puts on his helmet, grabs the Astro Harness and attaches his Mother Box to his person. Ready to put an end to what must be DeSaad’s madness, he flies into the air.

It’s not long before Mother Box is able to track the source of the beam to a large billboard, but as soon as he approaches, a force explodes outwards, knocking Orion back. The sign was boobytrapped, but even as he falls, he attacks. The Astro Force shoots out from his harness in a beam of solid red light, destroying the billboard in a great fiery blast.

Elsewhere, DeSaad watches from a monitor, frustrated with Orion’s meddling. Darkseid is disinterested, focusing solely on a ticker tape, which yields no favorable results. But DeSaad pushes, greedily suggesting that he should be allowed to capture Orion. This does catch Darkseid’s attention. He rounds on him, grabbing his collar and tossing him to the ground.

“You’re a fool DeSaad! Blinded by your own mania! We could never take one such as Orion captive! His kind dies in battle! And in death would look greater than a vermin like you! Orion is an enemy to be respected!”

DeSaad takes his punishment in stride, though he can’t help but sneak in one more snide remark.

“Yes, it is strange how very like us he is. In his fierceness and-”

“Silence DeSaad!” Darkseid commands. He prepares to walk away, leaving his sniveling minion to his own devices, but he looks back just briefly.

“Was Orion my own son, he would mean nothing to the purpose of our mission. And in that mission we must not fail!”

And finally we visit the apartment once more. Having destroyed DeSaad’s fear machine, Orion waits as Victor, Harvey, Dave and Claudia gather themselves, still reeling from the experience. But it was enough to spurn them to action. They have seen what Darkseid’s presence means, and though afraid, they are ready to stand with Orion and fight. He accepts their offer and bolsters himself for battle.

“We shall work together, then! Somehow we shall find the means to rally wherever Darkseid shows his hand! And I shall strike with these!” He clenches his fists, and with a pained expression, continues. “Though I be of peaceful New Genesis, I shall strike with more ferocity than can be mustered in all of Apokolips! And in the end, O Earth, which of the two shall win in your domain?”

#krc-audio-summary #new gods 1971 #new gods #fourth world #jack kirby #vince colletta #may 1971

[glapplebloom]

I miss these old days...

Long ago, Marvel and DC used to crossover with each other all the time. Batman with Daredevil, Batman with Daredevil, Batman with the Punisher, there are others without Batman like Superman and the Fantastic Four and Green Lantern and the Silver Surfer. And speaking of the Silver Surfer, my favorite Crossover features him. It is a story long in the past of Marvel and DC, possibly before the birth of every hero, in a world where Marvel and DC exist together, two titans collide.

It begins on New Genesis, where Lightray runs towards them with dire news. Thanks to the Source Wall, Highfather already knew. He awaits for advice on how to deal with this coming threat. The Source Wall’s only advice: HIDE! So as New Genesis pretends to be a sun, Apokolips notices this and only Darksied knows why. A threat to them is coming and if they don’t stop it, it could possibly be their doom. That threat: the Silver Surfer.

This is in the past so this is back in his Herald days, the time where his emotions were locked up and the only thing he cares about is feeding his boss. Darkseid sends out so many Parademons not even the Blob or the Thing can take them all. And before they can use the planet to destroy the Surfer, he sends out the signal. Galactus is coming and he is hungry. So hungry he’s wearing short sleeves and a skirt. He hasn’t looked this weird since his first confrontation with the Fantastic Four where he was wearing Green and Orange.

So the battle begins. First, the firepower of Darksied’s army attacks. Galactus barely even notices. Then Darkseid transforms the very lands into giant monsters to attack. This slightly works, but Surfer comes in to handle things. Orion, the poor lad, just couldn’t stand by and let Darkseid die while they do nothing. So he goes to Apokolips to help fight off Galactus. He tries his hand on the Surfer and let’s face it, he ain’t anywhere close to his power. Luckily for him, Darkseid found the Surfer’s past and with Desaad’s help, freed him before even meeting the Fantastic Four.

Now back to himself, the Silver Surfer holds back the Black Racer (basically the Grim Reaper for the New Gods) to save Orion and fights Galactus. Galactus easily stops the Surfer. And this is where the most awesome moment happened. Darkseid thinks he found a weakness in Galactus. Some small part of him that wanted to spear a noble soul like the Silver Surfer from knowing the pain of all the deaths he has caused. So with the Omega Effect, Darkseid’s most powerful weapon, blasts Galactus.

And Galactus no sold it. This is Galactus hungry. So he should be at his weakest. The Omega Effect is so powerful. You’ve seen what it can do in Death Battle. So for Galactus to basically tank such an attack point blank and continued to stand there is so frikkin impressive. Orion even leaves since honor dictates he stops the fight due to the Surfer saving his life. But while Darkseid is still able to fight, Galactus wins since he set up his machine to eat the planet. Despite that, he doesn’t eat.

This isn’t because of some respect for Darkseid, it’s because Apokolips is about as full of life as the people who reside there: as in they might as well be walking corpses. When questioned why Darkseid would fight, Darkseid reveals it's simply like Galactus: it's what they do. It’s their nature to do this and they can’t stop it even if they try. Galactus must feed and Darkseid must win. And while he technically lost to Galactus, he won a battle against his lifelong enemies on New Genesis.

This story is fantastic! It really makes you understand the characters and to see such powers colliding is awesome! Man, I wish Galactus could scale to Darkseid but since this is a crossover we can’t use it. But I swear if this ever happens I will try to get that Galactus line in his Death Battle. 

#research bin

[namimikan]

TWO CHL*RK MOMENTS IN S10 SHOW???? IT WASN’T ENOUGH FOR SOMEONE TO GO OH I THOUGHT CS AND CK WERE GOING TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER, IN THE 200TH EPISODE SPECIAL, YOU HAD TO  MAKE DESAAD BE LIKE HAVEN’T YOU ALWAYS LUSTED OVER CLARK KENT CS? DON’T YOU FEEL TEMPTED TO MAKE OUT WITH HIM RIGHT NOW?

i hate it here!!!! i hate all and any cs-centric episodes, they’re automatically bad in my book, and chl*rk is rubbing salt in my anger.

#sv talk