Invasion! (DC Comics)

Last updated
Invasion!
Invasion.png
Invasion Book One: The Alien Alliance, art by Bart Sears.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
ScheduleMonthly
Format Mini-series
Publication dateOctober – December 1988
No. of issues3
Main character(s) Justice League International
Creative team
Created byKeith Giffen, Bill Mantlo
Written by Keith Giffen
Bill Mantlo
Penciller(s) Todd McFarlane (issue 1 and first half of issue 2)
Bart Sears (issue 3 & all 3 covers)
Keith Giffen (layouts for all 3 issues and pencils for second half of issue 2)
Inker(s) P. Craig Russell
Al Gordon
Dick Giordano
Letterer(s) Gaspar Saladino
Colorist(s) Carl Gafford
Editor(s) Andy Helfer
Collected editions
Invasion! ISBN   978-1-4012-2066-2

Invasion! was a three-issue comic book limited series and crossover event published in 1988 by DC Comics. [1] It was plotted by Keith Giffen, and ties up a great many plotlines from various Giffen-created DC series, including Omega Men , Justice League International , and Legion of Super-Heroes . A trade paperback collection of the three issues was released on September 3, 2008. [2]

Contents

The series was scripted by Bill Mantlo; it was his first work for DC after a long career at Marvel Comics. Pencils were by Todd McFarlane, Bart Sears, and Giffen himself; inks were by Joe Rubinstein, P. Craig Russell, Tom Christopher, Dick Giordano and Al Gordon. All three covers were pencilled by Bart Sears, including issue #1, contrary to DC's credits listing.

The Alien Alliance

The alien coalition consisted of several disparate races; several had only appeared before with the Legion of Super-Heroes one thousand years in the future. Assembling this alliance was a major diplomatic victory for the Dominators, considering the animosities many of the members shared for one another (particularly the three races of the Vega system). As it worked out, the Dominators provided the overall strategy for the invasion, with input from each member world while the Khunds acted as the shock troops for the first wave of attack that overran Australia. Each member world was then tasked with invading or subverting a particular sphere of influence:

Dominators:the driving force behind the Alliance and the invasion of Earth, and consequently the Alliance's de facto leaders
Khunds:a brutish race of humanoid warriors
Thanagarians: Hawkman's people, now living under a fascist police state
Gil'Dishpan:an aquatic race of conquerors that live within hovering, armed and armored cybernetic shells
Durlans:a race of shapeshifters (see Chameleon Boy)
Warlords of Okaara:a race of warmasters from the Vegan star system
Citadelians:the twisted clone-race that comprised the armies of the Vega system empire known as The Citadel
Daxamites:the seemingly mild-mannered humanoids who acquire Kryptonian-type abilities under a yellow sun, but are vulnerable when exposed to lead
Psions:yet another species from the Vega system, a reptilian race of amoral scientists, the result of ancient experiments in genetic engineering by the beings who would one day become the Guardians of the Universe

Additionally, some members of the Alliance were tasked with specific areas of responsibility and played little part in the military operations side. The Citadelians were given charge of administering the Alliance's vast Gulag of potential opponents and experimental subjects; the Psions were charged with (or left alone to) conducting biological research on humans; and the Daxamites were largely an observer group, providing medical and scientific assistance to the Alliance.

Plot

The emotionless, calculating Dominators have put together an Alliance to invade Earth and eliminate the threat posed by their unpredictable "metahumans". After purging the galaxy of numerous potential threats to their plan - securing Darkseid's non-interference by assuring him that they would not destroy the planet and thwart his quest for the Anti-Life Equation, assassinating many former members of the disbanded Green Lantern Corps, and attacking the Omega Men - the Alliance launches a massive attack on Earth, overrunning Australia and establishing a base there from which to conquer the rest of the planet. Meanwhile, the Spectre appeals to the Lords of Order to allow Earth's magicians to join in Earth's defense, only to be told that he must instead ensure their neutrality for fear of provoking the Lords of Chaos from intervening on behalf of the invaders and escalating the conflict into a cataclysm that would mean the destruction of everyone involved. The Alliance tenders an offer to spare the human race provided that the world's governments surrender their metahumans, but the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly rejects this offer. [3]

Superman leads a counterattack against the main Alliance base. The counterattack is temporarily disrupted by the Daxamite observers, who become the equal of Superman and temporarily defeat him, but fall prey to Earth's atmospheric differences from their own world and how it affected their extreme and lethal sensitivity to lead poisoning. After Superman helps save them, they decide to withdraw from the Alliance and help defend Earth. To that end, a small fleet of troop transports arrive and demand that the Alliance withdraw from Earth. The Dominators decide to ignore them, unaware of the effect a yellow sun has on Daxamites, until the fleet deploys several thousand soldiers into space as a near invincible attack force. This, combined with key defeats in various theaters, and a full-scale and uncontrollable riot aboard the Alliance Gulag, leads to a quick collapse for the Alliance and individual surrenders by each former member. [4]

However, a young Dominator, aspiring to prominence among his people, manages to isolate the "metagene" in humans that enables a person to develop superhuman powers. On his own initiative, he develops and deploys the Gene Bomb, a device that bathes the Earth in an energy that affects every metahuman exposed to it, causing them to lose control of their powers and fall into a coma. Since the point of the invasion was to harness these beings, not eradicate them, the Dominator is imprisoned by his own government. A group of heroes unaffected by the Gene Bomb, led by the Martian Manhunter, manage to take information from the Dominator's mind crucial to reversing the effects of the Gene Bomb and restore the affected metahumans to health. [5]

Impact

"Invasion!" was DC's line-wide crossover event for 1988. It crossed over into 30 other DC comics and also featured guest appearances from other DC Universe staples such as Adam Strange, the planet Thanagar, and one-time Justice League of America sidekick Snapper Carr and his team the Blasters. The Blasters would make several more appearances, fighting further alien threats to Earth.

The invasion of Earth and the Gene Bomb had some long-lasting effects on the DC Universe. In particular, the recently relaunched Doom Patrol, a combination of the '60s, '70s, and brand new members, lost two team members and fell apart. This was done to give new writer Grant Morrison a clean slate to revamp the book, including the addition of new metahumans having powers awakened by the Gene Bomb. They started with Crawling From the Wreckage storyline starting in Doom Patrol (vol. 2) #19. Morrison used the Invasion fallout for a pair of Animal Man stories, including the acclaimed "The Death of the Red Mask". Also, the Gulag storyline introduced the character of Vril Dox II and the organization called L.E.G.I.O.N., which received its own title soon after Invasion! ended.

The Gene Bomb was also responsible for giving powers of mind control to Maxwell Lord, but such powers were mostly unused. Another character from the Justice League International whose power was improved was Fire. Initially, she could only exhale bursts of fire, but after being affected by the Bomb she got powers similar to Marvel Comics's Human Torch.

One of the Dominators ended up under the control of the Queen Bee, ruler of the fictional country of Bialya. Though he did not long survive her anger, the technology he introduced was used against the Justice League multiple times. Several other Dominators were left on Earth for years and appeared in various comics (usually briefly) including one in Captain Atom (became a farmer), a few in the Outsiders #44, and a cameo in a prison break in Flash. Also, a Dominator appeared in Joker: Last Laugh #3. A Khund was also killed by Mongul during a prison break in Green Lantern.

The greatest impact of Invasion was its introduction of the metagene as the explanation within the DC Universe as to how some people gain superhuman abilities. The Flash's father, Rudolph West (a Manhunter agent) appears to die in an explosion in Cuba, defending the land during Invasion #2. His subsequent returns would plague the Flash and his mother multiple times. Unusual for the time, the three issues were published as perfect-bound comics, each the length of three usual comics - a throwback to the "80-page giants" of the Silver Age.

Tie-in issues

In the reading order presented in the back of each main issue:

Invasion! #1:

Invasion! #2:

Others (omitted from the #2 list):

Invasion! #3:

DC also released a special edition of the Daily Planet as a tie-in to the storyline (the front page of which appears on the last page of Invasion! #1). Spun off from Invasion! were Blasters Special #1 and L.E.G.I.O.N. #1, the latter of which depicted an aftermath.

All tie-in issues between #2 and #3 ended with the gene bomb being detonated in Earth's atmosphere, so that the coloring of the artwork is flipped to a photo negative.

A number of stories make oblique or explicit reference to Invasion! without being explicitly tied-in via their covers, including Wonder Woman (vol. 2) Annual #1 and Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #24 (in which Major George Baines and Etta Candy track the invasion from the South Pacific), Swamp Thing #80 (in which the Dominators send Swamp Thing's essence back through time), The Spectre #22 (in which Jim Corrigan's team investigates cattle mutilations and continues directly into Invasion! #1), while The Flash (vol. 2) #20 has Wally West and Pied Piper shot by a Durlan before seeing the invasion fleet, and Suicide Squad #22 has Amanda Waller mentioning she must attend a special council with regard to Invasion. Animal Man #7 is not officially tied to Invasion!, but like the other aftermath titles, ends with the explosion of the gene bomb.

Swamp Thing #96-98 features a visit to Hell, in which the afterlives of many of the slain Invasion forces are seen.

Collected editions

The 2008 trade paperback collection of Invasion! (containing only the three core issues) includes cover copy stating "Secret No More!" ISBN   978-1401220662. [2] A new edition was released in April 2016. [6]

Other versions

In other media

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justice League</span> Group of fictional characters of DC Comics

The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #28. Writer Gardner Fox conceived the team as a revival of the Justice Society of America, a similar team from DC Comics from the 1940s which had been pulled out of print due to a decline in sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lar Gand</span> Fictional DC comics universe character

Lar Gand, known mainly as Mon-El, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy, and Superman. The character has been reinterpreted over the years, but in all versions serves as a hero with abilities similar to those of Superman, sometimes serving as a substitute for him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DC Universe</span> Shared universe of the comic stories published by DC Comics

The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC continuity. It contains such well-known superheroes as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Shazam, Martian Manhunter, and Cyborg; as well as teams such as the Justice League, the Justice Society of America, the Suicide Squad, Doom Patrol, and the Teen Titans. It also contains well-known supervillains, including the Joker, Lex Luthor, the Cheetah, the Reverse-Flash, Sinestro, Black Manta, Deathstroke, Black Adam, Brainiac, and Darkseid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martian Manhunter</span> Superhero from DC Comics

The Martian Manhunter is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" in Detective Comics #225. Martian Manhunter is one of the seven original members of the Justice League of America and one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe.

<i>Kingdom Come</i> (comics) Comic book mini-series

Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book miniseries published in 1996 by DC Comics under their Elseworlds imprint. It was written by Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Alex Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea.

In the DC Universe, a metahuman is a character with superpowers. The term is roughly synonymous with the terms mutant, inhuman and mutate in the Marvel Universe and posthuman in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In DC Comics, the term is used loosely in most instances to refer to any human or human-like being with extraordinary powers, abilities or other attributes, either cosmic, mutant, scientific, mystical, skill or technological in nature. A significant portion of these are normal human beings born with a genetic variant called the "metagene", which causes them to gain powers and abilities during freak accidents or times of intense psychological distress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime Syndicate of America</span> DC Comics supervillain team

The Crime Syndicate are teams of supervillains from one of DC Comics' parallel universes where they are the evil counterparts of the Justice League. The original team was specifically known as the Crime Syndicate of America and is sometimes abbreviated as CSA. This first superpowered Crime Syndicate team appeared in Justice League of America #29 in August 1964. The primary successive incarnation, known as the Crime Syndicate of Amerika, first appeared in the 2000 JLA: Earth 2 graphic novel.

<i>Justice League Europe</i> Comic book series

Justice League Europe (JLE) is a comic book series published by DC Comics that was a spin-off of the comic book Justice League America.

<i>JLA: The Nail series</i>

JLA: The Nail is a three-issue comic book mini-series published by DC Comics in 1998 under its Elseworlds imprint. The story, written and drawn by Alan Davis, is set in a parallel universe where Jonathan and Martha Kent's truck experiences a flat tire caused by a nail, which stops them from discovering a Kryptonian spaceship outside Smallville containing the baby Kal-El, negating Superman. It was later followed by a sequel, JLA: Another Nail, a three-issue mini-series published in 2004 which wrapped up several loose ends from the original mini-series, such as the war between the New Gods and the Green Lantern Corps and Oliver Queen's public betrayal of the Justice League.

<i>Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!</i> 1994 DC Comics crossover storyline

"Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!" is a comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994, consisting of an eponymous five-issue limited series written and drawn by Dan Jurgens and a number of tie-in books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Despero</span> Fictional comic book supervillain

Despero is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Justice League of America #1, and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky.

<i>Millennium</i> (comics) Comic book crossover story line in DC Comics

"Millennium" was a comic book crossover story line that ran through an eight-issue, self-titled, limited series and various other titles cover dated January and February 1988 by DC Comics. The limited series was published weekly, which was a departure for an American series. It was written by Steve Englehart, and with art by Joe Staton and Ian Gibson.

Daxam is a fictional planet within the DC Universe. It is home to a race called the Daxamites, who are descended from Kryptonian colonists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tangent Comics</span>

Tangent Comics is a DC Comics imprint created in 1997, developed from ideas by Dan Jurgens. The line, formed from 18 one-shots, focused on creating all-new characters using established DC names, such as the Joker, Superman, and the Flash. Contrasting the Tangent Universe with the DC Universe, Jurgens commented:

The Tangent Universe tells the story of an Earth greatly influenced by the presence of super-powered beings. While the DCU Earth is essentially the same as our own, no more advanced in terms of technology or communications despite the existence of those qualities within the super-powered community, Earth Tangent is greatly influenced by all of that. Earth Tangent's economic, geographic and political landscapes are defined by the superhero community, whereas in the DCU those aspects exist unaffected by the superhero community.

DC Comics has produced many crossover stories combining characters from different series of comics. Some of these are set in the fictional DC Universe, or any number of settings within the DC Multiverse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominators (DC Comics)</span> Fictional alien race

The Dominators, collectively known as the Dominion, are a fictional character alien race appearing in comics and other media by DC Comics. Coming from the outer cosmos of the DC Universe, they are highly technologically advanced, and live in a rigid hierarchical society, in which one's caste is determined by the size of a red circle on one's forehead. They are master geneticists who can manipulate the metagene to enhance members of their own caste.

Naiad is a character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #90, during the four part Elemental War storyline that ran to issue #93, and was created by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake.

The Official DC Index is a series of comic books released by Independent Comics Group from 1985 to 1988, which featured synopses of several DC Comics series. The books, edited by Murray Ward, would often feature background information on the main characters in a particular series, and detailed information on each issue, including writer and artist credits, characters who appeared in the issue, and a story synopsis. A similar series of indices called the Official Marvel Index was published by Marvel Comics.

References

  1. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 221. ISBN   978-1-4654-8578-6.
  2. 1 2 "Invasion! trade paperback listing on DC Comics' website". Dccomics.com. 2010-04-21. Archived from the original on 2010-12-02. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
  3. Invasion! #1 (October 1988)
  4. Invasion! #2 (November 1988)
  5. Invasion! #3 (December 1988)
  6. "INVASION NEW EDITION | DC".
  7. Melrose, Kevin (September 29, 2016). "ARROW, FLASH, SUPERGIRL CW CROSSOVER VILLAINS". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  8. Anderson, Andy (October 23, 2016). "ARROW 100TH EPISODE TITLE REVEALED". ComicBook. Retrieved October 23, 2016.