Born On The Fourth World: Part IX
New Gods #2, May 1971
A quick recap to the origins of the New Gods’ twin planets kicks things off, before our gaze is drawn towards New Genesis and a eye-popping double splash of the floating city that is sometimes called Supertown. High-Father is watching the Source Wall with Lightray. The disembodied hand is writing in flames again. This time, the message is, “War - follow Orion.” Lightray is happy to act in accordance to the instruction, but High-Father says it is not the right time for the youngest New God to join the battle. Lightray protests that Orion is his friend and needs help, but his request is denied emphatically.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Orion walks into the apartment of one of his new human friends, only to find Darkseid inside, sitting in a chair! The title of this chapter is revealed as; O’ Deadly Darkseid, which makes this image of the evil god, just chilling in a regular living room, doubly strange. Darkseid welcomes Orion to Earth and the two trade threats. “You hesitate, Orion!” says Darkseid. “You can sense why-- But you don’t know-- do you?”
Before the Wielder of the Astro-Force can respond, a minion of Darkseid, called ‘Brola’, jumps out from his hiding place, behind the door, and zaps Orion with a ‘shock-prod’. Orion counters Brola, disarming him. However, Brola has another weapon - his ‘Hand of Stone’ - a formidable, brick-shaped fist! But even this is no match for Orion, who hurls his adversary across the room. Brola only has time to shout, “No living thing could have survived my attack! I have been fighting a mad, cosmic animal!” before he smashes through the brick wall.
Appealing for Darkseid’s help, as he falls several stories to the street below, Brola’s cry is suddenly cut off. He has vanished and so has Darkseid. Orion explains that Brola must have been snatched by ‘tele-ray’, adding that; “Darkseid moves as no one on Earth does!” Although, the now-empty chair, where the dark god had been sitting, “still reeks of his presence.”
The four humans formally introduce themselves as Claudia Shane, Harvey Lockman, Dave Lincoln and Victor Lanza. Orion removes his helmet and says that he will need a human name to fit in on Earth. Dave says, “You’re own is a natural, O’Ryan!”
Elsewhere, Darkseid and Brola materialise in their secret base beneath the city. Brola is still making excuses for his defeat. “There is a madness in Orion, Master!” he whines, whilst cowering before Darkseid “He fights with a fury of one born on Apokolips!” Darkseid hoofs Brola and sends him packing.
Desaad his here, working on his Fear Machine. He tells Darkseid that the machine is good to go, the god of evil just needs to give the word. Darkeid tells Desaad to proceed and that he can use some random toadies, who are toiling nearby, as his experimental subjects. “No, Master!” says one random toady, “We are in you service! Do not feed us to Desaad’s vile instruments!” But the pleas are ignored.
‘Invisible beams lash out’ at the poor saps as they scream in abject terror. Darkseid and Desaad are pleased. “Emotional turmoil breaks the dikes of the mind,” says Darkseid, “and releases a flood in which we must fish, Desaad!” Desaad explains that he has the field model of the Fear Machine ready to go in the city. Darksied instructs Desaad to strike!
Back at Dave’s apartment, Orion is showing off his Mother Box to his new, human friends. “Mother Box will help you see through my eyes,” says Orion. “To see the images my words evoke!” A montage of images appear, showing beings from Apokolips - including Mantis, the Deep Six and many others - arriving via Boom Tube in an ongoing, surreptitious invasion.
A full page splash of the Wild Area, shows Hairies and Outsiders raving in the Habitat, to which Orion warns, “Not only the known domains,” are at risk. “But also the the stranger places, like the Wild Area, where a bizarre, dropout society, may hold the secret which Darkseid yearns to possess!”
The montage is cut short when Mother Box detects the invisible fear beam sweeping through the city. His human friends immediately succumb to its influence, cowering in horror. Orion spots Desaad's hand in the proceedings. “I am trained to resist all degrees of fear!” he says, putting on his helmet and astro-harness. “I shall carry the fight!” He then instructs Mother Box to locate the source of the fear beam.
The city is in chaos. People scream and run in terror. Cars swerve and crash. Orion soars over the streets, zooming towards the location of the Fear Machine. He finds it, disguised as a advertising billboard, with an image of a massive eye, blasting out the relentless fear rays. “The Astro-Force shall cleanse this foul spot!” says Orion, blasting the billboard to pieces.
Watching from their hidden lair, Desaad curses Orion’s intervention, while Darkseid studies the data collected by the Fear Machine. There is still no trace of the Anti-Life Equation. Desaad appeals to Darkseid to give him Orion when they eventually capture him. “We could never take one such as Orion captive!” says Darkseid. “His kind dies in battle! And in death would look greater than vermin like you!”
Desaad is suspicious as to why Darkseid would seem to defend Orion. “It is strange how very like us he is,” muses Desaad. “In his fierceness…’” But Darkseid silences his underling. “Were Orion my own son,” Darkseid hypothesises, while his red-glowing eyes stare directly at the reader. “He would mean nothing to the purpose of our mission! And in that mission we must not fail!”
Orion has returned to Dave’s smashed up apartment. His human friends are shaken by the fear ray, but are determined to help defeat Darkseid in whatever way they can. Orion stares ahead, his own eyes also have a red glow. “I be of peaceful New Genesis,” he says. “I shall strike with more ferocity than can be mustered in all of Apokolips!”
Next time, a caption warns us, the Black Racer is coming.
And if he is after you, you had better start running right now…
It's underrated how much time Darkseid spends just sitting in regular chairs, waiting to ruin someone's day.