WARNING! SPOILERS GALORE! YOU'RE SOAKING IN THEM!
Title: Rock of Ages, Part IV: Wasteland
Release Date: December 1997
Writer: Grant MorrisonPenciller: Howard PorterInker: John DellJLA Members: Aquaman,
Green Lantern, and
the Flash.
Guest Stars: Future versions of
Wonder Woman,
Batman,
Green Arrow,
the Atom,
Argent,
Aztek (a woman called
Azteka), and a reprogrammed
Amazo.
Bad Guys: Darkseid.
Cameos: Orion.
So what happens?Fifteen years in the
future, Darkseid has taken over the Earth and enslaved the population. Aquaman, Green Lantern, and the Flash arrive in a
time travel accident, their bodies converted into
ghostly light information. Their spirits are pulled into the bodies of their future selves: Aquaman, the least changed, is simply 15 years older; the Flash, a
doughy construction worker, has lost his powers; and Green Lantern has become a heavily-
cyborged
zombie soldier in Darkseid's army. Their light-bodies are slowing down--if they don't get back to their own time soon, they'll be trapped in the
hellish future Earth forever...
After reuniting with the few remaining superheroes, they learn some backstory: After the
Philosopher's Stone was destroyed, Darkseid and the armies of
Apokolips invaded and conquered Earth. Superman committed
suicide after being forced to kill
Lois Lane (she'd been turned into a mindless
soldier of Apokolips); Batman has been held prisoner by the sadistic torturer
Desaad for the past eight years; Aztek was murdered; the Martian Manhunter was pulverized, atom by
atom, in a
particle accelerator; relics and costumes of other dead heroes include
Robin,
Dr. Fate,
Starman, and
Steel.
The future JLA invade Desaad's fortress in
Las Vegas to try to find some sort of Apokolips time machines. When they arrive, they discover that Batman has killed Desaad and has been masquerading as the
torture god to get information about Darkseid. And he's got bad news: Darkseid is returning to Earth...
Cool Quotes!Announcer proclaiming the coming of Darkseid: "On your knees for the
master! The hour has come! HE has come! Who is beyond
Good and
Evil? Who is the prophet of
Anti-Life? Who is the Rock and the Chain and the Lightning? All powerful! All unforgiving! All conquering! WHO IS YOUR
NEW GOD NOW AND FOREVER?"
Darkseid, looking massively
badass: "Darkseid is."
(Whoo!
Comic geeks worldwide were shivering over that one. Whooo!)
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