COUNTING DOWN TO COUNTDOWN III: WHO IS ORION?

[MattBrady]

by Michael C Lorah

With the Countdown only a few weeks away, it’s time to look at the most recent attempt at a true Fourth World series (with apologies to Mister Miracle and the Fourth World elements that were worked into the Seven Soldiers tapestry), Walter Simonson’s run on Orion.

Launched in the latter half of 2000 and concluding with issue # 25 (cover dated June 2002), Simonson’s Orion picked up a question that John Byrne had introduced during the final issues of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World (a series for which Simonson contributed covers and a back-up feature): is Orion truly the son of Darkseid? Eschewing the JK4W title for a focus on the central god of the Fourth World mythos, Simonson relaunched the title as Orion a few months after Byrne’s series ended.

Simonson’s excellent grasp of mythology was on display throughout the series, charting the rise, fall and redemption of the New Gods’ war god. The series quickly has Orion’s mother, Tigra, confirming the rumor that Darkseid is indeed not his father. It has always been written into the Fourth World tapestry that the son will meet the father in combat in the fires of Armaghetto, and the son will triumph. With his destiny thrown into question, Orion loses himself in the hunt and the challenge of battle while considering his role as the chief protector of New Genesis.

For four issues, Orion considers his options, while battling through the foot soldiers of Apokolips toward the only person who can confirm his parentage, Darkseid himself. After Tigra is murdered by agents of Apokolips (not under Darkseid’s orders, as it turns out) and discovering Darkseid’s latest bid to control the Anti-Life Equation – the outside control of all thought – underneath a small town in Nebraska, Orion demolishes Darkseid’s operation and, in a rage, challenges Darkseid to final combat. The Dark Lord accepts, and replies only with laughter when Orion asks one final question before the battle will begin: “Are you truly my father?”

Prior to the battle, Orion casts aside his companion Mother Box, a sentient computer that offers wisdom and guidance to him. The battle is an issue-long, beautifully choreographed, and ultimately Orion’s to win. Darkseid, reeling, unleashes his Omega Beams, as expressly forbidden by the rules of their combat. In self-defense, Orion uses his own Astro Force power to deflect the Omega Beams, which return to their sender, annihilating Darkseid.

The king is dead. Long live the king!

From issues #6 through #10, Orion contends with the challenges of governing Apokolips. He finds that the poisoned atmosphere has made Mother Box sick, and Darkseid’s former aide Mortalla presents Orion with an Apokoliptian Father Box (the first reference to such). He also finds that the Astro Force becomes erratic and uncontrollable, but makes no connection between the losses of Mother Box and his immense god-power. Despite claims to rule with compassion, Orion continually is forced to violence and treachery, including dispatching Mantis into the Unholy See and destroying several remnants of the Old Gods (including a belt that long-time fans of Simonson’s work will appreciate). Ultimately, discovering that Darkseid’s top lieutenant, Desaad, is being the attacks on him, Orion seeks out the master torturer.

Desaad flees to Nebraska, the shattered remains of the Anti-Life project, and attempts to revive the Equation to use against Orion. Desaad fails most spectacularly, unleashing the complete Equation for the first time and binding it to Orion’s soul! Desaad is killed (not the first time!) before the Orion’s mind can fully understand the Equation.

With the Equation now in his power, Orion returns to Apokolips and creates the idyllic society that he imagines possible, at the cost of all free will on the planet of dark gods. He then turns his attention toward Earth, where so many fragments of the Equation exist in the minds of humans. Unwilling to risk the chance that Earth might threaten the peace he has created, Orion quickly binds Earth and even New Genesis to his will. During these events, Metron – a New God whose only alliance is to the pursuit of knowledge – discovers that Darkseid has survived his “death,” and is hiding in The Garden of Hope at the core of Apokolips. Darkseid’s scheme to corrupt Orion by subjecting him to the ruining influence of Apokolips has gone terribly awry. In the series’ 15th issue, Darkseid and Metron plot to destroy Orion before he can discover them and use the Equation against them, but when their artificial Black Racer – the New God of death – fails, they are discovered.

Orion asks the one question he needs the answer to: is he truly the son of Darkseid? Darkseid replies that he is. Satisfied, Orion demands that Darkseid execute himself, but before the suicide can pass, the Black Racer strikes. The identity of the person who has assumed the guise of the Racer is unknown (though anybody with a passing familiarity to the characters will immediately recognize Mister Miracle’s colorful garb). Immune to Orion’s Anti-Life, the Racer taunts the war god, before leading Orion into a Doom Tube – a teleporting Boom Tube with an entrance but no exit. No one has ever returned from a Doom Tube. In a flash, Orion is gone, perhaps forever.

The crisis has passed, and Orion’s hold over the universe is undone. Orion awakens on the Abysmal Plain, outside material reality. Drawing on several mythologies, Simonson introduces Clockwerx, the protector of the Tree of Life, the symbol of all life in the universe. Captured by the Ecruos, Clockwerx is helpless to prevent the destruction of the tree, the destruction of all that is. Orion, despondent over his failure to recognize the validity of the lives and minds that he had bound to his will, seeks to die in glorious combat and confronts the Ecruos. Realizing that the Anti-Life Equation represents the ultimate form of order and the Ecruos chaos gone to extreme, Orion releases the Equation of his own free will, binding it to the Ecruos. The two conflicting ideologies cannot co-exist and both are destroyed in a terrible explosion. The Tree of Life is saved, though Orion is left near death.

Simonson’s next arc is to break Orion down to the lowest level possible, which is symbolized by his being aided by progressively less powerful beings. Nearly omnipotent Clockwerx sends Orion back to Apokolips, where a former Green Lantern named Raker (left to wallow in the bowels of the planet after leading a failed war between the Green Lantern Corps and Darkseid’s forces) finds him and sends Orion to Earth. Still comatose, Orion is found and nursed by a homeless veteran, Gene Swift. Finally awakening, Orion hears of horrific attacks by giant, mutated sea life in the Pacific Ocean. Recognizing the work of Slig, a warrior of Darkseid’s who had been captured and detained on Earth, Orion set out again for death in glorious combat. Again, he triumphed and survived, still a failure to the ideals of his foster father, Highfather, the late ruler of New Genesis.

Arnicus Wolfram, a man who had lived for centuries by harvesting the life force of others, attacked Orion. With Orion’s power, Wolfram would be able to live forever. Caught off guard in his depression, Orion was blinded by the Oedipus Helmet and captured. After weeks of captivity, Orion recognizes that his own failure may make him worthy of his present state, but the humans subjected to Wolfram’s predations are not deserving. He frees himself and, reaching to his most vulnerable level, comes to rely on the guidance of Melissa, a thirteen-year-old vagrant, who is his best hope of finding the elusive Wolfram.

Recognizing his own failures and the uselessness of his own self-pity, Orion is re-united with Mother Box and again able to control the Astro Force, which he reveals to be the Wrath of the Source, the origin of all life in the universe. By going against the Source’s way, by seizing Anti-Life as his path, Orion lost his connection to the Source. Now, despite his blinding, he is whole again.

With Melissa help, Orion finds Wolfram, who had purchased Apokoliptian weaponry from Desaad’s aide, Justeen, who herself wished Orion dead for affronting her lord Darkseid. (Justeen also plotted Tigra death in the series’ opening gambit.) Fleeing through time, Wolfram attempts to use the first hydrogen bomb test at Elugelab Island in 1952 against Orion. The god of war, however, is well versed in the means of destruction. Using Metron’s time-traveling Mobius Chair, he disables Wolfram’s plot before it can unfold, plucks Wolfram’s eyes out to replace his own lost eyes, and leaves the near immortal to perish with the island. The issue also features one of the series’ best exchanges. Asked what worshippers give the New Gods power, Orion tells Wolfram that gods are not dependant on their worshippers. Worshippers are dependant on their gods, and mortals worship many different gods in their devotion to many ideologies and daily conveniences. What else is a god but the manifestation of a hope or fear?

In the series’ final issue, with his sight and powers restored, Orion ponders what destiny awaits him. Scott Free, the natural son of Orion’s own adopted father, Highfather, approaches Orion, and Orion is stunned to see that Scott possesses the fire of Anti-Life in his soul. Scott reveals his story: many, many years ago, when he was raised on Apokolips (see The Pact in New Gods #7, or Jamie’s article), he witnessed Darkseid’s troops attacking a carnival. Calling out for them to “STOP,” he was horrified when all of the soldiers and hunger dogs did just that. Stopped fighting. Stop reveling. Stopped thinking and breathing and living. When he returned to the orphanage, he swore never to speak again, and was tortured as a result. Eventually, he learned to control the Equation and has never used it in all the centuries since that first time.

Metron, pursuing the identity of the one who had masqueraded as the failed Black Racer simulacra in issue #15, follows the clues to Scott. His agents attack and Scott is wounded, on the anniversary of the day when he first discovered the Anti-Life in himself. As Scott has always taken a bouquet of flowers to Apokolips to remember the lives he took that day, Orion volunteers to complete the mission for him. Scott Free is known as Mister Miracle, the greatest escape artist on more worlds than countable, and stealth is his ally. Orion is a god of war, and though he is able to leave the flowers, Darkseid's troops discover him and he must battle them once more. Finally, accepting his role as the one person who can stem the tide of Darkseid’s machinations, Orion embraces his destiny again.

Upon returning to Earth, he finds that Metron has confronted Scott and intends to use the Anti-Life Equation to his own ends. Scott's choice is to use the Equation against Metron, refuse the demand or give in to blackmail. Orion, using Wolfram’s time travel technology, goes back several months and destroys the Black Racer simulacra after Scott had used the guise to lure Orion into the Doom Tube, thus preventing Metron from discovering Scott’s secret. In the end, Orion has embraced his role in the tapestry of the New Gods, Scott Free must live with the ultimate burden, Darkseid rules with an iron fist and, perhaps, greater caution, and Desaad is dead “again?!” as Darkseid so succinctly puts it.

There have been many Fourth World “continuation” series at DC over the years, but Orion remains the high water mark, due to Simonson’s excellent knowledge of mythology and willingness to build on the concepts that Jack Kirby introduced thirty years before. Although the series was not a commercial success, Simonson’s depiction of Anti-Life, the creation of the Father Box, and Mister Miracle’s role as the one man in existence who can resist the temptation of Anti-Life have remained mainstays of the Fourth World mythos. Beyond that, the scope, majesty and willingness to push the characters into new territory made Simonson’s work on Orion more evocative of Jack Kirby’s bold vision than anything before or since.

Michael C. Lorah brings his comic knowledge to bear weekly at Newsarama as part of the Best Shots team.

[palefire]

Orion was a fun series. I highly recommend it to any 4th world fans that may have missed it.

[Bevbos]

All these 4th world books have my head swimming!

Are any of these things collected in trade? Because I'm trying to follow the articles, but frankly, biology and sociology are easier to understand than all these characters!

Are there any trades of any of this out there? I know this'll be vintage, psychadelic Kirby...

Can't wait for Countdown!

[larkinja]

Originally Posted by Bevbos

All these 4th world books have my head swimming!

Are any of these things collected in trade? Because I'm trying to follow the articles, but frankly, biology and sociology are easier to understand than all these characters!

Are there any trades of any of this out there? I know this'll be vintage, psychadelic Kirby...

Can't wait for Countdown!

DC reprinted most of the stories in B&W a while ago. However, starting on May 30 they are reprinting the entire Fourth World saga in chronological order in the Fourth World Omnibus'. Two volumes have been solicited already and can be found on the DC website.



Newsarama did an article on it right here: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthrea...=kirby+omnibus

And I must add that you would do well to read Walt's Orion series. Possibly the best series since Kirby's

[Dakion]

As a long time Fourth World fan, I wish I had stayed with that series longer than the first few issues I had picked up. Unfortunately, as one matures, disposable income becomes a thing of the past and Orion didn't make the cut.

It sounds like Simonson created an opus worthy of Kirby's original intentions. Kudos to an intelligent, caring legend of comics.

[delawarejoel]

I spent a year digging thru back issue bins to get this series - only the first five issues have ever been collected in trade - and loved every issue. Reading this article makes me want to go fish them out and read it over again...there have been many many attempts to resurrect the 4th World over the years and only a handful have ever been at all successful; the Cosmic Odyssey mini that Starlin and Mignola did ages ago come to mind, but this is really the top of the heap. There are only a few writers who have the cosmic depth to do anything like this, Simonson is one, Starlin another, maybe Keith Giffen. If its true that Starlin is taking on the 4th world next year I for one will be thrilled.

[palefire]

Originally Posted by Bevbos

All these 4th world books have my head swimming!

Are any of these things collected in trade? Because I'm trying to follow the articles, but frankly, biology and sociology are easier to understand than all these characters!

Are there any trades of any of this out there? I know this'll be vintage, psychadelic Kirby...

Can't wait for Countdown!

In addition to the Omnibus - which will deal with the original Kirby material - there is a TPB containing the 1st 5 issues of the Orion series and a variety of trades that contain 4th world centered events like Cosmic Odyssey (by Jim Starlin)

[AzraelBatman]

This was such a good series, unfortunately i missed it when it came out but i picked up the entire series a year ago.

[dadthedude]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Recognizing his own failures and the uselessness of his own self-pity, Orion is re-united with Mother Box and again able to control the Astro Force, which he reveals to be the Wrath of the Source, the origin of all life in the universe. By going against the Source’s way, by seizing Anti-Life as his path, Orion lost his connection to the Source. Now, despite his blinding, he is whole again.

So....If Orion controls the "Wrath of the Source", does that also make him the New Gods equivalent of the Spectre, who is the embodiment of the "Wrath of God"? Has any writer explored this?

I'm not usually one for metaphysical ponderings, but this might make for an interesting story arc.

[Michael C Lorah]

Originally Posted by dadthedude

So....If Orion controls the "Wrath of the Source", does that also make him the New Gods equivalent of the Spectre, who is the embodiment of the "Wrath of God"? Has any writer explored this?

I'm not usually one for metaphysical ponderings, but this might make for an interesting story arc.

That is an interesting idea. Based on how they've been depicted, the two "wraths" are quite different though, so they are probably not as equivalent as you might assume.

The Spectre, per Ostrander's series (which is brilliant and the only Spectre that I know much about), pursues injustices to avenge, with the host often being along for the ride, struggling for any sense of control.

Orion has to continually prove himself worthy of the Astro Force. If he ever fails to do so, per Simonson's series, he'll lose the power. Corrigan was stuck with the Spectre, even when he didn't want it.

Another interesting idea - it's actually been implied a few times in different places that the Source = God, which would mean that both "wraths" actually come from the same (if you'll pardon the pun) source.

Still, it's a pretty cool idea, and it would bring together two of the best superhero books of the last ten or fifteen years. If you could link Starman and Hitman, you'd have my four favorite superhero books of that time period all tied together.

[atanamar]

I love this kind of stuff, and I'm now interested in digging up the original series.
HOWEVER, I honestly think that by even hinting that you need to understand all of this to get into Countdown is going to drive potential readers away.

[Spaz_Monkey]

I'm just hoping & praying that in addition to the Omnibus that we'll get collections of Orion & the JLI-era Mister Miracle series.

[Michael C Lorah]

atanamar:
None of us have seen Countdown yet, so we can't possibly even guess about that.

I think that none of us think you NEED to know this info (being 52 issues long, Countdown certainly has room to bring everybody up to speed), but it might be info that some readers would like to have. It's more about providing a service to the readers who might be interested in some of the antecedants to this stuff than it is about making Countdown understandable.

Spaz Monkey:
I'll be right in front of you in line.

[Troy Brownfield]

Originally Posted by atanamar

I love this kind of stuff, and I'm now interested in digging up the original series.
HOWEVER, I honestly think that by even hinting that you need to understand all of this to get into Countdown is going to drive potential readers away.

You know, that's a fair point. I could see how someone might be intimidated by the scope of something like this.

On the other hand, I got a lot of postiive responses for my Infinite Crisis background pieces, including people that told me that the book made more sense with that kind of info available.

Ultimately, we intend things like this, or the Civil War pieces and so on, to be fun features that offer a good supplemental reading experience (without scaring anyone off. )

[Malekith]

Originally Posted by delawarejoel

I spent a year digging thru back issue bins to get this series - only the first five issues have ever been collected in trade - and loved every issue. Reading this article makes me want to go fish them out and read it over again...there have been many many attempts to resurrect the 4th World over the years and only a handful have ever been at all successful; the Cosmic Odyssey mini that Starlin and Mignola did ages ago come to mind, but this is really the top of the heap. There are only a few writers who have the cosmic depth to do anything like this, Simonson is one, Starlin another, maybe Keith Giffen. If its true that Starlin is taking on the 4th world next year I for one will be thrilled.

Starlin IS coming and a new era of greatness is about to start. I can hardly wait for this!

[nwspencer]

Seems like as good a time as any to once again say it: Walt Simonson is one of the best, most innovative, and most under-rated creators in all of comics history.

I miss seeing his art-- so distinctive. The guy seemed to have a hand in almost every series I enjoyed as a kid.

[deathshead2]

I always thought the forth world was cool. So i'll go back issue hunting for Orion. Its also explains why Orion is fighting Firestorm doesn't?

[atanamar]

Originally Posted by Troy Brownfield

You know, that's a fair point. I could see how someone might be intimidated by the scope of something like this.

On the other hand, I got a lot of postiive responses for my Infinite Crisis background pieces, including people that told me that the book made more sense with that kind of info available.

Ultimately, we intend things like this, or the Civil War pieces and so on, to be fun features that offer a good supplemental reading experience (without scaring anyone off. )

Myself, and I'm sure tons of people love these pieces, and I really appreciate when you guys do them.
What I'm really referring to is the atmosphere I'm starting to become aware of on these boards and in comic stores, that DC is wrapping itself further in the cloak of continuity, making it impenetrable to new readers, while Marvel is opening comics to a new world of readers.
That's not how I feel personally, as I love this stuff, but that's just the vibe I'm getting.

[Somebody]

Originally Posted by Malekith

Starlin IS coming and a new era of greatness is about to start. I can hardly wait for this!

This is the guy who had Darkseid waving around "a piece of pure anti-life", right?

[DaVeO]

Anyone ever read the first Super Powers mini based on the toys? It was actually steeped in Fourth World mythology.

[s*p rules]

Wow - you guys (meaning Troy, Michael, etc.) never fail to impress with the way you can paraphrase enitire series or histories of characters, no matter how convoluted. Thanks so much for this - your "cliff notes" add to and help so much while reading current storylines of crossovers.

Let me ask this - with your description of Mr. Miracle's control of the anti-life (which I never new about - I thought he was just an escape artist), he now seems like a Black Bolt-type character, who could cause great damage with just a spoken word, but perhaps even much, much more powerful. Is that a fair assesment? Does anyone in the DCU outside of the Fourth World characters know how powerful he is (such as his JLI teammates)? Does Darkseid? And is MM dead now, or just retired as Mr. Barda, letting Shilo have all the fun?

[dalunt]

Honestly these pieces actually make me MORE excited about Countdown cause now I know a lot more info than I did about the New Gods and DC in general.

Thanks!!

[Unknown]

Are you sure this series wasn't retconned by Infinite Crisis?

[Michael C Lorah]

Originally Posted by s*p rules

Wow - you guys (meaning Troy, Michael, etc.) never fail to impress with the way you can paraphrase enitire series or histories of characters, no matter how convoluted. Thanks so much for this - your "cliff notes" add to and help so much while reading current storylines of crossovers.

Let me ask this - with your description of Mr. Miracle's control of the anti-life (which I never new about - I thought he was just an escape artist), he now seems like a Black Bolt-type character, who could cause great damage with just a spoken word, but perhaps even much, much more powerful. Is that a fair assesment? Does anyone in the DCU outside of the Fourth World characters know how powerful he is (such as his JLI teammates)? Does Darkseid? And is MM dead now, or just retired as Mr. Barda, letting Shilo have all the fun?

Thanks, man.

I'm not that entrenched DC minutiea, but as far as I know, Scott is not dead, just enjoying some quiet time with Barda while Shilo takes some time in the spotlight.

In Orion, nobody knew that Scott has the Anti-Life Equation except for Orion, who was able to see it in Scott's aura only because he had had the Equation himself. Not even Barda knew about it, though the final issue implied that Scott was going to share that secret with her only.

Scott is able to speak, however. He learned to control his voice so that he can speak without using Anti-Life. As for how powerful this makes Scott, I guess that depends on how you define powerful. Orion conquered the universe in three issues with Anti-Life. Scott could probably do the same, but the cost is awfully high. In the issue in question, Scott actually sought out Orion to ask how he was able to rid himself of the Equation, which Scott himself had been unable to escape from. (Scott's inability to escape the touch of Fourth World is a theme of his, so this worked well in that context.)

[mdg1]

Originally Posted by DaVeO

Anyone ever read the first Super Powers mini based on the toys? It was actually steeped in Fourth World mythology.

Not that surprising, since Kirby wrote that mini...