Superman & Batman: Generations
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Superman & Batman: Generations is the umbrella title of three Elseworlds comic book limited series published by DC Comics in the United States, written and illustrated by John Byrne.
The original was published as a four-issue limited series in prestige format; it was later collected as a trade paperback (ISBN 1-56389-605-2) in 1999.
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[edit] General overview of Generations
Each of the main articles devoted to the series holds in-depth summaries of the issues.
[edit] Generations I
It was a very different world in the late 1930s, when both Superman and Batman were introduced to eager fans. As the years flew by, DC writers adapted the storylines for these heroes to keep them current.
In Generations, John Byrne set out to answer the question, "What if superheroes aged." Generations is a four-part Elseworlds tale that begins with Superman and Batman at the beginning of their careers.
The tale encompasses the first collaboration between the two heroes in 1939 and then progresses through the years, in 10-year hops, as Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne age, marry and have children. We meet their sons and daughters, some of whom become heroes and some of whom do not. Characters (and costumes) evolve. And we watch as tragedies strike both families along the way. The final episode, which leaps into the far future of 2919 and the distant past of 1929, stars a Superman and Batman you might not expect to see.
Byrne even wrote some inconsistencies into the stories, acknowledging some of the lapses in continuity surrounding the characters' lengthy timelines. In the early days, for instance, neither hero balked at killing a foe, while in recent years use of lethal force is unheard of.
Byrne -- who both wrote and illustrated the story -- adapts his writing style somewhat throughout to mirror the tone of the era in question (the 1950s tale, for instance, could possibly be viewed as a bit sillier than the one from the grimmer '80s).
[edit] Generations II
Generations II, like its predecessor, was a 4-issue prestige format limited series; it dealt with other DC heroes in chapters in-between the stories of the first series. It was also collected as a trade paperback (ISBN 1-56389-990-6) in 2001.
The series, rather than dealing with a decade jump between stories like the original, took jumps of 11 years. Starting in 1942, each issue again told two stories, ending in the year 2019 at the end of the fourth issue. While the first series focused on the Batman and Superman families, the second featured other characters from the DC Universe, especially from the Justice Society and Justice League.
[edit] Generations III
Generations III was a 12-part limited series, published in 2003-2004 in standard comics format. It is a time-travel story that started in the year 1925, with each following issue taking another century jump except issues #7 and #8, who both partially dealt with the 26th century as well the 19th century. The story ended in the 30th century.
[edit] Wayne/Kent family tree
Over the course of the third series, Generations III, an impressive dynasty is created that spans many centuries. Most of this is undone by the story's end.
For clarification:
- Mei Lei was originally called Mei-Lai.
- Lara Wayne was originally called Kara.
- The identity of Bruce Wayne's wife was never revealed.
- Clark Wayne was adopted by Bruce Wayne Jr. after the death of both Joel and Kara Kent.
- Although a seemingly incestuous relationship, Bruce Wayne and Lara Wayne are not blood-related.
- Only the original Superman and Batman survive thanks to Kryptonian genes and immortality granted by the Lazarus Pit, respectively.
- Each of the children of the Wayne/Kent tree, and ultimately the original Batman as well, possess superpowers.
