Synopsis for "Learn... and Live!"
At Granny Goodness' Orphanage, Granny and her men bully Trainee Z asking about the origin of the Fourth World, but Trainee X stands up and answers for him. X's interference results in punishment to their entire class. During recess, a horde of Parademons attacks the trainees by Granny's orders, and both Z and X survive. X tries to convince Z to escape from Apokolips, but Z has a firm belief in Darkseid's ways.
The next day, the trainees go to Glorious Godfrey's class, where they fight automatons resembling Darkseid's enemies. Again, X causes the entire class to be punished after she hesitated on killing Big Barda's robot. Virman Vundabar takes the trainees to march around a firepit. During the march, Z tells X that the rebel Himon will help them escape. They run from Vundabar's soldiers, but they encounter Darkseid soon enough. It turns out Z betrayed X and lured her to a trap to expose her as an escapee. The tyrant then executes both trainees. Himon comes in and confronts Darkseid for using his trainees as pawns, and asks why he doesn't execute him too. But the Apokoliptian admits that Himon represents the "dream of freedom... of hope," and he cannot kill a dream, but he can make people afraid to dream.
Appearing in "Learn... and Live!"
Featured Characters:
- Trainee Z (First appearance; dies)
- Trainee X (First appearance; dies)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Darkseid (Flashback and main story)
- DeSaad
- Female Furies
- Glorious Godfrey
- Granny Goodness (Flashback and main story)
- Kanto
- Steppenwolf (Flashback only)
- Virman Vundabar
Other Characters:
- Avia (Flashback only)
- Highfather (Flashback only)
- Himon (Flashback and main story)
- Mister Miracle (Flashback only)
- Orion (Flashback only)
- Tigra (Flashback only)
Locations:
Items:
- Warhounds
- Vibro-Shiv
- Followers
- Shock-Prod
- Inferno Bolts
- Aero-Discs
- Mother Box
- Power-Spikes
- Boom Tube
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Map: New Genesis"
A detailed map of the different locations of interest in New Genesis.
Appearing in "Map: New Genesis"
Locations:
- New Genesis
- Supertown
- Bug Mound
- Lonar's Range
Synopsis for "Preview: The Beginning of the End"
Darkseid gathers his Elite to give them his last will and testament before the prophecy's fulfillment. The tyrant drops a piece of paper, and the members of his Elite rush learn to whom has he left Apokolips, but the paper only reads "To The Strongest..."
Appearing in "Preview: The Beginning of the End"
Featured:
Locations:
Synopsis for "Lost Pages: Orion and Big Barda Join the JLA"
Takion orders Big Barda and Orion to join the JLA to protect Earth against the imminent arrival of Mageddon, a primordial annihilator that shattered the old universe.
Appearing in "Lost Pages: Orion and Big Barda Join the JLA"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mageddon (Mentioned only)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Timeline: The New Gods"
A timeline providing information about the important events in the history of the New Gods.
Appearing in "Timeline: The New Gods"
Featured Characters:
- Big Barda (In a photograph only)
- The Forever People (In a photograph only)
- Beautiful Dreamer (In a photograph only)
- Big Bear
- Mark Moonrider
- Serifan
- Vykin
- Highfather (In a photograph only)
- Metron (In a photograph only)
- Mister Miracle (In a photograph only)
- Orion (In a photograph only)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Darkseid (In a photograph only)
Other Characters:
- Gods of Olympus (In a photograph only)
- Heroes of Earth
- Shazam (In a photograph only)
- Green Lantern Kyle Rayner (In a photograph only)
- Superman (In a photograph only)
- Supergirl (In a photograph only)
- Old Gods (Mentioned only)
- Tigra (In a photograph only)
Locations:
- Apokolips (In a photograph only)
- Earth (Mentioned only)
- GodWorld (Mentioned only)
- New Genesis (In a photograph only)
Items:
- The Source
- Godwave (Mentioned only)
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Map: Apokolips"
A detailed map of the different locations of interest in Apokolips.
Appearing in "Map: Apokolips"
Locations:
- Apokolips
- Armagetto
- Granny Goodness' Orphanage
- Himon's Workshop
- Female Furies Barracks
- Firepit Energy Procesing Plant
Synopsis for "Profile Pages"
Reference index providing biographies for characters from the New Gods.
Appearing in "Profile Pages"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Mortalla makes her first appearance in the profile pages in this special, but she doesn't appear in an actual issue until Orion #6.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Jack Kirby's Fourth World Recommended Reading:
- Forever People (Volume 1)
- Forever People (Volume 2)
- Mister Miracle (Volume 1)
- Mister Miracle (Volume 2)
- Mister Miracle (Volume 3)
- Mister Miracle (Volume 4)
- Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle (Volume 1)
- New Gods (Volume 1)
- New Gods (Volume 2)
- New Gods (Volume 3)
- New Gods (Volume 4)
- Orion (Volume 1)
- Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (Volume 1): issues #133-#148
- Jack Kirby's Fourth World (Volume 1)
- Death of the New Gods (Volume 1)
- DC Graphic Novel #4
- Genesis (Volume 1)