Olympia, what is that...
You've come of age, Cassandra.
As the daughter of Vandal Savage,
these are the things you should know.
This is the story of man.
- Of all mankind. Of one man. - _
The history of human evolution,
traced with the light of truth through time immemorial,
leads back to a time of darkness.
And to him. Man has known him by many names.
But the truths in these pages will define him as the savior called...
Vandal Savage.
We have a problem, sir. Incoming from space.
A meteorite?
What? No.
An armada.
KUIPER BELT SEPTEMBER, 08 00:55 UTC
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MOUNT JUSTICE SEPTEMBER, 08. 11:04 EDT
Hey, Stompin' Steve Lombard coming at you.
The Steve Lombard Sports Show brought to you by Good World Studios.
Get happy, sports fans. Football season is once again upon us.
And I've got the names of some up-and-comers
that are sure to be future first round draft picks.
- MARKOVIAN META-HUMANS - My picks for this year's
national high school all-star squadron.
Topping the list, from Henry Heywood high school in Detroit,
Wide receiver, Victor Stone.
Trust me, this kid is a touchdown machine!
Gather up.
Someone's come bearing gifts.
I think I love gifts.
Yes, I do love gifts.
Super-suits!
One for you, Violet.
Sorry, super-suit. Sorry.
And one for you, Brion.
Thank you. As you have clothing for action, now I do, too.
And of course, it is form-fitting.
As you super heroes seem to prefer.
Some of us.
Yours was specially designed by Fire of the Justice Leaguek
so it won't burn up from your lava.
Now you won't be naked when traing.
Thank you.
Naked was, uh, not my style.
What is wrong with naked? Forager is naked now.
Can I pretend I don't know that?
Fine.
Now Forager is not naked.
Wait. Did you say "training"?
The fire from the sky
had touched the ground not far away.
It seemed to call to him, and he was compelled to follow that call.
But an old nemesis found him first.
The cave bear was twice his size.
With claws and teeth evolved to shred flesh and bone.
And the bear set upon Vandal.
To eat him alive.
Connection established. Cycling encryption protocols
and patching through our private satellites.
You learn fast. Good.
Hello, old friend. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?
It appears we have uninvited guests on the way.
Anyone we know?
Unclear.
An armada of warships is currently beyond the Kuiper Belt
- on a course toward here. - Cassandra,
have you read the part about the bear yet?
Yeah. Yes. Yes, Olympia.
Ooh! That was my favorite part to write.
Can you alert the Justice League to this threat?
- MANHATTAN, SEPTEMBER 08 - Well, half the league
- resigned thanks to the restrictions... - 15:09 EDT
I persuaded member nations to impose.
And the other half don't have the firepower to stop an armada.
What about the leaguers deployed on their galactic goodwill tour?
I'm keeping most of them busy on Appellaxia.
The Green Lantern Corp?
Half the corp is battling the Reach thanks to us.
The other half is occupied fighting our partner.
What about Klarion?
- Project... - Rudapega.
Yes, I'd forgotten.
Well, we've done too good a job, old friend.
Fine.
I'll protect our interests myself.
In the game of life and death, fear makes one weak.
But when fueled by purpose beyond survival,
man can become powerful.
Vandal's quest for the Sky Fire gave him the power to defeat the bear.
And standing victorious
over the dead creature that once haunted his dreams,
Vandal felt...
like a God!
Baptized by the blood of his adversary,
the spearhead of human evolution had been forged.
METROPOLIS SEPTEMBER, 08. 18:21 EDT
FROM JEFFERSON IN LOBBY
You're quick, but mind the line.
This will teach you to be aware of your surroundings in combat.
Forager understands. Forager will try again.
Dick Grayson is quick, but mind the short arms.
This will teach Dick Grayson that Forager fights dirty.
Nice.
But... But I missed. And I fell...
Aim takes time to learn and falling is part of the game.
But you just demonstrated more control of your auras than ever before.
And I call that a win.
Good lava control.
Now you just have to hit me.
Perhaps I only hit you by accident.
But at least I'm not naked this time.
You should get one of these.
Got your covered, CK. As usual.
Guys, real improvement today.
You're ready for the next step.
- I am Vandal Savage of Earth. - THE WARWORLD. SEPTEMBER 08. 23:26 UTC
And my home world is off limits to all incursion or invasion.
Leave now or suffer the War World.
ACCELERATION DETECTED
Olympia.
Vandal, the armada is...
Accelerating.
So strange.
To risk attack by the War World is to quote certain death.
Cassandra, have you read the part about the bear yet?
Wait, what? Yes, Olympia. I have.
Death was nothing new to Vandal Savage.
So, he could sense when something was different about it.
The corpses lining the path to the Sky Fire warned him away.
But his quest urged him forward.
To the source of the Sky Fire.
A rock from out of the darkness.
Yet alive with light.
Heart racing, he reached out to touch this gift from the stars.
And was halted by intense pain.
And as blood and spirit drained away,
the last thing Vandal saw before surrendering,
was the shadowy but unmistakable form of man.
Mmm. Interesting.
What is it?
WARNING. APPROACHING THREAT WARWORLD
Father, more armada ships are heading toward Earth.
From the other side of the Solar System.
Someone's making a move on my planet.
Someone who knows War World can't be in two places at once.
I must rectify this,
or many ignorant humans will die.
It's hard to believe I'm here.
Training with heroes.
As children, my sister, brother and I would pretend to be
Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman in our play room.
I used to say Superman could beat anyone because of his powers.
Gregor argued Batman could beat Superman by outsmarting him.
That's stupid.
Why would they ever fight?
If they were being controlled by bad guys.
Nah, that could never happen.
It was just fun to think about. Man versus Superman.
Who would win?
In Forager's hive, there is a similar question.
Bugs versus New Gods. Who would win?
Man and Superman. Bugs and New Gods.
Balance is key for both species to co-exist.
But when balance is lost, when one species grows stronger than another,
it rarely works out well for the weaker group.
50,000 years ago, humans shared the world with another species.
The Neanderthal.
Humans must've hada genetic advantage over them.
They thrived and outgrew Neanderthals in number.
While the details are unclear,
Homo Neanderthalensis was driven to extinction,
while Homo Sapiens survived.
Then, whether through random
mutation,evolution, or something else entirely,
a new species of human emerged.
The first Meta-human.
Now humans share the world with Metas.
And we find ourselves grappling with the big question.
Can we all achieve balance?
Greetings, Darkseid.
Greetings, Savage. What news?
Our plan progresses. But an outside player threatens Earth.
To protect our investment, I require resources.
Our arrangement grants you this privilege.
The might of Apokolips is yours to unleash.
Send your request.
Our partnership is strengthened
by your benevolence and wisdom, Darkseid.
Indeed, Savage.
Indeed.
Sending the requisite details.
In his 50,000 years,
Vandal's ambitions have touched all of human civilization.
But in a single day,
the quest of another would change his purpose forever.
His name was Darkseid.
In our history's 13th century, he came from the planet Apokolips,
to claim the Earth for his empire.
But Vandal, known in this era as Genghis Khan,
ruler of the largest empire in human history,
had his own plans for his world.
Backed by two of his gifted sons,
the great Khan waged war against Darkseid's superior forces.
And were easily defeated.
But not before impressing Darkseid with their unique genetic gifts.
Sire. Sturdy stock for the anti-life equation.
Eyes opened by his opponent's power,
and the fact of his existence,
Vandal seized the moment and made a proposition.
Together, Savage and Darkseid would conquer the galaxy.
Intrigued by this brazen human,
and the gifted armies he might raise,
Darkseid agreed.
Both men knowing that when the galaxy fell,
Earth and Apokolips would wage a final battle.
Winner take all.
Then he said,
"Your experience in Markovia's genetics program
"casts a questionable light on your resume, ma'am."
I'm only 34. Is that when you become a "ma'am"?
I am not touching that one.
Kids today.
How are they doing, Jeff?
Getting more comfortable with their abilities every day.
Helga, I'm sorry I haven't been able to get you more time with them.
It's just...
Jeff, please. It's all right.
I understand your friend's point of view.
You people have more experience training
Meta-kinders than I do.
You were kind to even try to keep me and Brion in Halo's lives.
Hey. Who says we're done trying?
The Art of Warsays,
"Divine art, of subtlety and secrecy.
"Through you we learn to be invisible."
Tonight, you'll choose a word
that will help you become invisible to our enemies.
Tonight, you choose your cryptonym.
Yournom de guerre.
Yeah, those are Dick's fancy words for "code name".
Yes. Our superhero names.
It sounds a little silly,
but you need one for our field comms to keep
your identity secret from the bad guys.
I'm Halo. It was the first name you gave me, and I like it.
I'm Violet at home. I'm Halo during a mission. Halo.
Halo is a beautiful name and describes your powers well.
I will take a name that describes my powers, too.
From now on, call me...
Hot Lava.
What? In my new form-fitting super-suit,
I bring the hotness, do I not?
Hot Lava!
I'm not calling you Hot Lava.
Agreed.
All right. All right.
Seriously, then.
Dr. Jace had a name for the powers in my bloodline.
She called it, uh, Geo-Force.
Huh. Geo-Force. That's a bit less of a stripper name.
Says the girl named Tigress.
Says the guy who took his name from an 80's mullet rock band.
Not true.
Okay. Forager, what's your codename?
Um. Forager is... Forager.
If it ain't broke...
Great. Names chosen. Time for team maneuvers.
Miss Halo.
Thank you, Mr. Geo-Force.
Maneuver seven, people! Go!
- DORT CLOUD. SEPTEMBER, 09. 01:47 UTC - Vandal once wrote,
"It is better to capture an army than to destroy it."
He had learned that more can be gained controlling men in peace
than in the chaos of war.
For war is death. Death is waste.
And life should not be wasted while it may yet be controlled
to serve a greater purpose.
So, your Eroson spears don't work out here.
Savage?
Kalibak. Darkseid honors us by sending his favorite son.
Watch as I prove I am the only son
who should concern you.
Kalibak has daddy issues.
Disgusting.
Vandal would never waste a life that might yet be...
- controlled to serve a greater purpose. - controlled to serve a greater purpose.
Both armadas suffer annihilation,
and still do not respond to our hails.
Why?
I know how to win this.
Cassandra...
The War World is yours to command.
Yes, Father.
The control diadem will make you one with War World.
But your consciousness will be no more than a drop
in an ocean of circuits and steel.
Do not try to move the ocean.
Focus on what must be done.
And the ocean will move for you.
I understand.
Vandal, then known as the demigod hero, Marduk,
led his children into battle against the star creature.
Its origin unknown.
Its intent. To enslave all of Babylonia.
Marduk's Babylonia.
Amidst the carnage, Marduk's son Nabu fell to the scourge.
But Marduk did not stop to mourn him.
Instead, he led his daughter Ishtar forward.
Daughter. Cassandra.
I...
I am the War World.
As only a strong mind could be.
Check long-range sensors.
Yes. There is another ship.
In the darkness, holding out of range of our weapons.
That is where I must go.
God.
Remind me never to take you on a covert mission.
You are bad at this.
Here. Let me help.
Marduk, the demigod, and Ishtar, his daughter,
raged against the star creatures.
In a battle for all mankind that shook the walls of Babylon.
The alliance between father and daughter
defeated the star creatures.
And in defending Babylonia,
in leading its people through the city's darkest hour,
Marduk and Ishtar together would become known by all as...
the Light.
All right, everyone. Excellent work.
You guys made real progress today.
Mastering your own abilities and working in concert with each other.
Plus the fact that you've chosen to stay together,
train together, fight the good fight at each other's sides, and...
Well, I... I, uh...
Careful. You almost sounded like big blue.
Now I think it's time to celebrate with some more s'mores!
S'mores? I love s'mores!
Holograms?
That's new.
All right, everyone, uh...
We're starting over.
Father,
you will always be Earth's first, last and greatest hero.
To fight at your side, to fight for humanity,
this has been the honor of my life.
Cassandra. Have you read the part about the bear yet?
Olympia, for the third time, yes.
That was my favorite story. Until today.
I'll record this new chapter immediately
while it's still fresh in my mind.
Olympia. We've been over this before.
We... We have?
My story must not be recorded.
I have long-term plans. Some millennia long.
They must never risk being revealed.
Tell me.
Why do you like the story of the bear so much?
It's the only story from before your encounter with the meteorite.
Before you became the savior,
Vandal Savage.
It defines who...
It was a mercy, Father.
Olympia's mind has been deteriorating for some time.
But she died happily in your arms.
I'll bring you her journal immediately.
A... And I will make the appropriate arrangements.
Please...
Any daughter of Vandal Savage deserves a funeral worthy of the Gods.
Do right by your sister.
Of course, Father.
For war is death, and death is waste.
A life should not be wasted while it may yet be controlled
to serve a greater purpose.
IN MEMORY OF MIGUEL FERRER
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