Michael's Long Box: The Great Gen13 Re-Read (And Contest!), Part 5: Gen13 #5 (July 1994, Image Comics)

In case you missed the announcement, I'm undertaking a goal of re-reading every issue of Gen13 for the purpose of blogging about it now that we're celebrating the 25th anniversary of its publication! Yes, I am crazy. No, I am not going to share--dig up your own insanity.

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When last we left our heroes, John Lynch had grown a conscience and decided to help the Gen-13 bunch escape from the International Operations Project Genesis facility. He led the teens to a trash chute which would get them to safety, then said he'd be along after he had settled things up with Ivana. Since a whole sixty days have passed for 1994's devoted fans, best make sure we re-cap so you know who everybody is:

Does it appear to anyone else like Freefall, Grunge, and Burnout are all trying to pass kidney stones? Also, I'm a bit confused as to why Freefall isn't using her powers to at least keep herself from flying down the shaft uncontrollably. But whatever, it sets us up for the first few gags of the story as the five all land in a heap in a conveniently-placed dumpster outside the facility:

As silly as it seems, I love this because it's the first time all five of these 90's teenagers have actually gotten the chance to behave like 90's teenagers. This panel is a very needed reminder that, super-powered as they might be, they're still immature kids, and they're behaving like it.

After extricating themselves from the dumpster following some off-panel slapping, there's some indecision about what to do next. Burnout and Rainmaker want to regroup and get back into the brawl, and really who could blame them considering that they've gotten their asses handed to them at every turn so far. Fairchild on the other hand thinks this is a bad move. Lynch helped them escape because, despite their powers, they just aren't ready for that kind of fight. In her opinion, the best move they can make is to get as far away from I.O. as possible. There's just one problem:

At this point, it's a running theme: any time these kids manage to get outside the facility, someone or something shows up to get them back. Last time it was multiple squads of Ivana's Keepers. This time, it's Threshold who's come to make them an offer they can't refuse: join with him and they can rule the galaxy as Father and Son the world!

Since that's not about to happen, it's time for another action sequence. Five against one shouldn't be even remotely fair, and it's not...to the Gen-13 kids. While Threshold has been training all his life with his Gen-Factor abilities, the other five have only just awakened theirs. They have no concept of strategy, as Lynch pointed out last issue--they just go all-in one at a time, like the mooks in an 8-bit beat 'em up, allowing Threshold to brush them off like insects.

Burnout eats his own fireball.

Grunge loses an arm (don't worry, it's not permanent).

And Fairchild? Well, Fairchild winds up flat on her ass after a hair-pulling shoulder throw. Only her pride's wounded, but she also learns Threshold can read minds. How do you fight someone who knows what you're going to do before you do it? The answer will have to wait--time to check up on Ivana.

Well, well, well...she's been a busy little bee, hasn't she? Freezing the rest of the Gen-Active test subjects for shipment so she can play with them later...naughty, naughty, Ivana...but this does explain how she's able to form DV8 later, at any rate.

"That voice" in case you were wondering belongs to Lynch. With Ivana at gunpoint, he explains he can't let her take those kids and that he's personally going to shut down the Genesis program. Ivana shrugs and offers Lynch a seat on the helicopter, with a promise to let bygones be bygones. Lynch advances, putting the gun to her head at point-blank range. Still refusing to back down, Ivana reminds him that if he goes with her, she's perfectly happy to square things with director Craven. Lynch counters he doesn't need Ivana to square things with Craven if he's the only one making the reports. Ivana parries again, saying that regardless of what happens to her, the only thing Craven cares about is getting an army of SPBs for his own. If Lynch doesn't like that, well, then his only option is to kill her.

Lynch pulls the trigger, but...

Turns out Ivana's got a killer body in more ways than one. Cords of razor-wire shoot forth from her fingertips, wrap themselves around Lynch's leg, and yank him to the ground as more blades slice forth from her left arm.

Back outside the facility, Threshold's still gloating while Rainmaker and Freefall hide behind a rock, trying to figure out a plan. Again, Threshold extends the offer to join him. Fairchild reminds Threshold that Ivana holds his leash, and Threshold laughs, explaining his relationship with Ivana was one of convenience. Once she's awakened there rest of the Gen-Actives, Threshold will unite them into an army capable of taking down not only Ivana, but I.O. itself if they interfere. He digs into Grunge and Fairchild's brains, forcing them to kneel before him if they won't join him willingly.

To make matters worse, Bliss shows up to the party. Her attention is distracted by the unconscious form of Burnout, who she decides will be her new plaything:

Despite her plans, it's Rainmaker who winds up on top. The Apache sneaks up and hits Bliss with a stunning charge of electricity, then puts her in a submission hold. Rainmaker's plan is to trade Bliss in exchange for Threshold letting them all leave, and she's not above doing some incidental damage to make her point clear.

Back in Lynch vs. Ivana land, it looks like the bionic woman has the upper hand. Turns out Lynch is more than meets the eye himself though, and as alluded to in past issues (or you know if you've read previous Wildstorm titles), he's got powers of his own to drag out in emergencies:

Suddenly, Ivana can't control her razorwire cords. They wrap themselves around her, snugging her up like a sneering bondage princess. Two of her flunkies drag her into the waiting helicopter and work to untangle her as they take off. She can't help sneering though--Lynch might have won the battle, but she also knows his energy level tanks if he resorts to using his powers, leaving him barely able to move...and the whole facility's set to self-destruct in one minute. Lynch claims to have an ace up his sleeve, but whatever it is, he better be able to pull it off in the next few seconds, otherwise the Genesis facility will really take him out with a bang.

The explosion is powerful enough to catch Threshold's attention, and he watches as Ivana and her science team abandon Project Genesis to the desert winds. Fairchild tells him it's over, but the seething Threshold rounds on her, saying it's not over until he says it is, and that right now, he's prepared to kill them all and leave rather than admit defeat.

A spray of projectiles gets his attention, and we see Lynch has arrived on the scene, delivered to the area by his team of Black Hammers, who fired off some warning shots to make sure Threshold was listening. The next barrage, Lynch, says, will put Matthew six feet under.

Threshold, not impressed, asks what's to stop him from wiping them all out before leaving. Cue Rainmaker and Freefall, dragging Bliss in from stage right. Threshold, unwilling to risk the life of his sister, accepts the trade, but tells the group the matter isn't settled before flying off into the night.

Lynch, meanwhile, has effectively quit his job at I.O., but there's one little problem: they don't accept resignations, a fact Fairchild's own father found out first-hand. With Ivana free to report Lynch's treason to Director Craven, he has little choice but to go on the run with his new charges, keep them as safe as he can, and possibly mold them into a team capable of taking on Threshold, Ivana, and whatever else I.O. will throw at them. They all decide to stick together to see what happens, and the Grunge-man breaks the fourth wall to let us know the adventure ain't over yet! They got Gen13 #0 coming soon, and after that, the regular series will fire up in early 1995.

I know you can't wait!

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The book closes with a couple pages' worth of letters (not all of them full of praise for the Gen13 team), and three piece of fan art--two that are relatively good (including one dynamite black-and-white piece by Bill "Nira-X" Maus), and one that seemingly re-casts Freefall as a 40-year old woman with DD-cup boobs. I dunno, what do you guys think?

Following this, there's a short preview look at the forthcoming WildC.A.T.s animated series, with some storyboards, prototypes, sketches, and short write-ups on the people responsible for bringing the team to the small screen. Great stuff if you're into it, and that WildC.A.T.s series goes for serious bucks on DVD now.

As a wrap-up for this limited series, it's not bad: we still have plenty of questions to be answered, and the only thing that's really been resolved is the Project Genesis facility has gone up in smoke. Ivana's still out there, Threshold and Bliss aren't likely to go away for long, Lynch will be going it alone with none of I.O.'s muscle or technology to back him up, and these kids are going to have to figure out how to live together under one roof--hard enough for five regular teens, just imagine how much worse it is when one of them can literally set you on fire for not doing your share of the laundry!

Final Rating:

out of

Thanks for reading, and tune in next time when we take a look at Gen13 1/2, an exclusive book you couldn't get anywhere else except via order form from Wizard #30...at least until Image reprinted it themselves as Gen13 -1 a short time later. Because of course they did.

Hey, What About That Contest, You Krunk-Head?

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Oh, right! The contest! I nearly forgot.

So, here's the deal: if you've enjoyed what I've done with the work here, and you'd like to read the story for yourself, I'm giving away a copy of Gen13: Collected Edition:

Source: ComicBookDB.com

This softcover trade paperback collects all five issues of the Gen13 limited series in one handy, easy-to-read, 144-page book. All the artwork, all the story, all the action, and all of the Grunge. For one lucky reader, the dream of owning this not-very-hard-to-find and not-so-collectible book can be yours, shipped to you at my expense, as long as you live in the US (international shipping is a drag).

BUT WAIT! Just because you live outside the US doesn't mean you can't participate in the contest! I'm not that big of a jerk! So to sweeten the pot, I'm offering 5 full shares of @steembasicincome as an alternate prize to my international readers!

To enter, give me an upvote on this post, then down in the comments section tell me which of the five Gen13 kids is your favorite so far, and why. The deadline for entry will be in seven days from now, when this post pays out. At that point, I'll read through the entries and decide who wins this coveted gem from my collection (or 5 SBI shares if you'd prefer). So think about your choice, get those comments in, and I'll see you back here in seven days to announce the winner!

In the meantime, if you want more Gen13 action, you should hit up @cryplectibles or @blewitt, as they both run comic shops and can totally get you the hook-up.