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Superman vs. Aliens II: God War, originally titled Superman/Aliens II: God War and also known as Superman/Aliens 2: God War, is a four-issue limited crossover comic book series that was first published by DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics from May-December 2002. It was written by Chuck Dixon, pencilled Jon Bogdanove, inked Kevin Nowlan, colored by David Stewart, lettered by Pat Brosseau, and edited by Philip Amara, Eddie Berganza, Tom Palmer, Jr., Philip R. Simon and Scott Allie, with cover art by Bogdanove and Nowlan.
Superman/Aliens II: God War was a sequel to 1995's Superman vs. Aliens.
In the overall Dark Horse crossover comics line, Superman/Aliens II: God War was preceded by Witchblade/Aliens/Darkness/Predator: Mindhunter and JLA versus Predator, and was followed by Batman/Aliens II and Judge Dredd versus Aliens: Incubus.
Publisher's Summary[]
#1: Superman faces the eternal ferocity of Aliens again in this explosive four-part series! Darkseid is bad enough, with his forces of Parademons and loyal henchmen on Apokolips, but, when a ship carrying the Alien brood crashes into his domain, will he finally find the key to creating a relentless, indestructible army? On a visit to New Genesis, Superman is welcomed by the New Gods, including Orion and Highfather. A warning predicts that a horror will soon visit New Genesis. Will even the might of the Man of Steel, combined with scores of super-powered beings, be enough to stop Darkseid's new hordes? An all-star creative team brings the now-classic Aliens to life with a superhero twist and they'll have you screaming for the next issue!
#2: When a ship carrying an Alien brood crashes into Darkseid's domain, he breeds a new horror to unleash upon the homeworld of the New Gods. Superman, visiting super-powered friends on New Genesis, must once again face the threat of the near-unstoppable Aliens when a hideous Parademon army — impregnated with Aliens — launches a merciless surprise attack on the otherwise peaceful planet. Dozens of super-beings rally to protect a world now covered with infected Parademons about to burst. Darkseid's horde is bad enough, but how deadly will their Alien spawn be? A surprise ending raises the stakes in this war to a level unforeseen by Superman and his mighty allies!
#3: Like all true heroes, Superman tries to protect life — all life — even in the pitch of battle. But Superman has rarely seen a scourge like the Aliens. While a few of these creatures may not be a match for one with Superman's near limitless powers, a few hundred of them unleashed like rats in the otherwordly utopia of New Genesis DOES pose a considerable problem. What's worse, these aren't just any Aliens, but the scions of Darkseid's Parademons, used as willing hosts for their master's devious machinations. But even THIS is not the ultimate horror. Darkseid has his sights set on a certain brooding inhabitant of New Genesis... and has saved the most insidious role for him!
#4: While Orion seethes, seeking vengeance on Darkseid for unleashing a Parademon/Alien horde on the New Gods, Superman attempts to focus on their mission — to find and incapacitate the Alien queen at the heart of this horrific infestation. Brainpower, as much as physical battle, bested the ravenous creatures in Superman's first encounter, but will the combined skills of Superman and the "gods" of New Genesis be enough to overcome hundreds of Darkseid's Apokolips-Aliens hybrids? And what will be the final fate of Orion, victimized by an alien face-hugger? Can even a New God withstand the shrieking birth of a chestburster?
Characters[]
- Superman
- Anaxia
- Big Barda
- Harrendous
- Highfather
- Ixix
- Jigundus
- Lightray
- Orion
- Darkseid
- DeSaad
- Jinn
- Kalibak
- Virman Vundabar
Reprint History[]
Cover to Superman/Aliens 2: God War trade paperback.
The series was collected in trade paperback form in July 2003 under the new title Superman/Aliens 2: God War, reusing Jon Bogdanove and Kevin Nowlan's cover for issue 1 as the cover artwork.
The series received its current title, Superman vs. Aliens II: God War, when it was collected, alongside the original Superman vs. Aliens and several other Superman crossover stories involving Dark Horse Comics characters, in the Dark Horse Comics/DC Comics: Superman trade paperback, released in August 2016. The release reused the cover art from Superman vs. Aliens II: God War #4.
Behind the Scenes[]
Superman/Aliens II: God War faced a number of unexplained delays between the release of issues.
The cast of DC's "Fourth World" series — Darkseid, Orion and the New Gods — were originally creations of legendary comics creator Jack Kirby, when Kirby went to work for DC in the 1970s. This was after Kirby had helped to create almost the entire modern Marvel Comics line in the 1960s with Stan Lee, including such iconic characters as The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Avengers and numerous others. The Fourth World characters have gone on to become regular side players in the Superman series, with the main villain, Darkseid rising to the level of one of the Man of Steel's most powerful arch-nemeses.
Series writer Chuck Dixon is a veteran of both DC and Dark Horse Comics, having worked as a writer on DC's flagship Batman title Detective Comics throughout the 1990s and having previously written stories for the Aliens/Predator/Aliens vs. Predator line such as Predator: The Pride at Nghasa.
Artist Jon Bognadove was a popular DC Comics creator having worked as the first artist on the 90s Superman series Superman: The Man of Steel.
Gallery[]
Issue covers[]
Other[]
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External Links[]
Preview of the first few pages of the story at the Dark Horse Comics website.