Earth-AD

Earth-AD is the Earth after disaster. In this post-apocalyptic, Planet of the Apes-inspired world, humans are hunted by anthropomorphic animals who have taken man's place. Trying to survive among them is Kamandi, the (proverbial) Last Boy on Earth.

History

The Visionaries

The story of Earth-AD begins in the future of a parallel dimension. A race of aliens known as the Visionaries forecast the future destruction of Earth in a cataclysm that would come to be known as the Great Disaster. The visionary who discovered this, Prof. Z, addressed the Council of Science and mapped out the precise incidents that would lead to the planet's ruin. He told them that the planet's industrial barons would rise to power and a civil war would ensue which would lead to a calamity known as the "Great Disaster". Seeking to prevent such a future from coming to pass, the Visionaries came to Earth and established a network known as the Global Peace Agency. In order to keep their alien origins a secret from Earth's populace, they used cosmetic spray to obscure their features. The people of Earth believed that the Global Peace Agency was made up of world leaders from various nations who intentionally hid their features so as to promote equality between races and cultures. The Global Peace Agency began policing the planet, incarcerating vast numbers of crime lords, corrupt politicians and potential megalomaniacs. Prof. Z however was dubious of their efforts. Though the GPA was making great strides in their efforts to eradicate crime, he still believed that Earth was destined to fall in the Great Disaster.

The One Man Army Corps

One of the GPA's premier scientists, a human named Professor Myron Forest created a powerful satellite computer system called Brother Eye to help oversee Earth's affairs. He also became provincial in transforming an army stockroom clerk named Buddy Blank into a one-man army corps. Using the name O.M.A.C., Buddy worked in the interests of the Global Peace Agency in fighting Earth's enemies. One of his most dangerous foes was the criminal scientist Doctor Skuba.

The Great Disaster

For all of OMAC's efforts, the Great Disaster could not be averted. Very little is known as to the true causes of the Disaster, but what scant evidence exists points towards a mysterious energy wall known only as the Vortex. Earthquakes and tidal waves erupted all across the globe and the nations of Earth found themselves at the mercy of nuclear Armageddon. Shortly before the final bastions of humanity were to fall, a scientist named Doctor Michael Grant invented a mutagenic chemical known as Cortexin. Although he would not survive long enough to witness the fruits of his labor, the Cortexin drug would succeed in carving out its own legacy in the wake of global annihilation.

Following the Great Disaster, Buddy Blank found himself cut off from the satellite Brother-Eye. He retired as OMAC and set out to eke a new life for himself as ordinary Buddy Blank in this new post-apocalyptic era.

The ambient radiation left behind by the Great Disaster interacted with the Cortexin levels in many of Dr. Grant's laboratory test animals. Over the course of two generations, the animals began to mutate, and their progeny eventually developed anthropomorphic traits including human intellect and the ability to walk upright. With time, these Animal Men inherited the Earth and became the planet's dominant life form. Humanity was left devoid of all culture and social structure, and slowly began to de-evolve into a lesser species (Whether the Cortexin Effect had anything to do with this process is unknown).

The Last Boy on Earth

Decades later, the aging Buddy Blank returned to an army compound located in the ruins of New York City named Command-D. By this time period, the tribes of the Tiger-Men under the Great Caesar had erected the Tiger Empire. Their domain covered most of the Eastern seaboard of the United States. Buddy was careful to conceal himself or else risk becoming prey to the Empire's anti-human initiatives. Buddy sired a child who in turn later gave birth to a son named Kamandi. Kamandi's name was derived from the bunker in which he had been born (Command-D).

Points of Interest

Command D

Command D was an abandoned Air Force bunker and the birthplace of Kamandi.

Electric City

Electric City was one of the major metropolitan centers located in the Eastern United States. It was one of the primary patrol routes of OMAC.

Great Western Wall

The Great Western Wall, also called the Wondrous Western Wall, is a huge golden wall of unknown construction which seems to divide the world. Beyond it, in Australia, is the Vortex which caused the Great Disaster.

Mount Everest

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth. The mountain, which is part of the Himalaya range in High Asia, is located on the border between Sagarmatha Zone, Nepal and China. Before the Great Disaster, Mount Everest was one of the primary base of operations for the Global Peace Agency.^[1]

Sun-Palace

The Sun-Palace was a palatial raised estate owned by an aging crime boss known as the Godmother. OMAC and a team of GPA agents raided the Sun Palace and interrupted an illegal transaction between the Godmother and Crime Cartel manager Fancy Freddy Sparga.

Transplant Terminal

The Transplant Terminal was a factory specializing in brain transplants in Electric City. The Eastern regional manager of the Crime Cabal and director of the "Body Shop" was Fancy Freddy Sparga.

Residents

• Ben Boxer
• Buddy Blank
• Dr. Canus
• Dr. Skuba
• Doile
• Flower
• Great Caesar
• Kamandi
• Mylock Bloodstalker
• Myron Forest
• Norman
• Pyra
• Ramjam
• Renzi
• Sacker
• Sergeant Ugash
• Spirit
• Steve
• Sultin
• Tuftan

Races of Earth-AD

• Animal People
  • Ape People
  • Barracuda People
  • Bat People
  • Boar People
  • Caterpillar People
  • Coyote People
  • Crocodile People
  • Dog People
  • Dolphin People
  • Gopher People
  • Leopard People
  • Lion People
  • Lizard People
  • Puma People
  • Rat People
  • Sloth People
  • Tiger People
  • Wolf People

Factions

Crime Cabal

The Crime Cabal was a criminal mob that existed in the early years before the Great Disaster. Led by a regional manager named Fancy Freddy Sparga, the Crime Cabal was located at the Transplant Terminal in Electric City. The Crime Cabal's primary source of income came from the "Body Shop", a racket that used a surgical computer to perform brain transplants. Freddy Sparga's agents would abduct healthy, young donors and bring them back to the Terminal to perform the transplant. The Crime Cabal's clients included wealthy socialites of low moral fiber who were in ill health, or slowly succumbing to the rigors of age. The Global Peace Agency sent OMAC to shut down the Crime Cabal. Fancy Freddy learned of OMAC's involvement and tried to have him assassinated. This tactic failed however and OMAC eventually engaged the Cabal scientists at the Sun-Palace of one of their clients, the Godmother.^[2]

Intercorp

Intercorp was a cabal of criminal scientists. They invented a powerful robot called Murdermek and sent it backwards in time with the mission to assassinate Norman Blank, the ancestor of OMAC. OMAC raided Intercorp's laboratory, fought the scientists and followed Murdermek backwards in time, after which, the remaining scientists destroyed the time-transmitter technology.^[3]

International Communications and Commerce

International Communications and Commerce (IC&C) was one of seven corporate powers that waged war against the Global Peace Agency in the years leading up to the Great Disaster. They were led by Wiley Quixote, President of IC&C and Commander-in-Chief of its military apparatus. IC&C dominated the American industrial center and controlled everything west of the Mississippi River. Quixote's primary rivals was the barony of the Eastern regions Verner Bros. Inc. Quixoite succeeded in recruiting OMAC into fighting on IC&C's behalf, but OMAC only did so because he felt that his involvement would make the war quick with minimal casualties. The Chief of Operations for the company was an alien from Vision named Mextaxa. Mextaxa was charged with training OMAC with how to lead the company's military forces. One of the most brutal battles of IC&C's war against Verner Bros. Inc. took place in St. Louis, Missouri. Led by OMAC, IC&C proved victorious with only 15,352 casualties. The opposition lost over 41,000 men.^[4]

Tiger Empire

The Tiger Empire emerged in the years following the Great Disaster. Led by Great Caesar, the Empire dominated what was left of the Eastern United States.

Verner Bros. Inc.

Verner Bros. Inc. was one of seven corporate powers involved in a civil war that devastated the United States. Verner Bros. Inc.'s opponents were the industrial giant International Communications and Commerce. Their forces clashed in a brutal battle in St. Louis, Missouri.^[5]

Notes

• In the Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium this Earth was named "Earth-295"^[6] with Earth-86 being a variant where the Great Disaster was an atomic war and also populated by the Atomic Knights and Heracles.
• It was implied that this world (or one very similar to it) was one of many futures for Earth-One.^[6]
• This version of Earth-AD, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the Multiverse in the 1985-86 Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series. Following the events of Infinite Crisis and 52, a new Multiverse was created. One of the fifty-two parallel worlds was designated Earth-51. Earth-51 is a modern day analog to Earth-AD though it is the product of a genetic experiment gone wrong rather then an atomic war or natural disaster.
• This Earth was later fully restored to the Multiverse by the events of Convergence.
• A variant version of Earth-AD was depicted in the Elseworlds saga, Kamandi - At Earth's End.

Trivia

• Many aspects of Earth-AD's culture and environment are inspired by science fiction novels such as Pierre Boulle's La Planète des Singes and Richard Matheson's I Am Legend.
• Jack Kirby later re-imagined his post-apocalyptic Earth-AD concepts when he collaborated with Alex Toth for the 1980 Ruby-Spears animated series, Thundarr the Barbarian.

See Also

• Characters from Earth-AD
• Other things related to Earth-AD
• Earth-AD's Comic Appearances
• Reality Gallery: Earth-AD

Links and References

References