Alan Moore's Extreme was the mainstream reality of the Extreme Universe between 1996 and 1998, starting with Supreme #41 and ending with Supreme #64, which was published in 2012 but takes place in 1998.
Early days of the formation of Earth: On Ultima Thule, Gloriana Demeter sails with her mother Lady Demeter to the palace of the Earth Gods, on the lower boughs of Yggdrasil. They meet Hermes, God of Language, who gifts them his latest invention: The Book of Mercury, a tome made of language that contains all stories that were or will be. He instructs them to place it in the world of matter so that, when life arises, it will have meaning. Demeter places it in a cave on the infant Earth.[1]
In the Garden of Eden, Cain murders his brother Abel, committing the first murder. As punishment, Jehovah marks Cain's bloodline for all eternity.[2]
Ten million years ago: The influence of The Book on the area around its cave causes an early Hominid Giganthropithecus to develop intelligence. Later known as Giganthro, Son of the Dawn, he waited until he was old enough to investigate the cave rumored to hold the secrets of his origins. When he did, he had to battle a giant saurian with a semi-human head and brain who was later christened Dino-Man. Managing to get past him, Giganthro entered the cave and found The Book, but as the humanosaurus' pursuit was relentless, Giganthro threw it into a bottomless gulf and Dino-Man flung himself down in its wake. Shorty after, Giganthro was approached by the League of Infinity, a super-hero team made up of members from different time period which added Giganthro to its ranks.[1]
323 BC: The time-traveling villain known as Crypt slays Alexander the Great in combat and pries his sword from his dead hands.[3]
33 AD: Jesus Christ is crucified. Five objects he had touched--a basket from which he drew forth miracles, the Holy Grail, his crown of thorns, a sword that pierced his immortal flesh and nails that held him to the cross, become touched with raw, pure power. They spread around the globe, fiercely sought after by many parties, including the descendants of Cain, who know reuniting the objects would give them enough power to bring back Cain and have revenge on God.[4]
425:Bartelmew, later known as Troll, loses a game of cards against a warlock named Magnar Teufelsun. Because of this, him and all his people, the kobolds, are enslaved. Magnar had heard of The Book, lost for millions of years below Earth, and tasked the kobolds with finding it. With The Book's power, Magnar ruled.[1]
436: Bartelmew writes on The Book that his tyrant ruler, Magnar, is deposed. It comes to pass when Bram the Berserker, son of the frost-giant Buri, wages war on Magnar and raids his castle sinister with his army of Go-Berserks. After killing Magnar, Bram acquires The Book and writes himself to be a king.[5]
Bram rules for many years with Bartelmew as his friend until a campaign against a legendary Frost-Wyrnm, where Bram is overtaken by a drug-rage and bestows the book to Bartelmew.[1]
Bartelmew loses The Book to Merlin, Maximage of his time, in a game of cards. Merlin re-writes parts of the book to manipulate his stooge, Arthur, into power, and into ruling Camelot for a Golden Age.[1]
530: Camelot falls, and Merlin charges the keeping of The Book to Sir Giles DeVere, also known as the Winter Knight. While escaping the ruins of Camelot, the Winter Knight dodges ogres and bests his old enemy, the dragon Faralanx.[5] Bartelmew tries stealing The Book, but the Winter Knight freezes him in ice. He leaves the book to his order, who eventually become the Knights Templar.[1]
Norman Conquest: Bartelmew gets out of the Winter Knight's frozen trap.[1]
14th Century: When the Knight Templars are persecuted, some turn to piracy. One of them, Captain Compass, the Black Corsair, brings The Book to America. After his death, the book passes into the hands of a Salem witch-cult.[1]
17th Century: Collete DeLeon is born to a vampire French dignitary and a human woman. Because of her nature, she ages at a much slower rate than humans.[6]
1653: Deliverance Drue, a puritan adventurer, is born.[1]
In his adulthood, while burning out a nest of witches in New England, Deliverance Drue finds in their ritual belongings The Book, which he uses to extend his life.[1]
1867: Judd Langston, an escaped slave, becomes the vigilante Kid Thunder. In 1867, he has a misunderstanding fight with fellow heroes Brimstone Kid, the Lonesome Rider and Nighteagle, the Maximage of his time.[5]
1868: Deliverance Drue lives alone save for an oppressed servant named Eliza Smith. She meets Kid Thunder, who offers her protection, but Drue writes in The Book that Eliza gets pregnant and will not be able to escape. In revenge, the Kid steals The Book from Drue and rides west.[1] He meets Brimstone Kid and Nighteagle to see if he can learn anything about the book, but they flee, scared of its overwhelming magical powers.[5] Drue and Kid Thunder engage in a firefight, but Kid Thunder wins by crossing out Drue's name in The Book using his own blood. In his death, Drue curses Kid Thunder's lineage. A few months later, he meets Brimston Kid and Nighteagle, seeking advice on how to rid himself of The Book. They take it to one of Nighteagle's people's sacred sites and bury it.[1]
1895: Sir Edward Conqueror, hero of Victorian England for his exploits, most famous being his discovery of Conqueror Island, where prehistoric species still survive, visits America, intent on studying its archaeology. There, he excavates an old Indian burial ground, where he finds The Book.[1]
William Conqueror, his wife Suzanne and their son Charles go missing during a safari in the Congo. After William and Suzanne die of an illness, their son Charles is raised by lions, later gaining the name of Zantar, White God of the Congo.[1]
1905: Sir Edward Conqueror visits Africa in search of his lost brother William, William's wife Suzanne and their son Charles. He takes The Book with him, but is captured by tribesmen and killed.[1]
1918: Zantar, White God of the Congo, raids a group of tribesmen who worship the skeleton of Sir Edward Conqueror, who is still holding The Book. Not knowing Edward was his uncle, Zantar simply steals The Book to irritate the tribesmen.[5]
1919-1938[]
1920s: Zantar comes to America. In New York, he meets Jonathan Prophet, the famed Man of Marble. After an initial skirmish, Zantar gives him The Book.[1]
1925: Darius Dax falls through time from the year 1997, having become a rare mineral and landing in the town of Littlehaven.[8] Five-years-old Ethan Crane stumbles upon the rock, which grants him super-powers and turns his hair white. His dog Radar pulls Ethan out of the crash site, being exposed to the rock too, gaining powers and white fur. They're taken to Professor Horatio Wells, who studies the rock for days and names it Supremium. Soon, Ethan developed super-strength, resiliance and the capacity to fly. While killing a forest fire, the soot dyed his hair black, and the Cranes came up with the idea of dyeing his hair to protect his secret identity, as well as designing a costume from the clothes that were affected by Supremium. Radar showed similar powers soon after, gaining the nickname of the Hound Supreme.[7]
1930s: John Prophet fights Dr. Lucifer alongside the Phantom Aviator and The Fog. Although Dr. Lucifer's chateau is about to explode, John heads inside to confirm Lucifer's death. Before going, he gives The Book to the Phantom Aviator for safekeeping.[9]
Ethan becomes old enough to understand the responsibilities that come with his powers, and he begins protecting Littlehaven as Kid Supreme. His friend Judy Jordan is enchanted by Kid Supreme, while thinking Ethan Crane is everything he's not. He fights menaces such as Master Meteor, Korgo the Space-Bully and a young Darius Dax. Ethan often brings criminals to Chief O'Brien.
1933: Darius Dax steals Professor Wells' Supremium. To prevent it from harming Kid Supreme, the League of Infinity travel to 1933 and combine their abilities to pose as Kid Supreme, allowing him to defeat Dax. Afterwards, Kid Supreme joins the League.[7]
1934: Kid Supreme builds his first robot Suprematon decoy.[10]
1939[10]: After becoming of age, Ethan decides to move to Omega City. The day he announces his decision to his parents, they reveal they've adopted another child, Sally, Ethan's new sister. Before departing Littlehaven, Professor Wells tells Ethan he's always known he's Kid Supreme, and Ethan replies he will be simply Supreme from now on. Departing his hometown, Supreme begins building a stronghold where he can live in peace.[7]
1940[10]: Supreme completes his stronghold and hides it in an artificial cloud, naming it the Citadel Supreme.[7] Supreme donates his first robot Suprematon decoy as the first exhibit for the Souvenir Gallery Supreme.[10] From the Citadel, Supreme scans the world for evil from it while working in Omega City alongside Judy Jordan[7] and Jonas Tate[10] for radio station K-Zam. Throughout this time, Darius Dax menaces Omega City several times.[7]
When America enters World War II, Ethan Crane volunteers for the army.[11]
1943: The Phantom Aviator, Sergeant Blake Baron and his Marines squadron, the Roarin' Roughnecks, participate in an African campaign against Erwin Rommell. There, the Phantom Aviator catches some shrapnel, so the Roughnecks leave their company mascot to mind him, Sam Smith, grandson of Eliza Smith and Deliverance Drue. As the Aviator read his fate in The Book and knows he will die when Nazis shell that position in five minutes, he passes The Book to Smith,[5] who considers it family destiny. Smith escapes the German shells with a shoulder wound that makes him unfit for combat.[12]
Upon returning to America, Sam Smith uses The Book to conjure characters from fiction to fight crime, and gives himself the name Storybook Smith, the Literary Lawsman. Shortly after his discharge, he meets a woman named Miranda Creel. At their first date, he summons Captain Ahab to go to a seafood restaurant. Miranda falls in love.[12]
1946-1979[]
1946-1949: Storybook Smith captures the Crime Condor, after which the Allied Supermen of America ask him to join their ranks. It's all as Smith has written for himself in The book. They Allies meet Sergeant Black Baron and his Roarin' Roughnecks, who are surprised to see their old mascot, Sam, with the Allies.[12]
1949: December 31st: The Allied Supermen of America's party is interrupted by the Three Mayhe-Maniacs, spirits of New-Years-yet-to-come that challenge the Allies to visions of the future. The first vision shows the heroes the horrors of 1950s Nuclear panic; the second vision shows them the rampant corruption, drug-abuse, and racism of 1955; finally, the third vision shows them the spread of materialism, porn, unemployment and mental illnesses. After the spirits leave, and as the New Year's bell ring, the Allies decide to disband, understanding they can't handle the 1950s.[7]
1950s: Storybook Sam keeps his crimefighting career for a while, but it's strictly a hobby. He makes his living doing short horror stories on radio, sometimes conjuring the characters themselves to narrate. He lives with Miranda in Greenwich Village.[12]
Supreme obtains Amalynth, a planet turned into coherent light by the galactic villain Optilux. He dedicates a chamber of the Citadel Supreme to attempt to rematerialize them.[10]
Supreme captures the Televillain, Shadow Supreme, Vor-Em, and Korgo the Space Tyrant and imprisons them in his Hell of Mirrors.[10]
1954: Jonathan Flagg, TV reporter and World War II veteran, dates Mary Stewart[13] until he's killed by communists. His brother, Nelson, agrees to work with the government and participates in an experiment that sends his consciousness into Johnny's body. Afterwards, Nelson pretends to live as Johnny and uses his powerful physique to fight communists as the masked Fighting American.[14] Soon after, he faces The Buzz Bomber[15] with the help of Tommy Landers, a young studio usher who becomes Fighting America's sidekick Speedboy.[14] Together, they defeat threats such as Doubleheader,[15]Poison Ivan, Hotsky Trotsky,[13] and Invisible Irving[16] At some point, Speedboy is presumed[17] dead in action.[14] Afterwards, Fighting American meets General Jack Kurtz, who introduces him to Major Blake Baron and his Roarin' Roughnecks so that the Fighting American can learn to work with partners again. The Roughnecks become close allies to him.[18]
July 4: An alien spacecraft crashes in Russia. Colonel Kasanov arrives on the scene of the incident and kills every witness.[14] He uses the alien technology found on the crash site to slowly replace his organs with alien alloys, slowing down his aging.[18]
August 2: Fighting American liberates a village 100 miles south of Stalingrad.[14] While sieging Stalingrad, General Kurtz disappears after being captured by the Russians.[18]
Following Blake Baron's experiences with Third Reich occultists during World War II, he's transferred from the military to the top-secret paranormal research government agency known as The Veil. He investigates Storybook Smith for suspected Communist affiliations, but it comes to nothing.[12]
1958: Smith becomes an Opium addict from Dr. Fu Manchu and hangs out with various drug addicts, one of which steals The Book from his house. Sam falls into a depression and even hires Detective Gorilla to find his Book, to no avail.[12]
The Book was stolen by Marcus Langston's father, a descendant of Kid Thunder, who considers it worthless and gives it to his son. He re-writes The Book so that he doesn't die as a drug-addict at nineteen.
July: Supreme uses Suprematon S-1 to bring himself (as Ethan Crane) and his radio station K-Zam workmates, Judy Jordan and Jonas Tate, to the Citadel Supreme to grant them an exclusive broadcast. The Allied Supermen of America hear of this and decide to sneak into the Citadel, pose as wax statues and leave Supreme a clue so that he can flaunt his detective skills to his guests. After being found, everyone takes photos together.[10]
Supreme visits his sister Sally in Littlehaven for her birthday and gifts her a Suprematon Radar.[19] Suddenly, Darius Dax falls from the year 1997,[8] transformed into the Supremium Man, and his proximity gives Sally super powers, as well as turns her hair white. Supreme fights the Supremium Man, but he manages to make his way to Professor Well's Supremium meteor. Upon making contact with it, the Supremium Man becomes pure Supremium[19] and falls through time to 1925.[8]
1959: Storybook Smith becomes the host on a late night T.V. B-movie slot called Spooky Smith's Shock Shop, but he can't compete with Vampira and the others due to having no cleavage. He falls to alcoholism and ends up walking out of his home. A week later, Miranda Creel learns she's pregnant with Leanna Creel.[12]
1960: Florax the dominator invades Earth. Supreme, Professor Night, Glory, the Die-Hard, Mighty Man, Superpatriot, Roy Roman and Space-Hunter work together to stop it, founding the Allies.[20]
1960s: Daniel "Blacky" Conqueror and his team, the Conquerors of the Uncanny, make their headquarters in Conqueror Island.[1]
Sally Crane protects the town of Glenvale as Suprema while dating teen boy Troy Taylor. One day, Satana tricks Suprema and traps her in Hades, after which she takes her place and commits evil deeds as "Suprema". Upon the arrival of Satana's father, Sin, Suprema explains she was trapped using trickery, so Sin lets her go. Suprema proves she's the real her by rescuing an innocent cat.[21]
1962: February: Supreme battles the Supremium Man and defeats him using an Anti-Supremium Suit.[10]
1964: Darius Dax joins forces with Optilux, launching a joint attack against the Citadel Supreme.[10]
1965: Stupendo, the Simian Supreme, dies of Supremium poisoning.[10]
1969: After Optilux seemingly commits suicide, Supreme's parents pass on, and Judy Jordan learns karate and becomes involved in women's rights, Supreme decides to abandon Earth to find himself. He appoints his sister Sally, now called Suprema, to take over his duties.[22][21]
October 2nd: Gorrl the Living Galaxy returns to threaten the galaxy unless it can find a suitable human companion. Suprema agrees to marry it to save Earth, and they depart to a black hole. Radar chases after them, but can't withstand the black hole and ends up slowing down his metabolism to a geologic crawl to survive in space.[21]
1970s: At age 22, Marcus Langston designs his battlesuit, becoming the first modern hero. Shortly after, he marries his lab partner, Elizabeth Hughes. Soon after, he becomes a founding member of Youngblood. It is all as he wrote it in The Book.[12]
1971: May: Visiting Amalynth, Supreme is approached by the Jack of Lanterns, the power source of Supreme's ally Jack O'Lantern. Acting as a gateway of reality, he warns Supreme to turn back, but Supreme ignores the warning and crosses into the borderlands of being. Afterwards, he uses his will supreme to draw back the curtains of all knowledge and existence, but glancing at the abyss of existence brings some of the abyss within Supreme, knocking him out and making him amnesiac.[22]
1986[]
Bored of his adventures, which he considers too tame, Sentinel rewrites the Book of Destiny to make reality nastier, shadowier and more violent, drawing forth a Dark Age.[12]
Operation: Knightstrike sends Chapel to kill Kustan Hakmed, poster child for anti-American intelligence, in Liban. The raid is unsucessful, as Kustan isn't home and his daughter dies instead. Following this, he swears revenge on the Americans responsible.[23]
1989[]
July 8th: Chapel #1 - Operation: Knightstrike sends Chapel to kill Kustan Hakmed in Africa, where he's selling stolen super soldier serum. Chapel completes the mission.
July 10th: Operation: Knightstrike attempts to give Chapel another assignment, but he wants to take a vacation. Knightstrike agrees to give him as much vacation time as he wants as long as he completes his next mission, killing Albert Simmons.[23]
1990[]
Max Streebecke, a catcher for a minor league baseball club out of Salem, North Carolina, comes home to find his wife and two kids have disappeared.[6]
1996[]
August[24]: Supreme #41 - Supreme returns to Earth to find it revised after the events of Shattered Image, and all of the past written above this line slowly comes into shape. After visiting the Supremacy, he's locked in chains[25] and replaced by this revision's version of Supreme, who has only now arrived on Earth after being amnesiac in space since 1971.[22]
1997[]
August 30th: Judgement Day: Alpha #1 - Sentinel steals the Book from Riptide's room, killing her in the process. To hide his crime, he manipulates events by writing them into the book, making Knightsabre place himself in the scene of the crime to incriminate him.[12] After being found by Vogue, Masada and Badrock, they take the news to Sentinel and Shaft, who call Officer Dragon to handle the case. Reconvening with Diehard, Officer Dragon decides they'll need a special courtroom to keep civilians out of the matter. Diehard uses his Allies connections and contacts Supreme, who supplies his Citadel Supreme to host the trial, Katherine McKinnon to act as Judge, Shona Shane to act as prosecutor and Toby Tyler as defense.
Judgment Day: Omega #2 - As the trial progresses, the President's administration decides it's bad press and cuts Youngblood's funding, disbanding the team.[26]
Early December: Shaft forms a new Youngblood team with the help of Waxey Doyle.[28]
December 24th: The new Youngblood debuts by fighting Stormhead.[29][30]
1998[]
Youngblood #1 - Youngblood fights The Occupant, an alien entity that escaped from the secret organization known as The Veil.
Youngblood #2 - Sentinel escapes the Hell of Mirrors and puts together Badblood to exact revenge on his old team. His plan doesn't go his way and he escapes before the new Youngblood can capture him.
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