History ComicBook / EightBillionGenies

** At the start of the story, Ed is DrowningHisSorrows over the loss of his wife and his struggles as a single father to raise his son Robbie, drinking himself to sleep and angrily ranting when Will offers to give him coffee instead until he realizes that Robbie si right next to him.
** Creator/ErnestHemingway, Creator/DorothyParker, and Jim Morrison were all avid drinkers and the Remnants of them produced from people's wishes are no different. They spend almost all of their page time drinking at Will's bar and refusing to pay until Will complains. Ernest goes into a tirade when Will prepares to refuse service until Ernest can pay his tab, whereas Dorothy asks for martinis so she's soused when she inevitably goes poof from NoOntologicalInertia.

* KidHero: [[spoiler:Twelve-year-old Robbie uses his wish to become a superpowered hero strong enough to protect his parents from harm.]]

* Egopolis: A good chunk of the southern [=US=] is turned into "Dougland".

* ArcNumber: "Eight". All eight billion people on Earth have their own genie to grant one wish of theirs. The story tracks the effects of the genies in multiples of eight. Eight seconds, eight minutes, eight hours, eight days, and so on.

* {{Wishplosion}}: This turns out to be [[spoiler:the ''point'' of the whole thing. The genies will keep returning to Earth for as long as its sentient population collectively feels unfulfilled before reaching a certain size. Every time they do, the person with the last genie has the exclusive right to wish for something that resets the whole thing with different conditions. There is a rumor amongst the genies of an "ultimate wish" that'll permanently satisfy all human needs and desires forever, ending the cycle of genies but none of them know what it is; a single genie gets left behind to live on the new world each time to try and figure out what it is. It turns out to be for everyone to love the way they wish themselves to be loved. This results in an Earth with a population of eight billion, but no genies this time around.]]

* {{Wishsplosion}}: Two-fold; The genies will keep returning to Earth for as long as its sentient population collectively feels unfulfilled before reaching a certain size. Every time they do, the person with the last genie wishes for something that resets the whole thing with different conditions. There is rumors amongst genies of an "ultimate wish" that'll permanently satisfy this need forever, but none of them know what it is.[[spoiler: It turns out to be for everyone to love the way they wish themselves to be loved. This results in an Earth with a population of eight billion, but no genies this time around.]]

* {{Vampire}}: One man used his wish to become a bloodsucking vampire and make a meal of Wang, who is on his way to the Lamplighter Bar for his scheduled meeting. The vampire has an UndeathlyPallor and refers to blood as "sweet-red Kool-Aid".

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The genies are benevolent enough to give advice and repeatedly warn people to be mindful of what they wish for as their intent will affect the outcome. Perhaps more importantly, the things they ''don't'' intend are utterly ignored; ooe page shows a man who wished to be a giant large enough to be seen from space, only to start suffocating from the lack of oxygen in the upper atmosphere.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The genies are benevolent enough to give advice and repeatedly warn people to be mindful of what they wish for as their intent will affect the outcome. One page shows a man who wished to be a giant large enough to be seen from space, only to start suffocating from the lack of oxygen in the upper atmosphere.

* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: A copmmon wish is to grow gigantic, with everyone from children to adults wishing to tower over buildings. One page shows that a man wished to grow so tall he could be seen from space... and [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome promptly begins to suffocate from the lack of oxygen since his head in the stratosphere.]]

* GenreSavvy: Robbie says that he's read enough comic books to know that [[WhoWantsToLiveForever wishing for immortality is a very bad idea that could go wrong any number of ways]]. He instead uses his wish to [[spoiler:become a superhero capable of defending himself and his parents while searching for another save haven for them.]]

* GeniusLoci: ''Someone's'' wishes have given the Earth a face, arms, and legs, while another wish has made the moon a ravenous being that devours Santa Claus and his reindeer.

* HateSink: Bernie Haysmith threatened Wang's family, career, and ability to stay in the U.S., forcing Wang to commit corporate espionage and steal an entire company's prized secrets for personal profit. Then, when Wang refuses on account of Bernie's blackmail being meaningless with society all but collapsed, Bernie tries to wish Wang dead. Readers would be hard-pressed to fault Wang for shooting first.

* PapaWolf: Wang is incredibly protective of his wife and unborn child, declaring that if anything should happen to the, the perpetrator will answer to him. After leaving the bar for his appointment at the Lamplighter Bar, he has no problems with murdering anyone he deems a threat to himself or his family, be it a vampire or the man who blackmailed him and was about to wish him dead.

* StarstruckSpeechless: A Remnant of Jim Morrison was wished for by a man named Andrew Elizondo who wanted to have sex with him. But Andrew was so starstruck he had a heart attack and dropped dead on the spot before anyhting could happen.

** At the start of the story, Ed is DrowningHisSorrows over the loss of his wife and his struggles to raise his son Robbie as a single father, drinking himself to sleep and angrily ranting when Will offers to give him coffee instead until he realizes that Robbie si right next to him.

* AssholeVictim: Bernie Haysmith is an unabashed criminal and corporate scumbag who blackmailed Wang Zhang into committing corporate espionage. When Wang realizes that this blackmail is meaningless now that the world has been forever changed by the genies, Wang crushes the flash drive and prepares to leave in disgust. In response, Bernie attempts to wish Wang dead, only for Wang to react first and shoot an energy blast at Bernie's head. That said, the reader would be hard-pressed to feel sympathy for such a HateSink.

* LovePotion: When Daisy gets her genie, she immediately spends her wish to try and get Brian to fall madly in love wit her. Unfortunately for her and luckily for Brian, Will made his wish to render all wishes from outside the bar unable to affect the bar or whatever is inside, nullifying it. Brian is horrified when he learns what she wished for, as it would've denied his freedom to choose who he loved.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Ernest Hemingway initially presents himself as the gentlemanly scholar "Papa" upon arriving at the Lampwick. A few drinks later, Ernest is ranting about how his whiskey glass has run dry and calls Will a son of a bitch whose "shitty cantina" could be bought for a poem Ernest writes onto a napkin.

* CoolOldGuy: Will Williams is the proprietor of the Lampwick Bar and Grill who consistently serves as a voice of reason amidst the chaos. He's CrazyPrepared and ProperlyParanoid enough to have a bunker full of food and supplies in case of a major crisis and spent his first wish to turn his bar into a safe haven for himself and anyone else from the wishes of others. His past is mysterious and at some point he learned to speak fluent Mandarin Chinese, acting as a translator for Wang and Lifeng.

* LovePotion: When Daisy gets her genie, she immediately spends her wish to try and get Sam to fall madly in love wit her. Unfortunately for her and luckily for Sam, Will made his wish to render all wishes from outside the bar unable to affect the bar or whatever is inside, nullifying it. Sam is horrified when he learns what she wished for, as it would've denied his freedom to choose who he loved.

* ProperlyParanoid: When the genies first appear, Will Williams instantly decides to wish for all wishes made outside the Lampwick Bar and Grill to be completely unable to affect the bar and everything inside. It isn't long before dinosaurs, HumongousMecha, and superpowered people come roaring down the street, but Will's wish protects him, the bar, and everyone inside. Will says that he's seen enough friction happen to prepare for the worst, be it a natural disaster, military threat, or otherwise. His bar's basement is also a bunker stocked with everything from food and water to firearms, though he admits that no one could have possibly prepared for the genies.

* FadingAway: The genies fizzle away like a mirage after granting their person's wish. It seems to be a form of death for them, as their population gradually goes down along with humanity's as more and more wishes are made. And yet, the genies remain excited and willing to grant as many wishes as they can, going so far as to nullify wishes that would negate other wishes.

* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Wang shoots an energy blast from his PowerFist and swipes it across a vampire's torso to cut him in half.

* LiteralGenie: The genies will give you exactly what you ask for and follow it to the spirit of the letter. But they warn people to word their wishes very carefully to avoid unforeseen consequences.

* NighInvulnerability: Will wished for his bar to be completely immune to the effects of wishes made outside. As a result, even a fire-breathing carasaurus pounding on the roof fails to scratch it.

* HateSink: Bernie Haysmith threatened Wang's family, career, and ability to stay in the U.S.m forcing Wang to commit corporate espionage and steal an entire company's prized secrets for personal profit. Then, when Wang refuses on account of Bernie's blackmail being meaningless with society all but collapsed, Bernie tries to wish Wang dead. Readers would be hard-pressed to fault Wang for shooting first.

* PapaWolf: Wang is incredibly protective of his wife and unborn child, declaring that if anything should happen to the, the perpetrator will answer to him. After leaving the bar for his appointment at the Lamplighter Bar, he has no problems with murdering anyone he deems a threat to himself or his family, be it a vampire or a corporate executive blackmailing him who was about to wish hi mdead.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Ernest Hemingway initially presents himself as the gentlemanly scholar "Papa" upon arriving at the Lampwick. A few drinks later, Ernest is ranting about how his whiskey glass has run dry and calls will a son of a bitch whose "shitty cantina" could be bought for a poem Ernest writes onto a napkin.

* ComboPlatterPowers: Wang wishes to become whatever he needs to be to survive in the world forever changed by genies and for the abilities he needs to protect whoever he's with. In response, his genie gives him a futuristic combat suit, CharlesAtlasSuperpower, a variety of weapons including two {{Power Fist}}s that shoot powerful beams of energy, and a wide variety of skills from being able to speak English to hotwire a car.

* ApocalypseHow: The genies' arrival on Earth has triggered a Class 1 Apocalypse, as people's ill-thought out wishes lead to enormous death and destruction. Nearly 2 billion people, a fourth of Earth's population, die within eight days of the genies' arrival. A large part of the U.S. has been covered by a tarp labeled "Dougland", South America is a barren wasteland, and the planet has a chunk bitten out of it by the moon.

* ComboPlatterPowers: Zhang wishes to become whatever he needs to be to survive in the world forever changed by genies and for the abilities he needs to protect whoever he's with. In response, his genie gives him a futuristic combat suit, CharlesAtlasSuperpower, a variety of weapons including two {{Power Fist}}s that shoot powerful beams of energy, and a wide variety of skills from being able to speak English to hotwire a car.

* PapaWolf: Zhang is incredibly protective of his wife and unborn child, declaring that if anything should happen to the, the perpetrator will answer to him. After leaving the bar for his appointment at the Lamplighter Bar, he has no problems with murdering anyone he deems a threat to himself or his family, be it a vampire or a corporate executive blackmailing him who was about to wish hi mdead.

* PreMortemOneLiner: Just before finishing off the vampire that tried to kill him, Zhang says that if he has anything to say about it, the vampire will remain thirsty, ''forever''.

** [[spoiler:Robbie's]] superhero costume contains tons of references to other famous superheroes. His right arm is covered with metal like [[ComicBook/XMen Colossus]], he's got a shoulder pad akin to a 90sAntiHero, and UtilityBelt like ComicBook/{{Batman}}. He even shouts "Up, up, and away!" like ComicBook/{{Superman}} while stepping out the door.

* {{Vampire}}: One man used his wish to become a bloodsucking vampire and make a meal of Zhang, who is on his way to the Lamplighter Bar for his scheduled meeting. The vampire has an UndeathlyPallor and refers to blood as "sweet-red Kool-Aid".

->''"What would '''you''' wish for? Would you ask for something for yourself or take something from another? Would you help, or would you hurt? Would you change yourself, or change the world? And forget about '''your''' wish? What about '''everyone else's?'''"''

* AnimalMecha: Dave Masters, a disgruntled car assembly line worker, used his wish to get a "carasaurus" that could breathe fire and devour other cars after he lost his job when the factory closed.

''Eight Billion Genies'' is an eight-issue comic book series written by Charles Soule with art by Ryan Browne. It follows a world forever changed by the appearance of magical genies able to grant any wish imaginable and whose motives are shrouded in mystery. Meanwhile, Will Williams and the people inside his small Michigan bar grapple with their everchanging reality and what to use their omnipotent wishes on.

** A librarian named Frances used her wish to meet her literary heroes, Creator/ErnestHemingway and Creator/DorothyParker. Unfortunately for Frances, she got cuaght up in a storm of other wishes, including someone who asked for the MidasTouch, who killed her by turning her into a gold statue. Hemingway and Parker would eventually find their way to the Lampwick Bar and Grill to drink until they suffer from NoOntologicalInertia after Frances' death.

* NoOntologicalInertia: Downplayed. People and things created by wishes can last up to a few days following the death of the wisher. These "Remnants" will simply vanish a certain amount of time passes completely without warning. The Remnants of Creator/ErnestHemingway, Creator/DorothyParker, and Jim Morrison all go poof during issues 2 and 3, with Ed and Robbie worrying that this could happen to June if Ed were to die.
* TheOmniscient: Every genie seems to understand anything and everything that's going on even if they weren't present for it.

** Creator/ErnestHemingway, Creator/DorothyParker, and Jim Morrison were all avid drinkers and the Remnants of them produced from people's wishes are no different. They spend almost all of their page time drinking at Will's bar and refusing to pay until Will complains. Ernest goes into a tirade when Will prepares to refuse service until Ernest can pay his tab, whereas Dorothy asks for martinis so she's soused when she inevitably goes poof from NoOntologicalInertia.

** Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, and Jim Morrison were all avid drinkers and the Remnants of them produced from people's wishes are no different. They spend almost all of their page time drinking at Will's bar and refusing to pay until Will complains. Ernest goes into a tirade when Will prepares to refuse service until Ernest can pay his tab, whereas Dorothy asks for martinis until she inevitably goes poof from NoOntologicalInertia.

** A librarian named Frances used her wish to meet her literary heroes, Ernest Hemingway and Dorothy Parker. Unfortunately for Frances, she got cuaght up in a storm of other wishes, including someone who asked for the MidasTouch, who killed her by turning her into a gold statue. Hemingway and Parker would eventually find their way to the Lampwick Bar and Grill to drink until they suffer from NoOntologicalInertia after Frances' death.

* DominoMask: [[spoiler:Robbie's]] eyes when he becomes a superhero are covered by one of these as part of his wish to his genie.
* FadingAway: The genies fizzle away like a mirage after granting their person's wish. It seems to be a form of death for them, as their population gradually goes down along with humanities as more and more wishes are made.

* MassSuperEmpoweringEvent: A great deal of wishes lead to people wanting superpowers and becoming superheroes, kickstarting a so-called "Powered Age" eight days after the genies arrived. [[spoiler:Robbie is one of these people after he wishes to become someone powerful enough to protect his parents and help them find a safe haven.]]

* NoOntologicalInertia: Downplayed. People and things created by wishes can last up to a few days following the death of the wisher. These "Remnants" will simply vanish a certain amount of time passes completely without warning. The Remnants of Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, and Jim Morrison all go poof during issues 2 and 3, with Ed and Robbie worrying that this could happen to June if Ed were to die.

* ShoutOut: Ed namedrops ''Literature/TheMonkeysPaw'' to make sure his intent to his genie to bring back his wife June hale and healthy is clear.

* TakenForGranite: A poor librarian named Frances never got to enjoy her wish of meeting her literary heroes, Ernest Hemingway and Dorothy Parker, because she got turned into solid gold by someone who wished for the MidasTouch.
* UnsoundEffect: Wishes in the story are almost always accompanied with the onomatopoeia of "Wiiiiiiish!" followed by the genie fizzling out after completing its wish.