Overview

A boom tube needs to be created by an external device, such as a Mother Box. The appearance of a boom tube is accompanied by a loud "boom" sound, hence the name. The New Gods refer to them as 'boom lanes' and it has been stated that they are the only way to reach New Genesis and Apokolips. Boom tubes are a sort of hyperdrive. They can transport objects across millions of miles within a short time. They are also said to shrink or increase the size of those who use them so that they are closer in size to those in the dimension that they arrive in, as the New Gods are revealed to be giants but on Earth appear to be the height of an average human.

Other Media

• Outside of the comic books, Boom Tubes have been seen on a number of occasions. They are first seen in the last two season of the Super Friends animated series, Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians on a number of occasions. Here, they are referred to as "Star Gates," and they are used by the natives of Apokolips. In the Legends Mini Series they are also referred to as star gates. New Genesis was never shown or mentioned.
• They were also seen in Superman: The Animated Series, as well as Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and Batman Beyond. Unlike the comics, these were mainly used for transport to far-off places.
• In Smallville (TV Series), Brainiac uses a device that may be a boom tube, which is one of many things that have been shown in the series 7th season that has led to speculation about Darkseid making an appearance.
• In the Legion of Super-Heroes television series, Superman X uses a device similar to a Mother box to open a portal to the past to recruit the Legion of Super-Heroes to battle Imperiex.