JOURNEY INTO COMICS: THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN

[MattBrady]

by Mike San Giacomo

So was Superman dead or what?

I teach a comics appreciation class at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Recently, the subject came up about the death and resurrection of Superman that occurred 15 years ago (yeah, the death in Superman #75 was cover-dated January of 1993, but it was in stores in November of ’92, so the whole of 2007 is being seen as the 15th anniversary). I parroted what I remembered about the explanation, but I could see they were not buying it. I double checked and saw that I had the story right, but then, in a recent issue of Teen Titans, Kid Eternity blamed the rash of people returning from the dead (Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Jason Todd, er…Bucky?) on Superman.

He explained that when Superman returned from the dead, “he left the door open“ between Hell and Earth.

So that begs the question: Back in 1992, if Superman actually, really died, then how exactly did he come back? And does it poke holes in the minority view that Superman didn’t really die, but only appeared dead to us Earthlings?

Who better to ask, on the 15th anniversary year of that event, than the man who steered that ship, DC editor Mike Carlin?

Carlin, who is in charge of Batman these days, offered some explanation about the death of Superman that put everything in perspective.

“He was dead,” he said simply. “The editors, writers, all of us believed he was dead. There was a lot of pseudo-science and doubletalk at work here, but Superman did indeed die.”

I knew it all along! Those people who said he was merely in a “death-like” state were dead wrong. Excuse the pun.

“Yep, he died,” continued Carlin. “We saw him heading toward the light and then we did not see him for a while. While on that trip to the light, through a combination of his own beliefs and his earthly parents beliefs about what happens to the soul, he sees Jonathan Kent‘s soul. Pa Kent had a heart attack and was having an out-of-body experience. His soul steered Clark‘s soul back to Earth.

Carlin said when you consider that actual human beings do die and return to life on the operating table, the precedent is there.

“Granted, humans die and return to life in a few minutes and it took Superman seven or eight issues, but the premise is the same,” he said. Once his soul was back where it belonged, Superman was barely alive, in that “death-like state” we hear about.

That‘s where the Eradicator comes into the picture. The Eradicator, also known as “The Last Son of Krypton,” was one of the four “Supermen” to emerge after Superman‘s death. He is actually an “it,” a Kryptonian construct that exists to protect all things Kryptonian.

“Using science which we more mortals can not even understand, the Eradicator put Superman in a Kryptonian rejuvenation matrix that massaged him back to life,” Carlin said.

Later, he emerged from the suit and crawled into a Kryptonian battle suit, which he stayed in for a time while his body recovered.

Some of that was done off-camera, so the whole return to life thing was a little confusing at the time.

Also, fans were expecting a red herring and might have not believed that it was the real Superman.

I thought the trick would be that the Superman who was killed was actually the so-called “sand” Superman that fought the Man of Steel by taking on his form years before. The theory going around at the time, bolstered by an inexplicable DC reprint of the early “Sand” story, was that the Superman that won that battle was actually the villain, who believed he was Superman.

That would have paved the way for the return of the “real” Superman, who had been tucked away in a coma somewhere.

But it was not the case. The dead Superman was the real Superman and he came back from the dead.

So what about the Kid Eternity comment about Superman escaping from Hell?

“It‘s always good to have questions,” Carlin said. “I was happy with Kid Eternity saying that and I‘m sure he believes it.”

He slyly declined to talk about the implications of the statement.

Carlin said that the storyline with the four Supermen (Steel, Superboy, the Cyborg Superman and the Eradicator Superman) was a response to the massive media attention over the Man of Steel‘s death.

“Once we saw how big it was getting, we didn‘t think our return to life story would be big enough,” he said. “We felt like we had to come up with something better and thought up the four Supermen angle. And look at the cool characters that came out of it.”

DC is celebrating the 15th anniversary of Superman‘s death with a direct-to-DVD animated movie called “Superman: Doomsday” in September.

It will adapt the death of Superman storyline. The Warner Home Movie video will be rated PG-13 and will star voices of Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Serenity) as Superman; Anne Heche (Men in Trees) as Lois Lane and James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Lex
Luthor.

Carlin said he is part of the 70 minutes of bonus features, interviews, a feature on the making of the 75 minute film.

“Assuming I don’t end up on the cutting room floor,” he said.

IT’S SUPERMAN

Anyone who has not read Tom DeHaven‘s 2005 novel, It‘s Superman can not enjoy it the easy way - listen to it.

One of my other jobs is to review audiobooks for AudioFile Magazine. I do it because I get to listen to tons of great books on my lengthy commute to work, books I may not have had time to read.

The CD version of It‘s Superman came out a couple months ago on Blackstone Audio and it’s a real treasure. Reader Scott Brick has this strange delivery that is hard to describe except to say that he sounds like a reporter in Brooklyn, circa 1942. I keep waiting for him to say something like “Say, who‘s the wise guy?” like a character in a 1940 Jimmy Cagney movie.

There may be some minor spoilers ahead, read at your own risk.

It’s Superman fills in the missing years of Clark Kent, between the time he left Smallville around 1935 and the time he landed at The Daily Planet. For comic book fans, this would be the “Golden Age” (or Earth-2) Superman’s story. This isn’t Clark Kent of the WB/CW’s Smallville, or the DC continuity version where he wandered the world (see Birthright and others). This is 1930’s Clark Kent in the 1930’s.

It’s doubtful we’ll ever see those years reflected in Superman’s comics because of all the continuity (and legal) issues, so DeHaven‘s novel may be the only place it will be found.

That’s a shame, because this novel would make a great comic book. Yeah, it’s cheesy and takes forever to get to a point (there are long stretches in the beginning of the book where Clark is not even mentioned), but it’s fun.

Like the Superman movies and television shows, the novel takes great liberties with the legend.

Martha Kent is dead, Clark is living with his dad. A black farmhand lives at the Kent homestead and plays an important role in the family. This allows the story to address the problem of race in the 1930s.

Smallville is depicted like John Steinbeck’s dustbowl, or something out of a Woody Guthrie song. We get to see a very bored Clark Kent trying to come to grips with his abilities and hating, absolutely hating, living in Kansas. He even briefly takes up smoking and drinking!

Lois Lane is already working at the Daily Planet in New York (not Metropolis) and is - how do we say this delicately? - a bit of a slut.

There are more descriptions of Lois in her underwear in this book than I‘ve seen in a decade of the comic. To that end, DeHaven‘s Lois is a saucy little tart and a lot of fun.

Lex Luthor is a New York alderman with designs on the mayor‘s office. Luthor has run-ins with real life criminals like Lucky Luciano and runs the mob out of his corner of New York City.

One of the most important characters of the book is a new one, a disreputable photographer named Willi Berg, Lois’ former lover. He runs into Clark in Smallville during a WPA make-work project and an awkward friendship is born. He convinces Clark to desert Pa Kent and wander the country by jumping railroad cars. Doubtless he ran into Tom Joad or Woody Guthrie on his adventures, but they are not named.

It‘s Berg that convinces Clark to put on a costume and become Superman!

The climax of the book is a battle between the very green Man of Steel and one of Luthor’s killer robots, one of those gloriously corny, boxy, Fleisher Studios robots.

Sure, the book is a poke in the eye at DC comics continuity, but it‘s great fun. The audiobook adds a whole new dimension to the story.

[KyleV]

I really enjoyed the Superman books leading up to and during his death. It's amazing to see how interconnected they were -- I don't know if anyone could pull that off so well again.

Also, kudos to DC for keeping those collections in print and cheap. I'm sure they must do well at bookstores for the curious fan.

Good stuff, Mike. Try to stay warm this weekend! Let's hope the Indians get to play tomorrow...

[Lhriangel]

I've been meaning to get "It's Superman" for about a year now and keep forgetting it when I end up at the book store. I guess it's time to put it on my must buy next week list.

As for Death of Superman. I read the original trades when they came out thanks to my mother's love of Superman. This actually helped make more sense of the whole character and why the 4 men of steel exists. I will definitely be buying two copies of the cartoon. One for my mother to add to all her other Death of Superman memorabilia and one for me.

[Lord Ruthven]

I thought Kid Eternity spoke of "the Afterlife" in general rather than "Hell" specifically. He had been bound to the door between the Afterlife and the Living World, pretty much keeping it open. This had allowed the once dead characters to return, and not just from Hell.

Funnily enough, I had hated the Superman character prior to the Death storyline. I picked up the 'Death of' and 'World Without' trades to finally be able to read a Superman story that I'd enjoy. Yes, I took delight in his suffering and death.

Thing was, I enjoyed them so much I ended up getting Superman titles for the "Reign of the Supermen" story arc and subsequent issues, becoming a fan in the process.

Needless to say I'm looking forward to the Supermanoomsday DVD

[Switch625]

A lot people have criticised The Death & Return of Superman Trilogy, but I loved it. Was it a gimmick and a publicity stunt? Yes. Was Superman ever going to stay dead? No. But it did exactly what it set out to do.

In a world that, at the time, was overrun with mega-popular anti-heroes, when it was not cool to fight for "truth, justice and the American way," when it was cool to be ultra violent and kill, DC set out to remind the world of who Superman is and how much he means to us and that we took his mere existence for granted. For that alone I would say it was an unqualified success.

[Fleecey]

The Death and Return storyline is what got me started collecting comics . . .

And I found It's Superman to be a fun read, but disposable.

[Bane122]

His death is what got me into Superman. Thanks for this little look back Newsarama.

[cook]

I can remember, as a kid, my 45 year-old dad bought the Death of Superman trade just because he was so shocked. This is a guy who hadn't read comic books since Lee & Buscema's Silver Surfer (not that he would've been able to tell you their names). I read it when he was done with it, and from there I slowly started creeping into the world of comic books.

On to other matters: forgive my ignorance, but what legal issues might prevent a comic book similar to De Haven's novel?

[AbacusComics]

I think I still have that black bagged issue somewhere in my collection...

but who doesn't? lol.

[OM]

...Yeah, but look to the bright side of this, kids. When Kid Eternity finally figures out how to close those "gates", it could be just after DC finally figures out how to tell the Shuster heirs to shove their claims and bring back Superboy and Ted Kord! I can see it now:

Kid Eternity: "Ok, last two on the last Swift Boat over Styx. Connor? Ted? You guys all buckled in? Here we go!"

[CLANGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!]

KE: "There. I've closed the gates. Hope I didn't forget anybody..."

Connor: "Hey! Who's that banging on the bars?"

Max Lord: "Wait! Wait! I've got a Golden Ticket!!"

Ted: "Bah. Talk to Willy Wonka about a refund, Max. We've got a schedule to keep!"

[JLAJRC]

Even though it's a gimmick, I consider the Death/Reign/Return Superman story to be underrated. It's very good.

[OM]

...Sure, it was a gimmick, but it does beg the question: what arguably *was* the first "event gimmick"? I've heard arguments that it Flash (v1) #123 could be considered the "gimmick" that started it all, and I've heard the same for the first JLA/JSA crossover. But as far as events of the magnitude - whether perceived or actual - as The Death/Reign/Return of Superman, COIE, Secret Bores, X-Essive Agendas, and the like, what *is* the definitive event? What's the standard to judge by?

[nightwingoracle]

"It's Superman" had some interesting ideas and overall presented a fun story with a different view of many of the Superman mainstays, but the prose was heavy-handed and way too verboise at times.

However - Lois was not "a bit of a slut" and San Giacomo should be ashamed of himself for saying that. It's an insult to the character, but even more an insult to women in general.

Lois is depicted as having a monogamous, sexual relationship with Willie Berg early in the novel before they break up. She later has a monogamous, sexual relationship with a cop, and it continues even when she's bored with him because she's not sure she wants to break it off yet. That's about it (though there are implications of a past attraction and perhaps more with a former college professor). The novel takes place over several years. There is nothing "sluttish" about this behavior.

Clark himself has a sexual relationship with a B-level Hollywood actress during the book.

I like most of San Giacomo's reviews, and I loved his PHANTOM JACK book....but if he thinks a woman who has sex with two men at different times (both while in monogamous relationships with them) over the course of a couple of years is "a bit of a a slut," then he has some serious issues he needs to address.

[protonik]

One word describes Superman from the Byrne relaunch to the end of the Reign: excellence.

[TheToileteer]

So Superman "conquered death by death, and became the firstborn of the dead." (from the liturgy of St. Basil.)

Happy Bunny Day, everybody!

[Wonder Boy]

"It's Superman" took me a while to get through...but it was an awesome book.

And I do have to agree with nightwingoracle. Lois wasn't a slut in the book. At least, she didn't seem so to me.

Is it too much to hope that there might be books in the same vein for Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Bats?

[Scorned1]

15 years? man I am getting old. It felt like yesterday.

[TheToileteer]

We can't judge Lois Lane by our present-day cultural assumptions. By the standards of 1940's America, she WAS a slut.

[Chris]

I actually started reading Superman with the "Death of.." storyline. I was hooked. I actually STOPPED reading when they stopped being a weekly saga (the old triangle numbers!). I just lost interest... Back then, Superman was my 52. It was out every week, and with 4 writers, you had enough storylines to keep you interested....



Chris

[hhbx]

Man...15 years. The Death of Superman is what really got me hooked onto comics, it was even the first TPB I ever bought ($5!?).

It even got me into my first nerd debate on which of the four was really Superman (my guess was Cyborg Superman!)

[Hawkangel]

15 years ago?
Man I feel old..I was in my final year of Highschool (HSC).
After our final exams, I was in Sizzler talking to some friends that didn't read comics asking about issue #75.

[Zechs]

Damn straight Carlin! Those where four fantastic characters. Though of course we all know who the greatest one of the bunch is:

[Noir56]

This novel, It‘s Superman, was perhaps the most realistic Superman story I ever read.
Yes, it deserved to be made in comic book story as well as a movie.

[aylwinatrix]

Anne Heche? Since when? I thought they had someone else in mind for Lois Lane. Someone...sane. (although to put it jerkily, I suppose there's a precedent set with margot Kidder)

[jacobi]

It's Superman! is one of my favorite novels and depictions of Superman ever. Sure, the writing can be a bit of a bear to get through at times, but it was an incredible satisfying read. The book isn't really a "Superman" book so much as it is a book that has Superman in it. The rest of the cast are just as, if not more, interesting than everyones favorite Kryptonian.

I just wish DeHaven could give the same treatment to Batman and especially Wonder Woman.