Superman Transformed TPB, 1998
Following the events of Final Night, Clark is up on the roof of the Daily Planet, trying to get some extra sun to recharge his powers, which have yet to return. He decides to seek out the help of Legion (who are still trapped in the past) with access to Luthor's space platform, under the pretense of testing the Sun following the Sun Eater's attack. But the plan to focus the sun's energy into him fails and nearly kills Superman. Next, Superman turns to Project Cadmus, but when Misa attacks the facility, it disrupts their equipment, and so Superman decides to head to his Fortress of Solitude. Superman uses the same rejuvenation machine that restored him after he was killed by Doomsday, but it too has failed to restore his powers. Suddenly, Mister Miracle and Big Barda arrive needing Superman's powers in order to find out if Metron's datacore has been tampered with as it indicates he is responsible for the destruction of New Genesis. They need Superman to take Metron into the core of the Sun to melt his datacore (which I guess will force it to reboot? I dunno, the story isn't very clear on this plan), and Metron believes will restore Superman's powers. The plan works, as Superman's powers are finally restored, and he saves Metron. But Metron's datacore still shows New Genesis and Apokolips collide. No longer needing Superman's help, they continue to seek answers on their own.
Superman returns to his routine now that his powers are back, but things are not back to normal as during a robbery, bullets are able to pass right through him rather than hitting him. He takes Lois with him to the Fortress to analyze his DNA, where Clark is briefly pulled into the Bottle City of Kandor. Realizing that when Tolos tried to make him a resident of the bottle city a few weeks ago changed his DNA, they leave so as not to be affected more and get answers elsewhere. Later, Superman struggles to control his powers as they suddenly become completely energy based and accidentally causes a blackout. Lois is kidnapped by the Atomic Skull as Superman struggles to learn how his new powers work but manages to gain a handle on them long enough to re-capture Atomic Skull. Meanwhile, a resident of Kandor that escaped thanks to Superman has made his way to Metropolis. Superman confronts him, but once again looses control of his new powers, but this time isn't able to regain control. Loosing his ability to even hold himself together, he goes to Star Labs where they create a containment suit for Superman. Making a quick trip home to Smallville, Clark shows his parents his new abilities and the new "S" he creates on the suit since his mom designed the first for him. Ready for the next century (even though his electric powers wouldn't even last a year), the next generation Superman takes to the sky...
--
Having looked at Final Night a while back, I thought it'd be interesting to take a look at this story, as it sort of was fall out from that. For the time, DC Comics changing Superman so drastically was a big deal. I remember it even making the national news, like it did when he killed by Doomsday. But I think one of the biggest problems with this story is how Superman never really questions what's happening to him. The first half the story he's only focused on trying to restore his powers with out ever asking himself why they didn't come back. Nor does anyone he goes to help, they just try to help him get his powers back with out fully analyzing the situation. The only time Superman really decides to analyze what's happening to himself is when he first realizes his powers are changing, but he never actually gets around to doing it after almost being absorbed into the Bottle City. He seems content with just learning his new powers, until it starts to become a problem for him. Although I haven't read the story were Superman would eventually go back to normal, to my understanding it would be similarly glossed over.
Retro Comics are Awesome
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Sparky Prime
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andersonh1
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome
I remember all the fuss in the news about Electric Superman. It was a pretty big thing at the time. They even had Noel Neill, Lois Lane in the 50s Superman tv show, talking about how she thought it was a shame they got rid of his cape. I had just about quit reading comics at the time (I was a poor college student with no money to buy them) so I didn't realize his power loss in Final Night was what had led to the change to electric Superman.
Ganthet's Tale
Larry Niven and John Byrne
This is one of those old Prestige Format books that I bought in the early 90s, so it's more or less a mini-trade paperback, though it's an original story rather than a collection of monthly issues. It takes place during the time when Hal Jordan was starting to go gray. No other established GLs play a prominent role in the book. This is the introduction of Ganthet, who would go on to be an enormously important character in the years ahead.
The book opens with the story of the Malthusians, one of the oldest and most powerful races in the universe, who would one day become the Guardians of the Universe. It details how they were powerful and wise, and built an amazing civilization, until Krona, one of their own, caused a disaster by looking back in time to try to discover their mysterious origins, and in so doing unleashed evil on the universe. The narrator then states that this story is a lie.
Cut to Earth, where Hal Jordan is awakened by a knock on his apartment door. He opens it to find a Guardian dressed in black slacks, a red coat and a tie that constantly changes designs standing outside. Making a bit of a fuss about it being "too early for Halloween" as an explanation for a curious neighbor, Hal ushers the Guardian inside. It's Ganthet of course, who has come to Earth in search of some distant relatives of the Guardians who settled here long ago. He wants Hal to come along. Hal switches to his uniform and insists on charging his ring, despite Ganthet saying that he will maintain the ring's charge.
The two go to Ireland and a few other locations before they finally locate the colony of former Malthusians, who have been constantly dislocated by encroaching human civilization. To Ganthet's surprise, none of them want to leave and join their cousins on Oa except for Percival, an old man. Ganthet is pretty angry, when there is a sudden jolt that sends everyone for a loop. There's no more time for attempts at recruitment, so Ganthet accepts Percival's offer and has Hal take them out into space in a ring-constructed spacecraft while Ganthet trains Percival on how to access and use the green energy.
This section of the story feels almost entirely disconnected from the main plot to me, and apart from existing as a way to get Hal involved and to introduce Percival, could easily have been left out.
During the week long flight (what does Hal eat? Or does he?), Ganthet trains Percival and tells Hal what is going on. A renegade Guardian, Dawlakispokpok, is attempting to stop Krona from looking back in time and unleashing evil on the Universe. But Ganthet tells Hal that there is more to the story. Ganthet too had looked back in time and discovered that much of the story about the grandeur of Malthusian civilization was untrue. His people had been savage and warlike in their earlier history. But the worst is yet to come. Krona had somehow caused the universe to be born old, by linking the beginning of time with the end of time and allowing the entropy at the end of the universe to eat up a billion years at the beginning. The Malthusians who would become the Guardians took up protecting the universe out of a sense of guilt for what one of their own had done, and all the potential lives that were lost in that billion years Krona had destroyed. That was their motivation for founding the Green Lantern Corps and attempting to spread peace and order as far as they could. Dawlakispokpok wants to undo all of that and restore the lost billion years. It was he who had created the cover story of the glorious Malthusian civilization, which Ganthet did not believe, as a way to protect the true origins of the Guardians. Hal isn't happy that he's been lied to all this time, but there's no time to discuss it now.
The three encounter the renegade Guardian and his wife and children, and unsuccessfully attempt to stop them. Percival is seemingly killed, while Hal and Ganthet are captured and imprisoned. Dawlakispokpok is on the verge of using his machine to stop Krona in the distant past when Percival, who was of course not dead and who has been fighting Dawlakispokpok's son, destroys the machine and causes the renegade Guardian to be killed. Entropy is released which ages Dawlakispokpok's wife and Hal (who looks to be about 110 years old and is really in bad shape), but Ganthet gives up a few years of his (immortal) life to restore Hal. The wife and son are taken prisoner to Oa, while the daughter loses a hand to the entropy trying to reach her father's body. She flies off, swearing revenge. Krona was not stopped, and the universe continues as it was.
The final scenes are set on Oa, with Ganthet back in his normal Guardian robes. He explains to Hal that he shielded his mind so the other Guardians couldn't erase his memory of what he had learned about their true origins. Hal is disturbed that he's believed this lie for many years, and will have to seriously think about what he's learned and what he will do.
Looking back in retrospect, Ganthet would of course become a very prominent character in the Green Lantern series. Here in his origin story, he's already doing things behind the backs of his fellow Guardians and is certainly rebellious in that respect. He broke out of the dogma of the Guardians and discovered the truth of their origins in the distant past, and even passed that knowledge on to Hal Jordan.
And that leads me to Emerald Twilight and Zero Hour, which were still in the future. It's easy to see how this story not only gives Hal some added motivation to turn against the Guardians, but would also give him some ideas about how to end and restart the universe as Parallax. He sees things in this story that go well beyond even his experiences as Green Lantern into universe altering events, and there's no doubt they had to give him ideas. Otherwise, Hal is largely a passenger in this story. He doesn't drive events at all. He's essentially visted by the boss and told to come along, and he does. It reads a little odd after years of seeing Green Lanterns push back against the authority of the Guardians to see Hal obeying the "chain of command" as it were without any problems. The book is titled "Ganthet's Tale", and the story really is mainly about Ganthet. His character is the one that is most developed and he is the proactive character, driving the plot.
Ganthet's Tale
Larry Niven and John Byrne
This is one of those old Prestige Format books that I bought in the early 90s, so it's more or less a mini-trade paperback, though it's an original story rather than a collection of monthly issues. It takes place during the time when Hal Jordan was starting to go gray. No other established GLs play a prominent role in the book. This is the introduction of Ganthet, who would go on to be an enormously important character in the years ahead.
The book opens with the story of the Malthusians, one of the oldest and most powerful races in the universe, who would one day become the Guardians of the Universe. It details how they were powerful and wise, and built an amazing civilization, until Krona, one of their own, caused a disaster by looking back in time to try to discover their mysterious origins, and in so doing unleashed evil on the universe. The narrator then states that this story is a lie.
Cut to Earth, where Hal Jordan is awakened by a knock on his apartment door. He opens it to find a Guardian dressed in black slacks, a red coat and a tie that constantly changes designs standing outside. Making a bit of a fuss about it being "too early for Halloween" as an explanation for a curious neighbor, Hal ushers the Guardian inside. It's Ganthet of course, who has come to Earth in search of some distant relatives of the Guardians who settled here long ago. He wants Hal to come along. Hal switches to his uniform and insists on charging his ring, despite Ganthet saying that he will maintain the ring's charge.
The two go to Ireland and a few other locations before they finally locate the colony of former Malthusians, who have been constantly dislocated by encroaching human civilization. To Ganthet's surprise, none of them want to leave and join their cousins on Oa except for Percival, an old man. Ganthet is pretty angry, when there is a sudden jolt that sends everyone for a loop. There's no more time for attempts at recruitment, so Ganthet accepts Percival's offer and has Hal take them out into space in a ring-constructed spacecraft while Ganthet trains Percival on how to access and use the green energy.
This section of the story feels almost entirely disconnected from the main plot to me, and apart from existing as a way to get Hal involved and to introduce Percival, could easily have been left out.
During the week long flight (what does Hal eat? Or does he?), Ganthet trains Percival and tells Hal what is going on. A renegade Guardian, Dawlakispokpok, is attempting to stop Krona from looking back in time and unleashing evil on the Universe. But Ganthet tells Hal that there is more to the story. Ganthet too had looked back in time and discovered that much of the story about the grandeur of Malthusian civilization was untrue. His people had been savage and warlike in their earlier history. But the worst is yet to come. Krona had somehow caused the universe to be born old, by linking the beginning of time with the end of time and allowing the entropy at the end of the universe to eat up a billion years at the beginning. The Malthusians who would become the Guardians took up protecting the universe out of a sense of guilt for what one of their own had done, and all the potential lives that were lost in that billion years Krona had destroyed. That was their motivation for founding the Green Lantern Corps and attempting to spread peace and order as far as they could. Dawlakispokpok wants to undo all of that and restore the lost billion years. It was he who had created the cover story of the glorious Malthusian civilization, which Ganthet did not believe, as a way to protect the true origins of the Guardians. Hal isn't happy that he's been lied to all this time, but there's no time to discuss it now.
The three encounter the renegade Guardian and his wife and children, and unsuccessfully attempt to stop them. Percival is seemingly killed, while Hal and Ganthet are captured and imprisoned. Dawlakispokpok is on the verge of using his machine to stop Krona in the distant past when Percival, who was of course not dead and who has been fighting Dawlakispokpok's son, destroys the machine and causes the renegade Guardian to be killed. Entropy is released which ages Dawlakispokpok's wife and Hal (who looks to be about 110 years old and is really in bad shape), but Ganthet gives up a few years of his (immortal) life to restore Hal. The wife and son are taken prisoner to Oa, while the daughter loses a hand to the entropy trying to reach her father's body. She flies off, swearing revenge. Krona was not stopped, and the universe continues as it was.
The final scenes are set on Oa, with Ganthet back in his normal Guardian robes. He explains to Hal that he shielded his mind so the other Guardians couldn't erase his memory of what he had learned about their true origins. Hal is disturbed that he's believed this lie for many years, and will have to seriously think about what he's learned and what he will do.
Looking back in retrospect, Ganthet would of course become a very prominent character in the Green Lantern series. Here in his origin story, he's already doing things behind the backs of his fellow Guardians and is certainly rebellious in that respect. He broke out of the dogma of the Guardians and discovered the truth of their origins in the distant past, and even passed that knowledge on to Hal Jordan.
And that leads me to Emerald Twilight and Zero Hour, which were still in the future. It's easy to see how this story not only gives Hal some added motivation to turn against the Guardians, but would also give him some ideas about how to end and restart the universe as Parallax. He sees things in this story that go well beyond even his experiences as Green Lantern into universe altering events, and there's no doubt they had to give him ideas. Otherwise, Hal is largely a passenger in this story. He doesn't drive events at all. He's essentially visted by the boss and told to come along, and he does. It reads a little odd after years of seeing Green Lanterns push back against the authority of the Guardians to see Hal obeying the "chain of command" as it were without any problems. The book is titled "Ganthet's Tale", and the story really is mainly about Ganthet. His character is the one that is most developed and he is the proactive character, driving the plot.
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andersonh1
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome
I was browsing through DC's upcoming solicitations, and a couple of things stand out as books I'd be interested in.
AQUAMAN: A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS HC
Written by JACK MILLER, STEVE SKEATES, GEOFF JOHNS and others
Art by PAUL NORRIS, NICK CARDY, JIM APARO, RAMONA FRADON, IVAN REIS and others
Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Celebrate more than seven decades of the ruler of the seas, king of Atlantis, and Justice League team member: Aquaman! Since his debut in 1941, Aquaman has defeated villains and saved the world on land and in the ocean, and this anthology collects his brightest and darkest moments in the definitive look at his history as a DC Comics Super Hero. Whether it’s Orin or Arthur Curry, Aquaman is a beloved and timeless hero, and we’re pleased to present this collection in honor of his 75th Anniversary.
On sale OCTOBER 19 • 400 pg, FC, $39.99 US
There is one Aquaman archive that reprints old stories, and a few trades, but I don't think any 1940s Aquaman has previously been reprinted by DC.
THE FLASH BY MARK WAID BOOK ONE TP
Written by MARK WAID
Art by GREG LAROCQUE, JOSE MARZAN, JR., MICHAEL COLLINS, TRAVIS CHAREST, MIKE PAROBECK and others
Montage cover
In 1990, Mark Waid’s legendary writing career began when he scripted his first issue of THE FLASH. Waid would continue to work on Wally West for nearly a decade, building a world that would keep the character running for years. In this first volume of a new series, Young Wally West is quickly in danger—not only from The Flash’s enemies, but from powers that he doesn’t know how to control! Collects THE FLASH #62-68, THE FLASH ANNUAL #4-5 and THE FLASH SPECIAL #1.
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 368 pg, FC, $29.99 US
I have a bunch of these issues already as floppies, but I don't have the annuals or specials. Mark Waid's run on the Flash was excellent, even if he did run out of steam near the end, so this book will be well worth picking up.
AQUAMAN: A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS HC
Written by JACK MILLER, STEVE SKEATES, GEOFF JOHNS and others
Art by PAUL NORRIS, NICK CARDY, JIM APARO, RAMONA FRADON, IVAN REIS and others
Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Celebrate more than seven decades of the ruler of the seas, king of Atlantis, and Justice League team member: Aquaman! Since his debut in 1941, Aquaman has defeated villains and saved the world on land and in the ocean, and this anthology collects his brightest and darkest moments in the definitive look at his history as a DC Comics Super Hero. Whether it’s Orin or Arthur Curry, Aquaman is a beloved and timeless hero, and we’re pleased to present this collection in honor of his 75th Anniversary.
On sale OCTOBER 19 • 400 pg, FC, $39.99 US
There is one Aquaman archive that reprints old stories, and a few trades, but I don't think any 1940s Aquaman has previously been reprinted by DC.
THE FLASH BY MARK WAID BOOK ONE TP
Written by MARK WAID
Art by GREG LAROCQUE, JOSE MARZAN, JR., MICHAEL COLLINS, TRAVIS CHAREST, MIKE PAROBECK and others
Montage cover
In 1990, Mark Waid’s legendary writing career began when he scripted his first issue of THE FLASH. Waid would continue to work on Wally West for nearly a decade, building a world that would keep the character running for years. In this first volume of a new series, Young Wally West is quickly in danger—not only from The Flash’s enemies, but from powers that he doesn’t know how to control! Collects THE FLASH #62-68, THE FLASH ANNUAL #4-5 and THE FLASH SPECIAL #1.
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 368 pg, FC, $29.99 US
I have a bunch of these issues already as floppies, but I don't have the annuals or specials. Mark Waid's run on the Flash was excellent, even if he did run out of steam near the end, so this book will be well worth picking up.
Re: Retro Comics are Awesome
Waid's run on "the Flash" is a good example of "does not count but is still good".
I re-read "the Return of Barry Allen" a year or two back. It still holds up.
I re-read "the Return of Barry Allen" a year or two back. It still holds up.
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andersonh1
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome
That applies to most DC that I read these days, given how much of it is reprints of older material.Dominic wrote:Waid's run on "the Flash" is a good example of "does not count but is still good".
That storyline is what got me reading the Flash for the first time, because it's just so good. Waid knew how to use the generational aspect of the Flash to good effect. Wally's hero-worship of his uncle/mentor drives him all through the story, while Jay Garrick's vastly greater experience and long friendship with Barry Allen helps him see that something is wrong, and he's wise and patient enough to go recruit help from other super-speed figures rather than just take on "Barry" by himself. The story ends a long-running plot strand of Wally having difficulty with his speed that went back over 80 issues, and does so definitively. And for once, a story that's fairly transformational for the lead character wasn't saved for an anniversary issue. I think it runs from 76 to 81, or something like that. It's not hyped, it's just a good story, well told.I re-read "the Return of Barry Allen" a year or two back. It still holds up.
Re: Retro Comics are Awesome
It was all pre-issue 80, all 70-odd. But, it was roughly that vintage.
No question, it was a good run of under-hyped comics.
No question, it was a good run of under-hyped comics.
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andersonh1
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome
Superman: The Golden Age omnibus volume 2 will be out in about a month. I'm looking forward to reading it, and then I see this in DC's September solicits:
SUPERMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 3 HC
Written by JERRY SIEGEL
Art by JOE SHUSTER, JACK BURNLEY, WAYNE BORING and others
Cover by TBD
Written and drawn by his co-creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, these early adventures find Superman helping everyday people against crooked politicians, taking on mad scientists (including Lex Luthor), and running afoul of influential socialites. Collects ACTION COMICS #48-63, SUPERMAN #16-23, and WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #6-10.
On sale DECEMBER 14 • 720 pg, FC, $75.00 US
I hope this reprint series just keeps on going. Looks like this volume will reach issues printed in 1943.
SUPERMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 3 HC
Written by JERRY SIEGEL
Art by JOE SHUSTER, JACK BURNLEY, WAYNE BORING and others
Cover by TBD
Written and drawn by his co-creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, these early adventures find Superman helping everyday people against crooked politicians, taking on mad scientists (including Lex Luthor), and running afoul of influential socialites. Collects ACTION COMICS #48-63, SUPERMAN #16-23, and WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #6-10.
On sale DECEMBER 14 • 720 pg, FC, $75.00 US
I hope this reprint series just keeps on going. Looks like this volume will reach issues printed in 1943.
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andersonh1
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome
What do you do when you have too much time on your hands? You make a video about all of your DC Golden and Silver Age omnibi and post it on YouTube. I guess it's not all that different from a written review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-HjlO9CgJg
Admittedly this does show quite well the problem with GL Omnibus vol. 2. The paper is a little too thick, and the book will not lay flat while reading. I get the sense that DC was trying different papers as they produced these volumes because they didn't quite know what to use. GL vol. 1 is very thin, while GL vol. 2 is too thick. And there are spelling and table of contents issues here and there, so there's a bit of sloppiness in the production. There's a page printed out of order in the very first Scarecrow story in the Batman omnibus, for example. On the other hand, this is a ton of old material collected in a very nice format, so despite the lack of professionalism evident in the fact that they creep through, I can live with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-HjlO9CgJg
Admittedly this does show quite well the problem with GL Omnibus vol. 2. The paper is a little too thick, and the book will not lay flat while reading. I get the sense that DC was trying different papers as they produced these volumes because they didn't quite know what to use. GL vol. 1 is very thin, while GL vol. 2 is too thick. And there are spelling and table of contents issues here and there, so there's a bit of sloppiness in the production. There's a page printed out of order in the very first Scarecrow story in the Batman omnibus, for example. On the other hand, this is a ton of old material collected in a very nice format, so despite the lack of professionalism evident in the fact that they creep through, I can live with it.
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andersonh1
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome
Finally... it took them long enough. And it's actually volume 3, not volume 1.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401268579/re ... S3V2Q0L8GC
Green Lantern: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 Hardcover – March 7, 2017
Green Lantern's adventures continue in this volume of stories from the late 1960s. In it, Hal Jordan faces the evil of villains including Sinestro, Dr. Polaris, Major Disaster, Hector Hammond, and Star Sapphire, and is declared Cosmic Enemy Number One by the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. These classic stories from one of the greatest eras of comics are featured here in a gigantic omnibus edition, GREEN LANTERN: THE SILVER AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 3! Collects GREEN LANTERN #46-75.
This book would fill in the rest of Hal's silver age stories, ending right before Green Lantern/Green Arrow begins. I'd definitely like to see if my theory about Denny O'Neil turning the Guardians into little tyrants holds up.
And more Golden Age Batman:
Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 3 HC
This third BATMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS includes dozens of stories from the early 1940s in which the Dynamic Duo battle evil-doers including the Penguin, the Joker, Two-Face and many more. These tales were written and illustrated by such luminaries as Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Gardner Fox, Jerry Robinson, and more.
Collects DETECTIVE COMICS #75-91, BATMAN #16-25, and stories from WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #10-14.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401268579/re ... S3V2Q0L8GC
Green Lantern: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 Hardcover – March 7, 2017
Green Lantern's adventures continue in this volume of stories from the late 1960s. In it, Hal Jordan faces the evil of villains including Sinestro, Dr. Polaris, Major Disaster, Hector Hammond, and Star Sapphire, and is declared Cosmic Enemy Number One by the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. These classic stories from one of the greatest eras of comics are featured here in a gigantic omnibus edition, GREEN LANTERN: THE SILVER AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 3! Collects GREEN LANTERN #46-75.
This book would fill in the rest of Hal's silver age stories, ending right before Green Lantern/Green Arrow begins. I'd definitely like to see if my theory about Denny O'Neil turning the Guardians into little tyrants holds up.
And more Golden Age Batman:
Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 3 HC
This third BATMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS includes dozens of stories from the early 1940s in which the Dynamic Duo battle evil-doers including the Penguin, the Joker, Two-Face and many more. These tales were written and illustrated by such luminaries as Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Gardner Fox, Jerry Robinson, and more.
Collects DETECTIVE COMICS #75-91, BATMAN #16-25, and stories from WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #10-14.
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andersonh1
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Re: Retro Comics are Awesome
Superman Special #1 by Walt Simonson (1992)
I had forgotten that I had this one-shot in among my back issues, but the fact that New 52 Superman and now New 52 Lois Lane apparently turned into sand when they died had me thinking about the old "Kryptonite Nevermore" storyline that is considered the beginning of the Bronze Age Superman. There is a sand creature in that storyline, which runs over several issues. It was created when an explosion caused by some scientists trying to experiment with kryptonite caused all the kryptonite on the Earth to turn into lead, but it also somehow created a creature that would siphon away some of Superman's power whenever it was near him. The idea was to strip away the ludicrous power levels Superman had acquired during the Silver Age, as well as removing Kryptonite as a constant story crutch for writers. There's a well-known sequence from the story where a crook threatens Superman with Kryptonite, and he just eats it.
The story was adapted for post-Crisis Superman by Walt Simonson. It's set after the John Byrne story that had Superman execute Zod, Zaora and whoever the other guy was in the pocket universe. Wracked with guilt over the murders, he finally exiled himself into space, and eventually was able to make peace with his actions and return to Earth. The issue opens with Superman constructing a statue of the three Kryptonians in his fortress of solitude, as a reminder that he must never kill again. He heads back to Metropolis, adopting his Clark Kent persona, and along with Lois goes to investigate a shady laboratory on the edge of town. He ditches her and changes into Superman. There is an explosion, and Superman is knocked out, in a sequence very much homaging the Kryptonite Nevermore story. The lab turns out to be run by Lex Luthor, with his one piece of Kryptonite, and the explosion has turned it into lead, which Superman eats in another homage to the above scene.
The original Sandman storyline covered 8-10 issues, but this book has to compress everything into one issue, so a lot of the time Superman spent figuring out the existence of the sand creature and all the ancillary stories are jettisoned here in favor of a quick reveal of the sand Superman that's absorbing Superman's powers, one by one. The conflict starts in Metropolis, and moves eventually to the Fortress of Solitude, with Superman losing power and the sand creature gaining it, as well as becoming more and more like Superman in appearance. He's determined to kill Superman for causing him pain, because every time he gains a power, it hurts him. But he goes beyond just absorbing power and begins to absorb memories, and between that and the sight of the statue Superman had constructed at the beginning of the issue, realizes that he must not kill.
The final scene of the book cuts back to Metropolis and Lex Luthor's office, where he finds Superman waiting for him. Superman says that the sand creature is gone, and that it sacrificed its life to restore him. He can't prove anything that ties it to Luthor, but he says it's a good thing Luthor failed to convince the creature to kill him, because then he'd have had a Superman without a conscience.
Now I don't know if the writers have this story or the original Bronze Age storyline in mind when it comes to explaining what New 52 Superman was. Given all the minutae of continuity that Geoff Johns keeps in his head, it's entirely possible. And since post-Crisis Superman is back as the main character in the Superman books, this story is a part of his continuity and backstory, so it would provide a good explanation. The writers may go another direction entirely, but the fact that this incident with the sand Superman happened to both pre and post-Crisis Superman does leave that door open for them.
Found a good recap of the issue here: http://superman86to99.tumblr.com/post/1 ... vs-sandman
I had forgotten that I had this one-shot in among my back issues, but the fact that New 52 Superman and now New 52 Lois Lane apparently turned into sand when they died had me thinking about the old "Kryptonite Nevermore" storyline that is considered the beginning of the Bronze Age Superman. There is a sand creature in that storyline, which runs over several issues. It was created when an explosion caused by some scientists trying to experiment with kryptonite caused all the kryptonite on the Earth to turn into lead, but it also somehow created a creature that would siphon away some of Superman's power whenever it was near him. The idea was to strip away the ludicrous power levels Superman had acquired during the Silver Age, as well as removing Kryptonite as a constant story crutch for writers. There's a well-known sequence from the story where a crook threatens Superman with Kryptonite, and he just eats it.
The story was adapted for post-Crisis Superman by Walt Simonson. It's set after the John Byrne story that had Superman execute Zod, Zaora and whoever the other guy was in the pocket universe. Wracked with guilt over the murders, he finally exiled himself into space, and eventually was able to make peace with his actions and return to Earth. The issue opens with Superman constructing a statue of the three Kryptonians in his fortress of solitude, as a reminder that he must never kill again. He heads back to Metropolis, adopting his Clark Kent persona, and along with Lois goes to investigate a shady laboratory on the edge of town. He ditches her and changes into Superman. There is an explosion, and Superman is knocked out, in a sequence very much homaging the Kryptonite Nevermore story. The lab turns out to be run by Lex Luthor, with his one piece of Kryptonite, and the explosion has turned it into lead, which Superman eats in another homage to the above scene.
The original Sandman storyline covered 8-10 issues, but this book has to compress everything into one issue, so a lot of the time Superman spent figuring out the existence of the sand creature and all the ancillary stories are jettisoned here in favor of a quick reveal of the sand Superman that's absorbing Superman's powers, one by one. The conflict starts in Metropolis, and moves eventually to the Fortress of Solitude, with Superman losing power and the sand creature gaining it, as well as becoming more and more like Superman in appearance. He's determined to kill Superman for causing him pain, because every time he gains a power, it hurts him. But he goes beyond just absorbing power and begins to absorb memories, and between that and the sight of the statue Superman had constructed at the beginning of the issue, realizes that he must not kill.
The final scene of the book cuts back to Metropolis and Lex Luthor's office, where he finds Superman waiting for him. Superman says that the sand creature is gone, and that it sacrificed its life to restore him. He can't prove anything that ties it to Luthor, but he says it's a good thing Luthor failed to convince the creature to kill him, because then he'd have had a Superman without a conscience.
Now I don't know if the writers have this story or the original Bronze Age storyline in mind when it comes to explaining what New 52 Superman was. Given all the minutae of continuity that Geoff Johns keeps in his head, it's entirely possible. And since post-Crisis Superman is back as the main character in the Superman books, this story is a part of his continuity and backstory, so it would provide a good explanation. The writers may go another direction entirely, but the fact that this incident with the sand Superman happened to both pre and post-Crisis Superman does leave that door open for them.
Found a good recap of the issue here: http://superman86to99.tumblr.com/post/1 ... vs-sandman