What's your favorite version of Krypton?

[Jim Kelly]

Super-advanced holographic copies of dead folks that function almost like they're real is enough to explain away a lot.

[Tzigone]

The original plan for Mr. Oz was clearly making him Jonathan Kent. Then he was Ozymandis. Then Johns got cold feet or changed his mind and so they made him Jor-El.

Both ideas are just so terrible.

[marhawkman]

Probably not in continuity now, but in my headcanon Krypton is a large planet with greater gravity than Earth. As such it has lots of land. I would say there are billions of people living on the planet but, because of the land mass, different civilizations live far away from each. We know a lot about the House of El only because that's Superman's family. So our perspective on the history is warped because we mainly see it through the view of Superman and his relations. In KRYPTON CHRONICLES (1981), it was all about the history of the El family--inspired by ROOTS from T.V.

One reason we don't see all the other people living on Krypton is because the distances are so great. To travel by land would take a long time. I assume they mostly travel by air or sea. However, to fly would take a lot of energy because of the gravity. So probably only the super-rich make journeys well beyond the borders of their civilizations. And even then the travel time would be challenging.

Thus a lot of travel is virtual. They meet each other "online" and probably in sophisticated holographic form.

The back-up stories in the 1970s and the 1980s gave a much broader view of Krypton's past, with many different kinds of cultures.

Also there's the fact they like to stay in metropolises for a reason.

Wasn't one version of it genuinely a high-G world?

IIRC living in Kryptonopolis vs living in Argo City was like the difference between New York and LA.

Also the Krypton Chronicles says that Kryptonian civilization started on Urrika, and that Erkol(on Urrika) is the oldest city on Krypton.... this is the other side of the planet from Kryptonopolis. seemingly that entire side of the planet is near abandoned except for Erkol. Why? I mean, it has a boiling sea, a "flame forest", a "glass forest", a "ghost city", and "fungus caverns", but you'd think there's be more than Erkol inhabited... also... Why was Xan left as a bombed out ruin? The wars between Erkol and Xan ended with Xan a demolished ruin and it just got left that way. Also the founders of Kryptonopolis were said to be "outcasts" of Erkol? Why(ok they had been disfigured by radiation exposure, but getting exiled for that?)? Also one of the maps shows that Val-El left Erkol and journeyed west to the locations of Bokos and Argo when he left Erkol... this is the other side of Lurvan from Kryptonopolis. How inhospitable is western Lurvan if only those places have major cities?

Also, allegedly no one EVER explored the region of Krypton named Juru? why??? They have a city built under the ice of the southern continent, but never even looked around the region named Juru???? So many questions....

[Restingvoice]

Probably not in continuity now, but in my headcanon Krypton is a large planet with greater gravity than Earth. As such it has lots of land. I would say there are billions of people living on the planet but, because of the land mass, different civilizations live far away from each. We know a lot about the House of El only because that's Superman's family. So our perspective on the history is warped because we mainly see it through the view of Superman and his relations. In KRYPTON CHRONICLES (1981), it was all about the history of the El family--inspired by ROOTS from T.V.

One reason we don't see all the other people living on Krypton is because the distances are so great. To travel by land would take a long time. I assume they mostly travel by air or sea. However, to fly would take a lot of energy because of the gravity. So probably only the super-rich make journeys well beyond the borders of their civilizations. And even then the travel time would be challenging.

Thus a lot of travel is virtual. They meet each other "online" and probably in sophisticated holographic form.

The back-up stories in the 1970s and the 1980s gave a much broader view of Krypton's past, with many different kinds of cultures.

Mainly air, from what I've seen in The World of Krypton and New 52, they have covered pods, exposed pods, and flying segways. Oh and even though they don't have green gas anymore in New 52 there's still a lot of barren landscape. I remember Jor, Zor, and Kara traveling through a red-yellow desert.

New 52 Krypton still has greeneries during Zod's childhood though.

Didn't know about Krypton Chronicles. I'll look it up. Thanks.

As far as Lara goes, I like the modern attempts to compensate for her underwhelming history. It was the thing I thought Lobdell did his best on, easily. I give Byrne credit for at least finally giving her a more distinguished job than wife/mother, and for making her the Kryptonian pov. That reasonable yet hilarious shriek at her unborn son being delivered to a planet full of pitchfork-wielding monkeys lol.

Like Jim said they went way back in Chronicles and in other stories went to the beginning of the popularity with essentially an Adam and Eve story. Later, Van-L became the most distinct El besides Jor, and his story also started many thousands of years prior.

A thousand centuries ago according to World of Krypton, so yeah, on top of his name being Van-L, so he came from a time before it was changed to El, he's the oldest.

100,000 years ago Van-L
50,000 years ago Im-El
Then based on Krypton series, Jor-El the first, Van-El, Seg-El, Jor-El, and Kal-El

Omg yes Lara's reaction because Earth people are so dirty and hairy XD

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Do you guys have a favorite interpretation of Jor-El & Lara?

I think Morrison's Jor-El combined everything great about the classic character, but also added a bunch of fun stuff on top of that.

I like Snyder & Goyer's Lara a lot, too. She combined a lot of the best elements of Donner with a genuine sense of pathos I really liked.

[marhawkman]

Mainly air, from what I've seen in The World of Krypton and New 52, they have covered pods, exposed pods, and flying segways. Oh and even though they don't have green gas anymore in New 52 there's still a lot of barren landscape. I remember Jor, Zor, and Kara traveling through a red-yellow desert.

New 52 Krypton still has greeneries during Zod's childhood though.

Didn't know about Krypton Chronicles. I'll look it up. Thanks.

Krypton has super-wildly varied landscapes. Some places were flat-out jungle, others barren-ish grasslands. The countryside west of Kryptonopolis is probably different than to the east.

[PCN24454]

I think I liked the Crystal-ice landscape best.

[Ascended]

The original plan for Mr. Oz was clearly making him Jonathan Kent. Then he was Ozymandis. Then Johns got cold feet or changed his mind and so they made him Jor-El.

That Oz was going to be Jonathan Kent was so blindingly obvious I'm not sure if that was just Johns being bad at writing Superman comics or if it was a intentional misdirect. I lean towards misdirect though; no way somebody is that transparent about a big mystery they spent months toying with.

Also, allegedly no one EVER explored the region of Krypton named Juru? why??? They have a city built under the ice of the southern continent, but never even looked around the region named Juru???? So many questions....

One of Maggin's novels.....Last Son of Krypton I guess it might've been, talks about how Krypton was basically a planet actively trying to kill everything and everyone on it. High gravity, hostile fauna, deadly flora, tons of radiation but few nutrients, weather that makes our natural disasters look tame.....if I recall correctly (and I haven't read that book in years) ancient Kryptonians tried to carve out civilization in several places, only for the world itself to burn them out, crush them, and send them running screaming back into the wilds. It's a miracle they were able to establish the few isolated cities they did.

There's maps of Krypton out there with cities built near endless fire falls and mountains of burning hot, liquid gold. Places like *that* are the "hospitable" areas.....a place like Juru? Odds are it wasn't unexplored so much as no one who tried ever survived, and who the hell knows what kind of nightmares were found there.

[marhawkman]

One of Maggin's novels.....Last Son of Krypton I guess it might've been, talks about how Krypton was basically a planet actively trying to kill everything and everyone on it. High gravity, hostile fauna, deadly flora, tons of radiation but few nutrients, weather that makes our natural disasters look tame.....if I recall correctly (and I haven't read that book in years) ancient Kryptonians tried to carve out civilization in several places, only for the world itself to burn them out, crush them, and send them running screaming back into the wilds. It's a miracle they were able to establish the few isolated cities they did.

There's maps of Krypton out there with cities built near endless fire falls and mountains of burning hot, liquid gold. Places like *that* are the "hospitable" areas.....a place like Juru? Odds are it wasn't unexplored so much as no one who tried ever survived, and who the hell knows what kind of nightmares were found there.

Also a forest where you have a high chance of dying to "Crimson Fever".. because the PLANTS apparently carry the disease. Yeah make me wonder what's up with Juru

[Restingvoice]

I checked the Krypton Chronicles wiki and the named El started around the time of the creation of The Science Council and ended 6-7 generations later.

At Im-El's time, the Science Council already exists.

So the known House of El timeline would look like this

100,000 years ago Van-L

Somewhere between 100,000-50,000 years ago Wir-El > Shu-El + Fedra (created Science Council) > Thal-El > Thar-El > Plen-El > Nox-El > Fil-El > Som-El

50,000 years ago Im-El (time of prehistoric earth Vandal Savage)

Then based on Krypton series there's Jor-El the first > Van-El > Seg-El > Jor-El > Kal-El

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Then based on Krypton series there's Jor-El the first > Van-El > Seg-El > Jor-El > Kal-El

Don't forget about Kru-El, the Fredo of the El Family.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Super-advanced holographic copies of dead folks that function almost like they're real is enough to explain away a lot.

I really wish that Waid had followed through with his malfunctioning Jor-El AI idea for Birthright. That would have been interesting to read.

[Sutekh]

Then based on Krypton series, Jor-El the first, Van-El, Seg-El, Jor-El, and Kal-El

I remember loathing the name 'Seg-El' until I realized it was an homage to Siegel.

[Restingvoice]

Don't forget about Kru-El, the Fredo of the El Family.

Gosh dangit I already browse it before I realized it's a play on word
...
wtf it's a real character
...
Wait why am I surprised? This is the same company that made sinestro, despero, and H'El

I remember loathing the name 'Seg-El' until I realized it was an homage to Siegel.

Oh that's why it's written as Syeg-El originally.

[Jim Kelly]

Elliot Maggin had the Kryptonians evolving to fight the heavy gravity.

I didn't like that part. I prefer the Cary Bates fable about Kryp and Tonn, being aliens from different planets that come to Krypton--their Adam and Eve. Even if it isn't literally true, I like to think it's figuratively true and the first humanoids on Krypton were people from two different planets that had to get along. Maybe the gravity was too intense for them, but they made genetic changes to themselves so they could survive on the new world.