13 Questions - Tell Us How YOU Would Build the Perfect Superman

[bat39]

https://13thdimension.com/13-questio...fect-superman/

Came across this intriguing article on 13th Dimension (a great website loaded with DC goodness, particularly Bronze Age related). It basically asks 13 questions with regards to various aspects of Superman's origin, which you can answer to build your own take on the Man of Steel.

Thought it might be fascinating to see what the responses would be here.

I would recommend reading through the article first, but I also think the questions are self-explanatory enough.

Here's my attempt at answering the questions.

1. QUESTION: What do you prefer to see on Superman’s figurative birth certificate? (Krypton or Earth?)

Despite being a major fan of Byrne's MOS, the birthing matrix is the one idea from there I haven't warmed up to. It just seems unnecessary and goes against the grain of almost everyone's iconic understanding of Superman's origin. So yeah, Kal-El was born on Krypton - this is an easy answer for me!

2. QUESTION: Did Krypton die of natural causes or was there something nefarious?

I'll kind of split the difference here and go with the STAS explanation - yes, Krypton died of natural causes (though something like a nuclear war in its past may have been a major contributing factor). But I like the idea that Brainiac, or some other nefarious forces, misled the Council and discredited Jor-El, to ensure that the planet would be destroyed.

3. QUESTION: Landing in Smallville — an accident or pre-ordained?

I'm okay with the idea of Jor-El having studied earth from afar, but I think him having visited earth, or studied the US or Kansas or hell, even the Kents in particular is taking things a bit too far. It takes away from the idea that Jor-El and Lara were literally sending their infant son into an uncertain future to save his life if they had everything planned out. Though there admittedly are intriguing stories you can tell with the idea of Jor-El having some foreknowledge.

4. QUESTION: Superbaby — in costume or not — yea or nay?

Nay. I prefer the infant Kal-El being as weak as any other infant once he lands on earth. I'm in line with Byrne's idea of Clark gradually developing his strength and invulnerability during childhood, his other powers during his teenage years, and only mastering flight by 18 at the earliest (in fact, I lean towards it being even later - potentially just before or even after he becomes Superman).

5. QUESTION: Is Superman the only survivor of Krypton’s explosion — or did a whole coterie of other Kryptonians make it out alive as well?

He's not the sole survivor and there's little point in pretending otherwise, especially not when Supergirl and Zod and now even Krypto are such major parts of the mythos. But apart from Supergirl and Krypton, encounters with other Kryptonians should be few and far between.

6. QUESTION: When should Clark learn of his Kryptonian heritage?

A pretty crucial question that isn't talked about nearly as much as it should. I think Clark should learn about his Kryptonian heritage in his mid-to-late teens at earliest. It's important to me that he spends his formative years believing that he's human (albeit a human with extraordinary abilities) and that he's 'Clark Kent'. I'd also prefer the reveal to be in stages - like he learns about the rocket before leaving Smallville, then gets details either just before or early in his career as Superman. That's in line with many versions - Byrne's MOS, Snyder's MOS, the Donner movie, Morrison's New 52 run etc.

7. QUESTION: Superboy — yes or no?

I lean towards No, but it's not a hard No. I'm okay with a teenage Clark secretely using his powers to help people in Smallville...maybe even wearing some kind of disguise or proto 'costume' (perhaps Morrison-style jeans and T-shirt?). But certainly not Clark flying around in full Superboy costume. The one 'loophole' here is the LOSH - I'm okay with Clark traveling to the future and maybe wearing the full Superboy suit there...provided his memories are wiped upon his return to the present-day by Saturn Girl. To me its important that Clark makes his debut as SuperMAN in Metropolis.

8. QUESTION: Lex Luthor meets Superman as a teen in Smallville or as an adult in Metropolis?

Lex and Clark meet as adults in Metropolis. I'm more okay with Lois having a history with Lex than Clark. Maybe some angle of Lex, or perhaps Lionel, having spent some time in Smallville in the past, during Clark's childhood/adolescence? It could make for an interesting story. But by and large, I'm in favor of Clark/Superman and Lex meeting for the first time in Metropolis as adults. I also lean towards Lex being at least a few years older than Superman - if Superman debuts at 25, then Lex should be around 30 at the time at least.

9. QUESTION: Jonathan and Martha Kent — dead or alive?

Alive. I'm okay with Jonathan dying at some point during Superman's career. Maybe even Martha. But they should live long enough to see Clark become Superman...maybe even long enough to see Lois and Clark get married.

10. QUESTION: Who made Superman’s suit — Kryptonian Dad or Earth Mom?

I lean towards Earth Mom here, albeit from Kryptonian materials (well, at least the cape). This applies only to the first suit though - later versions of the suit could be developed by Kryptonian tech at the Fortress or picked up in Kandor/Brainiac's ship at some point.

11. QUESTION: What does the “S” stand for?

It's the Kryptonian symbol of hope, which is also the crest of the House of El. I don't see anything to be gained from contradicting something that is pretty well-established lore by this point.

12. QUESTION: Clark Kent as journalist — a calling or a convenience?

I lean towards it being a calling. In fact, I love the idea of Clark working as an intern or part-time journalist in Smallville while at school and/or traveling the globe as a freelance journalist pre-Superman.

13. QUESTION: When does Lois learn Superman’s identity — if at all?

As much as I love Snyder's MOS and how he handled this, I'm generally more of a traditionalist here. So yes, it's a secret from Lois for the first few years of Superman's career at least and the "triangle for two" is very much in play in some form.

[Jim Kelly]

1. QUESTION: What do you prefer to see on Superman’s figurative birth certificate? (Krypton or Earth?)

Krypton. The matrix is a messy thing. Are you really going to tell that story to little children?

2. QUESTION: Did Krypton die of natural causes or was there something nefarious?

Natural causes.

3. QUESTION: Landing in Smallville — an accident or pre-ordained?

Accident more or less. In modern stories, Krypton is very far away--sometimes in another galaxy. I could see the spaceship having an onboard computer that searches for possible planets. But Jor-El shouldn't be able to see Earth (in detail) all the way from Krypton and he could only see an Earth from the distant past (spreed of light and all that).

4. QUESTION: Superbaby — in costume or not — yea or nay?

Yes. He gets his powers as soon as he arrives on Earth. You could maybe say that exposure to some green K. limited him a bit, so Martha and Jonathan could handle him, but he doesn't get his powers over a long period of time. That puts too many road blocks in future plots--he has to be able to lose and regain his powers in quick time. The idea that he's a solar battery is an okay metaphor but it shouldn't be the actual explanation (he is a biological lifeform not a battery). I could see that maybe his powers are cyclical over a seven year period--where he gets progressively more powerful then goes back down to a low level--becoming even more powerful in each successive seven year cycle.

5. QUESTION: Is Superman the only survivor of Krypton’s explosion — or did a whole coterie of other Kryptonians make it out alive as well?

The only survivor. In a pinch, I'd make an exception for Krypto as his symbiotic companion animal that makes the trip with him in the rocket. But really any other Superman family members can have their origins somewhere else. You have the onboard computer--which has to be very sophisticated and contain advanced science. That's his robot teacher. It makes a lot of sense that all intergalactic rockets would have such computers. Everything Clark needs to know about Krypton comes from that.

6. QUESTION: When should Clark learn of his Kryptonian heritage?

Because of the computer as his robot teacher, he learns immediately. And like in the SUPERMAN (1978) movie, the computer was teaching him through his whole journey to Earth. He continues to learn as he grows up. Superman never stops learning--he's a student of everything.

7. QUESTION: Superboy — yes or no?

Yes. Jerry Siegel wanted him to be Superboy. The only reason for Clark not being is because some fans want Superman to have his first night--when everyone is shocked to see a Superman--but that's one story--you can't just keep repeating the one story. With Superboy you get a lot more stories to tell. And I think the experiences of a young Superboy are even more interesting than the adventures of an old Superman. Yes, everyone in the world knew that Superboy existed. He was a world hero and many towns claimed him as their own. Smallville was one of those towns. His legend begins there.

8. QUESTION: Lex Luthor meets Superman as a teen in Smallville or as an adult in Metropolis?

Lex meets Superboy as a teen. That's the first time that Lex Luthor first appears in the comics. The one name Luthor was in the adult adventures before that. The new ideas that came out of that change in continuity created a lot more potential for Lex as a character (rather than fat, bald crime boss Luthor).

9. QUESTION: Jonathan and Martha Kent — dead or alive?

Alive in all the Superboy stories. Dead around when he's seventeen.

10. QUESTION: Who made Superman’s suit — Kryptonian Dad or Earth Mom?

Neither. Superboy made it. Martha and Jonathan might have designed it based on ideas from the rocket's computer, but only Clark would have been able to unravel the material (his baby blankets and parts from the rocket) to fashion it into his suit using his powers.

11. QUESTION: What does the “S” stand for?

It's stupid that an "S" just happens to be a Krypton symbol and he just happens to call himself Superboy/man. The "S" stands for Superman and everyone knows that. Even the Krypton symbol meaning hope is silly. So the El family were really the Hope family? And what does Kal-El translate as--Bob Hope? I could see that--THE ADVENTURES OF BOB HOPE.

12. QUESTION: Clark Kent as journalist — a calling or a convenience?

A calling.

13. QUESTION: When does Lois learn Superman’s identity — if at all?

She never learns (at least she never remembers that information). If she ever were to learn, it would be when she married Superman (not Clark). I prefer the marriage as a possible future that may or may not happen one day. Either she marries Superman--and everyone knows that Superman is married to Lois Lane, so there's no two-timing going on and Lois gets to be known as Mrs. Superman--or else it's at the end of Superman's career when he's lost all his powers and he marries her as an ordinary man.

[HsssH]

Fun idea!

1. Easily born on Krypton.

2. It is hard for me to accept that advanced civilization like Krypton just didn't notice that their planet will explode, but I don't like it getting destroyed by some big bad either. So to me Brainiac AI misleading Krypton's scientists about upcoming natural disaster is good middle ground.

3. Accident, it also works nicely with alternative takes like Superman landing in Soviet Russia or Nazi Grmany.

4. Slowly developing powers. Morrison's Action really works for me where he doesn't have his full powers yet when he starts operating in Metropolis.

5. I'm fine with Krypto because he is a dog. But other than that? Last survivor.

6. Again, Morrison's Action is my ideal scenario here.

7. More no than yes. I'm fine with him having some powers so he'd obviosuly help out here and there, but it shouldn't be a major thing.

8. Metropolis, I hate the idea of Lex being from Smallville.

9. Pa dead 100%, Ma I'm 50/50. On one hand she isn't adding much to the story, but she is not as bad as Pa and Clark would have a reason to return to Smallville from time to time.

10. I'd probably prefer if Ma made it with Clark's help, but I'm not 100% sure on this.

11. S stands for Superman. Hope thing is cringe to me.

12. I'm really unsure about this. Sometimes I wonder how viable him being a journalist is at all since it is one big can of worms. I prefer him as a writer like we saw in Busiek's Secret Identity.

13. Ideally never. I'd simply go for her being friends with Clark and dating.

[Stanlos]

HsssH, help me with interpreting this line

On one hand she isn't adding much to the story, but she is not as bad as Pa...

It says bad. I don't understand how to translate right. Does it say his parents were bad guys in some tellings? I never saw that. Can you help?

[exile001]

1. QUESTION: What do you prefer to see on Superman’s figurative birth certificate? (Krypton or Earth?)

Krypton, but left as a baby.

Byrne's idea of a birthing matrix was... bizarre.

2. QUESTION: Did Krypton die of natural causes or was there something nefarious?

Natural causes, hubris and societal stagnation. Now, more than ever, I'd tie in an environmental aspect that the Kryptonians brought about their own fate by draining their planet's resources to the point it led to a reaction deep inside that ultimately destroyed the planet.

3. QUESTION: Landing in Smallville — an accident or pre-ordained?

Accident.

Jor-El didn't know about the powers, or was trying to hide Kal or anything like that, he had extremely limited time, found an ecosystem with an analogous humanoid species surviving so chose Earth. It was just the best bet at giving his child a chance for life.

4. QUESTION: Superbaby — in costume or not — yea or nay?

NO SUPERBABY!

5. QUESTION: Is Superman the only survivor of Krypton’s explosion — or did a whole coterie of other Kryptonians make it out alive as well?

Just Kal-El and Zod.

I think you need a yin and yang, so there has to be an evil Kryptonian but that's it.

6. QUESTION: When should Clark learn of his Kryptonian heritage?

As a young adult (though he always knew about the ship).

It gives ample time for him to be a bit different and allows from dramatic growing up angst, but by the time he's got his compliment of powers he should probably find out.

7. QUESTION: Superboy — yes or no?

No.

I'm a fan of Clark's powers growing slowly over time, so as a baby he's a bit sickly (different atmosphere on Earth) but is largely a normal-ish kid to 8 or so when he becomes increasingly strong and tough, and then his extra powers start to evolve around puberty.

It's a fun way to tie his powers to growing up, parallels everyone can relate to, but it also help in-universe. Superbaby was just a ridiculous idea but even Superboy, as his comics were, just don't hold up under a modern lens.

Everything about Superboy, as it was pre-Crisis, only worked because everyone around him is a complete moron or intentionally pretending they didn't know Clark was Superboy. It cannot work outside of a throwaway power fantasy for kids, because the minute you apply logic it unravels.

Geoff Johns has tried to shift that he was largely only Superboy in the future with the LoSH but even then I personally think it's too much, as (you'll see in my answers) I dislike the hero's destiny idea.

The idea that he has powers and tries to subtly use them as and when he can while not yet even knowing how/if he can be anything more is much more interesting to me.

Superboy, to me, detracts from Superman as the finished product, the adult who is now the universe's greatest hero. Especially when Superboy effectively also did everything Superman does only at half the age.

8. QUESTION: Lex Luthor meets Superman as a teen in Smallville or as an adult in Metropolis?

Metropolis.

It adds nothing to have Luthor in Smallville unless you're doing a comic/show like Superboy/Smallville, something specifically chronicling that era and watching Clark's rise and Lex's fall. But even then, it just complicates things in an awkward way.

Just having that as a background detail is actually mildly distracting otherwise because, with Lex's natural status quo of not knowing the secret and being Superman's arch nemesis, there is nothing a writer can do with it. Lex wouldn't bring it and Clark can't.

Clark isn't going to suddenly turn to Lois and say "you know, he was such a nice boy when we were friends 25 years ago in Smallville," as Lois' only reply could be "the dude's been trying to kill you for over a decade. Get over it!"

9. QUESTION: Jonathan and Martha Kent — dead or alive?

Alive.

That's probably a bias of the era I started finding Superman, but really I think it's great that Superman can have a stable, healthy relationship with his Earth parents. They're good people and Clark loves them.

I don't think killing them adds anything, Clark can learn the "I can't save everyone" message a million ways, and it's a nice parallel to Krypton being gone.

10. QUESTION: Who made Superman’s suit — Kryptonian Dad or Earth Mom?

Martha made it from the blankets Lara put in the rocket. It ties the two together in a nice way.

The blankets are not somehow powered up by Earth's Sun (as some writers seem to think).

11. QUESTION: What does the “S” stand for?

Hope is fine, if way too on the nose. I like it as the crest of the house of El, too.

But honestly, it's just a 'S' because he's Superman.

12. QUESTION: Clark Kent as journalist — a calling or a convenience?

Passion.

I like the idea that, early on, Clark learned he can't always rely on his abilities. As a young man he can uncover some corruption that can't be fought with powers so he needs a way to relate what he can see/hear but can't show. Print it in the school paper.

That leads to a love of journalism and so Clark's job is as much a hobby as a second route to do good. It gives a modern reason for him having that job, it's because he loves it.

13. QUESTION: When does Lois learn Superman’s identity — if at all?

Immediately.

Post-Crisis went so far away from the Pre-Crisis Lois trope of trying to trick Superman into admitting his identity that they missed out on her discovering the truth and proving it for herself.

I think a character like Lois deserves to be the one person who immediately saw through the disguise. Skip the weird, outdated love-triangle and just have her truly see him, maybe the first time Clark has felt that, as the basis for their great love.

Whichever way around you want, Clark starts at the Daily Planet then Superman shows up or vice versa, I just want Lois looking at the second one and just seeing him. From there they could build trust with her wanting definitive proof while dropping hints and Clark trying to gauge, at first, if she's going to expose him and later whether it is selfish to put her in danger (because he's got slightly old fashioned country values).

[bat39]

1. QUESTION: What do you prefer to see on Superman’s figurative birth certificate? (Krypton or Earth?)

Krypton. The matrix is a messy thing. Are you really going to tell that story to little children?

2. QUESTION: Did Krypton die of natural causes or was there something nefarious?

Natural causes.

3. QUESTION: Landing in Smallville — an accident or pre-ordained?

Accident more or less. In modern stories, Krypton is very far away--sometimes in another galaxy. I could see the spaceship having an onboard computer that searches for possible planets. But Jor-El shouldn't be able to see Earth (in detail) all the way from Krypton and he could only see an Earth from the distant past (spreed of light and all that).

4. QUESTION: Superbaby — in costume or not — yea or nay?

Yes. He gets his powers as soon as he arrives on Earth. You could maybe say that exposure to some green K. limited him a bit, so Martha and Jonathan could handle him, but he doesn't get his powers over a long period of time. That puts too many road blocks in future plots--he has to be able to lose and regain his powers in quick time. The idea that he's a solar battery is an okay metaphor but it shouldn't be the actual explanation (he is a biological lifeform not a battery). I could see that maybe his powers are cyclical over a seven year period--where he gets progressively more powerful then goes back down to a low level--becoming even more powerful in each successive seven year cycle.

5. QUESTION: Is Superman the only survivor of Krypton’s explosion — or did a whole coterie of other Kryptonians make it out alive as well?

The only survivor. In a pinch, I'd make an exception for Krypto as his symbiotic companion animal that makes the trip with him in the rocket. But really any other Superman family members can have their origins somewhere else. You have the onboard computer--which has to be very sophisticated and contain advanced science. That's his robot teacher. It makes a lot of sense that all intergalactic rockets would have such computers. Everything Clark needs to know about Krypton comes from that.

6. QUESTION: When should Clark learn of his Kryptonian heritage?

Because of the computer as his robot teacher, he learns immediately. And like in the SUPERMAN (1978) movie, the computer was teaching him through his whole journey to Earth. He continues to learn as he grows up. Superman never stops learning--he's a student of everything.

7. QUESTION: Superboy — yes or no?

Yes. Jerry Siegel wanted him to be Superboy. The only reason for Clark not being is because some fans want Superman to have his first night--when everyone is shocked to see a Superman--but that's one story--you can't just keep repeating the one story. With Superboy you get a lot more stories to tell. And I think the experiences of a young Superboy are even more interesting than the adventures of an old Superman. Yes, everyone in the world knew that Superboy existed. He was a world hero and many towns claimed him as their own. Smallville was one of those towns. His legend begins there.

8. QUESTION: Lex Luthor meets Superman as a teen in Smallville or as an adult in Metropolis?

Lex meets Superboy as a teen. That's the first time that Lex Luthor first appears in the comics. The one name Luthor was in the adult adventures before that. The new ideas that came out of that change in continuity created a lot more potential for Lex as a character (rather than fat, bald crime boss Luthor).

9. QUESTION: Jonathan and Martha Kent — dead or alive?

Alive in all the Superboy stories. Dead around when he's seventeen.

10. QUESTION: Who made Superman’s suit — Kryptonian Dad or Earth Mom?

Neither. Superboy made it. Martha and Jonathan might have designed it based on ideas from the rocket's computer, but only Clark would have been able to unravel the material (his baby blankets and parts from the rocket) to fashion it into his suit using his powers.

11. QUESTION: What does the “S” stand for?

It's stupid that an "S" just happens to be a Krypton symbol and he just happens to call himself Superboy/man. The "S" stands for Superman and everyone knows that. Even the Krypton symbol meaning hope is silly. So the El family were really the Hope family? And what does Kal-El translate as--Bob Hope? I could see that--THE ADVENTURES OF BOB HOPE.

12. QUESTION: Clark Kent as journalist — a calling or a convenience?

A calling.

13. QUESTION: When does Lois learn Superman’s identity — if at all?

She never learns (at least she never remembers that information). If she ever were to learn, it would be when she married Superman (not Clark). I prefer the marriage as a possible future that may or may not happen one day. Either she marries Superman--and everyone knows that Superman is married to Lois Lane, so there's no two-timing going on and Lois gets to be known as Mrs. Superman--or else it's at the end of Superman's career when he's lost all his powers and he marries her as an ordinary man.

Its a bit interesting that while your preferences lean towards the Silver Age (at least it seems that way to me), you want Superman to be the sole survivor of Krypton. Would love to understand your thought process there better!

As far as the symbol goes, its not supposed to literally mean 'El'. It means hope but its the El family symbol. You can think of 'Hope' as being something akin to the El family motto.

I'm not the greatest fan of the idea of Clark naming himself 'Superman' and the S symbol being created accordingly, even if that's how it originally was. I much prefer the idea from the Donner movie, and Byrne's MOS, that Lois names him 'Superman'. It further strengthens Lois' role in the mythos. (Of course Donner and Byrne handled this differently...in Donner's case, the symbol came first as the family crest of the House of El and Lois then named him Superman...in Byrne's case, Lois first named him Superman when he saved the space-plane in his civvies and he then creates the suit and the S when he adopts the name).

[Vakanai]

1. QUESTION: What do you prefer to see on Superman’s figurative birth certificate? (Krypton or Earth?)

Krypton, but he leaves as a baby and through suspended animation he arrives on earth as a baby. None of that him being a toddler because he's awake and aware for the whole trip, just seems cruel to me to have a baby spend so much time with no one but an AI and no room to move around. Silly but stuff I think about.

2. QUESTION: Did Krypton die of natural causes or was there something nefarious?

Natural. I don't like the idea of Brainiac being connected, sets him up as endgame boss too much like that I think. Just through their own arrogance and ignorance Krypton mined their resources until the core became unstable - a sci-fi parable that's pretty apt in our time of human driven climate change and the denial out there.

3. QUESTION: Landing in Smallville — an accident or pre-ordained?

Accident. His dad was a scientist but not omniscient - sent him off towards a habitable world with humanoids and prayed for the best. Programmed the ship to not land in an ocean and not too far from people and crossed fingers someone would come to love his baby like he did.

4. QUESTION: Superbaby — in costume or not — yea or nay?

Nay, I prefer he's not too powerful to young. I like that he comes into it over time.

5. QUESTION: Is Superman the only survivor of Krypton’s explosion — or did a whole coterie of other Kryptonians make it out alive as well?

Not the sole survivor, but also not a whole coterie. I like Kara and Krypto making it out (as silly as a super dog is), and you need Zod. Maybe a couple other PZ criminals as well. And of course, the bottled city of Kandor which Brainiac took well before the planet blew up (like the explanation that's why he didn't blow it up himself, already knew it was on a course of doom).

6. QUESTION: When should Clark learn of his Kryptonian heritage?

No younger than 8, no older than 14. At some point his parents have to tell him why he's getting powers as he grows older.

7. QUESTION: Superboy — yes or no?

Yes, but mostly just in the future with LoSH.

8. QUESTION: Lex Luthor meets Superman as a teen in Smallville or as an adult in Metropolis?

Honestly? I'm mostly indifferent to it, but gun to my head I'd have to say yes to Smallville. Just because I love that page where Clark asks Lex why he has detention and it's because he stole all those pies. I need that in continuity, it's too perfect!

9. QUESTION: Jonathan and Martha Kent — dead or alive?

Alive, although I'm okay with Jonathan dying of a heart attack at some point, although preferably after Clark's been Superman a while. The dude doesn't need tragedy in his life, he ain't Batman, let him have his parents. They don't need to be in every story, but it's nice that he can visit sometimes.

10. QUESTION: Who made Superman’s suit — Kryptonian Dad or Earth Mom?

Earth mom. Space dad's not going to know his size as an adult.

11. QUESTION: What does the “S” stand for?

Depends entirely on where the S comes from. If the El's are wearing the S, if there's an S on his baby rocket, if there's an S on his baby blanket, then the S stands for hope. Having the S appear in such an important way before he's Superman means it can't possibly stand for Superman.

Plus Clark's too humble to name himself Superman.

If the S is something he adopts after Lois names him Superman in the paper, then yeah it stands for Superman.

12. QUESTION: Clark Kent as journalist — a calling or a convenience?

Calling. Feel like it should be a bigger part of his Smallville years, have him work on the school paper or apprentice/part time job at the local paper as a teen.

13. QUESTION: When does Lois learn Superman’s identity — if at all?

At least 5-10 years into publishing, more if there's still good material to milk from her not knowing. She needs to find out eventually, but no reason to remove the "Lois doesn't know" trope for writers when they haven't had that option since the early 90s or earlier.

[Johnny Thunders!]

1. Krypton, I like the idea that Jor El and Lara held their baby before sending him across the stars.
2. Natural causes, I do like that their Science Council was not immune from group think though, and that Jor El seemed like a heretic.
3. He lands by accident in Smallville, sometimes we get lucky and Kal is raised by saints.
4. Super baby in costume, Ma Kent had to find clothes that he wouldn’t disintegrate and baby Kal helped sew.
5. Krypto, Kandor, Supergirl, and Phantom Zone all survive. It makes Superman seem like he has an Oz like past that intrudes into the present.
6. I think he should always remember Krypton and that his mind works differently, even as an infant.
7. Yes to Superboy and the Legion, Superman should be DCs premier time travel adventurer.
8. Lex meets him as a teen. Lex Luthor has always been Salieri to Kal’s Amadeus.
9. The Kent’s die, Superman is all about moving on to what’s next.
10. Ma Kent made the suit and the S can be a coincidence.
11. “Super” but Kal knows it matches his family crest and helps Ma choose the symbol.
12. Journalism is a convenience but Superman likes to write.
13. She learns his identity after she falls in love with Clark, vulnerabilities and all.

[Jim Kelly]

Its a bit interesting that while your preferences lean towards the Silver Age (at least it seems that way to me), you want Superman to be the sole survivor of Krypton. Would love to understand your thought process there better!

Since you asked . . . With a lot of Superboy stuff--Luthor being Lex, Lana Lang, the Phantom Zone etc. [see Superboy Made Them All]--people want the fruit of the tree, but not the tree.

You could say I'm doing a bit of that, too. But Superboy happened so early on in Jerry Siegel's mind that I consider it a part of the original concept. To say no would be like saying to Charles M. Schulz--"Sorry, Sparky, you may have these few characters you created in 1950 and 1951 but everything else has to go." A creator should have the right to develop his concept. People taking that concept away from him and changing it all around isn't right.

Of course, Siegel also wrote a lot of those great tales from the Weisinger era.

I have thought up many scenarios how you can keep those Weisinger concepts yet still maintain Superman as the lone survivor of the doomed planet. If I can think of these things, I'm sure others can, too. A lot of ideas I imagined decades ago later turned up in Alan Moore or Grant Morrison stories--it must be the hive mind.

Everything about Superboy, as it was pre-Crisis, only worked because everyone around him is a complete moron or intentionally pretending they didn't know Clark was Superboy. It cannot work outside of a throwaway power fantasy for kids, because the minute you apply logic it unravels.

Exactly. The problem is people trying to make Superman work according to logic for adults. He should be a power fantasy for kids. People are morons because people are morons--that's the wit of Superman and the whimsy. These are MORE FUN COMICS.

[HsssH]

HsssH, help me with interpreting this line


It says bad. I don't understand how to translate right. Does it say his parents were bad guys in some tellings? I never saw that. Can you help?

I don't mean that he is bad guy, but that I dislike how he is used. It relates to Snyder's MoS topic where we discussed why Clark decided to do good and I prefer Clark to just want to help people regardless of what his parents tell him. It is same for Jor-El too, I dislike all these Jor-El ghosts and computer projections that guide Clark for a while. We really shouldn't see him after Krypton explodes.

[magha_regulus]

1. QUESTION: What do you prefer to see on Superman’s figurative birth certificate? (Krypton or Earth?)

He was born on Krypton. He leaves Krypton when he's 2. Kryptonians all have super-intelligence and photographic memory and he remembers the bit of krypton that he experienced, including his birth parents.

2. QUESTION: Did Krypton die of natural causes or was there something nefarious?

The planet was destroyed by natural causes, and it was the civilization's hubris that caused them to miss it and not listen to Jor-El when he was warning them.

3. QUESTION: Landing in Smallville — an accident or pre-ordained?

Jor-El purposefully sends Kal to Earth, he just happens to land in Smallville.

4. QUESTION: Superbaby — in costume or not — yea or nay?

Fully powered Superbaby in costume. His Kryptonian intellect keeps him from getting into too much trouble and is part of the reason why he understands there's a need to learn to control his powers and keep them hidden.

5. QUESTION: Is Superman the only survivor of Krypton’s explosion — or did a whole coterie of other Kryptonians make it out alive as well?

He's not the sole survivor. He is the last person born on Krypton that survived. Kara, Zod, the other Phantom Zone villains, and Kandor are all that is left of Krypton.

6. QUESTION: When should Clark learn of his Kryptonian heritage?

He should know he's Kryptonian from the beginning. I like him leaving krypton at 1 or 2 years old. Kryptonians have Super-intelligence naturally and this would help him remember. He shouldn't be an expert on Kryptonian culture at this young age though. He should remember losing his birth parents. Losing Krypton needs to be a huge factor in his life from the beginning. Alternatively I'd be ok with him learning about Krypton very early in his career as Superboy.

7. QUESTION: Superboy — yes or no?

Absolutely yes. This one is mandatory for me. Its part of what cements Superman's role as the world's premier super-hero. He'd have more experience than the others and could help the other heroes skill up when they get started. It would also explain why the public perceives him the way they do. He'd be someone who they know was saving the world since he was a child and that would lend him a ton of trust and respect from people all over the world in a way that's different than other heroes. I like a Superboy that starts out between 10-12.

8. QUESTION: Lex Luthor meets Superman as a teen in Smallville or as an adult in Metropolis?
I'm torn on this, but I'm leaning toward them meeting in Smallville. I want Luthor to be older for sure, maybe even 18-20. They'd start out as friends, with Luthor recognizing that he's finally found someone who is an intellectual match. Luthor's baldness being a result of an experiment gone wrong and Superboy not saving him in time should stay true. He'd be seriously injured but his life would be saved and his permanent hair loss would be the only lasting damage. I'd probably make that accident give him cancer and the hair loss comes as a result of that. The reason I like it is because I like the idea of Superman having a lifelong arch-nemesis.

9. QUESTION: Jonathan and Martha Kent — dead or alive?

Absolutely dead. They guide him as Superboy. Superman is a character that needs personal tragedies in his back story and the loss of both sets of parents is important in that regard to me. I'd be ok with them coming back in so sci-fi way eventually; but they should die just before he's an adult.

10. QUESTION: Who made Superman’s suit — Kryptonian Dad or Earth Mom?

I LOVE what Morrison did with having the cape be like his security blanket. Martha can make the suit from fabric materials from the ship. The suit should be invulnerable but the strands can still be unwoven.

11. QUESTION: What does the “S” stand for?

I like it being the sigil for the House of El and it meaning hope, but I don't want El to mean hope. Kal-El should mean star child like it did in the bronze age. They did so much work fleshing out krypton. Those things should be used.

12. QUESTION: Clark Kent as journalist — a calling or a convenience?

It's a calling. Exposing corruption and speaking truth to power should be major motivations. I think he'd see it as a really productive way to help humanity in a way that he can't as Superman.

13. QUESTION: When does Lois learn Superman’s identity — if at all?

She learns it shortly after she starts dating Clark.

Bonus 14. Superman or Clark as the real persona

I'm going with Elliot S. Maggin here and saying that Clark Kent is Superman's greatest creation and work of art. Superman is the real persona.

[magha_regulus]

1. QUESTION: What do you prefer to see on Superman’s figurative birth certificate? (Krypton or Earth?)

Krypton. The matrix is a messy thing. Are you really going to tell that story to little children?

2. QUESTION: Did Krypton die of natural causes or was there something nefarious?

Natural causes.

3. QUESTION: Landing in Smallville — an accident or pre-ordained?

Accident more or less. In modern stories, Krypton is very far away--sometimes in another galaxy. I could see the spaceship having an onboard computer that searches for possible planets. But Jor-El shouldn't be able to see Earth (in detail) all the way from Krypton and he could only see an Earth from the distant past (spreed of light and all that).

4. QUESTION: Superbaby — in costume or not — yea or nay?

Yes. He gets his powers as soon as he arrives on Earth. You could maybe say that exposure to some green K. limited him a bit, so Martha and Jonathan could handle him, but he doesn't get his powers over a long period of time. That puts too many road blocks in future plots--he has to be able to lose and regain his powers in quick time. The idea that he's a solar battery is an okay metaphor but it shouldn't be the actual explanation (he is a biological lifeform not a battery). I could see that maybe his powers are cyclical over a seven year period--where he gets progressively more powerful then goes back down to a low level--becoming even more powerful in each successive seven year cycle.

5. QUESTION: Is Superman the only survivor of Krypton’s explosion — or did a whole coterie of other Kryptonians make it out alive as well?

The only survivor. In a pinch, I'd make an exception for Krypto as his symbiotic companion animal that makes the trip with him in the rocket. But really any other Superman family members can have their origins somewhere else. You have the onboard computer--which has to be very sophisticated and contain advanced science. That's his robot teacher. It makes a lot of sense that all intergalactic rockets would have such computers. Everything Clark needs to know about Krypton comes from that.

6. QUESTION: When should Clark learn of his Kryptonian heritage?

Because of the computer as his robot teacher, he learns immediately. And like in the SUPERMAN (1978) movie, the computer was teaching him through his whole journey to Earth. He continues to learn as he grows up. Superman never stops learning--he's a student of everything.

7. QUESTION: Superboy — yes or no?

Yes. Jerry Siegel wanted him to be Superboy. The only reason for Clark not being is because some fans want Superman to have his first night--when everyone is shocked to see a Superman--but that's one story--you can't just keep repeating the one story. With Superboy you get a lot more stories to tell. And I think the experiences of a young Superboy are even more interesting than the adventures of an old Superman. Yes, everyone in the world knew that Superboy existed. He was a world hero and many towns claimed him as their own. Smallville was one of those towns. His legend begins there.

8. QUESTION: Lex Luthor meets Superman as a teen in Smallville or as an adult in Metropolis?

Lex meets Superboy as a teen. That's the first time that Lex Luthor first appears in the comics. The one name Luthor was in the adult adventures before that. The new ideas that came out of that change in continuity created a lot more potential for Lex as a character (rather than fat, bald crime boss Luthor).

9. QUESTION: Jonathan and Martha Kent — dead or alive?

Alive in all the Superboy stories. Dead around when he's seventeen.

10. QUESTION: Who made Superman’s suit — Kryptonian Dad or Earth Mom?

Neither. Superboy made it. Martha and Jonathan might have designed it based on ideas from the rocket's computer, but only Clark would have been able to unravel the material (his baby blankets and parts from the rocket) to fashion it into his suit using his powers.

11. QUESTION: What does the “S” stand for?

It's stupid that an "S" just happens to be a Krypton symbol and he just happens to call himself Superboy/man. The "S" stands for Superman and everyone knows that. Even the Krypton symbol meaning hope is silly. So the El family were really the Hope family? And what does Kal-El translate as--Bob Hope? I could see that--THE ADVENTURES OF BOB HOPE.

12. QUESTION: Clark Kent as journalist — a calling or a convenience?

A calling.

13. QUESTION: When does Lois learn Superman’s identity — if at all?

She never learns (at least she never remembers that information). If she ever were to learn, it would be when she married Superman (not Clark). I prefer the marriage as a possible future that may or may not happen one day. Either she marries Superman--and everyone knows that Superman is married to Lois Lane, so there's no two-timing going on and Lois gets to be known as Mrs. Superman--or else it's at the end of Superman's career when he's lost all his powers and he marries her as an ordinary man.

We have very similar sensibilities. I like all of this. i answered differently in a few questions so as to keep some of the big story developments from the 90's onward, but I really am where you're at on 90 percent of these.

[magha_regulus]

This is a great idea for a thread!

[magha_regulus]

Since you asked . . . With a lot of Superboy stuff--Luthor being Lex, Lana Lang, the Phantom Zone etc. [see Superboy Made Them All]--people want the fruit of the tree, but not the tree.

You could say I'm doing a bit of that, too. But Superboy happened so early on in Jerry Siegel's mind that I consider it a part of the original concept. To say no would be like saying to Charles M. Schulz--"Sorry, Sparky, you may have these few characters you created in 1950 and 1951 but everything else has to go." A creator should have the right to develop his concept. People taking that concept away from him and changing it all around isn't right.

Of course, Siegel also wrote a lot of those great tales from the Weisinger era.

I have thought up many scenarios how you can keep those Weisinger concepts yet still maintain Superman as the lone survivor of the doomed planet. If I can think of these things, I'm sure others can, too. A lot of ideas I imagined decades ago later turned up in Alan Moore or Grant Morrison stories--it must be the hive mind.



Exactly. The problem is people trying to make Superman work according to logic for adults. He should be a power fantasy for kids. People are morons because people are morons--that's the wit of Superman and the whimsy. These are MORE FUN COMICS.

Totally agree with that last part. You could explain it all away with Super hypnotism and let that be that lol

[godisawesome]

1. QUESTION: What do you prefer to see on Superman’s figurative birth certificate? (Krypton or Earth?)
Krypton, mostly because I love the idea of having a usually stoic and formerly repressed Jor-El have the emotional, anxious goodbye to his baby son this time; I’d have Lara having already shed her tears and gone through the stages of grief, while Jor for the first real time in his life breaks down and has to marshal some dignity back before shooting Kal-El into space.

I also dig the idea that Kal is *literally* the Last Son of Krypton.

2. QUESTION: Did Krypton die of natural causes or was there something nefarious?
I love the idea of some ancient Kryptonian weapon or experiment dooming the planet centuries or even millenia before the story begins, with the idea being that Kem-L (Jor-El’s genetic template and “ancestor”) was a genius but had a god complex that led him to enforce a lack of research or investigation into his unknowingly inaccurate diagnosis of the core.

I’d love to make it so that Krypton is destroyed more by tragic arrogance than either nefarious plots or natural causes.

3. QUESTION: Landing in Smallville — an accident or pre-ordained?
And accident that Jor-El had to try and program the rocket to prepare for; I’d have the idea be that Lara (a “chronicler” and researcher of forbidden knowledge) dug up the ancient record of Earth, but the data was corrupted.

4. QUESTION: Superbaby — in costume or not — yea or nay?
Nay… but I would like it if he was still swaddled in some heraldic “blanket” that became his cape later.

5. QUESTION: Is Superman the only survivor of Krypton’s explosion — or did a whole coterie of other Kryptonians make it out alive as well?
Not the *only* survivor, but a very unique one: he is at once the youngest and last Kryptonian born on their home planet, by some standards the best equipped thanks to Lara (chronicler who dug up as much fi akryptonks true history as possible) and Jor-El (Fortress of Solitude) and by far the most acclimated to Earth and thus generally the most powerful.

Kara *was* sent to protect him and got lost on the way (and I’d have that be a traumatic experience for her), while Argo City was shunted to a distant corner of the Galaxy and the denizens had to modify themselves to survive. Kandor is among Brainaic’s collection, but is full of “Ancient Kryptonians” who are also genetically distinct (they’re pre-Kem-L). There’s a couple dozen Phantom Zone inmates who fill out the last of the survivors, but most are supposed to never get out.

6. QUESTION: When should Clark learn of his Kryptonian heritage?
12-ish; I’d have the idea be that when he was a very young kid, he was genuinely sickly and frail as his body adjusted to the atmosphere on top of the solar radiation, and when he became a pre-teen, Martha and Jonathon helped him activate the message system Jor-El and Lara made that briefed them on him. He then gets educated in Kryptonian history, culture, and language by the system as well… but as a subculture in general.

7. QUESTION: Superboy — yes or no?
Yes-ish; he straps on his heraldic cape, paints the design on a blue t-shirt, and did a lot of rescuing in his teenage years, but without making a proper public debut and remaining a very quiet myth.

…In the present, that is; he gets recruited by the Legion of Superheroes and gets a lot of experience with his powers doing so, but in the far future.

8. QUESTION: Lex Luthor meets Superman as a teen in Smallville or as an adult in Metropolis?
I actually want a teen meeting between them, one that marks Lex forever afterwards, especially in regards to how he treats Clark as an adult, but not in a friendly way.

I’d have the idea be that Clark became one of Lex’s very few fans when they were young, and became aware of Lex being physically and mentally abused by his grandfather Lionel. Clark told his parents, and they sheltered Lex one weekend and offered to help him turn his grandfather in and maybe even adopt him. Lex was torn, but out of wounded pride at their pity and ambition instilled by his grandfather, he rejected it and returned to Lionel.

Now, in the present, Lex has a thing about needing to come off as the better man, both materially and in behavior, around Clark - making it so his envy is more subdued and pitiable there compared to his more ferocious and malignant envy of Superman.

9. QUESTION: Jonathan and Martha Kent — dead or alive?
Very alive; Jonathon still runs the farm, and Martha is on the Smallville school board going on two and a half decades. They still live in Kansas, so they’re not a super-constant presence, but they do occasionally show up.

10. QUESTION: Who made Superman’s suit — Kryptonian Dad or Earth Mom?
Both, in a way - the color scheme comes from the adventuring “Superboy” suit his mother helped design, while the later full costume is created by the Fortress of Solitude by his father’s AI. Conventional Kryptonian colors are more somber and restrained.

11. QUESTION: What does the “S” stand for?
Superman… after a fashion. Like his costume, the symbol is actually a fusion of his cultural identities, creating personal heraldry in Ancient Kryptonian tradition (found by Lara) with input from his Earthly family. The House of El symbol looks a lot like an S, but still has some of the “8” look from Smallville, and is an ancient alchemical symbol for “air” and “hope.” Kal chooses to modify it in part because the original symbol was created by Kem-L, and Jor-El started doing so to divest them of some of that legacy.

12. QUESTION: Clark Kent as journalist — a calling or a convenience?
A calling, though also a craft; Clark is a columnist and ex-blogger who already has some minor cult fame when he gets scouted by Perry, having become a skilled and passionate writer rather than an investigator. He publicizes and raises awareness on a lot of causes, but is more of a “secondary” reporter. In fact, most of his usual work is done in his apartment or at the office, since he doesn’t do a lot of “walking the beat.”

He *does*, however, initially hang out with Lois and Jimmy because *they’re* mainlining the crazy **** going on in Metropolis. Lois is a bloodhound of an investigator who dropped out of military intelligence training for exposing corruption from her teachers, and she started hanging out with Metropolis-native Jimmy because he’s got the connections to fuel her investigations. Clark can bring more attention to her investigations, and she unknowingly keeps him abreast of future threats in a crazy city like Metropolis.

13. QUESTION: When does Lois learn Superman’s identity — if at all?
She learns it right when she’s starting to become deeply attracted to her friend Clark and wants to ask him out three or four years into Superman’s career - but figuring out that he’s keeping a secret from her also makes her act a little Tsundere for a while, confusing Clark right when he’s about to tell her as well out of similar attraction. Hilarity ensues for a while, before they eventually both figure out the full situation (including their feelings for each other) and they say the truth at the same time, and neither one of them are surprised.