Superman Red

[Superdoom]

Is Superman Red still out in space? What's he been doing all these years?

[Joe Acro]

The original? Presumably still living on his universe's New Krypton.

Unless whatever happened to him in Convergence changes that outcome.

[Superdoom]

He never made it to New Krypton. We lost track of him after he expended all his energy taking down the Millenium Giants with Superman Blue.

[titansupes]

Wait, wha? Silver Age Superman Red, who was married to Lana (or Lois, can't remember)? Or Electric Superman Red, who dissipated/merged back with Superman Blue (to become regular Superman again) after the Millennium Giants?

[Slaughter]

Pretty sure he merged with Superman Blue.

Althrough I've heard that there was a theory that he a quite likely candidate for Pokolistan Zod. However, from what I've heard, Pokolistan Zod was originally supposed to be either Pocket Universe Zod (who was dead) or the real General Zod from the real krypton.

[Joe Acro]

He never made it to New Krypton. We lost track of him after he expended all his energy taking down the Millenium Giants with Superman Blue.

Wait, wha? Silver Age Superman Red, who was married to Lana (or Lois, can't remember)? Or Electric Superman Red, who dissipated/merged back with Superman Blue (to become regular Superman again) after the Millennium Giants?

Pretty sure he merged with Superman Blue.

Althrough I've heard that there was a theory that he a quite likely candidate for Pokolistan Zod. However, from what I've heard, Pokolistan Zod was originally supposed to be either Pocket Universe Zod (who was dead) or the real General Zod from the real krypton.

Yeah, Electric Superman Red merged with Electric Superman Blue.

Original Superman Red went to live on his universe's New Krypton. Again, unless Convergence changed that. I didn't read his appearances.

[Superdoom]

Superman Red was mutated into human form Clark Kent and jettisoned through a wormhole to Pokolistan. His head was hit pretty hard and he though he was Zod and developed superpowers from living on exposed red kryponite.

[Adekis]

That wasn't who the Pokolistani Zod was, he was a mutant who gained powers from red sunlight but was very weak in yellow sunlight, and then had plastic surgery to look like Superman, right? Unless you're thinking of an Elseworld one-shot or something.

Superman Red and Superman Blue merged back into Superman on their own. Personally, I want to know more about "Superman-Purple", since he apparently married the queen of the Fifth Dimension, but he's not around until the distant future.

[Superdoom]

Superman assumed Blue and Red merged when he fell to earth in his classic duds, but what if Red is still out there? Seems like something that would really disgruntle a hothead like him and send him on a mission through the multiverse to find Supes and get revenge, only to find him at the end of existence -- The Crisis!

[kingaliencracker]

Pretty sure he merged with Superman Blue.

Althrough I've heard that there was a theory that he a quite likely candidate for Pokolistan Zod. However, from what I've heard, Pokolistan Zod was originally supposed to be either Pocket Universe Zod (who was dead) or the real General Zod from the real krypton.

Actually, the original origin behind Russian Zod was revealed by Joe Kelly a few years back:

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources...s-revealed-79/

Zod was a while back, so forgive me if I don’t remember the whole thing. Ignition was definitely Zod’s boy from the beginning, and the gag there was that (as a young man) Zod had found him and rescued him, so despite the fact that he was infinitely more powerful than Zod, Ignition was loyal to him. Eventually, the loyalty would have been eroded, of course!But my original take for Zod was not the cosmonaut’s son business. (Even though I do like the symmetry of it) He was going to be Kal-El from the Silver Age Krypton (which we had always intended to be real) [Ed Note: Another crossover during Kelly’s run on the title involved a visit by Clark and Lois to Silver Age Krypton] corrupted by the Zod whom Superman “executed.” I wanted Superman to suffer for that violation of his own principles, and giving him an “evil twin” who had been tainted because of Superman’s fall from grace seemed like a cool way to do it.

[Slaughter]

So Russian Zod was actually the Phantom Zone Krypton's Kal-El, corrupted by Zod's spirit? That explains the face.
So who was Ignition and the boy under the Russians? I just read the OWAW issue and it seems to me that the boy in his letters considered russian a ugly language... compared to what? Kryptonian? Was the young boy Ignition, or a younger Silver Age Kal-El? Did Phantom Zone Kal-El get sent to the Earth as well, being taken by the soviets instead?
No, really, what was Ignition?

[Joe Acro]

Superman assumed Blue and Red merged when he fell to earth in his classic duds, but what if Red is still out there? Seems like something that would really disgruntle a hothead like him and send him on a mission through the multiverse to find Supes and get revenge, only to find him at the end of existence -- The Crisis!

Except that Superman Red and Superman Blue and separate personalities. If he hadn't reacquired Superman Red, he'd lose those traits of his person and likely feel incomplete somehow or unable to properly react/relate in certain circumstances.

So Russian Zod was actually the Phantom Zone Krypton's Kal-El, corrupted by Zod's spirit? That explains the face.
So who was Ignition and the boy under the Russians? I just read the OWAW issue and it seems to me that the boy in his letters considered russian a ugly language... compared to what? Kryptonian? Was the young boy Ignition, or a younger Silver Age Kal-El? Did Phantom Zone Kal-El get sent to the Earth as well, being taken by the soviets instead?
No, really, what was Ignition?

It really is unclear what Ignition was (other than a really cool character). He was introduced in Emperor Joker, but notes within that story that he's not a Joker creation, which presumes that he must've become Ignition or assumed that identity right before the Emperor Joker story began. He also seemed be aware of the change in reality, much like Superman himself. Clearly, from Kelly's comments and from what eventually was revealed in the comics, Ignition was never intended to be Zod himself, but always a servant. He always seemed like some sort of Kryptonian Phantom Stranger--aware of reality and changes in it, knowledgeable about people's pasts and personalities, and influencing events on the planet without himself being the direct cause.

[Joe Acro]

Superman assumed Blue and Red merged when he fell to earth in his classic duds, but what if Red is still out there? Seems like something that would really disgruntle a hothead like him and send him on a mission through the multiverse to find Supes and get revenge, only to find him at the end of existence -- The Crisis!

Except that Superman Red and Superman Blue and separate personalities. If he hadn't reacquired Superman Red, he'd lose those traits of his person and likely feel incomplete somehow or unable to properly react/relate in certain circumstances.

So Russian Zod was actually the Phantom Zone Krypton's Kal-El, corrupted by Zod's spirit? That explains the face.
So who was Ignition and the boy under the Russians? I just read the OWAW issue and it seems to me that the boy in his letters considered russian a ugly language... compared to what? Kryptonian? Was the young boy Ignition, or a younger Silver Age Kal-El? Did Phantom Zone Kal-El get sent to the Earth as well, being taken by the soviets instead?
No, really, what was Ignition?

It really is unclear what Ignition was (other than a really cool character). He was introduced in Emperor Joker, but notes within that story that he's not a Joker creation, which presumes that he must've become Ignition or assumed that identity right before the Emperor Joker story began. He also seemed be aware of the change in reality, much like Superman himself. Clearly, from Kelly's comments and from what eventually was revealed in the comics, Ignition was never intended to be Zod himself, but always a servant. He always seemed like some sort of Kryptonian Phantom Stranger--aware of reality and changes in it, knowledgeable about people's pasts and personalities, and influencing events on the planet without himself being the direct cause.

[oldschoolfan]

Except that Superman Red and Superman Blue and separate personalities. If he hadn't reacquired Superman Red, he'd lose those traits of his person and likely feel incomplete somehow or unable to properly react/relate in certain circumstances.


It really is unclear what Ignition was (other than a really cool character). He was introduced in Emperor Joker, but notes within that story that he's not a Joker creation, which presumes that he must've become Ignition or assumed that identity right before the Emperor Joker story began. He also seemed be aware of the change in reality, much like Superman himself. Clearly, from Kelly's comments and from what eventually was revealed in the comics, Ignition was never intended to be Zod himself, but always a servant. He always seemed like some sort of Kryptonian Phantom Stranger--aware of reality and changes in it, knowledgeable about people's pasts and personalities, and influencing events on the planet without himself being the direct cause.

My understanding is the same as you, that Ignition existed before the Emperor Joker story, but that story was when he made his first appearance. In other words, Ignition existed in the regular Superman world, but only came to prominence in the Jokers Twisted Version of that world.

It is amazing how that one Superman Red/Superman Blue story from the 60's has had such an influence on all of us fans. People just remember that story and it was really only intended to be a one off. That era of Superman books had several great stories....the Luthor vs Superman story on a planet with a red sun, the first Luthor Brainiac team up was during that time. Just a great run of silver age stuff.

The electric blue Superman/Superman Red story appealed to me because not only did they separate him physically, but they split up his personality too! Superman Red was a lot more impulsive and quick to move, while Superman Blue made sure the details were taken care of.

Louise Simonson, Roger Stern, Karl Kesel and Dan Jurgens did a great job on that story. I was very entertained. I realize its really nineties, but I also liked the way the covers of all the crossovers created one big poster. It was a gimmick, but it was a fun gimmick.