Scans: World of Krypton (1/2)

[mithen]

John Byrne's influence on the Superman character and mythos is deep and far-reaching. After Crisis of Infinite Earths, he was tapped to re-make Superman, and he took the character in very different directions. There had been, in the late pre-Crisis, a tendency to see Clark Kent as the real persona and Superman as the "mask"--Byrne's envisioning of

Comments

[vespa331]

the Batfamily traveling back in time could be fun, especially if it's Barbara who encounters Lara. They could geek out about libraries and keeping potential lovers at arms' length via telecommunications.

I want that story. Yes.

[mithen]

I agree! Dick would be so horrified by Byrne's Krypton, lol. I suspect Tim wouldn't mind it so much...

[mithen]

Super-stalking: It runs in the family.

I definitely thought that. "Like father, like son."

Also, I really love the story idea! *takes notes*

[stinglikeabee]

A centuries-long war started when a Kryptonian woman wedded one of her clones to her son. From a history reader's POV that is awesome. I'm dying to know what happened to the clones, if they all destroyed or if they joined in the conflict, and how the Kryptonians eventually rebuilt their civilisation.

It's my first time reading Byrne's Krypton, and already I see the possibilities. I can't wait to read what happens next :D

[mithen]

A centuries-long war started when a Kryptonian woman wedded one of her clones to her son. From a history reader's POV that is awesome.

Isn't it? The first three books of the series are an amazing history--you know, I don't think they say whetehr the clones all die! I assume so, because they're all kept in tanks and I suspect are killed early on. One interesting thing regardling the last days is that the flaw at Krypton's heart is actually a terrorist plot that went awry centuries ago during the war and burrowed into the core of the planet, so in Byrne's imagining it's not a natural disaster at all, it's payback time.

[anonymous]

Thanks for this it's been years since I've read these. One quibble though I think you mean "stasis" not "status". I'm just annoyingly pedantic sometimes.

Angeloz

[mithen]

Ho ho, thank you for catching that, I really don't know what my fingers were doing there. *whacks them*

[eve_k]

This was highly interesting! I never read the older Superman comics, so this was all new to me. Like you said, Byrne´s world-building is fascinating in its consistency and detail. (The only thing I was wondering about was why there would be families and legacies when at the same time a bond between the parents of a child hardly existed

[mithen]

(The only thing I was wondering about was why there would be families and legacies when at the same time a bond between the parents of a child hardly existed?)

Yeah, it rather breaks down there, because Byrne isn't allowed to get rid of the image of Kal's parents and the "House of El"--in reality they'd atrophy away, wouldn't they?

Many themes Byrne touches upon, like cloning, genetical engineering and living in isolation and dependancy on machines seem to be coming directly from the angsty future technology scenarios of the 80ies.It is a very anti-technology theme, and I know what you mean about the computers! When I was writing my master's degree in 1991 I was studying conservative groups, and I remember one telling people they should leave their computer unplugged if they absolutely had to have one, because if it were plugged in (even turned off and with no Internet connection) it might magically download porn or something. Byrne's tapped into that idea that if we could see people in holograms we'd never choose to meet them in

[mithen]

And just the very fact that his biological parents had loved him enough to send him away so that he could live, seemed to me more than enough reason to mourn for his lost home.

The weird thing is his parents never even met him! He never gets "born" until he reaches Earth--Jor-El never sees him except as a blob in a birthing chamber. This maybe annoys me the most, that he never had any bond with his parents. Jor-El seems motivated by a sort of abstract love, but it comes across as more "My genetic material! It would be such a waste to the universe to lose that!" :P But I agree, just because he never knew it is no reason to not mourn it...and I guess he does, sort of? He does cry at the end of this story, thinking about it...but in context it's more sorrow at how sad Jor and Lara's lives were, hmmm. I'll have to get those up soon and see what you think!

[mithen]

I haven't read this comic myself, but it seemed to me Byrne pretty much contradicted his own implication with Jor-El's character. He still managed to regain himself emotionally despite the cold, sterile upbringing of Krypton.

I agree! I guess Byrne considered Jor-El a sort of last-ditch throwback, but...he seems really fond of the guy, doesn't he? I like him too--when he gets betrothed he mentions he's just barely an adult, and it kind of shows. He's very earnest and sweet.

On the other hand, I have a *headdesk* moment every time a Kryptonian arrives and turns up their nose at those "inferior Earthlings". Very rich coming from people who managed to blow up their own planet.

In some ways that doesn't even make sense, because these people didn't grow up with powers at all (and usually it's the powers thing they mean). To your average Kryptonian, most of their life they were a lot like humans--and especially now that they've gone back to a more Silver Age approach, not even that different in culture. So yeah, good job on the

[anonymous]

Well maybe blowing up other peoples' planets or in our lesser way countries is uncivillised. Whereas blowing up your own is the ultimate proof of civilisation. ;-)

Hint: not serious (if the wink didn't work).

Angeloz

[mithen]

*snicker* "At least when we blow things up, we blow ourselves up." :D