When DC relaunched its entire line in 2011, Action Comics Vol. (That version, to no-one’s great shock, pulled from Donner’s movie as much as any previous comic depiction when it came to the visual representation.) 2004’s Superman: Birthright restored Kal-El’s birth on Krypton before its destruction - and, in fact, jettisoned much of the sterile Krypton of Byrne’s invention in favor of a contemporary take on the 1950s and ‘60s version of the planet, but that was almost immediately overwritten by an ever-newer version of the planet and its mythology in 2006 as part of the “Last Son” storyline co-written by Superman The Movie director Richard Donner. In recent years, Krypton has received multiple makeovers, none of which have really managed to stick. In this version of events, Superman wasn’t even born on Krypton before its destruction instead, his “birthing pod” was loaded with genetic material before being sent into space.Ĭold, detached and - to be blunt - pretty dull, this version of Krypton was left relatively unexplored by flashback stories beyond the 1987 World of Krypton mini-series (By comparison, the original had not only been visited by Superman and other contemporary superheroes, it had also been the focus of its own mini-series and long-running strip in various Superman series, both of which were also called World of Krypton), and primarily remembered these days for the distinctive designs of the costumes worn by the planet’s inhabitants more than anything else. No longer essentially Earth-like, Krypton became a world ruled by science, where emotions were repressed and the race procreated through cloning. When writer/artist John Byrne recreated Superman from the ground up in 1986’s Man of Steel mini-series, he also revamped substantially revamped Krypton. 239 that revealed that there was racial diversity on the planet it’s just that all the black people on Krypton lived on their own island called “Vathlo Island,” populated by, and I quote, “a highly developed black race retained its independence throughout history and did not join the planetary federation, though good relations were maintained.” (Despite the inherent problems with the concept, Vathlo Island would later be revived as the home of the father of Cal Ellis, the black Superman in DC’s current The Multiversity series.) This first Krypton was, like the majority of superhero comics at the time, entirely populated by white faces - a fact that led to an embarrassing story in 1971’s Superman. 141), short sleeves and capes were out, replaced by evening wear and headbands when Jor-El sees his son in full superhero regalia, he asks, “Why are you wearing that strange costume?” Also gone was the idea that Kryptonians automatically had superpowers by this point, they were everyday folk who would only gain powers if living under a yellow sun, like ours (Krypton’s sun was red). By the time Superman traveled in time to meet his own parents and visit his vanquished homeland in 1960’s “Return to Krypton!” ( Superman No. This was essentially the version of Krypton that existed for decades after, although the fashions got less Roman and more suit-like as time went on.
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