. . . Besides, Byrne's Krypton is much more meaningful then a suposedly "benevolent" Krypton, whose society was a wet towel when it came to killing somebody, but would doom them insteadt to un-life in the Phantom Zone; some of them for eternity, like poor Jax-Ur. :shock:
How is Byrne's Krypton more meaningful? Byrne made his Krypton sterile and emotionless for the sole purpose of killing the cool Kryptonian part of the Superman mythos, so he could say "Superman's home planet isn't worth revisiting, and it deserved to blow up anyway". Every time the Iron Age Superman came under some kind of Kryptonian influence, it always had a negative effect i.e. he became cold and unfeeling and tried to take over the world or something.
I'll agree that pre-Crisis Krypton's Phantom Zone punishment is ethically and morally questionable, but that alone doesn't make Byrne's Krypton better.
Certainly
not, George. If we had the chance, most sane people would want to visit Pre-Crisis Krypton, but would rather die then having to live on Post-Crisis Krypton.
But, I didn't say Byrne's Krypton was the "better" place then Weisinger's Krypton: I said it was the more meaningful place. (There
is a difference, you know.
)
But, compare the 2 major Kryptons: the "Weisinger Krypton", which had many earlier and later versions, but finds its ultimate expression in the version which was showcased during Weisinger's run; and the "Byrne Krypton", which also had several
slightly different versions.
In WK, we find a world which is full of natural beauty: the "Jewel Mountains" and the "Rainbow Fountain", to name but two.
They have a population which is, on the
surface, highly good-natured; but
only
on the surface.
BK, by comparision, clearly is a powerful metapher about what would happen if we ever would make shience, laws and technology our goods: in the end, we, as well as our planet, would become sterile outside, vile and corrupted inside.
As to the "Phantom Zone Solution" being just "questionable"... that's a
understatement, don't you think?!
Y' know, there's a reason why even a mass murderer must not be
tortured to death (at least under american and UN law), though some might say he well deserves such a ghastly end. The punishments always stop by an relatively painless execution.
But how would you call being punished with even a month in the Phantom Zone-- a place where you must allways
watch reality, without ever being permitted to be a part of it??
I at least would prefer to die to having to suffer such a curse for even a week!
And now imagine the average Zoner who suffered in this hell for a generation-- or the poor people who are "livers".
Honest, Byrne's Krypton is a little
less evil then Weisinger's.
besides, think of the symbolism: Pre-Byrne, Supes was the best Krypton had to offer-- and since no one really took a closer look at the deeper aspects of Krypton, everybody thought this world was somehow "better" then our planet. (No capital punishments, science which would leave Reed Richards green with envy, etc.)
But Byrne's Krypton is a methapher of heriditary sin-- science worship which ever tries to pull the hero back into his dark abbys.
What "meaning" would
you give to Weisinger's Krypton?
Poll
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