Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Superman Comic Books! => Superman! => Topic started by: Permanus on February 20, 2006, 08:30:45 AM



Title: Superman Jr.
Post by: Permanus on February 20, 2006, 08:30:45 AM
In his very funny site Gone and Forgotten, Jon Morris discusses some characters who should have appeared in Who's Who in the DC Universe. One of them is:
Quote
SUPERMAN JR. How they could overlook this guy, Superman's only legitimate claim to a kid sidekick (not counting Supergirl, although let's face it, Clark pretty much abandoned that jailbait in some one-horse town and hightailed it back to the big city)? Superman Jr. was the son of a scientist who gave the kid super-powers before up and keeling over. Then Superman adopted him and, like all good adoptive parents, changed the kid's name. Now do you miss your dead daddy? Oh, and later, Superman Jr. died. I bet there's an acre of upturned earth behind the Fortress of Solitude containing the unmarked graves of dozens of Superboys and Supergirls

It's always hard to know if he's kidding or not, but I've certainly never heard of this character. Anyone?

To read the whole article, go to: http://ape-law.com/GAF/Article/article01.html


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: Super Monkey on February 20, 2006, 10:40:57 AM
We have what is called the supermanica, the source for classic Superman.

The story was quite a tragic tale.

see this: http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Superman_Junior

then make sure to read this:

http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Johnny_Kirk


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: alschroeder on February 20, 2006, 10:41:37 AM
Quote from: "Permanus"
Quote
SUPERMAN JR. How they could overlook this guy, Superman's only legitimate claim to a kid sidekick (not counting Supergirl, although let's face it, Clark pretty much abandoned that jailbait in some one-horse town and hightailed it back to the big city)? Superman Jr. was the son of a scientist who gave the kid super-powers before up and keeling over. Then Superman adopted him and, like all good adoptive parents, changed the kid's name. Now do you miss your dead daddy? Oh, and later, Superman Jr. died. I bet there's an acre of upturned earth behind the Fortress of Solitude containing the unmarked graves of dozens of Superboys and Supergirls

It's always hard to know if he's kidding or not, but I've certainly never heard of this character. Anyone?


Well, he existed. Origin wasn't what he thought it was, nor the ending, either.

   He was the son of a scientist who lived in an isolated area and seeing a huge celestial body hurtling towards earth, thought it was the end of the world, and he sent his son into space a la Jor-El in  a space ship. Superboy (who he was so isolated he had never heard of) saved the world by pushing the celestial body to one side. The shock of what he had done caused the scientist to die of a heart attack, but not before he got a promise from then-Superboy to find his infant son and take care of him. Of course, he couldn't---space is too big.

   The kid travelled through a swarm of glowing meteors, which gave him super-powers.  He built his own home on an uninhabited world, but later came back to Earth in the same spacecraft, when Superman had grown and he was a teenager. His powers were roughly equal to Superman/boy's.

He was a blonde kid, and his costume had differing colors from Sueprman's---orange was in it, for instance---and Superman, keeping his word to his father, adopted the kid, even setting up a new secret id to look after him in a small town---

One catch. Superman found his powers deserting him, one by one. It turns out the spaceship also came in touch with a super-POISON in its spaceflight, one that could even effect Superman---that was robbing him of his powers.  Luckily, the worried Superman talked in his sleep, and in the hotel room they were sleeping in (separate beds, okay?) Superman Jr. heard what was happening. He used his super-vision to spot one particular meteor of an alloy he recognized, and tricked Superman into getting up there with it and him---but it turned out the alloy was a CONDUCTOR of super-powers. That if Superman held one end of it, and Superman Jr. held the other end, Superman Jr.'s powers flowed into Superman.

   I LOVE compressed storytelling. This would have been a twelve-issue series these days, rather than twelve pages....

    Superman Jr. did NOT die, although he did lose his powers, and evidently felt safe enough to go out on his own. (He looked at least sixteen, certainly old enough to take care of himself.)  He never appeared again...which WAS a shame...

     I would have loved to have Superman Jr. and Super-Menace and several others make repeat appearances.

    Tell your source to get their facts striaght. There is enough misinformation on the internet.---Al, who did this all from memory.


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: Klar Ken T5477 on February 20, 2006, 12:04:26 PM
The story was reprinted in the SILVER ANNIVERSARY Superman annual from 1963 which I have.

Jr's name seemed to switch from Johnny to Jimmy throughout the story as I recall.

Fine Wayne Boring art too.


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: Permanus on February 20, 2006, 03:59:16 PM
Quote from: "Super Monkey"
We have what is called the supermanica, the source for classic Superman.

The story was quite a tragic tale.

see this: http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Superman_Junior

then make sure to read this:

http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Johnny_Kirk

Ah! that explains it! I looked in Supermanica for "Superman Jr", not "Superman Junior". Thanks!


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: Great Rao on February 21, 2006, 12:26:26 AM
Sounds like we need a disambiguation page for "Superman Junior (http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Superman_Junior)" and "Superman Jr. (http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Superman_Jr.)"

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there were more Superman Jr's than just these two.

We should probably set one up for Supergirl and Super-Girl, too.

:s:


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: NotSuper on March 03, 2006, 07:28:18 PM
His costume reminds me of Kon-El's first one. Maybe that's where they got the idea from.


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: Super Monkey on March 11, 2006, 10:38:07 AM
Quote from: "Great Rao"
Sounds like we need a disambiguation page for "Superman Junior (http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Superman_Junior)" and "Superman Jr. (http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Superman_Jr.)"

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there were more Superman Jr's than just these two.

We should probably set one up for Supergirl and Super-Girl, too.

:s:


You should go ahead and do just that. Since I don't know how to amke a disambiguation page.


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: Great Rao on March 11, 2006, 11:18:27 AM
Quote from: "Super Monkey"
Quote from: "Great Rao"
Sounds like we need a disambiguation page for "Superman Junior (http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Superman_Junior)" and "Superman Jr. (http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Superman_Jr.)"

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there were more Superman Jr's than just these two.

We should probably set one up for Supergirl and Super-Girl, too.

:s:


You should go ahead and do just that. Since I don't know how to amke a disambiguation page.

We could either do a disambiguation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Disambiguation) page - here's an example (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kryptonite_%28disambiguation%29) of such a thing - or we could just add an "other" section to each article - like has been done here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rao#Other).

It's something I may get to eventually if no one else does, but in the meantime, I'm currently working (http://superman.nu/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=19021#19021) on page 3 (http://superman.nu/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2220) of K-Metal (http://superman.nu/k-metal-from-krypton/).

:s:


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: BMK! on March 13, 2006, 11:54:08 PM
Quote
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there were more Superman Jr's than just these two.




There was...

http://www.toyotter.com/spfind/spimages/jrsstyle.jpg


http://www.toyotter.com/spfind/jr.html


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: Permanus on March 14, 2006, 02:10:42 AM
Green Arrow just doesn't look right without his beard, does he?


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: MatterEaterLad on March 14, 2006, 12:08:27 PM
If only Ollie's beard could have kept Speedy off the drugs... 8)


Title: Re: Superman Jr.
Post by: Super Monkey on March 14, 2006, 01:14:57 PM
Did they ever team up with the Muppet Babies?