Superman Through the Ages! Forum

First of all, I'd like to say that if E2 Superman is a villian because he thinks there is something wrong with the DCU, then I'm a villian too. We should form our own Secret Society...

At any rate, our Secret Society has already been successful at a number of things...I would point to Superman: Birthright and the return of the original numbering of issues- plus the return of classic characters like Krypto and Kara Zor-El. There are still unresolved issues though...and that's what this post is about.

1. Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Did, as Jeph Loeb seemed to suggest in the Absolute Power arc, one imaginary story actually happen? Did Alan Moore's tale of the last days of Superman come to pass... or did Crisis on Infinite Earths bizarro the Earth-1 Superman into the one we have now, per Infinite Crisis #2? There is a conflict here, just like when I used bizarro as a verb.

2. Karas, Karas, everywhere...

I'm satisfied with the new-yet-old origin of Power Girl. But who is the real Kara Zor-El? The one from Many Happy Returns, or the new one, also introduced by Jeph Loeb.

3. What Hypertime is it?

Surely this concept is not gone completely, if Grant Morrison is involved in Crisis. So...where is Kristen Wells? Dangit!

4. Superboy: Clark Kent, Genetic Gangbang, or something else?

Conner Kent is part Superman, part Luthor, part guy from Cadmus...but is either way a tool of Luthor. Superboy-Prime is back, sole survivor of his planet, which formerly included George Reeves, Cary Bates, and the Bronze-Age super-crew.

 I don't foresee Clark Kent as Superboy...not that optimistic about it since DC seems to hate the concept, unless the Siegels really press the issue when they regain the rights. (Hmm...is it possible that our Secret Society could arrange that?)

5. The Luthors.

A Luthor with green eyes. A Luthor with blue eyes. And then there is a Luthor who created Lois out of nothingness and contained Superman and Superboy-Prime in a pocket universe for 20 years. Alexander Luthor also happens to be partially made of Anti-matter. Does anyone else find this suspicious, by the way? E2 Superman could just appear to be a villian because Alexander Luthor is pulling the strings.

But I'm still a villian, in a secret society.  :twisted:  I seek the destruction of the Iron Age DCU, and my last name is Thorul...

is it just me or does someone see birthright tying into this some way?

I believe Berganza's been hinting at this in his Ask Eddie forum for some time.  The implication is this big event is supposed to resolve the disparities between the MOS origin, the BR origin, and what is ultimately the true origin.

so is there a current official origin for earth-2 superman?

Yes, and our hosts have graciously made the scans available on this very site.

http://superman.nu/tales2/e2-origin/?page=1

Enjoy!

Ah, but this is the pre-Infinite Crisis origin of the Earth-2 Superman.

As Beppo mentioned elsewhere, DC will be publishing a new, post-Infinite Crisis origin - as a multi-title three-part storyline - in a few months.

Keep your eyes peeled for it!

Or just read Action Comics #1.

:s:

I think there's a strong possibility that the Earth 2 Superman is being influenced by Alexander Luthor.  However, as you stated, he's not wrong;  the DC Universe has gone astray.  The heroes are no longer people one would look up to.

If there's any out come from this mini-series I would hope that DC goes back to making their heroes true role models.

And here's something that I haven't seen discussed yet -- we've all assumed that NOTHING changed Kal-L & Company in the Paradise Dimension, save for perhaps a slowed passage of time and Lois' decline.  But perhaps they WEREN'T completely spared from the retconning effects of the Crisis, ESPECIALLY since they were observing the aftereffects.

Maybe that explains the minor inconsistancies in Kal-L's background that have come up in "Infinite Crisis" and "JSA: Classified".  It might NOT be poor research, but a deliberate hint that even those in the Paradise Dimension have been slightly revised to fit the upcoming new Reality EVEN IF KAL-L IS CONFIDENT THAT THEY WERE SHIELDED FROM ANY SUCH CHANGE.

Also, how DID Alex Luthor "find" this Paradise Dimension?  Who created it?  Did Someone show it to Alex and told him to grab Lois, knowing that Kal-L would follow her?  What was the reason for keeping Kal-L there "in reserve"?  Was it simply to have him ready in case of another Crisis?  Or perhaps this was part of a long-term plan to subtly warp his judgment over the decades and CREATE this Crisis?  After all, we don't know what ELSE he may have seen over the years.  Maybe some of these images were purposely misleading or misinterpreted.

My understanding is that it's not a new origin. It's a telling of Kal-L's life story.

I must say, I had no idea that Kal-L would have such a major role in IC -- let alone that he'd take over the Superman titles for a month -- and JSA for, what, six months? I'm pleasantly surprised.