Heroism 101

In July of 1846, Henry David Thoreau refused to pay his back taxes because he did not wish to aid the federal government in what he believed to be an ignorant war (the Mexican-American War) and an immoral practice (slavery). He was imprisoned for this refusal for one night. Unlike most of us, Thoreau had a definite personal right to neglect his tax payments. After all, he spent the better part of two years attempting to live completely off the grid, sustaining himself entirely without the aid of any government services or even a regular paycheck. On the day after his imprisonment, his aunt paid his taxes (against his will), and he was released.

So what does Thoreau's so-called "civil disobedience" teach us? To shirk responsibility? To stick it to the man so we can impress others with our counter-cultural politics and special interests? To draw attention to ourselves in any and every way we can, no matter the cost or complications to the authorities? I think not. After all, there was no Internet in 1846, no Fox News (thank the Lord), no New York Times, and not even a Colbert Report. Instead, there was just a man who refused to support something he deemed to be fundamentally wrong, a man who was willing to be incarcerated to retain his moral integrity. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what heroism's all about. Here, I'll let Kal-El explain it...

So, what are you all doing out there?

For humanity's sake, I hope it's something heroic.

Let There Be Rao

For once, or at least for twice or thrice, there's some real mythmaking going on in modern comics. Like Geoff Johns' delightful Blackest Night series, in which theories on death, resurrection, and the source of all life are bandied about between all-out brawls, the current storyline in Action Comics reflects a genuine interest in expanding the mythic aspect of comic storytelling that makes the books, in my opinion, true to their oral and folkloric roots.

Flamebird and Nightwing, the yin and yang of Kryptonian creation myth, explore their ancient manifestations in the new AC issue via that ever-useful Krypton crystal technology. At long last, we learn the full pre-history of the Kryptonian race, with Rao himself taking center-stage, in a Tolkien-esque exposition replete with beautiful images of the universal fires that predate existence and a truly traditional love triangle myth that explains the introduction of discord into Rao's perfect order. Vohc-the-Builder creates and the Flamebird destroys in a lovely allegory of the Vishnu/Shiva universal balance motif that permeates so much of global mythology.

But the balance tips with the introduction of a third party to serve as Rao-the-Father's "Eyes in the Night," known as the Nightwing. The resulting conflict tears the cosmic family apart and leads to the creation of the terrible Phantom Zone. An eternal prison of spiritual torment (Hell) is born out of the jealous spite of an overweaning servant (Lucifer) of the supreme deity (God-the-Father). There were moments in AC #886 that felt like reading the Old Testament, Hesiod, or Ovid, and that's really freakin' cool.

Somebody Save...This Show

Well, the long-awaited and already overexposed Season 9 of Smallville premiers on September 25, superfriends. Should we be excited? I'm not sure. Clark has a new outfit, sure, but will that really be enough to convince viewers to hang in there for another season of "maybe he'll finally fly" letdowns and lame, soap-opera style performances from Welling and his crew? Do we really need to see characters look intently into one another's eyes for a full 30 seconds before each commercial break? No, we do not. Do we really need schmaltzy, piano-band background music to play every time Lana / Chloe / Lois and Clark have one of their soul-crushingly boring "heart-to-heart" chats? No, we do not. I don't know about you, superfreaks, but I'm getting pretty tired of waiting for this show to grow up and be cool instead of growth-stuntingly lame. Let Clark fly, already! I understand that Gough and Millar wanted to conceptualize a Clark Kent who develops his powers gradually (like an incredibly long period of puberty), but WE'RE INTO THE NINTH YEAR NOW. Practically everyone else on the show besides Clark can fly: Kara, J'onn Jonz, Brainiac, Zod, and Jor-El have all levitated off the ground repeatedly. At this rate, I think Martha Kent will learn to fly before Kal-El catches on! And yes, I know that he's "jumped" for long distances and "flown" while under the influence of black kryptonite or some form of Kryptonian amnesia, but that's just not going to cut it for me. Superman can fly. It's high time the lamewads over at Smallville own up to the fact that their "gimmick" has gone too far and impeded the show's ability to accurately portray the character. Get over yourselves, dudes.

Oh, and I HATE Kristin Kreuk (the actress who plays Lana Lang), so I should qualify the above tirade with the comment that phasing out Lana in Season 7 was the smartest decision the show has made to date. But please, no more cameos this season. No one likes her. Really.

Superman's Library

The following list represents nothing more official than my own informed opinion on the top ten graphic novels featuring the world's greatest superhero. Through searching the Internet and talking with comic aficionados, I have been gratified to see many of my choices ratified by the experts, but this list should really be seen as an introductory orientation for the uninitiated and NOT as the definitive word on anything. I mean, who the crap do I think I am, Jeph Loeb?

1. Kingdom Come (1996) - Mark Waid / Alex Ross
Set in the distant future, when the old guard of superheroes has largely retired and been replaced by a ragtag group of hotheads and loose cannons with no regard for the greater good, this riveting story entertains some pretty heady questions about the nature of power and the limits of freedom. Of particular interest is Superman's decision to create and police a Gulag in the American heartland to house the more reckless of the next-gen heroes, an all-out battle royale between Captain Marvel and Superman (perhaps the comic book universe's two most powerful characters), and the total destruction of Kansas by a particularly megalomaniacal "hero" called Magog.

2. Superman For All Seasons (1998) - Jeph Loeb / Tim Sale
A wholesome origin story detailing Clark's Smallville roots and the angst of first love (Clark tells Lana Lang about his powers and she runs away), this awesome book contains one of coolest Lex Luthor schemes ever hatched in any plotline. When fighting a superpowerful alien who is practically invincible, how can an ordinary man even stand a chance? Get inside the alien's head. Sale's artwork is something of an acquired taste, but it ultimately does complement the classic, Golden Age feel of the narrative, which is delievered Vivaldi-style in four installments corresponding thematically to the seasons of the year.

3. All Star Superman (2005) - Grant Morrison / Frank Quitely
Superman has cancer, Jimmy Olsen is a Doomsday monster, and Lois plays Superwoman for a day! Though these episodes sound like tales from the Elseworlds annals, they are so expertly spun in this groundbreaking book that you'll believe every last twist and turn. Don't get out your continuity notebooks for this one, fanboys, because the All Star imprint cares not a whit for post-Crisis continuities. Nevertheless, there's a whimsical freedom in all this devil-may-care writing and artwork (cf. the battle with the chronovore and the various Supermen in a Smallville of the past), and the stories in volume two of the series will drop even the most fastidious true believer's jaw.

4. Superman: Secret Identity (2004) - Kurt Busiek / Stuart Immonen
A truly amazing instance of pure originality in the Superman canon, though the book is not technically considered a part of the mainstream story-arcs, Secret Identity traces the life and career of a young boy ironically named Clark Kent after the "Superman" character from comic books in a world without superheroes. Inexplicably, he develops Superman's fabled powers in his early teens and decides to follow his literary counterpart's example and use his powers for the good of mankind. The resulting story teems with clever inside references for the true Superman fan, but it also stands in its own right as an engaging and dramatic reimagining of the comic book universe's favorite origin tale.

5. Superman: Birthright (2003-4) - Mark Waid / Leinil F. Yu
Deemed by some to be mildly controversial due to its inclusion of the perils of African tribal warfare, this modern retelling of the Man of Steel's coming of age story deserves some accolades just for holding its own in a virtual sea of Superman origin narratives. Martha Kent becomes obsessed with UFOs, Lex and Clark were apparently childhood buddies (a la TV's Smallville), and Superman has to stave off an invasion by...can you believe it?...the Kryptonian Army! There's a pretty significant twist to this tale, however, and without giving too much away, let me just say that Lex Luthor has never been so diabolically cool.

6. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2003) - Jeph Loeb / Ed McGuinness
To start with, Lex Luthor is the President of the United States. If that weren't enough, there's also a huge chunk of Kryptonite hurtling towards Earth that is increasingly sapping Superman's strength, and several of Earth's heroes have been recruited by the government to track down and detain the dastardly duo of Batman and Superman. Add to these juicy plot details Jeph Loeb's innovative dual narration technique, which peppers the narrative with Bruce Wayne's internal views on Clark Kent and vice versa, and Ed McGuinness' awesome art that pops off the page like Superman's pecs, and you have yourself one of the coolest graphic novels in recent memory. There's also a much anticipated DC / Warner Bros. animated feature version of this book in the works, set to be released Sept. 29.

7. Superman: Red Son (2003) - Mark Millar / Dave Johnson
What if Kal-El's rocket had crashed in Soviet Russia instead of in the Kansas plains? Just one half-turn of the Earth changes the course of history and forever alters the Man of Tomorrow's future as champion of all mankind. With the Soviet hammer and sickle in place of his iconic 'S', this Elseworlds title's reimagined Superman is the "strange visitor from another world" who "fights a never-ending battle for Stalin, Socialism, and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact." Beware, capitalist citizens of Earth! There's only one Superpower now!

8. Death of / World Without a / Return of Superman (1992-3) - Jurgens et al / Bogdanove et al
No avid Superman fan's bookshelf would be complete without this industry-revolutionizing trilogy from the early 90s. Watch Superman fight harder than he's ever fought before against the unstoppable juggernaut that is Doomsday, an ancient, Kryptonian, perpetually evolving super-monster hellbent on destroying any and all life that crosses his path...including Superman's. You'll get misty-eyed. You'll laugh outright at the ridiculous plot labyrinth that is the Reign of the Supermen. You'll cheer when the rejuvenated Man of Steel returns in his snazzy black suit.

9. Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (2009) - Alan Moore / Curt Swan
What can be said about the greatest stories ever to cross the comic pages? Mr. Moore simply cannot be topped in his ability to spin a perfect narrative web, from his triumph with Watchmen to his more avant-garde (but nonetheless brilliant) League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. This awesome "Deluxe Edition" gathers together all of Moore's best stories about the Man of Tomorrow, including the classic "For the Man Who Has Everything," wherein Superman's birthday party turns nasty after a visit from Mongul. Another story features Swamp Thing in a nurturing, Superman-saving supporting role, and the title piece relates Superman's battle with his "greatest foe," a designator more mysterious than revelatory.

10. Superman: Last Son (2007-8) - Geoff Johns, Richard Donner / Adam Kubert
The source of some considerable hubbub due to its delayed completion, this book features the dream writing team of Johns and Donner (director of the original Superman film) in a story we all saw coming but were delightfully surprised by nonetheless. What if Kal-El was not the "Last Son of Krypton"? What if another boy fell from the skies in a strange spaceship, landing in the middle of Metropolis itself? Would Superman and Lois manage to adopt the strange visitor, whose powers strongly resemble those of a certain flying Kryptonian? How could they keep the government...and Lex Luthor...from exploiting the boy? And what if the boy's real father was a notorious Kryptonian convict from the Phantom Zone? Enticed yet? You will be.

Look! Up in the Sky...

Greetings, superfriends, and welcome to New Krypton, a labor of love for this longtime Superman devotee. In the posts that follow, I hope to share the most pertinent and exciting information relating to the Man of Steel that I come across in my reading and research in popular culture. Some postings will be lowbrow recommendations of graphic novels, animated films/series, or major feature films involving the Last Son of Krypton, while others will draw on somewhat more scholarly materials (I hesitate to make such a priggish distinction, but I have been trained in academia and old habits die hard). These so-called "scholarly materials" may relate directly to Superman and his heroic associates, but they may also pertain to more theoretical topics on literary heroism and mythological archetypes.

I welcome any and all discussion on Superman's history, current story-arcs, or philosophical / ideological / rhetorical implications. But I also welcome commentary on superheroes and the superheroic in literature as general topics. If it has a cape and extraordinary powers, it has a place on New Krypton.