Source: Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #5 (1996)
Type: Future
Earth is dead. Those who once might have called it home are long scattered to the endless stars. But in that scattering on a thousand different worlds, by a thousand different ways... Earth's greatest legends live on. These are... Legends of the Dead Earth!
Kurt Busiek and Paul Ryan's particular legend takes us to the planet Hydros, a beach paradise planet whose inhabitants aren't unlike those of Krypton in that their cells can store stellar energy and give them powers if taken off-world. And that's exactly why the Imperium is there to destroy it, as they've done to dozens of such worlds. Our boy Kaleb becomes the last survivor of his doomed planet when he is rescued by rebels, including the beautiful Lang. And look at those Imperial Guards, look familiar?
To quote Peter Pan/Battlestar Galactica: All this has happened before, and it will happen again.
Taken off Hydros, Kaleb has powers in the Superman range, though his energy beams come from his hands, not his eyes. By taking the Superman name and shield, he taps into the legend and inspires many to join the cause, while also giving the Imperium a bloody nose, Luke Skywalker-style. He eventually attempts to infiltrate the Guard, but it turns out winners of the "Become a guard" contest are actually thrown into a gene bank to clone soldiers from. And it turns out the Emperor is none other than Lex Luthor himself!
He's on his 60th body, slowly growing his next one, and having gone way of Davros. He's also gone quite mad, convinced Kaleb is the original Superman who's somehow defied death as well. With a little help from his friends, Kaleb escapes, destroying Lex's clone. The old guy might be on his last body after all. As the war continues, the rebels find yet another world that could breed superhumans, but Kaleb convinces them to leave it alone, neither creating a slave army, nor a potential unbeatable enemy. In the final days of the war, he brings a pregnant Lang to this world where he has no powers to avoid any complications with a super-powered baby. Though they must soon return to the war, they know they will one day return to this world they've called Solitude.
It's all rather sweet. Busiek does it again.
Type: Future
Earth is dead. Those who once might have called it home are long scattered to the endless stars. But in that scattering on a thousand different worlds, by a thousand different ways... Earth's greatest legends live on. These are... Legends of the Dead Earth!Kurt Busiek and Paul Ryan's particular legend takes us to the planet Hydros, a beach paradise planet whose inhabitants aren't unlike those of Krypton in that their cells can store stellar energy and give them powers if taken off-world. And that's exactly why the Imperium is there to destroy it, as they've done to dozens of such worlds. Our boy Kaleb becomes the last survivor of his doomed planet when he is rescued by rebels, including the beautiful Lang. And look at those Imperial Guards, look familiar?
To quote Peter Pan/Battlestar Galactica: All this has happened before, and it will happen again.Taken off Hydros, Kaleb has powers in the Superman range, though his energy beams come from his hands, not his eyes. By taking the Superman name and shield, he taps into the legend and inspires many to join the cause, while also giving the Imperium a bloody nose, Luke Skywalker-style. He eventually attempts to infiltrate the Guard, but it turns out winners of the "Become a guard" contest are actually thrown into a gene bank to clone soldiers from. And it turns out the Emperor is none other than Lex Luthor himself!
He's on his 60th body, slowly growing his next one, and having gone way of Davros. He's also gone quite mad, convinced Kaleb is the original Superman who's somehow defied death as well. With a little help from his friends, Kaleb escapes, destroying Lex's clone. The old guy might be on his last body after all. As the war continues, the rebels find yet another world that could breed superhumans, but Kaleb convinces them to leave it alone, neither creating a slave army, nor a potential unbeatable enemy. In the final days of the war, he brings a pregnant Lang to this world where he has no powers to avoid any complications with a super-powered baby. Though they must soon return to the war, they know they will one day return to this world they've called Solitude.It's all rather sweet. Busiek does it again.
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