Reign of the Supermen #359: Superman Jr.

Source: 1st - World's Finest Comics #215 (1972)
Type: Alternate future? Computer simulation? Elseworlds?If at first it seemed like Bob Haney created the Super-Sons (Superman and Batman Jr.) just as an excuse to write DC's two greatest icons as if they were swingin' 60s Teen Titans, the dozen stories he wrote for them became much more. Though they have all the hallmarks of Haney's crazy stories - Superman vibrates the duplicate of a city and all its inhabitants into existence in the first story, and from there we get immortal cowboys, lost Incan cities, Super-Dads put on trial by their sons, and a virus that turns people into fat giants - they also explored the relationship between parent and child. The Super-Sons' anonymous mothers don't want them in harm's way, but nothing the World's Finest team do can prevent their boys from getting into the crime-fighting life, even as they struggle with being in the shadow of their famous fathers. The Sons alternate between rejecting their "square" dads and embracing their legacies, and even Lex Luthor's previously unknown daughter shows up for an issue. Clark Jr. and Bruce Jr. become fast friends and ride the highways on the latter's motorcycle helping those in need (or sometimes just jumping through the Silver Agey super-hoaxes and bat-hoops set by their fathers). Superman Jr. has half his father's power levels, but he's still growing into them. The overall look is much the same as his father's, but look for telltale sideburns. Ginchy! The original stories were published in the then bi-monthly World's Finest Comics over the span of 5 years, most drawn by Dick Dillin.

And then, Denny O'Neil swooped in and killed them off. No, not killed them... ERASED them. It happened in WFC #263 (1980). O'Neil wrote a huge bummer of a story that revealed the Super-Sons stories were computer simulations run in the Fortress of Solitude's computer by Supes and Bats. The Sons get wise to the Philip K. Dickness of their existence when, after a fight with Dr. Sivana, they realize the villain didn't exist until just before they met him. Through some technobabble, the World's Finest Teens are created for realz in Superman's Disintegration Pit. They fly to Metropolis, meet some people you'd think they'd know (like Lois Lane), and then realize their lives were a sham. Their mothers weren't anonymous because Haney was teasing us, O'Neil says, they were anonymous because they weren't important to the simulation! A likely story. The make matters even worse, the two anomalies are somehow creating natural disasters wherever they go as reality rejects them, and their "parents" convince them to walk back into the Disintegrator Pit to be atomized, which they do. Boo, Mr. O'Neil, boo!

In 1999's Elseworlds 80-Page Giant #1 (or, since most of the run was pulped, let's instead say 2007's Saga of the Super-Sons trade paperback), Bob Haney teamed up with Kieron Dwyer for one last story, ignoring O'Neil's knavish piece of work. The Sons live on! As an Elseworld, their reality becomes a definite possibility, alive out there in the Multiverse. And let us never speak of WFC #263 ever again.

Comments

snell said…
Still, let it be said that WFC #263contained a seed or two that reminds one of Moore's Miracleman: heroes raised in a virtual environment, fighting a Sivana-esque villain, the heroes minds beginning to realize they were in a simulation and rebelling...
Siskoid said…
Somebody should do a piece that shows Moore never did anything original.

Just for laughs.
SallyP said…
I can't help but think that in all of their teenaged rebellion against their super Dads...the lads are probably quite terrified of their super MOMS!
Siskoid said…
Faceless hags both of them! They are pretty creepy!
SeƱor Editor said…
I love those. I can't believe there's been 359 of them already! Time flies.

Hey Siskoid, you mentioned something about getting a Game of Thrones dvd in the comments a while ago;) What's the status on that? I'm asking because I'm really interested in your thoughts on that, you run a classy blog.

-Senor Editor, previously known as Prof. Booty (now with a fancy blog)
Siskoid said…
Hey Prof! Yeah, a year really flies by, doesn't it?

Game of Throne is not yet available from Amazon. I've ordered it though.