Reign of the Supermen #399: Superman, Created Equal

Source: JLA: Created Equal #1-2 (2000)
Type: ElseworldsCreated Equal postulates a world in which men all died from a passing radiation field. The only male survivors are Superman (Kryptonian DNA seems impervious) and Lex Luthor (protected by sealed armor). The all-female Justice League, led by Wonder Woman, must attempt to rebuild and keep the human race viable. Paradise Island becomes the new capital of the world and the superheroines do as well as the boys ever did (it must help that the male supervillains are all dead though). But I know what you're thinking: How long before Superman is forced to impregnate everyone? Well, first there are obstacles to that. Would male children immediately die? Is a human/Kryptonian pregnancy even viable? Lois proves it is by becoming pregnant, but nothing's ever that easy. Luthor proves that Superman's solar battery cells are acting as a carrier for what they call the "Fall". If he stays, he'll kill newborn boys, and eventually, even women. Kal leaves the planet in search of a cure. After he's gone a year and his baby boy Adam hasn't died from atmospheric radiation, Wonder Woman breaks out the super-sperm:
Not sure how many normal women get to mother one of Superman's children, because it looks like it was all Amazons and superheroines. The nursery, at any rate, is on Paradise Island. Tragedy befalls Lois Lane early on when her 5-year-old hugs her to death. By the time he and the other children are teenagers, they've been turning against their female caretakers, mothers and sisters. Turns out, Luthor has been entering their dreams with a combination of tech and captured female psionics and brainwashing them to turn the world into a patriarchy again. At about the same time, Superman returns with a cure, but one that doesn't work on his too-powerful immune system. Then, the male kids disappear, join Luthor, shave their heads and attack.
After the women have all be captured and disabled, Luthor proceeds to expose his bald army to kryptonite, because guess what, he's got his own baby nursery of full-on humans back at base. Superman, braving two-way exposure, intervenes and finds the kryptonite lowers his immune system enough to cure him from the Fall. He's now harmless to his sons and everyone else. Luthor is defeated and the joke's on him. He has a stroke and can't move or speak, and his kids'll be raised by the matriarchy. Ha-Ha.

Evaluation: A pretty good story from Fabian Nicieza, and gorgeous art from Kevin Maguire and Joe Rubinstein. Worthy of attention.

Comments

SallyP said…
Oooooohhh...Maguire!
This sounds like the ultimate expression of the superheroes-as-male-sexual-power-fantasies concept: Superman and his nemesis warring over who gets to impregnate every woman on Earth.
Martin Gray said…
Great creative team, interesting ideas - how come I've never heard of this one?
Siskoid said…
I guess Lex is actually the Last Man after Kal leaves and all the males are babies.