Source: Action Comics #583 (1986)
Type: The real deal (since retconned... twice!)
We just saw one Superman end and another begin. Not my first time, I have to admit. Back in 1986, when I was a young pup of 15 , the Superman whose adventures had been unbroken since 1938 came to an end under the pen of one Alan Moore. You may have heard of him. In fact, there's quite a good chance you will have read "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" if not then, in some collection later on.
Chris Roberson and Paul Cornell left the 1986-2011 Superman in open-ended mode, allowing us to believe his marriage to Lois will continue and deepen, and his legacy in the DC Universe lead to the great things heralded by the Superman Squad and DC One Million. Not so Alan Moore, whose relentless deconstructionist logic put an end to the Man of Steel, not in an epic big bang, but in a mundane, we've-all-got-to-grow-up-sometime, anticlimax of middle-aged domestication. Over the course of two issues, Moore destroys iconic elements surrounding Superman one after the other, either corrupting or killing off characters, simultaneously revealing an inherent silliness. Bizarro, Clark Kent, Toy-Man, Prankster, Luthor, Brainiac, Krypto, Jimmy, Lana, Mr. Mxyzptlk, and finally, Superman himself, who after committing murder (well... execution), submits himself to Powerlessness by Gold Kryptonite.
And having put away all his toys - the living action figures of heroic friends and evil enemies, the secret identity, the Fortress of Solitude playset, the childhood dog, the refusal to marry Lois Lane, and the super-powers - becomes a husband to Lois and a father to their son, Jonathan. It's the Baby Boomer story, isn't it?
Type: The real deal (since retconned... twice!)
We just saw one Superman end and another begin. Not my first time, I have to admit. Back in 1986, when I was a young pup of 15 , the Superman whose adventures had been unbroken since 1938 came to an end under the pen of one Alan Moore. You may have heard of him. In fact, there's quite a good chance you will have read "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" if not then, in some collection later on.Chris Roberson and Paul Cornell left the 1986-2011 Superman in open-ended mode, allowing us to believe his marriage to Lois will continue and deepen, and his legacy in the DC Universe lead to the great things heralded by the Superman Squad and DC One Million. Not so Alan Moore, whose relentless deconstructionist logic put an end to the Man of Steel, not in an epic big bang, but in a mundane, we've-all-got-to-grow-up-sometime, anticlimax of middle-aged domestication. Over the course of two issues, Moore destroys iconic elements surrounding Superman one after the other, either corrupting or killing off characters, simultaneously revealing an inherent silliness. Bizarro, Clark Kent, Toy-Man, Prankster, Luthor, Brainiac, Krypto, Jimmy, Lana, Mr. Mxyzptlk, and finally, Superman himself, who after committing murder (well... execution), submits himself to Powerlessness by Gold Kryptonite.
And having put away all his toys - the living action figures of heroic friends and evil enemies, the secret identity, the Fortress of Solitude playset, the childhood dog, the refusal to marry Lois Lane, and the super-powers - becomes a husband to Lois and a father to their son, Jonathan. It's the Baby Boomer story, isn't it?
Comments
Well the damn thing IS depressing!Everyone dies! Violently!
The final splash page of Superman #423 is one of my all time favorites.
"... mundane, we've-all-got-to-grow-up-sometime, anticlimax of middle-aged domestication... It's the Baby Boomer story, isn't it?... A message my generation pretty much rejected."
What was it again, "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."
Also, that shot of Superman before he walks into the gold K chamber. Even tho its made up, within the context of the story, I find its still very powerful--this is the Superman we all know, walking into that goodnight.
The Silver/Bronze Age Superman's definite ending would be more like what Roberson gave the post-Crisis Superman before the New52 kicked in, or else All-Star Superman's fate.