Superman Now!
By Adam Murdough
Interestingly, Superman and the rest of the Trinity--who finally make peace with each other at the conclusion of Infinite Crisis, and who eventually collaborate to form a new Justice League of America team around themselves--spend the first year of their new lease on life (in DC Universe time, not real-time) on sabbatical. When we rejoin Superman in the line-wide "One Year Later" event, set exactly 52 weeks after the end of Infinite Crisis, we learn that he has spent his furlough living as a normal human and building the journalistic accomplishments of Clark Kent, having lost his superpowers in battle with Superboy-Prime. While other, less prominent DC characters explored the post-Infinite Crisis status quo in the pages of the weekly maxiseries 52, set during the "lost year," Superman made only a few minor cameos in that series, including one appearance (in issue #46) in which he foils Lex Luthor--as Clark Kent.
The story of how Superman regains his powers and makes his triumphant, public return to active hero duty unfolds in the "Up, Up, and Away" arc, co-written by fan-favorites Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns, in biweekly installments in both ongoing Superman titles. This in itself is an important detail, as there had been three Superman ongoings a month earlier. Following Infinite Crisis, Superman (vol. 2), published by DC Comics since 1986, was canceled and Adventures of Superman returned to its original title and numbering as Superman (vol.1). Presumably this was done to tighten the focus of the remaining Superman titles for a new era, as well as to reestablish an important tie to the character’s publishing history.
Among the most significant points of variance, the things that seem to change most often and most noticeably from era to era, in the ongoing saga of Superman are his power levels and the amount of emphasis placed on the different aspects of his identity (i.e., whether Clark Kent or Kal-El/Superman is considered his most important or "real" self). "Up, Up, and Away" sets a strong precedent for Superman’s new post-Infinite Crisis direction by showcasing the strengths of both sides of the Man of Steel, in contrast to one another. On the power levels front, this arc introduces a new/old wrinkle: the return of Superman’s "super-intelligence," a "power" that was more or less taken for granted during and after the Silver Age but that has not officially been a part of Superman’s skill set since the1986 revamp. The creative mandate at that time had been to "humanize" Superman as much as possible, to privilege the portrayal of the character as a "simple American farmboy" with superpowers, and to downplay any elements, such as a souped-up superhuman brain, that might make Superman seem too "alien" and unrelatable to the average reader. Now, after twenty years, Superman’s super-intelligence has made a comeback--possibly in response to a growing cultural awareness (inspired, perhaps, by America’s recent misfortunes in international politics?) that power must be tempered with wisdom.
Silver Age Redux
Of course, as old powers from the Silver Age begin to reemerge, so do old weaknesses. Kryptonite deathtraps (featuring the familiar, recently returned rainbow assortment of different-colored kinds of kryptonite, as well as a few brand-new kinds, such as black and "magic" kryptonite) and red-sun power drains are once again becoming common plot devices. Whether this is being done out of an unwillingness to address the full scope of Superman’s power, out of a desire to show that Superman’s true strength/heroism doesn’t depend on his powers, or simply out of Silver Age nostalgia, is unclear. On the other hand, while old powers and weaknesses return, the current era of Superman comics has also seen Superman acquire his first truly new superpower since he spent several months as an "electric blue" energy being ten years ago: "Superman-vision," first seen in the "Escape from Bizarro World" storyline in Action Comics. This is a red-blue-and-yellow optic energy discharge that allows Superman to give powers like his own to normal humans, but that Superman can only produce under the rays of a blue sun.
Old powers and weaknesses are far from the only throwbacks in Superman’s world, however. Indeed, the broadest identifiable trend in the last two years’ worth of Superman comics is the reintroduction of numerous concepts, characters, and situations from the Silver Age. After he made peace with his Golden Age self in Infinite Crisis, Superman’s creative teams now seem intent on reconnecting him with his Silver Age glory days. This resurgence has technically been going on for some time now--for instance, the multi-colored kryptonite resurfaced before Infinite Crisis, as did Krypto the Superdog and Kara Zor-El as Supergirl--but it has visibly accelerated in recent months. Action Comics Annual #10, released in early 2007, goes a long way toward making this agenda explicit. The Joe Kubert cover, complete with a band of "go-go checks" across the top, deliberately evokes the "80-Page Giants" that were a mainstay of DC Comics in the 1960s, and the content of the issue serves as a major teaser and tone-setter for nearly two years’ worth of Superman stories. Every feature involves a revived Silver Age concept (e.g., Bizarro World, Mon-El of Daxam as young Clark Kent’s "brother," etc.).
The story that best exemplifies this trend and the creative philosophy behind it is the recently concluded Action Comics arc "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes," the very title of which recalls the fondly-remembered years when Superman, as "Superboy," and the Legion shared top billing on an ongoing series in the 1970s. This futuristic team-up tale puts Superman back in touch with the long-absent Silver Age version of the Legion, which had been seemingly wiped out of existence in 1994’s time-twisting Zero Hour event, a minor sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths. Superman’s (and Superboy’s) association with the Legion--a team of time-hopping heroes from 1,000 years in the future, who chose to honor their legendary role model Superman by directly including him in their adventures--has always validated and confirmed his status as "The Man of Tomorrow." Superman’s re-acquaintance with a "past" version of the Legion is a perfect expression of the present initiative to take Superman into his future by accessing his past, both of which the Legion represents poignantly and perfectly. As an added bonus, this story restores the entire classic Legion and their future world to viability just in time for their fiftieth anniversary, which coincides with Superman’s seventieth! To celebrate further, DC Comics has announced another Superman/Legion team-up, entitled "Legion of Three Worlds," for this summer. It will tie into the Final Crisis event.
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