SUPERMAN & WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY

Set in alternative timeline where the Third Reich didn’t lose WWII and Germany and much of Eastern Europe is still under control of the Nazi regime against a backdrop that the gods, goddesses, and monsters of mythology are actually real and have returned to meddle in human affairs, the four-part SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY is one of the worst Elseworld stories I have ever read. Most Elseworld stories are kind of hooky, but charming with about as much substance as a dime-store novel. There have been a few Elseworld stories that are quite spectacular, e.g. RED SON. However, sometimes there’s an Elseworld story that attempts to be monumental but is in really just trash, such as SUPERMAN: AT EARTH’S END. SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY is another.

The basic plotline begins with an elderly Lois Lane is having nightmares about Superman going around the world and joyfully killing people. She confides in her BFF, Lana Lang. Meanwhile, Superman is living in semi-exile in his Fortress of Solitude on the moon. Old Supes discovered the hidden remains of the Holocaust a few years ago and went postal. He’s been banned from even the airspace of the Third Reich with a promise that his very appearance will be seen as a declaration of war from the U.S. Anyway, Lana Lang gets kidnapped and starts having some dreams that are even more bizarre than Lois’. Lois and Clark fly to Germany to discover what happened to their mutual friend, but along the way their plane is attacked by harpies. Yes, harpies. Superman rescues the plane, but when it lands Lois and Clark are taken into custody. They meet with one of the leaders of the Reich, Adonis. Readers eventually find out that the Greek gods of mythology have tired of staying out of human affairs and want to be important again and similar to the tragedy that was the Trojan War, they’ve decided to start a conflict. The stakes are high. Superman is bewitched by Circe and turned into a centaur; Lana Lang is given the power of the Oracle of Delphi and turns young; and when one of the Greek goddesses dies after a battle with the German army, she bestows all of her powers to Lois who becomes a new Wonder Woman. The original Wonder Woman has betrayed her brethren of Paradise Island and has joined the Nazis. That’s only the first half of the story.

I read SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY because the basic premise of Superman and Wonder Woman fighting incarnations of the Greek gods was one I found interesting. However, I was appalled by the storyline in which the premise is delivered. The characterization of Superman is completely off with the Man of Steel behaving more like a troubled teenager than the hero he is. Then there’s the whole concept of the Third Reich still existing. Anytime a comic book has to fall back on a Third Reich that somehow won WWII and wasn’t defeated, you know the story is going to be bad. In fact, the only real reason I can see that this entire plot was brought about was so that Lois Lane, Lana Lang, and Superman could end up in a menage a trios.

This series was written by legendary Marvel writer Chris Claremont. Claremont wrote some amazing stories for Marvel and the X-MEN, but he apparently didn’t know much about the DC universe. SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY is the second worst Superman story I have ever read, beaten out only by SUPERMAN: AT EARTH’S END.

The only reason I can offer for reading this book is for the eerie prediction of Sept. 11^th from Superman’s typewriter and Lois Lane’s nightmare in the first book of the series. Other than that curious trivia, there’s no reason to waste your time reading, let alone buying this comic book story.

LAST SON OF EARTH PARTS 1 & 2

In Part I of this Elseworld’s story, the origins of Superman are reversed. Instead of being sent from Krypton to Earth before the planet’s destruction, baby Clark Kent is sent by his scientist and engineer father, Jonathan Kent, into space as the last remnant of humanity before the Earth is destroyed by a meteor. The young baby is discovered and adopted by Jor-El. The human baby is similar to Kryptonians, but his structure is quite frail and he has to live in a bubble and as he grows a special suit is developed for him so that his body can withstand the immense gravity of the planet. Towards the end of the story, the tale takes on an evening more interesting turn as Kal-El (Jonathan Kent’s son) discovers a green power ring and becomes a Green Lantern. Using his newfound power he is able to stop the destruction of Krypton. Part I ends on a kind of cliffhanger with Kal-El having dreams that are actually his memories and he confronts his father, Jor-El about his past.

The story concludes in Part II. Kal-El comes to Oa for training and to learn how to use his ring to unlock his unconscious memories. Upon learning the fate of his birth planet, Kal-El travels to Earth. Most of the planet has been destroyed by the giant meteor. However, though billions perished, there are millions that have survived and the largest city on the planet is now Metropolis. Lex Luthor has brought law and order to Metropolis, but any who oppose him are eliminated. There is a resistance against Luthor and Kal-El joins their forces. In coming to Earth, Kal-El has disobeyed the command of the Guardians. Earth already has a Green Lantern. Kal-El is torn because he doesn’t believe the Earth’s Green Lantern is doing enough, so he is faced with the choice of remaining on Earth and helping to rebuild that world, but giving up his position as a Green Lantern or return to Krypton as their Green Lantern and leave the people of Earth, the place where he is from.

I enjoyed SUPERMAN: LAST SON OF EARTH PART I. It’s interesting how this story imagined the origins of Superman and combined it with Green Lantern’s origins. The art work is also visually appealing. The graphics are just as stimulating, but PART II isn’t as enjoyable as PART I. There was too much about the plotline that’s too convenient. For instance, Metropolis is the only major city left on Earth. Things could have been far more interesting if there was another city that had survived or if the city to have survived was another rather than Metropolis. For example, what if Gotham City was the only major city in America to have survived, but Bruce Wayne was dead and Gotham was controlled by Batman?

SUPERMAN INC.

In this Superman story from the DC Elseworlds series, Kal-El isn’t found by the Kents, but is instead run over by a traveling salesman. Finding the baby unharmed, the man leaves the child at the doorstep of the police department in Pleasantville, Kansas. The child is sent to an orphanage and is adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Suderman and is given the name Dale. Dale’s father dies and not long after Dale discovers he has abilities that are quite spectacular. However, a tragic accident causes Dale to regress. He remains socially isolated and withdrawn. Then as a teenager he engages in a game a basketball and becomes a sports sensation. Dale “Superman” Suderman becomes the world’s greatest athlete, gaining fortune, power, and fame along the way. Eventually Dale “Superman” Suderman becomes a media and corporate conglomerate so powerful that he threatens to ruin the financial empire of Lex Luthor. Luthor won’t have that and sets out to find a way to bring about Superman’s downfall. Along the way, Dale grows a conscious through the interactions of his close friend and advisor.

Action-wise, SUPERMAIN INC. 1999 ANNUAL REPORT is fairly tame. However, the story is a very character-driven piece exploring and examining the ethical, moral, and psychological elements of Superman’s character in a way that comics don’t always do. Therefore, despite the lack of action, the story is good and I enjoyed it. The illustrations in the book are rather slick and refined, reflecting the corporate identity that Dale “Superman” Suderman takes on.