revista superman by joan velasquez

104 DC HEROES

From Smallville to

Metropolis The creation of

www.104dcheroes.com USA $8.00 Nov-Dec 2011

the justice league

Lex Luthor: The power of

having money

104

#12

DC HEROES

Content Founders: Joan Velasquez Isaac

Genral manager Martha Rodriguez

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Editorial board

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Joan Velasquez

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Design concept

Lex Luthor:

bizzaro: a different superman pg.14

Doomsday pg.20

zod:

the enemy

104 DC HEROES

From

Nov - Dec 2011

SMALLVILLE to

METROPOLIS Pg.4

Welcome! This magazine is devoted to DC A Comics’ Superman, the first and best comic different book superhero, who was created by Jerry and dangerous Siegel and Joe Shuster. This magazine is SUPERMAN: BIZZARO dedicated to giving you information on SuThe creation of the justice league perman in all forms of media. Lex Luthor: The power of If this is your first 104 magazine, then we having money invite you to take our Guided Tour. If you just want a quick explanation of what’s The 104 DC HEROES is a bimestral magazine of group D Ltda. available within each section visit the taNIT 830 021 726 1 ble of contents. hope you enjoy your trip to TEL (571) 622 6637. FAX Ext. 116. A.A. 76 443 krypton! Cr. 23#86A - 27 New York www.104dcheroes.com USA $8.00 Nov-Dec 2011

Joan velasquez isaac

darkseid pg.24

superman

dies pg.26

the creation of the

justice league pg.10

money

pg.10

superman vs. brainiac pg.22

SUPERMAN appears in movies pg.6

pg.18

Joan Velasquez 12

The power of having

From

SMALLVILLE

METROPOLIS Superman is the sole survivor of the planet

K r yp t o n . KRYPTON

Shortly afterward, Clark obtained a job as a reporter for the Daily Planet by turning in his first detailed story about Superman. He currently enjoys a freelance status with the Planet. Some time ago Superman journeyed to an otherdimensional “pocket universe” that had its own Krypton and Earth. After defeating three Kryptonians native to that universe who had murdered the entire population of its Earth, Superman executed the trio, believing there was no other way to stop them. The tremendous guilt Superman felt over this act combined by the psychic manipulation by his foe Braniac, caused him to develop a temporary split personality. Believing himself to be potentially dangerous to humanity, Superman exiled himself to space, eventually taken prisoner by the forces of the alien tyrant Mongul. During this time Superman resolved never to kill again....” Superman lives by the traditional moral values instilled in him by his foster parents. Superman is an idealist, devoted to promoting “truth, justice, and the American way,” and has proved over and over that he is a true hero, capable of whatever bravery and self-sacrifice is necessary to right a wrong or save a life.

JONATHAN and CLARK KENT

Powers and Weapons His father, Jor-El, discovered that a nuclear chain reaction was building inside Krypton that would soon shatter the entire world. Jor-El therefore had his unborn son Kal-El removed from the Kryptonian Gestation Chambers and affixed the life matrix containing Kal-El to an experimental vessel for travel through hyperspace. Jor-El launched the starcraft toward Earth just before Krypton exploded.

Since Superman is a native of Krypton, a planet that had a red sun, under a yellow sun (like that of Earth’s his Kryptonian cells act as living solar batteries, absorbing solar energy and giving him superhuman powers. He possesses tremendous strength; while Superman’s strength is not infinite, its full extent is so grea that it has never been accurately measured.

Superman was, in effect, born on Earth when the starcraft landed there. Jonathan and Martha Kent found the infant inside the vessel and brought him to their farm in Smallville, Kansas. Since he appeared entirely human, the Kents assumed that the baby was a victim of a cruel experiment. At this time the baby had no super powers. The Kents named the infant Clark and raised him as their own son. As clark grew older his Kryptonian body began developing superhuman abilities. When Clark was eighteen, took him to the field where his starcraft still lay hidden and explained how he and Martha had found him. Clark resolved to use his powers from then on only for the good of mankind. After revealing his secret to his childhood friend, Lana Lang, Clark left Smallville to study at Metropolis University. Clark initially used his powers covertly to help people and prevent or thwart disasters. Ultimately, he was forced to use his powers in public to prev ent the crash of a NASA space-plane. Thereafter he and his foster parents devised a new costumed secret identity he would adopt when using his abilities in public. They called his new persona “Superman,” the name given him by Lois Lane, a reporter for the Metropolis Daily Planet who had been aboard the space-plane.

KRYPTON EXPLODED

SUPERMAN in METROPOLIS 4

Superman’s sharp senses enable him to hear souns too faint to be detected by the normal human ear. His “telescopic vision” enables him to focus his sight on distant objects far beyond the range of normal human sight. His “microscopic vision” allows him to observe an object in microscopic detail. Superman’s so called “x-ray vision” enables him to see clearly through solid objects. Certain dense materials, notably lead, obstruct this ability. His power to generate heat within objects manifests itself as a red glow within his eyes.

THE END 5

SUPERMAN APPEARS IN MOVIES

Superman has thrilled audiences on the big screen for many years. Here are Reviews, Synopsis and Critiques of not only the Christopher Reeve Superman films, but all other incarnations of the Superman family of motion pictures. Information and Episode Guide for the Fleischer Superman cartoons, plus Interviews with famous Superman movie personalities.

CONTENTS: Man of Steel (2012): What’s Happening With the Next Superman Movie? Fleischer Superman Cartoons (1941-1943): Fleischer Episode Guide - Information and Episode Guide for the 17 Fleischer Superman cartoons made between 1941 and 1943. The Super Guide to the Fleischer Superman Cartoons - Ross May’s detailed article on the Fleischer Superman cartoons. Fleischer Superman Cartoon Reviews - Reviews of all 17 cartoons. DVD Review - Max Fleischer’s Superman: 1941-1942 Superman Serials (1948/1950): Superman Serials - Starring Kirk Alyn - Detailed Chapter Synopsis and Cast Information for “Superman” (1948) and “Atom Man vs. Superman” (1950) Serials. DVD Review - Superman: The 1948 & 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection Christopher Reeve “Superman” Movies (1978-1987): Superman: The Movie (1978) Superman II (1980)

Superman III (1983) Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) Superman II: The Donner Cut (2006) Superman II: Restored International Cut - an in-depth 6-part review of the fan-made “Restored International Cut” of Superman II.Superman: The Music (1978-1988) - Review of the 8-disc CD Soundtrack Collection. Superman Returns (2006): Superman Returns - Information on the 2006 Superman “Superman Returns” Set Visit Report - Massive 12-part report from Steve Younis’ “Superman Returns” set visit (May 2006). Movie Review (with spoilers) by Steve Younis HUGE Movie Review (with spoilers) by Neal Bailey Movie Review (with spoilers) by Neal Bailey Movie Review (with spoilers) by Jeffrey Bridges Movie Review (spoiler free) by Barry Freiman Movie Review (spoiler free) by Marc Freiman Academic Essay on “Superman Returns” by Ben Murnane “Superman Collector’s Edition” DVD Reviews (2006): Introduction/Packaging Review Discs 1-4: “Superman: The Movie” Four-Disc Special Edition Disc 5 & 7: “Superman II” Two-Disc Special Edition Disc 6: “Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut” Disc 8: “Superman III” Deluxe Edition Disc 9: “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” Deluxe Edition Disc 10-11: “Superman Returns” Two-Disc Special Edition Disc 12: Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman Disc 13: You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman

Chistopher reeve as

superman

“Superman: Doomsday” Direct-to-DVD Animated Movie Superman: Doomsday - Information on the 2007 direct-toDVD animated movie. Review of “Superman: Doomsday” by Neal Bailey (from the 2007 San Diego Comic Con premiere) Review of “Superman: Doomsday” by Steve Younis Review of “Superman: Doomsday” by Noah Runzo Review of “Superman: Doomsday” by Jason Larouche (with indepth synopsis) Review of “Superman: Doomsday” by Michael Bailey “Justice League: The New Frontier” Direct-to-DVD Animated Movie (2008): Justice League: The New Frontier - Information on the 2008 direct-to-DVD animated movie. Review of “Justice League: The New Frontier” by Jeffrey Taylor (from the 2008 WonderCon premiere)

Review of “Justice League: The New Frontier” Soundtrack CD by Barry Freiman “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” Direct-to-DVD Animated Movie (2009): Superman/Batman: Public Enemies - Information on the 2009 direct-to-DVD animated movie. Review of “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” by Jeffrey Taylor “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” Direct-to-DVD Animated Movie (2010): Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths - Information on the 2010 direct-to-DVD animated movie. Review of “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” by Barry Freiman “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” Direct-to-DVD Animated Movie (2010): Superman/Batman: Apocalypse - Information on the 2010 direct-to-DVD animated movie. Review of “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” by Jeffrey Bridges “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” Comic Book Comparison by Jeffrey Taylor “Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam” Direct-toDVD Animated Short (2010): Review of “Superman/Shazam!” by Barry Freiman “All-Star Superman” Direct-to-DVD Animated Movie (2011): All-Star Superman - Information on the 2011 direct-to-DVD animated movie. Spoiler-Free Review of “All-Star Superman” by Scotty V Review of “All-Star Superman” by Jeffrey Bridges “The Superman Motion Picture Anthology” Blu-Ray Collection (2011): Review of “The Superman Motion Picture Anthology” Blu-ray Collection by Steve Younis Other Movies: Supergirl (1984) “Look! Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman” (2006 documentary) Hollywoodland (2006 George Reeves biopic)

“Atom Man vs. Superman” (1950) Serials. DVD Review - Superman: The 1948 & 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection Christopher Reeve “Superman” Movies (1978-1987): Superman: The Movie (1978) Superman II (1980) Superman III (1983) Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) Superman II: The Donner Cut (2006) Superman II: Restored International Cut - an in-depth 6-part review of the fan-made “Restored International Cut” of Superman II.Superman: The Music (1978-1988) - Review of the 8-disc CD Soundtrack Collection. Superman Returns (2006):

Lex Luthor: thePOWER of HAVING

MONEY.

“I don’t want to do good things, I want to do great things” 10

Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain and archenemy of Superman. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Luthor first appeared in Action Comics #23 (1940). The (usually) bald-headed Luthor has been Superman’s main foe for most of the superhero’s existence and has unveiled countless plots to destroy him and take over the world. Originally Luthor was a mad scientist but has since been rewritten as a Machiavellian industrialist and white-collar criminal. For a brief period in the early 2000s, he was president of the United States. Luthor is one of several Superman characters with the initials “LL,” including Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Letitia Lerner and Lori Lemaris. Luthor has been featured in most adaptations of Superman outside comic books. In the film series of the late 1970s and 1980s, Gene Hackman took a comical approach to the character. Stan Jones provided Luthor’s voice in the SuperFriends cartoon series. In Smallville, a retelling of Superman’s early years, a young adult Lex is played by Michael Rosenbaum. The role of Lex Luthor will be played by Kevin Spacey in the upcoming movie Superman Returns.

Origins

In the post-Man of Steel mythos, Luthor was born in the Suicide Slum district of Metropolis. In his younger years, Alexander Joseph “Lex” Luthor grew up in a household where his cruel and short-tempered father abused Lex’s mother and belittled his son’s dreams of leaving the Suicide Slum district for a better life. His only friend was Perry White, who encouraged Lex’s dreams of making something of himself. Lex’s big break would come in his early teens, when Lex’s parents were killed in a car accident and left Lex with a rather large insurance policy that left the teen incredibly wealthy. Years later, an unauthorized biography would accuse Lex of not only causing the death of his parents but also of obtaining the insurance policy on his parents without their knowledge. Lex was put into a foster home while he waited until he became of legal age to collect the insurance money. However, Lex found that his foster parents were even worse than his biological parents. Greedy and manipulative, they schemed to find out the location of Lex’s money and steal it from him. Shortly after Lex turned the age in which he could have access to his money, he secretly put the money in a savings account with it explicitly stated that only he could withdraw money from the account. When his foster parents found bank documents Lex had hidden from them, Lex’s foster father confronted his daughter Lena and demanded that she seduce Lex, who had fallen in love with Lena. into giving her parents the money under the lie that they would use the money to pay for their daughter’s college education, which they had no plans on doing. Lena, who had feelings for Lex, refused and for her trouble was beaten to death by her father. Lex was absent from the home at the time, having been talked into going to a football game by his friend Perry. When Lex returned home, he was heartbroken to find Lena murdered by her father. This event would serve as the turning point for Lex Luthor, who vowed to do whatever it took to gain power and to destroy anyone who got in his way. Perry White was the first target of Lex’s turn to evil. Lex blamed Perry for keeping him from being at the house when Lena died and got his revenge by seducing Perry’s wife shortly after their marriage and getting her pregnant with Lex’s child.

Rise to Power

Lex used his money and natural genius to create a multinational corporation known as “LexCorp” that would ultimately come to dominate the city of Metropolis. One of Lex’s earliest projects was an experimental airplane and other similar technology themed enterprises would be the hallmark of LexCorp’s output. Lex became the most powerful man in Metropolis, both financially and in the world of organized crime. Lex would create havoc on the streets by selling weapons to the gangs of Metropolis and using his primarily female staff of underlings to keep blackmail files on all of the major organized crime groups in the city, so that Lex could use them to further any schemes he had planned. However, this all ended with the arrival of Superman.

Superman

Several months after Superman first appeared on the scene, terrorists attacked a society gala aboard Lex Luthor’s yacht. Luthor observed Superman in action and then tried to hire him as a bodyguard after Superman defeated the terrorists. But when Luthor admitted that he’d anticipated the attack but allowed it to occur in order to witness Superman first hand, Mayor Berkowitz deputized Superman to arrest Luthor for reckless endangerment. Luthor vowed to destroy Superman for this humiliation, and he has since devoted much time and energy to that goal. Luthor was a man driven to be the best, having fought his way up from lowly beginnings by his own (dubious) efforts, and was resentful of how Superman was given his powers by random fate of birth. Superman survived subsequent attempts Luthor made on his life.

BIZZARO A DIFFERENT DANGEROUS

AND

SUPERMAN Bizarro is a fictional character who is a failed clone of Superman. The original Bizarro was created by an unsuccessful attempt to duplicate Superboy, in a story written by Otto Binder.

Pre-Crisis

Bizarro

The Bizarro World

The later Bizarro was created by Lex Luthor, who used the “duplicating ray” on the adult Superman and hoped to use the duplicate to attack Superman. However, this Bizarro did not cooperate and instead tried to emulate Superman. Unfortunately, his attempts to match the original’s heroics were clumsy and destructive, and he kidnapped Lois. This was resolved when Lois created a Bizarro-Lois for Bizarro using the “duplication ray”. His only weakness was blue Kryptonite, created by using the same machine to duplicate green Kryptonite. Though Bizarro acts in what he believes to be the best manner, his Bizarro logic often causes him to act for evil. Originally Bizarro’s abilities were the same as Superman’s but he was hit by a meteorite which reversed his powers:flame breath, ice vision, microscopic vision that actually increased the size of things, X-ray vision that could only see through lead.

In the Bizarro world, a cube-shaped planet known as “Htrae” (Earth spelled backward), society is ruled by the Bizarro Code, which states that it is a crime to do anything well or to make anything perfect or beautiful. Predictably camp lines abound. In one episode, for example, a salesman is doing a brisk trade selling “Bizarro bonds. Guaranteed to lose money for you”. Later in this episode, the mayor appoints Bizarro #1 to investigate a crime, “Because you are stupider than the entire Bizarro police force put together”. This is intended and taken as a great compliment. Later stories introduced Bizarro versions of Superman’s supporting cast, including Bizarro-Perry White and Bizarro-Jimmy Olsen, created by using the duplicator ray on characters other than Superman and Lois Lane, as well as the children of Bizarro and Bizarro Lois. There was even a Bizarro-Justice League and Legion of Super-Heroes. “Tales of the Bizarro World” became a recurring segment in Adventure Comics from 1961 to 1962. On one occasion, Keith Giffen portrayed Htrae itself as being sentient - “Me am the Bizarro World. Planet Earth not think... therefore, me do” - and its only sane inhabitant was the Bizarro Ambush Bug.

THE

ZOD: ENEMY

KRYPTONIAN

General Zod is a fictional character from the Superman comics published by DC Comics. He has also appeared in other Superman media spin-offs. Zod is one of Superman’s more prominent arch enemies. As he was first portrayed in Superman comics during the period known as the “Silver Age of Comic Books”, Zod was one of a number of Kryptonian villains trapped in the Phantom Zone, who would occasionally escape and target Superman. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 (April 1961). His full Kryptonian name was Dru-Zod. He was often portrayed as a megalomaniacal bald man, and some think he was based on Nazi fanatics, espousing purity and aggression for Kryptonians. In one adventure, Zod and a number of Kryptonian criminals escaped the zone and came to Earth, disguising themselves like Superman (whom they had observed) and using their powers to benefit mankind, like him. The reason for this was that they had a common enemy with the Man of Steel. Superman tricked them into going back into the Phantom Zone by travelling there with them and using a fragment of Jewel Kryptonite to escape in the nick of time.

Later Versions of Zod

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths rewrote much of the history of the DC Universe and its characters, it was initially established that there were no Kryptonian survivors other than Superman. Consequently, the four different General Zods that have since appeared have had different origins from the original. The first came from a Krypton in a pocket universe created by the Time Trapper. He, with his companions Quex-Ul and Faora, devastated the Earth of that universe following the death of its Superboy, eventually forcing the Superman of the main universe to execute them. This version of Zod is based on the PreCrisis version.

“Take my hand and swear eternal loyalty to Zod.”. 18

“The only way to save them would be to kill me now, in cold blood. Which goes against everything you stand for.”

Brainiac is a fictional supervillain in DC Comics, most often appearing as an opponent of Superman. First appearing in Action Comics #242 ( July 1958), Brainiac was a bald, green-skinned humanoid who arrived on Earth and shrank various cities including Metropolis, storing them in bottles with the intent of using them to restore Bryak, the planet he ruled. He was accompanied by a “space monkey” named Koko. While fighting Brainiac, Superman discovered the villain had previously shrunk the Kryptonian city of Kandor. He was able to restore the Earth cities to full size, but the Kandorians sacrificed their restoration to help him. Superman stored the city in his Fortress of Solitude, vowing to return the natives to full size. Brainiac’s legacy was revealed in Action Comics #276, in a Legion of Super-Heroes back up story. This introduced the green-skinned, blond-haired teenager Querl Dox, or Brainiac 5, who believed himself to be Brainiac’s 30th century descendant. Unlike his apparent ancestor, Brainiac 5 used his “twelfth level intellect” for good, and joined the Legion alongside Supergirl, with whom he fell in love. His home planet was given variously as Yod or Colu.

Post-Crisis In the Post-Crisis DC Universe, Brainiac’s history was dramatically altered. Vril Dox was now a radical Coluan scientist who, having attempted to overthrow the Computer Tyrants, was sentenced to death. In his last moments, his consciousness was attracted to Earthly sideshow mentalist Milton Fine, who worked under the alias “Brainiac”. Needing cranial fluid to maintain his possession of Fine, Dox went on a murder spree. He discovered Fine had genuine psychic powers, which he frequently used on Superman. This version of Brainiac made his first appearance in Adventures of Superman #438 (March 1988). Brainiac was later captured by Lex Luthor, but used his powers to wrest control of Lexcorp away from him. Under his mental domination, Lexcorp scientists restored his Coluan form. The diodes in his head now increased and stabilised his mental powers, as well as allowing him direct access to computer banks. He continued to plague Superman, using a combination of mental powers and computer control. On one occasion he even returned to his pre-Crisis incarnation’s city-shrinking tactics.

Superman vs. Brainiac 20

This is a simple matter of

self-preservation.

When I couldn’t kill you,

I knew I had to

control you. 21

Darkseid is the ruler of the planet Apokolips, a post he obtained after assassinating his mother. He is obsessed with finding the Anti-Life Equation in order to use it to rule the universe. This goal also includes conquering his rival planet, New Genesis, ruled by the Highfather, formerly Izaya the Inheritor. The resulting destructive war is stopped only with a diplomatic exchange of the Highfather’s and Darkseid’s infant sons. Darkseid’s Orion is surrendered to the Highfather while Darkseid receives Scott Free, who will later become the master escape artist Mister Miracle. This turns out to be a setback for Darkseid with his biological son growing up to fiercely value and defend the ideals of New Genesis in opposition to his father. Darkseid’s latest attempt to attack earth was through the kidnapping of Supergirl. He had hoped that he was able to use Black Kryptonite to brainwash Supergirl, thus, providing him with a leader for his Female Furies, as well as a warrior on par with Superman. However, this plan backfired as Batman and Superman were able to save Supergirl. This set forward a plan of revenge by Darkseid to destroy Supergirl. This also fails as Supergirl is teleported out at the last minute. This sets Superman into a unparallel fit of rage as he hurls Darkseid into the sun where they attempted to destroy each other. Unfortunately, the sun scored the skin of Darkseid, weakening him. Superman beats him unconscious enough to throw into the Source Wall. There, Superman declared that, “For years and years you’ve tried to learn the secrets of Ultimate power from the other side. But you will never get the answers—just like the others who are entombed here. This is where you belong. Along with all the other failures in the universe.” However, the repercussions of Darkseid’s entombment have yet been ramified. The mysterious appearance of the Maximums has been linked to Darkseid.

Powers & Abilities In addition to the considerable military forces at his command, Darkseid himself is quite formidable. His main power is the Omega Beam or Omega Effect, which is fired from his eyes. The Omega Effect is not only a powerful attack, but can teleport the target anywhere Darkseid chooses, erase the target from existence instantly and can then restore the target if he chooses. The Omega Effect is not limited to traveling in straight lines, able to bend or twist as needed. It can traverse time and different universes, and go through some barriers such as Orion’s body.

All turns black when

Darkseid appears 22

Doomsday:

The only one that could

kill superman

Doomsday is the name of a fictional supervillain in the Superman comic book series best known for fighting Superman to the death. He was artificially created by Bertron, a mad scientist with no morals working on Krypton, Superman’s home world, though neither he nor his creator were Kryptonian (this was done prior to humanoid life evolving on Krypton). Bertron wanted to create the ultimate lifeform. In order to do this, they sent a baby onto the surface of Krypton, where it would be killed by the harsh environment or vicious creatures that inhabit the planet. Each time, the lifeform’s remains were harvested and used again, to create a better, stronger version of the last. In short, the mad scientist was using the method of cloning to accelerate the evolution of the being he was creating. Through decades of this process, the being which would eventually become Doomsday was forced to endure the agony of death, thousands upon thousands of times; the memory of these countless deaths was recorded in his genes and drove it to hate all life. Bertron himself met his death at the hands of his own creation. The Death of Superman Main article: The Death of Superman After freeing one arm and smashing his way out of his buried vault, the creature went on the rampage in Midwestern America, where he first encountered the Justice League. The Ultimate defeated the entire team of superheroes (note this Justice League incarnation did not include powerful members such as Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Martian Manhunter, or Zatanna) in a matter of minutes, which in turn attracted the attention of Superman.[4] Most notable is the fact that the creature fought the whole time with literally one hand tied behind his back, yet was still able to lay waste to all opposition and much of the surrounding area. The only Justice Leaguer who could even defend herself against the creature was Maxima. Also at that time, his naming occurred when League memberBooster Gold stated how the rampage resembled “the arrival of Doomsday”. The comment then subsequently reached the broadcast media and thereafter led to the creature’s accepted name, The Ultimate was dubbed “Doomsday” from that time forward. Five Leaguers, including Superman, combined their energy powers in an attempt to take Doomsday down, but succeeded only in destroying the last of his ancient burial cables, allowing him to use both hands.

“the arrival of Doomsday” meaning the

end of the world 25

Superman DIES “The Death of Superman” is a 1992 comic book storyline that occurred in DC Comics’Superman titles.The completed multi-issue story arc was given the title The Death and Return of Superman.

A World

Without

a Superman

In the story, Superman engages in battle with a seemingly unstoppable killing machine named Doomsday in the streets of Metropolis.[2] At the fight’s conclusion, both combatants die from their wounds in Superman (vol. 2) #75 in 1992. The crossover depicted the world’s reaction to Superman’s death in “Funeral for a Friend,” the emergence of four individuals believed to be the “new” Superman, and the eventual return of the original Superman in “Reign of the Supermen!” The storyline, devised by editor Mike Carlin and the Superman writing team of Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, and Karl Kesel, met with enormous success: the Superman titles gained international exposure, reaching to the top of the comics sales charts and selling out overnight. The event was widely covered by national and international news media. The storyline was adapted into a 2007 animated film, Superman: Doomsday.[3] On the last page of several comics prior to Superman: The Man of Steel #18, a gloved fist is shown punching a steel wall, accompanied by the caption: “Doomsday is coming!” In that issue, Superman fights the Underworlders while a hulking figure in a green suit rampages through a pastoral field. This marks the first of seven issues in the “Death of Superman” story proper, which would continue through all four of the Superman books at that time, and one issue ofJustice League America, before culminating in Superman (vol. 2) #75.

The funeral That followed featured many of Superman’s fellow heroes and friends, including most of the Justice League of America, and a mausoleum was built in Metropolis in honor of the Man of Steel. During this time, every hero in the DC Universe (even Guy Gardner and Green Arrow, neither of whom had ever personally gotten along with him) sported a black arm band featuring the S-Shield logo. Some time later, Project Cadmus stole Superman’s body from his mausoleum, which had been ironically provided by lex.

The

creation of Animator Bruce Timm, having successfully adapted both Batman and Superman into animated television programs in the 1990s, took on the challenge of faithfully adapting the Justice League comic book.

justice league

Ignoring the sidekicks, pets and other extraneous elements of the earlier Super Friends show, the line-up of this new JLA adaptation was created with two things in mind: to pay tribute to the original line-up of the Justice League of America while also reflecting racial and cultural diversity. Significantly, the wellknown (but much-deprecated) superhero Aquaman was left out of the lineup (although he would be used on the show) in favor of a second female on the team - Hawkgirl - and the AfricanAmerican Green Lantern John Stewart, who has worked with the League in the comics before, was used rather than either of the better-known modern-era Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner, even though Rayner had appeared as Green Lantern in the Superman animated series. (In the second season, Rayner is described as a Lantern in training under Stewartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s old mentor, explaining his absence. Both he and Jordan make brief appearances in Justice League Unlimited.) The show met with significant success, partially due to loyal fans already familiar with these incarnations of the characters, and partially from a new generation of viewers. The two-part nature of most episodes led Cartoon Network to choose to air the episodes back-to-back. In February 2004 Cartoon Network announced a follow-up series, Justice League Unlimited, which premiered on July 31.

the

Justice League of America while also reflecting

racial and

cultural diversity 28