Be My Focus Group
Three questions regarding a potential new project:
1. Could you, as a comic book reader, accept a new character that came from the planet Krypton, if this character had left or been taken from that world long before it blew up? (By “long,” I mean thousands of years.)
2. Could you, as a comic book reader, accept the idea that an ancient ancestor of the Kryptonian race might not acquire all the powers and abilities that Superman does on Earth?
3. Who would you be more interested in reading about — very ancient Kryptonians or White Martians?
I’ll be curious to hear your comments.
October 21st, 2005 at 11:00 AM
A little late to the party, so I’ll just say: tell the story that needs telling and don’t worry so much about the tiny little details (unless they’re intrinsic to the telling.) If the story dictates Kryptonians, then go green.
Looking forward to it, either way.
October 21st, 2005 at 11:29 AM
On a recent cartoon show, there was the dialogue something like this (let’s hope the html works here):
Hero 1: If the villain succeeds, there will be 1,000 years of darkness!
Hero 2: Will it REALLY be 1,000 years?
Hero 1: Well, actually, it will be 863 years, but 1,000 sound much more poetic!”
Take it as you will.
October 28th, 2005 at 8:27 AM
1.I would absolutely accept a Kryptonian from a thousand years ago. I’d want to know how they got to earth.
2.I would absolutely accept that the Kryptonian might not gain any or all of Superman’s powers. From the Byrne reboot, we know that Kal-El’s DNA (or whatever Kryptonians use) was tampered with; he was also the first Kryptonian to be born off-planet and under a yellow sun. No problems there.
3.Kryptonians are WAY more interesting than White Martians.
October 30th, 2005 at 2:20 AM
Also late to the party, and I’m probably not going to be invited to a Superman party anway, but here’s some thinking as Gerber Book Reader who will buy it anyway.
“accept a new character that came from the planet Krypton, if this character had left or been taken from that world long before it blew up?”
I’d say that could work. We are always getting folks turning up from the already overwrought back-continuity of the DCU and Earth, so why not from Krypton?
“accept the idea that an ancient ancestor of the Kryptonian race might not acquire all the powers and abilities that Superman does on Earth?”
That would have to depend on the length of the evolutionary arc I would guess. But since we are accepting that a different colour Sun imbues Superman with powers, wouldn’t it be possible to place this ancient Kryptonian in a stage of Krypton’s Sun’s dying aeons … just thinking out loud here … so that it was Krypton’s DYING Sun that was different to Earth’s Sun and led to Superman’s powers?
“Who would you be more interested in reading about”
As we’re talking about the DCU, I’d say ancient Kryptonians, because I have a soft spot for Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles. The Kryptonians always seem strangely ancient to me – perhaps they are based on the 20th Century imagery of Greece or Rome? Presumably in Krypton’s earlier history they were a bit more mundane? Oh I see you’ve mentioned Sodom and Gomorrah – I’d kind of seen the end days of Krypton as reflecting that era on Earth. Or at least a less debauched version of the Eloi from Time Machine.
October 30th, 2005 at 5:00 AM
I think Ade has read your mind here, Steve, or hasn’t he/she?
It’s Krypton’s earlier sun, not yet red, that your ancient Kryptonian is adapted to, right? So that’s why the powers are lessened.
Nicely spotted, Ade! Also I’m really feeling the Martian Chronicles thing you’re saying here, nice to have someone bring up what it resonates with…ancient Kryptonians, who wouldn’t be interested for God’s sake?
October 30th, 2005 at 12:41 PM
The Byrne version of Krypton — at least in terms of how Krypton was in its last days, sterile and all — is no longer canonical. Mark Waid’s BIRTHRIGHT is the Official origin of Superman as he is today. Superman was indeed born on Krypton shortly before it blew up.