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John Byrne's original proposal for Marvel Comics when they were contemplating publishing the DC characters in the early 80's.
Jim Shooter: SUPERMAN s Plot
Byrne's grumpy response to his plot being posted by shooter...
Byrne Robotics: Full Plot of JB’s Marvel Superman posted
with a bit of commentary.
Jim Shooter: SUPERMAN s Plot
The second chapter is entitled “SMALLVILLE.”
Earth, the USA, somewhere out in the sticks, fifty-something Jonathan and Martha Kent are riding along in their pickup truck. They’re farm people, good people. They witness the little ship launched months ago by Jor-El crash in a field.
They run to investigate.
Jonathan pulls badly-injured Lara from the wreckage. Right then and there, with the Kents’ help, she gives birth. The child, a boy, yelps when Jonathan slaps him on the butt. He seems unharmed and healthy. Just before she dies, Lara names the boy Kal-El.
The childless Kents decide to keep the baby as their own. They name him Clark.
Earth, the USA, somewhere out in the sticks, fifty-something Jonathan and Martha Kent are riding along in their pickup truck. They’re farm people, good people. They witness the little ship launched months ago by Jor-El crash in a field.
They run to investigate.
Jonathan pulls badly-injured Lara from the wreckage. Right then and there, with the Kents’ help, she gives birth. The child, a boy, yelps when Jonathan slaps him on the butt. He seems unharmed and healthy. Just before she dies, Lara names the boy Kal-El.
The childless Kents decide to keep the baby as their own. They name him Clark.
Byrne Robotics: Full Plot of JB’s Marvel Superman posted
with a bit of commentary.
Blasting an infant into the void of space in the hopes that he lands on some distant planet and that he is then taken care of by an alien species is only a micron better than letting him die on an exploding planet. Having Lara go with him lessons some of that "the building is on fire, so let's toss the kid out of the window and hope he survives" feeling.
••
Remember, when Seigel and Shuster conceived that origin for Superman, everyone on Krypton had Superman's powers. Jor-L knew his son would be the toughest kid on the block when he arrived on Earth.
(There was an interesting short story published many years ago, not in a comic book, that touched upon an aspect of Superman's origin no one had addressed -- for obvious reasons. Arriving on Earth, the baby also brings with him an array of alien germs, all of which are instantly indestructible. They get introduced into Earth's biosphere and basically lay waste to the planet in a matter of days. The story ended with the sound of a hungry baby, all alone on a dead world, crying. . . )
••
Remember, when Seigel and Shuster conceived that origin for Superman, everyone on Krypton had Superman's powers. Jor-L knew his son would be the toughest kid on the block when he arrived on Earth.
(There was an interesting short story published many years ago, not in a comic book, that touched upon an aspect of Superman's origin no one had addressed -- for obvious reasons. Arriving on Earth, the baby also brings with him an array of alien germs, all of which are instantly indestructible. They get introduced into Earth's biosphere and basically lay waste to the planet in a matter of days. The story ended with the sound of a hungry baby, all alone on a dead world, crying. . . )
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