Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 1992)
Man of steel Superman’s death marks the end of an era °^Xi^i^i^ i > t°<c^t?i!‘^<'V1v'!'* &* . .“ K-** 2<^J^ ^ «< '''IV \\>^ x rou . !&&*&** *» ' k %2§i§s^ l The Worlds Upcrrr^n!'’ 9. ^Tbu^-^S H'e»g**ed ' N°V"n‘ °° msdaif a^ln m°rtaicofnK nearly Out m.. u 1 3"5S2£?5fe“ n>a*«**opou$v£, .? “,££*"*/»(*, jL »«ag>Brair<jtg. irfci By Anne Steyer Staff Reporter_ An era has ended: the arena of popular culture has been rocked and the world must bu ry its greatest superhero. Superman, the cornerstone of Detective Comics, died Thursday, Nov. 19, of mortal wounds sus tained in his battle with Doomsday, an evil creaturcofunknown where abouts. The man of steel was a mythical hero with superhuman strength created in 1934 by Jerome Siegel. He recruited neighbor and class mate Joe Shuster to pencil and ink hisstories, and an American legend was born. First published in June 1938, as the launch pad of Action Comics, a new line from DC, Superman was portrayedasan indestructible force of good. Over the next 50 years, very little about Superman changed. He was faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. He could fly, he had X-ray vision, hurricane-strength lung power and supersonic hearing. His strength =- h I I Lincoln's Original j | Good Time Saloon i IMUXK. W IM4 _ | Friday Saturday ^ ^ I was matched by none. His costume < wasthesignatureredandblue with i the gleaming yellow "S." In 1986, the man of steel was revamped and madea little more— dare it be said — human. He was not quite so indestructible and he had moments of doubt and fear. But he was still a champion of good. 1 “He always has been a cosmic boy scout, a nice guy,” said Brian < Schur, owner of Cosmic Comics, “. . .and we all know where nice guys finish." Over the decades, his history was revealed to his readers and — somewhat— to himself. Superman discovered he was not human but was born to scientists Jor-El and Lara on the doomed planet of Kryp TV./.., ./.«■ W i In C/..1V. cocooned in a womb-like capsule. He landed in Smallville, U.S.A., and was discovered by Mr. andMrs. Kent. He lived a relatively calm and normal childhood as Clark Kent, living a hidden life as the crime fighting Superman. He continued his secret identity while, as an adult, employed at the Metropolis city newspaper, The Daily Planet. It was there that he met Lois Lane, the determined investigative reporter, whom he would later fall in love with, reveal himself to and plan to marry. ' It was in her arms that he spoke his final words and drew his final | breath. Within the DC universe, within ! the city of Metropol is a nd the world }f comic books, Superman is re membered as the Earth’s greatest superhero. To the fictional charac ers of those worlds, his passing is i tremendous loss — equivalent to America’s real life loss of FDR, JFK ind John Wayne all at once. To citizens of the real world, superman’s death is the end of an sra, the passing of one of America’s most celebrated icons of popular rulture. A worldwide institution, Super man has been involved in more thanhalfa century offightingcrime, appearing in mediums as varied as novels, comic books, comic strips, radio shows, animated cartoons, movie serials, television series five feature films and a Broadway musi cal. o 1 * J • oupcnuau was ccicuiaicu in songs from Laurie Anderson to Barbra Streisand, the Kinks to RKM. The Crash Test Dummies sang: 'Superman never made any money/for saving the world from Solomon Grundy/and sometimes I despair the world will never see/ another man like him." Most likely, the world never will. All of this celebration of a single hero was catapulted into a phe nomenal merchandisingcampaign. His image was imprinted on every thing from mugs and posters to beach towels and bedroom sheets. All this Superman mania had diminished in recent years, as other characters’ stories look off. Comic book sales had dropped, and talk of another feature film met with jeers. But with the massive media at tention the impending death of Superman received, interest in the character resurged. Comic book collectors and Superman fans, to gether with all the people who had loved him in their childhood and those seeking a financial invest ment, bombarded comic book shops nationwide in search of Superman’s final and fateful battle. No one had enough copies. DC reported record sales and issued a second printing of Super man #75 the same day the first was released. DC has announced the release of a third printing due out today. Schu r said his three comic stores sold out of 1,200 copies in just under three hours. More than 900 »U A r r\rir\t in/i i imrn cr\lrl m his stores, and those also have sold out. Speculation is rampant about the fate and future of the man of steel. Customers in local comic stores already are anticipating his return. “Superman is gone now, but how long is merely conjecture," Schur said, “I’d hazard a guess he’ll be back sometime next year, as a revised character, a harder, nittier grillier and darker Superman." Speculation aside, and regard lessofthe fallen superhero’s future, millions of people worldwide are mourning the passing of a popular icon, a figure who represented safety, security and the triumph of good in a world filled with injustice and evil. The world mourns a Superman.